FitFeat

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Archive for category Keeping Fit

Meat Mallet Muscles

Mar 6

Posted by Shari B. in Keeping Fit | 11 Comments

Happy Saturday fit friends!  I started a post Thursday night to put out here on Friday and then when Friday actually arrived the day took off like Seabiscuit and flew by so fast that I never had a chance to get back out here.

Have you been picking a few of the 10 Commandments of FitFeat to try on for size?  (not the religious ones.. see Thursday’s post!)

Commandment #2 is an easy one for me… this girl loves her greens and this smoothie was PERFECT.  Red grapes, 1/2 banana, 2 clementines, spinach, cucumber, celery, sprouts, hemp protein powder and flaxseed oil.  I could feel this silly cold dissipating as I sipped on my smoothie!

A BEET salad for lunch:

A raw and natural afternoon snack – a banana-phone!  :)

We made an old favorite for dinner this week that we “spiffed up” a bit, CINDY style.  Whole wheat and sweet potato gnocchi, that was lightly pan fried in coconut oil before serving to give it a slight crunch.  Oh Cindy, MSP and I BOTH loved this…!  The pan frying made an AMAZING difference!  Thanks for the great idea!  We also added some of our homegrown basil to the saute pan.  I served mine over sauteed mushrooms and spiralized zucchini topped with Muir Glen organic marinara and nutritional yeast.  It was delicious!

Since I’m getting back to my basics in the food area, I figured why not do the same with some of my training.  So yesterday’s workout was a more traditional weight-lifting session, as opposed to doing something like Tabata or Physique 57.   All I can say is OUCH.  But this is the “good ouch” — I really love to feel a little muscle soreness after a good strength workout.

Friday Chest, Back, Shoulder Workout

  • Upper Body warmup with arm circles, light stretching, moving light weights around
  • DB Bench Press 2 warm-up sets + 4 working sets of 12
  • DB Incline Chest Flyes 1 warm-up set + 4 working sets of 12
  • Wide-Grip Lat Pulldowns 1 warm-up set + 4 working sets of 12
  • One-Arm DB Rows 4 working sets of 12
  • Seated Overhead DB Press 1 warm-up set + 4 working sets of 12
  • Side Lateral Raises 4 working sets of 12

Today, my chest muscles feel like someone took a meat mallet to them – I’m talking Tender with a capital T.  :)   The change back to my usual style of training felt good.  I wonder how long it will take me to get bored and switch it up again!

Then this morning I did a 10-mile jog, which I’ll be recapping in the next Marathon Monday post.  No hints as to how it went!  :)

Anyone have big plans for the weekend? I’d LOVE to go see the new Alice in Wonderland, in 3-D!  However, the sun is shining and it’s around 60 degrees, so I don’t want to waste any of it holed away in a movie theater so I’ll either save it for a late show or wait for the next rainy day.

I hope you are having a FIT and HAPPY weekend!

– Shari B. =)

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The 10 Commandments of FitFeat

Mar 4

Posted by Shari B. in Keeping Fit | 7 Comments

Hi Fit Peeps!  It’s Friday-EVE!

The sun is shining and supposedly it’s going to hit 60 degrees today.  I can’t even describe how happy that makes me!  Spring is just around the corner! You all know I run on solar power, right?  ;)

I took the day off from working out yesterday.  I want to get past this mini-bug as quickly as possible, so I’m saving my body’s energy for immunity rather than for recovering from exercise.  I’ll have to take a trip to Whole Foods today and pick up some Kombucha tea and maybe some of the other cool supplement ideas you all suggested for me this week!  (Thank you for all the great ideas!)

As I mentioned in the last post, since I started training for the marathon a little over 6 weeks ago, my appetite has been a bear and I’ve also allowed more sugary items to creep back in.  Part of that is thanks to the season of Cadbury Caramel Cream Eggs which I love, love, love!  Part of it is the increased expenditure of energy from the long runs, yes, but not nearly as much as you may think.  (The rest of my week has LESS exercise in it than it used to because I spend a day or two ‘recovering’ from the long runs and then minimize leg work as I gear up for the next run.)  So my weekly calorie expenditure isn’t that much more than it was when I wasn’t training for this event.

