I got emailed this from Kind Bars the other day and found it rather interesting… normally I don’t post about the science or food besides recipes, but I totally know what they are talking about how it’s so much harder to breathe in the winter months… I can’t imagine living anywhere but here when I’m out running in the cold weather!

We all have gone for a run and thought our lungs were going to burst because it was so cold out, at least I have had that feeling with the chilly morning air lately and I’m going to try to implement more of these foods in my diet to help with my lung health, and try Kind Bars too! :)

Studies have found that good lung function is associated with high intakes of vitamins C, E, and beta-carotene, citrus fruits, apples, and fruit juice. I love juicing, but it’s hard juicing in such cold weather months.

Red bell peppers are high in an orange-red compound called beta-cryptoxanthin which helps breathing and lower risk of lung cancer. I love having them for snack time with some black bean hummus… It’s like fajitas on the go!

Carrots offer Vitamin A and Vitamin C and Vitamin A has a direct link to lung health!

Here’s what they put together to help you eat certain foods to increase your lung health! Thought I would pass along this little gem of nutrients, literally! :)

xoxo

So I’m linking up with the lovely I Love You More Than Carrots for Hey That’s Pintastic! since I’ve now made this recipe twice, it’s pretty easy and it’s SO good, I have to share and because let’s be honest, baking with beer is fun.

They’re pretty easy to make, great for potlucks and those children’s parties that you might be attending. JUST KIDDING. DON’T GIVE THESE TO KIDS… There is alcohol in them. Needless to say, I could seriously just EAT the batter, but the cupcakes come out pretty darn good too. This is the original recipe I follow. I’ve tried to make the frosting listed, but I just get the stuff from the can, because when I made it the first time it was REALLY runny and kind of meh.

So onto the good stuff….

ingredients for the blue moon cupcakes

This morning, on my measly 2.5 mile run, I realized something.

For the first time in over six months, I was running. I wasn’t worrying about what might start hurting, about what already was hurting, about the pain I might feel when I stop running. I wasn’t worrying about anything. I was just running. It was actually easy. It was fun. I just kept going.

I haven’t had that “I’m just out running” feeling in quite some time… in a really long time actually. It was like meeting up with an old friend, and catching right up where we left off.  I had near forgotten how freeing a run can be when you’re not worrying about what tingles, what needs to be iced and foam rolled once you get home and how you’re going to walk without limping around for the rest of the day. I finally enjoyed a run again.

It was a crispy morning, and last night it poured rain, so everything was fresh and clean. I felt like I was finally in a place where I wasn’t worrying about a tender spot on my hip, or my shins, or my back. It was just like the rain had washed away all the dirt, I was starting over.

When I got home, I breathed a huge sigh of relief. I hadn’t even realized I wasn’t obsessing over pain until the last 800 meters of my run. It was then when I almost raised my arms over my head and fist pumped in glory. Then I realized my neighbors, who probably already think I’m strange enough for the outfits I wear when taking out the trash, would wonder what was wrong with me.

I was so excited. I was doing a victory lap and it was for a pain free run. It wasn’t far, and it wasn’t a long time, but it was back where I started over a year ago. Without pain.

This is about how I felt…

Here’s to being back on track, and many more victory laps.

xoxo