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Welcome to Self Soul Space! This blog is designed to bring you healthy lifestyle tips. A true healthy lifestyle, embodies a healthy mind, body, spirit, and environment. Thanks for stopping by to check out my way of living.

Friday, April 26, 2013

Training for Half Craziness #3

Well, let's see... Where did we leave off? No, I haven't quit!  In Training for Half Craziness #2, I completed weeks 5, 6, 7, and 8 without a problem. I was feeling great, and ready for the Delaware Half Marathon!  Now, onto weeks 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13... Boy, was I in for a rude awakening!

Week 9... Yeah right, what week 9!  Step back in time for a second, at the end of week 8, I was headed home from Minneapolis, and was feeling healthy and great.  I was not planning on my family getting sick.  I arrived home to a husband with a stomach virus, and one daughter plagued with a nasty 5-day flu-like virus.  Ugh!  Guess who got sick next???  ME!  I think I had some form of my daughter's virus- crazy fever, no appetite, no energy, and all major cold symptoms.  Unfortunately, I had to travel to Richmond for work, but other than my shift and flying, I stayed in bed all weekend.  I'm sure you get the picture... There was no working out done at all this week!

Week 10, I wish I could say this was a better week... I stayed in bed with this virus for 5 days, until I had to leave for New York (my last show, yay!) on Thursday night.  I was still not 100 %, my biggest issue was the never-ending cough and my lack of energy.  Even though, I did not do any scheduled workouts or runs, I walked a mile to and a mile from work everyday. Logging 6 miles for week 10!

I was finally starting to feel better during week 11, the cough kept me from running, but not from walking.  I logged 16+ miles this week, I also started to add my bedtime yoga back into my routine.  I missed my annual Central Park run, but healing my body seemed to be more important!!  By the end of the week, I was ready to be home and get back in the swing of things!

Home sweet home, finally... Week 12 brought great joy since I was finally home, and able to get back on a normal schedule with my family and my workouts.  Monday, I revisited my old favorite at home (since the Y cancelled my usual), Body flow with a 10 min warm-up walk beforehand.  Tuesday, I had my first run in 3 weeks, it was slow but I added some intervals and a couple of sprints for a total of 2 miles.  Wednesday, was great, why? Because I was back in class at my local Y... Yogilates!  I started Dr. Oz's 3-day cleanse, and we went for a great 2 mile family walk after dinner.  Thursday, still on cleanse, but walked the trail with Abby and my daughters, another 2+ miles.  Friday was a scheduled run day for my training program, however it was a schedule Tax day for the Thayer household.  Saturday: taxes, enough said!  Even though, I was still building my stamina back up, we had another fun family outing on Sunday, after church.  The girls rode their bikes for about a mile, while my husband and I walked along (sometimes jogged) along side.  Total miles: 7 (thank goodness this was an easy training week, perfect timing))

Week 13, I started to "put the pedal to the metal". Having to re-plan my Monday workouts (above mentioned cancellation), I enjoyed a 30 minute spin class, my 5-4-3-2-1 X-Training workout, and a 1 mi walk.  Tuesday, I had to split my scheduled 7 mile run into 2, due to time constraints. I ran 5.7 out at Glasgow park in the morning, and 1.4 at the Y before my daughters' swim class.  Wednesday greeted me with another great yogilates class with a 10min warm-up walk.  Then that afternoon, my daughters wanted to go to family Zumba... Lol.  The kids in the class have more coordination and rhythm than I do... However, don't sleep on family Zumba, my calves were on fire!!  Yay, Thursday... My favorite class, body flow, problem... It was a brand new, butt-kicking release, 60!  Friday, I got out and ran in my neck of the woods.  I headed west down rt. 40 almost to the MD line, then turned back, with a scenic detour, finally ending at my local Starbucks... 4 miles not too bad, especially with Starbucks at the end!  Saturday, the Thayer family participated in the MS (2.7 mi) walk in Dover, yay Family!!  Sunday was a rest day, for my body but not for my mind, we had a great morning at Trinity Episcopal!!  Total miles: 15.5... Getting better!


All in all, it was not a bad 5 weeks.  I did not plan to get sick (who does), but sometimes God has a way of pressing pause, telling you to slow down... I heeded the warning, and healed my body.  Only 3 more weeks to go, until the big day.  I am excited!  I'm especially excited my family will be participating for the first time in the family race on Saturday!  I love that my daughters are taking an interest in running and physical activity!  Come on weeks 14, 15, & 16... Bring it!