I’ve been working at such a high heart rate in every run that I’ve been burning mostly sugar as fuel and not much fat.  This leads to a cycle of craving carbs, burning carbs, craving carbs, etc.   When our bodies feel wiped, we crave foods that will give us instant bursts of energy.  And unless you are planning to be running sprints in the next couple of hours, you know right where that sugar’s gonna go:  to your trouble spots!

I eat for weight maintenance.  Over the course of a lot of trials and many errors, I found what works best for me to feel healthy and satisfied, with the added bonus of fitting into my skinny jeans! :)   Enter an endurance sport, and my ‘natural rhythm’ gets thrown a bit off balance.

From a speed perspective I have a target weight in mind that I would like to race at on May 16.  For every 5% of weight you lose, you gain about 5% in speed.  If I want to increase my speed by 30 seconds per mile, I’ll need to get a bit lower than what my ’summer maintenance weight’ is.

Here’s what I’m NOT going to do:  be obsessive or restrictive about it.  If I make it, great.  If not, I’ll just be 14 minutes slower over the 26 miles.

Here’s what I AM going to do:  get back to the basics of what I know works for me, both from a nutrition standpoint and an exercise standpoint.

With that said I thought I’d share the basics I follow (and coach my clients on) for losing (or maintaining weight) and healthy living in general:

10 Commandments of FitFeat

1.) Eat when hungry, stop when full. Never walk away from a meal feeling stuffed.

2.) Eat a green smoothie every day.

3.) If hungry between meals, choose natural (and preferrably raw) snacks.

4.) Eat a HUGE salad every day, chock full of veggies and fun things like dulse, nutritional yeast and healthy fats.

5.) Chew every bite until it’s practically liquefied – good digestion starts in the mouth!

6.) Eliminate (or greatly reduce) foods that cause nutritional stress (primarily refined flours, refined sugars, trans-fatty acids, artificial chemical additives).

7.) Plan, plan and plan some more.  If you don’t have the right foods within your reach, it’s much to easy to grab the WRONG ones.

8.) Save and Savor: SAVE the once-in-a-blue-moon foods for special occasions (like birthday cake and wedding cake) and when you do treat yourself to these indulgences, SAVOR it. And maybe have some fun with it.  ;)   For the not-so-special occasions where you need a treat, pick those that have some nutritional value like red wine and dairy-free dark chocolate.

9.) Choose exercise that energizes you and that you enjoy doing.  Let each workout leave you wanting to come back again the next time.

10.) Love yourself and your body.  Appreciate what it does for you and treat it with respect.  When you put that thought first, the choices you make will come naturally.

***

Today’s discussion:  how many of these 10 commandments do you already ‘obey’?  If there are some you don’t, which will you implement first?

– Shari B. =)

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Give That Cold the Boom Boom Pow

Mar 2

Posted by Shari B. in Keeping Fit | 12 Comments

Hi blog buds!

Thank you all for the wonderful comments to yesterday’s Marathon Monday post.  I loved reading all of your encouraging words!  I hope you know how much more enjoyable (not to mention accountable) this marathon process is, knowing that you are all cheering me on.

I already know what I’ll be doing differently on my next run.  Something that I’ve been figuring to be the issue, but that I have neglected to implement.  (Partly due to pride, I think.)  I’m treating myself as I would a client so I’m going to take my own advice.  So stay tuned for the next Marathon Monday and I’ll share my “tweaks” and let you know how it goes!

I rested the ol’ knees on Sunday by not doing any exercise.  Then on Monday when I woke up my knees were feeling bueno!  So I’m thankful that they are recovering quickly, that’s a good sign!  I treated them to some Iron Yoga in the morning before scooting off to work.

