Tuesday’s Tip

So last week I bought and prepared avocados for the first time.   I think I’ve had them before but I have never prepared them myself.  I thought for my first attempt I would just cut them up and add them to our great big salads last Monday.

I didn’t do my research before hand so when I went to pick out my $1.00 avocados I had no idea if avocados should be soft, hard, mushy, etc.  So I just took my best guest.  When I got home I use good old Google to learn a little bit about avocados.

If the avocado yields to firm gentle pressure you know it's ripe and ready-to-eat. If the avocado does not yield to gentle pressure it is considered still "firm" and will be ripe in a couple of days. If the avocado feels mushy or very soft to the touch it may be very ripe to overripe. (Avocado Central)

Did you know….

It's true that avocados have a high oil content, but they are also packed with vitamins A, C, and E--primary vitamins in the antioxidant group that protect the cells in human tissue. A high protein content makes avocados a good meat substitute, and unlike animal fat, the fat is not saturated. The big surprise in avocados is how high they are in dietary fiber--they have one of the highest fiber contents of any fruit or vegetable. (Produce Pete)

My biggest challenge was how to cut these things up.  I figured there was a pit inside but I wasn’t sure and didn’t know how to get it out. So…for anyhow else who doesn’t know how to cut an avocado (or am I the only one?)…here’s what you do:

1.  Hold the avocado lengthwise and carefully slice around the pit.

  

2.  Take your knife and carefully but firmly tap the blade into the pit and it will pull right out (my co-teacher told me this tip after I struggled with trying to scoop out the pit.

3.  Score the avocado half into cubes.

4.  Gently squeeze the avocado and little cubes will just pop out.

So much easier than I thought and it was delicious on my salad.  I think this week I will try to make some guacamole.  I also want to try to prepare kale or attempt to make kale chips.  Any good links for recipes to prepare kale?

Family Fitness Challenge – Week 1 Recap

I know I promised this yesterday, but yesterday got away from me.  I still wanted to share our successful first week of our Family Fitness Challenge.

I felt like I started the challenge off great.  I easily increased my fruits and vegetables to the 5-7 servings a day and a few days even reaching 8 and 9 servings.  Salads at least three times in the week got me several points.  I have become quite fond of the Hunger Runner Girl method of roasting broccoli which we had with dinner at least two nights.

   
source

I also found that dried fruit is delicious especially apricots!  Love them!  They taste just like candy.

As far as the exercise points I had two days in the week where I did two workouts – am and pm.  I made it to the gym three times and did lots of different weight/strength sets.  I like the Jamie Easton’s Live Fit daily exercise plans.  She does a great job of breaking it down into two areas to focus on each day and gives great videos demonstrating the movement.  I also got in two great runs last week and some Pilates and yoga.

My family had a great week as well.  Everyone participated and had anywhere from 250 – 450 points.  All of our teams were really close overall.  My sister and I were first of our four teams by just 50 points.  My little niece (2 years old) was a baby-exercising queen and fruit/veggie monster!

A great start to our five week Fitness Challenge!  Looking forward to another great week although I’ve been slacking a little bit in the exercise department.  Time to step it up!

Monday Motivation

I’ve been a little MIA lately and I apologize.  The weekends are always so busy and I try to not spend as much time on the computer since I am usually strapped to my computer during the week.  This weekend was busy but at the same time relaxing.  I was able to spend a good chunk of Saturday finishing up the last book in the Hunger Game trilogy.  Those books are awesome!  Once you start you don’t want to put them down.

My family had an awesome first week of the Family Fitness Challenge!  I will share more details in a Week 1 recap later.  I’ve found during the first week of the challenge that it can be really easy to get your daily 5-7 servings of fruits to vegetables with just a little effort and planning.  I’ve enjoyed trying some new things too and my body likes the increase of fruits, vegetables and fruit juices.

Now for another week.  It’s going to be a busy one too.  So let’s start the Monday off with some motivating images.

Another Wednesday

Can’t believe it is the last Wednesday of January already!  Time is flying by as usual.  It was the second day of our new semester so I am tuckered out once again.  The start of the semester, getting everything prepared and being extra-on-top-of-my game “ just wears me out.  I always try to start out extra tough in the beginning and then loosen the reins.  Be tough is exhausting….at least for me…I am a softie at heart.

