two week clean eating plan |

If I had to summarize the happenings of this week it would be meal preparation. I feel like I spent most of the week cutting food, cooking food, prepping food, etc. Eating clean is harder than I thought when you’re on the go and trying to do things like paint your house and organize your closets. Exciting adult stuff happening at my house this week.

Really not so exciting, but life can’t always be awesome everyday. After a super eventful five weeks, it is time to catch up on the mundane and you know, do adult stuff like pay the bills, make appointments, get organized and back on track. Sometimes I just wish I had a secretary. Oh, and a cleaning lady and a chef. That would make life a lot easier. I’d actually have time to read a book or relax with one of the three unread, not-even-opened issues of Runner’s World. July, August, and now September are all begging to be read. I suppose all the traveling was worth the unread issues. 🙂

{#1-Navy Pier Ferris Wheel}

Last Friday when in Chicago I finally rode the ferris wheel at Navy Pier. For some odd reason it is something I’ve always wanted to do. My husband was not so interested, but I gave him the pretty please eyes and the next thing you know he was in line to buy two tickets to ride. It is was a beautiful view of the Chicago skyline at night and fireworks being launched above Adler Planetarium.

{#2-Lambeau Field}

After a wedding last weekend we headed to Lambeau Field. It was like a sneak peek football weekend with the Big Ten Network 10k on Saturday and Lambeau on Sunday. I can’t wait for football to sport my new Packer headband, tattoos, and can coozy I picked up from the Packer Pro Shop. Go Pack Go!

{#3-Clean Eats}

After getting back to reality, it was time to get back on track with my eating. If you missed my two-week clean eating post earlier this week check it out. Remember I’m not a rule follower and will make adjustments to this plan whenever needed. Last night I grilled out with friends and ate a hamburger, and pasta, and tortilla chips with my pinto bean salsa. AND I ate the brownie dessert. This is life, not prison. Eat clean most of the time and enjoy the sweet goodness of processed foods once in a while. Seriously, I can’t believe how good some of the clean eats are, but at the same time my body wants processed food at least once a day. I’m trying and while I have not followed the plan perfectly at all, I’m eating better than I have in a LONG time. That is a success in my book. Perfection is overrated. If only I took my own advice more!

{#4-Back to School}

I can’t believe I’m even putting this on my blog because I’m so not ready, but there is something I love about buying a new desk calendar and planner. It’s a blank slate to fill in with the upcoming events of the school year. I love a fresh slate each year. And organization. I picked these both up at Target this week and love the design. Having pretty school supplies is a must. End talk of the school year. I must enjoy the last weeks of summer. I must enjoy the last weeks of summer.

{#5-Upcoming Race Plans}

I know you were expecting some big thing here, but the truth is I don’t know. I don’t even have a clue. In the past the above quote was me to a T. Right now I’m feeling a little over running, a little burnt out. I want to run, but I don’t. I want to fall in love with running and not need to be training for a race. It has been so long since I’ve run that way. I’ve got some fun 5k’s coming up with friends that I’m definitely excited about.

As for my next distance race. I’m just not sure. Funds are low after racing so much the past three months (1-10k, 1-half marathon, 3-marathons and 1-50k), and I just don’t know what I want my next goal to be. PR half marathon? PR marathon? cross off another state? With school starting and cross country coaching officially beginning in a couple of weeks I don’t want to overload myself. We will just have to see. Please tell me I’m not the only runner who has felt this way before?!

Anyone have any big races coming up? A football team you love to cheer for? Tips for race burnout?

Happy Weekend!

Sarah

Do you ever have those moments when you feel like you are so off track? It could be about anything-your exercise routine, eating healthy, getting enough sleep, finding time for yourself, cleaning the house or completing that project before a deadline. With being on the road for literally the past four weeks I’m really feeling the lack of structure in my life.

The last four weeks have been absolutely amazing and I feel so stinkin’ lucky to have gotten to travel all over the country and my home state, but it is time to get back on track. Specifically with eating and getting projects done around the house. Once the school year starts I find very little time to get anything extra done with long work days and coaching.

