Weekend Challenge

10 push ups 
10 air squats 
10 sit ups
6 rounds 

10 Stubborn Exercise Myths that Won’t Die, Debunked by Science

Exercise is like any other science, always evolving and changing as new discoveries and understandings are found.  Even though the following have been debunked they.just.won't.die.  Read the article at lifehacker and get all the info around what makes them myths:

photo from lifehacker

Myth 1:  No Pain, No Gain

Myth 2:  Soreness After Exercise is Caused by Lactic Acid Building Up in Your Muscles

Myth 3:  Exercise Takes Long Hours/Is Worthless If I Can't Exercise Regularly

Myth 4: You Need a Sports Drink When Exercising to Replenish Your Body's Electrolytes/Minerals/Etc

Myth 5: Stretching Before Exercise Will Prevent Injury

Myth 6: Working Out Will Only Build Muscle, Not Help Me Lose Weight

Myth 7: Exercise Will Help Me Lose Weight Quickly

Myth 8: You Need to Take Supplements to Build Muscle

Myth 9: If You Don't Exercise When You're Young, It's Dangerous When You Get Older

Myth 10: Working Out at Home/Working Out at the Gym is Better than Working Out at Home/Working Out at the Gym

14 Homemade Spice Blends

 A great way to change any meal is spices!  Check out these recipes for making your own spice blends from wellnessmama.com

from wellnessmama.com

Taco Seasoning
Homemade Curry Powder
Homemade Italian Seasoning
Homemade Rajin' Cajun Seasoning
Healthy Ranch Dressing Mix
Homemade Lemon Pepper Seasoning
Seasoned Salt Recipe
Fajita Seasoning
French Onion Soup Mix
Chili Seasoning Mix
Herbs de Provence
Caribbean Jerk Seasoning
Asian 5-Spice Seasoning
Pumpkin Pie Spice

Get it all the recipes HERE.  If you're in the Atlanta area hit up the Dekalb Farmer's Market for very affordable spices in bulk.

Workout Challenge

Tabata...20 seconds on 10 second rest 8 rounds of...

push ups, sit ups, air squat, tri-cep dips. 

Happy or Mania?

I'm an O Magazine subscriber and one of my favorite contributors is Martha Beck, a life coach.  Recently I was really struck by an article she penned in the February 2012 Issue titled "How to Find the Kind of Joy That Lasts."  As someone who can be annoyingly introspective, the title appealed to me immediately.  

happy holding Evie.

After reading it there were a number of things that stuck with me and I found very helpful.  She first pointed out that our culture-and specifically the media-creates the expectation that when we're happy we're jumping up and down, screaming, moved to tears etc.  For example people are way too happy about new sandwiches at McDonalds, or 2 for 1 appetizers at Chilli's.  Seriously, watch them next time, have you ever been that happy about anything?  Beck points out that these ads actually demonstrate manic euphoria:  "everything I'd seen during the broadcast suggested that the ideal emotional state is one of intense, manic euphoria, and that we should all feel that way almost all the time."


So this was realization one for me:  crazy mind-blowing jumping up in down isn't happiness.  Moreover, it shouldn't be the goal and certainly not the ruler to which I measure my emotional state.  Not to say I should never get so excited that I'm jumping with joy-I just need to acknowledge the difference and not let getting my mind blown the way I determine if I'm happy or not.   


So let's talk about the experience you feel when it is this manic euphoria.  Like, the Gators winning a National Football Championship the same year they won the National Basketball Championship, for example.  I was in Gainesville and one of the hundreds who flooded the streets, climbed palm trees and light poles chanting our fight song.  Beck calls this mania and says it triggers our neurological fight-or-flight mechanism and after such an emotional flood to our system we then experience a crash.  She actually uses the example of those soccer games in Europe where the winning team's fans get totally cray cray and end up trashing the place and turning violent.  Our fight or flight system predisposes us to violence.  When fight or flight is "on" relaxing and connecting are "off."  True joy or happiness isn't full of emotional extremes, it's peaceful.  Thinking of times when I felt happiness memories of hanging out with old friends and laughing, Sunday afternoons naps with my wife or holding my niece or nephew came to mind.  I was happy in all of those moments, those peaceful, idyllic moments that weren't complicated.  There were no highs and lows, that's true happiness.  So, how do I cultivate happiness like that?  How do I make more memories like this and lead a fulfilling life?  (I warned you, annoyingly introspective.)  


