Naturally Lindsay

Vacation Workouts

June 5, 2013 by Lindsay Ingalls 2 Comments

Am I the only one who actually enjoys working out more on vacation than at home? I find it really fun and motivating to get up early in the morning and heading the the hotel gym or out for a run. It also helps me feel a little better when I inevitably enjoy a sweet treat or maybe something a little less than healthy.

During our latest excursion to Seattle I did a little research before we headed out and found that our hotel had a huge cardio room, a weight room and a pool. They also had these great little cards created by Runners World that have 3-5 mile running routes near the hotel. On top of that they had workout clothes and shoes that you could rent for $5/day if you forgot yours. Could you really ask for more?

We took advantage of the cardio room which had treadmills and ellipticals with personal TV’s at each which is always a nice distraction. We went to the pool as a family and had some fun splashing around and Neil went on the 3+ mile run on the card in the photo above. On top of all that we did some major walking, about 15 miles over the entire weekend and if you have been to Seattle you know that there were some major hills as well.

On our next trip I will me in the midst of training for my half so I will be researching good running routes in Charlottesville, VA. If you have any suggestions let me know!

Do you you like to workout on vacation?

Half Marathon Training #IWILL

June 4, 2013 by Lindsay Ingalls 4 Comments

As I mentioned before as a Fitfluential Ambassador I am participating in the Under Armour What’s Beautiful Campaign. My goal is to complete my first half marathon no matter what, even if it means crawling to the finish line. That being said I need to get my butt in gear and start training! The problem is there are so many training plans out there it can be challenging to decide which one to follow.

When I did my quarter marathon I followed the RunKeeper 10k training plan app on my phone. I really liked it and thought about using it for my half as well but couldn’t find a plan that really fit my needs. I then thought about doing the Hal Higdon novice plan or the Mother Runner finish plan but then Neil started a new job and that threw a wrench in my plans so back to the drawing board.

So I really made a list of my needs and how much I would be able to commit to training:

Two or Three runs Monday-Friday that are 30-45 minutes
One long run on the weekends
16-18 weeks long

In the end I found that the Jeff Galloway plan was the best fit for me. After sitting down and laying things out I realize that I won’t have as much free time to run during the week so I need to have a plan that sets me up for success. I also have come to terms with the fact that I am not ready to exclusively run my first half and that I will be following a run/walk method which is the Galloway plan in a nutshell.

That being said training week starts this week, which is exciting because that means this race is real. On my non-running days I am planning to do strength training, yoga and cross-training workouts. I am planning to workout 5-6 days per week.

P.S. It’s not too late to sign up to be part of this amazing campaign!

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Under Armour through FitFluential. My compensation was clothes to wear for the campaign. I received no monetary compensation. As always all opinions are my own.

My June Challenge

June 3, 2013 by Lindsay Ingalls 3 Comments

Hello June and summer! As I said on my Facebook page my monthly challenges see going on dinner break. However this didn’t mean you can’t come up with your own challenges or join me in my personal challenges it just means no organized challenges (or prizes).

I will admit that the plank-a-day challenge lasted about 2 weeks before I missed a day and then it was two, then three and so on. Needless to say it was kind of a huge fail for me. I am actually pretty disappointed in myself as well.

This month I am committed to successfully competing my personal challenge. Starting tomorrow I am doing the Crazy Sexy Diet 21-Day Cleanse (#CSDCleanse). This is a cleanse I tried about 8 months ago but didn’t complete. This time I will complete it!

There have been a number of questions from you via Facebook and instagram since I announced that I was going to do this cleanse. That being said I thought I take a moment to give a few details about the cleanse and answer the questions that have come up so far. As always feel free to email me or leave a comment below if you have additional questions!

So what is the Crazy Sexy Diet 21-Day Cleanse? This cleanse is all about eating lots of whole and raw foods, green juices and smoothies, while also cleansing the mind and body. While this cleanse does have some restrictions such as no coffee, alcohol, refined sugars, gluten and a few other things it doesn’t restrict calories, require fasting (although you can) or have a specific meal plan to follow. It is all about clean eating and lots of yummy whole foods. in addition the cleanse guide has tips, workouts and guides to cleanse not only your body but your mind as well. Honestly the easiest way to find out about the cleanse is to get yourself the book or visit the website.

