There’s a New Guard(dog)ian Angel in Heaven

My dog Roxy went to doggie Heaven yesterday. I had her for 13 years – since she was a tiny fluffy puppy! She was the first dog that was 100% mine and I really really wanted her. I bought her myself around sophomore year of college after asking my mom and boyfriend for a puppy for Christmas. They didn’t deliver and I  wished I’d written Santa a letter in the off chance that he still believed in me….

Well – I was on a doggie mission and I decided to get a pup for myself. I got her from a family near Long Beach a few weeks after Christmas – all I remember is it was nighttime and I was beyond excited.

She was so good from the very beginning! I think she had one accident inside – but basically house trained herself!

(Around this same time I found kitten sized Vegas – I got them fixed on the same day and that’s another story I’ll tell ya one day.)

I took her to puppy training at the park where I learned that – dog training isn’t about training your dog, nope. Dog training is about training you how to lead your dog.

When she graduated I needed to share what breed she was for the Puppy Training Certificate. I said she was a “Mixican” because she was a Lab-mix and I’m Mexican. I’m sure the instructor thought I was a complete weirdo. I kinda am… but that’s the awesome part about dogs – they don’t care if you’re weird or smelly or poor or the world’s worst singer or fat or if you have one boob that’s bigger than the other. Dogs love you just how you are.

[Roxy and me as Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf]

Thank God for our dogs!

Roxy was a lover. She just wanted love and pets and was amazing to me. I’m very very lucky I got to have her in my life.

She was the only dog we’ve had that liked to go in the pool!

She let me dress her up in funny hats for the holidays and costumes for Halloween.

She would try to act cool but if someone new walked in the room her tail would tap against the floor before she even looked up to see who it was.

She was such a good girl.

Bailey, my brother’s dog, was her best friend. Or… more accurately – he loved her 1000% and she thought he was cool but she secretly thought he was her pet.

Sometimes she’d skip breakfast or dinner and we’d get stressed she wasn’t eating. But the reality was she would wait for the avocados to fall from the trees in the backyard and munch on those. She did it her whole life and I’d joke that her diet of avocados kept her coat thick and shiny!**

I loved her and she loved me.

And yesterday she got to go to Heaven. Lucky dog!

After 13 years her furry body just couldn’t keep going. I decided to put her to sleep with a service that comes to your home. There are several places that do pet euthanasia in your home in Los Angeles and Orange County. I’ll share more on this soon because I’m really glad I did it this way even though it was expensive.

I’m sharing this because I want to tell everyone how awesome she was and show you these pictures. I was going through them yesterday and found so many fun memories of Roxy enjoying life and being silly and photo bombing my food photos! I love it! I want to just remember her and honor her today. I’m so proud of her and thankful for her!

This is Rox wishing me ‘Good Luck’ before the LA Marathon 2 years ago.

[That time Roxy got busted for eating too many avocados]

[That time I tried to take her away from her fancy yard and boyfriend]

It was really hard to say good-bye to her. Ugh. I full on cried – like real out loud cry. I’m a little surprised how sad it was. I thought I had been preparing myself since I knew she was getting older and slowing down. But it was still so sad.

This is part of the deal when we get a dog or cat – we know they live about 12 to 15 years if we’re lucky. We know we’ll have to say good-bye to them at some point. But it still knocked me down pretty hard.

Tomorrow I’ll start to pick myself up, dust off and keep living my life. It’s okay if I don’t want to move forward just yet – but I do want to at least stand up and be present with the people I love. And I want to be present for you. I have a lot to say about love and loss and if I can help one person feel better I want to share my story and thoughts.

It’s kind of therapeutic to share this sadness right now. I wasn’t able to do that when my marriage ended because I wanted to fight for it and I wasn’t sure if it was really over. It was devastating but it wasn’t clear if I had lost that yet.

Losing Roxy and looking at the death and divorce I’ve had to deal with this past year has taught me a lot.

