Sounds pretty romantic. Adventurous. Alluring, even.
But in reality it was what I was legitimately doing today: searching for New Mexico... the puzzle piece. The missing piece. It was the only one gone from my nearly 3-year-old's map of the United States puzzle. Despite a fairly decent investigation in the vast sea of toys in the play/workout room, New Mexico remains missing.
How often does this happen? You can't find a piece to your kid's puzzle so what's the point of doing the puzzle anymore, despite the fact that she still loves it and continues to ask where New Mexico is? No, no... it's not going to be that banal. I'm going to get metaphoric on your ass.
How often does this happen when it comes to the health and fitness puzzle? Stuck on a plateau. At your breaking point. Lacking that missing piece that's going to make all the hours at the gym and adherence to your clean diet worth it.
That's how I've felt recently, like something is missing. I've had so many goals I've wanted to accomplish yet can't seem to find it within myself to just get 'em done. Something is missing.
Perhaps it's knowledge. Maybe I don't know enough about what I want to do to actually get it done. But there's a learning curve for everything, and with the right direction, things can be accomplished. It just takes a little more work and some understanding.
It could be passion, though, right? But knowing myself as only I do, I'd probably say not. Passion leads me to the gym four days a week for some pretty serious lifting--I don't screw around in the weight room. Passion takes me to the track once a week for sprints--the kind that leave you wishing you would just puke already. It's passion that makes me push a jogging stroller full of 60-plus pounds of children over the course of a 4, 5, 6 mile run twice a week. Passion flips the tire, slams the ropes, pushes the prowler and pulls the sled. Passion drives me.
For me, I think it all comes down to faith. I'm not going to get all Jesus-y on you; don't worry. When I talk about faith in this context, I'm talking about faith in one's self. I find it hard to believe in myself for some reason. When the going gets tough, more times than not I've simply just given up, because at least quitting isn't an all-out failure.
But in reality it is. You can never know how good you are if you don't try, if you don't hang in there and give it your all.
I often talk about the birth of my daughters as a turning point in my life. Hell yeah it tested my strength, endurance, passion and even faith in myself. If I didn't believe I could push those babies out of my body on my own, where would I have been? There was no way I could quit this one. It wasn't junior varsity basketball and I wasn't sitting the bench because I was too afraid to shoot the ball. So I did it, twice, without ever doubting myself. It was amazing.
Why is it then, that when it comes to achieving other physical goals I falter? There are many things I've wanted to do since the birth of my second daughter, but just haven't yet done. There was the 1/2 marathon last September that, after having been able to run 10 miles at a clip, I just gave up on. I've wanted to train for a figure competition, but looking at myself now feel there's no way I could stand up on stage in heels and a bikini and be confident.
But most recently I've been taken with the idea of powerlifting. I love being a strong-ass woman. I'm able to lift my kids with ease and push their 60-plus pound behinds around our hilly neighborhood in our jogger. Having a platform to display that strength would be amazing.
That being said I found a push/pull meet this October, about 30 minutes away from where I live. For those of you unfamiliar with push/pull, it means bench press and deadlift--two lifts I can f***ing handle. But for some reason, I haven't been able to bring myself to register. The looming threat of failure has left me paralyzed, and I know that if I don't just suck it up and commit, I'll never know how good I can be.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Monday, July 9, 2012
Back into the fray
The last several months have been like a sort of mindless wander for me, marked with several difficult events that have made me reconsider what it is I want to do with my life. Let me begin at the beginning of all this...
First of all, I decided to end my relationship with Beachbody. My goals have changed and they no longer meshed with what I was doing as a Beachbody coach. I still love the Beachbody franchise and what the products do for the average Joe/Jane, but I myself am no longer an average Jane. But I'll get to that in a later post.
Secondly, life has thrown a couple of curve balls at my family and friends as of late. And to continue with the baseball metaphor, those curve balls have been three strikes. To begin, my grandfather went in for a triple bypass surgery about a month ago, and several days following the surgery suffered a stroke. Things were touch and go for a while, but luckily he is now home and recovering. While we were concerned for his health, the hardest part of that ordeal was seeing someone so strong and staunch as vulnerable.
Several weeks following that, my community lost two of its members unexpectedly. The first was a man, a year or two younger than me, who died suddenly one night. I didn't know him personally, but remembered his smiling face from high school. He was a football player. I still don't know the cause of his death, but have heard rumors. But I'm not going to weigh someone's life on the rumors of his death. That is not my place.
And finally, a few days before the Fourth of July, we lost Mr. Walker, the baseball coach and health and gym teacher from my high school. I grew up with his daughter, took his gym class in high school, and my husband played baseball for him for 4 years. I think I can honestly say without Mr. Walker's influence, my husband would be a different person today. Mr. Walker was a funny guy with a big heart. And he will be truly missed by hundreds of people.
Yeah, life throws some sad stuff at you. You find that your health, your happiness and even your life are not guaranteed. But what you also find is that if you work at life, life works for you. Over the course of the last three years, I have kind of lost myself, along the way finding a new self that mainly plays the role of mother, caretaker and wife. I haven't been working at being myself or at doing the things that satisfy me beyond my family.
Inspiration for change comes in all forms. For some its a picture on the cover of a magazine. For others its the work of a role model, celebrity or close friend. And still for others its the path that life takes for us. While I've witnessed change in all its forms, I'm still lucky enough to have been left standing tall.
That being said, I'm going to take the experiences I've had over the last several months and challenge myself to reach my goals. I'm hoping big things will be happening in the next 16 weeks. Who's with me?
**What has been your greatest accomplishment so far in your life? What is the next goal you hope to reach? What inspires you the most?**
First of all, I decided to end my relationship with Beachbody. My goals have changed and they no longer meshed with what I was doing as a Beachbody coach. I still love the Beachbody franchise and what the products do for the average Joe/Jane, but I myself am no longer an average Jane. But I'll get to that in a later post.
Secondly, life has thrown a couple of curve balls at my family and friends as of late. And to continue with the baseball metaphor, those curve balls have been three strikes. To begin, my grandfather went in for a triple bypass surgery about a month ago, and several days following the surgery suffered a stroke. Things were touch and go for a while, but luckily he is now home and recovering. While we were concerned for his health, the hardest part of that ordeal was seeing someone so strong and staunch as vulnerable.
Several weeks following that, my community lost two of its members unexpectedly. The first was a man, a year or two younger than me, who died suddenly one night. I didn't know him personally, but remembered his smiling face from high school. He was a football player. I still don't know the cause of his death, but have heard rumors. But I'm not going to weigh someone's life on the rumors of his death. That is not my place.
And finally, a few days before the Fourth of July, we lost Mr. Walker, the baseball coach and health and gym teacher from my high school. I grew up with his daughter, took his gym class in high school, and my husband played baseball for him for 4 years. I think I can honestly say without Mr. Walker's influence, my husband would be a different person today. Mr. Walker was a funny guy with a big heart. And he will be truly missed by hundreds of people.
Yeah, life throws some sad stuff at you. You find that your health, your happiness and even your life are not guaranteed. But what you also find is that if you work at life, life works for you. Over the course of the last three years, I have kind of lost myself, along the way finding a new self that mainly plays the role of mother, caretaker and wife. I haven't been working at being myself or at doing the things that satisfy me beyond my family.
Inspiration for change comes in all forms. For some its a picture on the cover of a magazine. For others its the work of a role model, celebrity or close friend. And still for others its the path that life takes for us. While I've witnessed change in all its forms, I'm still lucky enough to have been left standing tall.
That being said, I'm going to take the experiences I've had over the last several months and challenge myself to reach my goals. I'm hoping big things will be happening in the next 16 weeks. Who's with me?
**What has been your greatest accomplishment so far in your life? What is the next goal you hope to reach? What inspires you the most?**
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
When the "low"-ing gets tough...
So it's only day 3 of the Carb Nite Solution, and to be honest, it's not that bad. Today was the first day I noticed a little bit more fatigue than usual, but that could just be because my usual Wednesday morning spinning class felt like it was taking place in the Amazon. Girl was sweating today! And I'm pretty sure my carb stores are darn-near depleted. I'll bet the fun is just beginning.
Here's what I've noticed so far:
1). I'm less hungry in between meals now than when I eat carbs. My meals before usually looked like this: steel-cut oats baked with egg whites, fruit and nuts; chicken with veggies, beans and rice; plain, non-fat Greek yogurt with flax, nuts and fruit. Not too bad, I know. But in-between hunger would hit. I wouldn't pig out or anything crazy, but just thinking about eating and what I was going to eat would consume me. Now I know: protein, fat, vegetable. Makes life simpler and more filling.
2). I'm drinking (water) like a fish and peeing like a racehorse (God, I love cliches). With the ultra-low carb diet, my body needs more water. In the past I've found it hard to guzzle as much water as I should. I would usually get to the point where I get foggy-headed and super-tired for lack of water. Not anymore. It's an absolute necessity to be chugging water while on the Carb Nite Solution. Protein requires more water to be broken down by the body. And since I'm not eating as many fruits and vegetables as before, I'm missing out on the water that comes along with them.
