Shelf Life

This morning I woke up early to run my 4-mile long run before I had to help close up the house and pack the van. It was a beautiful, sunny, hot Florida morning. And it was a bittersweet run. I love finishing my long runs. I work hard all week and deserve the sense of accomplishment I feel when my Nike+iPod tells me I have 400 meters to go, then 300, then 200, then 100, then "congratulations, you have completed your workout." But it was my last run along the ponds and palms and friendly neighbors. Next week, it's back to the gym and around my condo neighborhood, which just isn't the same.

As I ran, I daydreamed about what it would be like to live there, to have a decent job and not care about what people thought of me or what I chose to give up to get there. I daydreamed about the many years I've daydreamed the same dream over and over. It's 17 years, at least. I thought about everything that has happened in my life that took me so far away from this goal.

Should dreams have a shelf life? Should we let go of hopes and goals that seem to drift further and further out of reach? I don't know where the line is that divides failure and cutting your losses.

Isn't that how we sometimes feel about our health goals?

So, what is the shelf life of a dream? I guess we find out when it leaves a bitter taste in our mouths.


Till Tomorrow,

Deedah

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One More Night

I'm writing with a clear mind, so maybe this post will be a little more upbeat! It's my last night in Orlando. Tomorrow, midmorning, we're heading back to Virginia. Even though I hate to leave, there are some things I miss about my lonely little overpriced-and-underwater condo. I miss my bed the most. I miss having 800-thread count sheets and all of my down pillows piled around me when I sleep. I even miss the groove my body's carved out on the right side of the bed. I miss falling asleep to reruns of Family Guy and King of the Hill on Adult Swim. I do miss those things.

And I miss eating healthy, clean foods, working out, and losing weight! I'm hoping to break even when I weigh in again. But I wouldn't be surprised if I gained a pound or two. I exercised every single day I was down here and burned over 500 (sometimes over 600) calories each time. I honestly don't think I've ever logged so many miles in 1 week! I know running daily is making me more fit. My heart rate takes longer to reach my target each time, and 3 miles has become very doable. It used to be such a chore.

That's the crazy thing. I have so much time to exercise here, but I also have so much time to eat junk! If I ran daily at home AND ate my usual healthy meals, I would be a calorie-burning, weight-losing machine! I need to commit myself to my half-marathon training schedule and eat well. If I do that, I'm sure I'll FINALLY lose those stubborn 15 pounds instead of taking one step forward and two steps back all the time.

Today was supposed to be a rest day, but since I can't workout on Sunday because we'll be on the road, I'll make that my rest day instead. Today I ran an easy 2 miles, walked a mile, and did some arm work. Tomorrow, before we leave, I'm going to run my long run (4 miles). That's 2 weeks of the 12-week training program done!

If I can get back here in the beginning of October, I might want to try Mickey's Halloween Family Fun Run 5K just so I can get more race experience. It sounds like a lot of fun!

Food!
Today, after my workout, I had some of the cereal I've been eating because we need to finish up the milk.

Then, for lunch, we went to the Asiantown and had Pho.

Aaannnddd of course there was a bakery that I needed to check out!

There, I bought a taro sweet bun, which was delish! Taro is a root. I can only describe it as being similar to a sweet potato. It's purple and probably 100% carb. You can also sometimes find taro tart yogurt at those new tart yogurt places, like Yogurtland, popping up everywhere.

Well I'm off to pack and cry about leaving (haha)!

 
Tomorrow I'll be writing from Florence, South Carolina! Woohoo.
 
Deedah

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Winding Down

As they say, all good things come to an end. Tomorrow is my last day in Orlando before I head back on the road to reality, back up north, watching as the last of the palm trees and Spanish moss appear less and less frequently and the oaks, evergreens, and lush grasses take over the woods along 95 North. It's almost time to say goodbye to sunny, hot mornings and invigorating runs with the sun on my back and the sunscreen running in my eyes, of coming back to my mom's breakfasts of eggs, toast, and coffee. It's almost time to be welcomed back to my solitude.

It seems like a mere wink from the time we exited off I-4 onto Orange Blossom Trail until now. A week has passed as quick as a midsummer storm. But, like I said, these fleeting pleasures such as vacations end. I was talking to a bartender tonight about the state of the Florida economy, and he said that Florida's been hit hard and that I would be lucky, being from out of state, to get a job here in the near future. It was disheartening advice from a bartender. Aren't they supposed to patronize your whims and enable your self-medication? But I think I appreciate his honesty. It's not me, it's Florida.