On the bright side – it reminds me how lucky I am to have had my Grams and Aunt Martha and Ben and Roxy in my life. I definitely thank God for these blessings and all the time I got to spend with them.

And I want to send a ton of love out if you happen to be reading this and processing a loss in your life. You’re going to be okay.

Focus on what you have. Look at all the big and small blessings you have in your life. Tell the people you love (or like a lot?) that you appreciate them. Today!

And to end this post on a happy note – do this today and you’ll feel better and be glad you did it!

Text or call someone you love something nice or funny. Right now.

Ideas to reach out to someone you love (randomly) in case you don’t know where to start:

How’s your day? Thinking about ya and wanted to say hi!

What’s going on over there? Anything fun?

(Send a funny gif) I saw this and thought about you!

Remember that time I … (send them a random fun memory)

Thank you for (dinner / putting up with my shlt / not killing me when I crashed the car in HS /)…

Hey – remember you told me about that ‘run eat repeat’ blog? Well – it’s super random but today there’s a ton doggy pics and I’m supposed to tell you I love you. K. Bye.

Okay. Now um, go for it!

**NOTE: A lot of people have messaged me that avocados are bad for dogs. I think it’s just the seed – but I wouldn’t risk it. Our dogs grew up in a yard with avocados and ate the ones that fell from the trees. We didn’t give them guacamole or anything on purpose.*

 

 

 

 

 

 

The post There’s a New Guard(dog)ian Angel in Heaven appeared first on Run Eat Repeat.

source https://runeatrepeat.com/2018/02/28/theres-a-new-guarddogian-angel-in-heaven/

What Is Perfect Standing Posture?

How do you know if you have good posture? More than likely, if you suffer from habitual back, neck, shoulder, hip, knee or foot pain, the way you stand on a regular basis may be a contributing factor. I can pretty much bet that if you have pain anywhere in your body you can improve […]
from Unlimited Energy Now http://unlimitedenergynow.com/what-is-perfect-standing-posture/

source https://unlimitedenergynow.tumblr.com/post/171380258785

Losing Weight When You Have Hypothyroidism Podcast #69

Hello! On today’s Run Eat Repeat Podcast I’m answering 3 great questions… How do you lose weight when  you have hypothyroidism?  – Should you do a shakeout run before a race? and  – Is organic food better for you or just more expensive??

If you have a question for me you can –>>> email it or leave a message on the RER podcast voicemail line! Email me at RunEatRepeat@gmail.com with “Podcast Question” in the subject line or the VM # is 562 888 1644 .

Weight loss and hypothyroidism:

Question: I’ve been following your blog for a long time and remember you mentioning thyroid issues.
I was wondering if anything changed with your thyroid management that contributed to your weight loss that wasn’t mentioned in your videos.
I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and am so curious about hormones, anti-inflammatory diet, etc…to aid in my treatment (asides from my thyroid meds).
Thanks,Karen

Tools you need:

Weight Loss post – notes on how I lost weight and 6 tips on things I get healthier

Weight Loss Videos – You can see my videos on how I lost weight on my YouTube Channel here

Diet changes for my hypothyroid issues –

Why I eat romaine over spinach

Running with Hypothyroidism

Supplements I take for hypothyroidism:

Thyroid supplement – I look for ashwaghanda and L-tyrosine in whatever thyroid supplement I’m taking

Adrenal Fatigue supplement – I’ve taken in the past but don’t currently take

Should you do a shake-out run before a race?

Question: How do you feel about shake-out runs?  If you run before a race (half and full marathon), how far do you typically run?  Any advice on this would be helpful.

 

Thank you, Lulu

Monica: I don’t do shake-out runs before a race. I know it’s important if you are going for a PR and going to go out fast – you should be warmed up if you’re running at max speed! But for running a half marathon or marathon I think it’s optional based on your goals for that race. If you are especially tight and know  you usually warm up, stretch and then start running – keep it the same.

Never do anything new on race day. That applies to warming up before a run too. So if you usually warm up before your long run or goal pace run – try to do a similar warm up before the race.

Is organic food better for you than conventional?