3). I'm finding more ways to get creative with my food. When you don't carefully watch what you eat, it's pretty easy to satisfy every craving and not get bored with your diet. When you virtually eliminate a food group for a short period of time, it's not so easy to stay sated sometimes. One of the things I've been doing for the last few days is making wraps out of flax meal. I found these months ago when I went gluten-free and they're really coming in handy now. Sometimes you just want a vehicle for all that meat and cheese. Here's how you do it with zero carbs:
Flaxseed Wrap
From Wheat Belly by Dr. William Davis (a great read by the way!)
Ingredients
3 tablespoons flax meal
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika (I use smoked for a little extra flavor)
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted, plus more for greasing pan
1 tablespoon water
1 large egg
Directions
Mix together dry ingredients in a small bowl. Stir in 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil. Beat in the egg and water until blended. Grease a microwave-safe pie pan with coconut oil. Pour in batter and spread evenly. Microwave on high 2-3 minutes until cooked (if your microwave doesn't have a turntable, make sure you turn the pan halfway through). Let cool about 5 minutes. Lift up the edge of the wrap with a spatula. Store in the fridge for several days.
This recipe took me several attempts to master. I've found you really need to use the coconut oil and not olive oil. Once you've managed to get it right, you can use the wraps for anything- -I enjoy a nice buffalo chicken quesadilla in mine!
**What is your favorite "fake-out" recipe? How do you satisfy a certain craving without destroying your diet**
Here's what I've noticed so far:
1). I'm less hungry in between meals now than when I eat carbs. My meals before usually looked like this: steel-cut oats baked with egg whites, fruit and nuts; chicken with veggies, beans and rice; plain, non-fat Greek yogurt with flax, nuts and fruit. Not too bad, I know. But in-between hunger would hit. I wouldn't pig out or anything crazy, but just thinking about eating and what I was going to eat would consume me. Now I know: protein, fat, vegetable. Makes life simpler and more filling.
2). I'm drinking (water) like a fish and peeing like a racehorse (God, I love cliches). With the ultra-low carb diet, my body needs more water. In the past I've found it hard to guzzle as much water as I should. I would usually get to the point where I get foggy-headed and super-tired for lack of water. Not anymore. It's an absolute necessity to be chugging water while on the Carb Nite Solution. Protein requires more water to be broken down by the body. And since I'm not eating as many fruits and vegetables as before, I'm missing out on the water that comes along with them.
3). I'm finding more ways to get creative with my food. When you don't carefully watch what you eat, it's pretty easy to satisfy every craving and not get bored with your diet. When you virtually eliminate a food group for a short period of time, it's not so easy to stay sated sometimes. One of the things I've been doing for the last few days is making wraps out of flax meal. I found these months ago when I went gluten-free and they're really coming in handy now. Sometimes you just want a vehicle for all that meat and cheese. Here's how you do it with zero carbs:
Flaxseed Wrap
From Wheat Belly by Dr. William Davis (a great read by the way!)
Ingredients
3 tablespoons flax meal
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika (I use smoked for a little extra flavor)
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted, plus more for greasing pan
1 tablespoon water
1 large egg
Directions
Mix together dry ingredients in a small bowl. Stir in 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil. Beat in the egg and water until blended. Grease a microwave-safe pie pan with coconut oil. Pour in batter and spread evenly. Microwave on high 2-3 minutes until cooked (if your microwave doesn't have a turntable, make sure you turn the pan halfway through). Let cool about 5 minutes. Lift up the edge of the wrap with a spatula. Store in the fridge for several days.
This recipe took me several attempts to master. I've found you really need to use the coconut oil and not olive oil. Once you've managed to get it right, you can use the wraps for anything- -I enjoy a nice buffalo chicken quesadilla in mine!
**What is your favorite "fake-out" recipe? How do you satisfy a certain craving without destroying your diet**
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Return to the Blogosphere & my Carb Nite Solution
So it's been a while since I've written, nearly 3 months actually. In that time I've continued with my heavy lifting in the gym, hitting new personal bests on all of the big lifts--the squat, deadlift and bench press. My weight has maintained, but I have shed 5 inches total off my body. And I've been experimenting with some different diet techniques, which is really why I wanted to get back to writing.
Yesterday was my first day on the Carb Nite Solution. I found out about this diet after doing some reading on a Web site called Dangerously Hardcore, which is maintained by a guy named John Kiefer, who usually just goes by Kiefer, a physicist and accomplished bodybuilder (labels that only scratch the surface of what this guy has done and continues to do).
About 2 weeks ago I start utilizing a way of eating Kiefer calls Carb Back-Loading, or CBL for short. In a nutshell, when you are on the CBL plan, you eat very low carbs during the day, 30 grams or less. Kiefer recommends working out in the late afternoon on this plan, generally after 3 or 4 p.m., but you can modify if you are an a.m. lifter, such as myself. After your late afternoon workout, or 6 p.m. for a.m. lifters, you start stuffing your face with carbs. And you can be as healthy or as junky with the carbs as you like. There's a method to the madness and I highly recommend checking Kiefer's site if you're interested.
What CBL is supposed to do is allow you to maintain your muscle mass while adding strength and size if that's your goal. You can also burn fat if that's your goal. Sounds like a ridiculously amazing plan, I know. Check out Julia Ladewski's blog post about it if you're having doubts. I enjoyed the 2 weeks of bountiful carbs at night, but I felt the time was right to buckle down and get ready for the summer. CBL is supposed to be a more gradual fat loss as opposed to the Carb Nite Solution.
On the Carb Nite Solution you stick to 30 grams of carbs or less per day for 9 days. Your diet basically consists of protein and fat, which a sprinkling of carbs and lots of fiber. On the 10th day you start off eating as you had the previous 9 days, but by late afternoon you begin a carb feast. Kiefer basically recommends eating anything and everything you can get your hands on during that 10th afternoon and evening (with the exception of fruit juice, which he gets into in the book). You return to ultra-low carb eating the next day and repeat a Carb Nite every week.
The science behind Carb Nite really interested me. It's not about counting calories or really about counting carbs, though yes, you do have to count carbs. Carb Nite is about creating hormonal changes in your body in order to burn fat rather than lose muscle, which Kiefer explains happens on most traditional diets. I've worked hard for the muscle I have and the preservation of said muscle is vital to me.
And Kiefer is pretty straight-forward in the book. He tells you flat-out that the Carb Nite Solution is strictly a diet, not a lifestyle, and that you shouldn't stay on the plan for more than 6 months at a time. Most "diets" nowadays claim to be lifestyle changes, but in reality who wants to go on forever not eating french fries? Kiefer also tells you when you go off of Carb Nite, you will most likely gain back a few pounds. Not to worry, you can continue to maintain with his transition plan.
So, I've laid out some of the basics, but the book provides so much more background on diets in general and the entire framework for the Carb Nite Solution. I'm going to give it at least a month and see what happens. There's been some stubborn baby weight hanging around my midsection and as hard as I work my legs, I can't seem to make any aesthetic progress (Is that vain of me?). I would like to wear shorts and a 2-piece bathing suit this summer.
And that leaves me with this... probably the most difficult thing about sharing a diet and fitness journey online with people: the before pictures. Go ahead and look. Hopefully they will be drastically different 2 weeks from now!
**What sort of eating plan are you following right now? What's the hardest thing about sticking to it?**
Yesterday was my first day on the Carb Nite Solution. I found out about this diet after doing some reading on a Web site called Dangerously Hardcore, which is maintained by a guy named John Kiefer, who usually just goes by Kiefer, a physicist and accomplished bodybuilder (labels that only scratch the surface of what this guy has done and continues to do).
About 2 weeks ago I start utilizing a way of eating Kiefer calls Carb Back-Loading, or CBL for short. In a nutshell, when you are on the CBL plan, you eat very low carbs during the day, 30 grams or less. Kiefer recommends working out in the late afternoon on this plan, generally after 3 or 4 p.m., but you can modify if you are an a.m. lifter, such as myself. After your late afternoon workout, or 6 p.m. for a.m. lifters, you start stuffing your face with carbs. And you can be as healthy or as junky with the carbs as you like. There's a method to the madness and I highly recommend checking Kiefer's site if you're interested.
What CBL is supposed to do is allow you to maintain your muscle mass while adding strength and size if that's your goal. You can also burn fat if that's your goal. Sounds like a ridiculously amazing plan, I know. Check out Julia Ladewski's blog post about it if you're having doubts. I enjoyed the 2 weeks of bountiful carbs at night, but I felt the time was right to buckle down and get ready for the summer. CBL is supposed to be a more gradual fat loss as opposed to the Carb Nite Solution.
On the Carb Nite Solution you stick to 30 grams of carbs or less per day for 9 days. Your diet basically consists of protein and fat, which a sprinkling of carbs and lots of fiber. On the 10th day you start off eating as you had the previous 9 days, but by late afternoon you begin a carb feast. Kiefer basically recommends eating anything and everything you can get your hands on during that 10th afternoon and evening (with the exception of fruit juice, which he gets into in the book). You return to ultra-low carb eating the next day and repeat a Carb Nite every week.
The science behind Carb Nite really interested me. It's not about counting calories or really about counting carbs, though yes, you do have to count carbs. Carb Nite is about creating hormonal changes in your body in order to burn fat rather than lose muscle, which Kiefer explains happens on most traditional diets. I've worked hard for the muscle I have and the preservation of said muscle is vital to me.