While the knees are back to normal, that weird sneezing fit seems to be a touch of a head cold.  So I’m giving it the BOOM-BOOM-POW of green smoothies, Emergen-C drinks and green tea.  Hopefully I’ll get this thing nipped in the bud!  I feel fine, but my nose deciding to keep on running well past that 14 mile mark!  ;)

Anyone else this messy while making green smoothies?

I have covered the entire island!

***

I was fortunate to start this morning with a delightful run at my favorite hilly trail with one of my clients.  Look at the moon as I pulled into the parking lot!

It was just getting light out and the moon was SO bright!  I love pretty runs like this!  While my little friend OSCAR told me it was 28 outside, we did freeze our hineys off a bit because it was WINDY!  (I’ve been going to this trail for about 9 years now – you’d think I’d learn that it’s ALWAYS windy there and dress accordingly!)  :D

I wore my VFFs for the 3.7 miles we did.  Ohhh boy do you feel every little rock on a gravel trail in them, especially when your feet are frozen!  But I loved it! They thawed out after about 15 minutes, once the blood started pumping and then it was like skipping along like a kid!  These things are a hoot!

I so wish that my calves were ready to wear these ‘unshoes’ for longer distances because the impact on my knees is almost nil.  I’m getting there!  I’ve added another mile to my longest run in them… progressing slowly but safely.

Today’s discussion:  what’s your “tried and true” remedy when you have a cold? As I mentioned, I like to try to knock it out with high nutrient foods, like what I add to my green smoothies.  This is the first I’ve had in almost a year – I didn’t even catch one when I flew to Michigan in the fall (and I was that person who would catch something every time I stepped on a plane.)  I have attributed this good immunity to all the fruits and veggies I’ve been eating since last April.  But recently I’ve let some refined carbs and sugars creep back into my diet so I know that’s partly to blame.  Time to get back to basics!  :)

Enjoy the rest of your day!

– Shari B. =)

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First Outdoor Run in the FiveFingers

Feb 26

Posted by Shari B. in Keeping Fit | 14 Comments

Wahooo, it’s Friday!  And payday!  And jeans day!

And it snowed last night which means it’s also “CRAZY COMMUTE” day.  :D   Crazy commute day translates into “short post day” because I have to scoot out of the house much earlier.

Before the snow started yesterday, it was 37 degrees outside and I HAD to take advantage of that brief heat wave to try the VFFs OUTSIDE!

One word:  awesome!

It was so fun.  And while my calves have gotten used to 3 or 4 miles at a time on the treadmill running ‘barefoot style’ – it certainly didn’t translate to the outdoor run.  My calves are definitely making themselves known today, and I only did 2.7 hilly miles!  I figure that I will follow a 10% rule with my barefoot running the same way that I do for marathon training:  only add 10% per week for safe progression.

I didn’t hit any painful pebbles so that was good.  It was like running a small obstacle course – you definitely keep an eye on where you are stepping next when you wear these.  You are much more “present” to the run.  I’m totally digging these.

My workout Wednesday was 40 minutes of Iron Yoga.

I’ll share some of the fun eats from Wednesday and Thursday before I have to skeedaddle:

Are you hungry yet?  Regular FitFeat readers will know exactly what each of those things are!  My usual suspects!  :)

Well friends, I’m off to lift some weights, then partake in some rush hour stop-n-go.  Have a FANTASTIC FRIDAY! Tomorrow is my longest run yet: 14.  Can’t wait!

Shari

Built To Run, Even If You Don’t

Feb 25

Posted by Shari B. in Keeping Fit | 8 Comments

So I mentioned yesterday that I’d started the post about Born to Run by Christopher McDougall.

I’ve had a complete mental block about writing my thoughts for this book.  I’ve procrastinated nonstop.  And to be honest even after all this time, I still haven’t finished the last chapter. (I started this book in early January!)

