Brianne Eaton Olympian Workout Wednesday

Every now and then I check google analytics to see the sources from which people find my blog and this time I stumbled upon the Eatons actually making my recipes and writing about them. That night I watched them dominate at the Olympics, Ashton bringing home Gold and Brianne winning Bronze. I was totally star struck and felt compelled to do something. So I wrote Brianne an email, hoping and praying that she would see it, even though she had just completed the Olympics ( no big deal, right? ). And lo and behold, she responded! Her email back to me was priceless – she said she was afraid I was too busy and hadn’t wanted to reach out and bother me…. (pinch me!) And from there a friendship was born.Brianne recently had an event in New York so we got to spend a day together. She also recently retired from being a professional athlete and has a love for the kitchen just like me so we had a lot to talk about. As she ventures into her new career cooking and creating awesome recipes i’m excited to team up with her on more fun projects. But for now you can check out what a day in a life looks like for this Olympian-turned-food blogger. Be sure to follow her on her website and Instagram to keep up with her amazingly delicious new recipes and food inspo!

6:30am:

This is when my alarm goes off. This is not when I get out of bed. I typically roll over with my phone in my hand, pretending that I’m going to go back to sleep for a bit, but really I spend the next 20 minutes on Instagram.

When I finally do get out of bed, it’s 5 minutes of quality time with my favorite girl, Zora. If I don’t give her these 5 minutes of attention (i.e. petting, scratching, kissing, telling her she’s a “good girl”) she bothers me all morning, weaving in and out of my legs, pawing at my leg, pretty much saying “Hey lady! Where’s my attention?!”7:00am:

I finally sit down with a cup of coffee and a bowl of Peanut Butter Cocoa Almond Oatmeal. I make it by mixing 1/2 cup old fashioned oats and 2/3 cup unsweetened almond milk in a pot and heat until oats soften. Transfer to a bowl and mix in 1 tablespoon maple syrup, 1 teaspoon of raw cacao powder, and 2 tablespoons of unflavored protein powder. Top with sliced almonds, bananas, cacao nibs and peanut butter drizzle!

I also usually have a water bottle with me at the table so I remember to keep sipping throughout the day.

I find that I’m most productive in the morning, so I usually do anything related to work in the morning. I find the later in the day it gets, the more I fade. Anyone with me?! So this means answering emails and social media comments and questions, blog writing, recipe and post planning, social media scheduling, meal plans, etc.

8:00am:

I have a couple of interviews, one with Canadian Running Magazine and another with United Athletes Magazine. I recently committed to running the Chicago Marathon, so they both want to talk about working/nutrition balance in my life, and especially for something like a marathon.10:30am:

Today on my workout schedule, I had an easy 7 mile training run. My legs felt surprisingly good today, probably because I did a 10 mile bike yesterday instead of my 3 mile run. My body has been getting really beat up from all the pounding that marathon training requires, especially my knees, shins and hips. I typically have 4 training runs a week, and for 1 or 2 of those I usually jump on the bike instead. Today I ran 8:05 minute mile pace.

When I’m running, I usually start by listening to a podcast (right now it’s Up and Vanished) until I start getting tired and can’t focus on the information anymore, then I switch to music.

11:30am:

After my run, I wasn’t particularly hungry for lunch yet, so I made myself a green smoothie to get a few extra veggies in before lunch. To make the smoothie I throw: 1 pear, 1/2 lime (juiced), 2 cups kale, 1 cup spinach, handful of broccoli florets, 1/2 an avocado, and about 1/2 a cup of water into a high-powered blender and blend it until super smooth.12:45pm:

After jumping in the shower real quick and answering a few more emails (they’re never-ending!!!) I started working on my lunch. We have a shit ton of spinach in our house because Ashton and I are terrible communicators when it comes to grocery shopping. We’ll both run to the store on our way home from errands and buy the exact same stuff. So today it’s a spinach salad with strawberries, toasted pecans, goat cheese and a homemade balsamic vinaigrette. (Throw 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 1 crushed clove garlic, 1 tbsp dijon mustard, 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil and some salt and pepper into a mason jar and shake until mixed well). I also added some left over salmon on top.1:30-3:00pm:

Had a fat cat nap, which I didn’t mean to do. I sat down on the couch with my computer to do some content and social media planning. I usually do this in the afternoon and just put on some mindless TV in the background that I don’t have to actually pay close attention to (The Kardashians, Friends, Food Network). Well, I laid down to just “rest my eyes” for a bit and 1.5 hours later I woke up.

3:30pm:

I had an appointment to see my chiropractor, Dr. LeGat. My big toe joint has been bothering me a bit lately so he’s been working on that, along with keeping my calves loosened and my shin splits at bay. Today was his lucky day because I even shaved my legs!Dr. LeGat first worked on me when I was a sophomore in college, so he’s seen and treated a lot of my sports related injuries. It’s always nice to have someone who knows your history and how you respond to different kinds of treatment.

5:00pm:

On my way home, I ran to Whole Foods to pick up some stuff for dinner. I’m working on a Lettuce Chicken Wraps recipe to post next month, so I bought some ingredients for that, headed home and started messing around with them.

The hardest part was getting the sauce right. But I finally figured it out. Here’s how you make it:

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan and add 1 pound of ground chicken, cooking for about 5 minutes. Add 1 diced onion and 2 cloves minced garlic to the chicken, and turn the heat up to medium-high and allow to sauté. In a small bowl, combine 1.5 tbsp maple syrup, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tbsp finely grated ginger, and 1 tsp sriracha and whisk well. Once the chicken is cooked through and the juices have completely evaporated, stir in the sauce. Mix to combine and allow to cook for a few minutes before adding in one 8oz can of chopped water chestnuts. Sprinkle with salt to taste and then serve in the center of a lettuce cup with cashews and green onions sprinkled on top.7:00pm:

I headed to Yoga for Athletes at my favorite yoga studio in Eugene, Hardcore Yoga, to get my stretch on. I’m TERRIBLE at stretching and if it was up to me, I’d never do it. That’s why I go to a class to get it done.

8:30pm:

Ashton and I headed out to take Zora for a walk, we stopped again at Whole Foods to get a treat, meaning we hit up the bulk candy bins and each picked our favorite candy. I’m absolutely nuts about these little star candies right now. They’re just so delicious and I know they’re full of total crap sugars, but I just had a handful. Plus, I had a busy, active day so I deserved it 🙂10:00pm:

I usually try to be in bed around 10pm and then I read for about 30-45 minutes before falling asleep. Right now I’m reading “You are a Badass” by Jen Sincero (thanks Lottie for the recommendation!). I’m loving it so far and I think everyone should read it!

So that’s a day in the life of me. Nothing too crazy but I hope you enjoyed it!!