My blog title is from a song called "Young Blood" by a local Kiwi group called "The Naked and Famous," which I really, really, really love but its also kind of fitting for today. I thought I would include my new found love for local New Zealand bands in to my blog post. That being said, I wanted to be adventurous, healthy, and also eat something that would soothe my burning skin (which has gotten a lot better!). I settled on papayas because after reading quite a lot about their anti-inflammatory benefits as well as their benefits to the skin (when you rub it on your face you have an instant glow!), and the fact that they are packed full of digestive enzymes, and on top of this the fact that I LOVE how they taste I decided to make my green smoothie a green papaya smoothie :) I was very happy and excited mixing my spinach, flax, ice, rice dream, and chunks of yummy paw paws (here in kiwi land they are called paw paws). I blended it all up and opened up the top. Well, it smelled good! But, the consistency was kind of weird...sort of like pudding but really more like a glutenous mass and not appetizing at all. It kind of reminded me of the time I dropped a MacDonalds 2 cent cone in to the Toronto Harbor front lake and came back 2 hours later and it was still there, still a ball of white floating in the green murky water. Yuck. BUT, because I am without judgment, I took a small sip and turns out it actually tasted okay, I suppose, but the consistency really threw me off. It was bittersweet. I never really have problems with consistency of foods. I know a lot of people have issues with this and a lot of my friends don't like things like oysters, bananas, sashimi, etc. because they think its weird in their mouth. This was the first ever time I could understand this aversion to food because of its consistency! I won't make this smoothie again. I re-did it all and used a trusty banana and threw in some almond butter for a kick. I was satisfied. From now on I'll eat my paw paw's whole and raw and definitely not blended.
In other news, because I have been feeling better, I have been able to run again! This week I started off slow, my pace isn't as fast as I usually run because I am out of shape and chalked full of meds but I am trying. Today I had a goal of running 6km. I went to the gym, trusty iPod ready, great playlist (I can't workout without music, I just can't!), and away I went. I was running beside a guy who was really intense and running fast and it actually helped motivate me. I guess it kind of worked like how a running buddy would work. The difference is if we were actually running on pavement together this guy would have been outta sight in about t minus 10 seconds; he was running twice as fast as me. Regardless, he ran beside me the entire time and it was great! The entire 6km took me just under 40 minutes, which is pretty pathetic if you ask me. About 2 months ago I was running 10km in 45 minutes, so I wasn't too pleased. However, in trying to remain positive, I focused on the goal, which I had completed. I said I was going to run 6km minimum and I did it! It wasn't easy and at the 4.5 km mark I was getting tired, but then the iPod saved the day and "Empire State of Mind" came on, nothin like some Jay-Z to get you running faster. Thanks for the motivation, jigga! When I reached the 6km mark I kept going until I reached 40 minutes, but I stayed on the treadmill. After the 40 minutes mark I did an interval set for 10 minutes until the 50 minute mark. Interval Training builds fitness fast and you see results quick. It involves bursts of high intensity work and it is the quickest way to burn a lot of calories and work your heart muscle to the max. Interval programs are basically sessions, which include precisely measured intervals; one high intensity duration alternated with one low intensity duration. The appropriate intensity and duration of the intervals is usually determined by your own fitness level. For example, whatever your max heart rate is (220-age) x 85% (or higher up to 100%) would be the "hard" interval. This harder interval is alternated with an easier interval of anywhere from 50% - 65% of your max. The intervals can be anywhere from 30 seconds on 30 seconds off to 2 minutes on 30 seconds off or whatever combination is best for you. The best idea is to talk to a fitness professional (you can ALWAYS email me and ask for advice) about what your interval session should include, how long you should do the intervals for, what machine you should use, what you should watch for during the interval set, as well as why interval training would be good specifically in regard to you and your own fitness goals. I did a short interval set because the run before was hard, but dont get me wrong, I was still dying and my heart was beating out of my chest. I increased the incline on the treadmill to 6.5% and I walked at 6.0kph (km per hour), which was a pretty brisk pace. I alternated this with running at 9.4kph on the incline. I did one minute on and one minute off. I was bright red after 10 minutes of this. That's another beauty of interval training, you don't need to do it for a long period of time to work up a sweat; interval training workouts can be as short as 20 minutes and the benefits are huge! However, the longer you do it for the better. Interval training helps build up your aerobic capacity, so that you can work out for longer periods, at varying high and low intensities.
The last three days at the gym have totally kicked my ass, especially since my friend the treadmill and I have been re acquainted BUT I will say that I haven't felt this good in weeks and its so good to get back to running. Right now Arnica cream, ice, hot showers, and massage is my best friend. I'm also finding that having a green smoothie in the morning before I go workout really boosts my energy levels and I don't get hungry mid workout. In other foodie news, I finally tried Greek Yogurt! I guess I have been really shifting away from veganism lately. I really think that this is because a number of things, which I will blog about next time before this becomes a novel like my last post. Regardless, Greek yogurt is SO GOOD! It's so smooth and not at all sweet like regular yogurt. I love the consistency. I ate it for breakfast with a dollop of Manuka honey (native to NZ and Super potent and good for you). Over the weekend I was doing a lot of research on the different foods I've been eating and I promise to write about them soon, including Greek yogurt.
Tonight I am making a feast for my guy, because I thought of a great recipe in my head that I'd like to try. However, just in case he reads this before he gets home I can't say what it is yet! But I obviously will have tons of pictures and the recipe in my next blog. I am quite excited to start cooking tonight. That being said, I think its time to open up a new Bordeaux I got today from Glen Garry and start the dinner making process :) xJ
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