Do yourself a favor & vow to not diet in 2020!

January 22, 2020January 22, 2020 / Amanda @fueling.veggie.athletes / Leave a comment

I originally shared this on Instagram on January 1st, but I wanted to share here too in the hopes of reaching more people! 🙂

Happy 2020! Cheers to a new year & new decade!

Happy 2020! Cheers to a new year & a new decade!🥂 Do yourself a favor & vow to NOT diet in 2020. There are so many better health goals to make this year! Plus, diets don’t work anyway. 🙃 Small, changes over time are more sustainable. ⠀And since we are three weeks into the new decade I am hoping if any of you start a diet you are reconsidering it.
How about trying the following this year instead of dieting: ⠀
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1. Drink 70 or more oz of water daily. 💦 ⠀
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2. Eat breakfast daily, even if it’s initially just something small like a piece of fruit. 🍌 ⠀
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3. Aim for at least one fruit 🍎 or vegetable 🥦 at every meal. ⠀
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4. Pack your lunch more days than you buy it each week. 🥗 ⠀
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5. Cook one homemade recipe per week. 👩🏻‍🍳 ⠀
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6. Bring coffee from home or make at work/school more days than you buy it each week. Drink it plain or add your own creamer. ☕️ ⠀
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7. Don’t do workouts you hate. Find one or two types you like & vow to move your body at least 5x /week for 30 minutes. 🏃🏼‍♀️ 🚲 🏋🏼‍♀️ ⠀
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8. Make plans with friends at least twice a month. 👯‍♀️ Friendship is so important for overall health! Bonus points if you workout or cook with your friends. Helping each other develop healthy habits is rewarding. ☺️⠀
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9. Start a new hobby this year or bring back an old one! Maybe it’s knitting 🧶, drawing ✍🏻, joining a local team ⚽️, or joining a book club. 📚 Hobbies are great for your mental health & can be another way to socialize! ⠀
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10. Get 7 or more hours of sleep each night. Adequate sleep will only help you be a better athlete, worker, student, spouse, parent, etc. 😴 ⠀
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What are some of your non-diet health goals for 2020?! 👇🏻

Running into 2018: goals and dreams for the new year: spring check-in

April 1, 2018 / Amanda @fueling.veggie.athletes / 2 Comments

Hello friends! Happy Easter (if you celebrate)! I hope you all had a fun and relaxing Sunday. Mine was busy because of work, but now I’m happy for some time to relax. 🙂

For those of you who don’t know, my temporary teaching job ended last week, so I acted quickly and snagged two part time jobs. Both of the jobs are at places I adore and are perfect for this somewhat “limbo” phase of my life. I’m still figuring out what my next steps are, but I have a really good idea what they will be and will share when the time is right…

In the meantime, I thought the 1st day of April was the perfect time to check-in with my 2018 goals. This is mainly a way to hold myself accountable, so feel free to skip this post if this sort of thing bores you 😛 If not, I appreciate your support by reading and commenting! I’d love to know if you set goals for 2018 and have accomplished some of them, so feel free to share with me too!

Black Bean Queen’s fifteen 2018 goals check-in #1:

1. A minimum of 5 minutes of stretching/foam rolling after EVERY RUN

9 times out of 10 I have accomplished this goal since January! So that feels good. 🙂 Just knowing that I shared this goal publicly with all of you made me think twice when I wanted to slack on stretching and rolling 🙂 Plus I am recovering from my runs well so far…but we shall see once I start ramping up the miles 😱

2. Strength training a minimum of 2x/ week (particularly glute/hip exercises)

Not doing well with this goal…I’m at once a week when it’s a good week. When I was teaching I barely had enough time to fit in my runs, let alone my strength workouts, but this isn’t optional for me or I will get hurt. 😦 Strength training at least twice week, focusing on hip strength, is my top goal moving forward.

3. Yoga 1x/ week (a class or YouTube video)

Also not doing great with this goal for the same reason as #2…BUT now that I am done teaching and working two PT jobs that do not require outside work (i.e. lesson planning, grading, etc) I will be able to better fit in the “extras” that enhance running training. Yoga will be my second top goal moving forward. However, I have done yoga twice in the last week for what it’s worth.🤷🏼‍♀️

4. Finish my first marathon in October (my ultimate goal is 3:30 or faster so I can Boston Qualify)

Not accomplished yet 😉

5. PR in the 5k and the half marathon by increasing my mileage (SLOWLY) and adding in more track/speed workouts (5k goal is sub 18 minutes & half marathon goal is 1:25)

Same as above. I’ve only done one 5k in 2018 and no half marathons yet. My first half marathon is the Illinois half marathon in less than a month!