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Wellness Wednesday

Happy Earth Day, Friends!  Well, really it was Monday, however in the Thayer household we try to celebrate Earth Day everyday. And for this Wellness Wednesday, that's my tip. Don't just help the environment on Earth Day, but everyday!  A healthy space is a key component to a truly healthy lifestyle.
That being said, this is what we did to celebrate earth day:

  • We worked on the Thayer Family Garden; planted seeds in reused Chobani cups.
  • We made flower vases out of recycled water bottles
  • We had a power-free afternoon; no lights, no electronics (except to take pictures)
  • We had a Meatless Dinner; pizza!
  • We collected toys to donate to the Goodwill
  • We conserved water; girls took a speed shower, instead of a long 'water wasting' bath

Those are just a few ideas, get creative.  Celebrate Earth Day everyday, even on Wellness Wednesday!

*Stay tuned, to see how the Thayer Garden does this year... Fingers crossed... Let's hope my thumb turns green, unlike last year's.


Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Wellness Wednesday

I know many of us are breathing a sigh of relief this Wednesday, since monday's tax day is done & over with!  April 15, can be a very stressful day for many (me included).... Many people end up owing the federal and state governments a lot of money... Not fun!  However, if you've managed to over pay the government throughout last year, you're getting a refund, ya-hoo! And depending on how early you filed, you could have your refund in hand already.  So, for this Wellness Wednesday, here are some ideas to use your tax refund to help the health of your Self, Soul, and Space.

Self:

Gym membership
Sign up for a series of yoga or fitness classes
Hire a personal trainer
Visit a nutritionist 
For better sleep; buy a new mattress, pillows, and/or sheets

Soul:
Go on a spa vacation or meditation retreat
Take a class at a community college; learn to cook, or a new language
Make a donation to your place of worship or your favorite charity
Pay off debt, or make a dent in it.
Save for retirement, for peace of mind later on down the road

Space:
Sign up for recycling service
Have a water filtration system put into your house
Buy energy efficient appliances
Buy an above ground garden; plant fruit & veggies for the summer
Buy a new fuel efficient vehicle, hybrid-electric, or maybe even a new bike

Now, these are just some ideas.  Be creative, make your tax refund help to improve your wellness.  Have a well Wednesday, friends!

Monday, April 15, 2013

3 Days of Detox

Last week, coming off of my last auto show, I decided to try Dr. Oz's 3-day Detox Cleanse.  I was not looking to loose weight, just reset my body.  No meat, no dairy, no refined sugars, no alcohol (which was easy, since I gave it up for lent), and no coffee.  Here's how Dr. Oz's cleanse worked out for me...

Day 1- Wednesday, I woke up excited, and ready to start.  I brewed my green tea before taking Jordan to school. I did have a banana before heading to my local YMCA for yogilates.  I figured it couldn't hurt since it was an ingredient in the breakfast smoothie. After class, I came home, pulled out my blender and made my breakfast smoothie, overall opinion... Pretty good, considering raspberries aren't my favorite fruit.  Before I knew it, it was time to make my lunch drink, and surprisingly, I was hungry!  I made extra, since I needed a snack drink later in the afternoon.  I actually liked this smoothie too.  Once I got past  the texture (from the apples, celery, kale), it was quite good... Or maybe I was quite hungry.  I had the snack smoothie while waiting in carpool, and got some strange looks and comments from fellow parents waiting to pick up their kids.  When the kids and I returned home, I was starving, and drinking water in between and during the smoothies was not helping.  I ate some celery while my kids had their after school snack.  Again, I thought, 'well this is an ingredient in the smoothies, it can't hurt'.  This is where it got pretty comical for me, my family was not on this cleanse with me, and I still had to make them dinner... Great!  And what did they have, grilled steaks and roasted green beans... Yum! It smelled so good, I was drooling at one point.  But I pushed through, and made my dinner smoothie.  Again, pretty good, I liked the creaminess of the avocado in the smoothie!  But as I was drinking it, I started to have a dull burning feeling in the back of my throat... And for the life of me, I couldn't figure out what it was... Cayenne pepper, duh Ashley!  Lol!  Besides the burning throat, I was starting to develop a pretty nasty headache.  But of course, moms don't get a day off, and my kids wanted to go for a family walk after dinner since the weather was so nice (which ended up being 2 miles of chasing my youngest kid around the neighborhood).  After a quick bath and bedtime routine for the kids, I drew my detox bath... Hoping this will relieve my headache.  The bath felt amazing, and I was sweating (detoxing) like crazy (think steam room sweat).  However, no relief for my head, it only hurt worse and then nausea... I could not get myself together, all I thought... 'If I could just get in the bed, and go to sleep, this will all be better in the morning.'

