Ending the week with a Fit Friday Five, not that my week can be distilled down to just five things of interest – but these anecdotes thoughts and ideas for healthy living are too good not to share! 

Read on to find out what I’m eating, how I’m working out, what I’m wearing and how I’m taking care of myself. Hopefully one or all will take you a step further down your health and fitness journey.

1) Diet of Thirds: I get asked about my diet literally evaaaryday. I don’t follow a particular “diet” or have any food allergies, so pretty much have the whole world open to me when it comes to food. However, I am pretty mindful about what I eat, as it plays an integral role in my workouts and recovery – and helps to promote healthy aging. The photo is a visual representation of what I might (and do) eat in a typical day – I’m calling it the “Diet of Thirds,” find out why! 

As you can see, it’s quite a bit of food – and yet I still came in 300 calories under my goal. I ate a little more the next day, as I’m not trying to lose weight.  I only use a nutrition tracker now and then (too much and it makes me crazy) to check in on my macros and to confirm I’m hitting the nutrition goals I think I am. What I’ve found is what I intuitively knew – my daily calories are pretty much evenly split into thirds across protein, fat and carbohydrates. This is a lower carb (33%) and higher protein (33%) diet from a traditional eating pattern that recommends 50% carbs and only 20% protein. I’ve found that eating more protein helps me keep away the hangries better and expedites my workout recovery. And, by not completely giving up carbs, just reducing, I still have enough energy for my runs and workouts.  You can visit my Instagram post to get the entire breakout.

2) Mountain Lions: Hearing the news of the runner who was attacked by a mountain lion and strangled him with his bare hands caught me attention in a big way. Why? Well, because about 3 years ago on a 3:30 am run in my neighborhood I came face to face with a mountain lion right here in my near-the-lake neighborhood in Austin Texas. No I didn’t make up the story, the existence of that mountain lion was later confirmed. Small female runner and mountain lion isn’t a great combo. While the fierce cat wasn’t close enough for me to examine its sharp teeth and claws, it did cross in the path about 25 yards in front of me and then STOPPED, turned around and watched me walk by (while peeing my pants in the process).

Thankfully, news reports of mountain lion attacks have always caught my attention since attending a running camp in California years back. I took the tips from wildlife experts to heart and actually knew the runner mountain lion advice – I used it what I was running and saw a mountain lion and it worked! Here are the runner mountain lion tips (and what I did) in a nutshell and you can learn more HERE

• Slow Down: Stop running, walk slowly, do not encourage its instinct to chase prey.
• Make Yourself Appear Larger: Raise arms, slowly wave them overhead.
• Make noise: Shout, yell, make loud noises.
• Keep Eye Contact: Keep eye contact, do not turn your back, act like the aggressor.

3) Feeling Fresh: Considering it’s going to be near 90 F degrees today in February and I’ve been thinking about that mountain lion experience, I’ve been sweating! I’ve recently started using natural body care products from com, like deodorant, soap, lip balms and stuff. They even have an amazing dry shampoo (a must have for runners and gym people).

What I love about Lafes is that, in addition to them making awesome natural body care products with no yucky chemical stuff, they are a local Austin company who donates a portion of profits to support breast cancer prevention and environmental awareness.

Use code THEFITFORK15 to save 15% on your online purchases.

4) Solid Seven Hours Sleep: I wish I could say it was 8 hours or more, but I naturally just don’t roll that way (plus I went out TWICE this week, once to see a Broadway show that had come to town and also to see James Taylor in concert). However, getting SEVEN hours of sleep is a huge improvement for me, especially being able to fall asleep quickly and stay asleep despite the hubby’s frequent getting up, tossing and turning, etc. I’m crediting the Sleepytime Teas from Celestial Seasonings that I started using as part of a healthy living campaign (and love so much I will continue to use). It’s so relaxing to have a nightly ritual that includes tea – and for that caffeine-free tea to offer functional herbs to help with sleep and other issues. Plus sleep teas are inexpensive and easily found at stores like Walmart (check out my post “Tips (and Teas) for Sleep Deprived Runners” or shop now).

 5) Half (Crazy) Marathon: I’ve been tapering this week for the Austin Half Marathon (oh, who am I kidding, I’ve been tapering for the last year). That’s just fine, not going crazy on the miles is what keeps me injury-free at 51 years old . . . and if I strategically run those miles (like 1 tempo run, 1 interval run, and 1 longer run) I can still do fairly well in a race. And, that’s only running 20 miles a week! On March 9^th, I’ll also be running the half marathon in the Zooma Women’s Race Series in Bastrop, Texas! You should consider joining me at this fun, female-centric weekend and try out the new course – save 10% with code JENNIFER2018  Get more info and register HERE

What have you been up to this week? Any big races on the horizon? Ever run into wildlife you weren’t expecting to see? Let’s chat in the comments – XOXO, Jennifer 

Disclaimer: Some links in this post are sponsored or I may receive ambassador or affiliate benefits. However, my opinions, comments and enthusiasm remain completely my own.