And Kiefer is pretty straight-forward in the book. He tells you flat-out that the Carb Nite Solution is strictly a diet, not a lifestyle, and that you shouldn't stay on the plan for more than 6 months at a time. Most "diets" nowadays claim to be lifestyle changes, but in reality who wants to go on forever not eating french fries? Kiefer also tells you when you go off of Carb Nite, you will most likely gain back a few pounds. Not to worry, you can continue to maintain with his transition plan.
So, I've laid out some of the basics, but the book provides so much more background on diets in general and the entire framework for the Carb Nite Solution. I'm going to give it at least a month and see what happens. There's been some stubborn baby weight hanging around my midsection and as hard as I work my legs, I can't seem to make any aesthetic progress (Is that vain of me?). I would like to wear shorts and a 2-piece bathing suit this summer.
And that leaves me with this... probably the most difficult thing about sharing a diet and fitness journey online with people: the before pictures. Go ahead and look. Hopefully they will be drastically different 2 weeks from now!
 |
| Classic front shot, in a $10 Target bathing suit! |
 |
| Rear view, bye-bye back fat! |
 |
| And the side... looking pretty solid. |
**What sort of eating plan are you following right now? What's the hardest thing about sticking to it?**
Monday, February 27, 2012
Stuff I Love
So... it's time to take a step back from all this seriousness and share some stuff that I'm loving right now. In case you haven't noticed, I've been going crazy lately baking anything I can sans gluten. And several of the things I'm loving right now happen to involved a lack of gluten.
Number one on the list: Nuts.com. That's easy enough to remember and remember you should because this site is AWESOME. Not only do they have an awesome selection of gluten-free products, but they have tons of other stuff for foodies. I've been buying my blanched almond flour here as well as GF steel-cut oats, flax meal and apple juice-infused dried cranberries (no sugar added). And the best part about Nuts. com? Ridiculous shipping speed. I ordered this yesterday afternoon and the box was on my doorstop before noon today. Love this company!
From left to right: chia seeds, organic palm sugar, organic quinoa (free sample! one comes with every shipment!), and puffed quinoa--which I'm most excited to try.
You can find the original recipe for this dish here. This week I created a pumpkin spice baked oatmeal with pecans. So good and so easy! I love a meal you can make in bulk and enjoy throughout the week. It travels well (with my husband in the a.m.) and reheats beautifully. And it's warm and comforting during the cold winter. This one provides plenty of fiber, healthy fat, protein and vitamin E, courtesy the almond milk.
Number four: My Gymboss timer. This tiny piece of equipment is so cool for any kind of interval training. I've been using it to experiment with Tabata workouts as well as kettlebell training. The Gymboss timer is about the size of an old-school pager and can either clip on to your clothing or be clipped onto an armband. It will either beep or vibrate to signal the end of an interval, so you can still listen to music while wearing it--a plus when you're trying to avoid "interruptions" in the gym. The Gymboss is a great way to make sure you work hard enough during your workouts and not take too much rest time. Read more about the Gymboss here.
I love trying out new health and fitness stuff and sharing what I learn with others. Leave me a comment and let me know what you're loving right now.
Number one on the list: Nuts.com. That's easy enough to remember and remember you should because this site is AWESOME. Not only do they have an awesome selection of gluten-free products, but they have tons of other stuff for foodies. I've been buying my blanched almond flour here as well as GF steel-cut oats, flax meal and apple juice-infused dried cranberries (no sugar added). And the best part about Nuts. com? Ridiculous shipping speed. I ordered this yesterday afternoon and the box was on my doorstop before noon today. Love this company!
From left to right: chia seeds, organic palm sugar, organic quinoa (free sample! one comes with every shipment!), and puffed quinoa--which I'm most excited to try.
Number two: Baked steel cut oats.
You can find the original recipe for this dish here. This week I created a pumpkin spice baked oatmeal with pecans. So good and so easy! I love a meal you can make in bulk and enjoy throughout the week. It travels well (with my husband in the a.m.) and reheats beautifully. And it's warm and comforting during the cold winter. This one provides plenty of fiber, healthy fat, protein and vitamin E, courtesy the almond milk.
Number three: foam rolling or self-myofascial release if you want to get technical. From my experience, this is a highly underused technique. I remember reading all about foam rolling when I was studying to become a personal trainer. But to be honest, I didn't try it with clients or on myself until several months ago. Even my daughter enjoys it!
If you've never heard of foam rolling or haven't tried it, you may be wondering what good it is--a good resource to learn is Perform Better, one of my favorite sites for fitness gear. Imagine being able to get a massage whenever you want one. That's what foam rolling feels like when you have tight or sore muscles. It's ridiculously good. I roll out my quads, glutes, hamstrings, calves and back on a regular basis, and afterwards I feel totally relaxed and loose. It's a great way to improve your flexibility and range of motion during exercise. Another tool for self-myfascial release is the lacrosse ball, which I just purchased last week. It hurts so good!
Number four: My Gymboss timer. This tiny piece of equipment is so cool for any kind of interval training. I've been using it to experiment with Tabata workouts as well as kettlebell training. The Gymboss timer is about the size of an old-school pager and can either clip on to your clothing or be clipped onto an armband. It will either beep or vibrate to signal the end of an interval, so you can still listen to music while wearing it--a plus when you're trying to avoid "interruptions" in the gym. The Gymboss is a great way to make sure you work hard enough during your workouts and not take too much rest time. Read more about the Gymboss here.
I love trying out new health and fitness stuff and sharing what I learn with others. Leave me a comment and let me know what you're loving right now.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Goal: Re-Focus
A casual interaction I had this morning at the gym got the wheels turning in my head again. I was nearing the end of my strength training workout and waiting for the spinning instructor to arrive for the 8 a.m. class. She was late as usual, but I really love her class so I don't hold it against her. I decided to bust through one more back and biceps superset--bent-over skiers and half-way curls--when one of my gym "acquaintances" stopped me to offer a few comments.
He told me it looked like I'd dropped about 20 pounds--since when I don't know, but I'll take it. In all honesty, I have dropped about 5 pounds on the scale in the last two months, but I really don't trust scales (Check out Pauline Nordin's blog for a great post on the value of a scale). My performance in the gym has been fantastic, lifting the most I've ever lifted while squatting and bench pressing. My clothes fit better, I'm seeing some more definition, and, probably best of all, I'm feeling less tired, which is hard to say when you have 2 toddlers running around your house.
I chatted with my gym friend for a few more minutes and then he asked me something that left me... well, speechless, for lack of a better word: if I was competing in the April show. If I hadn't set myself the goals I did earlier in the year, I would have no idea what he was talking about. But, considering I've pretty much decided to compete in some sort of figure or fitness show, I knew exactly what he was talking about. There are two figure competitions in the state of Connecticut, both about 20 minutes from where I live, in April, that I know of.
He asked me this, and I was stopped dead in my tracks, really contemplating the answer I was about to give. I wanted to be able to say yes, but again, I had waited to long to nail down exactly what it was I wanted to accomplish this year. So I told him no, that it was too soon. But the fact that he asked me that made me want to finally figure out what I have to do to get on stage.
Why am I sharing all this you may be asking? To be honest, the reason is probably pretty self-serving. Perhaps if I make a public record of my goals I may actually hold myself accountable. Maybe if I have someone watching over me, I won't be so afraid to fail.
But beyond being self-serving, I guess I'm asking you how do you stay on track with your goals? What sort of support system do you have? Who do you lean on when it seems like giving up is the only option?
I sometimes find it hard to share my most personal goals with the ones closest to me, and maybe that is at the root of my failures. The time has come to be honest with myself and own what I want. I don't think there is truly failure when your only goal is to try.
He told me it looked like I'd dropped about 20 pounds--since when I don't know, but I'll take it. In all honesty, I have dropped about 5 pounds on the scale in the last two months, but I really don't trust scales (Check out Pauline Nordin's blog for a great post on the value of a scale). My performance in the gym has been fantastic, lifting the most I've ever lifted while squatting and bench pressing. My clothes fit better, I'm seeing some more definition, and, probably best of all, I'm feeling less tired, which is hard to say when you have 2 toddlers running around your house.
I chatted with my gym friend for a few more minutes and then he asked me something that left me... well, speechless, for lack of a better word: if I was competing in the April show. If I hadn't set myself the goals I did earlier in the year, I would have no idea what he was talking about. But, considering I've pretty much decided to compete in some sort of figure or fitness show, I knew exactly what he was talking about. There are two figure competitions in the state of Connecticut, both about 20 minutes from where I live, in April, that I know of.
He asked me this, and I was stopped dead in my tracks, really contemplating the answer I was about to give. I wanted to be able to say yes, but again, I had waited to long to nail down exactly what it was I wanted to accomplish this year. So I told him no, that it was too soon. But the fact that he asked me that made me want to finally figure out what I have to do to get on stage.
Why am I sharing all this you may be asking? To be honest, the reason is probably pretty self-serving. Perhaps if I make a public record of my goals I may actually hold myself accountable. Maybe if I have someone watching over me, I won't be so afraid to fail.
But beyond being self-serving, I guess I'm asking you how do you stay on track with your goals? What sort of support system do you have? Who do you lean on when it seems like giving up is the only option?
I sometimes find it hard to share my most personal goals with the ones closest to me, and maybe that is at the root of my failures. The time has come to be honest with myself and own what I want. I don't think there is truly failure when your only goal is to try.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Spoiled husbands and salad dressing
Anyone who knows my husband well enough knows he's spoiled... at least by me, in the kitchen. I make all of his meals for him during the week, pack them for him each day and even toss in some snacks. He does have a nearly 90-minute commute to work each way, so I guess the comforts of home cooking are well-deserved. Maybe I'm the spoiled one... at home all day with two toddlers?
