Monday, December 10, 2012

You Can Never Be Too Rich Or…

I am not proud of it, but I committed a sin today. I went to the gym deodorant-less.  It wasn’t intentional, I’m not that mean. I simply forgot. Is it just me, or are you unaffected by your own stench? My own bad smell doesn’t bug me. Not even the brussel sprout farts. But, in all due respect to my gym mates, deodorant is a must. That guy beside me the other day who smelled like rotten onions mixed mixed with dirt needs to read this post.

So, I did a few miles on the treadmill (it was 10 degrees outside and I was feeling pussyish)– not sure how many or how fast because I had to pause it in the middle to make a run for the bathroom, and the pause only lasts 30 seconds (damn cheap gym equipment). Even for me that is not long enough to take care of things. I think it should be the law that every treadmill pauses for at least 4-5 minutes to give us ample time to drop off kids at the pool or whatever it is we need to do.

The miles (5 or 6 of them?) were good, but my lower back’s been bugging me. Causes? Who knows – Google says I’m probably leaning from my waist not my ankles while I run and that I don’t have enough core strength to keep my pelvis stable. Either that or it’s my huge boobs and the fact that I’m pregnant with quintuplets.

This is not me, but it would explain a lot

So, reluctantly I’ve been doing more core work from HERE and HERE. I better not be doing this for nothing. I always thought I had a strong core, but you know the saying, “You can never be too rich or have too strong of a core.” I think it’s funny (actually terribly annoying) that all I want to do is run, but then I have to do all this other stuff just to be able to run and to not die or be in pain.

Speaking of brussel sprouts, I came home and made a batch of one of my favorite things (roasted root vegetables). Hello afternoon gas!:

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Baby carrots, brussel sprouts, baking potato, sweet potato, butternut squash
tossed with olive oil, thyme and salt. 450 for 30 minutes.

I love eating these alone or putting them on a salad with spinach, kale, roasted turkey and blue cheese with a little Annie’s dressing (Goddess!). I will throw anything in a salad including Mike and Ikes and white chocolate chips.

Then I stuffed a 5 lb. chicken into the crockpot. Did you know you can do that? Just wash it off to remove any fecal matter, stuff your hand up the bird to get the giblets and throw them away, dry off the chicken, rub it in salt and poultry seasoning or whatever you want, put some chunks of onion and carrots at the bottom of the cooker, toss in the bird. Cook for about 10 hours. Now I am mother of the year.

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So there is your dinner idea for tomorrow, since it’s too late to do today unless you eat at 2 a.m.

Ever had back pain while running? What did you do about it? I’ve tried a chiropractor and ART, none of which has helped.

Do you love a crock pot like I do? What’s your go-to wintertime meal? I love this slow cooker beef stew.

SUAR

56 comments:

  1. You forgot to put your deodorant question done here. Lol. I can totally smell my own stench, it's that powerful.

    I've had back pain, time off and new shoes are the only thing that help.

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  2. I've dealt with lower back stuff for years and it just came to head over the past 5 days--pain totally became crippling. I just went to Cherry Creek Spine and Sport this morning, got some Xrays, etc, and finally got some answers. They do medical stuff, massage, ART, and chiro work, so may be worth a shot :)

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    1. What was your answer? I have back pain and have for over 10 years. I've started running this year and it hurts when I run and I have to do all kinds of stretching, belly breathing and relaxation of the back after a run to not be crippled later. And even then I still have a fair bit of pain later in the day.

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  3. Absolutely LOVE my crock pot. I have beef stew in it now. Another favorite is turkey breast, made similar to your chicken (add a can or 2 of turkey broth to keep it from drying out.) That's the only part of turkey I like anyway, so if we're having a small crowd I'll make a 4-5 pounder in the crock pot freeing my oven for more side dishes.

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  4. I've done a bunch of different things to get over my back pain. My main go to helpers have been to replace my office chair with an exercise ball (which also helps your core so it's a twofer) and i get monthly deep tissue sports massages. What really helps my back is when he work on my hip and butt muscle areas. This also seems to keep my migraines at bay.

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  5. I'm drooling over those veggies. I think it's time for my 4pm snack.