Green Smoothie Day #1: coconut milk, banana, kale, pineapple, coconut oil and blueberries

How can you cleanse while breastfeeding? As for cleansing while breastfeeding the CSD cleanse is totally do-able! This cleanse like I said before is not about restricting calories or fasting so there is no need to worry about getting enough calories to keep up your supply. Additionally, you will be eating so much cleaner and more nutritious foods that it will not only be great for you but your baby as well! Basically with this cleanse you eat 20-40% cooked and 60-80% raw whole foods vegan foods for 21 days and do green juices or smoothies for breakfast. If you are hungry you eat more if you aren’t hungry you eat less. Plain and simple.

If you would like to join me please let me know! I’d love to be able to support each other!

As always I am health coach not a doctor so if you have any concerns please consult with them prior to doing any sort of dietary change. For me I am not personally making a huge change I am just cleaning my diet up so that I can get back on a better healthy eating track.

Insta Meals: 5.29.13

May 29, 2013 by Lindsay Ingalls 3 Comments

Remember when I used to post all kinds of recipes? Yeah I do too and I miss it so much. I am trying to get back to writing recipes but it just hasn’t been happening. Honestly it’s like we have been in survival mode or vacation mode ever since we moved in January. Monday through Friday I am at home with Edith and Neil gets home around dinner time which has been a transition for us since he used to get home closer to 4:30pm rather than 5:30pm. Now Neil has started a new job and is no longer home at 5:30pm but rather closer to 6:30pm which basically leaves no time at night to really work on recipes and photograph them.

On top of all that we have been spending our weekends exploring our new home so that hasn’t left me much time to work on creative meals. I am hoping that now that we have been here for 6 months that we can spend more time at home on the weekends so I can make time for my love for recipe writing and have more recipes to post for you. I also am going to try and do some quick meals for lunch and breakfast that I can photograph and post for you. I know I love quick meal ideas for inspiration so I hope I can provide you with some inspiration as well.

With all that being said I do still cook real meals around here, we aren’t just living off take-out and pre-packaged meals. However most of the meals are thrown together with no measurements or so quickly that I haven’t bother posting them. I have been posting some of my meals, mostly lunches to my Instagram account, so if you’re curious to see what I am eating and often what Edith is eating you can follow me there. I’ll also be doing regular installments of Insta Meals to give you a peak.

Me: Salad with an Amy’s veggie burger, tahini dressing, guacamole and sauteed mushrooms and onions; Edith: guacamole, sauteed mushrooms and onions and an Amy’s veggie burger with a drizzle of tahini sauce

Me: Snow peas and black beans sauteed with tamari, chili garlic sauce and chili flakes and jasmine rice; Edith: sauteed snow peas and jasmine rice and black beans

Me: Brown rice, black beans, Olykraut, Heidi Ho chia nacho sauce, Way Better chips and hot sauce; Edith: brown rice, black beans and nacho sauce

What are your favorite throw together meals?

Mega Salad with Hummus Dressing and a Veggie Burger

Pasta and Veggies with Chia Nacho Sauce

Mega Salad with Roasted Veggies

Sauteed veggies, hummus and snap peas

Follow me on Instagram for more Insta Meals

PDX Sites & Eats: The Cheese Plate

May 28, 2013 by Lindsay Ingalls 2 Comments

I really thought when we moved to Portland that we would spend all of our time trying the various vegan friendly food carts but honestly we have only been to a handful. While we are trying to make a better effort to diversify our food cart experiences we seem to keep coming back to The Cheese Plate.

Yes you read that correctly, The Cheese Plate.

It doesn’t seem like it would be a very vegan friendly place and at first I was skeptical of it as well but they actually have a lot of vegan options on their menu including an amazing cheese plate. This plate has a selection of their housemade crackers, housemade cashew cheese, Heidi Ho’s feta, housemade pickles and Missionary Chocolates.

I mean how could you not want to eat all of that? Plus they make two super delicious vegan grilled cheeses.

On top of that they are right next to our favorite Portland brewery Captured By Porches and if you aren’t into cheese there is an Indian cart (also vegan friendly) next door as well as a retro food cart.

