Weekend Challenge

20 rounds for time:
1 burpee
10 air squats

Weekend Challenge

5 rounds for time:
10 vertical jumps
run 400 meters

Weekend Challenge

Complete this list:

Run 400 meters (1/4 mile)
25 squats
25 lunges (each side = 1)
25 downward dog/deltoid push ups
25 push ups
25 tricep push ups
25 sit ups
25 flutter kicks
1 minute plank
Run 400 meters

Lemon-Garlic Shrimp & Grits

foodnetwork.com

A healthier take on a Southern favorite!  

 

3/4 cup instant grits
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/4 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails intact
2 large cloves garlic, minced
Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
Juice of 1/2 lemon, plus wedges for serving
2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh parsley 

 

 Read More Food Network.com

Weekend Challenge

Complete as many rounds as possible in 15 minutes

1 round:
10 squats
10 push ups
10 sit ups
400 meter (1/4 mile)

The Worst Foods for Sleep

A glass of warm milk, a cup of chamomile tea, a few slices of tryptophan-laced turkey breast -- a number of foods are at least rumored to help us drift off to sleep. But, besides the obvious (hello, 4 p.m. Starbucks run), could there be foods that are actually keeping us up at night?

For the most part, the research surrounding sleep and diet focuses on how your sleep patterns affect what -- and how much -- you eat, says Kelly Glazer Baron, Ph.D., M.P.H, a sleep researcher and neurology instructor at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine. We know that too little sleep clouds our food judgementand that the most sleep-deprived among us are likely to serve ourselves larger portions. We also know that both too little and too much sleep can lead to weight gain, for the reasons above and more.

Still, says Baron, "we've known for a long time that there are foods that promote or inhibit sleep."

Of course, no one food or drink is likely to cure a true sleep disorder, like insomnia. But there are some foods that, when consumed too close to bedtime, could be stealing your slumber. Here are some of the worst offenders.

Chicken, Sausage & Peppers

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 pound sweet or hot Italian sausage, cut into chunks
3/4 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 small onion, chopped
2 Italian green frying peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh parsley
2 jarred pickled cherry peppers, chopped, plus 2 tablespoons liquid from the jar


Read More at Food Network.com

Weekend Challenge

Sprint 50 meters
10 push ups
10 rounds

More Friends, Fewer Colds?

By Denny Watkins from Men's Health

Frigid winter weather may keep you huddled indoors all weekend, but here’s a reason to venture out and be social: Loneliness wrecks your immune system, according to a study from The Ohio State University.

Researchers performed two studies to assess how feeling lonely—as opposed to actuallyhaving very few friends—squashed your health. In one, the loneliest people had the highest amounts of antibodies for two cold-like viruses that live on harmlessly in your body after you get well—a sign of a weakened immune system.

In the second study, the researchers found that when 134 people were faced with sudden stress (by having only 10 minutes to prepare to give a 5-minute speech), the loneliest ones experienced a much bigger spike in markers of inflammation as a result of the stress than people who felt less alone.

Scientists are still trying to pin down exactly how the psychological state of feeling unloved can affect your physical well-being. But it’s likely because the isolation piles on yet another misery in your already stressful life. “Many of the links between stress and physiological changes, such as immune function, should also apply to loneliness,” says study author Lisa Jaremka, Ph.D., a post-doctoral fellow at Ohio State.

To make matters worse, inflammation and a compromised immune system aren’t the only health problems caused by flying through life solo. Here are five more reasons why you should buddy up:

Get the 5!  

Orecchiette with Kale, Bacon, and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Photo: John Autry; Styling: Cindy Barr

• 8 ounces uncooked orecchiette pasta
• 5 cups bagged prewashed kale
• 2 slices center-cut bacon 
• 1/4 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and roughly chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 3 large garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, shaved 
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Weekend Challenge

20 jumping jacks
20 burpies
20 air squats
3 rounds

Vitamin D May Help Maintain Stronger Muscles

From the  Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise

INDIANAPOLIS – Vitamin D supplementation should be examined as a strategy to maintain muscle strength in adults, according to research published in the official journal of the American College of Sports Medicine. This study, in the January edition of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise_®, shows that research participants with higher levels of vitamin D also had more muscle strength even after adjusting for multiple other factors.

“The results of this study indicate that vitamin D may be a viable treatment for muscle strength loss in adults. This is a key area of aging research since people lose strength as they age, but maintaining muscle strength helps prevent falls and fractures, and preserves the ability to live independently,” said the primary investigator, Paul D. Thompson, M.D., FACSM, chief of cardiology at Hartford Hospital in Hartford, Connecticut.  Read the rest!

Apple Maple Stuffed Chicken

Ingredients:

from kokopaleo.com

• 6-8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 8-oz package cream cheese, softened and room temperature
• 2 crisp, sweet apples
• maple syrup
• cinnamon
• nutmeg
• salt
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil

Get the how to and make this delicious main course from kokopaleo.com!

