Having The Energy To Workout Is Easier Than You May Think

Last night my husband and I went to Atlantic City (AC) to watch his friend fight in the Bellator fight. Our 1-year anniversary was on September 24th so we used this little trip as our way to celebrate. 

In the morning I got up at 645, made a bowl of oatmeal, got dressed, brushed my teeth, etc....my exciting morning routine! I headed out to the gym at about 730 and got home a little after 9. I took my son for a walk to feed the ducks, came home and played then I jumped in the shower and headed off to meet with a client. I trained with her, stopped at the store to pick up a few things (had to get my natural peanut butter, fish oil and diapers for my little one!). I grabbed a banana and protein/fiber bar at the store. Once I got home I got my son ready for his doctor's appointment, grabbed an apple and headed out the door. 30 minutes later we got to the doctor, got seen and then headed home. I made up a 32oz bottle of Green Tea (used 4 bags), squeezed a whole lemon in it and threw a bunch of ice in it to bring with me on the road. With 30 minutes to spare before it was time to leave for AC I threw a bunch of stuff in my over-night bag and we headed out. 

On the way, we grabbed huge waters and turkey sandwiches on rye with a bunch of veggies and spicy mustard. YUM! No fattening, artery-clogging chips on the side. With the fights starting at 6-ish we had to hurry so when we got to the hotel I jumped in the shower, got dressed and headed to the fight at Caesar's Casino. After the fight we did a lot of walking, dancing, bar/club-hopping and a decent amount of drinking. :) Next thing we knew, it was about 2am. Not really being accustomed to late nights I was beyond ready to crawl into bed! 

This morning we got up at about 930, grabbed breakfast at a diner on the way home (egg white omelet with lots of veggies, dry wheat toast and coffee...but then I gave in and had my husband chase down the waitress to add a side of sausage!) I'm not proud but it was delicious! 

Despite the late night drinking here's what makes me feel really good about this morning and this moment. When I got home I played with my son then put him down for a nap, unpacked, AND HEADED TO THE GYM! Not only did I go to the gym, but I had one of my best shoulders workouts ever! I know exactly how and why I had the energy. I stuck with choosing well-balanced food options throughout my day (included good carbs, protein and minimal fat), stayed moving, AND followed a workout that I had jotted down on the drive to AC. Thinking about a plan, writing it down and having it to keep myself accountable gave me motivation and something to look forward to. I knew that if I didn't go I would feel disappointed and resent myself so I went and gave it my all! I even networked a little and have a couple more potential clients! 

GOOD THINGS HAPPENING FROM ONE SMALL DECISION AND ACTION!

Machine Hopping

Although I am slightly ashamed to admit, I am a creature of habit. I find myself doing the same thing at the same time every day and when I try to mix it up I get a strong feeling of anxiety. For example, every night I put my protein powder and cinnamon in the blender so I can just throw in the banana, peanut butter, coffee, milk and ice to make it quicker to drink before my workout. Yes, that's right, I said BEFORE! 

Here's the problem...

I completely know that consuming protein POST-training is the best possible time to ingest it because it helps repair muscle tears leading to faster recovery and results. But this shake used to be what I had for breakfast every day long ago and even though I am now actually lifting weights (instead of being a cardio blob) when I train I find it extremely hard to bring myself to just wait to drink it afterwards. 

I did challenge myself the other day and felt great before my workout and after. I guess admitting I have a problem is the first step to recovery, right? Making it to the point where I actually faced my problem was an even better defeat! I have actually been doing it the "right way" since that day but I think about the delicious taste of my shake during my entire workout and can't wait to get to it!

ANYWAY!!! All of that hoopla that I just wrote was an example of me getting way off course. 

My mention of sticking to a schedule was to lead to me informing you of how I wake up early every morning, perform the same routine with my son and then head off to the gym by 8am. I sign him into the daycare room and head off to do my thing. Yesterday "my thing" was a major cardio sweat session on the machines followed by some killer abs. I got on the elliptical/stepper hybrid machine and put it on the highest level with an interval setting. Holy crap was that NOT EASY! When the gym creap-o got on the machine next to me I decided it was time to move to the treadmill and perform the last 15 minutes of my cardio doing sprints while on an incline. 

Needless to say, the 45 minutes on the hybrid machine (not really sure what it's called) followed by a crazy treadmill workout gave me a great sweat session. That was the first time in a long time that I did not start and finish on the same machine. I realized at that moment that I became part of the "machine hoppers" as I like to call them. The people who get on a machine then on to the next... And, at that moment, I realized I should stop shaking my head at them and huffing about their lacking workouts because I'm sure that's what they need to do to allow them to get their time in. If they can't stay on one machine for the whole time than so what, at least they are there putting in effort and getting their recommended 30+ minutes a day!

