New Year's Resolutions: Not a Fad, But For Life

Happy Holidays! I had a wonderful Christmas, hope you did too. Now we are in the week before the new year or the calm before the storm. If you've been like me you have spent some time working out at the gym and have found it nice and quiet these last couple of weeks. Don't have to jostle for a space in classes or wait for someone to finish with equipment. I like it! Starting next week, this won't be the case, all the resolutioners, as I call them, will be joining the gym, (I've already seen them touring), and will be finding their way around, trying to figure out what that does and which classes they want to join. Things will feel crowded. As a nation of unfit people, I think it's fantastic that people decide to make a change to get fit and be healthy. The problem is that many will make the New Year's Resolution, workout for a couple of months and then give it up. They will then, next New Year's make the same resolution and consequently quit. That is the problem I have with making these resolutions. They are easy to make and just as easy to break. It's the New Year's fad. What I want to see are people choosing a healthy lifestyle for life. Living a life full of eating clean, exercising and wellness, is a full-time commitment and quitting shouldn't be an option. We all slack off, but if we value the benefits, we never quit outright. As much as I enjoy the quietness of the gym right now, if I knew the people joining and being kind of annoying the next few months were going to stay for the long-haul and blend in with the rest of us lifers, I would get used to a busy a gym and think it was a good thing. Happy exercising. I'm off to a quiet class...

Happy New Year!

Compassion, not taunting

On October 25, 2010, Maura Kelly, a Marie Claire blogger, wrote a distasteful post regarding obese characters on TV and wether viewers would want to watch them make out or would that make them uncomfortable. She had a lot more to say and you can click above to read the full post. Kelly later posted an apology after an outpouring of messages, mostly upset (rightly so) about what she had to say. Here is a follow-up report from Today. I've watched "Mike and Molly", and I like that the characters meet at an overeaters meeting. It shows that they recognize they have an issue and are trying to do make a change. I also feel the show has written in some very real obstacles; family, although loving, somewhat sabotage Molly by eating cake or drinking in front of her and giving excuses such as big-boned, having to make food choices when eating out, and their own self-consciousness about how they look in the eyes of each other. I find this show more realistic and would rather watch than that of "Real Housewives" of anywhere USA. I think what would truly make this show great would be a conscious effort of the actors/characters to lose weight and become healthy over the course of the show. That would continue to show viewers that you can make changes. Anything is possible. I applaud other shows such as Thintervention and The Biggest Loser as well as the trainers, Jackie Warner, Bob Harper and Jillian Michaels, for showing the Nation that there is a real problem, what you can do about it and that it is done with compassion. Obesity is a real, physical and emotional problem. We need to help each other with love, compassion and sincerity, not torment or taunt. It is sad if we can't do that.

I consider other countries around the world to be "food" nations; Greece, Italy, France.. but we have become a bad, fast-food nation. Excuses, "I don't have time", "It's too difficult", Good food costs too much", "I/my family won't like/eat it". There are so many good recipes out there that are fast, easy, and everyone will like them. As for cost, well think of it this way, would you rather spend a little more, eat well, lose weight and become healthy, or not and spend even more on medical bills, because diabetes or clogged arteries have set in and you have to work that much harder to become healthy for fear of a heart attack or something else that will shorten your life? I know what I choose.

These same excuses come to play with exercise, the biggest being no time. If you have time to sit and watch TV for 30-60 min at night, you have time to go to the gym, workout at home or outside. You have to be committed.

Below are some great links for eating clean and working out:

Tosa Reno is Fabulous

http://www.cleaneatingmag.com/minisite/ce_index.htm

http://www.oxygenmag.com/

http://www.mytrainerbob.com/

http://www.fitnessrxmag.com/

Don't Let The Scale Weigh You Down

I read some different fitness blogs and follow fitness on Facebook as well as Twitter. The information often times is redundant, but sometimes new and always interesting. Today before a body pump class at the Y I read Jillian Michaels' post about how you might get discouraged if you've been eating right and exercising and yet you step on the scale and it hasn't budged or even fluctuates a pound or two in both directions. Interestingly enough, today happened to be my day to come home after class and re-read the information as I had been loosing a pound here and there, but not this week. I worked out hard all week, ate healthy and nada. Remember that as stated in the JM blog, the weight didn't appear suddenly and it will take time to disappear. Also remember that as you exercise and eat right you will be building muscle and that does weigh more than fat, and that your body may have it's days (bloating...) that it may just hold in more water. I don't own a scale as I don't want to be obsessed by what it says. Basically your scale lies and as long as you are fitting better in your clothes, eating well, exercising (and enjoying it) you are doing the right things and eventually you will see the results of your hard work.

Another blog from fit Bottomed girls might be helpful if you've gained weight and not sure why. Or you know why and want to understand the reasons in depth. I know that for myself being out of work last summer, even though I was working out practically every day, contributed to my not loosing weight. Your home, stressed and the food or beverages are in the kitchen calling your name. It's very easy to be sucked in. You have to take control. I'm still learning this, it's a daily issue, but if I can do it so can you.

Labor Day has Passed, but Summer isn't Over!