We used to come down here for my dad's birthday every July, the four of us: my parents, me, and my brother. But those were different days, back before everyone discovered their own places and spaces and found less and less time to gather together going to Disney World or Universal Studios or flea markets or outlet malls. I understand that too. You are born into a family to grow and leave to begin your own. We can't be children forever, right? At some point, we must fly from the nest and actualize our own individual destinies and destinations. But there's always going to be that part of us that wonders "when did all this growing up happen?"

Today I ran my scheduled 3 miles, walked a mile, and did some arm work. I ate as I have been eating this vacation---2 meals and a lot of fruit for a snack. And I had some drinks (as in very recently), which may have brought about the melancholy of this post.

When I get home, there will be (and should be) an overhaul in my eating. I've kept up with the running schedule. But exercise was never my problem. I got a fortune cookie today that said "If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always gotten." Isn't that the truth!

Unit tomorrow,

Deedah

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Good Golly!

In a previous post, I mentioned that I loved running in my parents' neighborhood down here in Orlando. Their neighborhood is a gated community that has several small ponds and one large lake. It's designed as a mile-long loop, so it's perfect for running and easy to keep track of how far I've gone and how far I still have to go without checking my iPod, allowing me to enjoy the scenery.

This morning, my running schedule called for either a 2-mile run or any other type of exercise. I chose any other type of exercise because I simply didn't want to run this morning. I needed to change it up a little so I decided to go for a walk. I walked 3.5 miles (well, I strolled and took picture for half a mile!) in an hour and burned 250 calories.

Here are some shots of my favorite "track:"

And, of course, beware of the gators!

Food!

After my walk, I didn't really have much of an appetite so all I had was one slice of light wheat bread and sardines. I know it sounds gross, but I eat gross things sometimes! I didn't really feel hungry for lunch, but I did snack on some rainier cherries and mango.

For lunch we went to a Chinese restaurant that is known for it's hot and sour soup.

And some shrimp with garlic sauce with about a half cup of rice (it was white rice, yuck).

But the highlight of the day was going to Sweet! By Good Golly Miss Molly! This cupcakery actually won Food Network's Cupcake Wars!

Where I bought these!

These are mini cupcakes in (clockwise) carrot cake, high hat, tiramisu, and strawberry with cream cheese filling. I ate the strawberry and carrot cake. These are tiny, so they're just the right size to satisfy my sweet tooth without going too far overboard.

I love Florida, but I'm looking forward to getting back to Whole Foods salads! Too many treats, no matter how moderate, really make me feel like YUCK!

Tomorrow is a 3-miler day with strength! Perfect to sweat those cupcakes out of my system!

Deedah

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Is It A Rest Day Yet??

This morning as I set out for my scheduled 3-mile run, I DID NOT WANT TO GO. My back was sore and I was so tired from going to bed late and getting up at 7 am everyday on my vacation (I want to beat the heat!). But I went anyway and ran a very slow 3 miles and walked another mile to gradually lower my heart rate. And I was so glad I did!

I started later (8 am), so the sun was already a fireball in the sky. By 1 mile in, I was bathed in sweat, with sunscreen dripping onto my eyes. But it felt good. It felt good to know that I'm making this sacrifice for myself and no one else. It felt good to know that I'm building my strength and my stamina using my own body, pushing it to see just how much it can do. My heart was beating and I felt alive!

That's the thing about exercise with me. Somedays I don't want to do it. Most days, however, I do it anyway and I never regret it. I just have to keep reminding myself of that!

I didn't eat anything interesting today, just the same breakfast. We did go to the Chinese buffet where I ate my favorite sauteed bok choy and green beens and some steamed tilapia and salmon. For dessert, I had some sweet, juicy watermelon (and a crab rangoon!). I was still full come dinnertime, so I ate some ripe, sweet mango and called it a day. My camera battery is charging for some pics tomorrow!

Goodnight!
Deedah

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Another Day In Paradise!

When I was 13 and in the 7th grade, my family loaded up our white 1988 Subaru XT6 and took the Amtrak Auto Train from Lorton, VA, to Sanford, FL, for the first time. I can remember being so excited to be going to Disney World for the first time. Some of my classmates who had gone brought back stories of pirates and princesses, fairies, and Mickey. We, on the other hand, went to Ocean City, MD, every.single.year and stayed at an ocean-front boardwalk motel called Surf & Sands, which has since been converted to a Days Inn, sadly losing some of it’s Eastern-Shore boardwalk charm.


