Meal Plan and Tips (9/30-10/6)

A little housekeeping: I am trying to get weekly meal plans out over the weekend since most of us probably have more time to shop and prepare then, rather than during the work week. So next week, look for it on Sat.  :) 

We are continuing to carb cycle this week by alternating higher protein/lower calorie days with higher carb/higher calorie days; with resistance work on higher protein days and cardio work on higher calorie days. This doesn't always happen, as I may have to teach a class I wasn't planning on or the hubby is too late and tired from work to get in the scheduled workout. But - better to have a plan and do what we can than to just cross our fingers and see what happens!!

Our Free Day typically falls on a Fri or Sat and lets us enjoy eating out and even dessert (woot woot) since the rest of the week really keeps us on track.

To keep meals quick and easy this week, the veggie chop is, as usual, job one. Spinach, tomatoes, onion, peppers, and zucchini are my mainstays. Carrots, celery, yellow squash, mushrooms - whatever you like can also join the party. It will get used in many meals and some weeks I have to make 2 batches. (Just assume there is a cup or so in almost everything I make.)

Chicken, of course, pops up in several meals. I will marinate a package of 4 boneless skinless breasts in 3/4 cup orange juice and 3/4 cup soy sauce and then throw them on the George Foreman grill. Once cooked and portioned out, it will show up in a stir fry one evening and with squash and green beans on another, and then with some quinoa for one lunch and sliced up on a sandwich for another. Also, a package of sun dried tomato chicken sausage from Trader Joe's is quick and easy for the stuffed peppers for one dinner and then sliced into the chili for another.

My version of overnight oats:

1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup milk, water, or soy milk
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1  4 oz container Greek or regular yogurt
2 tsp flax seed

Mix it all together and divide into 2 covered containers - yes, I make 2 servings at the same time. It keeps just fine for a few days in the fridge, saves time, and is otherwise just too big of a serving. The morning I eat it, just a quick stir and then I add some fruit of some kind: 1/2 banana, a couple of strawberries, or some blueberries and sprinkle of cinnamon. Yum.

One serving: 240 calories, 17 g protein, 31 g carbs, 5 g fat, 4 g fiber, 262 g calcium (nutritional info does not include fruit and is based on using Greek yogurt)

(Keeping fruit in the freezer for overnight oats and smoothies is always a good idea. I buy fruit on sale and then just freeze it. Too easy.)

Day 1: (lower carb day)

Breakfast: egg beaters and veggies
Lunch: cottage cheese with pineapple, celery with peanut butter
Snack: Greek yogurt with almonds or sunflower seeds
Dinner: chicken sausage, veggie chop stuffed peppers with green salad

Day 2:

Breakfast: overnight oats with fruit
Lunch: soup with open faced peanut butter and banana sandwich
Snack: low fat popcorn and raisins
Dinner: chicken with broccoli, onion, soy sauce on brown rice

Day 3: (lower carb day)

Breakfast: protein pancakes
Lunch: quinoa with chicken, veggie chop, lime, and cilantro
Snack: peanut butter chocolate protein smoothie
Dinner: grilled zucchini and Parmesan encrusted tilapia

Day 4:

Breakfast: cereal and milk with fruit
Lunch: sliced chicken and roasted red pepper sandwich and a pear
Snack: hummus and crackers, apple
Dinner: refried beans, reduced fat cheese burritos on whole wheat tortilla, with lettuce, tomato and chipotle slaw

Day 5: (lower carb day)

Breakfast: egg beaters and veggies
Lunch: tuna salad with fat free mayo on greens, melon
Snack: string cheese and nuts or sunflower seeds
Dinner: chicken sausage chili and melon

Day 6:

Breakfast: overnight oats with fruit
Lunch: turkey/cheese sandwich, carrots and cucumber with fat free dressing
Snack: apple and chocolate peanut butter
Dinner: chicken with roasted butternut squash and green beans

Day 7:

free day  :)

This week's activity ((9/22-9/29)

Sunday
1.5 hour dog walk/hike/geo cache

Monday
45 minute cardio/strength interval class
15 minutes abs
3 mile dog walk

Tuesday
2-30-4 workout 
3 mile dog walk

Wednesday
1 hour bar bell class
2 mile dog walk
4 mile run

Thursday
3 mile dog walk
2-30-4 workout
12 minute plank workout 

Friday
10 Minute workout with Tony Horton
5 mile run
2 mile dog walk

Saturday
1 hour bar bell class 
2 mile dog walk

10 Minute workout with Tony Horton

You either love Tony Horton or hate him.
I get it.
But his workouts are effective. No equipment. 10 minutes.
I'm there.