So Labor Day has come and gone, the outdoor community pool is closed, the kids are back to school and the stores are full of fall fashion. According to the world summer is over. Don't fret, you can still enjoy summer for a little bit more. The weather hasn't gone frigid yet, you can still wear the summer clothes and workout outside. In fact weather that is a tad cooler (not in the 90's) is better for being outside. Might not be pool temps, but the pool is closed now, anyhow. Time to hit the hiking and cycling trails and do some running or kayaking. Take the gym workout outdoors. I tried an outdoor boot camp class from Custom Fitness Concepts here in DC. It was a really great class and worked all the muscle groups. You don't need a class to achieve the same results, but if you find one, it's always great to workout within a group for motivation. All you need is a yoga mat/towel, jump rope and exercise band. You can get in your cardio with running, jump rope, jumping jacks, running in place, mountain climber and high knees. The mat is good for crunches and push ups and the band is great for resistance training in place of hand weights. Believe me if you work hard for an hour it will feel like an hour in the gym.

Speaking of classes, I've started trying some different ones recently, including the one mentioned above. The YMCA here has some great offers and I'm sure most Y's across the country do as well. The Les Mills body pump one is very popular. It's a barbell class and works most muscle groups. When asked by the instructor if I was new to the Y I said no, just checking out some of the classes. I had found that although I can and do regularly work out on my own it had become routine and thought it might be time to mix it up a bit. Taking classes will help motivate and wakes up the body. Your body can get used to the usual and won't perform as well unless you change things a little and make it work harder again. It gets bored. I also have tried a kickboxing class at LA Boxing and hope to do the YMCA equivalent and also a class called CSI (Cardio Strength Intervals), this is what it says, cardio and weights. Very tough.

Don't be afraid to try new things and mix it up. You never know what you might find you enjoy.

With that it's off to dance class tonight. Been a break for a couple of weeks. Will be nice to see what is new for this semester.

So although the "so called" end to summer has come and gone, rest assured it's not quite over yet and you can still enjoy summer fun.

Back from Ecuador/Galapagos. Absolutely Amazing!

Been almost a month since my last post. My initial intention for this blog was to keep up with it consistently. This was impossible however ,as for the last two weeks I had no access to the internet therefore I didn't have a computer in sight. I was too busy watching wildlife from land and sea! What an amazing place Ecuador including the Galapagos islands are. Most people forget that the islands are part of the country of Ecuador, thinking they are a separate country. They are most different so it's easy to come to that conclusion.

The trip, minus the getting there and away, was most memorable. I don't like the long flights, airport layovers, and for that matter anything airport related. The adventure began in and around Quito. Staying with friends in Quito we enjoyed a full day at hot springs in Papallacta with their friends and family. Having to acclimatize to the altitude, this was a great way to spend the first day. Not so easy was the next day as we visited and hiked some of Cotopaxi National Park. This was killer! Made it to the refugio at 4800m, close to 16,000 ft!

We then had one day to sightsee around old town Quito before joining the islands part of our trip. Old town was most interesting with old churches, cobblestone streets, but very crowded with cars and people.

Boat life isn't the easiest and I find myself impressed at how anyone can spend large amounts of time out to sea. Getting your sea-legs takes time and once you think you've mastered it, you find you haven't, not really. Before you know it you are back on land and in our case back to high altitude and let me just say that is the strangest feeling. Feeling sea sick and altitude sick at the same time. Most of the time on the boat was okay, but when El Capitan started the engines, it was time to make for the cabin and lie down. Fortunately most of our time was spent walking around the islands or snorkeling in the clear, although frigid waters.

The wildlife we saw! Quite incredible to land on an island, and instantly see all the species one would expect to see all within a few feet of the beach. Walking around sea lions, birds, iguanas and lizards. Many of the species inhabit all the islands, but some places, especially not inhabited by humans, were there great numbers. There were so many different species to remember them all but here goes:

Sea lions, fur sea lions, marine iguanas, 2 types of land iguanas, lava lizards, blue-footed, nazca and red footed boobies, albatross, sally lightfoot crabs, Darwin finches, mockingbirds, gulls, giant tortoises, greater flamingos, greater and magnificent frigate birds, tropic birds, pelicans, many other shore birds, and warblers. This was on land, once in the water we saw many species of fish, rays, white-tip reef sharks, green sea turtles, and Galapagos penguins. I know I've forgotten something. Anyhow, with daily trips to the islands and snorkeling we had many chances to witness the magnificence of this special place. We probably stayed fit as a result of these activities too, which was something I, for one was happy about considering the food on the boat was really good. Amazing what one person in a tiny kitchen can create, including a beautiful birthday cake!

Yes, I enjoyed a fantastic birthday, cake and all on this trip. It certainly will be one I won't easily forget.

All the wildlife aside, the islands themselves are unique. They are volcanic, so the vegetation and landscape are quite fascinating. Lave tubes, big and small, tidal pools, and sand in every color, red, black, white and green.