Weekend Challenge

Run 1 mile with 100 squats at midpoint 

The Real Story Behind the Exercise You Love to Hate: the Burpee

By Sheryl Dluginski Special to DNAinfo.com

NEW YORK — Maybe you remember it from your high school gym class, or maybe your trainer or boot camp instructor makes you do it in high intensity circuits, but most fitness-minded people are familiar in some way with the deceptively difficult-yet-simple exercise known as the squat thrust — or the Burpee.

Start by standing tall, squat down low, shift your weight to your hands and jump your feet back to a plank — the starting position for a push-up — then jump your feet forward again between your hands, and stand back up.

String a few of these together and feel your heart rate soar and every major muscle group activate.

The Burpee is a popular staple in many of today's most challenging workouts, from CrossFit to boot camps to sports performance and triathlon training. For even the fittest folks, it's a dreaded and highly effective way to build strength, stamina and coordination.

As a personal trainer and holistic fitness fanatic, I know and use this move regularly, but my connection to it is far more personal. 

My paternal grandfather, Royal H. Burpee, invented it.

"Goog," as he was known to me, created the movement as the centerpiece of his PhD thesis in Applied Physiology from Columbia Teacher's College in 1939. The lone remaining copy of his published thesis, which details how and why he devised the unique and powerful combination of movements, sits on a shelf at Generations Fitness, my health and fitness studio.

Family folklore holds that "Nana Ella," Goog's wife and my grandmother, dutifully typed and retyped each draft of the 150-page manuscript, complaining bitterly all the while. Nana always said recreating the abundance of charts and tables on her typewriter was far more challenging than doing the exercise itself.

get the rest!

Pan-seared Tuna with Avocado, Soy, Ginger & Lime

from Tyler Florence at FoodNetwork.com

from thepreppypaleo.com

• 2 big handfuls fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped
• 1/2 jalapeno, sliced
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• 1 garlic clove, grated
• 2 limes, juiced
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• Pinch sugar
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 (6-ounce) block sushi-quality tuna
• 1 ripe avocado, halved, peeled, pitted, and sliced

get the how to and enjoy this delicious recipe!

Weekend Challenge

50 sit-ups
400 meter run or sprint or walk
3 rounds

Running in Cold Weather Running your questions answered

from runnersworld.com

Ask Dr. Daily: Cold-Weather Running

"Will my junk freeze?" and other burning questions, answered.

By

Mark Remy

Published

January 28, 2013

WOW, is it cold out there! Brr, brr, brrrrrr!

But still, you've gotta run, right? Right...? No, I'm really asking. Because when it's this cold, honestly, running even a couple of miles can feel like having Jack Frost shove you down and sit on your chest and smother you with a pillowcase full of dry ice. It just isn't that fun.

Worse, every year around this time we see the return of the "Cold Weather Running Tips" article. A cousin of that summertime staple, the "Beat the Heat" article, "Cold Weather Running Tips" usually appears around the time journalists begin using the phrase "the white stuff." The authors of "Cold Weather Running Tips" articles mean well, but the advice is invariably disappointing.

"Dress in layers," they say.

"Watch out for ice," they say.

"Remember to hydrate!" they say, in a tone that makes it clear they think they've just blown your mind.

"Boring," I say. I mean, duh.  

Get the rest from runnerworld.com!  

Meyer Lemon & Tangelo Chicken

from cavemanconnoisseur.com 

from cavemanconnoisseur.com

1 pasture raised chicken, about 3 1/2 to 4 pounds, quartered

zest and juice of 1 meyer lemon+  1 meyer lemon sliced and reserved

zest and juice of 1 tangelo, + 1 tangelo sliced and reserved

4 tsp honey, divided

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

Fresh ground black pepper

1 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided

2 tablespoons butter

2 pounds small red potatoes, cut in large chunks or quartered

2 parsnips, peeled and sliced

3 small red onions quartered

1 leek sliced

1 1/2 teaspoons herbes de provence, divided

2 Tbs Balsamic Vinegar+2 tsp honey

Get the how to from CavemanConnoisseur.com!

Weekend Challenge

10 push-ups 
10 squats 
10 sit ups 
10 rounds

4 Skills That'll Make You a Healthy Home Cook

by Leta Shy for fitsugar.com 

The first step to eating healthier is to nix the three-times-a-week delivery habit. But the second step is a little more difficult; if you're not used to cooking your own meals, knowing how to whip up a healthy meal in your kitchen takes effort. Master these four skills and you'll be a healthy home cook in no time.

