Courtney Val: January 2015

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Update: My Journey Into Running/ 30 Before 30 Goal

Hello!

A few months ago I posted on here about a journey I planned to take to get over my distaste/ fear of running. Well that didn't happen how I had hoped. The problem was that I never set a concrete goal. I'm a goal person and a planner. Everyday I make a ton of little goals on my "To Do" list and I am much more successful in being productive when I make this list.

One of my "30 Before 30" goals was to run a 10km race. I came up with that number because I have done a few 5k races before so I thought I would take my goal up one notch. Well, this past month one of my best friends, Annie turned 29 and made her own "30 Before 30" list. She listed that she wanted to complete a 1/2 marathon.

I was inspired and thought it would be fun to complete one of our goals together so...I'm running a 1/2 marathon in June. Whoa! Now I really have zero excuses not to start my journey into running.

Not only am I planner; I am a back-up planner. My ideal plan is that I will run 10-13 miles straight. My back up plan is that I will run a few miles and then walk a mile. Finally, my back-up back-up plan is that I will run one mile and then walk one mile until my little feet cross the finish line.

For me, having a few back up plans takes some of the pressure off and I can focus on the fun parts. I have found a bunch of 1/2 marathon training schedules online and the one below is the one I'll be following for the most part.

See here:
http://www.halhigdon.com/training/51131/Half-Marathon-Novice-1-Training-Program

This program gives you 3 months to prepare and I have 5 months. So I should be able to break the plan down even further if I need to. So far I can run 1.5-2 miles without stopping. I am trying to build up to running 3 miles and then walking 1 mile. I really don't care about my time as long as I complete the race. Of course, I don't want to be the last person crossing the finish line so I'm aiming for a 10 minute mile.

To keep myself accountable I will be posting all of the training I do here on my blog once a week. I am currently tracking it in my health journal.

Wish me luck and if anyone has any running advice I would LOVE to hear it.

Thanks for stopping by!

Other places to connect:
Instagram: http://instagram.com/courtney.val
Twitter: @courtneywval
YouTube: click here

Saturday, January 24, 2015

Workplace Workout Ideas

Hello again!

I'm at work on a Saturday and scrolling through Instagram, seeing all these wonderful people getting in their weekend workouts. Instead of sitting here in envy I can get my booty up and moving even if I can't make it to the gym.

Below are some of my options for getting in exercise moves while at work. Even if you are not trying to get into shape these moves are great for improving circulation and boosting energy at work. Sitting for long periods of time has also been linked to an increase chance of developing Diabetes and cardiovascular disorders. (See cited article here )

I am often alone at work so I just stand up from my chair and start doing these moves but you can always take a bathroom break to practices these exercises. Don't pay any attention if people stare at you like you're crazy because you are taking care of your health and that's definitely not crazy. I find taking little exercise or stretch breaks helps the quality of my work too. If I sit for too long I find my brain gets a little foggy. I think it also helps to focus my eyes on something other than the computer screen for a few minutes. If you need an exercise reminder you can download the Time Out app to your computer. It will pause whatever you're doing for a designated period of time. This will give you the break you need to do a few squats, stretch, or fill up your water bottle. (Download it here)

All of these workout options can be repeated as many times as you like or at every bathroom break.
**Of course you should always consult your doctor before starting a new exercise routine.**

Exercise Option 1
10 Squats
10 Lunges-each leg
10 Side bends-each side
10 Knee lifts-each knee
30 Second wall sit

Exercise Option 2 (works best in a one person bathroom)
30 Jumping Jacks
15 Tricep Dips (use stable chair) OR 15 Push-ups using ledge of sink/desk/table
20 Squats
1 Minute wall sit
20 Knee lifts, elbow to opposite knee;both sides

Exercise Option 3
Sun salutation stretch
Neck Stretch- both sides
Gentle neck roll-both sides
Write the alphabet with ankle- both ankles
10 wrist circles-both hands
Shoulder rolls-Forward and backward
Calf stretch-both calves

Click here for the Mayo Clinic's office stretch recommendations.

I also love this "TPS Report Workout" by my favorite Tone It Up girls!
Check out the video HERE

These are just my ideas and routines I do while at work but I would love to know if you have any special exercises or moves you do while at work. Let me know in the comments!

Have a great day!

Other places to find me:
Instagram: courtney.val
Twitter: @courtneywval
Youtube: Here
Email: courtneywval@gmail.com

Monday, January 19, 2015

Health Challenge: Week 1

Hello there!

I just posted a video on my YouTube Channel sharing my 1 week health challenge update with you. As promised in that video here are some of the recipes I made this week.

