When we think of healthy lunch options, we typically think of salads. Let's be honest...salads get boring. So, I've scoured the internet to find the best, healthy lunch ideas that aren't just leafy greens and veggies. Added bonus...all of the recipes are relatively quick and easy to make!
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So I recently found out that I've been doing a certain throw wrong...basically since I first learned it! Yikes. About a week ago, I figured out how to do it correctly, YAY! Though it hurts more (basically squatting a person), it will be more effective and efficient. So, here's me FIRST learning how to do Seoi Nage (say-oh nog-ee) correctly. It's still pretty bad, but it'll get better through repetition.
I am scared. I'm so afraid to fail. Afraid to lose. Afraid to let myself and the people who believe in me, down. I am scared. The three week tournament through South America is the biggest of my young judo career...yet it means the most. I NEED to place. The Pan Am Team relies on it. I NEED to place, Worlds relies on it. I NEED to place, my job (potentially) relies on it. My boss, my office, my co-workers...they've sacrificed so much for me to get here...for me to perform and make the Pan Am and World Team. If I don't....I'm not sure how I could return without being a complete disappointment. I've wanted this and have strived for this for 4 years now (I know, it's not as long as most athletes have), but I've put so much more on the line. And not just for me, but for a company; for a boss; for a team; for a brand. They went out on a limb to hire me, to believe in me. What if I can't perform? What if I can't give them the medal they deserve; the Pan Am slot I've so much hoped for? What then? I'm scared. I feel inadequate. I don't want to let people down. Maybe this is the life of an elite athlete? So much more on the line. So many others to (potentially) let down. I'm getting pretty sick of preparing food, so I've resorted to what I call, "The Serrano Method". A friend of mine was a health nut, but like me...was lazy when it came to preparing food. It just took too long. (Understandable when he was eating like 6 pounds of chicken per day...crazy). So what he would do was this:
And there you have it...dinner is served (for many, many days...) Now, it's pretty bland (because who has time to add spices and whatnot?...) So he would typically just add salsa, hot sauce, or BBQ sauce to make it taste relatively decent. So because I've hit this lull and complete unwillingness to prepare food everyday, here is my version of the Serrano Method:
I browned up the ground turkey while I prepared the couscous (bring water to boil, add couscous, then simmer for 5 minutes). I then added the sausage, veggies, and beans to the ground turkey until everything was warm. I put the couscous on the bottom of individual Tupperware containers then added the veggies/bean/protein mix on top. And there you have it...lunch for the work week! The total for the ingredients was $11.09. The total per "lunch" is $2.22. That's a pretty good deal. :) Best part is...I don't have to prepare anything during the week! It's done! YESSSSS....
Anywhoo....my training will continue to intensify as we get closer to March 4th. I'm doing everything I can to bring home some medals for the USA. But, financially...I need your help to make that happen. Yet again, I have a GoFundMe campaign set up to accept donations towards my travel and training expenses. I hate to continue to do this, but it's the only way I'm able to make these trips happen. I'm so grateful for the donations and support I've received in the past. I'm going to thank you all ahead of time, because I know you're doing and giving everything you can, to help me succeed. Every well-wish, "good luck", confidence-boosting comment, every penny, every "like", and every "share" helps me along the way. I couldn't do this without all of you. If you get a chance, check out my "GoFundMe" campaign page for the upcoming South American Tour. "Like" it, "share" it, comment on it, and donate if you can...please, please, please? :) To learn more about the tournaments... So, a few days ago I wrote a rather entertaining post about my judo goals when I barely even knew what the sport of judo was. (Man, I had some lofty goals...). Anywhoo...I also mentioned how much fun it's been to start crossing off those goals as "accomplished". Here's the list of goals again, with comments, explanations, and letting you know whether I've accomplished them or not! **The items in the green font are those goals that I have accomplished. :)
Here's another infographic that I made for my company, and thought you'd enjoy as well. Here's a list of healthy, clean foods to add to your grocery list the next time you go shopping.
It's always fun (funny) to go back and look at the very first goals you ever made, when you started out on a whirlwind journey. I found a list of judo goals I made, about 4.5 years ago, when I was still living in Kansas. It's pretty fun to go through the list and start crossing them off as "accomplished". Quite exciting! So, for your amusement, here's the list of judo goals I had when I first started the sport (in no particular order).