While during the work week I don’t look forward to Monday’s ever, I currently am seeing today as a fresh start to getting back on track. While being on vacation and on the road for the past month, I did my best to make healthy food choices. While our trip was extremely active (I ran two marathons and we hiked 100 miles of trails), we also did a lot of sitting in the car and eating not so fresh foods. It is hard to take fresh foods into bear country and being miles away from grocery stores is a challenge.

Despite those challenges I tried to balance my foods throughout the past month. When out to eat I ate tilapia, spinach and salads balanced with burgers and french fries. I ate energy bars (Clif bars and Picky bars) balanced with s’mores. Doughnuts balanced with bananas. I think you’re getting the idea, but no matter how much balancing I did it just wasn’t like what I eat when I’m home making my own meals. When I think about the last time I really meal planned and made meals that make me feel good and nourish my workouts, months pass by in my brain. It has been too long. Add in sampling local beers pretty much every night and wedding and college get together weekends, and I’ve had a whole lotta extra liquid calories going in the body.

If I listen and look at what my body is telling me, then it is time for me to make a positive change. I feel better when I eat better. I feel stronger and run better when I eat well. My midsection is telling me this. My pants are telling me this. My overall puffiness is telling me this. Now that I’m not training for any particular races (more on this later) I also need to make sure I’m making healthy food choices.

So today is a fresh start. Pinteresting away while watching my latest obsession, House of Cards, last night I came across a two-week clean eating plan. After reviewing the plan it seems completely doable, manageable and the food looks yummy (most of it). While the plan is identified as a detox plan, I don’t plan to use it for that reason.

Just like Frank Underwood I don’t believe in following rules. I don’t believe in following strict diets or even clean eating all the time. If I want a coffee I will have one. If I want a beer I will have one. The goal is to limit my intake of these things more and get some control back in my eating and drinking. The plan also is low carb which doesn’t really meet the needs of runners the best, so I will add in carbs if I feel I need them. If I want a treat or something that doesn’t adhere to the plan then I will, but then I will get back to the plan after.

Life is too short to never allow yourself the things you truly enjoy. At the same time, life is so much better when we feel good. We can achieve more and feel better doing it. I can’t wait to feel that way again. Plus with this plan sets you up for success in so many ways.

The clean eating plan outlines a grocery list, when to prep the foods with a prep list, and what to make for every meal and snack for two weeks including recipes for each (example of prep and recipes). The biggest attractions to this plan for me were that the hard work of meal planning was already done for you and the meals themselves actually looked tasty and easy to make. The plan even tells you when the meal will make leftovers, what kitchen tools you will need, and when you need to prep something the day before. So helpful!

One of my favorite things is the prep list. It reads like a set of instructions for when and how to prep. How easy is this!

This plan really isn’t a two-week eating plan and then your done. I’m using the two-week plan to get me back on track with meal planning and eating cleaner in general-like the way I used to do when I had routine and structure in my life. I take no credit for creating this plan in any way. I simply thought it seemed easy and yummy and was worth sharing with others.

Are you ready to feel better? Have more energy? Nourish your body? Then take a look at the two-week clean eating plan and join me in getting back on track. You can do this! Your body wants you to do this! I’ll be sharing photos of my eats on Instagram (@sneaksandstilettos) over the next two weeks to hold myself accountable and show that this is really something we all can do.

Happy Monday and Clean Eating!

Sarah

*All credit for meal plan photos goes to Yael Malka for BuzzFeed. Design of photos by Chris Ritter/BuzzFeed. The actual plan was created by nutritionist Dana James, MS, CNS, CDN, of Food Coach NYC, and BuzzFeed Food editors. I take no credit for creating any part of the plan.

Tag Archives: two week clean eating plan

{Friday Fab 5-Navy Pier, Lambeau Field, Eating Clean, Back to School…}

{Getting Back on Track}