Rather than purchasing pre-made or pre-packaged food, I try to create all of our food in our kitchen, which fortunately enough was recently renovated by my father and brothers. So in reality, I spoil everyone in the house, myself included. I will admit, though, that my kids do eat goldfish crackers, chicken nuggets and fruit snacks. My secret is out.
One of the things I find myself making often is homemade salad dressing. My husband would eat a salad everyday for lunch and dinner if that's what I made for him. To be honest, I get bored of making and eating salads so I try to limit salad intake to one meal a day, for me at least.
Salad dressing is one of the simplest things to make and you really don't need a recipe to do it. I've followed recipes for dressing in the past and probably adhered to them the first few times I made them, but after a dozen times of mixing up a dressing, you start getting a little crazy... with the ingredients that is. Here's what last night's dressing consisted of:
Rather than purchasing pre-made or pre-packaged food, I try to create all of our food in our kitchen, which fortunately enough was recently renovated by my father and brothers. So in reality, I spoil everyone in the house, myself included. I will admit, though, that my kids do eat goldfish crackers, chicken nuggets and fruit snacks. My secret is out.
One of the things I find myself making often is homemade salad dressing. My husband would eat a salad everyday for lunch and dinner if that's what I made for him. To be honest, I get bored of making and eating salads so I try to limit salad intake to one meal a day, for me at least.
Salad dressing is one of the simplest things to make and you really don't need a recipe to do it. I've followed recipes for dressing in the past and probably adhered to them the first few times I made them, but after a dozen times of mixing up a dressing, you start getting a little crazy... with the ingredients that is. Here's what last night's dressing consisted of:
I'll I did was juice the lemon and mix it with about 2 tablespoons of dijon mustard (you would not believe how much of this I go through making salad dressings!), 1 teaspoon of local honey and a good, long pour of EVOO. I season with salt, pepper and garlic powder and shake it all together in a mason jar. Taste it and add whatever strikes you. Simple, all natural and readily available if you have the ingredients on hand. You don't have to worry about a packaged dressing's expiration date or what sort of fillers are in it.
My husband's love for salad and an extra large bunch of kale that had been sitting in my fridge for several days led me to create a couple of recipes this afternoon. Click here to check that out. I have to admit the balsamic baked kale was mighty tasty.
I love food, but I love my husband, our health and our family more. It may take a little while longer and a little bit more effort, but I'll keep cranking out the salad dressing if it means we're eating better.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Veggies in disguise
I have to admit I've been pretty terrible at eating the adequate amount of vegetables lately. It's not that I don't like them, because I actually do. It's just that I'm getting so tired of eating and cooking veggies. There are only so many ways to cook a green bean.
So that being said, I've been doing my best to sneak veggies in whenever possible. And I have to admit I'm pretty good at this. I have two toddlers who like to eat, but often vegetables are the first things to hit the floor or the last things left on the plate. My dachshund has definitely been meeting her daily required servings for vegetables, though.
One of the best ways to increase your vegetable intake is to add a serving to a smoothie. I've been doing this for myself and my daughters. Lately, we've been using spinach along with milk, non-fat Greek yogurt, frozen berries, local honey and a splash of vanilla. Or, if you're feeling a bit more industrious, try roasting some beets and tossing them into a smoothie. Here's a recipe I was inspired to create after having a "Berry Up-beet" from Jamba Juice. My version does not cost $6.
1 beet, roasted and peeled
1/2 cup frozen berries
1/4 cup frozen mango
1/3 cup orange juice
1/3 cup almond milk
1/3 cup water
1 cup plain NF Greek yogurt
Blend all ingredients in blender until smooth. Enjoy!
I've also been known to throw chopped spinach into a turkey meatloaf or meatballs. I came up with a great recipe for a Mediterranean Turkey-Spinach Meatloaf over the weekend. You don't even notice that you're eating spinach, which is one of the reasons I love using it so often. Aside from the meatloaf, I also tossed cooked spinach into a gluten-free mac and cheese I created for my kids (I was inspired by my favorite foodie, the Barefoot Contessa... she has a great mac and cheese recipe!).
Even in baking there's room for veggies. I've recently become obsessed with Elana's Pantry, a great site for gluten-free cooking and baking. I've made her pumpkin pie muffins and carrot muffins with coconut flour. Not only do they taste absolutely delicious, but they give you a little bit of your veggies and replace regular old flour with higher fiber and higher protein alternatives like almond and coconut flours. All of Elana's recipes also include no white sugar and no fake sugar substitutes, which I am a fan of.
When you're trying to eat healthy and you're the one doing all the food shopping and cooking, it can be hard to keep up the momentum. What makes it easier is finding and sharing simple recipes that taste good and fill you up.
What is your all-time favorite clean-eating recipe?
What resources do you use for clean cooking and baking?
So that being said, I've been doing my best to sneak veggies in whenever possible. And I have to admit I'm pretty good at this. I have two toddlers who like to eat, but often vegetables are the first things to hit the floor or the last things left on the plate. My dachshund has definitely been meeting her daily required servings for vegetables, though.
One of the best ways to increase your vegetable intake is to add a serving to a smoothie. I've been doing this for myself and my daughters. Lately, we've been using spinach along with milk, non-fat Greek yogurt, frozen berries, local honey and a splash of vanilla. Or, if you're feeling a bit more industrious, try roasting some beets and tossing them into a smoothie. Here's a recipe I was inspired to create after having a "Berry Up-beet" from Jamba Juice. My version does not cost $6.
1 beet, roasted and peeled
1/2 cup frozen berries
1/4 cup frozen mango
1/3 cup orange juice
1/3 cup almond milk
1/3 cup water
1 cup plain NF Greek yogurt
Blend all ingredients in blender until smooth. Enjoy!
I've also been known to throw chopped spinach into a turkey meatloaf or meatballs. I came up with a great recipe for a Mediterranean Turkey-Spinach Meatloaf over the weekend. You don't even notice that you're eating spinach, which is one of the reasons I love using it so often. Aside from the meatloaf, I also tossed cooked spinach into a gluten-free mac and cheese I created for my kids (I was inspired by my favorite foodie, the Barefoot Contessa... she has a great mac and cheese recipe!).
Even in baking there's room for veggies. I've recently become obsessed with Elana's Pantry, a great site for gluten-free cooking and baking. I've made her pumpkin pie muffins and carrot muffins with coconut flour. Not only do they taste absolutely delicious, but they give you a little bit of your veggies and replace regular old flour with higher fiber and higher protein alternatives like almond and coconut flours. All of Elana's recipes also include no white sugar and no fake sugar substitutes, which I am a fan of.
When you're trying to eat healthy and you're the one doing all the food shopping and cooking, it can be hard to keep up the momentum. What makes it easier is finding and sharing simple recipes that taste good and fill you up.
What is your all-time favorite clean-eating recipe?
What resources do you use for clean cooking and baking?
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Setting goals and giving stuff away!
I have a to share a secret: I am terrible at setting goals. Absolutely terrible. I am good about sticking to my priorities, which include working out and eating healthy, but when it comes to setting specific goals to accomplish I usually fall flat. This kind of makes me feel bad.
Over the last several months I've been trying to change this behavior. I've been following several inspiring women online, my favorite being a group of women at Girls Gone Strong. And I've even bought a book to help me out: Push, by Chalene Johnson (yes, the Chalene Johnson of TurboFire and Chalean... that woman INSPIRES!).
One of the things I have found to work for me so far is to write down what I want to achieve this year. This is one of the simplest and most effective things you can do for yourself. By writing something on a piece of paper, in a journal or even online, it becomes more real. It's recorded and there for you to look at whenever you need an extra push.
And to make me more accountable to what I want to accomplish, I'm going to share some of the goals I've set for myself thus far. In no particular order, here they are.
1). To compete... in something. Real specific, I know, but my goals are a work in progress. Since the birth of my second daughter, I have had this urge to really test myself. In what, I'm not sure. I've toyed with the notion of a fitness or figure competition, powerlifting and even Crossfit. For me, my biggest fear is failure, and that is something I need to conquer first.
2). To bench press my body weight, squat 1 and 1/2 times my body weight and perform at least 10 pull-ups. For me, this is a relatively easy goal to accomplish. Reaching these numbers only means going to the gym week in and week out, and continuing to improve upon my work. As long as I push myself in my workouts and keep adding plates to the bar, I'll reach these numbers.
3). To educate myself in the arena of nutrition. I have a pretty decent understanding of nutrition, which probably comes from the fact that I've been "watching" what I eat since I was a teenager. All kidding aside, I did receive some basic training in nutrition when I became a personal trainer and Tae Bo fitness instructor. Even today I continue to read health and fitness magazines and educate myself on the best foods to put into my body. To reach this goal specifically, though, I've decided to sign up to get a Precision Nutrition Certification. We'll see where I go from there.