With the week over, we returned to Quito for a final day of sightseeing. The TeleferiQo, a gondola ride up Mount Pichincha Volcano, started our last day. The summit is at 4100m or 13, 400 ft with more hiking if one is game. We went a little further on, but was literally breath taking. The views are spectacular if you get some clearing in the fog and clouds. Then we finished up our tour with another dizzying climb to the belfry of the Basilica del Voto Nacional in old town Quito. Again wonderful views of the city.

Now home, am reliving the trip through images of which I will be sure to share.

Although not the cheapest place to visit, if the opportunity arises, Go! You won't be disappointed. Having gone into the wildlife profession, learning about Darwin and evolution, it was not a place to be missed.

Now, I have to get back into the grove of the ordinary again. At least I've got my land legs back because I'm going to need them for all the workouts and dancing yet to come!

Summer Solstice

Happy Summer Solstice! Well, I'm a day late, but summer is here!

This is a good thing; long days, summer weather, getting outside for workouts and cool summer food. Bad news; well yesterday was the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere, it's all downhill from here on out. I know, you didn't want to hear that. What will you do this summer? Time to get outside, but remember to be head smart and safe in the heat and sun. Water, water, water and skin coverage. I'm all for getting your vitamin D fix and a slight tan, but be careful. Sunscreen SPF 30, hat and sunglasses. Been in the 90's for a week or more so far with more to come in the next few days here in DC and that means staying well hydrated, cool and burn free. And don't forget your pets, by checking the Humane Society's tips. It's easy to forget these things when you are enjoying yourself or just trying to beat the heat. I've already started in the outdoor fun. Hiking trails in Shenandoah NP, cycling in Rock Creek Park, and hiking in other places. Oh and the community pool has been opened since Memorial Day. Why wouldn't you want to be outside as much as possible? Nothing wrong with the gym, but this is a nice change. If you are like me, allergies might be your first response for staying in. Don't let it. Seems allergies are serious fighters, but we can fight back and win. I'm trying Zyrtec D (or rather generic version) and will hope that will help. I will do whatever I need to to keep working out outdoors. So take precautions and enjoy.

Cool food for summer means salads and light pasta dishes to me. I've had fun adding to my basic salad. Try throwing in some fruit (strawberries, mango, and tangerines are great for salads). How about nuts, walnuts, almonds, pine nuts. If you need a little more, add something like chicken, shrimp or something else you like for substance. Light vinaigrette dressing or just a splash of olive oil. Yum! You can add a little feta or some other lite cheese if you'd like.

Enjoy the summer the best you can. Don't let the heat keep you from doing what you enjoy. Get out in the kayak or hike/bike on the trail. Remember early in the morning or evening is the best time for these activities.

Have a summer blast!

Memorial Day and long weekends

Memorial Day...a day that we honor and remember the brave men and women that fought and continue to fight to protect our freedom and serve our country. And we do honor them.

This was a great weekend to reflect, spend time with friends and family and enjoy three days off from the normal day in and day out schedule. It was a great weekend full of fun activities; fitness (hike, swimming and a bike ride), movies, gardening and summer food. I hope that your weekend was a good one and you were able to do whatever you wanted. 3-day weekends are great and unfortunately don't seem to last long enough. Ever noticed how three days in a normal work week seems to drag on but three days in a long weekend goes by in a blink? I certainly wish we had these long weekends more often. The hike was at a popular spot in Shenendoah National Park called Old Rag. If you go in the main entrance you will have company, as it is the more popular way to go. The "back" way is less popular but I think just as challenging. What you'll miss is the couple of places of rock scrambling and the crowds. It was a humid hot day but fortunately not sunny or it could have been oppressive. About 5.4 miles RT and a nice workout. On the way home, besides the stop to the grocery store where I ended up buying live clams (not on my list), we also stopped at a nursery and bought herbs and annuals. Sunday was a nice time at the pool (opened for the first time this year) and the movie The Prince of Persia, which was entertaining. Today was a great day filled with a 26-mile bike ride, the pool and a dinner of bratwurst on the grill. That followed last nights bison burgers. For those vegetarians or vegans, just think of veggie burgers and tofu sausage.

Now it is the end of this weekend and time to head to bed for a good nights rest before work tomorrow. I know, not the same, actually kind of bites. Think short week by a day.

Although the weekend was spent cramming all that we could in three days, remember that we can do this because of those who volunteer to serve in our armed forces. Unlike many nations where it is required, it is not here. And wether you agree or disagree with the politics, we should still honor those who stand/stood in the line of fire, even if they shouldn't be there.

Happy Memorial Day!

Destiny, Fate, Whatever you Want to Call It

We create our own fate. Yes, really. Interestingly, it's been a common theme recently, it seems. Rise and Rise Again Until Lambs Become Lions from Robin Hood. Robin says that it means never give up. I always want to add and never surrender. That was from another movie, I think. If you remember what it was, let me know.

