5/28/10

Feel Good Friday

Good morning, girls!
I hope you're all as anxious for the long Memorial Day weekend as I am! 

I know this is totally random, but I'm going to try these two shake recipes this weekend b/c they sounded interesting, so just thought I'd share :)

Apple Pie Delight Shake
1 serving of vanilla protein powder
1 peeled and cored apple, cut into pieces
1 1/2 cups of milk
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
5 Ice Cubes
Microwave the apple pieces for 2 minutes on high.
Add all ingredients to blender, puree for 30 seconds.

Banana Bread Shake
1 banana
3/4 cup Kellogg's Bran Flakes
2 scoops vanilla protein powder
1/2 cup Quaker oatmeal
1 bottle of water
Add Truvia or Splenda to taste.


And for the feel good post today, check out this article for 6 Free Weight Loss Resources.  I like the guy's story.  And I've never seen that Mayo Clinic Food & Fitness Planner that creates an actual meal plan for you- very cool! 

And not in this article, but also something I really like, particularly for great recipes and success stories, are the My Fitness Pal forums.  Browse by topic.  Whatever interests you.  And did I mention the recipes are great!?   :)  There are little support groups on there you can try, too.

Share with us all your active and healthy plans for the weekend!

Ooooh, and one more thing I almost forgot, in honor of fantastic Memorial Day BBQs everywhere, how do you all grill your veggies?  I want to grill some this weekend.  Do you HAVE to go out & buy one of those grill woks or baskets to put the veggies in?  Do you drizzle on olive oil & what seasonings?
Here's a recipe I just found.... http://www.readersdigest.ca/food/cms/xcms/grilled-vegetable-salad_875_a.html   ....but it sounds kinda complicated & labor intensive......for me.......

5/27/10

Feel the Burn Thursday

Good morning, girls!
I hope you're enjoying your week so far.
What workouts have you been up to so far this week & what workouts do you have planned for this weekend?

So today's post is going to be a modge podge of Food and Workouts, not just Workouts.
It is so important to fuel your body with wholesome, high-energy, nutrient-rich foods in order to be able to do great workouts and just feel good inside and out.  Yes, Amy C, you're perfectly right, diet soda is not a dieter's friend :)  Even if you got a free 24-pack from the gas station last week for purchasing a car wash....haha...that was me :) 

Amy C. shared this Athleta Chi Blog post about nutrition with me over last weekend and I think it's pretty good. 
http://www.athleta.net/chi/2010/05/14/dinas-food-journal-the-home-stretch/
Here's a good part of this woman's story about nutrition fueling the athletic lifestyle and just how much better you feel when you put good foods in your body instead of junk, no matter how much you're working out: "Despite a lifetime of sports and vigilantly training for sports, I’ve been neglecting a key aspect of wellness: good nutrition. Yes, despite my lapse into a batch of cookie dough today, I am eating better now than I was, say, four years ago (when I’d make several batches of cookie dough a week rather than a batch every several months). But four years ago 1) I didn’t mind working out four to six hours a day to compensate for my poor food choices and 2) (as silly as this may sound) I had no idea how much better (or worse) food could make my body feel."
Also, Kim shared with me last night a big email filled with great crock pot recipes, but I can't get it to post on here while maintaining all the links, so I'll just email it out to you all, so look for that today :)

Planning out a few days at a time for what I'm going ot eat when, and trying to keep it well-balanced, and heavier right after a workout, and filled with lots of lean protein, whole grains, veggies, & fruit has REALLY made a difference for me this week.  Yesterday was great.  It made it so that it wasn't a matter of entering into MFP what I ate and then begrudginly seeing if I could eat anything else that day or if I had to be done.  So it's just an attitude shift.  Planning ahead of time.  I know exactly what I'll have when.  I know it's probably just a short-lived bug, but I'm going to try really hard to maintain it through the weekend to see great results on Monday's weigh-in, then that should motivate me to keep it up again! 