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  6. Uhhhh...my stink is bad enough that I notice it :(

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  7. Hmmmm ... I think I need to do a GIANT veggie roast too. That would set us up for several days! I don't need any extra gas (IBS queen here) but the carrots and sweet potatoes are perfect for me. Hubby likes brussel sprouts so he can eat them to his hearts content :) I am lazy with meat, I just come home with the rotisserie chicken, haha

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  8. I had a herniated disk that ended up rupturing 3 months later. Spent 7 days in the hospital on morphine after surgery. Since I've been running again over the past year, I have had only slight pain in a few instances, but it went away quickly. Be careful and get it checked out if it continues. I don't wish anything like that on anyone! Would love the crockpot if I knew how to cook. Thanks for the recipe!

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    1. Ugh, that sounds so awful, thanks for the warning and glad you are okay now.

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    2. That's the best thing about a crock pot -- you don't have to know how to cook! Just throw a bunch of random stuff in, turn it on, and come back a few hours later and voila! I ALWAYS keep the drippings (which there's always seems to be a lot of) and use them to make soup for another meal. SCORE!

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  9. Love to put a chicken in the crock pot with carrots, celery and onion and then make chicken noodle soup out of the meat and broth. I also put chicken breasts in with taco seasoning and a bit of water to make chicken tacos. Anything left over makes chicken enchiladas. 3-packet pot roast is to die for (its all over Pintrest right now). Chili is another one of my go-to recipes for the crock pot. I probably use that thing 3 or 4 nights a week!

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  10. Mmmmm...now I wish I had some good veggies here to roast! Looks so yummy.

    I love my crockpot but never plan ahead enough to buy food for it. Meal planning is not one of my skills so I end up at the grocery store almost daily. Not fun and I wouldn't recommend it! ;)

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  11. LOVE the crockpot in winter and love root vegetables too. Perfect meal.

    Sorry about the back pain...hope it clears up for you soon.

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  12. That belly is CRAZY!! Your dinner sounds delicious. I also did a chicken in the crockpot but I bought one of Sam's rotisserie chickens and just put it in the crockie on warm...I'm sure yours will taste much better though. Thanks for the post you always make me smile!

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  13. I foam roll my legs, butt and back. Plus trigger point on the back and butt with a tennis ball. That's how I've been keeping my back pain at bay. Strong core my ass, I could probably out situp most people and I STILL have back pain.

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  14. I LOVE my crockpot - I stalk the 365 crockpot blog on a regular basis (she took a challenge to use her crockpot every day for a year - and ended up being almost famous!). I make a ham and potato chowder in it that's the BEST with fresh-baked bread (I also have a love affair with my bread machine...).

    I had awful sciatica pain with babies 2 and 3 and saw a chiro with #3. No pain with #4, BUT I was also diagnosed with extremely week hips and core between those pregnancies and did some strength training specifically for those and I personally think that helped more than the chiropractic care (because the pain did NOT go away while he was treating me; only after I got stronger).

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  15. Back pain could be your core but it could also be your form. Have someone take a look at your stride see if you can make some adjustments! :)

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    1. Thanks Kelly. Yes, I've done that ad nauseum...no real answers there except for the leaning issue.

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  16. love my crockpot! I have a taco chili recipe I'm loving right now.

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  17. I have workout clothes that stink...always. But I try to only wear them when it's just me and the little guy running. The jogging stroller keeps him far enough away from my smell.

    I love doing those roasted veggies too. And they are yumm-o-la on salads but I didn't know about crock potting a chicken. I'm going to try that one. My hubby would be impressed.

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  18. Wow, that is so many roasted vegetables! Or maybe I just need to rethink my vegetable intake...

    I love crock pots, but have no idea how to use them (although from what I hear, I just throw things in it and push a button. That sounds pretty fool-proof).

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  19. My back has been a rockstar since I started doing pilates and TRX, but today I was standing a lot and came home with a lower back ache. I haven't had one in running for ages, but I haven't run in a month so that explains that. I think I'm just getting old.
    Toot! Toot! I love chicken and roasts in the crock pot. I REALLY love it when someone else makes dinner. Crock pot or not.

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  20. I love the roasted vegetable, but yeah, after you eat them it makes for a very long afternoon!! My winter go-to food is not nutritious, but a great comfort food! Tatortot hotdish!!

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  21. OMG...i can't believe the prego pic- just read it's story. incredible! holy cow...sorry just can't get over that picture!!

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  22. Brussel sprouts??!! Ugh. Bleah.