4). To share my success with Beachbody products with more people. This may sound like a shameless plug, but in all honesty, it is not. Last April I became a Beachbody coach because the company's products truly helped my survive my life as a new mom. I went from being someone who had her hands in several different projects at a time (at one point I was working as a waitress, personal trainer and newspaper editor... and enjoying it), to someone whose sole purpose was to care for another human being. And then it became two human beings. I love my daughters more than words can express, and I wouldn't trade the last 2 and 1/2 years for anything. But at times, it was rough. I didn't care for myself as well as I should and rarely took time for myself. And then I conquered P90X again. And did 2 rounds of Insanity. And then I added Shakeology. And I did all of that from home, being able to spend as much time with my girls as possible. And now Beachbody has given me the freedom to get back to my heavy lifting at the gym and the ability to share its success with others. That being said, if you haven't checked out my site, please do so here: beachbodycoach.com/jhaus33. It might just help you out of a rut!
So, what specific goals have you set for yourself? How do you stay accountable to what you want to accomplish? These are the things I struggle with, and I'm sure I'm not alone. Feel free to leave some comments on what you want to achieve in 2012 and what you're doing to get there. By trying to help yourself, you may help someone else.
Now for the fun part: free stuff! Here are the detes: like my Facebook page here and leave me a comment below telling me you did so. I will randomly select a winner to receive a free sample of Shakeology along with a shaker cup!!!
Over the last several months I've been trying to change this behavior. I've been following several inspiring women online, my favorite being a group of women at Girls Gone Strong. And I've even bought a book to help me out: Push, by Chalene Johnson (yes, the Chalene Johnson of TurboFire and Chalean... that woman INSPIRES!).
One of the things I have found to work for me so far is to write down what I want to achieve this year. This is one of the simplest and most effective things you can do for yourself. By writing something on a piece of paper, in a journal or even online, it becomes more real. It's recorded and there for you to look at whenever you need an extra push.
And to make me more accountable to what I want to accomplish, I'm going to share some of the goals I've set for myself thus far. In no particular order, here they are.
1). To compete... in something. Real specific, I know, but my goals are a work in progress. Since the birth of my second daughter, I have had this urge to really test myself. In what, I'm not sure. I've toyed with the notion of a fitness or figure competition, powerlifting and even Crossfit. For me, my biggest fear is failure, and that is something I need to conquer first.
2). To bench press my body weight, squat 1 and 1/2 times my body weight and perform at least 10 pull-ups. For me, this is a relatively easy goal to accomplish. Reaching these numbers only means going to the gym week in and week out, and continuing to improve upon my work. As long as I push myself in my workouts and keep adding plates to the bar, I'll reach these numbers.
3). To educate myself in the arena of nutrition. I have a pretty decent understanding of nutrition, which probably comes from the fact that I've been "watching" what I eat since I was a teenager. All kidding aside, I did receive some basic training in nutrition when I became a personal trainer and Tae Bo fitness instructor. Even today I continue to read health and fitness magazines and educate myself on the best foods to put into my body. To reach this goal specifically, though, I've decided to sign up to get a Precision Nutrition Certification. We'll see where I go from there.
4). To share my success with Beachbody products with more people. This may sound like a shameless plug, but in all honesty, it is not. Last April I became a Beachbody coach because the company's products truly helped my survive my life as a new mom. I went from being someone who had her hands in several different projects at a time (at one point I was working as a waitress, personal trainer and newspaper editor... and enjoying it), to someone whose sole purpose was to care for another human being. And then it became two human beings. I love my daughters more than words can express, and I wouldn't trade the last 2 and 1/2 years for anything. But at times, it was rough. I didn't care for myself as well as I should and rarely took time for myself. And then I conquered P90X again. And did 2 rounds of Insanity. And then I added Shakeology. And I did all of that from home, being able to spend as much time with my girls as possible. And now Beachbody has given me the freedom to get back to my heavy lifting at the gym and the ability to share its success with others. That being said, if you haven't checked out my site, please do so here: beachbodycoach.com/jhaus33. It might just help you out of a rut!
So, what specific goals have you set for yourself? How do you stay accountable to what you want to accomplish? These are the things I struggle with, and I'm sure I'm not alone. Feel free to leave some comments on what you want to achieve in 2012 and what you're doing to get there. By trying to help yourself, you may help someone else.
Now for the fun part: free stuff! Here are the detes: like my Facebook page here and leave me a comment below telling me you did so. I will randomly select a winner to receive a free sample of Shakeology along with a shaker cup!!!
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Squat like you mean it
Ah... it's Wednesday. Hump day for most people, the crucial mid-week obstacle to tackle before it's smooth sailing to the weekend. For me, Wednesday is the day after. The day after what you might ask. The day after leg day.
I absolutely love to train my legs. They are super-strong, but I haven't gotten completely comfortable with them yet. I still loathe shorts season, though I'm hoping this year might be better. Putting in the work like I did yesterday is only going to help.
Here's what my leg workout looked like:
Warm-up: 5 minutes of jumping rope followed by leg swings, inchworms, lunges
Exercise 1: Good ole' fashioned squats - 12 reps x135 pounds, 8x165, 3x195, 3x165, 5x135
Cardio: 100 jumps on the rope
Exercise 2: Straight-legged deadlifts - 12x95, 10x115, 5x135
Carido: 100 jumps on the rope
Exercise 3: Barbell step-ups - 3 sets of 10x75
Exercise 4: Single leg good mornings (ain't nothing good about them) - 3 sets of 10x65
Exercise 5: Leg extensions - 3 drop sets, 10 reps per set, total 30 reps per drop set, 90 reps total...phew!
Exercise 6: Single leg calf raise - 3 sets of 8x35
Exercise 7: Seated calf raise - 3 sets of 10x50
Cooldown: Yoga complex - runner's stretch, right angle pose, twisting right angle pose, downward dog, upward dog; splits
One of my gym "friends" stopped me today and mentioned that I squat more than a lot of the guys in the gym. We had a brief conversation about how not enough women squat. And I feel bad for those women. There is something so empowering about moving a lot of weight with your body. The easiest way to do that is by using your legs since they are your biggest muscle group.
I guess this post is my invitation to women to start squatting. It's really not that hard. Ask a friend who knows how to squat or hire a trainer to teach you. There are tons of You Tube videos, too, that might give you some assistance. Once you get the basics down, it's a piece of cake. And after squatting, think of all the cake you could eat. Only kidding.
Do you squat? What variations of the squat do you like to do?
What do you eat after a really hardcore workout?
I absolutely love to train my legs. They are super-strong, but I haven't gotten completely comfortable with them yet. I still loathe shorts season, though I'm hoping this year might be better. Putting in the work like I did yesterday is only going to help.
Here's what my leg workout looked like:
Warm-up: 5 minutes of jumping rope followed by leg swings, inchworms, lunges
Exercise 1: Good ole' fashioned squats - 12 reps x135 pounds, 8x165, 3x195, 3x165, 5x135
Cardio: 100 jumps on the rope
Exercise 2: Straight-legged deadlifts - 12x95, 10x115, 5x135
Carido: 100 jumps on the rope
Exercise 3: Barbell step-ups - 3 sets of 10x75
Exercise 4: Single leg good mornings (ain't nothing good about them) - 3 sets of 10x65
Exercise 5: Leg extensions - 3 drop sets, 10 reps per set, total 30 reps per drop set, 90 reps total...phew!
Exercise 6: Single leg calf raise - 3 sets of 8x35
Exercise 7: Seated calf raise - 3 sets of 10x50
Cooldown: Yoga complex - runner's stretch, right angle pose, twisting right angle pose, downward dog, upward dog; splits
One of my gym "friends" stopped me today and mentioned that I squat more than a lot of the guys in the gym. We had a brief conversation about how not enough women squat. And I feel bad for those women. There is something so empowering about moving a lot of weight with your body. The easiest way to do that is by using your legs since they are your biggest muscle group.
I guess this post is my invitation to women to start squatting. It's really not that hard. Ask a friend who knows how to squat or hire a trainer to teach you. There are tons of You Tube videos, too, that might give you some assistance. Once you get the basics down, it's a piece of cake. And after squatting, think of all the cake you could eat. Only kidding.
Do you squat? What variations of the squat do you like to do?
What do you eat after a really hardcore workout?
Monday, February 6, 2012
Cleaning up my kitchen
I was so excited when I found this 5-pound bag of blanched almond flour (nuts.com - great resource for baking ingredients) waiting for me on my front steps last week:
I know, I'm nuts. But I've been so excited lately to start cleaning up my baking recipes. I've always loved to bake, I get that from my mom. She used to be the family cake lady, baking and decorating really elaborate cakes for family functions. She even dabbled in the naughty cake business for wedding showers, but I'm sure she'd rather I didn't talk about that here. In any case, she always let us kids in the kitchen to help her out, though now that I have 2 daughters of my own I can imagine what kind of havoc we used to wreak!
Cooking and baking for me is relaxing, and aside from going to the gym, it's really the only thing I do for myself. It's my creative outlet so to speak (in addition to writing this blog). And I've given myself a new challenge lately: to cook and bake gluten-free. In the past, I've switched from regular flour to whole wheat flour, and from oil to applesauce, and from sugar to agave nectar. I think this switch, though, is going to be the most important.
Gluten is found in tons of food products, and often surprisingly so (a great resource for going gluten-free by The View's Elizabeth Hasselbeck: http://www.gfreediet.com/). An intolerance to gluten can lead to serious intestinal issues and can contribute to a laundry list of health conditions (chronic headaches, skin conditions such as eczema, bowel issues and so on). I get a lot of headaches, always have. Years ago I kicked wheat products out, felt better, and then went back to eating wheat. Needless to say, I still get headaches.