For workouts, last night I did a trial run at my sprint triathlon.  Holy cow, I was spent.  It was nuts.  Actually made me really nervous for the tri because it was so hard (at least there was the American Idol finale on TV that I could watch to keep from watching the odometer :) ).  I swam in the pool at the Y for 40 minutes, then rode the stationary bike for 17 miles, then ran on the treadmill 3.1 miles.  I've got the fitness, and so I'm hoping with the tri obviously being outdoors instead of the mindnumbing indoors, and with some race-day adrenaline, that I'll be able to pull it off.  Nonetheless, I'm going to be doing some training bricks the next week and a half.  I'll do back-to-back rides then runs for the right distances.  Talk about muscle confusion!!!

Also, last Saturday I did a free intro class at LA Boxing.  It was so much fun!!!!! I totally recommend you all check out a gym near you for a free class.  It was the hardest workout I've had in....EVER!  But it was fun.  I got my hands wrapped, wore boxing gloves, did conditioning drills, and punched and kicked the crud out of a big boxing bag w/ the help of my pro MMA fighter coach!  I was keeping up with the big boys and even met a new friend who just moved out here w/ her husband from Michigan- woohoo Midwesterners :)  After doing their free intro class, they gave me a free 7 day pass, too.  So I'm going to do that Saturday through next week to do more boxing and kickboxing classes.  What a riot!  I felt like I was on Biggest Loser :) http://www.laboxing.com/ and click on gym locator.  Sadly there aren't any in WI, UT, IA, or DE, but Tara, Amy F, & Isolde, you're in luck in IL & IN!!!  Check it out.

5/26/10

Whatcha Eatin' Wednesday

Good morning, girls!

I hope you're doing well.  Take a look at this link for a list of SUPER FOODS.  http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/recipes/healthy-eating/superfoods/the-new-superfoods/

  • Strawberries
  • Blueberries
  • Beer & Wine...hmmmm....haha
  • Almonds
  • Peanuts
  • Mushrooms
  • Tomatoes
  • Flaxseeds
  • Sunflower Seeds
  • Broccoli
  • Cauliflower
  • Salmon
  • Trout
  • Olive Oil
  • Safflower Oil
  • Edamame
  • Black Beans
  • Brown Rice
  • Barley
Alright, you creative pantry artists.  What meals or snacks can you toss together with several of these items?  Share how you eat these items.  I like how the article has less expensive alternatives to the traditional super foods. 

Addtionally, here are some yummies that sounded/looked delicious so I'm going to try them this weekend- the almond apple english muffin being top on my list!


5/25/10

Tuesday Motivation

Good morning, girls!

Here's something Amy C. wanted to share- awesome!

"One of my friends told me about Girls on the Run, her daughter participated last year.
I'm thinking about becoming a soulmate, I thought you and some of the others on the blog might be interested too. Here's the link to the info on Soulmates, but you can get to the rest of the site from here as well. There are GOTR organizations all over the country.
http://www.girlsontherunsolemates.org/about_solemates.html
Amy"

I read this article about Making over your Motivation  http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/health/spirit/reach-your-goals/make-over-your-motivation/ last night and loved it. I wish I had taken and shared week one during our week one of this challenge, and so on, but still, I think you ladies will all like it.  Take 5 minutes to read through it.  Then pull one idea or tip from there that will help you the most right now and share with us all what it is.

My favorite tip is the third one in week 2: "Exercise eases stress and distracts you from thinking about food," & Another study found that working out may release satiety hormones that keep your appetite in check for a full 24 hours. 

That's a big one for me.  If I work out, I feel proud of myself and I don't want to mess it all up by indulging in something I shouldn't.  If I don't work out, I feel not only more ravenous, but I feel blah.  So here's to the next few weeks of great workouts!  And of course watching the Biggest Loser finale tonight- that motivates me :)

5/24/10

Monday Morning Check-In

Good morning, beauties! End of week 4! How'd it go???? Let us know
how you're doing, how you're feeling, offer some encouragement to
yourself and all the other ladies on here, and share with us your game
plan for this week!!!