I have this book in audio version on my iPod.  I’ve also borrowed the hard copy from the library.  Twice.

The book obviously hit home with me on a few levels, as it convinced me to start barefoot running and I have been raving about this type of running to all who’ll listen.  I now own my own Vibram FiveFingers, MSP just got a pair (they arrived last night) and my friend Scott also got a pair.  One of my coworkers has been running in his socks now on his treadmill thanks to all my raving!

But something about the book as a WHOLE did not grab me.  The chapters alternate between telling the story of the Tarahumara people (who are really fantastic runners) and the story of author’s own experience with trying to heal some running injuries and his journey to barefoot running.   I found the flip-flopping between the two stories caused me to lose interest.  I think I was looking for more of a “how to” and “why” for barefoot running, and less “play by play” commentating on the ultramarathons he attended.

I don’t feel I’d give a fair review if I tried simply because I’ve started and stopped so many times.  So I’ll tell you what I liked about it.

Overall, I do think it’s worth reading if you have any interest in barefoot running OR interest in running for the JOY of it. I thoroughly enjoyed the ’scientific’ chapters.   The gist of it is that as humans we truly are built to RUN.  Our bodies have evolved to make us good runners.  And there’s a lot of discussion about how with all of today’s fancy shoe technology, we’ve basically weakened the supportive structure of our feet and lower legs.

My favorite part of the book comes in chapter 25 when the author is discussing said technological advances in fancy running shoes:

… the impact on your legs from running can be up to twelve times your body weight so it’s preposterous to believe a half inch of rubber is going to make a bit of difference… You can cover an egg with an oven mitt before rapping it with a hammer, but that egg ain’t coming out alive.

Of all the words in the book, THAT is what stuck with me!  :) Not only did it make me laugh out loud, it really gave me something to think about.  Changing my footstrike to lessen shock of impact for one.  The fact that I don’t need $110 Nike SHOX.   Also, that I don’t need to get new running shoes every 300-500 miles.  I even dug out an OLD pair of worn trail shoes for the last long run we did, because I wanted LESS support so that I could run a bit more like I would if I was barefootin’ it.

Like the Tarahumara, run for the fun of it.  Stop worrying about what your numbers are, how fast you’re running, etc.  Basically slow down and smell the roses.  (Don’t stop and smell the roses, because then you aren’t RUNNING anymore!)

My most enjoyable runs are those where I’m focused on chatting with my running pals and the scenery around me, and less on keeping a certain pace.  Which is why training for a long event like a marathon is troublesome for me (but that’s a whole other post for sure!)

If you’d like to learn more about barefoot running, here are some links to articles and sites I’ve enjoyed.

Harvard University Footstrike Studies and Videos

Wired Article:  To Run Better, Start by Ditching Your Nikes

WebMD Article on Barefoot Running

TrueSlant/Running Shorts Blog Article by Matt Frazier of No Meat Athlete (one of my fave blogs)

If you are currently a runner (or if you’re not and want to start), I’d like to challenge you to grab a pair of old socks that you don’t mind getting filthy and run on the treadmill.  Notice how your gait changes in order to land softly.  Then try to tell me you didn’t have a little grin on your face!  I think it’s hard not to feel childlike when I’m running around without ‘real’ shoes on!

(Trust me when I say START SMALL!  You WILL feel your calves so keep the mileage low at first!)  Then come back here to FitFeat and tell us how it went!  :D

Have a fantastic day friends!  Make it a FIT one!