I would say to maybe TRY to stay on a machine for at least 10 minutes at a time and work your way up by including some incline, speed intervals, or a combo of the two. Helps avoid having to wipe off machine after machine! :)

Stop BS-ing Yourself...Eating Healthy Is Easy!

Ok listen; I understand that most of us, most of the time, need getting something to eat to be quick and easy because of our fast-paced lifestyles. But please believe me that going through the drive thru day in and day out is not the answer. Neither is the junk at kiosks all over the place, convenient stores, or the last-minute junk food at the checkout lane in some chain stores.

Quick and easy can be, well, easy, to do at home! 

People use all different types of excuses to justify why they binge on junk food. I have heard some ridiculous things like one woman telling me she eats about 4 slices or so of pizza for dinner because she really hadn’t had anything to eat ALL DAY. She wasn’t sure why she was gaining flabby weight. Turns out, that “nothing” that she had all day really was a glazed cinnamon bun and latte for breakfast, 6 hours later a bag of M&M’s and a coke for lunch and then maybe some nibbles of other things at the office here and there throughout the day.

NEWS FLASH: YOUR BREAKFAST ALONE HAS MORE CALORIES THAN SOME WOULD/SHOULD INGEST IN A WHOLE DAY!!!!

A couple things could happen here to fix the dilemma. First, obviously sitting down and writing out what one actually consumes allows one to see REALITY. Next, some might be confused as to why this woman would still be hungry if she ate that many calories. Well, let me clear it up. She had all un-nutritious and un-filling foods. Nothing that neither gave her energy nor kept her from feeling as though she was running on empty. Simple fixes like replacing the latte with a skim-milk version or just a coffee with a little cream and sugar, replacing the cinnamon bun with whole grain toast and an egg-white omelet would give her a much-needed jolt first thing in the morning. The combination of good carbs and protein can do wonders for your body! Avoiding going 6-hours in between meals by eating lower-calorie meals more frequently throughout the day is a great way to keep your metabolism revving all day long.

Whether you are on the road running errands, bringing the kids here and there, at the office…whatever and wherever…you can always avoid the hunger trap. You go so long without eating that you get to a point where anything will do. Think about yourself and make it a priority to eat better and keep yourself fed and watered. J Always have little snack bags of trail mix, fresh fruit that doesn’t need to be refrigerated (i.e. bananas and apples), a granola bar, or a packet of tuna and crackers handy in your purse, diaper bag, center console. If you have a little cooler pack throw in a string cheese, yogurt cup, carrots, grapes, etc. BUT KEEP THIS IN MIND: Don’t Eat It All At Once! Think of it as an emergency stash that will be used to tide you over until you are home to cook or heat up a healthy meal.

I think I am starting to get a little long-winded now so I’ll wrap this up. My point with this post is that there really is NO EXCUSE to get so hungry you eat anything in sight thus derailing you, yet again, from your health and fitness goals. If you want to be healthy, lose weight or whatever THAN DO IT! 

Very Veggie Dinner

Being an active person and knowing a thing or two about eating well-rounded, nutritious meals I AM NOT one to cut out carbohydrates from my meals! In fact, I always make sure I include them when planning almost every meal. 

Despite your thinking carbs are EXTREMELY important in your daily nutrition. It's just about what kind you choose and, like everything else in life, keeping it limited or "in moderation". 

Here's a recipe I whipped up with very little preparation...

Ingredients

2 pints grape tomatoes

6 cloves garlic

1 green pepper

1 small onion

extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper

3 turkey sausage links

1 package of whole grain pasta (use spaghetti squash or rice pasta if you need gluten free) 

Throw tomatoes, garlic, chunky-chopped onion, chunky-chopped green pepper, about 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil, and a little salt and pepper on a cookie sheet. Mix it all up so the oil covers all the veggies. Put it in a pre-heated 425 degree oven for roughly 30 minutes (more or less depending on your oven). You will know when to take it out when the tomatoes burst open and there's a caramelized color on everything. Set aside. 

While that's in the oven put on a pot of water for the spaghetti and sauté up about 3 turkey sausage links. (Tip: I make sure to let it completely defrost if frozen so I can squeeze the meat out of the casing and throw that out.) As the sausage browns, continue to break it up into small pieces so it mixes throughout the spaghetti. Take out of sauté pan and place on paper towel to get a bit of the fat out. Set aside. 

When the water boils throw in your pasta and cook until al dente (according to package directions). Before draining, put a couple spoon-fuls of the pasta water over the veggies (on the pan) and scrap the yummy bits off the bottom. 