However, I am not letting school craziness mess up my exercising for the week.  I have really been doing pretty good for the month of January with not necessarily a lot of running miles, but quality time at the gym and at home doing cross training, weights, yoga and Pilates.

Today I got things ready for tomorrow and then headed out of school to meet SB down at the gym.  I decided to give my little arms a rest since I can still feel a little soreness from Monday and focused on my lower body.  I tend to not do as much lower body weight workouts because I feel like they are “in shape” however, I know only certain muscles are in shape and there are lots more that need a little extra push.   So I tried a few new machines and hopefully worked my legs out enough that I will feel the good-soreness later on.

Tuesday’s Tip

If you are looking for a good Yoga DVD you should check out the following: 

Christine Felstead’s Yoga for Runners.

I bought this DVD about two weeks ago and have tried it a few times.  I really liked the stretches and poses that she walks you through.  I felt a huge difference as I was doing the poses.  When I started I couldn’t get my heels down during a Downward Dog pose but by the end of the DVD I was having no problems getting the heels down.  I felt two inches taller and my legs just felt so stretched out.  The next day I could tell that I probably pushed the poses to far, but by going through the DVD again I got everything stretched back out again. 

Probably one of my favorite poses from the DVD is the Pigeon or Bird of Paradise pose which is another hip opener pose.  Check out this link for more information on this pose.

This blog site has a lot of great info on the pose as well.

I just did a quick search on Amazon and noticed there is also an intermediate level Yoga for Runners DVD.  That might be on my shopping list for later on in the year.  Right now I got quite a few DVDs in my rotation that I am putting to good use as I try to rack up points for my Fitness Challenge.

QOTD:  Do you have a favorite yoga pose?

Monday Motivation

 

(Source:  motivationintohabit.tumblr.com)

Today is the first day of my school and family Fitness Challenge!!  Off to the gym for an early workout and a run is planned for after school…time to rack up the fitness points!

Fitness Challenge 2012

Each year, my school holds a fitness challenge to help encourage us all to exercise and eat healthy.  Last year I really got into the challenge and kept track of my workouts each week.  Here’s my recaps from last year’s fitness challenge.

This year is bound to be another good year and just the motivation I need to bump up my exercising and running.  This year they are doing things a little different.  Here’s the challenge:

Participants will be divided into teams. Each team member will have the opportunity to earn one point for every minute of exercise (outside of the work day) completed throughout the 5 week challenge. The type of exercise you choose is up to you, but here are some examples: walking, running, biking, exercise classes, swimming, strength training and outdoor winter sports such as skiing and skating.

Additionally, we’re eating our way to wellness! Participants will receive one bonus point for each serving of fruits and vegetables consumed during the challenge. It's simple - one serving of fruits or veggies equals one point. The team with the most points at the end of the 5 week challenge wins! Weekly and Grand Prizes will be distributed!

My sisters have participated in similar challenges at their school but this year they aren’t offering the challenge so I have created our first:

Although they think I am crazy…my dad, mom, sisters, sister in law, brother in law and husband are all participating!  I drew names today and paired us up in teams of two.  I created a fitness log in excel and sent it out to everyone to log their exercise points and fruits/vegetable points.   I know SB already made a trip to the grocery store to stock up on fruits and veggies.  I will be headed to the grocery store tomorrow to do the same.   Amanda (my sister) is excited to count her green monster, fruit smoothies as points every morning.  I even made a log for my little niece, Ella, so Robyn (my other sister) can keep track of her fruits and veggie points and any baby exercise minutes.  Ella’s points will rotate to be added to a different group each week.

So I will be competing in two challenges, one at school and one with the family.  It should be a busy five weeks – but I know that I will love the way I feel and look by the end of it and finally get myself back in shape and ready for the racing season which will be here before I know it.  I think I might even train for my first 15 mile Trail Run race!

Snowy Saturday

What a great day!  Woke up to a wonderful, white blanket of snow on everything…a little glimpse of Winter Wonderland.  I got a ton of housework done and made carrot cake, brownies and chocolate chip cookie bars before I tackled making vegetable soup. 

When I got all my “chores” done I treated myself to a great workout.  I did a Yoga for Runners session which was absolutely fabulous.  I was able to stretch out and lengthen so many tight runner muscles.  More coming on Yoga for Runners in my Tuedsay’s Tips.

