I Really Wonder?

Another 9-miler for me!  Emilee is out of town, and many of my running friends are still recovering from their marathons, so I’ve been running alone lately.  I’m very grateful for podcasts during my solo runs, and I’ve been hooked on the Bad Broadcast.

She always runs out just as I’m finishing up my run.

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We picked up Knox for our two weeks of summer parent time and got straight to business—> They wanted to sell snow cones.  We went to the store to get their supplies and then came home, and they did chores to pay for the supplies.  I had a spotless house after all of the chores ha—a win-win for everyone involved.

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It was a success!

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They were very proud of themselves!

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Beck was smart and napped through our time outside in the 102-degree weather!

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And pasta primavera for dinner!

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Well, like usual, I have more random things to talk about.

*This news made me so sad.  Having an injury is SO hard for me; I cannot even imagine how hard it must be for someone like Molly Huddle, where it means she has to drop out of the Olympic Trials!

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*Homemade Oreos either frozen or stored in the fridge (they are so good when they are cold but also great at room temperature), are just the best.  They are even better when eaten in bed while all of the kids are sleeping and Netflix is on.

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*This is a random one, but I was reminded of it after our discussion on Monday about calorie-dense meals.   Andrew and I went on a lunch date to Kneaders, and when I was waiting in line, I was looking around at all of the other people sitting at the tables.  There were a lot of lunch dates happening, and I noticed something similar.  A lot of the women had a small salad in front of them, and a lot of the men had a panini or large sandwich with a dessert or a side of chips/pasta salad, etc.  It made me wonder how many of the women there ordered the salad because they wanted to eat the salad (nothing wrong with that!) and how many of them ordered the salad because they think they should be eating salads because that is what they have been told to eat by the diet industry.  How many of those women truly wanted a sandwich with a piece of pie instead?!

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We need REAL energy.  We can’t let the wellness/diet industry hold us back from reaching our potential because we are too busy being hungry, thinking/talking about our bodies, and trying to take up less space.  Smash the Wellness Industry… such a great article.

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*Last but definitely not least, my friend posted this last night and I almost packed up my whole family into the car to go have Costco samples!

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Random question—> How many pictures do you have on your phone right now?

Those of you with blended families, how does the summer schedule work?

-With Knox, each family gets 2 2 week uninterrupted breaks, and then we switch off like normal for the rest of the time.  With Brooke, things are pretty much the same!

Podcast listeners—> What have you been hooked on lately?

If you could only eat one type of cookie for the rest of your life, which kind would you choose?

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55 comments

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Questioning diet culture is SO important–it’s just marketing that tells us we can only feel good if we eat ONE way. It also makes healthy food seem like it can only be light salads, when healthy food can be so many nutrient, calorie-dense things. “Healthy” should not be equated with food that doesn’t fill you up and doesn’t give you proper energy! We need calories and nutrients, and there is no one way to be a healthy eater.

I have an insane amount of photos on my phone . . . way too intimidating to clear them out! And I need those oreos!

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Healthy should not be equated with food that doesn’t fill you up and doesn’t give you proper energy… AMEN! I love that thought so much Kristin, thanks for sharing. It really is something we need to be questioning more so we don’t continue to just go along with whatever we are told. I’ll send you some, they are amazing! Have the best day, Kristin!

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10000% agree with your observation and am saddened by the cultural expectation for women to order salads and men can get whatever they desire. I used to have extreme order-envy because I would order the healthy option or “what I think I SHOULD order” and then be left wishing I got what others around me chose because it looked so much better! Once you think about what you actually want, what your body is telling you its craving, then ordering out and choosing what to eat becomes so much easier. Mental energy can be spent elsewhere (like planning your next run or race!!!)

Cookie I could eat for the rest of my life – homemade chewy chocolate chip!

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Charlotte, I totally relate with you… I always had order-envy and it drove me crazy. Isn’t it just the best to order exactly what sounds good and needed now?! Now I need some homemade chocolate chip cookies! I hope you have a great day!

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2,303 photos
I listen to the Eric Zane Show podcast – he used to be on my favorite radio show until he was basically fired. I left that show behind and switched to Eric’s podcast.
As for the cookie question, I would choose my homemade chocolate chip.

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I will have to check out his podcast! Thanks so much for sharing, Amanda. I hope you get some homemade chocolate chip cookies soon… that sounds so good right now. Enjoy your Wednesday!