    No back pain while running, but have had low back pain afterward. I think it's weak core and hip flexors trying to do too much for too long. I roll a softball under my butt and around my hip. Seems to help.

    We don't actually have a crock pot. Linda is allergic to them or something. I think she was frightened by one at an early age. She won't have a rice cooker in the house either. I could go on about household appliances.

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  23. How fucking ironic, Beth. I have been injured for two months, wont get better and i finally went to my PT. I had lower back pain and what i thought was a bad psoas. Turns out its a liiiiittle thin muscle called the obturator internus that.literally runs right through my lady parts!! It can cause hip pain, hip flexor issues, pectineus issues and just a lot of fucking pain!!! Damned if i didnt have to get a "massage" you know where. Not internally but damn close, lol. I will say that after the awkward and uncomfortable massage and different stretches, its been pretty good today to ut im sore now. Supposedly, in about 3 weeks, it should be worked out. My point is stretching the lower back and hip adductors are hugely important for the lower back. Getting a large excercise ball, lay stomach down on it, stabalize your feet against the wall and raise your upper body upwards (hyperextensions) for 50 reps ,more as you get stronger, will make a huge difference in your lower back pain. Good luck, girl!

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  24. Oh and regular adjustments from your chiropractor! :-)

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  25. For what it's worth, my ART guy and my massage therapist are both really down on the "press your lower back into the floor" school of core work--they think it's bad for the lumbar spine to be pushed aggressively against its natural curve all the time. They advocate bearing down and pushing out with your ab muscles, like what your natural instinct would be if someone were to poke or punch you in the stomach. I've definitely gotten a stronger core and stronger lower back since I started taking their advice (I do a lot of planks and dead bugs), but of course that could be just because I started working harder on my abs after I got injured and started paying people to pummel me while lecturing me about my various neglected muscles.

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    1. contracting my abs while reading your post. love the idea of not going against my natural (S) curve!

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  26. We too went the roasted root vegetable route, including brussel sprouts, for a fartastic evening - the kids even joined me. So far being a newb I have yet to injure myself, or even have the many aches and pains, from running but I find that after hiking with a toddler on my back for several hours, that heat/cold packs and stretches relieves it until I get in for a deep tissue massage.

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  27. I shouldn't read your posts just before I nod off to bed at night, now I'm drooling. I should drag my crock pot out more often (more often would be at least once a year)...so easy to do but I'm so incredibly lazy. I didn't know you could make a chicken in it...is it really 10 hours? The roasted veggies - yum!

    Sorry about your back - bleh! I had a lot of lower back problems when I heel striked (striked?? Struck??); I had that imbalance thingie and I listed to the right when I was fatigued and this caused some back problems. But I haven't had it since I changed foot strike. But I do have some issues with the back on the bike. Can I just turn 30 next year instead of 50?

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    1. Weird, but my back got worse after changing to a mid foot strike. I must have altered some other things in my stride or something.

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  28. YES PLEASE on the law about treadmills stopping for longer! Please, please, please!!

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  29. Hello afternoon gas!? You crack me right up! I love this. Stop googling symtoms. Nine times out of ten you have cancer anyhow. They are ridiculous. :) I'm gonna have to try me some veggie roots now. Yummo.

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  30. You are so friggin funny! Love reading your posts in the morning. I made roasted veggies yesterday, but messed it up. Since it was a mix of potatoes, rutabagas, zucchini, eggplant, and a few others, most of it was overcooked by the time the potatoes and rutabegas were done. Lesson learned.

    And the chicken in the crockpot, I do that atleast once a week! Love it! I put mine in the crock over a couple of strips of doubled up aluminum foil (for lifting). I only cook mine for 7-8 hours on low. Then I take it out, place it on a pan and cook it in the oven at 500 for 20 minutes. It crisps up the outside just like rotisserie chicken. Delish!

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  31. I love making chilli in the crockpot. Or just throwing chicken and veggies and in letting it work its magic. I need to make chilli now!

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  32. I started having mild back pain/soreness during long runs while marathon training. I just went to an ART/neurokinetic therapist yesterday who noticed that my pelvis and low back were very tilted forward, which caused undue stress/load on my hip and low back. From the neurokinetic massage, he sensed it was my psoas (hip flexors) and hamstrings that were weak, so he taught me some exercises to do. I'm hopeful that this will help prevent pain in the future. I was really surprised he didn't say it was my core. Anyway, hope you feel better soon!