Question: I’m honestly curious if eating organic really makes a difference as far as nutritional value goes. I’ve never been a big organic person because it costs so much more and I always figured and apple is an apple whether it’s organic or not. Is there really more nutritional value is organic food?

Thanks, Jenny from Jenny Running on Life

Monica: It’s more complicated organic being better for you nutritionally.

The Dirty Dozen are the 12 foods that are the most contaminated with pesticides – you should buy those organic.

There are also a lot of foods that it doesn’t matter as much if you buy organic.

So while an organic strawberry might not have more vitamins or fiber or magical powers over a conventional strawberry… the conventional strawberry might have pesticide residue on it that can hurt you long term.

This list of foods you should buy organic is from Dr. Andrew Weil’s website. It’s an updated list with the dirty dozen plus a few new foods added last year.

Foods you should buy organic:

• Strawberries
• Spinach
• Nectarines
• Apples
• Peaches
• Pears
• Cherries
• Celery
• Grapes
• Tomatoes
• Sweet bell peppers
• Cherry tomatoes
• Potatoes
• Cucumbers
• Lettuce

Foods you don’t have to buy organic:

• Sweet corn
• Avocados
• Pineapples
• Cabbage
• Onions
• Sweet peas (frozen)
• Papayas
• Asparagus
• Mangoes
• Eggplant
• Honeydew melon
• Kiwi
• Cantaloupe
• Cauliflower
• Grapefruit

Tip: If you can’t afford organic consider choosing fruits and veggies from the ‘clean’ list OR washing and/or peeling the foods from the dirty dozen list.

Tip 2: Buy foods that are in season to help cut down on cost (since they’re often cheaper during their peak season) AND they usually taste better when in season too!

The post Losing Weight When You Have Hypothyroidism Podcast #69 appeared first on Run Eat Repeat.

source https://runeatrepeat.com/2018/02/27/losing-weight-hypothyroidism-podcast-69/

Half Marathon Training Week 2

Hello! Today I’m checking with week 2 of the 1st half marathon plan… There’s a video explanation and the workouts from week 2 below. I’m answering a few running and food questions too. We’re talking about Weight training while training for a half marathon… What to eat while training for a half marathon… and … Can I run more than the program’s suggestion?

Let me know if you have any questions.

Week 2 – First Half Marathon Training Plan

I’m going over week 2 of the half marathon training program and answering a few of the questions that came in this week.

If you are interested in joining the group training for a half marathon race in June …

sign up for the 1st Half Marathon Training Plan June Group here

And here is my video guide on the second week of the plan…

Half Marathon Training Questions Week 2

Question: Hi Monica!

Hope you’re having an amazing day!

First off, you’re totally doing an amazing public service with this, so really, thank you.

I have two points that I’d really appreciate you addressing in an upcoming YouTube video for the 1/2 marathon training, if you can:

1) If I’m doing weight training, any recommendations for timing with the 1/2 marathon training.  I often feel like I can’t walk after leg day, let alone run.    However, I feel like I’m more prone to injury when I don’t strength train, so I don’t want to stop altogether (plus, I’ve already committed to a personal trainer for the next two months…the truth emerges…)

2) Fuel.  You mention this a couple of times during the first week’s video.  Any tips for eating? (And NOT eating too much… this always happens to me!)

If you’ve already addressed this elsewhere, feel free to redirect me.  No need to repeat yourself.  (Insert clever pun about your blog name here.)

Thanks SO much!!

Sham from Canada

RER: Work with your personal trainer to create a strength training plan that helps you run stronger – not take away from your running. And make sure they know your injury history so they can incorporate exercises that will strengthen any weaknesses and help keep you healthy.

Fuel… working on a post about what to eat before and after a run. More on the video too!

Question: I usually run first thing in morning after I drop my daughter off at school, I’m fairly new to running so I’m wondering what I should be eating before I run?

RER:  If you’re running in the morning something like a piece of toast with PB or a banana are easy. You just need something that fuels your workout – so this is a little dependent on what you’re doing and of course – if it agrees with your body.

