life is good.

The title of this post pretty much says it all. One week into the new year, I feel beyond amazing! I have been working out, eating mostly organic foods, drinking tons of water, and getting some pretty good sleep. Also, I've been doing some good things for other people. I don't know about you, but doing good puts me in a great mood!

Before we went home for the holidays, I was running a little bit. I tried to run three times a week, but that didn't always happen. Mark had told me a route around here that was about a mile. Every time I would go for a run, I would use my stopwatch to time myself. I figured I was running a 12:00+/mile pace. That kind of sounds a bit pathetic. I tried to not discourage myself because at least I was able to run some distance. When I started running in the summer of 2009, I couldn't even run a quarter-mile. I was still discouraged because I felt like I was running so slow. I want to run a marathon this fall with one of my uncles, and I don't want to be running so slow! Since I want to run said marathon, I got a Nike+ sensor for my Nike+ running shoes and the little insert for my iPod to use every time I run. I have used it twice this week, and I am hoping to go for a run tomorrow so I can use it again. On Tuesday, I ran 1.63 miles in 16:27, with a pace of 10:04/mile. On Thursday, I ran 2.13 miles in 21:50, with a pace of 10:15/mile. So either one of two things happened: (1) Mark told me the wrong route distance or (2) I really picked up the pace in less than three weeks. Somehow, I'm going to assume that Mark told me the wrong route distance. I just don't see myself being able to drop about two minutes/mile without having gone for a run in over two weeks. But I am quite happy with the times I have right now! Running with a pace under 10:30/mile makes me confident that I will be able to achieve my goals more easily than if I was running as slow as I thought I was last month. I can't wait to get my pace under 10:00/mile! That is going to be so awesome - at least to me!

I have been doing Pilates 2-3 times a week lately, too. I love Pilates! It really shows me how strong or how weak I am, and I like knowing what I need to work on more. One thing Pilates is great for is your core! I feel that my core is as strong as it is due in part to Pilates.

Before we went home for the holidays, I was going to the gym on Saturday mornings for a Yoga class. Now that we're back and classes are now running, I am going to take Yoga tomorrow morning. I missed taking the Yoga class when I was in Ohio and last weekend [no class last Saturday, New Year's Day]. Yoga is such an amazing workout! I love it because it does so much good for my body! My posture is better, I am more centered [both physically and mentally], I am stronger, I am more flexible, and my stamina/endurance is much better. I am so happy that I tried Yoga more than just once back in 2008! I always thought Yoga was something weird people did because they were too lazy to do a real workout, but I found out I was wrong! Yoga is some serious business!

When we were home in Ohio, we got an XBOX 360 and Kinect. Best decision ever! I use the game Your Shape: Fitness Evolved 3 days a week. It's a lot of fun and really nice to have a "personal trainer" right in the house. Another game I play often is Dance Central. Now that game is so much fun!!!!

I must end this blog entry though and get ready for bed. I have to wake up bright and early for Yoga class at the gym. I can't wait!

Egg Replacer.

Say hello to one of the most important things I have in my cupboards.

It is egg replacer. There are a few different kinds of egg replacer out there, but I like the one by Ener-G. If you ever see a box of it in the grocery store or health store, you might think it's absurd to pay $6-$8 for it. However, this stuff goes a long way! And by long way, I mean the box equals about ONE HUNDRED EGGS!!!! So when you compare that to buying cartons of real eggs, this stuff gives you more for less. The only down side to egg replacer is that you cannot use it to make any kind of eggs - poached, scrambled, over easy, etc. But other than that, egg replacer is great!! I have baked a lot with it lately, and it does a fantastic job! I have used it for cookies, cakes, cupcakes, breads, and a few other things.

All you have to do when using egg replacer is mix 1.5 teaspoons of egg replacer and 2 tablespoons of warm water per egg that a recipe calls for. You mix the egg replacer and warm water together, let it sit for a minute or two, and it's ready to be used. Very easy!

I love the stuff! It doesn't taste bad either! You don't really taste it in the foods, but I have taste tested it by itself before, just to see what it tasted like. It has a marshmallow-like taste to it, but it's not a strong marshmallow taste. Very light taste. It's quite nice, really. And when you bake with it, it does give a little egg-like taste in the batter for cakes, cupcakes, and breads.

This stuff really is very important when I'm baking and cooking! And honestly, I feel like I'm getting more than my money's worth when I use it! I have only bought one box of it - the one that I'm using now - and I got it back in March or April.

I highly recommend this product, even if you aren't vegan!! You can save a lot of money on eggs, especially if you only use eggs for baking and cooking. Not only will you save yourself some money, but you will have this product for a while because it lasts 6-9 months [due to the expiration date]. Also, it contains no cholesterol!! It really doesn't get much better than that!