I, like most people, get frustrated sometimes when the advice is to "be here now."  That sounds awesome, sign me up.  Now how do I do that?  Because I've tried.  I usually get distracted.  Beck says it can be simple, "create something" she advises.  When we create dopamine is released.  When we're creating we are much more "in the moment" and less concerned with finding the manic highs.  Our bodies and mind are satisfied.  Mmmmm dopamine, so satisfying.  If you think of a time that you were cooking, or crafting, or making up a workout it was probably easier to be in the moment.  Easier to keep your thoughts in the present moment instead of what you need to do in 3 hours.  Practice by creating more and more frequently.  Hooray for bedazzlers and glue!  


After reading Beck's article I realized I had been comparing or judging (you know, judging, it's always a good idea) my emotional state against the ads, the rom-coms where it all works out in the end, moments of mania.  Recognizing the mistake made me feel, free and dum dum duuuum drumroll please, happy.  Getting a more accurate idea of happiness I realized that, frankly, I'm typically pretty happy.  So, set yourself free!  Let those moments after boot camp when you're tired and stretching as the sun is rising be your ruler, not the winner on The Price is Right.  


That's just, like, my opinion man read the whole article HERE.  

Spicy Salmon Zuchinni Rollups

Check out these yummy looking salmon roll ups from chillilovesmalli.blogspot.com.  

photo by Malli of chililovesmalli.blogspot.com

Ingredients:
Salmon Filets skin removed and sliced lengthwise -4 
Zuchini-1
Spice for roasting salmon
Coriander powder- 1 tsp
Chili powder-1/2 tsp
Paprika- 1/2 tsp
Black Pepper- 1/2 tsp
Lemon juice- 1 tspn
Salt to taste.


get the how to . . .

Workout Challenge

5 Rounds
20 Lunges
20 Squats
10 Push ups

I'm tellin' all y'all it's sabotage

There are weeks when eating well is easy.  Weeks that I even ask myself ”what’s the big deal about eating well?”  But then there are weeks that I don’t feel like I can get it together.  I feel like eating well is completely out of my control.  As if eating cookies for breakfast is just happening to me, because that’s how it feels.  So, what’s the difference between eating well and not?  About 3 hours.  That’s it.  That’s the difference.  The hours are spent over the day, usually on Mondays.  One hour is spent grocery shopping and driving there.  I can go through a Trader Joe’s like it’s Supermarket Sweep and I know the cashiers that can get it done and the ones that are super slow.  I get mostly the same things every week for lunches for Melissa and I, the shopping list usually looks a lot like this:

• 2 dozen eggs
• Fuji Apples
• Sweet Potatoes/Brussels Sprouts/Butternut Squash
• Onions
• Mushrooms
• Grapes
• Chicken Breasts
• Applegate Farms Smoked Turkey Slices
• Electrolyte Water
• Tuna Fish
• Spinach or other bagged greens
• Kale
• Avocado
• Canned tomatoes
• Salsa
• Frozen fish

The other 2 hours are spent making the following:

Hard Boiled Eggs

Egg Frittata Muffins with sauteed onion and mushrooms

Kale Salad

Roasting which ever rootish veggies I got

Tuna salad (I make a Mediterranean version with roasted red peppers, artichoke hearts and black olives)

Crock Pot Mexican Chicken Soup (this is where the tomatoes and salsa come in)

That’s it.  That’s what makes the difference in me eating well. If I have all those pre-made snacks in our fridge it’s easy.  Melissa and I do pretty well with dinners.  We like cooking together and usually make a fish dish of some sort and incorporate veggies pretty easily.

One of the things that is important about my snacks are portability.  I work from home but also spend a lot of time at Atlanta Kick in the morning and I need something to grab on the way out the door.  Don’t let being unprepared sabotage what can be an easy week that you feel good about or a week lost in packaged foods with 31 ingredients.