– Shari B. =)

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I’m a Roasting Machine

Feb 24

Posted by Shari B. in Keeping Fit | 11 Comments

And by ROASTING MACHINE I don’t mean HOT FLASHES!  (Not yet anyway… :) )

Wow was Tuesday a fully packed day.  I really wanted to work on a blog post that discussed my thoughts on the book Born to Run as well as give some distance running tips that I’ve gathered from my own experiences (thank you Angie for that great question/blog topic you left in the comments section!)  But the day flew by and my pesky FAVICON would not play nice with me.   (The tiny little icon you often see on the tabs in internet browsers is a favicon…) It’s really simple.  Or should be.  Which is why it’s not working for me.  Hard things usually work out great.  Simple things are the things that go haywire for me!  :)

So I spent too much time trying to troubleshoot, which meant I ran out of time to get any more writing done.  Soon I promise, soon!  The Born to Run post IS started…

In the meantime, I was a ROASTING MACHINE last night.  I loved my Hot and Cold salad so much that I wanted to stock up on more roasted veggies for the rest of the week.  So I picked up some brussels sprouts, golden beets, asparagus, red pepper, grape tomatoes, celery, carrots and baby bella mushrooms.

And got everything prepped and into the oven.

I thought about making another batch of kale but by this time I’d had my fill of washing and prepping veggies.  :) Much like when I’m on the treadmill, there is a limit to the amount of time I can stand being in the kitchen.

When they were done roasting, I made a wrap for my dinner with Tofutti, spinach, pepitas and tomato.  And sampled some of the newly-cooked veggies on the side:

Other tasty meals throughout the day included a GREEN SMOOTHIE!  (Shocker, I know!)

A lunch of egg salad, butternut squash (with a little raw goat cheese) and half of an avocado.

Looks like a weird lunch, but tastes great.  By they way, butternut squash and goat cheddar pair really well together.  It seems odd, but it works.  You should try it!

A little dessert after lunch:

In the afternoon I realized I was missing something from my day.  Ezekial toast!!

With coconut butter on the left, almond butter on the right, and a little drizzle of agave nectar on both.   I don’t know how in the world I ever survived without Ezekial toast before.  Sprouted grain goodness, right there.

Exercise for Tuesday was 40 minutes of random intervals (fast, slow, hilly, repeat) on the treadmill in my birthday shoes.

I’m still waiting to get outside in my VFFs.  We have some days above 40 degrees coming up soon, so maybe some of this snow will start melting off. I saw on the news this morning that the east coast is facing yet another storm, which means I should quit my complaining about our weather here in Denver.  :)   Spring is just around the corner, along with daylight savings!  While I’m looking forward to the time change this year because I seem to be in the habit of waking up before 5:00 AM (and the time change will make it helpful for me to keep my eyes open more easily after 8:30 at night) I’m also always a little bummed because I am such a morning person and would REALLY prefer to have more daylight in the morning than in the evening.  Makes it easier to get a run in or the dogs walked before you have to rush out the door to work.  How about you?  Do you look forward to Daylight Savings each year and enjoy the extra daylight at night?

Have a wonderful day and I’ll see you back here tomorrow!

– Shari B. =)

Hot and Cold Salad

Feb 23

Posted by Shari B. in Keeping Fit | 8 Comments

Hi blog buds!

I am SO tickled that you are enjoying the Marathon Monday posts.  I can’t THANK YOU all enough for that.  When it’s icky outside or I’m facing a long run, you have no idea how much it helps to know that YOU are right there with me!  Because I pay more attention when I know I get to write about it for you each time!

Oh the healthy eats I have to share with you today… makes me hungry just thinking about it!  But FEATS first then EATS, since I owe you some recaps.  Otherwise you might start thinking that all I do is EAT and only exercise on the weekends.  :D

Sunday we had even SNOWIER weather than we’d had for the Saturday run.  So MSP and I bundled up in our snow gear and took off for a little ’snow hike’ on the hills around our house.  The view out the window:

Ultimately we only ended up with 3.75 miles, but it seemed so much longer trudging around in the snow.  We had such a good time.  It was so peaceful – no one was out.  The perfect start to our Sunday.

For Monday’s exercise I did more weight training Tabata-style.