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I have way too many pics on my phone haha.
Anyway Janae! My comment is totally unrelated to your questions today; I’m not sure if you saw my last comment but I wanted to update that I ran a 21km PB last weekend ;) i lost the will to do the .1km which, i know, lame – and i was a bit bummed over it for a while but my running buddy who woke up at 3.30am on a Saturday to pace me was like… own it!! It’s a 21km PB at least! Even if strava won’t recognise it as a half PB. And it woulda been a half PB anyway, by over a minute.
I got my first vaccine shot today too.

If i could only have one cookie for the rest of my life it would be oatmeal dark chocolate chip.

Have a great day! :)

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CHLOE! A 21km PB is AMAZING! I love that your friend helped you to see that and celebrate you! You are absolutely amazing. I hope you are feeling well and that you get that cookie asap! Thanks Chloe, you too!

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I listen mostly to Bachelor and running podcasts, sometimes political podcasts for my work. But this brings me to my question-
I remember from your blog, you’re a Bachelor/Bachelorette fan, correct? I would LOVE to know some of your favorite seasons or opinions on current/ past seasons. I am loving this season so far. Silly reader request!

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Hey Kaytlin!! I do love that show but I haven’t really been into it the last few seasons … so should I get into this one? Now that I know you are loving it I am going to go watch the first episode tonight. THANK YOU! I’ll give you my thoughts soon. Have a beautiful day Kaytlin!

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3,580 photos. I try to clean them out but there are too many I can’t get rid of!

Levain’s chocolate chip walnut cookies. They are THE BEST. And they were created as workout fuel by the two founders who did triathlons!

Agree with you so much on diet culture. It makes me sad too that we prioritize size and weight over health- and all of the other amazing qualities people have!

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It would be so funny to know when we were younger how many photos we would eventually have access to when before we just had a few pictures from our cameras! Emilee was telling me that story about Levain, so so cool. I must have one soon! I agree, but I really think that things will be changing more and more! Have a beautiful day sweet friend.

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12,173 pictures!

I’m interested to see how that compares to others. Maybe you can Share what you find out! Haha

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I totally will! I currently have 9k and got my phone in December ha… we like pictures! Have a great one, Mary!

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36,835 photos……judging by the comments above apparently I have a problem.
:)
Oh gosh how to choose ONE cookie???? Store bought, my all time favorite have to be Barnum and Bailey animal crackers. I know that’s silly but they are just so good. Homemade, probably good old chocolate chip.
The kids are so cute with their snack shack! I’m inspired to have my kids do that this summer!
Have a great day!

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HEY MOLLIE! Hahah I’m right there with you… I have 9k but I just got my phone in December. I haven’t had those animal crackers in a long time but you are so right, they are delicious. Hope you are having a beautiful day!

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Heartbreaking about Molly Huddle! I feel terrible for her. Kiera D’Amato also has to drop from the trials due to injury- she gave a beautiful interview on Matt Chittim’s Road To The Trials podcast about the decision.
A couple years ago my husband and I went out to dinner, and he ordered a big salad and I ordered a veggie burger and huge plate of fries. When the meals came, the waiter automatically gave me the salad and my husband the burger and we had to tell him to reverse them! It was kind of funny, but also sad to think that too many women are eating salads when they’d rather have something else.

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I DIDN’T EVEN KNOW ABOUT KIERA! Oh noooooo… I am heartbroken. Andrew and I have had that same experience and I agree, I hope more and more women start eating what sounds good to them! Have a fabulous day!

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I literally have thousands of photos on my phone lol.

Lately I have been on an oreo cookies kick. Going to put them in the fridge now after what I read.

I hope you guys have a wonderful two weeks with Knox!
Theses days I eat what I want to eat to fuel all the running cycling and chasing Rivee lol. I love salads but it better have chicken and all the good things and not just lettuce lol

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Enjoy those cold oreos! River is the absolute cutest and I bet a lot of those photos are of River! I hope you are having the best day, Kristine!

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Chocolate chip for sure! With oatmeal a very close second. I am a cookie monster. In fact, I had to rush to answer this because COOKIES ARE THE BEST!!!

I have a bazillion photos because there was a span where my son’s phone and mine were synched and I got every photo of his, too. So many random goofy face photos it’s ridiculous.

I can’t get past 102 degrees. heat is not my friend. You are a champ.

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I am so glad that you answered and I agree, cookies really are the best. Hahah I bet it was so fun to see all of those pictures. We are having a crazy heat wave here. I hope your day is a great one!

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Hi Janae! That’s a really good point about the salad. I tell myself I love salad but I love other foods too! Also I’m pretty sure my husband has never ordered a salad for his main now you mention it.
Hair hump day!!

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YES, there is nothing wrong with loving salad I just worry when people order it instead of eating what truly looks and sounds good at that moment. Thank you, you too!