Go ahead and drain the pasta, add the veggies and sausage and mix until well blended...and you're done! I made this for 3 adults and 1 kid AND to have left-overs...but my husband has a HUGE appetite and apparently LOVED it so he finished it off!

Here's a quick side salad that's just as delicious and even more healthy and filling!

1 can drained chick peas

3 radish's diced

1 kirby cucumber diced

1 clove garlic

1/4 onion thinly sliced

1 tsp olive oil

splash or two of balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

Mix it all up, cover and refrigerate for roughly an hour (the longer the better)

Intentions Are Worthless

Have you ever thought about dropping a few pounds, getting healthier, or toning up to be a better version of you? Well go f*cking do it!

Sorry to be so blunt, and border-line offensive...but something needs to be said to get you to leave your excuses at the door. 

You've heard "actions speak louder than words" and "don't tell me, show me", right? Well the same adage is applicable to your goals. If you want to get fit than take the steps to do so rather than talk about it. 

I've heard so many excuses from people who have supposedly thought about getting "in shape". There are some legit reasons to not partake in an exercise routine, but for the majority most of the excuses are ingrained in peoples minds by their own selves! 

Personally, I think it's out of fear of change and doing something else. Perhaps a fear of failing too. To that I say, you can only make a great accomplishment when you work towards something knowing you could fail miserably but do it anyway. 

If you want it, go out and make it happen. No excuses!

Surround Yourself With People That Support Your Goals

On a daily basis I try to view the people around me in a light that shows their true intentions. I analyze words and phrases they use, their non-verbal expressions, how they hold themselves and then what they actually do. It's crazy how you can tell how "real" or "fake" a person is by taking a step back to really LOOK at them! I guess that's why I am not a person that will be friends with every living, breathing person...I'm very selective! :)

So how does this tie into health and fitness, you ask? 

Well, more than you may think! If you surround yourself in a groups of "friends" that basically encourage you, directly or indirectly,  to do things that are not in line with your fitness goals then you are rarely going to meet those goals. (Let's be honest...most people like to fit in and follow what their friends are doing)

I have witnessed women who have ordered huge pieces of cake or fatty appetizers during a meal with a friend who is known to be trying to lose weight. Women who have told their friend to skip their workout to go to a bar and get hammered instead. I understand every is in control of themselves, but when someone knows that a certain action is not in your best interest and does it anyway it's a slap in the face! 

So skinny girl go ahead and order cake, but don't be a jerk by doing it when your friend is dying to lose weight! Shovel some veggies in your mouth instead and show your girl support! I have had a few bar nights in my time, but I would never tell someone to skip the gym and go out binging instead! There's definitely ways to work them both in: a great workout and a few drinks...in that order, too!

If you find yourself being around too many people who are always trying to get you to go against what you want then, my friend, it's time to weed out some people in the sake of your health and sanity!

Kid Friendly Breakfast Recipes

Kid-friendly healthy breakfast options. 

Last night I whipped up these Pumpkin Muffins that turned out yummy-delicious right out of the oven and were even more scrumptious warmed up today with a smear of cream cheese (not the healthiest topping, I know, but the blend of flavors is delicious!)

Here's how to make them...

1/2 c. raisins
1 1/4 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
2 eggs
10 oz. pumpkin
1/3 c. apple sauce
1/3 c. walnuts

Mix all the dry ingredients together, mix all the wet ingredients and then combine them. 
Bake 350 degrees for 30-ish minutes. 

I'm partial to left-overs but my son, like my husband, isn't a big leftovers guy. However, he did put one of these muffins away this morning! 

Here's my second great recipe of the day. 

I like to cook for the future, meaning I hate having to whip up a batch of  my "Special Pancakes" every morning (I put fruit, veggies, beans, and meat in them so I can make sure my son is always getting something healthy even if I give in later in the day and give him a bag of Cheetos!) SOOO...today I made alphabet pancakes and what did not get eaten got put in the deep freezer...

(it's not two "F's"...part of the "E" fell off!)

Here's how to make them...

1 c. Heart Healthy Bisquick Pancake Mix
1 carrot finely shredded
1/3 c. applesauce
1/2 can of white beans, drained, rinsed, and smashed up
1/2 banana finely diced
Sprinkle of cinnamon

Mix all ingredients. Pour batter on hot griddle, lightly sprayed with cooking spray. If you are going to freeze them like I did, place a piece of parchment paper on a cookie tray, put pancakes on top and let cool completely. Place tray in freezer. Once pancakes are frozen through, removed and put in zip top bag. Enjoy again, and again, and again! 

BTW, although I made these for my son I couldn't help but try them. I took a few bites and they were delish! Maybe add a scoop of protein instead of the beans to make an adult version!