  • 5 min warmup on TM
  • Squats with Overhead Press 4 minutes
  • Chest Flyes with tubing 4 minutes
  • Rear Lunge off Low Step PLUS Bicep Curls 4 minutes (alternating legs each set)
  • 45° Upright Row 2 minutes
  • 2-Arm Bent DB Row 2 minutes
  • Glute Bridges on Ball 4 minutes  (Can you say OUCHIE??)
  • Triceps Pressdown 4 minutes
  • Ball Crunches 4 minutes

I am crazy about my Tabata timer (the one I use is an app on my iPhone).  I LOVE working out this way. I’m NEVER bored and it ALWAYS burns!

Now about those EATS!

A tasty snack on Sunday:  baked kale chips with a small side of Buffalo chips and a few slivers of raw goat cheddar.

Sunday night snack (because I was itching to try this Artisana Coconut Butter).  Ezekial Cinnamon Raisin Toast + Coconut Butter = DREAMY.

Monday morning after my workout I had my daily green smoothie!  Mmm I love when I have avocado and pumpkin seeds (pepitas) for my smoothies – they end up SO creamy.

A mid-morning Larabar while at my desk – the awesome “Chocolate Coconut Chew” that to me tastes like a brownie with nuts in it.

Now let me just preface my lunch a bit here.  When it is cold out for days, like it has been, I find it a bit of a challenge to want to eat my usual humongous salads because COLD GREENS are refreshing and when I’m chilly ‘refreshing’ is not on the top of my list. All I want is something warm (and often full of carbs.)  Here’s what I’ve been doing lately that has really helped keep  my salad intake up. I’m topping my salads with ROASTED VEGGIES.  I took the time Sunday to pre-roast some stuff I could use during the week (kale, mixed veggies, squash) and have available to take to work.

I packed a large spinach salad in one container topped with sundried tomatoes, a few kalamata olives, nutritional yeast, dulse and balsamic vinegar with a teaspoon of olive oil for dressing.  In another container were my roasted veggies:  red pepper, zucchini and mushrooms with balsamic.  I reheated the roasted veggies and plated them next to my salad.  After I took the picture, I mixed them all up.  And it was LIP-SMACKIN’ GOOD.  The HOT veggies + the COLD spinach makes a really delicious meal.

It looks a bit small in the picture, but this was one HUGE dinner plate.

For my mid-afternoon snack I had half of a “Go Raw” pumpkin seed bar.  This was my first try with this brand and I LOVE it.  I’ll be getting this one again for sure!  I’ve already been looking for them online to order in bulk.

Dinner wanted in on the fun veggie action too.  Another find while at Sprouts:  Golden Flax “roll-ups”, made with flax flour and soy flour.  It seems to be a cross between a flatbread and a tortilla.

So I made this with it:

Lightly ‘grilled’ in a pan to give it a panini feel.  Inside was Tofutti (non-dairy cream ‘cheese’ spread), avocado, tomato, clover sprouts and a bit of romaine.  The rest of the romaine went into my side salad.  Then I poured a little Annie’s Lite Honey Mustard Vinaigrette on the side as a ‘dipping sauce’ for the wrap.

It was really a finger-lickin’ good kind of day.  Mondays can be rough, but not when I have tasty (not to mention ultra-healthy) meals like these to look forward to!

Wow writing this post made me hungry.  I think I need a snack! Do you mix your hot and cold veggies?  Any favorite combos to share?

Have a terrific day!

– Shari B. =)

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Technology Can Drive One Insane

Feb 21

Posted by Shari B. in Keeping Fit | 8 Comments

Happy Sunday friends!  Sorry I missed you yesterday.  It’s been a weird weekend of TECHNOLOGICAL DIFFICULTIES! I feel like I’m back on my RV trip in the Upper Peninsula wilderness, not in the suburbs of Denver, with the way our electronics have been behaving this weekend.

