The Family Table: Working out, mostly eating right
I鈥檝e had a back and forth relationship with working out 鈥� candidly, I go back and forth with doing it.
Over my 40 years, I鈥檝e tried more things than I can count, looking for that magic thing that would keep me engaged and not make it feel like perpetual a chore.
I can tell you with complete sincerity, I still haven鈥檛 found it.
But what I have realized after starts, stops and utter failures (Zumba is for people who have way more coordination than I have ever possessed), is that sometimes, working out is a struggle. I鈥檝e absolutely tried to change my mindset to the belief that I鈥檓 doing it FOR myself and not TO myself, but that hasn鈥檛 worked yet.
It蘑菇视频 just something I have to force myself to do.
My eldest kiddo helps in that respect. Gabe goes to the gym with me, and after a year of fitness training at high school has far more familiarity with the machines than his dear old mom. He蘑菇视频 a 17-year-old task master, or more diplomatically, he brings the motivation.
Some days I appreciate that. The days that I鈥檓 struggling to finish a set of bicep curls with my wimpy 15 pounds, though, I am less than thrilled to hear him push me.
I reminded him on our ride home once that I鈥檓 the mother, and he should mind the tone of his 鈥渆ncouragement.鈥� He smiled, and reminded me that he pushes me because he knows I can do it.
That right there 鈥� having someone to lift me up during the struggle of working out 鈥� is the one thing I鈥檝e found that makes it bearable.
After our workouts, Gabe will occasionally tempt me. There蘑菇视频 a Mexican restaurant next door to the gym, which might be the most brilliant marketing plan ever. Burn your calories off, and then restore them, right?
I gave in last week. We worked out, ate, and as we prepared to leave, it appeared that a monsoon had descended upon Latrobe. The car was far enough away that we were soaked by the time we got to it.
It felt like karmic retribution for working hard and refueling with a burrito that weighed as much as a newborn.
We鈥檒l eat at home from now on, I think. The choices we have there, like the spicy cucumber salad below, are easy to throw together and far less guilt inducing.
Spicy Cucumber Salad
2 seedless cucumbers, thinly sliced
Salt
3 cloves garlic, grated
4 scallions, finely chopped
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1-2 tablespoons (depending how spicy you like it) of sambal oelek or gochujang
2-3 teaspoons sugar
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon fish sauce
Toss the cucumbers with 1-2 teaspoons salt and mix thoroughly. Let them strain for about 30 minutes to rid the cucumbers of some of the water in them. Combine the remaining ingredients in a mason jar and shake to mix it. If using gochujang (a fermented red chili paste available in the Asian section of most grocery stores), heat the mix in the microwave for about 30 seconds to dissolve the paste. Sambal, also available in most grocery stores, won鈥檛 need dissolved in the microwave.
When the cucumbers are done draining, pat them dry with some paper towels to wipe off some of the excess salt. Combine the cucumbers and the dressing and refrigerate overnight. These are good on a sandwich, as a cold side or on a salad. We ate ours with some oven roasted salmon.