Then there was The Biggest Loser last week. I don't watch much, but read what happened the next day. I noticed that in the show they brought back two of the previous winners. One, a woman who seemed to be to be doing well and one, a man who had gained back much of the weight he lost. That made me question why. He kept it off for a year and half, but then what happened? He was empowered at first then lost momentum. He did great at the Biggest Loser Ranch with trainers, a chef and support from the other contestants. Going home, what then? Yes, it's certainly fantastic if you have support from friends and family, I certainly do, but really the only person who can rise up and decide to change and stick to it is you. There are no excuses. We come up with them; not enough time, didn't feel like it, the weather was lousy, I don't know, excuses seem to creep up from who-knows-where and stick. If you want to change you and only you have the power to make that happen. You create your own fate. You have to take a chance. I thought I had trouble with this when it came to work: I was employed, then unemployed and now not really doing what I want and there are not many jobs out there for me. But what I recognized was that because I choose to work in a certain profession and study, I have chosen my direction, it hasn't been decided for me. It just happens that there are not that many positions for the path I've chosen at the moment. Sure in this instance I could say that I don't have complete control over my destiny, well, maybe not, but there certainly are aspects of your life that you do have control of and your health and well-being are among them. You can decide to be healthy, to exercise, and eat well. I'm fortunate, I have a boyfriend who got me into fitness, and friends that I dance with and have become a support system (even if they don't know it) and a great family. Even if you don't feel you have that, then you have to make a conscious decision that this is what you want. No one wants to eat healthy food with you, then you just make it for your self. No one wants to workout with you, then you do it alone or you find people who do. I guarantee you that there are people out there who are willing and want to do these things with you, you just have to find them and if not, then you do this for yourself, because you are what matters and whatever it is you want, you should go for it and never give up, and never surrender. Bottom line is you need to do what you want and makes you happy;no one else is going to do it for you and it isn't just going to happen because of destiny.

I promise to have a lighter post soon. Thanks for sticking it out.

Fun and hard work pays off Ta da!

This weekend was the end of long semester of hard work at Sahara Dance. UDM 8! How to describe a show such as this; It's a lot of women running around putting on makeup, costumes, doing their hair, talking about everything under the sun and waiting ( a lot of waiting). I know to the guys that sounds frightening. Two days of rehearsals and two full days of show (2 shows each day). It can be very exhausting! This year I was in two companies and three numbers (a couple of challenging numbers, can you say shamadan?) This isn't new for me though as when I was dancing a few years ago, I could be in at least four numbers ( jazz, tap, hip hop, African). Funny how with every UDM, I am in another number, 2008 (1), 2009 (2), 2010 (3), hmm what does that mean for 2011? The scene at a show like this is hard to describe to people who haven't experienced it. It can be stressful, dancers get worried about their pieces or props (understandably), and then there is the nervousness of performing. Through it all however it is FUN! In the end it's all about having a good time. How can you not laugh, there are women running around with curlers in there hair, crazy makeup, costumes half on and just plain silliness. Giggles become the norm. That is the important thing and the camaraderie is indescribable. You learn more about your fellow dancers in four days than you might have the whole semester (16 weeks). Granted you may get that feeling at some point of ugh, I don't want to do this again, wear this costume again or hear that song again, but once over you are oh boy, can't wait until the next show! And there is a next show. Fortunately I don't have to wait but about a week for new classes and choreography to gear up and do it all over again.

Now I usually talk about fitness and food in these blogs. Fitness, how can that not be covered under dance, what a fun way to get in some needed cardio. Food, well I ate salad (possibly not the most healthy with the cheese and bacon bits, and other healthy snacks as well as those not so much, but how can you possibly go wrong with chocolate, really?

So after todays one day of rest it will be back to the gym for the next three days to work on weights, cardio and anything else Jillian Michaels can throw at me.

Final word: TA DA!

Spring, 30-day shred and temptations

It's spring and the weather has been up and down, warm, cold, sunny, rainy. Hard to plan a regular outside workout schedule. And if you have allergies, it's been terrible. Fortunately I haven't suffered as much as some people, but certainly still feeling it. However, when the weather is nice its tempting to want to workout outside instead of the gym. So if you can stand it, get out, take in the vitamin d and get some exercise. I've taken to cycling and a bit of running, although I'll never get very far very fast. I also take some of my inside moves outside. You can do crunches, pushups, squats, lunges, tricept dips just about anywhere. You may not have weights with you, but if you do more reps than you would with weights you are still working the muscles. All you need is a good space, in a park and a bench for tricept dips and knee bends. You're getting cardio and strength training. This gets me to the 30-day shred. Okay, this is taking me forever and it isn't because its hard, just that I haven't had time. I've only done 3 of the 30 days. This is okay though because I'm still working out most every day. I've had dance classes, practices, gym workouts, and outdoor workouts. I look at having the DVD for those days that I just can't can't anywhere else and I need that exercise. It's still a good program and glad that I invested in it. It also has given me good movement ideas for when I'm in the gym or outside.

I mentioned temptations in the title. Today as has happened other days and will happen again I was tempted with food. The office where I'm currently working decided to have a little celebration for something they accomplished. This meant a small spread of wine, beer, cheese, crackers, chips, salsa, carrots and mini cupcakes. Oh boy! Before I started really thinking about I might have just grazed, but today I had to use willpower and overcome the urge to talk and eat. I had a little white wine and carrots, lots of carrots. two small pieces of cheddar but that was it. It was kind of difficult, but I knew I could do it. I also had water. Drink lots of water, it helps. I watched part of The Biggest Loser tonight as well and funny enough one of the challenges was a food temptation challenge. One room filled with healthy and unhealthy food and people deciding what they would eat. I know that would be a very difficult challenge, but its something one has to confront all the time and its good to know how you might react and what you might choose to eat.