For us, traveling all the way to Florida for the first time was an event, from start to finish. I remember arriving at the Amtrak station in Lorton and bringing our pillows and backpacks filled with games and magazines and Game Boys to our seats, eager to discover what this adventure would bring and what fantastic stories I would bring back to school in the fall. My brother and I quickly sought out the essential cars––the dining car, the snack car, and the observation car. We napped, we walked through cars, we ate dinner watching the the southern landscape roll by, and watched the after-dinner movie. The train chugged through the night, going from deep-green pines to savannas to palms. I remember arriving in Sanford after the overnight train ride and not believing that we were SO far away from home.

Since that trip, I have been in love with Florida––maybe because it evokes so many beautiful memories of a childhood gone by, maybe because my Florida memories always include the people I love the most. Nowadays, I am in Florida several times a year. It’s my heart’s hometown. Be it destiny or fate or what have you, I have never been in a position to be able to live in Orlando, so I make due with visiting often.

It’s only fitting that I set the goal of running the Disney’s Princess Half-Marathon, which runs through all the parks and places that remind me of being 13 again, of how things can be so shiny and new in the eyes of a child, of how magic and fairytales might just exist in the same plane as our ordinary lives.

Sorry if this hasn't been a very health (or food)-related post so far! Sometime this week I'm going to the cupcakery Sweet! By Good Golly Miss Holly here in Orlando (my favorite cupcake shop in the area), where they have the cutest mini cupcakes, which are nice little treats for those of us trying to control our food intake without giving up a treat now and then (except on vacation, as is the case with me, when I unfortunately have little self-control! BOO!)
 
Training
 
Today was a scheduled Stretch & Strengthen day, but I hate to waste a running day in Florida because my parents' neighborhood makes for the best track. It's a mile in circumference, with lakes, palms, and bougainvillea blossoms all along the way. I ran 2 miles, walked 2 miles, and then did some triceps, lats, and delts with 8-lb dumbbells.
 
Today's Eats
 
I got up a little later this morning since we didn't get home until 2 am from karaoke!
 

 

 

So it was nearly lunchtime before I was showered and ready for breakfast/brunch. I had the same cereal and one slice of light wheat bread with some scrambled eggs on it.

 

After a much-needed nap, I was feeling munchy and in the mood for an afternoon snack. I had a peach, a Skinny Cow ice cream sandwich, and a few of these:
 
 

We ended up going to Logan's Roadhouse for dinner:
 
Plain salad, no dressing. That little plate of cheese is what I removed from my salad. It was just generic cheddar and not worth the calories.
 

 
For my meal I had the 6 oz sirloin, medium, with a huge sweet potato that I didn't even make a dent in!

This is what was left:
 

After dinner, we headed over to Downtown Disney to enjoy the night air and have coffee. I get so tempted when I'm there!
 

But, I didn't indulge in ANY of those. Believe me, I usually at least treat myself to one...at least. But tonight all I had was a Cuban coffee (no milk) from Bongos Cafe Cubano!
 

 

 
And now the day (and eating) is done, and I've got to turn in so I can get up and run my scheduled 3 miles!
 
Deedah

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This Blog So Far

It's been 11 days since I started blogging here at Deedah's Cupcakes & Fitness, and I'm sure no one is reading but Brian. Hi, Gagoo! But that's OK because I really find that blogging has been so helpful in bringing my goals to fruition. If I see it written, if I know someone is reading, I'm less likely to become discouraged and give up. I'm less likely to eat that extra piece of candy, and I'm less likely to make excuses not to go to the gym at 5:45 am, which is sometimes the only time of day I can get a workout in.

Do you know how much of a hassle it is to take out your camera every time you eat something?! I do now, and it really makes me think about what I'm eating and if it's worth it. Today, for lunch we went to Golden Corral, which a huge steak and salad bar buffet. I ran 4 miles this morning and burned 660 calories (my scheduled long run), and I was starving (although I look anything but starving! LOL). All I had for breakfast was a bowl of cereal and sliced banana.

I wanted to use the run as an excuse to indulge in baby back ribs, steak, sides, and desserts at the buffet and go back for plates and plates of food, but I didn't because 1) I didn't want to keep breaking out my camera every time I got something new, and 2) I didn't want to post a huge pig out, especially after my fried chicken fiasco of the last day or two!

So, I had this times two, except I didn't eat the sweet potato because it wasn't very tasty:

This is a pile of mixed greens and steamed spinach seasoned with red wine vinegar (not vinaigrette!), a little cottage cheese, and tomato salsa along with a dinner roll.