So about two weeks ago I decided enough was enough. Time to try again to get rid of gluten. And this is what I've been rewarded with so far:
Delicious banana-pecan muffins fresh from the oven this morning (will post the recipe later). Not to mention some awesome pumpkin pie muffins and vegan chocolate chip cookies made over the weekend (Fantastic recipes --elanaspantry.com). Along the way to eliminating gluten, I've also started using more local honey as a sweetener, which I've heard can help ease seasonal allergies.
It's now the morning after a Superbowl party filled with gluttony--pulled pork nachos (which I made, with gluten-free tortilla chips!), buffalo chicken dip, jalapeno peppers stuffed with cheese and wrapped in bacon. I'll be honest, I indulged and was not vigilant about sticking to no gluten. I know, I'm weak.
What I realize, though, is committing to a lifestyle change is not easy, and that's what going gluten-free is. And that's the approach we should all take toward eating healthy. It shouldn't be about dieting or restrictions. It should be about making the healthiest choices for our bodies and once in a while enjoying the things you really love. Food shouldn't be about deprivation or gluttony; it should be about nourishment.
And on that note... I'm going to go nourish myself on another banana-pecan muffin and have a second cup of coffee.
Is there anything you eliminate completely from your diet?
What sort of recipes would like to re-create to be healthier?
Friday, February 3, 2012
The (gym) clothes make the (wo)man
I have never been a "girlie girl." I rarely wear make-up, hardly ever do my hair and my wardrobe consists of practical, comfortable clothes (read: I wear stretchy pants... ALOT).
Maybe that's part of the reason I enjoy the gym so much, because it's totally okay to wear stretchy pants there, all the time, no questions asked. As a matter of fact, its frowned upon if you don't (except for guys, but that's a different post all together!).
I love shopping for gym clothes probably more than anything else... except food that is. I recently bought a new tank and to be honest, I've already worn it to the gym twice this week. I'll justify this, though, by saying I was there at two completely different times so it's doubtful anyone noticed, and I did wash the shirt).
But this tank is different. Not that its not really cut, which it is. And it fits great, not too loose, not too tight. This one has a message: "There are no shortcuts." I love it.
I don't know how I found Reflect It Apparel, but I love it. Not only are the shirts totally motivational and made with really unique patterns on the fabric (referred to as "burnout"), but they are messages to the world that fit and healthy are a lifestyle.
The company was founded by a woman, named Jill Altorfer, who lost her mother and mother-in-law to cancer. Now she's working to promote prevention rather than intervention when it comes to health. I agree with her 100 percent.
Life should not be about waiting for something to go wrong before fixing it; it should be about taking a proactive role in your health and creating the best life possible. We are all given so many opportunities in life, if we don't eventually seize them, they're going to run out.
I say thanks to Jill and Reflect It Apparel, and I'm going to keep on rocking this awesome tank.
Maybe that's part of the reason I enjoy the gym so much, because it's totally okay to wear stretchy pants there, all the time, no questions asked. As a matter of fact, its frowned upon if you don't (except for guys, but that's a different post all together!).
I love shopping for gym clothes probably more than anything else... except food that is. I recently bought a new tank and to be honest, I've already worn it to the gym twice this week. I'll justify this, though, by saying I was there at two completely different times so it's doubtful anyone noticed, and I did wash the shirt).
But this tank is different. Not that its not really cut, which it is. And it fits great, not too loose, not too tight. This one has a message: "There are no shortcuts." I love it.
I don't know how I found Reflect It Apparel, but I love it. Not only are the shirts totally motivational and made with really unique patterns on the fabric (referred to as "burnout"), but they are messages to the world that fit and healthy are a lifestyle.
The company was founded by a woman, named Jill Altorfer, who lost her mother and mother-in-law to cancer. Now she's working to promote prevention rather than intervention when it comes to health. I agree with her 100 percent.
Life should not be about waiting for something to go wrong before fixing it; it should be about taking a proactive role in your health and creating the best life possible. We are all given so many opportunities in life, if we don't eventually seize them, they're going to run out.
I say thanks to Jill and Reflect It Apparel, and I'm going to keep on rocking this awesome tank.
What do you like to wear to the gym?
Are there any opportunities in life that you regret not taking?
Thursday, February 2, 2012
WTF
I have to say one of my biggest pet peeves is people, at the gym of course, who feel the need to stop you mid-workout to make some ridiculous comment. I'll give you an example... actually multiple examples that involve the SAME guy.
A few weeks ago I was working out my legs. After my warm-up I head straight for the squat rack, slip on some weights and get working. I'm in my final set, 165-pounds on the bar, and I eek out 3 reps. I'm totally fine with that considering I'd already killed 3 previous sets. I rack the bar, step back and catch my breath only to find this older dude standing 2 feet from me.
Still huffing and puffing, I remove my ear buds and wait for his comment. It goes something like this: "I was going to ask you if you needed a spot, but I didn't know if that was inappropriate." I should have told him to shove it, but apparently I'm too nice. I said something like, "If I can't handle it on my own, I shouldn't be doing it."
Some background on the dude: yeah, I had talked to him before. He's told me numerous times he's never seen a woman work out like I do and that he's going to try the exercises I do sometimes, namely single-arm cable rows on the BOSU. He's also told me he's never seen a woman doing "chins" (he's referring to chin-ups).
It's people like this who make other people, namely women, uncomfortable in the gym. I've tried to convince a friend of mine to join my gym, but she refuses, calling it a "meat market." And I don't blame her. Why do men feel the need to single out the women who know what they're doing in the gym? I've been lifting weights for over 10 years. I have a personal training certification and constantly try to keep myself informed of new techniques and exercises. I would say I am more knowledgeable and have better form than 99% of guys in my gym (a ridiculous, made-up statistic, but you get my point).
I say step-off, homeboy, cause this bitch is gonna bring it.
Who out there has had a bad experience in a gym? What have you done about it?
What exercise have you seen someone do or read about in a magazine that you would like to be able to try?
A few weeks ago I was working out my legs. After my warm-up I head straight for the squat rack, slip on some weights and get working. I'm in my final set, 165-pounds on the bar, and I eek out 3 reps. I'm totally fine with that considering I'd already killed 3 previous sets. I rack the bar, step back and catch my breath only to find this older dude standing 2 feet from me.
Still huffing and puffing, I remove my ear buds and wait for his comment. It goes something like this: "I was going to ask you if you needed a spot, but I didn't know if that was inappropriate." I should have told him to shove it, but apparently I'm too nice. I said something like, "If I can't handle it on my own, I shouldn't be doing it."
Some background on the dude: yeah, I had talked to him before. He's told me numerous times he's never seen a woman work out like I do and that he's going to try the exercises I do sometimes, namely single-arm cable rows on the BOSU. He's also told me he's never seen a woman doing "chins" (he's referring to chin-ups).
It's people like this who make other people, namely women, uncomfortable in the gym. I've tried to convince a friend of mine to join my gym, but she refuses, calling it a "meat market." And I don't blame her. Why do men feel the need to single out the women who know what they're doing in the gym? I've been lifting weights for over 10 years. I have a personal training certification and constantly try to keep myself informed of new techniques and exercises. I would say I am more knowledgeable and have better form than 99% of guys in my gym (a ridiculous, made-up statistic, but you get my point).
I say step-off, homeboy, cause this bitch is gonna bring it.
Who out there has had a bad experience in a gym? What have you done about it?
What exercise have you seen someone do or read about in a magazine that you would like to be able to try?
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Outside the comfort zone
My schedule was rearranged yesterday and I found myself at the gym at an off time for me. It was late afternoon, the time when normally I feel my energy levels plunge, when I want to eat anything that crosses my path and when the amount of patience I have is virtually none.
What do you do when your regular routine gets messed up? Does your day end up ruined and your workout and healthy eating habits fall by the wayside? Or, are you the type who can deal with change and adapt to what's happening around you? The answers to these questions can make all the difference to your success.
For as long as I can remember, I've always embraced change. As a matter of fact, I often seek out change in my life to deal with boredom and monotony. And since I've become a mother, I've found that change is a constant in my life. It's hard to make plans and count on routines when you have 2 little people calling the shots.
So that being said, I killed yesterday's workout, and it happened to be my favorite: legs. My energy was high, and despite the fact that the gym was basically filled with teenage boys and meathead guys, I dominated my squats and Romanian deadlifts.
Sometimes change is all you need to take your workout and success to the next level. Don't be afraid to make changes and try something new. Free weights instead of machines. A spinning class instead of the eilliptical. Exercising outside your comfort zone IS good for you.
You know how I feel. Now how do you feel? Please share!
How often do you change up your routine?
Is there an exercise, class or something else you'd like to try but have felt too intimidated to do it?
What do you do when your regular routine gets messed up? Does your day end up ruined and your workout and healthy eating habits fall by the wayside? Or, are you the type who can deal with change and adapt to what's happening around you? The answers to these questions can make all the difference to your success.
For as long as I can remember, I've always embraced change. As a matter of fact, I often seek out change in my life to deal with boredom and monotony. And since I've become a mother, I've found that change is a constant in my life. It's hard to make plans and count on routines when you have 2 little people calling the shots.
