Chug-along-chica!

Sweet!!! ... I mean ... Healthy!!! ;o)

Great running! Five miles with a stroller; unbelievable. Does that drive you crazy that you can't swing your arms? Are your arms strating to feel buff from pushing, jumping up to turn, and turning? I can only imagine!

Yea Lybi! My husband and I were talking about what I would do when Bubbles got bigger. I said, continue to push her! When I went to the front door today after I got dressed, she was sitting in the stroller waiting for me! It is a precious time with them.

Lybi, Lulu, too cute, your kids will be marathoners some day. 50 commando points for each of your kids, young commando runners. love it.

Lybi, way to go, pushing my grandson 3 miles wore me out.

Great job on the stroller and the healthy eating! The healthy eating is a daily struggle (I mean, habit), and the .5 miles in my life that I pushed a stroller (with a 10-pound baby) were tough!

Five miles with a double stroller? Now that's big time!

There is no reason for you to ever-ever think you are cheating on your runs. You have a "quadrupal" work out any time you push a double stroller. Way to get the miles in!

wow...ouch...what did you eat? I try to eat natural foods that I like and it really works pretty well..I mean as far as the balance between health and happiness. I refuse to eat healthy foods that I hate simply because they are "good for me". Remember that and you should do well with you healthy goal....you already do really well at the naturally so you shouldn't have far.

Laura, it is a lot easier if I can push the stroller hard and then swing my arms for a few steps. Can't do that if we're going uphill, but that's what I try for on the flat and downhill. I've tried it pushing the whole time, and I've realized that it slows me down a lot and is..just...more annoying somehow.

Lulu, that is so cute about your little girl getting in the stroller. You are such a great role model for her!

Brent, Shauna, and Adrianne--thanks for the encouragement! It really helps!

Sarah, I ate stuff like oatmeal with honey, bean salad (with avocados!), bananas, homemade fried rice (made with olive oil) and an apple. Might have been some peanut butter in there too. I like all that stuff, especially the bean salad.

Is avocado considered "healthy" to you guys? I know it is relatively high in fat, but I've read that it is really healthy fat, and it is just SO DARN GOOD! Actually, if you don't think it's healthy, please don't tell me, because I don't want to have to give it up! :)

You might like this bean salad--it is tasty. Black beans and rice, sweet corn, diced tomato, diced avocado, onions (carmelized in olive oil), salt, lime juice, and salsa as a dressing. If I serve it to a guest I serve it with tortilla chips and add some ranch dressing.

The bean salad sounds SOOOO good! I'll have to try it. And, don't worry, avocados are very good for you, even though they are high in fat. It's the good fat!

A great guacamole recipe: avocadoes (duh!), lots of cilantro, chopped onions, diced tomatoes (pico de gallo is easier than chopping up the last two), lots of fresh lime juice, dried cranberries (or pomegranate seeds, when in season), minced garlic, and chopped jalapeno if you like it spicy!

I think that bean salad sounds delicious..I love beans.

The only thing Sasha and I don't eat is: Red meat, white flour and white sugar. Everything else I think is a personal preference and so exciting because there is so much variety out there. Sasha doesn't like beans...I don't like nuts(too much...I like them sometimes but I prefer to get my protein from seeds, beans, dairy, meat and eggs.) Anyway, have fun experimenting with what you love, Sasha is really happy with honey, nuts, berries, dates, and I can't live off stuff like that...Everybody's body is different and they need to eat the healthy foods that they love. I could go on and on but basically what I'm saying is don't eat a cabbage broccoli salad if you don't feel like it. Give yourself some freedom to eat the healthy foods you love and enjoy it.

Lybi the salad sounds great. I want more details like how much of all ingredients. Same for you too, Shauna, the guacamole sounds heavenly. That's the thing about guacamole though, what do you eat it with.... if your eating it with chips then you are getting a double wammy. The dip is high in calories, although good ones, but then you add in the chips and BANG just like that you've eaten a lot of calories! I guess some things are woth the sacrifice!

Sarah, if you and Sasha don't eat white sugar, then you probably don't drink Gatorade during or after a run, right? Or eat energy gels? How do you and Sasha replenish your carbs right after a run? I started drinking 8-16 ounces of Gatorade within 5-10 minutes of any run over 30 minutes a few years ago, and it has made all the difference in my recovery.

Lybi - good work this week.

Shauna - I drink Powerade and Gatorade, prefer Powerade. That would be the only exception for the no white sugar, and I do it only when I know my body is depleted.I will not eat a food that was designed for taste only,though. There is nothing wrong with white sugar in and of itself, but the problem is that most foods serve it without balance, and you never know once some white sugar was added that the food retains a proper balance. With the sports drinks, there was an attempt at least to create some form of balance. So just to be safe, I stay away from recreational foods with white sugar, fat, etc.

Lulu - we need some fat. In natural foods like avocado, the fat is presented to you in proper balance to where you cannot eat more than what is healthy for your body. The problems start when they serve you fat, especially animal fat, with numerous artificial taste enhancers that break your natural regulation mechanism. Also, there is a difference between animal fat, and vegetable fat. I can eat an avocado and run hard immediately with no consequences. With fatty red meat or butter, I would have to wait 3 hours at least, sometimes even that would not be enough, for me not to get a serious side ache if I tried to do the same.

I volunteer to test the hypothesis that one can not eat too much avocado. You know, just for the sake of science. He he!

I had a friend once who would make guacamole and eat it with sliced cucumbers instead of chips. At the time I thought it was a little TOO health nut for me, but I am probably ready to try something like that now.

I've never heard of putting dried cranberries in guacamole! Wow! Sounds exotic!

As for the recipe for the black bean sald--you all need to pester James about that. I know I cooked up half a pound of black beans. That was my part of the job.

Sasha says: "Lulu - we need some fat. In natural ..." How did I get brought into this? I love avocado, and Bubbles and I eat it nearly every day. It has the "good fats" (Monounsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids) that I affectionately refer to as the MUFAs and the PUFAs (pronounced moofas and poofas). Very important for nervous system function! I am not known for eating low fat; that is for sure.

BTW, I never drink Gatorade, Powerade or any -ade except natural lemonade (sweetened with maple syrup - yum)! I use Hammer Nutrition products that have long-chain carbs (maltodextrin) that don't break down as quickly (read: insulin spike) and have a bit of natural sugars in them.

I am anxiously awaiting the bean salad recipe. Guac can be eaten with almost any vegetable. Celery, cucs, carrots, and got to love it on bell pepper! If you make big slices, they make a nice scoop.