As an athlete, proper nutrition is a critical determinant of my athletic performance and my ability to compete both physically and mentally. Unfortunately, it's very difficult for me to get all of the nutrients I need to succeed with just the foods I eat, despite the fact that I do follow a healthy diet. That's why I'm super excited to work with my friend, Eric Martindale, and add USANA Health Sciences vitamins to my nutrition regimen! Not only have I heard amazing things about the products USANA offers, but what made this particular company stand out is that it offers an "Athlete Guarantee Program". It basically states that should the athlete test positive for a banned substance included in World Anti-Doping Agency regulations as a result of taking USANA nutritional products, USANA will compensate that athlete two times their current annual earnings up to $1 million. Now, don’t focus too much on the dollar amount; the important part is that they are so confident in the safety and purity of its products that they are willing to offer such a guarantee. You may be wondering, “what’s that matter to you, Ash?”…Good question! Since I am on the world ranking roster (for judo), earning and competing for points for the Olympics, I have been added to the World Anti-Doping Agency list of registered athletes. Basically, at any point in time, at any location, I could get randomly drug tested for banned substances. One issue for athletes taking vitamins & minerals is that the nutritional supplements on the market aren’t really being regulated. There have been numerous allegations of contaminants in supplements which could jeopardize our ability to qualify for competitions. In fact, national Olympic committees have warned athletes of the potential danger of contaminants, encouraging us not to consume any nutritional supplements. So to have the assurance that the supplements I’m taking (and NEED to take!) will not put me at risk for testing positive to a banned substance, leaves me with one less thing to worry about. If you or someone you know is interested in possibly trying these nutritional products, learn more about the products here or shoot me message! The start of the 2015 tournament season wasn't an ideal one, but one that was essential for me in this journey. I conquered my fear, didn't let my insecurities get in the way--I won, just by showing up. Now, you may be thinking, "that's not the mentality of an athlete or a champion". But, let me explain: On Wednesday, January 14th I headed off to Tunis, Tunisia for the 2015 African Open. Going on this trip was a last minute decision, mainly because of unseen circumstances that presented itself. If you've read my previous posts, you'll know that during Christmas I came down with a really bad flu bug. It ended up being an upper respiratory infection, along with bronchitis. After about a week and a half bout with that, I was essentially, a useless judoka. I indulged (gained weight) during Christmas, wasn't able to workout, and was bedridden for a week straight. I didn't get my first workout in until January 3rd, which was a test run at the gym to see if my lungs would hold up. If I were to go to this tournament, I would have 11 days to prepare myself as best as I could. It would be a long shot, a rough weight cut, and I wouldn't be 100% up to par on my judo abilities (after not having practiced in two weeks). Knowing all of this, and after a 45 minute talk with my coach, I decided that the regret I'd feel (if I chose not to go) would be more of a burden than if I went to the competition and lost. Here's my thought process: I'd rather take the risk, show up and give it my all, than slink away into my comfort zone and come up with excuses as to why I didn't compete. Quite often I have a barrier which holds me back...myself. Insecurities; fear; failure; doubt--they plague me; they plague us all. But, showing up is half the battle; pushing through when your mind is against you is the other half. Just by putting in the effort to get in the best shape possible, making weight (even when I thought it would be impossible), and stepping on that mat in Tunisia; I succeeded. So, hopefully my phrase above, "I won just by showing up" makes a bit more sense now. :) Anywhoo--about the tournament & Tunisia... Short story: Lots of time in planes. Crappy food. Decedent and delicious desserts. Very tough weight cut. Worst draw possible. Sub-par performance. Long story: The travel time totaled 46 hours. The actual time I had in Tunisia was 60 hours. I arrived at our hotel, The Carthage Thalosso Resort & Spa on Thursday afternoon, extremely jet-lagged. I got a quick 45 minuteworkout in then went to the spa for a quick relaxation session. (This normally doesn't happen, but we were at a resort a spa! Plus it was cheap.) Most of Friday afternoon was spent trying to cut weight. Running in plastics, biking, walking, and two sessions in the steam room with Hannah Martin. The last steam session we both had .01kg left to get off...enter: running laps, naked in the steam room. Yup, it happened. #Judo #DontCare #GottaMakeWeight The session was quick and we both easily lost the .01kg we had to get off. (Making memories with teammates at its finest...) We weighed in Friday night and drank and ate as much as possible...typical. Late Friday night, the draws for the competition came out. I needed two things to happen in order for the best shot at winning a medal:
To my UNPLEASANT surprise, both of those scenarios happened. I was seeded #7, which meant I was in the same pool as #2 (the French girl). If I won my first match, I'd have to face her to move onto the semifinals. And, lucky me...my first round was against a World Ranked Hungarian player who is very experienced and accomplished in both the 44kg and 48kg categories. She is a top 7 placing judoka at the 2014 Junior Worlds and a 2-time World Team member for seniors (2011 & 2013). WORST. DRAW. EVER. I ended the tournament going 0-1, losing my first round to the Hungarian. The match went the full 4 minutes and I had plenty of opportunities to capitalize on, but was unable to do so. When watching the video of my fight, I was able to see 2 huge errors which, most likely, cost me the match.