Just remember that when faced with temptation that you can get through it and come out on top. Always have water with you, go for anything that is healthy even if that means eating lots of carrots, don't stay close to the food and if you give in, one piece of cheese isn't the end, just don't overindulge.

You can do it.

Happy spring!

Summer is coming....

Today is April 6, but it feels like August 6. 92 degrees and sunny. Over the weekend it was in the high 70's, sunny and just lovely. It was time to get into summer mode and so it was off to go kayaking. Pohick Bay Regional Park is 30-minutes south of Washington, DC and is open for kayaking earlier than anyone in the city. One place, Jack's Boathouse won't open until April 15 and Fletcher's Boathouse probably won't open until the end of April or early May. It was a really nice day, we were out on the water for two hours and saw many birds. Kayaking is very good upper body and abdominal workout. Shoulders, obliques and biceps. If you are in anything but calm conditions you'll get an excellent workout, but even in calm conditions you can work fast and hard.

With the summer weather on its way I'm posting some good exercises for swimming. We'll be in the pool before you know it. Of course if your gym has an indoor or heated outdoor you can start right away. Happy pool time.

These are from Jillian Michaels newsletter.

1. Push-ups on the side of the pool.

2. Dips on the side of the pool.

3. Treading water. (If this is easy for you, hold a dumbbell over your head and try it.)

4. Hold weights in your hands and try running laps in a lap pool. This is fun and challenging.

5. Hold a kickboard and do only kicking-drill laps.

6. Place a Styrofoam block between your legs and hold it tight so that your legs are totally stationary. Now try swimming laps using only your arms.

7. Up-downs: Go into the deep end of the pool. Dive to the bottom and then jump from the bottom back up to the surface. Catch your breath and repeat.

Try to do each of these exercises for 5 sets of 10 repetitions — do what you can in the beginning, and work up to it!

Jamie Oliver, health in this country and a pasta recipe

I don't watch much reality TV. I like The Amazing Race.
Not because I care about the teams, but mostly just to see where they travel to and what tasks they need to complete. Occasionally there will be some funny, albeit sad comments, like " how is champagne made, is it wine and club soda?" Oye!My mom recommended that I check out Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution. I have to say I found it interesting. here is the basic message from Jamie's web site: "I believe that every child in America has the right to fresh, nutritious school meals, and that every family deserves real, honest, wholesome food. Too many people are being affected by what they eat. It's time for a national revolution. America needs to stand up for better food!

You live in an amazing country full of inspirational people and you have the power to change things. With your help, we can get better food into homes, schools and communities all over America and give your kids a better future."
I hope he is able to make a difference. Although so far in the first two episodes he has been met with resistance and hostility.Some of that is to be expected and understandable. Anytime someone is faced with a change from how they done something for years or getting the feeling someone has told them they way they are doing it has been wrong for all these years, there will be resistance and hard feelings. However, the health and ultimately the lives of the children are at stake and that is more important.
I want to stress that as much as we change the eating habits of this country we also need to get people moving. Exercise is the other key to healthy living and weight loss. So Let's get to the gym, workout outside when possible or even get to a class, like aerobics, or dance. Next add healthy, fresh and unprocessed foods to the diet.
Recipe for today:
Pasta with pesto
Pasta of your choice (spaghetti, penne)
Cook pasta
Saute mushrooms, garlic, onions and other vegies of your choice (spinach is another good one)
When pasta is done add a pesto sauce, olive oil and the toss with the vegies, sprinkle on grated Parmesan cheese.
Simple, quick and good for you.
Enjoy!

Food Journal, Week One.

A food journal is not as easy as it sounds. I think it is working though. It's been a week since I started it and been going strong. The thought of having to write down every little (or big) thing that I put in my mouth has been a bit overwhelming and I think realizing that you have to write everything is what works against over-eating. It's a bit annoying actually. I'm hoping this will help from too much snacking. What I have found to be helpful is keeping a journal that is small and can be taken everywhere. I bought a small notebook and write down each meal, snack and drink. Everything goes in it, so if someone has a bowl of candy (yes my office has that) then if I were to eat a piece it goes in the notebook. Last week I was very good. I didn't eat any of the bagels that were brought in for St. Patrick's Day, okay it did help that they were green, a little less appetizing, but I also didn't eat the extra ice cream that was leftover from a birthday party or more than one piece of chocolate from the bowl I mentioned earlier. The next best thing would be to figure out and record the calories, but let's be realistic about this. Anyhow, I'm hoping that this will help keep snacking down and still eat healthy. I've made it through week one, let's see if I can keep it going.

Now speaking of food. I know I haven't done a lot of recipes for things other than fish, but I have another salmon recipe. I also have a make your own tortilla chips recipe too.

First, honey dijon salmon with walnut crust. The recipe calls for pecans, but I had walnuts.