First, unbeknownst to us, our mail server was down most of Thursday, all of Friday and part of Saturday.  So as it turns out Cindy DID send me photos for Flex-It Friday.  We (or I should say MSP) just got it back up and running yesterday and most things bounced instead of storing, so if you did mail me pics please let me know via the comments section.  I will run a “Part TWO” if we have some takers – but you’ll need to resend them to me!  What an inconvenient time for the email to go out!

Next, our internet service has been slow, my IE browser has hung and crashed a couple of times and to top it all off our DVR corrupted all of the files we had stored on it.  Ah well, time in front of the TV is a waste anyway, right?

Which has left plenty of time this weekend for health food store visits.  I think I’ve spent a good 8 hours over the course of the weekend browsing/shopping at Whole Foods, Vitamin Cottage and Sprouts.  I was looking for this Artisana Coconut Butter that Cindy raves about and I wanted to see for myself.  On the third stop today I finally found a small jar to try, so I’m very excited to smear some on Ezekial toast soon!

I also had to pick up cashews and avocados so I can try the hummus recipes given to me this week by Joan and Paula.  Thank you ladies for the great ideas!

And I also found a NEW (to me) Kombucha Tea called High Country that is made right here in Colorado!  Always excited when I find something to add to the “buy local” list!

Trips to health food stores also lead to baked kale and pita pizzas loaded with roasted veggies:

It’s been a delightful weekend, in spite of tech glitches.  Nonetheless, I’m taking the bad technology MOJO as a sign from the Universe that I should be getting other things done I guess, so I’ll leave it at that!  I’ll be back tomorrow for MARATHON MONDAY with this weekend’s recap.  Only 12 weeks out now!

Hope that you are enjoying your weekend! See you back here tomorrow!

– Shari B. =)

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Flex-It Friday: The Abs Edition

Feb 19

Posted by Shari B. in Flex-It Friday | 11 Comments

Hi everyone!  Happy Friday!

Well, as it turns out, no one wants to bare their mid-winter abs.  Biceps are one thing, but it seems that abs are quite another indeed!  I was a little scared myself.  I’ve had a bit of a food fest since the middle of January and was dreading seeing my “winter abs” vs my “summer abs”.  In the dead of winter, I’m eating more grains and starchy veggies, not to mention those darn delicious vegan cookies from Whole Foods!  (I almost wish that I hadn’t discovered that tasty treat!)

But in the interest of following through with things I plan for the blog, I present to you my lonely version of Flex-it Friday: The Abs Edition.

Or as I like to call it:  “Fun with Self-Timer“.  :)

I must admit I feel a little weird doing this one alone.  But here goes…

Since we are supposed to FLEX for Flex-It Friday, I figured a side plank would be a good way to get a good shot of abs.  My first realization?  That I could definitely use a longer timer on my camera than 10 seconds!

In this one I totally wasn’t even in the shot!

Next attempt:  uh, getting closer.  A little heavy on the zoom button!

Nope, still not there.

Hey!  A body!  But no head!

And this time a head, but a BLURRY one!  This is impossible!  I want to know how Averie and Cindy get into their advanced yoga poses and take a pic!

I’m thinking Plan B is in order…

Scrap the self-timer….the camera gets to be in the picture too… Flex those abs!

Call it DONE!

I was pleasantly surprised to see that all the recent eating (bday dinner at the Melting Pot, the organic chocolate bars, caramel cream eggs, and Valentine’s Day candy) didn’t do as much damage as I had figured.  I can pinch more right now than I can in the summer, but I know that when the days are longer and warmer I’ll be right back to where I was before Thanksgiving.

For next quarter’s Flex-It Friday, what will you BARE?!! ;)   I’m taking suggestions!  Triceps?  Calves?  Your favorite strength exercise?  Favorite yoga pose?

Have a fabulous Friday friends!

– Shari B. =)

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Chatty Legs

Feb 18

Posted by Shari B. in Keeping Fit | 9 Comments

Hi friends!