Mexican Chicken Soup a la Gilbert-Ross

1/2 the ingredients.  

This is a weekly staple in our house adapted from a family recipe that wasn't as paleo friendly.  It's delicious and so easy in the crock pot or on the stove top;  plus it heats up well for lunches or a snack.

3 chicken breasts, shredded
1 yellow onion, diced
1 packet taco seasoning (or 1/4 tsp of this recipe)
16 oz chicken broth
1 jar salsa
28 oz can diced tomatoes
14 oz can diced and fire roasted tomatoes
Salt to taste

get in my tummy

I throw all the ingredients together in the Crockpot for 6 hours on high.  You could also do this stove top adding all the ingredients, bringing to a boil then reducing to a simmer for 30 ish minutes-just make sure your onions are translucent before serving.  I shred the chicken in the food processor pulsing it until it's the right consistency-be careful, it's easy to overdo.  Since I already have it out, I chop the onions in the food processor as well.

It is to.die.for delicious topped with some avocado.  You're gonna thank me for this one.

Weekend Challenge

Run 1 mile, lunging 30 steps every 1 minute.

Every month at our camp there are campers and instructors preparing for races.  The subject for many of the training conversations surround how to fuel.  Read the article below from the New York Times' Gina Kolata on the science behind fueling -  or not - during endurance events.  After reading, tell me what or if you've been fueling and if this article changed anything.

Workouts May Not Be the Best Time for a Snack

By Gina Kolata

A few weeks ago, a friend showed up for a run with a CamelBak — one of those humplike backpacks with a tube that allows you to sip liquid — and a belt containing food to eat along the way. Every 20 minutes or so as we ran, he stopped to eat and drink, sprinting afterward to catch up.

Now that is unusual, I thought. Does it really help to eat so often during a 16-mile run?

Certainly a lot of athletes believe they need constant nourishment. My friend and running partner Jen Davis, who has entered more races and run more than I ever have, once went on a 30-mile training run with a guy wearing a CamelBak and bearing snacks. He stopped every 20 minutes along the way and then, about halfway through the run, pulled out a turkey sandwich.

“I’m not sure if he ever actually ran an ultra race,” Jen said. “He may have gotten injured after carrying that heavy pack on those long runs.”

There is no end to the crazy foods people will eat at endurance events. At the J.F.K. 50-Mile in Maryland, boiled potatoes and chicken broth are provided at aid stations. At the Rocky Raccoon Endurance Trail Run in Texas, runners can choose rice and beans or pasta, along with snacks like pretzels, cookies and candy.

At a 100-mile bike ride my husband and I have done several times, pumpkin pie is offered about 25 miles from the finish line. (My husband tried it one year and felt ill the rest of the ride.)

For the athlete determined to munch on the go, there are shelves worth of prepackaged “energy gels” and bars, even jelly beans, promising to raise performance.

But most athletes are not running 30 or 50 or 100 miles, nor are they doing the equivalent amount of exercise in another sport, like cycling or swimming or skiing. So most of us really do not need to keep eating during a race to maintain energy and stamina, said Nancy Rodriguez, a sports nutritionist at the University of Connecticut.  Continue reading on NYTimes.com

Coconut Soup with Kelp Noodles & Shrimp

From CookingWeekends.com, this coconut soup with an asian flair would be a great alternate to a standard chicken soup.  Be sure to follow the link after the ingredients for the how to and info about kelp noodles.

photo from cookingweekends.com

2 cups chicken broth
3-4 tbsp fish sauce
3-4 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice
1 tbsp minced ginger, about 1 1/2 inch piece
1 tsp garlic paste or a finely minced small clove
2-3 tsp honey or brown sugar
1 1/2 - 3 tsp Harissa or chili sauce, to taste
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1 bell pepper, red or green or a combination, sliced
12oz package kelp noodles, rinsed
13.5oz can coconut milk

1 cup *cooked salad shrimp at room temperature, or raw, cleaned
small handful cilantro, chopped
1 green onion, sliced

1-2 tsp hot sesame oil (optional)


Get all the info at CookingWeekends.com

Weekend Challenge

10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 Burpees and Sit ups.