Saturday, April 28, 2007

Farmers market and Vegan Athlete

In Charlottesville, Virginia from April to October we have a weekly market that is loaded with a variety of fresh picked veggies, fruits and greens along with plants, flowers and homemade items.
As a new Vegetarian I was excited when April arrived and I was able to shop the outdoor market April the 6th. The snow that morning may have scared off a few vendors and some shoppers but I made it bright and early.
This morning I purchased some greenhouse Green Tomatoes to fry with corn meal, some big asparagus to peel, marinate and grill and some greenhouse cherry tomatoes and cucumbers for a salad. I will use the grill pan tonight and cool these goodies along with the tofu I have marinating at home.
Gotta love spring and summer as a vegetarian.

Thursday, April 26, 2007

Back on Target and back on Track

Recent events that we produce and direct have kept me busy and distracted over the last 2 weeks (www.charlottesvillemarathon.com) .
Now I have eaten OK but not very diverse. My workouts fell apart but are back on track and my life is almost back to normal.
Really learned how much effort it takes to be Vegan while on the run. I am learning more and more and I recently signed on at vegan fitness.net and in my first day I learned 3 great new ideas to help my training, pain management and food issues.(sandwich fillers).

I recently had a birthday and got 2 great vegan cookbooks and one is loaded with easy fun recipes that I can carry as well as enjoy at home. I need o learn and get strong before I travel to Colorado in the summer for a big running event but I feel confident.

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Detox for Spring or after "Sinful Eating"

During recent weeks I have been busy and involved in some hectic and frantic events and as a result i know I have eaten some highly processed and sugar/fat filled goodies. In addition I am sure some of them were filled with all variety of milk and eggs. Whey, dry milk, casein, buttermilk, cheeses , egg white, egg yolks etc....
I was feeling it and over the past weekend I realized my actions as I Felt the results in me and in the way my body worked and in my elimination. I need to stop and clean up and Clean out.
Spring Cleaning like homeowners do ,I am doing with my body. I am doing moderate exercise. Some lifting and body-weight exercises and walking and rowing machine and other low impact low stress exercise. AND I am cleansing internally.
The cleanse includes organic fiber source mixed into water and juice a few times a day and some organic herbs in capsule form throughout the day. I have also included a good veggie Omega oil capsule and wheat grass and chlorella tabs. I have seen and felt some benefits so far and look forward to to fresh start in a few days.
My food has consisted of fresh, raw fruits and veggies in moderation, nothing cooked for a few days.

Monday, April 9, 2007

Restaurants and vegan Athletes

I have had a few recent challenges when going out to eat. When I have the opportunity to make the restaurant decisions I can do OK in food options but when I am a guest I have to look carefully and ask questions- sadly many places have employees that have no idea what is in the foods.
I have often had an old reliable piece of fruit or Optimum bar in the car or just ate the salad after making sure it had no cheese. bacon bits or egg in it.

In fact i am doing a 3-4 cleanse to take care of any sneaky eggs or dairy in recent restaurant choices. My workouts have taken a hit lately as the marathon approaches and we are in the last stages of preparation. To the gym tonight for a quickie to deal with the stress and pressure that is building up as we are under 2 weeks.