Question: Is it okay to run on our “off” days if we take it easy and don’t over exert ourselves? Or is that a no no?

RER: Good question! If you are already running more than 3 days a week – yes, you can do 2 more days (for 5 max per week). You can run, walk or do other cross training as long as you’re not too tired from that to do the scheduled days. It’s really up to you. If you know your body and you know you can do more and stay uninjured or burn out – do your thing!

For more running and fueling tips and information – subscribe to my YouTube channel!

Question: What’s on your running or workout schedule this week?

The post Half Marathon Training Week 2 appeared first on Run Eat Repeat.

source https://runeatrepeat.com/2018/02/25/half-marathon-training-week-2/

Have you had Whole Green Peas? Or split peas or

Hi!! The Run Eat Repeat podcast will be back next week! I’m answering your questions on weight loss & hypothyroidism, warming up before a race and organic food vs. conventional. But we’re taking Friday off this week because my editor is super annoyed with me and needs a few days off. I think you can understand how hard it is to work with me.

Okay… now let’s talk about food and fitness and um, green peas. 

I tried a new bean today – have you ever had whole green peas? Sure most people have had had split peas – but WHOLE PEAS? That’s totally different except, the same just squished together.

I went to my favorite store… aka The 99 Cent Store and as I was perusing the beans – I compared garbanzo beans with other options and saw green peas have a pretty good nutrition profile! So I got a bag of raw whole peas to try.

I soaked them overnight and this morning cooked them in the crockpot with water and garlic cloves. I cooked them on low for about 4 hours. And… they came out great!!

All I seasoned them with was whole garlic cloves and added salt and pepper when they were done. I smell like garlic now… it’s for the best. Well, not for the best in making friends but for my health?

Overall – I love whole green peas. I’ll be making them again. Boom.

But… I don’t love the new Trader Joe’s sparking water in Starfruit flavor. I love Starfruit but this didn’t taste like how I remembered it. Anyone else?

Vegas sleeps silly!

Don’t buy watermelon  yet – it’s not super sweet.

Winter is here! It’s been cold the last 2 days. I need to suck it up and get to running instead of stalling until it gets warmer.

This is Vegas as a puppy… It’s so hard for filters on Instagram to read you pet’s face… so I get excited when it works like this.

And we should talk about celebrating my Aunt Mart’s life. There was cake and a jumper and all the usual suspects….

And here’s a pic of my fave tiny person. I love her.

Anyway. I’m falling asleep.

Good night!!

Or Good Morning?

The post Have you had Whole Green Peas? Or split peas or appeared first on Run Eat Repeat.

source https://runeatrepeat.com/2018/02/22/have-you-had-whole-green-peas-or-split-peas-or/

Would you rather (for runners)…

Hello! Let’s play a game! It’s called “Home Yelp”…

How to play: You cook something delicious. I eat it. Then, I text you a certain number of fun emojis to say how much I liked it.

Yeah? Want to?

Okay. Maybe you’re too busy to drop everything and cook for me right now (we can set a time for next week) so I have another game idea – “Would you rather… “

Let’s do a round of Would You Rather for Runners based on my little day:

Would You Rather for Runners

Would you rather…

a.) wear ONLY running clothes for 1 year

b.) have ONLY 1 running outfit (top/bottoms/socks/sportsbra) to year for 1 year

(I’ve gotta update ya on my resolution to get dressed everyday!)

Would you rather…

Eat ONLY bread as your carbs for 1 year

OR

NOT eat any bread for 1 year (but you can have grains and pasta – no pizza or anything on bread either)

I finally bought Dave’s Killer Bread after seeing it on food blogs since 1986. I’ve tried it at events but never actually bought a loaf because it’s pricey… but it’s delicious!

Would you rather…

Eat dinner with someone who

a.) Didn’t eat any animal products

b.) Didn’t eat any carbs

These are chicken stuffed peppers from Home Chef. My friend is 100% on board with all those meal delivery services.