1 pound of salmon, 1 tblsp of olive oil, 3 tblsp of butter,melted, 1.5 tblsp honey, 3 tblsp mustard, 1/4 c bread crumbs, 1/4 c nut, walnuts or pecans, 1 tblsp parsley, chopped, 1/4 tsp thyme, salt and pepper.

400 degrees, sm bowl combine oil, honey, mustard and butter. Set aside. In another bowl combine breadcrumbs, nuts, parsley,thyme, salt and pepper. Brush the salmon with the honey mustard combo, sprinkle evenly the breadcrumbs mix. Bake for 12-15 min. It says to serve with lemon wedges, but one thing I might do another time is add a little lemon juice to the honey combo.

Calories: 312

Baked tortilla chips. Take 6 corn tortillas and lightly coat each side with and olive oil spray, and sprinkle salt. Stack each tortilla and then slice through creating triangles. Arrange the triangles on a baking sheet and bake for 5-7 minutes until crisp but not over done. Don't over do the oil or salt. Too much oil will make them a little soggy and take longer to bake.

Calories: 77

Those are the recipes for tonight.

This weekend was lovely. Got out for a nice hike and then had dance classes. I hope you are enjoying the warmer temps and sunshine, but be sure to remember your sunblock. The sun is getting stronger and the skin hasn't seen the light of day for several months, be careful out there. Looking forward to more summer like days in the days to come. More hiking, biking and hopefully kayaking to come.

Beach Ready Body

With spring on its way and summer around the corner a beach ready body is what I'm thinking about. So I went to the gym tonight and did the Jillian Michaels Beach Ready Bootcamp podcast. It's a podcast found on iTunes. The workout consists of four circuits. Each circuit is made up of four different exercises done in three sets. Each set has 10-20 reps of the movements. The first two times I've done this podcast I only managed to get through the first two circuits. Tonight I went through the all four circuits. I know, amazing right. Well, I went through the first three doing all three sets but the fourth one I only did the first set, it was a good hour of exercise. Some of the great moves in the third circuit included dead lifts with bicept curls, flyes and crunches. Some of these were done on the body ball. That is a good prop to have for workouts. By lying on the ball you engage core muscles in keeping balance so you work more than just the target muscles. With the flyes, crunches and tricept press you lie with your head, neck and back on the ball and keeping stable with your legs. It makes for a little tougher workout and helps to get you on the road to a beach ready body.

On Saturday I mentioned that I went cycling and a neat news bit about cycling today, Google has launched Google Maps with bike directions. Check it out the next time you want to go somewhere by bike. I did and it has a few good features.http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/03/biking-directions-added-to-google-maps.html

Dance classes tomorrow and then on to the weekend. The weather doesn't look great so it may be indoor gym time instead of outdoor, but as long as we keep at it in some fashion.

Spring

The sun is shining, the temp is warmer, the birds are singing and the flowers are starting to awaken from slumber all signs that indicate spring is coming. What a lovely weekend it was here in Washington, DC. Saturday was a great day to get out on the bicycles that haven't seen the light of day for a couple of months. It was in the 50's and although that doesn't sound super warm we were not bundled up. We rode up the Capital Crescent Trail to Bethesda and then came back down through Rock Creek Park. It's around about a 25-mile ride. We stopped at a riding club to visit with the horses, who were too busy eating to say hello. We also stopped to do a few other exercise too. There is a section along the Rock Creek Park trail where the Park Service has set up exercise stops for chin-ups, sit-ups etc... We were out for three-hours. It was a good workout and time to replenish the vitamin D. Sunday I had dance classes and tonight is a rest day. Tonight I have a recipe for you. Salmon and asparagus pasta. It can be made vegetarian by leaving out the fish or using a fish substitute. I may have mentioned this one before, but really like it so it's worth mentioning again.

The recipe I have calls for penne pasta but you can use any kind. Tonight it was egg noodles. Asparagus, salmon, green onion, egg noodles,feta cheese (or soy feta) olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon to taste. Heat the olive oil,adding the salt, pepper, then add the asparagus and green onion until asparagus softens. Then add the salmon until fully cooked and pour in a little lemon juice. While the asparagus is cooking boil water and add pasta, simmer until pasta is soft. Once the pasta and fish/asparagus is done, toss together and add the feta. The spices I used were salt and Trader Joes mix of salt, pepper, lemon rind and garlic, so I didn't use juice, but you can. It's a healthy, tasty meal. Speaking of fish I read today in the RX Fitness for Women magazine that eating cod promotes weight loss. It's high in vitamins A, E and Omega-3 fatty acids. This is from a study in Nutrition, Metabolism, and Cardiovascular Diseases. http://www.nmcd-journal.com/article/S0939-4753(09)00004-0/abstract See the abstract. Stay tuned for cod recipes.

Tomorrow night dance practice, Wed back to the gym and dance classes on Thu. Now it's back to resting and enjoying the thought that spring and eventually summer are close at hand.