Enjoy and let me know if you try any of these recipes. Next week I'll have a new batch of meal ideas and recipes to share with you.

Breakfast: Smoothies
Recipe
8 oz coconut water
8 oz regular filtered water
1 frozen banana
3 slices of frozen mango
4 raspberries
1 tsp chia seeds
1 tbsp raw protein powder (Nutribiotic brand)

Recipe
1 frozen banana
3 strawberries
1 scoop protein powder
1/2 Tbsp raw almond butter
8 oz coconut water
Splash of almond milk
Splash of regular water

Mid-morning snacks- 1/2 orange or apple

Lunch: Salads
Recipe 1
6-8oz mixed lettuce
1/2 cucumber
4-5 sliced baby carrots
1 celery stalk sliced
1/2 oz baby bella mushrooms
2-3 Tbsp sunflower seeds
1 Meyer lemon(juice)
1 whole apple sliced in quarters

Recipe 2
7oz Spinach
Cucumber cut in quarters
Baby carrots sliced
Broccoli pieces
3 tbsp sunflower seeds
Balsamic vinegar
1 whole mango on the side

Dinner: Healthy pizza
Recipe:
1 Brown Rice Tortilla
Tomato basil sauce
Sliced carrot
Mushroom
Morning Star crumbles
Broccoli
Nutritional Yeast
~Bake in the oven on 350 for 10 minutes

Dinner: Shrimp + Veggie Soup (leave out shrimp to make it vegan)
Tomato broth
Steamed Shrimp
Zucchini
Yellow Squash
Carrot
Onion
Add brown rice if you want!

Dinner: Zucchini pasta
1 whole Zucchini spiralized into noodles
Tomato +Basil+Oregano blended together in blender to make sauce (serve at room temperature)
Broccoli laid out around the zucchini pasta

After dinner: Yogi Healthy Skin cinnamon vanilla tea, Sleepy Time tea, or other caffeine free teas.

Other drinks: 50-64 oz of water, Sparkling water with natural flavors (no artificially flavored water), coffee w/ stevia and coconut milk

Sunday, January 18, 2015

30 Before 30: My Self Care Plan

Happy Sunday!

Today I am working on one of my "30 Before 30" challenges which is to make and stick to a self care plan. Over the past year and a half or so I have come to realize how important self care is to maintaining overall health and prosperity. There are so many amazing benefits of having and sticking to a self care plan. It's a total game changer. Even if you already feel happy and healthy, you should still make a self care plan. You will feel even better!

So, what exactly is "self-care"? It's simple. Self care is the conscious and active nurturing of oneself.
This means you take or make time to care for yourself. I know it sounds ridiculously simple but so often it is easy to put personal needs on the back burner due to work, school, or family obligations.

It is also important to remember that each person's self care plan will look different. I once went to a self care seminar where a woman raised her hand and asked the presenter "How am I supposed to create time for my favorite hobby when I don't even have time to take a shower alone some nights?" This woman was a busy working mother of two children. The presenter pointed out that maybe for her a self care plan would include: "Take shower alone twice a week."

The point is that you don't have to list a bunch of extravagant activities in your self care plan. First start with basic personal needs. Do you make time each day to eat well? Do you make time to get enough sleep? Are you drinking enough water? These small changes will make a big difference. Once you have the basics worked into your routine you can add hobbies, Netflix marathons, and nights out.

Another practice that goes along with self-care is mindfulness. This practice will also help you enjoy each day and activity to the fullest. If you're interested you should check out this article from TIME magazine that shows how practicing mindfulness can actually help your professional success. http://time.com/3670202/daily-mindfulness/

Ready to create your own self care plan?
I created some printable worksheets to get you started. I also included my completed self care plan as an example. Every few months or so I will re-evaluate this plan and see where changes need to be made.

Click on the box at the right hand corner of the document below to download my printable worksheets including: "My Self Care Brainstorming Sheet", "My Complete Self Care Plan", & "Self-Care Idea List."

Sunday, January 11, 2015

NEW! 30 Before 30 Challenge: Raw Food & Lifestyle Challenge

Happy Sunday!

I hope you all are getting ready to rock another week. Tomorrow I will be starting a very exciting journey into being the healthiest person I can be. One of my "30 Before 30" challenges is to get myself into the best health possible. So, I created a detailed nutrition, exercise, and lifestyle challenge.

I made a whole video about it which you can see HERE.

