Hello friends. I thought I’d keep it light this weekend and talk a bit about some things in the running and nutrition world I’ve been digging for the past month.
Alter Eco burnt caramel dark chocolate bar
Ermergerrd this is so good. It has a slight crunch from the burnt caramel and it’s dark but not too dark. I don’t like the texture of caramel because it’s so sticky and gets stuck in my teeth, and this has the flavor without any of the stickiness. I love a couple squares of this after dinner while my husband and I watch Jeopardy! (proud nerd emoji). Of course, dark chocolate also has some nutritional benefits like antioxidants and magnesium, but I’m eating this mostly because it’s delicious.
Peloton strength training
I’m trying to strength train more regularly to help with my running and overall maintenance of muscle mass, which starts to decline more rapidly after age 40 (which I am quickly approaching). I love the Peloton strength training classes, especially Daniel Mckenna’s, because he is hilarious and his classes are fun and hard at the same time. My goal right now is strength training twice per week, plus a Pilates reformer class which I’ve become a big fan of.
Creatine
Speaking of muscle mass, creatine has long been known to be an ergogenic aid but has more recently come up on my radar as for some reason I thought of it as being primarily for male weight lifting bros. I’ve been geeking out a bit over the research because it may be especially helpful at improving muscle mass and strength for women in the peri- and post-menopausal age categories who regularly engage in resistance training. There is also some evidence that because it may improve power during endurance activities like running, it may also support benefits to overall performance (as opposed to improvements in just resistance and power sports). This probably deserves a whole separate post, actually, so I’ll get to work on that.
Running buddies
I haven’t had a consistent running buddy in a long time, but recently started running with a friend and it’s the best. I have been missing the social aspect of running for a long time now, and it feels good to be bringing it back as I start to feel more like myself (both post-COVID and post-quitting a job that stole my confidence).
Adjustable dumbbells
My sister has these and I used them while staying with her in Boston. They are awesome and on my list to buy sometime soon, especially as I (hopefully) get stronger. Plus anything that helps with less clutter in our NYC apartment is amazing.
Local restaurant shout out
My husband and I went to Charlie Bird last weekend, and while there were some issues in the kitchen with timing, the food was still amazing and their farro salad top notch. There’s even a recipe for it in the New York Times which I have yet to try.
Nice to see your paragraph on creatine. 😁 I wrote about creatine a few months ago with a slightly different angle. 😉