Day 14 - A Hike & A Pizza
Welcome back! I just finished Week 2 of my 8-week program. I can honestly say that I do feel better eating clean than I do when I just eat whatever sugary, processed food calls to me. I have two new goals this week - get more creative with my meals, and drink more & more water!
My meal plan provides a great foundation and helps me reach my macros, especially protein. However, I've been so focused on just eating clean and meeting macros, that I haven't made anything too amazing these last two weeks. I've been scrounging Pinterest for ideas, so check back in a couple days for a mid-week mini-blog of what I try out!
As far as drinking more water, I've never had the recommended 8 cups a day (well, except for a 30 day challenge in May 2015) . I'll be keeping a refillable water bottle at my desk and making sure I stay hydrated. I realized this was something I needed to work on during an 8 mile hike at White Oak Canyon this past Friday. The hike was long and had some rough parts, but I didn't feel dehydrated, just thirsty at times. That is until the hike was over and I had an undying headache for the rest of the day. We need to keep our bodies hydrated, not just try to drink some water to quench our thirst. Drinking water also helps our bodies by flushing out toxins, aiding digestion, preventing cramps. and much more. I've also heard some good things about drinking lemon water, so I'll look into that and get back to you.
The hike fell on one of my two weekly legs days. I admittedly skipped going to the gym that day. I'm hoping an 8 mile, 5 hour hike with lots of rocks, incline, and large steps will cover it. It's been two days and I still feel it in my calves, quads, glutes, and thanks to aging, my knees. It's time to look into taking something more for my joints than Fish Oil. If you have any suggestions, shoot me a message in the Contact section. The hike was absolutely beautiful, following a series of waterfalls. We packed a CamelBak, full of well-water, (a first for the city boy I was hiking with), apples, and typical granola, and trudged up 4 miles of rocks and steep inclines, then up a fire road, before not-so-gracefully making our way down the final part. We enjoyed several great views and a swimming hole. Check out the pictures below to see what kind of wildlife we spotted - the bear was on the drive home, but we did see one off of the fire road while hiking). If you want to check out the trail, you can follow the link right here: http://www.hikingupward.com/SNP/WhiteOakCedarRun/
So what did this hike earn me? Well, I failed at taking advantage of my cheat meal last week, and I'm sure this was wrong, but I may have snuck in two (I'll always be honest about my missteps on my blog). My mom cooked for us the night before the hike and it was supposed to be my cheat meal. However, she made a healthy and clean dinner, so I planned to save my cheat meal for the next day. That is until she brought out her "rustic" peach and blackberry dessert. I didn't want to hurt her feelings of course, so I ate a piece ;) After the hike, we stopped off at Rudy's, a little pizza shop in the boonies and made the only logical choice - we got a pizza named "White Oak Canyon." I enjoyed my slices thoroughly, and to be honest, was a little surprised when I didn't feel sick after - though I did feel a little guilty for enjoying the crust and cheesiness so much.
That's it for today, thanks for reading! This blog really helps me stay focused on pushing myself more everyday so I can share the experience and results with you. Cheers to lifting heavier and training harder!
Progress Picture - Day 0 (left) & Day 14 (right)