Over the past 5 or so years I have overcome a multitude of food and health issues but there are still a few health related things I want to focus on. Specifically, I want to figure out why I continue to get daily headaches/migraines. My doctor has found a prescription that I can take to alleviate my migraines but I just don't feel that is completely sustainable. What if someday I can't afford the medicine? What if I start to feel negative side effects? I really want to look closer at my lifestyle and listen to my body to see if there is something I can do without taking medicine to cure my headaches.

I have also been having some outward symptoms that I think point to a need to change my nutrition. I haven't had acne in years and all of the sudden my face thinks it is 18 again. My hair and nails have also become very dry and brittle. As far as my body and "being in shape" goes I do hope that my challenge will help me create a body I feel good in. I am not trying to lose weight but I think if I treat my body well it will shape itself into a healthy form.

Besides those physical things I want to develop a healthy lifestyle that makes me feel emotional good. I used to suffer from severe depression and I have come such a long way. I feel so much more alive that I ever did but I want to keep moving up and working towards feeling the best I possibly can. A few years ago I wasn't completely sure I deserved to ever be insanely happy but now I KNOW that I deserve true emotional happiness so I will do whatever I can to achieve that.

One of my favorite personal mottos is "Feel good, preform well."

Goals for my challenge:

Eat fully raw foods until 4pm. I will eat raw fruits and veggies for breakfast and lunch. After 4pm I will have a cooked dinner.
Eat a lean, clean, and green dinner. If you are a Tone It Up girl then you will know this means getting in lean proteins, non-processed foods, and lots of greens.
Drink 2 liters minimum of water/ day.
Limit processed foods and strive to stay away from them completely.
Keep daily journal of foods, how I feel after eating, and recipes/meal ideas.
Keep section in journal to document headaches & migraines. Look for triggers.
Set sleep schedule and stick to it. I am aiming for 8-9 hours of sleep each night per a recommendation from my doctor.
Limit or eliminate alcohol intake. I don't drink much but alcohol can trigger headaches.
Exercise regularly. I want to train for a 1/2 marathon so running will have to become a new friend. I am also focusing on improving my yoga skills.
Oil pulling. I did a whole video about oil pulling which you can see HERE. I found when I did oil pulling my headaches were greatly reduced. I just fell off the wagon so it's time to hop back on.
Start meditation practice. My dad has encouraged me to do this and I want to give it a shot. He says it helps builder a stronger, more focused mind. My goal is start with just 5 minutes.

I will be documenting this challenge on my Instagram account (courtney.val), on this blog, and also on my YouTube channel. Subscribe or follow at the links below. If you are doing a similar challenge I would love to know and we can support each other!

Thank you for being here and I hope you have an amazing week!

Courtney

Instagram: http://instagram.com/courtney.val

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbpfO5F6gkN8wjSsCrzOnDg

Twitter: https://twitter.com/courtneywval

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

30 Before 30 Book Review: The Resistance

Another book checked off my "30 Before 30" list. I have started 2 other books but for some reason I didn't finish them all in one go. I did however finish this book, The Resistance in 2 flights. I got this book by in August at Dollar Tree (Click here to see the haul video).

The Basics:

Author: Gemma Malley

Genre: Dystopian Fiction -YA. All of the books are mixed in together at Dollar Tree so I didn't know that before purchasing it.

Other books in this series: "The Declaration" and "The Legacy".

General Theme: This book is about a new form of governmental control on aging. I don't want to give too much away in case you are interested in reading it for yourself but this novel is centered around a main character who is struggling with choosing between immortality and the natural cycle of life. This book involves science fiction, mystery, plot twists, moral values, and ethics.

My Thoughts:

I really enjoyed this book and it provided the perfect light entertainment for my round trip flight. I thought it kept my attention well and left me turning the pages to find out what would happen next. The characters were very relatable and the author made you feel sympathetic towards them. I also liked the not-so-subtle discussion on science and ethics of anti-aging research. I think in today's society we are all striving to prolong our youth and this book shows just how extreme the desire of youth can become. It was interesting to me that the book takes place in England but I didn't notice any use of typical UK English. I'm a linguist so I tend to notice those things when I'm giving the characters voices in my head. Overall, I would recommend this book and I might try to find the other two books in this series to read as well.

I give this book 3.5 bunnies 1f407-twitter

A random side note: I get different feedback from people when it comes to adults reading YA novels. Some people think it is childish to read below your level. I always remember some interviews given by the record holding Jeopardy winners,Julia Collins and Larissa Kelly. Both of these women attribute their incredible memories and success to reading anything they can get their hands on, including YA novels. Just sayin'.

Let me know if you have suggestions for other books I should read in my 30 Before 30 challenge.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!

Courtney