Happy Friday!

Color Me Rad

Our up-coming family weekend at Virginia Tech just got more colorful.

Everyone needs eye protection. I'll bring the white t shirts. We just need a team name...

Can't wait!!

Not a regular runner
but want to do a 5K just to see what all the fuss is about?

30 minutes, 3 days a week, for 4 weeks - You're there!

Here's the plan:

first, find and register for a 5K near you about 4-5 weeks from now. Yep - register and pay for it. Mark it on your calendar. Tell someone you are doing it. Commit. That accountability will get you through the training. 

Week 1 on 3 non-consecutive days:

• Run 10 minutes: On a treadmill, walk at a brisk pace. Then slowly increase the "speed" of the belt a little at a time until you are forced to shift from a walk to a jog. Increase the speed slowly (if needed) until that jog feels like a comfortable pace for you. Relax your shoulders, comfortably swing your arms, and run for the full 10 minutes. If it feels too hard, slow the treadmill down a little but keep going. Open your mouth and breathe. Take note of the speed you have set on the treadmill. On your next run, you can adjust from there.

• Walk 20 minutes: slow the treadmill down to a brisk walking pace - not a  I-can't-possibly-walk-any-faster-without-dislocating-a-hip pace but not a browsing-the-clearance-rack-at-Target pace either. Somewhere in between. Take note of that speed on the treadmill.

Do this workout one day a week outside. Training on a treadmill is great. It will teach/remind you to put your feet down in a straight line, it helps regulate your pace, and it takes out any excuse of weather for skipping your training  But it is also important to train outside. You need to prepare your bones, joints, and ligaments for the impact of hard surfaces. Don't worry if your pace is choppy - new runners will likely surge back and forth between running too fast and too slow. Your speed doesn't matter. It's all about time. Use your watch and just keep running for the full time, even if you are running really SLOWLY. Then walk for the full time.

If you don't have access to a treadmill, just grab your watch and head out the front door.

Week 2 on 3 non-consecutive days, at least once outside:

• Run 15 minutes
• Walk 15 minutes

Week 3 on 3 non-consecutive days, at least once outside:

• Run 20 minutes
• Walk 10 minutes

Week 4 on 3 non-consecutive days, at least twice outside:

• Run 25 minutes
• Walk 5 minutes

5K day: Run from start to finish!!

Good luck!

Breakfast for Dessert

This is another Pinterest-inspired recipe. But who has this kind of time for breakfast? 

(Who am I kidding - anybody who knows me and my boring life knows I have PLENTY of this kind of time for breakfast, but I figure I am the exception not the rule.)

Regardless, I decided to pass it off as dessert. Changes I made to the original recipe are in blue.


Raspberry Cheesecake Oatmeal

Ingredients
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup water, unsweetened almond milk, or skim milk - I used light vanilla soy milk
1/2 mashed medium banana

Splash of vanilla
2 tablespoons cream cheese I used the fat free version
1 teaspoon powdered sugar (more or less to taste) ummm, make that 3 teaspoons
Squeeze of lemon juice (optional) nah
1 tablespoon raspberry preserves

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine oats, water or milk, banana, and vanilla and pour into nonstick sprayed baking dish. I just zapped mine in the microwave at this point for 2 minutes. It seemed silly to heat up the oven...
2. Combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, and lemon juice. Put into plastic bag, snip off one end and squeeze into two horizontal lines on top of oatmeal. After mixing it up, I just spooned mine on top - who am I trying to impress here? I just want something yummy to eat. Put raspberry preserves in another plastic bag and squeeze two horizontal lines in between the cream cheese.  I just plopped the preserves on top of my little blob of sweetened cream cheese.
3. Drag knife up and down through lines to create a swirl. Bake for 20 minutes. Again - I didn't bake mine but zapped it instead. Then the cream cheese and raspberry jam were cold and creamy on top. Enjoy!