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So, so sad about Molly Huddle! And I think Kiera D’Mato (?) too?? Especially since the Olympics was pushed back a year. My heart breaks for them.
Such a great observation about food and the diet culture. That’s also sad that we feel we “have” to order specific foods because society tells us that.
I need to make the pasta primavera AND the homemade Oreos!! Just the thought of the cold Oreos sounds so good.
Yay for 2 weeks with Knox!! I know you all are going to have a great time. And such a fun way to start… Their little snack shack ?
Random question… How do you get that slight curl at the ends of your hair? I love the look, bit don’t love using a curling iron all the time, especially during the summer.
Have a great day Janae ?

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I am just now learning about Kiera, this is heartbreaking. I definitely think that you need the pasta and oreos tonight! I’m using a curling iron every day which I don’t love either ha! I will make a video of how I use it if that will help?! Thanks Wendy, YOU TOO!

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Oooo… If you could do a short video, that would be really great! Thanks Janae :)

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I would much rather eat smaller portions of whatever Les is having than have a salad, unless I’m really in the mood for a salad. I don’t need to eat as much as he does, but I love food too much to give it up and that includes dessert!

2460 pictures on my phone.

Today I would choose a warm chocolate chip cookie, but I tomorrow it might be a Snickerdoodle or peanut butter with a Hershey’s kiss. So glad I don’t have to choose just one!

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YES! Keep loving food and dessert, it’s just the best! I hope you get all of those cookies soon… I hope I do too haha. Have a great rest of your day, Kathy!

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Homemade oatmeal raisin cookies for life! (I think I’m in the minority here. LOL) To take them up a notch frozen with a scoop of french vanilla ice cream…..now I want a cookie.

Our schedule pretty much stays the same. And both of us are pretty open to switches if needed. This weekend is my weekend, but it is Father’s Day so we switched it up and he’ll be with his Dad. And both parents take random weekend and/or week family vacations so make sure to talk about it so the kiddo can go have fun with both families. It works for us.

And I have 11,790 pictures on my phone…

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Hey Amy! I’m with you, oatmeal raisin cookies with ice cream = amazing. You guys sound like you have really worked hard to make it an awesome situation for your little one… great job! Thanks for sharing friend and I hope you are having a wonderful day.

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102 degrees?!Oh my goodness, I would wilt! The hottest it gets here in Western, NY is typically low 90s and I do not venture outside if it’s like that. Even 79 is too much for me haha
Your hair is really cute and really making me want to chop mine. It is waist length again (grows so fast) so my thought is that I’ll keep it really long until I start to look too old for it, and then get something probably similar to your cut. I’m 40 now, so that time is coming!
I love cleaning the house with my kids. My 1 year old loves the sound of the vacuum, so I operate that while holding him, and then the 3 year old either does the Swiffer or the steam mop. It’s great because we have fun and my house is sparkling clean at the end of it all!
I’ll give you my favorite food to eat during ultras, which happens to be a cookie. Golden Oreo’s! My kids love them, too.
Have a great day, Janae and family!

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We are going through a crazy heat wave right now, it is so hot! Thank you and waist-length hair… that is amazing! Let me know if you do cut it! I am amazed by how much easier it is now to manage. You guys have quite the cleaning system down and Golden Oreo’s during an ultra, brilliant! Thank you Stacey, you too!

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I dont usually comment, but had to after seeing your Kneaders thoughts. As someone who lives very far from Utah I can say their salads are EVERYTHING. I could never imagine getting anything else. A lot of times salads are actually VERY caloric more so than a sandwich so while I am sure some seek them out due to thinking they are “healthier” often the case is that they are not as much as we’d like to believe.

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HEY Andrea!! I agree, that they really do have yummy salads and if someone feels like eating it then absolutely… EAT IT! I just wonder how many of us feel like we can’t eat like men if that makes sense? Or we feel like we have to just use a tiny bit of dressing because it is has a lot of calories. I know I used to order salads (even though you are right, a lot of them actually do provide a good amount of energy and nutrition) because I was afraid of carbohydrates and thought it was what I was supposed to order when really a burger is what my body needed that meal etc. I’m just wondering why we do what we do but you are right, their turkey on those salads are heavenly! Have the best day friend! I hope this makes sense!

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I forgot we have that friend in common actually. I saw her post last night and thought the exact same thing! Ha ha! Also I love having a salad at lunch AND something with more calories. We have some family friends who are always amazed at how much our family eats regularly. It’s about double what their family needs. Ha ha! But I’ve embraced it and I eat what feels good and what gives me energy!

