Fat blast

I'm heading south for a few days in March so I can get out of this cold weather. Warm sun means less clothes, so I've been putting a bit more effort toward my food tracking and exercise routine. I'm not a believer in crash diets, but there are a few things I've been doing like cutting sodium and drinking a lot of water. I've also been changing up my workouts to help burn more fat:

Body shock
Overloading muscles can keep your body guessing. Instead of resting in between my sets while weightlifting, I've been doing all sets in a circuit without rest. Also, instead of three sets of each exercise, I've been doing four.

Mix it up with cardio
Instead of supersetting, incorporate cardio between lifting sets. This can burn a higher percentage of calories from fat. Try jogging in place or jumping rope for 30 seconds in between sets.

Jump!
Plyometrics (jumping or skipping) can burn calories quickly and build muscle because you're working against gravity. Exercises like Box Jumps work well and I also recommend Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred DVD if you want to incorporate this practice into your workouts.

Ideas for exercising at home

It's the time of year when finding the energy to bundle up and deal with the winter weather is difficult. Couple that endeavor with finding energy to go to the gym and your workout may likely never happen.

Here are some ideas to continue your activity at home without the hassle of going to the gym:
--Invest in a Swiss ball and try some of these exercises.

--Workout videos can be hit or miss, but I have found success with Ellen Barrett's Crunch videos. This one is my favorite.

--The old stand-bys: Pushups, situps, lunges, squats and plank. These can be done during commercials while watching TV and provide great results over time. While these exercises may seem elementary, make sure you are doing them properly. If you don't know how to do these exercises properly, check out YouTube.com for instructions.

--If you need some cardio, climb your stairs, jump rope (or just jumping period), or try some kickboxing moves.

Fruit and Veggie Abyss

I am in the abyss. Or, at least that's what I call the time period from which football ends, yet I still have weeks to wait until I can enjoy the outdoors once again. This time also means that I struggle with comfort food cravings and cannot find a decent fresh fruit or vegetable. I went to the grocery store yesterday and the apples were bruised, the green peppers were shriveled and I was at a loss in produce. I KNOW I need to have healthy foods at hand to snack on, but there were no appetizing items in site.

I decided that I needed to stay away from the 100 calorie pack aisle and get creative. So, I bought some dried figs. I could eat a sleeve of Fig Newtons in one sitting, so I thought I might like the fruit. Here's the quick and dirty:

--They are delicious!
--Figs are rich in calcium, iron, phosphorus and potassium.
--1 fig is about 20 calories with 1 gram of fiber.
--A 1/4 cup serving provides 244 mg of potassium (7% of the DV), 53 mg of calcium (6% of the DV) and 1.2 mg of iron (6% of the DV).
--Figs are fat-free, sodium-free and cholesterol-free. (WOOT!)

Now I'm on a mission to find more get-me-through-the-abyss fruits and veggies. Ideas?

Get out of your chair!

If you have a desk job and you are still spending 8+ hours per day in one of those crappy chairs your office provides, what are you waiting for? It's time to upgrade your seat and have some fun. Time to buy an exercise ball!

I've been sitting on an exercise ball at my desk at work for over a year now. I rarely use my desk chair because a) the ball is fun, and b) the back pain/stress I was experiencing due to bad posture is gone! I find myself getting up and around more instead of staying seated all day. I've also started a trend around the office!

Check out this article for more benefits, then head to Target and buy yourself a ball!

Step away from the kitchen!

It's 6:00 p.m. You walk in the door exhausted from the work day - and famished! You walk in the kitchen because it seems like a good place to go to unwind. You open the fridge, the freezer and the cupboards, grabbing and munching mindlessly. Sound familiar? The last thing you want to do or think about is spending 30-60 minutes cooking a healthy dinner after you've had a long day.

1) The best way to resolve this (as you know) is you plan ahead. Cook and freeze your meals on Sundays, find a 15-minute meals cookbook, use your slow cooker or stop at Subway instead of McDonalds.

2) Make sure you're eating snacks throughout the day. Have an apple at 4:00 to help hold you over until dinner. Also, keep up with your water drinking. You should drink half of your weight in ounces per day.

3) If you have tendencies to wander to the pantry before dinner (or after!), find a go-to instead. Make a list of things you enjoy doing that will satisfy you the same way food does. Call a friend, read a book/magazine, work on a hobby such as knitting, learn an instrument or new language or exercise! Refer to this list and use it when you are struggling with your willpower.

Pot of Pizza

Great recipe I tried this week! If you love pizza, you'll love this. My husband liked it as well and it's great for leftovers!

8 oz ground turkey
1/2 c. chopped onion
1/2 c. chopped green pepper
2.5 oz. jar sliced mushrooms, drained
15 oz. pizza sauce
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 tsp. Splenda
3 cups cooked whole wheat egg noodles
1/4 c. reduced fat shredded parmesan cheese
1/4 c. reduced fat shredded mozzarella cheese

Spray large skillet with olive-oil flavored cooking spray. Brown meat, onion and green pepper. Stir in mushrooms, pizza sauce, Italian seasoning and Splenda. Pour mixture into slow cooker. Spread noodles over meat mixture. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and layer mozzarella over the top. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours. Mix well before serving.

My thoughts on the recipe:
-I added more mushrooms and I may add olives or more veggies next time. If you do this, add more sauce or it will dry out.
-You may want to stir in the cheese before it cooks because it mixes better that way.

Gym Wars

This is the time of year I really dread going to the gym. For one, I really love to get my workouts done outdoors, but HELLO, I live in Minnesota. That isn't happening for at least three more months. Secondly, my gym is packed. If you are a regular gym rat, I'm sure you've noticed the same thing this week. While I can certainly respect someone wanting to get into the swing of things for the New Year, I think we can categorize the patrons as such:

1) Year-rounders. This is me, thankfully! These are the dedicated folks you see several times each week - even on New Years Eve morning.

2) New Year's resolutioners who are ready. This was me on January 1, 2004. I was ready! My head was right, I had a food plan, a workout plan and a mental plan. This was going to work because I was ready to do it. And, it worked! Next year, these folks will move into the above category!

3) New Year's resolutioners who are not ready. This was me on January 1, 2003...and just about every other January before that. These people know they should get healthy, but either don't have motivation, a plan, a support system or haven't chosen realistic goals. These people will be gone by Valentine's Day.

4) All show, no go! You know these people and I believe we can break this down even further. You know the gal who is there with full make-up, hair done up and spends more time looking in the mirrors than actual working out. And, you likely know the guy that comes to the gym in jeans rather than workout clothes. He is not in shape at all, so you wonder why he is at the gym in the first place. The worst part - he doesn't wipe the machines. Lastly, let's not forget the socialites. They are there to hang out on the machines while talking, but not to actually exercise.

If you are currently not in categories 1 or 2, continue to read this blog and I will get you there! Support and encouragement is key!