6. Run my first 10k race

Same as above. My first 10k will be on June 3rd at Run for the Zoo.

7. Run a trail race of any distance

Not accomplished yet 😉

8. Hire a coach in the spring/summer to help me with Chicago marathon training

Accomplished sooner than expected. A few weeks ago, I won two months of coaching with Heather Szuba of McKirdy Trained and it could not have come at a better time! I’m at a new phase in my life where I can prioritize my training a bit better than when I was teaching. I can already tell this is going to be huge for my running and so far I love working with Heather. I can’t wait to see where working with her takes me! 🙂

10. Join a running group or racing team

Not accomplished yet 😉 Since one of my new jobs is at a running store, I think it is time for me to finally do more group runs or join a team. Stay tuned…😜

11. Read 24 books (2 books/month)

Not accomplished yet 😉 Sadly, I’ve only read one book in 2018 so far 😦 On the bright side I am an extremely fast reader, so I am confident I can still accomplish this goal!

12. Connect with more liked minded people by growing Black Bean Queen to 1,000 subscribers. I also want to grow my social media presence on Instagram and Twitter to at least 1,000 followers and my Facebook and Pinterest to at least 500 followers.

Partly accomplished! 🙂 Last I checked this blog has over 1,060 subscribers, so it has grown a bit in the last few months. My Instagram is also over 1,000 followers, but I am not at my Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest goals yet. I’m concerned less about actual numbers and more about connecting to even more awesome runners, fitness enthusiasts, plant based eaters, etc.

13. Be kinder to and less critical of myself by reflecting on the positives in my life at least 1x/week

Working on this! One of the best things I did to help me with this goal was buy 52 Lists for Happiness by Moorea Seal. I love starting a new week with one of the lists. Thanks to Connie of Constantly for the recommendation! 🙂

14. Take my vitamin everyday

I was really good about this in January and February, but fell off the wagon during March. It’s a new week and month, so time to be better about taking my vitamin again! 😛

15. Cook a new vegetarian/vegan recipe with my husband 1x/month

Working on this goal! We got in a bit of a rut cooking the same old favorites the last few months..BUT we just bought the Run Fast, Eat Slow cookbook and I flagged some of the vegetarian/vegan recipes to make over the next few weeks. Plus, I still need to make a bunch of the recipes from Oh She Glows Everyday, which we bought a year ago. So ideas are not the problem 😛 One way that has helped us in the past has been by turning it into a date night to make a new recipe. I highly recommend this tactic for any couples out there who keep making the same things or go out to eat for many meals.

Are YOU accomplishing your 2018 goals, running related or not? I’d love for you to share, so we can support each other! 🙂

Running into 2018: goals and dreams for the new year

January 1, 2018 / Amanda @fueling.veggie.athletes / 9 Comments

Happy New Year friends!🎉 I hope you all had an amazing night…whether that involved drinking and dancing until dawn or snuggling up on the couch with loved ones and wine or a warm beverage.🥂 I fell into the latter category, but no complaints there! 😛

2017 was definitely a rough year for me, but it had some awesome moments too, especially my wedding!💍I reflected briefly on my run yesterday, so I am not going to reflect here. Rather, I want to leave 2017 behind and run straight into 2018 with a fresh perspective and clean slate.

Who’s with me?!🙋🏼

I strongly believe that you should set goals year round and not wait until a holiday to start working toward them…BUT, with that being said, New Year’s Day is a perfect time to sit down, write out your new or ongoing goals, and come up with an action plan for accomplishing them!

So where to begin?!

Well, people do not meet their goals without a system of accountability or a way to track their progress toward their goals. Another reason that people do not meet their goals is because they make ones that are TOO ambitious for the given time frame. Although, I do not think that is necessarily a bad thing to set SOME lofty goals. I think it’s good to dream big, but to also have some smaller more attainable goals. 🙂 I have a good mix of both for 2018 and some of them have been a goals of mine for a while, as indicated on my goals page!

