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.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
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.
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