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NO WAY! Kelsey is seriously the best!! How do you know her? Oh I love that combo too, a salad with fries is heaven! My sister has a whole theory about training metabolisms to be able to eat more by eating more and I think it works… keep eating what you need to feel good and get the energy you need! Have a beautiful day:)

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Our husbands went to the same med school! They were in different years and we were in different wards, but lived just a few blocks apart and have a lot of mutual friends. ? She’s great. We ran into each other at Boston a couple years ago when we knew we were both running it that year!

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That is so so awesome! Let’s all meet up at Boston to run the marathon soon;).

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Favorite cookie right now is the Women’s Running Paleo Chocolate Chip cookies, great little calorie dense pick me ups! I love them from the freezer.

You got me hooked on the Bad Broadcast, she is super funny! I’m also sucked in to the You’re Wrong About podcast right now. On top of all the running podcasts, obviously.

And getting your house clean for the price of an icee stand? I’d say you made out like a bandit ;)

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Those cookies sound awesome, I will have to try them! ISn’t she hilarious and I love You’re Wrong About too! You are so right, maybe we should do icee stands every day? Have a beautiful day, friend. PS let me know if you ever have to stop mid-run because you are laughing so hard from the Bad Broadcast!

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I have almost 18,000 photos of them, with probably being staged running pics that I take for the gram or my blog. Why am I like this?!?

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YOU ARE NOT ALONE! I relate so so much haha. Have a great day, Jamie!

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SO true on women & salads – thank you for the reminder that our bodies need good, solid fuel – if that’s a *hearty* salad great, but it shouldn’t HAVE to be a salad because of some weird expectation.
My phone tells me I have too many photos & need more iCloud storage for my 19,000+ photos.
You guys seem to do a fantastic job at supporting your kids through all the transitions and balancing acts of a blended family! I can hardly coordinate getting my kids to see extended family (non-blended fam here) as often as I’d like – a work in progress, for sure.
Podcasts – Rich Roll, Bible in a Year, and just started checking out a new one, Women of Distance, that I think I like.
Cookies – oatmeal chocolate chip. LOVE cookies.

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HEY KATIE! I hate it when my phone constantly yells at me for having too many pictures on my phone! Thank you, that means a lot… I feel like I mess it up left and right all of the time. I will have to check Women of Distance! Thanks for sharing and I hope you have some oatmeal chocolate chip cookies soon!

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As someone who went from a D1 athlete to 30 pounds heavier than where I am comfortable after having kids I am a little at odds with your comments about eating out and salads. I have been a smaller size. I want to be a smaller size again so I don’t feel my belly bounce when I run, so I can do sit ups comfortably again, so I can run further or swim further in a pool. So I can do triathlons again. So I don’t have to worry about being a diabetic, or have hypertension or be on high cholesterol medications in a few years. And yes, so I don’t mind being in pictures again. To me it’s about being the best version of myself. I don’t have a TV, I don’t read contemporary magazines or have social media. This decision to try and lose weight isn’t about anything but me and my health. This is a decision for me. And while you have marathon goals I have weight loss goals. And I appreciate a good salad so I can eat out with friends and family from time to time. Just like I wouldn’t shame you for prioritizing a run while on vacation you shouldn’t shame women for prioritizing healthy eating while eating out. I would never try and talk someone out of a workout and you shouldn’t try and talk women out of healthy eating. I am glad you can eat delicious calorie dense food and not gain weight but what if you did? Wouldn’t you also try to eat fewer calories or eat cleaner to help you achieve goals?

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Laura, thank you so much for your comment and sharing your perspective, I really appreciate it. I really feel bad if I caused feelings of shame. I guess what I was trying to express is I wonder how many people order low-calorie meals because they’ve been told that women need to eat less than men. That a woman’s responsibility is to look good and be desired therefore she should deny herself of foods that provide adequate energy. I would never ever want to talk someone out of their goals and out of wanting to feel more comfortable as they do the things they love but I just want women to feel that if they want to eat a sandwich, they sure can! If they want a salad they sure can too! I just want women to make choices based on what is right for them and not listen to a world telling us what we can eat. I just want women to order according to them and what makes them feel good, not because the diet industry tells women how they should eat in order to fit their standards of beauty. I even said I think it is totally worth it to get the salad if that is what they want! I really apologize if what I said caused shame, I would NEVER want that. I am supportive of you and want the absolute best for you! Also, I am not able to fit in any of my old pants or running bottoms/bras/some tops but I’m going to continue to eat the foods that make me feel good and provide adequate energy to fuel my day!