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    1. Makes sense. I think I may be dealing with the tilt as well.

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  33. I have a crock pot and want to use it but I have a fear of the house burning down if I go to work with it on....do you leave the house with yours on?

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    1. Yes all the time. That is the whole purpose of them, so that you can leave for long periods and not worry. The heat with a slow cooker (especially on low) I don't think is hot enough to cause a fire.But here is a great article on how thttp://www.ehow.com/facts_5778892_crock-pots-safe-leave-unattended_.htmlo minimize any risks

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    2. Awesome! Thank you!

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  34. Roasted veggies are my FAVORITE dinner. We have it often to use up what's in the fridge. SO DELICIOUS!

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  35. as much as i love the crock pot I always forget about it! i am going to search for some easy recipes right now though

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  36. I had lower back surgery for a herniated disc about 20 years ago. Running actually helps manage my pain. In my case, I will get back pain if I am not really careful about my form doing planks, push-ups, squats, lunges, etc. Then it seems running aggravates the back pain. So, I have convinced myself it is best to just run and not do all the other stuff. . .ha ha

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  37. I'm the opposite... I tend to get back pain if I'm not running. I'm sure it's due to lack of core strength though. Since, if I'm not running, I'm probably not doing core stuff either.

    I don't have a go-to recipe, but I do like my butternut squash!

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  38. Fennel and beets are great to throw into the roasted veggie mix!

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  39. OK, so two of my favorite make that three of my favorite things in the world:

    1- Your posts
    2- Roasted root vegetables just so that I can gas mask the family including the dog
    3- horrible smells in the gym.......and honestly I left the gym the other day b/c I just grabbed shirt and when I got there started running and it smelled like the worst sewer smell ever. It was a shirt I had ridden 3 hours in the day before and it STUNK. I felt bad for the people next to me on the treadmill and went home.

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  40. I do occasionally have low back pain. I always assumed it was because I twist my upper body too much during my stride (swinging my torso instead of just arms) but hmm... leaning... I will have to pay attention to that on my next couple of runs!

    PS - Love the crock pot. My go-to dish is a whole pork shoulder, slow-cooked with broth, chopped tomatoes, chiles, and spices. When it's done, I shred the meat for (almost authentic) tacos and burritos. Mmm... *drooling*

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  41. I absolutely love your blog, I look forward to the next one every time!! Plus you live in one of my favorite places in the world. We visit Colorado often, i have a son in school in the Springs. Anyway, I have constant low back pain. I visit the chiropractor every two weeks, who happens to have a massage therapists on staff!! So for one co-pay it really pays off. I never really saw much relief in my low back till I got an inversion table!!!!!! I can't go without it now!! Once or twice a day does wonders!!!!!

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  42. I absolutely love your blog, I look forward to the next one every time!! Plus you live in one of my favorite places in the world. We visit Colorado often, i have a son in school in the Springs. Anyway, I have constant low back pain. I visit the chiropractor every two weeks, who happens to have a massage therapists on staff!! So for one co-pay it really pays off. I never really saw much relief in my low back till I got an inversion table!!!!!! I can't go without it now!! Once or twice a day does wonders!!!!!

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  43. I absolutely love your blog, I look forward to the next one every time!! Plus you live in one of my favorite places in the world. We visit Colorado often, i have a son in school in the Springs. Anyway, I have constant low back pain. I visit the chiropractor every two weeks, who happens to have a massage therapists on staff!! So for one co-pay it really pays off. I never really saw much relief in my low back till I got an inversion table!!!!!! I can't go without it now!! Once or twice a day does wonders!!!!!

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  44. Love your blog! I've had it bookmarked on my phone for the longest time and read it every morning with my coffee. I am going to try the roasted root veggies soon, it looks yummy!

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  45. my low back stuff was related to piriformis issues, so working on those (rolling on a tennis ball, which hurts soooooooo good but really helped), some deep body work and a little less running seemed to fix the issues.

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  46. ROLFING baby! It has been a complete and utter miracle for me and my running. My hip stress reaction finally went away, and I've been upping miles steadily since April when I started the sessions. I can't sing its praises enough. I am a true evangelist.

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  47. Sorry, I forgot to include in that little Praise Rolfing song the fact that I have serious lower back alignment issues thanks to a car accident, which probably caused my FNSF and hip stress reaction, and rolfing seems to be the key to my being able to run without cracking a hip again.

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