Oh, running. How I missed you so! š
After breakfast, I hit the pavement for a glorious 3-mile run while rocking out to Lady Gaga, Pink, Madonna, Kelly Clarkson, and Britney. (My workout music alternates between classic rock and pop. Today was definitely a pop day!) I finished my run in 25:42 (8:35 pace), which wasn’t too shabby considering that I haven’t run in more than a month. My hip didn’t hurt (yay!), but my lungs were burning by the end. I guess they forgot what running was all about! There’s only room for improvement, right? š
When I got home, I kept Eric’s advice in mind and stretched for a whopping 18 minutes, which is a new record for me. I can honestly say, I’ve never even stretched for 10 minutes after a run, so 18 is something to feel good about! š
I was able to prolong my stretching time by making it an event. It would have been easy to do a few stretches outside of my apartment, jump in the shower, and call it a day, but instead, I turned on Ellen, rolled out my yoga mat, grabbed my Tune Up balls, and got to work. I also put myself in the right mindset to stretch. Before I started, I told myself that I would stretch for at least 15 minutes and reminded myself of my ultimate goal. Both of these things prevented me from rushing through it.
So, let me tell you about these Yoga Tune Up balls, which are part of my new treatment plan. They’re rubber balls that I use for self-massage trigger point therapy.
Trigger point what?! Ok, let me explain:
Trigger points are areas of hyper irritation in a muscle. Trigger points occur because the muscle has been injured in some way and an area of the muscle is contracted. This contracted area restricts blood flow. The restriction of blood flow causes the muscle to become nutrient starved and have a build-up of waste products. This can cause pain, numbness, tingling and weakness in the muscle. (Source)
Doesn’t sound good, right? š
In an ideal world, we’d all visit massage therapists and chiropractors to alleviate this type of pain, but many of us can’t afford that kind of treatment. Depending on the area of the pain, self-massage trigger point therapy can really help. Rolling these Tune Up balls over knots and tight muscles allows me to massage deeply to lessen tension and pain in my legs and back.
These balls are super easy to use, but because they closely resemble Murphy’s favorite kind of toy, it’s sometimes difficult to get the job done!
Look at that pug talon! š
Ok, let’s get serious!
During my post-run stretching session, I massaged the front of my hip to loosen tight muscles.
Not surprisingly, I had some help.
Then, I rolled the IT bands on both of my legs. It hurt so good! š
Of course, I received more help from the pug.
This dog is sneaky.
Look at that eye! He knows he’s being bad.
Lunch
Before heading to NuVal, I packed a nutritious lunch to take with me. I had a salad with chickpeas, black beans, avocado, and pasta. I also brought along a juicy plum. Simple, yet satisfying.
TofuXpress Giveaway
My new toy was such a hit last week, I asked the nice people at Nasoya if they’d be willing to giveaway a TofuXpress to one lucky CNC reader. Lucky for you, they agreed! 
To enter: Leave a comment on this post about your favorite way to eat tofu. I will randomly select a winner tomorrow morning.
Good luck!
631 Comments
Pan fried with veggies and quinoa, for sure. YUM.
Tofu with vegetarian oyster sauce=winner!
I actually love it raw on salads!
I love it cubed raw on salads!
definitely in an asian stir fry!
there is a company called Earthly Eats that is based out of new york and they make this product called “Spicy Tofu Power Sandwich.” absolutely my favorite way to eat tofu…i’ve tried so hard to replicate this sandwich and it simply can’t be done. they’ve created perfection.
I LOVE TOFU! Basically survived on it when I lived in Singapore. I love tofu just fried in olive oil, salt and pepper or BBQ sauce. Then with veggies on the side. OR Baked tofu…. Once I rolled tofu in oatmeal with a little bit of olive oil and curry powder…. weirdly AMAZING! I could go on forever….
I love tofu. I am a vegetarian and its makes up a majority of the protein in my diet. Anyway, my favorite type of tofu is fried in a pan with olive oil garlic. It is AMAZING
I am Taiwanese so my favorite has to be Mapo Tofu. Second is the sweet tofu dessert…mmmm
I love tofu baked in BBQ sauce and baked!
Oh my goodness! I hope I win this: I love tofu, and my boyfriend does as well EXCEPT when we make it at home because I can never drain it properly! This would would be perfect! My fav way to eat tofu is to bake it in a mustard sauce.
I would love to win this because I love firm tofu! I used to buy a brand of marinated firm tofu, but ever since I moved to Edmonton I can’t find it anymore haha. But anyways, I love marinating firm tofu, grilling it, and then topping it over a salad. YUM! š
i love tofu just plain chopped into cubes and thrown on a salad. YUM
I have been experiementing with tofu for the past month or two, and (currently!) my favorite way to eat tofu is baking a slab of it after it’s done it’s thing in a BBQ marinade. Slap that puppy on some whole wheat bread with some cheese and veggies, and we’ve got a winner!
i love soft tofu in miso soup…and firm tofu marinated in soy sauce, rice vinegar, ginger, and sriracha, then grilled!
I LOVE this gadget! I have a new love for tofu since I read your original method. I like mine baked with a maranaide or stir fried.
I eat my tofu with tonssss of garlic and green onions. Mmmm, the best and easiest stir fry!
In a salad š
Definitely in a salad is my favorite way. Such an easy way to pack in some protein. Have never heard of a press until you featured it on CNC.
I love pressing my tofu to death (ahah, not that it was alive in the first place,) and stir-frying it with lots of veggies and teriyaki sauce. I’d really like not dirtying dish towels or using paper towels anymore to press it.
I WANT to love tofu but I haven’t figured out the best way to eat it yet…..
I had tofu last night and had the HARDEST time pressing the water out. It ended up delicious but this sure would come in handy!
Favorite way to eat tofu – bake first then stir fry with lots of seasonings or like last night – I made peanut sauce tofu with green & red bell peppers, carrots and almond slivers. With a side of sticky rice & chili sauce. YUM!
I like it marinated in teriyaki sauce and baked. Stir fry with veggies and udon noodles. YUM!
I’ve just recently started experimenting with tofu, but I like it sauteed with veggies and soy sauce!
My fav way of cooking tofu is grilling it, love the flavor with grilled veggies!
Wow, great run!
My favorite way(s) is to marinate it and then stir-fry with lots of veggies or bake it. Yum!
My absolute fave way to eat my tofu is in a chickenless chicken salad. Problem is I really suck at getting it “dry” enough and for me it comes out either way too chewy or way too soggy… hence why I really need that dang machine! LOL I will confess because I suck so bad at using tofu I tend to buy a lot of my tofu products at the Whole Foods Co-Op Deli. However, I’m going to get very brave and make one of your buffalo style tofu sandwiches soon! I swear!
@Alicia: More info please!! Do you have the specifics… temp, time, amounts? This sounds pretty good! And I can only imagine how wonderful adding some hot sauce to dip those in would be!!!! Please share! You can even email it to me! hockeygal4ever@gmail.com
I make a peanut butter sauce and stir fry it with tofu and veggies. Yum!
Head’s up- the link to Eric’s advice (http://carrotsncake.com/2010/04/pooped-pug.html) is not working. Thanks!