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No worries. I do get your point too. And I think that many times pressure and perception could be the cause of food choices. But I think there are often times other reasons too. Recently friends and I have delved into how aging and changing hormones affect our food choices. Soo just another perspective. But I do think a healthy weight does play into overall fitness and overall health and reaching physical goals. Just like under eating isn’t healthy, neither is overeating. And it shouldn’t be completely taboo to talk about either. And yes women are different then men, so I think naturally some of that plays out in food. But Thanks! I enjoy your blog very much. And, you prompted good conversations!

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I love how your promote through example intuitive eating- I have also found that it creates such a freedom around food that really does help break that awful self-loathing cycle. YES to the cookies (my favorite are Smitten Kitchen’s salted chocolate chunk, and we make it into a cookie cake for all my kids birthdays)!

Question for you- would selfishly love a whole post about this :) – can you help me with starting to understand marathon fueling- both on runs and as recovery? The last time I trained to 1/2 marathons I was basically running through a personal trauma and while the running helped me mentally, I lost too much weight and know I didn’t take care of my body. I’m excited to start marathon training for a Dec marathon but don’t exactly know how to start fuel training. Most of my long runs in the past year have been 7-10 miles and I haven’t fueled except with water (yikes!). I don’t have a calorie hang up, but I just don’t know where to start and how to adjust my body. Any tips or book/article recommendations would be so helpful!

Again, Y-E-S to your beautiful mindset and encouraging all of us in it, too!!

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Hey Hannah, I am really sorry about what you were going through during your last half-marathon training. I really hope things are going better now. I would love to write a post about this for next week if that works! I’ll include some sources too. A COOKIE CAKE… YUM!!!! I need one of those asap! Have the best night and PLEASE keep me updated with your training, I’m SO excited for you!

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Alright, let’s kick this beautiful mindset around Real energy and nutrition up a notch!

1. I wonder the demographics of the women you saw? Or were they all the same age? For our purposes today, let’s control for this variable and say they’re all the same demo. (age, race and activity level) as you and Andrew.

2. I wonder how many are following a gluten-free protocol? Then I wonder how many would even choose Kneaders? So, the man wanted it, the woman went along and got something??? This wonder does not say anything about the men. I know plenty of men who consider eating out at fast food -> eating junk food. They know where to get Real energy.

3. I wonder how many of the women were in the luteal phase? The best phase for raw veggies.

4. I wonder how many got Real energy from meals not found at Kneaders or anywhere else on the road? When we question diet culture questions come up about what we’re Really consuming. Don’t snacks fall off when we are satisfied at meal time? (Also, were they all drinking water? Ask me why.)

5. I wonder how many had a bunch of snacks somewhere (before and after) and are compensating for it by getting the salad? Let’s face it, sugar is filling and energizing, but it’s empty.

In sum, my wonders here wander the gamut from the nutrient conscious to those less so. I have more wonders – this has my mind GOING, maybe I should write a book? I look forward to a culture with more of us at the nutrient conscious and practicing levels all across the US. Especially if it improves what we can get on the road, and supports more active lifestyles. For now, I enjoy FlavCity on YT. He did a review at Chik-Fil-A recently – he really got into it, as per the usual.

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I think you should write a book, Lee! It would be amazing, you are so educated in this topic. I definitely have zero information about the group I was viewing, I just want to spread the word that it’s okay to eat what men eat:). I hope you are having a beautiful evening and thanks for the help!

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Hey, hey, no worries AND I’m glad you put it on the blog today. This is a BIG topic, and there is a lot of critical thinking to go around.

I had some semi-frozen cherries tonight (fr. Costco!), and they are nutrish and delish!! Yeah, just semi-frozen cherries, that’s it, baby. This is my first summer trying this and I Really like it!!!! I have to get the refrigerator timing down. It’s a big bag – several servings – so it has to go back to the freezer at some point. Unless the person reading this is very good at portioning them out. Even with portions, not sure of the refrigerator timing. I KNOW this: semi-frozen is awesome, and this summer will be a HOT one!!

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Thank you for giving the topic of eating enough so much attention! Im currently exclusively breastfeeding my almost 5 month old, and struggled to keep on weight, and im not even running at this time!! Now I feel like I have a better grip on the amount of fuel I need to nourish us both, but its A LOT! Do you struggle with this at all considering that you are also running a lot?

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One of my podcasts of choice right now also interrogates diet culture. It’s Maintenance Phase and has Michael Hobbes from You’re Wrong About (one of my other favorite podcasts). I’m also enjoying Body Stuff by Dr. Jen Gunter.

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