After a Cold, Day Two of The 30-Day Shred

Getting back to exercise and everything else on the other side of a cold takes time, but feels great when all is back to normal. Over the last week I spent time recuperating. The only stress I put on my body was two days of dance classes and that was plenty. You need to figure out what you can comfortably do without over-doing it. The last thing you want to do is make a cold worse or last longer than it should. Tonight I got back to the 30-day shred for day two. It felt good. One thing I changed to see what would happen was use less weight for the strength portion of each circuit in level one. I kept the 12 lb dumbbells for only the incline flye and the row, but the rest of the movements I used 2.5 lb. This wasn't enough however, so I think 5 lb would be a good place to start. Guess I'll have to get a pair of those. I still find it amazing what 20 min of non-stop exercise feels like. I will workout on level one for eight more days and hopefully progress to level two. The Olympics are now over, but they have certainly motivated me and I'm looking forward to the weather getting warmer and the prospect of taking the workouts outside. Cycling and hiking here I come.

Before finishing with this post tonight here is an article from the NYT on sitting. Yep, sitting, you may want to do more standing, really.

Finally one thing that helped get me back on my feet was tea. Drink plenty of it to stay hydrated and take in its medicinal properties, they even say it can help with weight loss. Hmmm something to think about. Stay healthy!

Taking Care of a Cold

Being sidelined from exercise can be frustrating. I'd rather be wiping sweat from my face than blowing my nose, but getting a cold can happen to the best of us. Working out and eating well both help to keep the body healthy but those nasty germs are lurking everywhere and it only takes forgetting to wash your hands once and your defenses are compromised. Resting up, drinking tea and continuing to eat healthful foods will get you back to life before the cold. Be patient, I know it's hard. Unfortunately I haven't been able to continue on the 30-day shred, but hope to get back to it in no time. In the meantime I've watched the Olympics keeping the exercise spirit alive and reading interesting articles such as this one about The Biggest Loser.

http://www.livescience.com/health/biggest-loser-weight-loss-100221.html

It questions the lengths the show goes to have the obese contestants lose large amounts of weight. Losing that kind of weight in such a short amount of time for people who haven't been active at all, may not be as good as it sounds. The contestants have medical staff, trainers and nutritionists assisting them, however many have had injuries and health issues. Many have also gained back much or all the weight they lost once they return home. I've often wondered about this. It makes sense. Although I may not agree with much about the show, I still think that it's good that there is a show that talks about obesity and shows what you can do about it. The one thing I was disheartened but not surprised to read about was the contestants gaining back the weight. It's sad to think they don't stay motivated or have the support to help them continue down the healthy path. Everyone has those days that they don't feel like working out or decide to eat whatever they want, but it's important to get back on track. I'm thankful to have both motivation and support I wish that for everyone.

Now for the road to recovery.

Post Day 1 of the 30 Day Shred and Beledi

I think the 30 day shred is going to be a good workout. I woke up this morning a bit sore. Only 29 days to go. I can do it. Tonight was beledi dance class. Here is an interesting article http://www.hossamramzy.com/dance/dance_zeinab1.htm.

It's been fun to learn this style of Middle Eastern Dance. Lots of varying styles this semester. It was great to be in the new Sahara Dance studio. Beautiful. After yesterday's shred however and classes tonight, my muscles are feeling it. No time to rest however so tomorrow night day 2 of the shred.

More Olympics now.

30-Day Shred

Seems that with every new post I have a new follower. I like that!

I hope everyone has been enjoying the Olympics! Watching the men's 30k pursuit in cross-country and if you want the best workout ever, try cross-country skiing. It works everything, arms, abs and legs!

It sounds ghastly, but you are supposed to get results so I'm trying it. The 30-day shred is a DVD from Jillian Michaels. I know I sound like a Jillian Michaels groupie but it's just that she seems to know what she is doing to have gotten where she is. There are other fitness people I like, Tosca Reno for clean-eating and Jackie Warner for fitness exercises as well.

Anyhow back to the shred. It's expected you can complete in 30 days with great results.I should mention all you need are a mat and dumbbell pair. There are 3 levels. I completed level one today. Level one consisted of a 20-minute workout from warm-up (2-min) to cool-down. It doesn't sound long, like the podcast circuit training I'm also doing, but believe me you will feel like you've done twice as long. There are 3 circuits in level one. Each circuit has 3 min of strength, 2 minutes of cardio and 1 minute of abs. Strength is using weights and doing a combo move, so a static lunge with a bicept curl, or a squat with a shoulder press. Cardio is pretty basic, jumping jacks, jump rope, minus the rope and abs are simple as well, crunch, reverse crunch or a bicycle crunch. My dumbbells are 12 pounds each and that was hard for me, (normally it isn't) so I suggest starting with lower weights, but as high as you can stand it. So I'd probably change depending on each exercise. 12 pound for a lying flye but 8 pounds for the squat with the shoulder press. The strategy is to stay at each level until you feel you can move on, so I'm aiming to stay at level one for maybe 10 days (10 workout days as I won't be doing consecutively) and so on. I think this will be a good workout to throw into the week when you don't have a lot of time but want to make the best of the time you do have. My proposed weekly workout will be as follows: Sun, dance classes, Mon; 30-day shred or the gym, Tues: dance practice, Wed, gym, Thu: dance classes, Fri: rest and Sat: gym,workout outside, dance practice or just up in the air.

