Wow, what a day I have had. It was a great day and I have gotten a lot accomplished.

I am pretty sure my day was so awesome because I went to bed early last night [after packing the healthy breakfast and lunch… remember?] I was in bed by 9:45 last night [this might not be early for you, but it is for me!] and I am pretty sure I was asleep by 10:15 or so. This never happens to me on Sunday nights! I am thankful that I was able to get up early on Sunday morning and jog my 3 3/4 miles early on in the day – I think it helped tire me out!

This morning I woke up at 5:38 AM! I had pre-set my coffee maker to start brewing at 5:30 AM, so by the time I was out of bed there was already coffee ready downstairs. What a great feeling, being able to smell the fresh coffee as you walk down the stairs and into the kitchen. I poured myself a small mug, and took it back upstairs to sip on while I got ready for work.

I was out of the house by 6:10 AM and at my work desk by 7am. What a great start to my Monday morning!

Breakfast was the usual. Granola and a low fat Stonyfield yogurt. (Can I just say that I have yet another issue with my yogurt!? I finally found the low fat kind at WF over the weekend, but it wasn’t until yesterday that I realized that I picked up the ‘creamy’ instead of the fruit on the bottom kind. I realize that I am being crazy about my yogurt – but I am still searching for perfection!) So, even though I have not found exactly what I want re: yogurt, this was still a great breakfast:

I finally broke into my lunch at 12:30 this afternoon. I was [of course] so glad that I had taken the time to make my salad and pack my lunch. It was wonderful!

The scallions and chicken really made this salad extra special. When you are having a similar thing for a meal over and over, it is always important to switch up some ingredients so that you can keep eating it! I love switching up the proteins in my salads – I rotate between tuna, salmon, eggs, chicken, bacon, and so on. I also love throwing in a slice of great bread. This sour dough did not let me down!

Unfortunately I had a busy day at work and I did not have time for my planned afternoon snack which was an apple and almond butter. Instead, I had a mini Clif bar on my drive from work to the gym between 4:15 and 5:15 this afternoon.

I was not planning on going to the gym today, but because my day was going so well, I just couldn’t help myself. I certainly was not going to have a heavy duty workout – but I do like working in a surprise workout into my week, especially early on. Tonight I did 5 1/4 miles on the stationary bike (2 1/2 miles I was talking on the phone with my friend Marilyn – what a great way to pass the time!) and then I did an easy one mile jog (11 minutes) and a quick cool down of less than a quarter of a mile. All in all I exercised for 40 – 45 minutes. Perfect.

I was sort of starving when I got home from working out. But I quickly showered before starting to prepare dinner. Thankfully dinner was leftovers – fantastic chicken and dumplings, thanks to my mom! I added broccoli and chopped scallions to the bowl and heated everything up for three minutes. The veggies were a great addition – as was the glass of shiraz I poured myself!

I also seasoned the chicken and dumplings with freshly ground pepper:

So, ever since I have been on the road to recovery I have been struggling to find a healthy balance with my exercise routines. Sometimes I feel like I might be over exercising, in hopes to get back into my old shape and keep myself there. I need to calm down – and tomorrow I am definitely taking the day off from working out. I recently read an article by Kara Goucher (my favorite runner) where she talked about not scheduling your workouts – but scheduling your days of rest and that you should have three days of rest a week. Today was supposed to be a day of rest after my first outdoor run yesterday. However, with my crazed work schedule and commute – I simply cannot throw a potential workout possibility out the window. Since I had a day off from exercise on Saturday, I was not over due for one.

I have talked to two of my really good friends in recent days, both who have told me to exercise in moderation and find a healthy balance between work, food, sleep and exercise & running. What a tall order to fill! I am still working on finding that balance, but at least I am aware that it is something I need to work on. I am hoping that writing that I am taking a day off from working out tomorrow will make me do it – hold me to my promise, please! 🙂

Right now I am watching a TiVoed episode of Chopped All Stars (the final episode) and after that I need to make a salad for lunch tomorrow and get to bed at an early time.

I hope you all had a great Monday and that your week is off to a wonderful start. See you tomorrow!