I also had a chance to spend a few hours with my family which was much needed.  It was good to see everyone and spend some time relaxing and watching my niece.  She is two years old and is so fun to watch and play with.  She has quite the imagination and her vocabulary is getting quite impressive. My dad got out his train set from when he was young and set that up for my niece.  She loved watching the choo-choo. 

When I finally made it home I found the motivation to get all my essays and final grades calculated for my classes and even managed to plan out most of next week with the start of a new semester and new classes.  I am ahead of the game which will make tomorrow and Monday that much easier!

What a great day!  I hope you had a great day too.

Monday Motivation

Dinner for One

I discovered a delicious dinner for one.  So delicious that after making it and inhaling it last night I waited anxiously all day to get home and make it again tonight.  It was fabulous!  I did not take the time to take any pictures for you – but trust me when I say this is a great dinner.

Before I share the recipe, I have a confession to make…  I had sautéed spinach for the first time last week and have discovered my love for cooked spinach.  I’ve had chopped spinach in a lot of meals before and Green Monster smoothies but never had spinach by itself.  So I decided to stock up and find some recipes to use spinach.  I did a search for chicken and spinach recipes and discovered this one and tweaked it a bit (reduced to one serving and left out the mushrooms)

Balsamic Chicken with Spinach and Tomatoes for One

• 3 handfuls of prewashed spinach
• 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, uncooked
• Tastefully Simple Seasoning salt
• Pepper
• Diced Tomatoes
• Kraft Light Sicilian Roasted Garlic – Balsamic Vinaigrette Salad Dressing
• 1/4 cup shredded Sargento’s Reduced Fat 4 Cheese Italian

Directions:

Spray a baking dish with cooking spray.  Place spinach in the bottom of the dish.  Place chicken on top of the spinach; season chicken with seasoning salt and pepper.  Place the tomatoes on top of the chicken.  Pour the dressing over the spinach, chicken, tomatoes.  Top with the cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Simple. Easy. Perfect!!!  I ate it just like that, but the recipe suggested serving over angel hair pasta or rice.  It was so yummy.  Only one dirty pan to clean up – my kind of cooking!  Now its time for some exercise!

QOTD:  Any delicious spinach recipe or links to share?

Wordless Wednesday

So wishing I was here….

 

 

I think it is time to plan another cruise.

Tuesday’s Tip

Today is just a short little tip and reminder.  TAKE YOUR VITAMINS!!  I always notice quite a difference in myself when I take or don’t take my daily vitamins.  I am forgetful and hate taking any kind of medicine or pills.  But I’ve found a few things that work for me.

Eating right and meeting all the daily requirements of nutrients is of course most important.  But sometimes you can’t get all your body needs from your usual food intake.  A multivitamin can help – if you are taking the right vitamin for you.  Again, I am not a health care professional so please do your research, talk to other people and most importantly talk to your doctor to find out what multivitamin would be best for you.

Right now I am just taking a multivitamin for women and a few extra supplements like vitamin C, and E. But I found that I have to take all of them with food otherwise my tummy gets a little upset.  I have discovered the gummy vitamins for adults. (YUM!!) They are a lot easier to remember since they taste like candy and I don’t have to take them with food. So sometimes I switch back and forth.

My iron levels are low if I am not taking vitamins, which tends to make me feel run down rather quickly.  That is usually the key for me to remember my vitamins.  I also notice a difference in my hair, skin and nails when I take my vitamins regularly.  There are lots of great advantages of taking vitamins and as with everything a downside can always be found too.  But I tend to think that vitamins are good for you.  Nowadays there are some many different kinds and companies are doing lots to help customers find and take the right vitamins.

Stop on over to visit Fancy Nancy, at Living the Dream.  She has a great post about Vitamins, specifically the new Centrum ProNutrients line.  Plus you take a survey from Centrum to find out what you are missing in your diet and can enter her giveaway to win products from Centrum.  The giveaway ends tomorrow!

QOTD:  How do you remember to take your vitamins?  What supplements have you found are good for runners?