To hold myself accountable this year, I am going to do a minimum of 4 check-ins on the blog. I will check-in during the spring (March), summer (June), fall (October), and winter (December) and more times if needed. Some of the goals below are specific to certain events in my life (i.e. my first marathon in October), so I will only check in with them when it makes sense. So, without further ado, here are my 2018 goals! 🤗

Black Bean Queen’s fifteen 2018 goals💃

1. A minimum of 5 minutes of stretching/foam rolling after EVERY RUN

2. Strength training a minimum of 2x/ week (particularly glute/hip exercises)

3. Yoga 1x/ week (a class or YouTube video)

4. Finish my first marathon in October (my ultimate goal is 3:30 or faster so I can Boston Qualify)

5. PR in the 5k and the half marathon by increasing my mileage (SLOWLY) and adding in more track/speed workouts (5k goal is sub 18 minutes & half marathon goal is 1:25)

6. Run my first 10k race

7. Run a trail race of any distance

8. Hire a coach in the spring/summer to help me with Chicago marathon training

10. Join a running group or racing team

11. Read 24 books (2 books/month)

13. Be kinder to and less critical of myself by reflecting on the positives in my life at least 1x/week

14. Take my vitamin everyday

15. Cook a new vegetarian/vegan recipe with my husband 1x/month

What are YOUR top 2018 goals, running related or not? I’d love for you to share, so we can support each other! 🙂

Happy 2015!

January 1, 2015January 2, 2015 / Amanda @fueling.veggie.athletes / 7 Comments

Happy 2015 everyone! Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year’s full of time with family and friends. I was happy to go home for Christmas. I was spent it with both my family and my boyfriend’s family 🙂

To celebrate New Year’s, I just had a quiet night with my boyfriend, my sister who came to visit us, and some pink Champaign after I got off work. 😛 It was actually was my last work shift at the grocery store. I start a new part time job this month. Next year, I hope to have more money and not have to work so I can go to one of those fancy restaurant and/or bar NYE parties here in the city! Unfortunately, I don’t think the Navy Pier one will ever be in my price range….haha

When I was home, I was sad I did not have time to catch up with friends 😦 Regardless, I am grateful to have such wonderful people in my life. If any of you are reading this, remember that whether we see each other all the time or rarely thank you for being there for me. In 2015, I hope to spend more time with my family and friends even when the times get busy or we have to travel to see each other! 🙂

Now, some highlights of 2014:

Applied to and got accepted into a nutrition program
Graduated from college with a biology degree
Ran my first half marathon
Started this blog
Moved to Chicago with my boyfriend of 5.5 years
Went to Lollapalooza (for the second year in a row)
Got a part time job at a grocery store
Started graduate school in nutrition
Celebrated being a vegetarian for 1 year in September
Applied to and got accepted to a graduate education program

After I started the nutrition program, I realized that I wanted to become a high school teacher instead of a dietitian. I did decent in my nutrition classes, but I had been thinking about pursuing teaching for a while. I’d also like to coach cross country and track. I finished out my nutrition classes, but now I can pursue my dream of becoming an educator! I can already tell this will be a better fit for me than dietetics.

Never be afraid to change your path to pursue your dreams! I start my new graduate program and a new part time job this month so a lot of changes ahead! 2014 was a good year, but here’s to a great 2015!

I found this picture on Pinterest and I think it’s a great reminder on New Year’s to embrance change and try new things:

Now, I am a big believer in resolutions, but I don’t think Jan. 1st is the only time to make them. Any time of year is a good time to make a change, improve yourself, or reach for the stars. Regardless, I did end up making a few “New Year’s resolutions” of my own because they were on my mind today. I already mentioned that I’d like to spend more time with family and friends, but I thought I’d share a few more. 🙂

2015 New Year’s resolutions:

Run my first marathon
Read at least 2 books/month even though I’ll be in graduate school
IT Band prevention/ yoga workouts to supplement running 2-3x/ week
Plan one date/ month for my boyfriend
Cook a new vegetarian meal at least 2x/month

I hope all of you enjoy the rest of your New Year’s and that your 2015 is off to a great start! What are some of your 2014 highlights? Also, what are your 2015 resolutions?