Would you rather have…

a.) chocolate cake

b.) chocolate ice cream

This is that awesome HUGE chocolate cake from Costco. I cut out a big piece to sing my mom happy birthday on Sunday and added sprinkles. It’s amazing cake. 5 stars!

Would you rather eat…

a.) strawberries

b.) mixed fruit with chili and limon

b.)

Monican… I don’t like tajin or chile on my fruit! I think that’s surprising since I love spicy food… but nope!

Would you rather have

a.) savory breakfast

b.) sweet breakfast

Me: Usually savory in the winter like eggs and toast or tortillas. And I go for sweet smoothies in the summer. But I made the above bowl of oats today. I love toppings!

Would you rather use your shoes…

a.) as a pillow

b.) as a cup holder

Life hack: Using your shoe as a cup holder somewhere it could get knocked down = smelly genius!

Would you rather have a $100 gift card to…

a.) Costco

b.) Trader Joes

Monican… Here’s my latest Costco grocery haul. Confession – I ate the whole package of aidell’s meatballs. I think there were about 428 in there! I’m not sure if I should be ashamed or proud.

Speaking of Costco…

They have a green house for sale!! A whole green house. What? I kinda want it.

Would you rather watch…

a.) The Food Network while working out

b.) Paint dry while working out

I was watching the Pioneer Woman while doing some strength training yesterday but I usually watch Bravo.

Would you be a…

a.) unicorn

b.) mermaid

Lucky Charms just added a new marshmallow to their cereal! Unicorns!

Make your own protein bar discount code

The Bar Shack Giveaway on Instagram is closed but you can use the code RER-FREE for free shipping!!

The Bar Shack makes custom protein, granola or gourmet bars that you can create and name yourself. You choose flavor, add-ins, base and more. Then, name it and you’ve got your own snack bar with all your favorites in it.

Get free shipping with discount code: RER-FREE

Question: What’s your favorite choice from this would you rather game?

The post Would you rather (for runners)… appeared first on Run Eat Repeat.

source https://runeatrepeat.com/2018/02/21/would-you-rather-for-runners/

The BEST way to Cross-train to Avoid Running Injuries–Podcast #68

Hello! Today I’m talking with a sports medicine and physical rehab expert on the best ways to avoid getting injured while running and training for a race. She’s one of the editors of the book The Long Distance Runner’s Guide to Injury Prevention & Treatment – and it’s amazing. This book touches all the bases of a runner’s body and how to take care of it.

Warm up:

The First Time Half Marathon Training Plan is out and this is week 1!! Last call if you want to join!

Sign up here for the 1st time half marathon training group Feb to June. It starts this week and runs until June 9th.

There’s a FB group so we can train together. If that’s not a good fit for your running goals – join the Team RER FB Page for accountability and motivation.

And I have so much to fill ya in on but I don’t know if this should go too long… Let me know if you prefer 1 or 2 long episodes a week or more short ones?

Question… What do you prefer when it comes to podcast length?

Podcasts that are 1 hour or longer?

Podcasts that are 15 to 30 minutes?

Podcasts that are 15 minutes or shorter?

Let me know on Instagram OR in the comments below!

How to Avoid Common Running Injuries and Deal with Them When They Happen

I’m talking with Dr. Brandee L. Waite to find out the BEST exercises to avoid running injuries.

Dr. Waite is an expert in sports medicine and physical rehab. She’s treated elite athletes across several sports as well as serious non-professional athletes, hobby athletes, endurance runners and more. She’s served as the team physician for the US track and field program. And she’s directed several marathons and ultra-marathons including the California International Marathon!

The BEST way to To Avoid Running Injuries and What to Do If You Get One

RER: Are there specific cross training workouts that runners should to do avoid injuries? How should someone start with cross-training?

There are 2 good strategies for cross training. A.) Do non-impact exercise B.) Doing exercises that strengthen supporting muscles but don’t fatigue the muscles you use a lot for running.