Obviously mine didn't look this fancy but it was good and a fairly guiltless dessert! Although the serving size is kinda on the large end. The next time I make it I'll use 1/4 cup oats and 1/4 cup vanilla soy milk.  :)

Meal Plan (9/24-9/30)

Monday:

Breakfast: egg beaters/veggies
Lunch: veggie burger and hummus lettuce wraps, Greek yogurt
Snack: celery with peanut butter
Dinner: chicken, spinach, tomato, onion quesadilla on wheat tortilla, frozen grapes

Tuesday:

Breakfast: over night oats with melon
Lunch: turkey / roasted red pepper grilled cheese sandwich, apple
Snack: wheat crackers with cottage cheese
Dinner: spinach stuffed picante chicken on brown rice

Wednesday:

Breakfast: egg beaters/veggies
Lunch: black beans and veggie chop on cottage cheese
Snack: Greek yogurt, sunflower seeds
Dinner: lentils, veggies, with chicken

Thursday:

Breakfast: Cereal with banana
Lunch: peanut butter, apple, granola wrap, Greek yogurt
Snack: low fat popcorn and raisins/peanuts
Dinner: penne, basil pesto and turkey meatballs, green salad

Friday:

Breakfast: egg beaters/veggies
Lunch: left over lentils and veggies, green salad
Snack: Greek yogurt, sunflower seeds
Dinner: spinach, tomato, onion, chicken pizza on cauliflower crust

Saturday:

Breakfast: over night oats with melon
Lunch: turkey meatball sub, fruit salad
Snack: low fat popcorn and raisins/peanuts
Dinner: Parmesan garlic tilapia, couscous, caprese salad

Sunday:

free day  :)

Inspiration from advertising?

yep. 

I love when I find inspiration. Anywhere. Especially in places I might not expect: like in an ad; even for a product or company I maybe haven't thought too much about. I think ad writers are 1 part creative and 4 parts genius. Or maybe creativity and genius are the same thing...?

Anyway, I think these ads have great messages.

Get inspired...even if you find it between the pages of your favorite magazine:

Win the day.
- Chobani

Everything else is a warm up.

- NYC Marathon

Size sassy - you're so much more than a number.

- Special K

Life's a marathon and you're in it.
- Rescue Remedy

You don't know strength until 

strength is the only choice you have.

- Oakley supporting Young Survival Coalition

Be naturally fit.

Be yourself by doing the things you love to do.

- Birkenstock

Kick start your day.
Focus.
Hit your stride.
Breathe.
Change your pace.
Change your oil.
Make a difference.
Make a home.
Be courageous.
Encourage others.
Stay fit.
Fit it all in.
Breathe.
Hug a kid.
Kid around.
Run your life. 
Run your heart out.
- Athleta

Good is a shared passion.

Good is contagious.

Good refreshes our lives.

Get your good going.

- Almond Breeze

Love every minute.

Love every day.

every family meal.

every inside joke.

every soccer practice.

every laugh.

every tear.

every glass of spilled milk.

and every perfect night at home.

- Minute Rice

Live with boldness.
- Multiple Sclerosis .org

This week's activity (9/16-9/22) ...

Sunday

2.5 mile dog walk

Monday
3.5 mile hike
20 minutes upper body work
15 minutes abs

Tuesday
45 minute cardio/strength interval class

Wednesday
1 hour bar bell class
2 mile dog walk
3 mile run

Thursday
3 mile dog walk
2-30-4 workout

Friday
15 minute abs
45 minute pilates class

Saturday
1 hour bar bell class
5 mile run

Some entertainment...

...just in case you haven't seen this one yet.

:)

Two Thirty Four Workout

No, you don't have to wait until 2:34 to do this workout and no, it won't take you two hours and 34 minutes. (Phew - thank goodness!)

This workout uses sets of 2 exercises, doing each one for 30 seconds, and repeating that sequence 4 times to complete one round. Using my A-HIT phone app in the Sets option, I set it up for 4 rounds, 30 seconds of work followed by 30 seconds of work. Or just a 30 second timer works too. Then just repeat the set for the number of rounds you choose to do. If you do all 6 sets below, it should take about 30 minutes (giving about a minute of rest between each round as you reset your timer and set up for the next set of exercises).

So round one would look like this:  30 seconds of burpees, 30 seconds of hip lift bridges, 30 seconds of burpees, 30 seconds of hip lift bridges, 30 seconds of burpees, 30 seconds of hip lift bridges, 30 seconds of burpees, 30 seconds of hip lift bridges. Done, now move to round 2.