Monday Motivation

 

(Source: Positive Outlook on Facebook)

Two days of great workouts

Friday was a busy busy day.  I started out bright and early 6 am at the gym with Manda and SB for a quick warm up on the bike and then about 30 minutes for the weight machines.  I focused on the arms and abs.  Definitely felt it a bit today especially by Triceps.  After school I met up with my Dad, Manda and SB for a run in my new shoes.  I didn’t plan on it being as long as it was but I forgot the mileage of the loop we did when I picked the loop.  So I survived 3.8 miles in my new shoes.  The longest run I’ve done since my half marathon in September.  It felt good although my big toes were a little sore and so were my inner thighs.  I need to work on strengthening them up a bit.  I think I may go ahead and get another pair of the Brooks Adrenaline and switch back and forth between those and the WaveRiders.  Maybe then I can even things out but not wear out one part of my legs versus another part.  I was so exhausted when I got home that I feel asleep on the couch at 7:30 got up at 11:30 got ready for bed and was back asleep by 12:15!

Today I had a wonderful “date morning” with my husband.  We ran quite a few errands together – a total of 10 stops.  But it was nice to get out together.  Usually I end up running the errands myself.  We even stopped for Little Caesar’s pizza.  We haven’t had that in years and since a new shop opened up we thought we would try it.  We still vote Pizza Hut pizza our favorite though.

I just got done doing a great hour long Pilates and Yoga workout.  I got three new DVD’s which I will share with reviews later this week.  I did 40 mins of Yoga for Stress relief and then two Pilates sessions for abs and stretching.  I love Yoga and Pilates.  I feel so good when I am done and about two inches taller!!  Now it is time for a quick little nap before I begin tackling some of this dirt and dog hair that is covering my house!!!

QOTD:  Do you have a favorite workout DVD?

New Kicks!

I am excited to try out my new kicks on Friday!!!  I have been running in the Brooks Adrenaline11 for a while now, but I just don’t like how I feel in them.  The best running shoes I’ve ever had were the Brooks Defyance1.  I loved those shoes!!!  I bought and wore three pairs for about a year and a half before I couldn’t find them in my size anymore. I ran the best in them – had great times, no injuries or pain and didn’t even lose any toenails. I wore them for my marathon and few half marathons. I tried out the Defyance2 and 3 – but just didn’t like them as much as their first edition.  I’ve been looking at trying the Defyance 4’s but they haven’t gone down in price.  I noticed that these were comparable and on sale so I decided to try them out. 

I am hoping the Mizuno Wave Rider 14’s are the “magic shoe”.  I am not a fan of shoe shopping and end up being pretty picky about how they feel.  When I’ve been fitted for shoes they say that I pronate and need stability shoes but they always seem to over correct my issue and cause IT and groin issues.  I’m hoping these will be ok even though they aren’t stability shoes.  Time with tell.  I will test them out on the treadmill and if they feel good take them for a run on the road.

I’ve been slacking a bit on the workouts Tuesday and Wednesday so I definitely need to try to get something in today after school.  Hopefully my new yoga dvd’s arrive soon.  More on those later.  Have a great day!

Wordless Wednesday

Snuggling with my beagles in my super warm fuzzy fleece wrap! We are trying to keep warm in the chilly winter weather that finally made it’s way here.

Tuesday’s Tip

Here’s my first attempt at what I hope is my weekly Tuesday’s Tip post.  Each Tuesday I hope to give you a tip for fitness, running, stretching, or eating healthy that I’ve learned along my journey.  I’ve been getting back into doing my Pilates and there is one stretch that I absolutely love.  So today’s Tuesday Tip is the Hip Flexor Stretch

Your hip flexors are attached to the front of the pelvis and work to bring your femur up towards your torso.  Of course, this muscle is used a lot in running.  I notice that my hip flexor is extremely tight and have had issues in the past where my pelvis has been out of alignment due to the tightness.  To avoid the tightness and prevent injury try the following stretch.

Start in a standing position and step into a deep lunge.  Keep your front knee at a 90 degree angle – making sure your knee does not go beyond your ankle.  Rest your back leg onto the floor and flatten the back foot.  Take time to get your balance.  Reach your arm straight above your head and breathe into the stretch as you reach up to the ceiling opening the front of the hip joint.  Tighten your abs and gently shift body forward until you feel the stretch in front of your hip.  Hold for 30 seconds and relax.  Switch and repeat with your other leg.