Switch from an impact activity like running to someone low or no impact like cycling or swimming. These keep your cardiovascular fitness up but aren’t as hard on your body.

Do activities that strengthen the muscles you don’t use heavily while running. Running is forward motion so something that is a side to side movement can help prevent leg injuries by strengthening your hips and leg muscles. Example: Tennis, Zumba

RER: Should we do a warm up or dynamic stretching before running?

5 to 10 minutes start off as a slower pace to get things warm. Some people like to pause there to stretch problem areas.

RER: How do we know if it’s an injury or we’re just uncomfortable and we should suck it up?

This is where knowing your body is so important! Listen to your body. Take some time off from running to let it rest and recover and then assess if it seems like an injury.

 

Get the book here –>>> The Long Distance Runner’s Guide to Injury Prevention & Treatment by Edited by Brian J. Krabak, MD, MBA, FACSM, Grant S. Lipman, MD, FACEP, FAWM, and Brandee L. Waite, MD

Awards for this week:

My favorite thing… oranges! Oranges are amazing right now. I might turn more orange than I already am!

Favorite salad dressing – anything from Bolthouse Farms.

Got a question for me?

Email me at RunEatRepeat@gmail.com OR call the podcast voicemail 562-888-1644

Thank you for listening!

Please subscribe to the show and if you have time – rate it in your podcast app.

Question: What’s your favorite thing today?

The post The BEST way to Cross-train to Avoid Running Injuries–Podcast #68 appeared first on Run Eat Repeat.

source https://runeatrepeat.com/2018/02/20/best-way-cross-train-avoid-running-injuries-podcast-68/

Half Marathon Training Starts Now

Hello! How’s it going? I am so excited about all the response to my first time half marathon training plan!! WOW! I am so excited (and overwhelmed). But I think I’m caught up on the most important things for now – if you signed up you should have received the plan and first email. If you signed up but didn’t get it – email me!

Oh! Before I forget – are you watching the Olympics? I kinda love it!

How  ‘bout we talk about my running and eating for a quick second?

I listed my workouts from this week below. Instead of a written down running log I’ve been taking notes on my phone. This seems to work better for me and I actually do it. It’s not super detailed but helps give me an idea of how a run went and if there was anything I want to remember about how I felt, fuel that worked or didn’t work, etc.

What I’m eating highlights include perfectly ripe strawberries and avocado – just not together.

It’s about balance!

I had a crappy week of running that was 99% my fault. Yeah, I was a little busier than usual and had to cut one of my runs short for a legit reason but outside of that I was a slacker. Boo.

Running Log for the week of February 11th.…

• Sunday was my only good run – but I’m extra grateful that if I only really showed up one day it was race day. I did the Palm Desert Half Marathon and felt like I ran a good race. (Race recap coming soon!)
• Monday – Rest day to let my legs recover after the half marathon. Strength training full body.
• Tuesday easy 6 miles. I planned on doing a tempo run on Wednesday so I kept something in the tank for that.
• Wednesday – 8 mile run had to cut it short because I had an appt. No stretching or strength.
• Thursday – Walk and full body strength workout. This is a usual rest day for me.
• Friday – 8 miles. Cut it early because I was worried I’d hit a ton of traffic headed towards LA for my aunt’s funeral.
• Saturday- 10 miles. My weekend long run didn’t happen. I ended up working both Sat and Sun morning on a ton of emails and questions that came in about the half marathon training plan. I should have planned this better and done it after my run.
• Sunday – 11 miles . I spent from 5 a.m. to 8 a.m. working on the first time half marathon email list and FB group. I had about 90 minutes to run and then had to get ready for lunch plans with my family. Did what I could with the time I had.

Here’s the intro for the Half Marathon training plan.

Sign up here if you want to join the group NOW. — There will be another group starting in July or August.

Question: Are you watching the Olympics? What’s your favorite thing to watch??

The post Half Marathon Training Starts Now appeared first on Run Eat Repeat.

source https://runeatrepeat.com/2018/02/19/half-marathon-training-starts-now/