I did have dessert, I'm not going to lie. I didn't take a picture because, honestly, I didn't want any readers to think I was stuffing my face with desserts at every opportunity. I tried to hide the fact that I had half a slice of carrot cake and a little scoop of chocolate volcano. Well, that backfired because I felt so guilty for this intended deception that I'm telling you anyway!

For dinner, I had a peach, some rainier cherries, a 4-inch-long piece of french bread with a teaspoon of peanut butter, and a Skinny Cow ice cream sandwich.

My mantra for this vacation is I AM NOT GOING TO GAIN WEIGHT! I WILL KEEP MY RUNNING SCHEDULE! The running part is easy. I love to run. The eating part is something I need to really keep in check.

I vow a weigh in the morning after I get home to Virginia. Gain or loss (hopefully loss!), I'll post it here. So there's another goal: survive my first out-of-town trip since starting this blog without a gain!

We didn't go to karaoke last night because the place was packed! So we're going tonight!

Deedah

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FINALLY in Florida!

 After over 24 hours on the road (and eating on the road), I'm finally here in Orlando! Oddly enough, it's cooler here than how it was when I left Virginia! My internet is a little spotty so I thought I'd post now that I have it and keep my fingers crossed that it works the whole week!

Today I promised a pic of the dreaded continental breakfast!

It was raisin bran with reduced-fat milk, a half a bagel with light cream cheese and Smuckers, and one hard-boiled egg for protein. I was hungry this morning! I find that on rest days (from exercise), I am hungrier even though I burn less calories. Maybe it's that "I'm on a break" mentality because I was hungry all day.

As evidenced in:

But, I also stopped in Georgia for none other than some fresh Georgia peaches! They were so sweet and juicy!

Tonight we're taking my dad to karoake at Universal City Walk for his 65th birthday, which is today! I'll be sure to take some performance pics and post them, along with a more interesting post (hopefully!) tomorrow.

Tomorrow is also my long run for the week: 4 miles and NO MORE SOUTHERN FRIED ANYTHING!

Deedah

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Cruisin' Down 95...

...to Orlando, Florida! But for now, I'm settled down in Florence, South Carolina, for the night.

Eating healthy while traveling is not easy, especially on a long road trip. Highway billboards boast "Porterhouse Steaks for $9.99!" and "All You Can Eat Fried Chicken and Biscuits!" not to mention the countless fast-food stops at practically every exit. McDonalds, Wendys, Hardees, Bojangles. They all sound great when you're stuck in an overpacked minivan with your senior parents and a couple of pugs. Oh, and can I mention that my mom packs a huge shopping bag full of a variety of snacks? Can I also mention that we MUST buy pork rinds from every southern quick-stop store below the Virginia border because, of course, pork-rind quality increases exponentially the farther south you go?

I've been making this trip down to Orlando for 10 years, ever since my parents bought their house. And there have been times when I would snack the entire way down. My brother and I would buy candy from gas stations and treat ourselves to plastic-wrapped pastries late into the night (because my dad used to drive the entire way down nonstop---16 hours!).

The past few years, though, I've been flying more often than driving, but when I do go via minivan, I pack my own healthy snacks to satisfy my need to eat.

Today's Eats

I went to the gym early this morning and ran my scheduled 3 miles and worked on my triceps, pecs, and deltoids. I burned about 560 calories.

For my postworkout breakfast, I stopped at McDonalds on the way to my parents' house for an iced nonfat sugar-free vanilla latte and an Egg McMuffin without cheese.

Once we hit the road, I passed out for a little while and woke up to munch half an ear of yellow corn.

 ...and some cantaloupe.

After listening to a couple of hours of The Best of Tom Jones and Englebert Humperdink, I had a boiled egg and a farmers' market peach.

 I also had a Zone Perfect bar for dessert.

By dinnertime we were in North Carolina, and I saw this at North Carolina Exit 97!

I had to at least try some authentic Carolina BBQ. I ordered the BBQ Platter, which came with shredded chicken, boiled potatoes, coleslaw, and fried okra. Very southern, just how I like it!

Don't worry, I didn't eat all of that! I pretty much just skimmed off the top of everything. It was SO good! I also have to confess that I tried a little bit of the fried chicken my parents got for themselves---but just a little, I promise!

And there you have it. Day 1 of dining down 95 south. I ran, ate my healthy snacks, and still enjoyed some regional delights. I mean, come on, it's fried okra!

Tomorrow is a scheduled rest day for running, which is just as well because there isn't anywhere to run around the hotel. But I'll be sure to take some fabulous pics of the quintessential midlevel-hotel-chain free continental breakfast!

Time for bed!

Deedah

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