Here are some pictures and a link to a video demonstrating the stretch that I found on Google and YouTube.  (Since I’m not quite comfortable taking my own pictures or video demonstrating the stretch just yet.) 

I’m not a doctor or professional, so please be cautious when attempting this stretch.  I’m just sharing a a quick stretch that I often forget about in hopes that I can remind others who might have forgotten and find it helpful too.

Winter Break Project

So a few days ago I told you about a simple winter project I was working on.  I’ve been wanting one of these little carts that fit in between the washer and dryer since we moved into our home back in 2008. I looked at them several time in the stores, bookmarked the page in catalogs but never spent the $40 + to get it.  I am so glad I didn’t because I made my own for under $15.00.

                  Store Bought                                                             Homemade

I am betting mine will last a lot longer than the plastic kind too.  It was a great little project for winter break.  It didn’t take me that long and I did most of it myself.  Cowboy did help me screw it all together since I needed two sets of hands for that.  I messed up on it a few times and made myself too many shelves by gluing two boards together instead of three.  Therefore, three of my shelves were two inches two short – but it still worked out.  We are both pretty happy with it.  I still need to sand it down and put a few coats of clear stain on it. That will wait till it warms up a bit.

All in All a great project, great use of supplies we already had and something to be proud of that will last for a long time – plus I can always repurpose it for a bookcase if it is no longer needed in the laundry room.

Monday Motivation

It’s a new year, it’s a new day.  Don’t let Monday get the best of you.

 
(Source)

(Source)

Get out there…

and

(Source:  FitFabCities.com)

Happy New Year – 2012!

Can’t believe another year has come and gone!  My husband and I spent quite a bit of time reminiscing of past New Year Eve’s last night and it just seems so crazy how fast the years are zipping by.  If you had asked me 20 or even 10 years ago what the 35 year old me would be doing I wouldn’t even have been close with my guess.  Life has really take me by surprise.  God has lead me and shaped my life into something I couldn’t even have planned.  I am ready to see what is in store for me in 2012!

Last year, January 1st, I did my first blog post to enter in 2011.  I had decided to throw my hat in the blogging world, since I had been reading so many of your blogs. My first post was rather short, gave a little background on me and 2010.  It was really kind of neat to go back and read what I had written.  I didn’t even remember that I had written down some quick "off-the-cuff, not-a-lot-of-thought" resolutions.  I didn’t do too bad with those resolutions either…I surprised myself.

I did train for not only one, but two half marathons this summer.   I did a lot of cross training and strength training in the beginning of the year, but slacked off once the summer weather was here.  I did accomplish some of my work related goals which included developing, presenting, getting approval and implementing middle school computer/business curriculum for 6th, 7th and 8th grade!  I spent a lot of time with loved ones over the year and did lots of fun activities and adventures with them.  I also even managed to do pretty good at maintaining the blog until the new school year started – but I am back to it now.

This year, I am with the rest of you and not necessarily setting resolutions just setting some goals to accomplish.  I don’t know where I am headed in terms of running.  I still enjoy running but not near as much as I use to so I am going to be tossing in some more biking with the running as well.  I don’t have any big running races or plans for this year – I am going to just wait and see what I feel like doing as the year goes on.  I definitely want to continue to work on cross training and strength training.  I love Pilates and Yoga and really want to keep that in my fitness routine all year long.  My other big focus this year will be eating healthy and getting away from processed foods.  I’ve learned a lot about healthy eating from reading lots of amazing blogs and posts. I have seen how important eating right is to not only for my body appearance but to my overall health.  I’m not 16, 20 or 25 anymore and can’t eat whatever I want without seeing the affects.  

So 2012 will be about treating myself right.  That includes fitness, eating right and treasuring each moment I’m given with my husband, family and friends. I want to enjoy the big and little moments and focus on improving not only my life but the lives around me.  I want to give more and do more for my community.  I want to build connections with  my students and help them realize their potential. 

That’s a lot of I want’s in one paragraph BUT I believe they are all possible with a little FOCUS and DETERMINATION, my two words of the year. It will take time and I will have to stop and focus to look at not only the big but the little picture to see what’s going on around me.  With that focus, I can determine the next steps and the best way to proceed.

It is going to be a great year!