So that being said, I killed yesterday's workout, and it happened to be my favorite: legs. My energy was high, and despite the fact that the gym was basically filled with teenage boys and meathead guys, I dominated my squats and Romanian deadlifts.
Sometimes change is all you need to take your workout and success to the next level. Don't be afraid to make changes and try something new. Free weights instead of machines. A spinning class instead of the eilliptical. Exercising outside your comfort zone IS good for you.
You know how I feel. Now how do you feel? Please share!
How often do you change up your routine?
Is there an exercise, class or something else you'd like to try but have felt too intimidated to do it?
Saturday, January 28, 2012
You are not alone...
As I was leaving the gym earlier this week on a particularly wet and rather gray day, I was hit by some pretty heavy thoughts and struck by a realization as to why achieving weight loss may be so difficult for so many people. It's loneliness. Allow me to elaborate.
Let me take you back several years to when I was working as a personal trainer and Tae Bo instructor. I was in my early twenties and having a great time working out with people as a way to make ends meet. I got to go to work in stretchy pants and sneakers. I put on loud music, yelled a lot and did some kicking, punching and jumping. I got to take part in some pretty extreme workouts with some pretty intense individuals and saw what sorts of limits my body had. The best part of that job, though, was the people.
The relationships I made back then were forged with sweat, sometimes tears or blood, and at the most extreme even... puke (with 2 young girls at home, we use that word often... forgive me). I can't explain how good it felt to go to work each day and know that I was going to have a positive influence on somebody's life, even if it was as simple as making someone sweat for 60 minutes. We did it together, as a group, egos checked at the door and game faces on.
Hindsight is always 20/20, so I can say this all now very easily. I didn't realize what I had until I no longer had it: that sense of community.
I go to the gym 5 or 6 days a week and work out on my own, and don't get me wrong, I love it. I have the ability and the sheer will to get the work done in the gym. But I look around at so many people and they simply seem lost when it comes to working out. I'm not saying I know everything about lifting weights and whatnot. That is very far from the truth.
I'm actually saying quite the opposite: it's hard to do this alone. Had I not met the people I met several years ago at a small, local gym, I wouldn't be where I am now. I wouldn't be on the path to bench pressing my own body weight or hitting double-digit pull-ups, which is kind of a big deal when you weigh 155 pounds and you're a girl (there, I said it). I sure as heck wouldn't be deadlifting and squatting with ease.
Reaching your health and fitness goals is hard enough. You don't have to go it alone. Find somebody, or better yet a group of somebodies, that share similar goals. If there is someone to push you, even if it's someone you know only on Facebook or Twitter, you will get to where you're going. Having a friend or mentor on the same path as you may make all the difference.
Let me take you back several years to when I was working as a personal trainer and Tae Bo instructor. I was in my early twenties and having a great time working out with people as a way to make ends meet. I got to go to work in stretchy pants and sneakers. I put on loud music, yelled a lot and did some kicking, punching and jumping. I got to take part in some pretty extreme workouts with some pretty intense individuals and saw what sorts of limits my body had. The best part of that job, though, was the people.
The relationships I made back then were forged with sweat, sometimes tears or blood, and at the most extreme even... puke (with 2 young girls at home, we use that word often... forgive me). I can't explain how good it felt to go to work each day and know that I was going to have a positive influence on somebody's life, even if it was as simple as making someone sweat for 60 minutes. We did it together, as a group, egos checked at the door and game faces on.
Hindsight is always 20/20, so I can say this all now very easily. I didn't realize what I had until I no longer had it: that sense of community.
I go to the gym 5 or 6 days a week and work out on my own, and don't get me wrong, I love it. I have the ability and the sheer will to get the work done in the gym. But I look around at so many people and they simply seem lost when it comes to working out. I'm not saying I know everything about lifting weights and whatnot. That is very far from the truth.
I'm actually saying quite the opposite: it's hard to do this alone. Had I not met the people I met several years ago at a small, local gym, I wouldn't be where I am now. I wouldn't be on the path to bench pressing my own body weight or hitting double-digit pull-ups, which is kind of a big deal when you weigh 155 pounds and you're a girl (there, I said it). I sure as heck wouldn't be deadlifting and squatting with ease.
Reaching your health and fitness goals is hard enough. You don't have to go it alone. Find somebody, or better yet a group of somebodies, that share similar goals. If there is someone to push you, even if it's someone you know only on Facebook or Twitter, you will get to where you're going. Having a friend or mentor on the same path as you may make all the difference.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Cleaning House: Blueberry Oatmeal Pancakes and Zucchini Fritters
I've been on a pretty mean cooking tear lately, trying to improve upon recipes I've used in the past and really make them healthier. It's not always fun to eat clean, but there are so many small changes you can make to take recipes to the next level nutritionally. Here are two that I've come across and modified to create some lean, mean meals... and I ate them both for breakfast this morning.
Blueberry Oatmeal Pancakes
(modified from The Eat Clean Diet by Tosca Reno, a GREAT resource)
Ingredients:
2 and 1/2 cups oats
6 egg whites
1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (use any type you have)
1 Tbsp. ground flax
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. Xylitol (or other no-cal sweetener; this one is all-natural, plant-based)
teeny tiny pinch of salt
blueberries (or any other sliced fruit)
1). Combine all ingredients EXCEPT blueberries in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
2). Heat a griddle pan or skillet to medium-high heat. Coat with non-stick cooking spray.
3). Pour batter by 1/4 measure onto hot skillet (I literally use a 1/4 measuring cup). Press about 6 blueberries into the pancakes right away.
4). When edges appear dry, turn the pancakes carefully and cook several more minutes on the other side.
This recipe makes about 12 pancakes and 3 are considered a serving. I store them in a container in the fridge and microwave for about 30 seconds before eating. I eat them plain, but they would be good with some non-fat yogurt or even some kind of nut butter.
Zucchini Fritters
(modified from Food Network Magazine)
Ingredients:
6 small zucchini, grated
12 scallions, minced
3/4 cup chopped fresh dill
3/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
6 egg whites
3/4 cup almond meal
3/4 cup parmesan cheese
salt
olive oil
1). Place the grated zucchini in a colander and sprinkle with salt. Place the colander inside a large bowl and allow the zucchini to drain for 10 minutes. Squeeze out all of the remaining liquid.
2). While zucchini is draining combine the remaining ingredients, EXCEPT the olive oil and salt, in a large bowl. Add the drained zucchini and mix well.
3). Heat a large non-stick skillet to medium-high heat and add enough olive oil to coat the pan. Drop spoonfuls of the zucchini mixture to the pan and press down to form the fritters. Cook about 3-4 minutes per side until the fritter is golden brown.
4). Remove the fritters from the pan and place on a paper towel to drain. Sprinkle with salt to taste.
This is a great recipe for the summertime when local gardens are overrun by zucchini. The modifications I made to the original recipe were to replace flour with almond meal to eliminate the gluten, to replace whole eggs with egg whites, and to reduce the amount of parmesan cheese by 2/3. The taste is still pretty amazing. These are good eaten cold, but come out best when heated in the toaster oven.
Blueberry Oatmeal Pancakes
(modified from The Eat Clean Diet by Tosca Reno, a GREAT resource)
Ingredients:
2 and 1/2 cups oats
6 egg whites
1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (use any type you have)
1 Tbsp. ground flax
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. Xylitol (or other no-cal sweetener; this one is all-natural, plant-based)
teeny tiny pinch of salt
blueberries (or any other sliced fruit)
1). Combine all ingredients EXCEPT blueberries in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
2). Heat a griddle pan or skillet to medium-high heat. Coat with non-stick cooking spray.
3). Pour batter by 1/4 measure onto hot skillet (I literally use a 1/4 measuring cup). Press about 6 blueberries into the pancakes right away.
4). When edges appear dry, turn the pancakes carefully and cook several more minutes on the other side.
This recipe makes about 12 pancakes and 3 are considered a serving. I store them in a container in the fridge and microwave for about 30 seconds before eating. I eat them plain, but they would be good with some non-fat yogurt or even some kind of nut butter.
Zucchini Fritters
(modified from Food Network Magazine)
Ingredients:
6 small zucchini, grated
12 scallions, minced
3/4 cup chopped fresh dill
3/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
6 egg whites
3/4 cup almond meal
3/4 cup parmesan cheese
salt
olive oil
1). Place the grated zucchini in a colander and sprinkle with salt. Place the colander inside a large bowl and allow the zucchini to drain for 10 minutes. Squeeze out all of the remaining liquid.
2). While zucchini is draining combine the remaining ingredients, EXCEPT the olive oil and salt, in a large bowl. Add the drained zucchini and mix well.
3). Heat a large non-stick skillet to medium-high heat and add enough olive oil to coat the pan. Drop spoonfuls of the zucchini mixture to the pan and press down to form the fritters. Cook about 3-4 minutes per side until the fritter is golden brown.
4). Remove the fritters from the pan and place on a paper towel to drain. Sprinkle with salt to taste.
This is a great recipe for the summertime when local gardens are overrun by zucchini. The modifications I made to the original recipe were to replace flour with almond meal to eliminate the gluten, to replace whole eggs with egg whites, and to reduce the amount of parmesan cheese by 2/3. The taste is still pretty amazing. These are good eaten cold, but come out best when heated in the toaster oven.