• Keep the nutrients in: Boiling, peeling, and steaming can strip those veggies of their nutrients. Instead of peeling potatoes and carrots or throwing away the leaves of your radishes, scrub your veggies until they are clean and use them with skin and leaves on to keep vitamins intact. And when you are done boiling or blanching a pot of vegetables, save the nutrient-rich water to use later in stocks, stews, or sauces. Get more tricks on how to keep the nutrients in your food here.
• Stay well stocked: A kitchen well stocked with healthy supplies will ensure that you have practically all you need for a quick and healthful meal. Keep this printable poster of healthy pantry staples on your fridge and take it with you to the store when it's time to restock.
• Swap the fat: Sautéing in butter and oil can make even the most vegetable-filled dinner high in calories or fats. And even if you're cooking with healthy fats like olive oil, there can be too much of a good thing. Instead of dumping more butter and oil into your pan, use one to two tablespoons of low-sodium broth when you sauté. You can also invest in a qualitycast-iron skillet to cook without the need of a potentially chemically laden nonstick pan or too much butter or oil. Keep Reading. . .

Creamy Pea & Chicken Stew

Soups are a quick and yummy meal, check out this take on one that may be a little different then what you've been making. 

INGREDIENTS

• 
  
• 1 14-ounce can reduced-sodium chicken broth, divided
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 cups small cauliflower florets
• 1/4 cup finely chopped shallot
• 2 cups frozen peas, thawed
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup shredded Gruyère cheese
• get the how to from foodnetwork.com 

Weekend Challenge

10 vertical jumps  
10 push ups
10 sit ups
4 rounds

The Top 10 Workout Songs for January

Do you turn on the tunes when running?  Here are some to add to your playlist from runhundred.com


Top 10 Workout Songs for January

• Nicki Minaj -- "Va Va Voom" -- 128 BPM
• Coldplay -- "Charlie Brown" -- 138 BPM
• Icona Pop & Charli XCX - "I Love It" -- 126 BPM
• Pitbull & TJR -- "Don't Stop the Party" -- 126 BPM
• 50 Cent, Eminem & Adam Levine -- "My Life" -- 89 BPM
• The Wanted -- "Chasing the Sun (Danny Verde Remix)" -- 129 BPM
• Macklemore, Ryan Lewis & Wanz -- "Thrift Shop" -- 96 BPM
• Fun. & Janelle Monae -- "We Are Young (Betatraxx Remix)" -- 106 BPM
• Will.I.Am & Britney Spears -- "Scream & Shout" -- 131 BPM
• One Direction -- "Live While We're Young (Dave Aude Remix)" -- 130 BPM

Cauliflower and Tuna Salad

Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times

I love cauliflower and tuna but before this I never imagined they could go so well together.  What do you think-will you try this recipe from the nytimes.com?

1 large or 2 small or medium cauliflowers, broken into small florets

1 5-ounce can water-packed light (not albacore) tuna, drained

1 plump garlic clove, minced or pureéd

1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

3 tablespoons capers, drained and rinsed

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoons sherry vinegar or champagne vinegar

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

get the how to at nytimes.com 

Weekend Challenge

10 rounds
10 Squats
10 pushups
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 burpees

Soda Consumption Linked With Higher Depression Risk In Study (And The Opposite Goes For Coffee)

from huffingtonpost.com 

What you drink could be linked with how you feel, according to new research.

A study presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurologysuggests an increased risk of depression from drinking sweetened beverages, as well as a decreased risk of depression from drinking coffee.

Specifically, researchers found an association between drinking four cups/cans of soda daily and a 30 percent higher risk of depression, as well as an association between drinking four cans of fruit punch daily and a 38 percent high risk of depression. The effect was more pronounced with diet fruit punch/soda, compared with non-diet versions of the drinks.

Meanwhile, researchers found an association between drinking four cups of coffee daily and a 10 percent lower risk of depression.  keep reading . . .

Prep Once Eat All Week!

It sounds great; get all your stuff ready to roll Sunday and eat well all week.  When I read this article on shape.com, I   thought "that is doable."  Check it out the ingredient list and click through for the recipes:

Prep!

CHOP
2 cups broccoli florets
1 cup lettuce
3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp yellow onion
1/2 cup plus 1 1/2 tbsp fresh Italian parsley
1/2 cup plus 2 tsp fresh basil
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp white onion
1/4 cup cauliflower florets
4 cloves garlic

COARSELY GRIND
1 tbsp pecans

DICE
3/4 cup tomatoes
1/3 cup mango, peeled
1/4 cup sweet potato, peeled

HALVE
2 plum tomatoes (lengthwise)
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes

MARINATE
1 link (3 1/2 oz) turkey sausage, pierced with a fork, in 12 oz light beer

POUND
4 oz chicken breast until 1/4 inch thick

RINSE AND DRAIN
1/2 cup chickpeas
1/3 cup low-sodium black beans
1/3 cup cannellini beans

SLICE (lengthwise)
1 sweet potato (for fries)
1/4 bell pepper

SLICE (widthwise)
1/4 sweet potato (thinly)
1/4 yellow onion (3 thin slices)
1/8 eggplant (two 1/4-inch thick wheels)

TOAST
2 tbsp slivered almonds (Toast in a small skillet over medium heat, shaking occasionally, until fragrant, 10 to 12 minutes.)

ZEST AND JUICE
1 lime
1/2 lemon

SHAPE.com for the recipes.