Bonus on (at least) Friday nights and Sunday afternoons there are local musicians who come out to play in this little food pod area. We also love how baby/child friendly the area is so of course we will keep returning.

Although we love The Cheese Plate I guess we should try some new places as well, although we did buy two Living Socials’ for The Cheese Plate that we will be using. What are your favorite vegan friendly Portland food carts?

Letter To Myself #IWILL

May 23, 2013 by Lindsay Ingalls 1 Comment

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Under Armour through FitFluential. My compensation was clothes to wear for the campaign. I received no monetary compensation.
As always all opinions are my own.

Dear Self,

On May 11, 2013 you ran your very first quarter marathon. You ran your first postpartum race, 10 months after giving birth to a You ran the farthest you have ever run in your life. You dedicated yourself to running 3-4 Times per week for the last 4+ months and stuck to it. So what happened last week? Did you know that you went 10 days without running? On top of that nine of those days you weren’t working out either!

So how do you feel? Probably pretty sluggish, tired out and probably a little disappointed in yourself. Let’s be honest there really isn’t any good reason why you couldn’t have gotten in a workout or a run. You were being lazy. You were getting in your own way.

So move. Get out of your own way!

Okay so let’s talk about something positive. Monday you sat down and wrote a training plan for your upcoming races. Nice job!

Tuesday you were supposed to run based on said training plan, but you didn’t. Instead you did a HIIT workout. Not what you had planned but you didn’t just sit on your ass. Nice job!

Wednesday you got out and did that run you were supposed to do Tuesday. On top of that you did it in the cold, windy rain while pushing Edith in the BOB. Nice job!

Now how do you feel? Still a big sluggish and tired, as well as a little sore, but I bet you are also starting to feel better and stronger.

See you can do it. You just need to get out of your own way. Only you can hold yourself back. If you want to accomplish your goal to run a half this October than you have to work towards it. Really work.

So lets make a commitment right here, right now:

I WILL sick to my training plan. I will not get in my own way. I WILL remember that you never regret a workout. If I find myself getting in my own way I WILL ask for support to help me push through because I WILL accomplish my goals.

You can do it just get up off the couch and move.

Love,
Lindsay.

If you have a health or fitness goal, big or small, I encourage you to come on over and join myself and the hundreds of supportive women at Under Armour’s What’s Beautiful Campaign. Let the world know your goal and work towards accomplishing it in a supportive and inspiring place. Everyday I get more and more inspired as I check the What’s Beautiful activity feed. So much inspiration and support in one place, what more could you ask for.

What is getting in the way of your accomplishing your goals?

Currently. 5.21.13.

May 21, 2013 by Lindsay Ingalls Leave a Comment

Thinking about: Our trip to Seattle this weekend. We are going on our first trip to Seattle and I feel so unprepared. Before Edith I used to spend hours researching our destinations but these days I’m lucky if I can find even an hour or two to look up a few things to do and places to eat. That being said please send me your suggestions. oh yeah and i’m also wondering if it’s bed time yet. also if it is too late to have coffee.

Feeling: Tired. Proud of myself for getting in a HIIT workout today even though I wanted to sit on the couch and relax. Full of love for my silly little girl and my amazing husband.

Watching: The Office. Honestly it’s embarrassing how many times I have watched the entire series. I can watch it over and over and over again. My favorite episodes are Gay Witch Hunt, Threat Level Midnight and Product Recall. Bears. Beets. Battlestar Galatica.

Reading: I am almost done The Cool Impossible . I am loving this book and everytime I pick it up I just want to go out and run. It is like I am getting a personal coaching session from Eric Orton.

Looking forward to: getting away this weekend! We are celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary this weekend with a little family trip to Seattle. I am also looking forward to parents night out (local swap and play babysits) in June and Fitbloggin!

Making me happy: As always Neil and Edith. I love to spend time with these two people. This weekend was so much fun we went to the market, out to eat and explored a few new neighborhoods. Also making me happy is meeting new people and making new friends. So happy that we moved to Portland. Oh and Neil is making me so happy because we starts a full time job next week (he is contracting at Nike right now).

This post was inspired by Sometimes Sweet.