30 seconds. You can do anything for 30 seconds.

**Round Five requires hand weights or exercise bands. If you don't have any, you could use full water bottles or skip this one if you want.

Round One
-Burpees: from standing, squat down and place both hands on floor, jump both feet back to push up position (or reach back one foot at a time without jumping), then jump both feet back to the squat position (or step back in one foot at a time if you need to), stand back up and jump reaching hands to the ceiling, repeat.
-Hip lift bridges: lying on back with knees bent and hands on floor near hips, lift and lower hips up off the floor, squeezing your bum and tightening your abs, don't rest when you lower your hips but rather just skim the very tips of the carpet fibers beneath you

Round Two
-Wall sit: with back against a wall and knees bent, use the strength of your legs to "sit" on an invisible chair
-Hover or modified plank: in prone position, elbows and forearms on the floor, toes on the floor, lift the rest of your body into a straight line hover, no piking, no sagging

Round Three
-Squat jump: wide legs, squat down and touch the floor with fingertips then jump up while reaching both hands towards the ceiling, land in squat position (try not to bend over too far on the squat, don't let knees go forward but rather stick your bum back into the squat)
-Windmill toe touches: in a wide stance with extended arms, lean over, bend one knee and then the other as you alternate reaching for one foot then the other like a windmill, pull belly up and in

Round Four
-Push ups: you know the drill, hands wider than shoulders, start on your toes, go to your knees if/when necessary
-Crunches: on your back, bent knees, no laced fingers behind your neck - just a light touch behind your ears - elbows out, lift head and shoulders off the floor as you pull the back of your belly button into your spine, crunching your rib cage toward your hip bones

Round Five
-Biceps: using hand weights or exercise band, hammer curls or palms up, elbows pointing straight down rather than resting against your body
-Triceps: using hand weights or exercise band, overhead extensions, elbows in and up framing your head, the movement should happen behind your head, as if you were trying to put the hand weights into your own backpack and then lifting them back up toward the ceiling

Round Six
-Plank jacks: in push up position (or on elbows and forearms) jack in and out with feet, pull belly up and in
-Side hover hip dips: lying on side, long straight body, propped up on elbow directly under shoulder, opposite hand reaching toward ceiling, lift and lower hip off floor, alternate sides for each 30 second set

Let's talk calories...

I'm interested in calories. They drive me crazy, but I am interested in them.

A calorie is a measurement of energy; specifically the amount of energy needed to increase the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1 degree Celsius. We then equate this measurement of energy to refer to the amount of energy in a food made available through metabolism. 

Our bodies cannot create energy. We can use the energy we have stored in our fat and muscles and we can use (or store) the energy from the food we eat, but we can't actually make energy. So...when we use more energy then we eat, we dip into our stored energy (in fat and muscle tissue) and over time, we lose weight. One pound of body fat can store about 3,500 calories of energy. So mathematically, if we create a 3,500 calorie deficit (say eating 500 calories less than we expended every day for a week) we could lose 1 pound.  

But then the fun begins. How many calories do we burn in a typical day? There are lots of formulas, apps, and gadgets that can help you estimate this number; emphasis on estimate. And every day is a little different. Not just the obvious - today, I ran for 45 minutes vs yesterday, I curled up on the couch and watched Netflix all day - but the not so obvious..... Your sex, height, weight, age, activity levels, and amount of muscle mass you currently carry are obvious caloric expenditure predictors. But also things like medication, stress, sleep and behavior issues, temperature, and even the specific food choices we make (what and when we eat) can directly influence caloric expenditure.

If you are maintaining your current weight, you can assume you are typically consuming about same number of calories as you are expending. That caloric balance equals weight maintenance. If over time, you ate more calories than you moved, you would eventually gain weight. If over time, you ate less calories then you moved, you would eventually lose weight. Our bodies are constantly shifting back and forth between a state of storing energy and using energy  - within the same day, even within the same hour - but it is the long term average of that caloric balance (or imbalance) that affects our weight. Don't even get me going on weight fluctuation - you can weigh yourself 3 times a day and get 3 different weights and make yourself crazy. Best to weigh yourself the same day of the week, same time of the day, wearing the same thing, with the scale in the same place on the bathroom floor. Think long term here - even if you aren't interested in gaining or losing weight, keeping an eye on your weight, even monthly, is a good idea.