Day 2- Thursday,  And it was!!!!  Thank goodness!!  Day 2 was the same as day 1, however I found myself less hungry in between smoothies, and water was finally helping.  I didn't add the extra banana or celery, bonus.  I felt great, again... Until the 3:15 slump hit me, and I couldn't keep my eyes open.  I was tired!  I fell asleep sitting up, while my oldest daughter did her homework right next to me.  I needed a power nap, and I've got to tell you, that made all the difference in the world.  I felt rejuvenated, good thing because we were meeting a friend at Glasgow park for a 2.6 mile trail walk at 4:30.  After the trail, I did not feel like cooking, so... Yes, I, Ashley, let my kids eat Chick-fil-a kids meals for dinner, and I had my beloved dinner smoothie, however, I cut the 1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper down to just a sprinkle.  After the kids bath & bedtime, it was time for my new bath & bedtime routine.  Detox bath went much better then the previous night, sweating was still there, but I got into a great relaxation place, and meditated for the entire 30 minute bath.  Amazing!  I went right to sleep afterwards... I did pray for day 3, to not bring any surprises.

Day 3- Friday,  I woke up Friday with a great feeling and sense of accomplishment... I did it, I made to day 3, I did not quit!  I made my green tea for school drop-off... And you know what.... I didn't not miss my morning cup of Starbucks. Once I got back home, I went through the motions of making my breakfast drink, and I made extra, so I could have it as my afternoon snack smoothie.  Then I got started on my dreaded Taxes... This was worse then anything the cleanse could do, I hate doing Taxes!!!  I made my lunch smoothie before taking Mia to school, then prepped the meatballs for dinner... Spaghetti and meatballs.  I drank my snack smoothie in the carpool line again, and once again some strange looks when I told people what was in it!  After school, my cousin Lenise and I enjoyed the dinner smoothie as we headed to Middletown to meet my other cousin Danielle for pedicures with the girls. Again, I felt better than day 2, no afternoon power nap needed!  This was getting better and better I thought!   And it did, my detox bath was relaxing, I had a great meditation session... I had to add hot water to the bath I stayed in there so long.  Another bonus, I slept like a baby!!  And guess what, I woke up Saturday wondering if I should make another breakfast smoothie, lol.

So, overall... Did it change anything?  Did I loose weight?  Did it detox my body?  Well, I peed a lot, really, more than a lot!  I could feel my pores trying to expel the toxins in my body.  No crazy explosions... Enough said.  Crazy gas did accompany this cleanse, be forewarned!  I also learned to hate cleaning my blender, over and over again... It also didn't help that my youngest kid loves smoothies, so I had to make her a separate one every time I mad myself one.  I feel the headache on day 1, was my body trying to purge all of the bad things in it.  Even, the nap on day 2, Dr. Oz encourages you to rest a lot while you are doing a cleanse, but lets be realistic... Moms don't have time to rest!  I have no clue if I lost weight, because I did not weight myself before or after.  I have learned I love spinach in my smoothies, not kale so much.  I learned I don't need coffee in the mornings anymore, however, I still love the flavor of coffee, Starbucks coffee especially.  Green tea has become my morning drink for drop off though.  I do feel like my digestive system is more regular now... Again, enough said.  I've also become even more conscious as to what I am putting into my body, and making better choices.  I felt great (a little hungry), but the cleanse made me feel good, energized, and clean.  I loved it, and will probably do it again, and again... Maybe once a season.  Sometimes you have to hit reset and just detox!!  Check it out, try it... It's 3 days, what do you have to loose... Well, maybe some toxins.

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Wellness Wednesday

Wellness Wednesday is back... After a 3 week hiatus, You can thank the nasty flu-like virus that hit everyone in my family.
Anyway, for this Wellness Wednesday, I want you to look before you flush... What color do you see? What color is your pee?  Did you know, that urine is an important part of the body's disposal process, it's primary job is to get rid of toxins or things that would otherwise build up in the body, which can be bad.  When you notice that your urine has changed color, or there's a strange odor wafting up from the toilet, the cause might be something harmless, like what you had for dinner (darn asparagus), or it also might be a sign of a more serious condition (call a Dr.).  Urine color normally varies from pale yellow to deep amber. Darker urine is usually a sign that you're not drinking enough fluid. Your body needs a certain amount of fluid to function, so the body will hold on to fluid and the urine will become very strong and concentrated. When that happens, it will turn a darker color.  The opposite is also true. If your urine is very pale, it means that you're either drinking a lot of fluid or taking a diuretic.  Certain medications can also turn the urine fluorescent green or blue, carrots can tint it orange, vitamins can give it a bright yellow hue.  That said, Take good care of your bladder, and it will thank you by helping you urinate regularly. To avoid having to make too many bathroom visits, stay hydrated, but not overhydrated. Drink whenever you're thirsty.  And look before you flush, if you see a yellow, stay mellow... If its darker, drink some water!