Thanks for the great tips you left in comments to the YAYS and NAYS post!  After this post I’ll be replying to the comments from Tuesday!  I had the busiest day yesterday – I didn’t even SEE my home computer at ALL!  So I didn’t get a blog post out and I didn’t even get to reply to any emails.  I woke up this morning and it feels like Wednesday was a total blur.

I would almost think Wednesday didn’t happen, if it weren’t for my SORE LEGS!  They are proof that I did in fact get up and workout yesterday! :)

Wednesday’s Workout:

  • 5 min warmup on TM

Three Sets in a row of:

  • High Step-Ups 15R, 15L
  • Explosive Lunges 18
  • 1-Arm Overhead Shoulder Press 18R, 18L

Two Sets in a row of:

  • Plié Squats with heels raised 10 full, 10 low pulse, 10 full, 10 low pulse
  • Static Lunge Right 10 full, 10 low pulse, 10 full, 10 low pulse
  • Static Lunge Left 10 full, 10 low pulse, 10 full, 10 low pulse

One Set Each of:

  • Thigh Dance from Physique 57 (Tabata style) 2 minutes
  • Straight Arm Planks 1 min
  • Forearm Planks with 20 hip dips

Legs = FRIED!  :) I love the day after a good leg workout when all the muscles are reminding you they are there!  The legs are TALKING TO ME TODAY!

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I’ve had some good eats in recent days that I thought you’d like to see.

A grilled goat cheese sandwich (made on Ezekial bread, what else??) with a side salad and another WONDERFUL new soup (Imagine brand Organic Fire Roasted Tomato Bisque).  A very creamy yet DAIRY-FREE tomato soup!  I LOVED this soup… very flavorful.  A quick and tasty dinner.  I went very light on the goat cheese to keep it from being too calorie dense, about an ounce and a half in thin slivers.

I also attempted to make an Edamame Hummus, after having devoured that appetizer at Root Down last week.  I had a 10 oz package of organic frozen shelled edamame and scanned through a few recipes on the internet.

This contains lemon juice, sesame oil, sea salt, and some veggie stock.  I think what I ended up with was more Eda-mole than hummus.  It needed a LOT of added sea salt to have some flavor, so I’ll be trying a few more recipes.  This one wasn’t really worth sharing just yet.  Not bad, just not WOW.  And definitely not nearly as good as Root Down’s.

If you have a recipe for Edamame Hummus that you’d like to share (or ANY hummus for that matter, seeing how I am a HUMMUS-HOLIC) I’d love to hear from you! Drop a comment!

Speaking of hummus, we made a trip to Garbanzo’s and my hummus plate lasted for THREE meals!  Now that’s budget- friendly!  You get a big dollop of hummus in the middle and then I order all the veggies they offer, and skip the rice, pita and chips.   Then I bring it home and using an Ezekial pita, I do this:

Smear a little hummus inside the pita, add two falafel, pickled eggplant, tabbouleh, and the chopped tomato/cucumber salad.  Then I made a side salad with spinach from home, added a little hummus, some pickled eggplant and a drizzle of their tahini dressing.  THREE MEALS I got out of this for the $6 plate.  And TASTY!

And Berni,  you will be happy to know that I did in fact wash my ALL of my spinach as soon as I read your comment about doing it on the weekend.  :)   Which had crossed my mind, but I was being LAZY!

No fecal material in MY salads or smoothies, thankyouverymuch!

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Well, I am off to take my pics for tomorrow’s FLEX-IT FRIDAY.  Send me your pics today to shari at fitfeat dot com.  If you DO NOT get a reply from me by email after sending your pic(s), drop a comment here at the blog to let me know.  Because I will write each person back when the pics come through to let you know I got them, so no return email means that they didn’t make it through.  And if you are a blogger, include your URL and I’ll be sure to link back to your site when I write the post.

Where are the peeps from Cindy’s CORE Challenge? This is for you!

Have a terrific Thursday, friends!

– Shari B. =)

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