Try it, it really is easy to follow and is not about set/reps but what you can do in 3, 2 or 1 minute. You can do at home and don't need much equipment. Will let you know each time I do the workout what kind of progress I've made.

Back to the Olympics and off to make dinner.

Tonight it looks to be cod in a coconut milk curry.

Chicken carbs and sleep

Chicken, carbs and sleep? What on earth do they have to do with one another? More than you think, actually. In the new issue of Oxygen Magazine there is an article about melting fat and your workouts. Turns out you won't build muscle on salad alone, you need carbs, fiber and protein. It's all about maintaining blood glucose levels. Carbs will help keep you going, combat fatigue and recover from hard exercise. Of course everything in moderation. There are three recipes in this issue: Protein packed chicken and brown rice wraps, microwave risotto and carb-friendly fettuccini with fibrous veggies.(Sorry, you need to get the hard copy for these) Tonight I took a combo of the different recipes to make my meal. Garlic, onion,chicken, tomatoes, cucumber, rice and a little cheddar. It was good and I'm convinced it helps with fatigue as I was tired all day before having dinner and now I'm more awake. Actually, I don't know, but it sounds good. Now speaking of sleep, this week there was a recent article from The Huffington Post:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/thomas-goetz/the-science-of-sleep-5-te_b_425272.html called The Science Of Sleep: 5 Tech Tools To Track And Improve Your Sleep.

These sound a little interesting. Check it out.

This weekend it will be time to try Jillian Michaels 30-Day Shred video will post on how it goes.

Shamadan

First for anyone who tried to leave a comment, I think I figured out the settings so anyone can comment without signing in. Please let me know if you still have trouble.

Tonight I had bellydance classes. I thought I'd be really sore after the gym yesterday and walking what I think is close to 2 miles each day for work. Thankfully all was feeling well. You might be wondering about the title to tonight's posting; shamadan. What is it and what do you do with it? Well, it's a candleabra for your head. This should give you an idea:

http://www.orientaldancer.net/articles/shemadan.shtml

Looks daunting but I'm always up for a challenge and the one time I've seen it done, it got applause like crazy, why wouldn't it? This falls under the fun portion of this blog. Or at least I think it will be fun. As I've gotten older I've decided not to take life too seriously, just roll with it. It probably also falls under the fitness category as well, just think having to move with something on your head has got to work muscles you never knew you had. My neck and abs should be stronger after this. This is going to be a short post tonight as it's late, I'm tired and have an early start tomorrow. I want you to do one thing for me, try something new, different, silly or fun just to say you have. This is one more way to stay healthy and happy and that is what it is all about!

Circuit Training

Thanks to those who have visited this blog. It's appreciated.

I thought tonight I would explain circuit training. The basic idea is to do high-intensity resistance aerobic exercises in a circuit without resting in between each exercise. This keeps your heart-rate up and targets fat loss and building muscle. I did the first two circuits again today of the Jillian Michaels circuit training and the muscles still screamed but not as loudly. Each circuit consisted of four moves: squat w/dumbbell swing, pushups, plank, wide-arm row with weights. Three sets, 10-15 reps each. Second circuit: alternating lunges w/shoulder press,w/wts, tricept dip, plank row w/wts and bicycle crunch, three sets, 20 reps each. It's killer! I hope to move onto circuit three next week.

Many women love magazines such as Vogue and Glamour, but every month I actually get excited when my new issue of Oxygen Magazine shows up in the mail. I also enjoy Fitness RX for Women. They have great exercise ideas and recipes.

Try the circuits, even just one and let me know how it goes.

Tomorrow night is bellydance at Sahara Dance. This semester it's all about shamadan, zills and cane. Props galore!

Welcome!

Welcome to Fitness, Food and Fun. I never thought I would want to blog. I watched Julie and Julia and thought, huh, I should start a blog. Wasn't sure what I would write about, but sounded like fun, I have things to share. What will you find here? Fitness ideas and progress, healthy recipes and lots of fun stuff.

I've always been into fitness, but as one gets older (near forty, EEK) one wants to stave off aging. I've done a pretty good job but I also love food and that is a bit of an issue, not a problem, an issue. 2004 was my best year ever, but "training" for climbing Kilimanjaro was the main reason for that. Since then I've continued with hiking, cycling, kayaking and going to the gym, but am not where I want to be. In 2009 after being laid off from work due to the economy, I had a lot of time to workout, so I did. Now I've decided to take it one step further and train a little harder and eat-clean, somewhat. :-) I mean let's be realistic. I want to share what I do and if it works and hopefully inspire.

Yesterday afternoon I did the first two circuits of Jillian Michael's Beach Ready Boot Camp circuit training podcast (Found on iTunes) and my muscles went into shock. I had changed my usual routine and that woke them up. Everything hurt. Of course my dance class at Sahara Dance the night before might have been a factor. Both kicked butt and was just what I needed.

Rested tonight, but will be back at it tomorrow in some form.

Stay tuned.