She had a nice attack early in the match (at 52 seconds). This move is called Kouchigari. She was able to score a 1/4 point with this throw. You'll see at 2:10, me gracefully throw myself. I impress myself sometimes... (sarcasm). She was able to get a 1/2 point, from my lack of grace and complete bonehead move. Overall, I'd have to say it was an "ok" experience. I'm mad at myself; the stupid mistakes I made and the opportunities that I didn't capitalize on, but I learned a lot and fought her hard. She ended up losing in the next round, to the French girl, in the last 30 seconds of the of the match. It was a good fight; both quality players. Had the Hungarian been on the other side of the bracket, I'm pretty sure she would have been in the finals. Instead, she fought up the losers bracket and took Bronze. The French player (as I expected) ended up killing everyone for Gold. So, like I said...tough draw for me. So, a few takeaways from the tournament:
It's important to have goals, but it's even more important to write them down and let people know what they are (so they hold you accountable)! So, here goes, guys...here are my goals for 2015. Help keep me motivated to pursue and achieve these goals. I'm counting on you! ;) 2015 Goals
Tournament Information 2015 African Open Tunis Competition Venue: Palais sportif el Menzah Tunisia Official Hotel: CARTHAGE THALASSO HOTEL Address: GAMMARTH TUNISIA The top eight (8) from the entered competitors in each weight category will be seeded according to the current IJF World Ranking List. **I should be seeded #6 Elimination system with the quarterfinal (last 8) repechage. Fight Length:
World Ranking Points Breakdown 1st: 100 2nd: 60 3rd: 40 5th: 20 7th: 16 1/16th: 12 1/32nd: 8 1st fight won: 4 Participation: 0 I need to place at least 3rd in order to earn the #1 spot in the USA. I currently have 76 World Ranking Points and the #1 girl from the USA has 100. Helpful links: Judobase.org: you can find the brackets, results, competitors, etc. here Ippon.org: you can find the brackets and the results here Ippon.tv: IF the tournament is being streamed live, you'll find it here USjudo.org: you can find information about USA judo, national rankings, athlete profiles, etc. List of current 48kg competitors: JURA Anne sophie (BEL) PAYET Laetitia (FRA) SAIDI Sabrina (ALG) PUPP Reka (HUN) AMRANE Sadjia (ALG) RAYNER Chloe (AUS) SAOUDI Olfa (TUN) MEYER Amy (AUS) BOUBAKER Islam (TUN) WHITE Ashlyn (USA) ARRILLAGA Aiora (ESP) HEJLIK Ashley (USA) MORAND Priscilla (MRI) GIAMATTEI Angela (ITA) SCHURR Jenna (USA) Schedule of Events Wednesday, January 14, 2015 Depart from Albany. Thursday, January 15, 2015 Arrive in Tunis, Tunisia! Friday, January 16, 2015
Saturday, January 17, 2015
Sunday, January 18, 2015 Depart from Tunisia. |
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