Monday, January 9, 2012
The Mother of Fitness
I have to admit that I hardly ever weigh myself. I don't see the point. The number on the scale fluctuates so much depending on so many different factors that I just can't seem to get an accurate reading. At least that's what I tell myself. And I know that that number is never going to be as low as I'd like it to be. It's just not feasible for me considering my muscle tone (read: the size of my a**... in all seriousness, it is my butt and legs... they are solid). I've come to terms with this, slowly and painfully.
So, how do I tell if all the hard work with my diet and in the gym are paying off? Several ways; one of which is the clothes test. I like to try on a dress I wore to my rehearsal dinner the night before I got married... 3 and 1/2 years ago. I tried that on last week and it fit. I was happy.
But there's a new method I've discovered since becoming a mother and it ain't too pretty. I'll caution you now that what I'm about to write about is not for the faint of heart. Quite frankly I cringe slightly at the thought of writing about it. But I lost my shame when I pushed my first daughter out of my body in front of a room full of people including my husband, my mother, my sister and countless strangers. You get over it.
When you have kids, everything changes. Aside from completely altering your lifestyle, kids, at least for me, have completely altered my body. I've nourished my children with my body and have, in turn, been rewarded with stretch marks and loose skin, not to mention two beautiful and amazing daughters. And this is where my latest method for measuring progress comes in. I check out that sagging skin around my belly and realize that yeah, it looks a little more wrinkly this week. And that's a good thing.
My point is not to gross anyone out or to scare anyone away from having children. What I really want to say is that there comes a point when you realize that there is so much more to life than simply looking good. Of course I want to be fit and look good, I'll be honest. I want to wear a bikini again this summer and slip into some of my pre-pregnancy summer dresses.
But what I really want, beyond anything simply superficial, is to be strong and fit for myself and my family. I want to live a long and healthy life for my daughters and my husband. I want to keep up with them and their boundless energy. And I want to teach my girls what it means to be strong and beautiful, and that the two should and do go together.
Nothing in life is guaranteed, not even our health and well-being. We can't control what life throws at us. But what we can control is how we handle it. So, I've been given two awesome little girls, an amazing husband, a family that constantly makes me laugh, and for the moment, health and well-being.
I'll take that sagging belly skin and cherish it for now. At least I know its a sign of what life has given me and how I've dealt with it.
So, how do I tell if all the hard work with my diet and in the gym are paying off? Several ways; one of which is the clothes test. I like to try on a dress I wore to my rehearsal dinner the night before I got married... 3 and 1/2 years ago. I tried that on last week and it fit. I was happy.
But there's a new method I've discovered since becoming a mother and it ain't too pretty. I'll caution you now that what I'm about to write about is not for the faint of heart. Quite frankly I cringe slightly at the thought of writing about it. But I lost my shame when I pushed my first daughter out of my body in front of a room full of people including my husband, my mother, my sister and countless strangers. You get over it.
When you have kids, everything changes. Aside from completely altering your lifestyle, kids, at least for me, have completely altered my body. I've nourished my children with my body and have, in turn, been rewarded with stretch marks and loose skin, not to mention two beautiful and amazing daughters. And this is where my latest method for measuring progress comes in. I check out that sagging skin around my belly and realize that yeah, it looks a little more wrinkly this week. And that's a good thing.
My point is not to gross anyone out or to scare anyone away from having children. What I really want to say is that there comes a point when you realize that there is so much more to life than simply looking good. Of course I want to be fit and look good, I'll be honest. I want to wear a bikini again this summer and slip into some of my pre-pregnancy summer dresses.
But what I really want, beyond anything simply superficial, is to be strong and fit for myself and my family. I want to live a long and healthy life for my daughters and my husband. I want to keep up with them and their boundless energy. And I want to teach my girls what it means to be strong and beautiful, and that the two should and do go together.
Nothing in life is guaranteed, not even our health and well-being. We can't control what life throws at us. But what we can control is how we handle it. So, I've been given two awesome little girls, an amazing husband, a family that constantly makes me laugh, and for the moment, health and well-being.
I'll take that sagging belly skin and cherish it for now. At least I know its a sign of what life has given me and how I've dealt with it.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
New Year's what...?
So yeah, it's "the New Year," and for most people it means setting new goals of health and weight loss. And by "new," I really mean the same old goals people set year after year after year. These goals are great for the first few weeks or months of the year, but by spring I'll bet most people have forgotten what they set out to attain in the New Year.
I'm not one to make New Year's resolutions, and this year was no different. I did, however, set out several weeks before Christmas to begin something new for myself. I haven't quite defined what I'm doing or what I want to accomplish (perhaps to be done in a later blog post), but I know that in order to achieve my own health and fitness goals, I need change in my routine. And that is where I feel most people fall short.
Albert Einstein is attributed with the following: the definition of "Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." How many people start back at the gym or sign up at a new gym after the first of the year only to walk on the treadmill, prance on the elliptical, or try to hit up as many of the gym's weight machines as possible? All of the aforementioned apparatuses (technical, I know... and I could have sworn it was "apparati" but Spellcheck is telling me no), have their place in a workout program, but not in mine or in any I would ever assign to a personal training client.
In order to achieve change, you need to make change. If the only thing you can do is walk on a treadmill, then that's fine. You start there, and when that begins to get too easy, you mix it up. Move on to the elliptical, stationary bike or, gasp, the Stepmill (a personal favorite torture device, but don't you dare white-knuckle the handrails). Try taking a group exercise class or working with a personal trainer--most gyms offer a free session with a trainer when you sign up.
So let's say you finished up 2011 on a fairly strong note. You can walk on the treadmill or maybe even run. You've tackled the gym's weight-machine circuit and perhaps have even tried toying with the dumbbells. Maybe you've tried a group class. You've got yourself a decent base, but haven't really seen the results you're looking for. Then you know what...? YOU'VE GOT TO WORK HARDER.
There, I've said it. There is no magic pill you can take and nothing you can easily do that is going to give you the real changes you want to see. You have to make the changes for yourself. And I'm talking hardcore changes--pushing yourself to new limits, running till your lungs ache, lifting till you've got callouses on your hands, going until you feel you cannot go any more. And for each individual, this means something different.
Change is never easy. It's uncomfortable. It's unusual. And sometimes it plain sucks. But in order to really become better physically, whether it be for health reasons or pure vanity (which can be okay; I'll allow it and at times encourage it), you have to really test yourself to know what you are capable of. Sign up for a 5k, 10k or something more challenging. Enroll in a Kettlebell class. Take your training and mix it up.
This brings me back to what I resolved to do several weeks ago: mix it up. For me, I had gotten to a point in my own fitness journey when I felt that in order to take it up a notch, I had to step outside myself. And so since mid-December I've been enjoying several weekly workouts that include the use of kegs, sleds, logs, tires, Atlas stones and various other training methods I am highly unfamiliar with. And you know what...? I'm loving every minute of it. Change, here I come.
Happy New Year... make it count.
I'm not one to make New Year's resolutions, and this year was no different. I did, however, set out several weeks before Christmas to begin something new for myself. I haven't quite defined what I'm doing or what I want to accomplish (perhaps to be done in a later blog post), but I know that in order to achieve my own health and fitness goals, I need change in my routine. And that is where I feel most people fall short.
Albert Einstein is attributed with the following: the definition of "Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." How many people start back at the gym or sign up at a new gym after the first of the year only to walk on the treadmill, prance on the elliptical, or try to hit up as many of the gym's weight machines as possible? All of the aforementioned apparatuses (technical, I know... and I could have sworn it was "apparati" but Spellcheck is telling me no), have their place in a workout program, but not in mine or in any I would ever assign to a personal training client.
In order to achieve change, you need to make change. If the only thing you can do is walk on a treadmill, then that's fine. You start there, and when that begins to get too easy, you mix it up. Move on to the elliptical, stationary bike or, gasp, the Stepmill (a personal favorite torture device, but don't you dare white-knuckle the handrails). Try taking a group exercise class or working with a personal trainer--most gyms offer a free session with a trainer when you sign up.
So let's say you finished up 2011 on a fairly strong note. You can walk on the treadmill or maybe even run. You've tackled the gym's weight-machine circuit and perhaps have even tried toying with the dumbbells. Maybe you've tried a group class. You've got yourself a decent base, but haven't really seen the results you're looking for. Then you know what...? YOU'VE GOT TO WORK HARDER.
There, I've said it. There is no magic pill you can take and nothing you can easily do that is going to give you the real changes you want to see. You have to make the changes for yourself. And I'm talking hardcore changes--pushing yourself to new limits, running till your lungs ache, lifting till you've got callouses on your hands, going until you feel you cannot go any more. And for each individual, this means something different.
Change is never easy. It's uncomfortable. It's unusual. And sometimes it plain sucks. But in order to really become better physically, whether it be for health reasons or pure vanity (which can be okay; I'll allow it and at times encourage it), you have to really test yourself to know what you are capable of. Sign up for a 5k, 10k or something more challenging. Enroll in a Kettlebell class. Take your training and mix it up.
This brings me back to what I resolved to do several weeks ago: mix it up. For me, I had gotten to a point in my own fitness journey when I felt that in order to take it up a notch, I had to step outside myself. And so since mid-December I've been enjoying several weekly workouts that include the use of kegs, sleds, logs, tires, Atlas stones and various other training methods I am highly unfamiliar with. And you know what...? I'm loving every minute of it. Change, here I come.
Happy New Year... make it count.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)