So not only is trying to figure out your caloric expenditure difficult at best, trying to figure out your caloric consumption can be equally complicated. Yes, food labels are helpful. But legally, food labels can have up to a 25% error in accuracy. 25%!!! Isn't that crazy? Then you have the whole controversy of including/not including the calories from fiber in your daily total or what and how the true calories in alcohol and sugar alcohol are even measured. What about all the foods without labels: produce, unprocessed stuff, the whole foods we really should be eating? And let's face it, most of us aren't weighing and measuring our foods and in general, aren't that great at estimating the amounts we are eating. Throw in a few meals in restaurants (even if you found the calorie count of those meals, the accuracy of that number would be questionable) and we just start shaking our heads.

So should we ignore calories completely? I don't think so. But I don't think we should spend too much time trying to accurately quantify them all either.  Using the simple calories in, calories out math process, a calorie is a calorie, and we could lose weight eating donuts (as long as we expended more calories than our donuts added up to, day after day) but we would feel like...well, we'd feel like crap.

More then just calories, how do specific food choices make you feel? How does your body use different foods: fat, carbs, protein?

We know carbohydrates can be used as energy more quickly/easily than protein or fat. But we also know that as we age, (especially women -- with the fun of gradually producing less estrogen) there are changes in the way our bodies use those carbohydrates. Protein takes more energy to metabolize and impacts the thermic effect of food (which can account for about 20% of our total caloric expenditure). Both fat and protein take longer for the body to metabolize, so they tend to help fill us up a little more. 

So besides the number of calories, where those calories are coming from might make more of a difference, not only when it comes to weight loss goals but fitness in general. We need to find the right balance of fat, carbs, and protein to fit our goals and our lifestyle. Low and non fat diets can lead to hormonal imbalances and usually leave you feeling hungry often. High protein/ low or no carb diets can be tough on our organs, leave you feeling sluggish, and can be correlated to adverse health risks. Finding the right balance of healthy fats, lean protein, and less-processed carbohydrates is my goal.

That's why carb cycling appeals to me. That's why I think about when I eat, not just what I eat. Food is energy - fuel. Yes, I could lick the plate of a hot fudge brownie sundae, but thinking of food as fuel helps me make healthy choices more often. 

A nice day for a hike...

Today it's raining, but yesterday was a nice day for a hike.

Lots of wildflowers

A few hills...

but mostly flat.

My hiking partner.

Endomondo
 - this phone app lets me know how far I went
 and  helps me out when I get lost.

(I am directionally challenged so this is a must.)

The best way to lift your own spirit is to do something nice for someone else!

Meal Plan (9/17-9/23)

This week's meal plan has some big changes. Now that the marathon is over, our mileage is going to drop. We still plan on running 3 times a week but for much shorter distances. Now we are going to focus on building muscle. We are going to be carb cycling -- alternating higher protein/lower calorie days with higher carb/higher calorie days. 

As always, I am not a doctor or a nutritionist, but the research shows this can be a great way to maximize both muscle gain and fat loss. We plan to run on our higher carb/calorie days and lift on our higher protein days. We have carb cycled before, but if you are new to this way of eating, be aware -- some people get grumpy and sluggish on the lower carb days. It takes us about 2 weeks before our bodies adjust. We take a B complex along with our daily multivitamin to help with energy levels. Ideally breakfast will be eaten within the hour of waking, and a meal or snack within an hour of working out. This can be tough if you exercise at night, like we occasionally do. In general, we try not to eat within 2 hours of going to bed but a night workout would change that. Be ready to make exceptions and modify based on your lifestyle and energy levels. If you do cardio daily, and you know who you are Karen, you may need some extra carbs within the hour of your run on lower carb days.

We also opt for a free day - yay!! We don't go crazy but we eat what we want and enjoy dessert. We have found this helps us stick with the plan for more than a week or 2.

I also will not include a grocery list for the next couple of weeks. It may be easier to decide what meals you plan on using, taking stock of your fridge and pantry, and then filling in the gaps. 


Monday:

Breakfast: egg beaters/veggies
Lunch: quinoa spinach cake (see Sep 12 post), turkey lunch meat, sunflower seeds
Snack: celery with peanut butter
Dinner: green salad with chicken, soy nuts, apple, low cal dressing

Tuesday:

Breakfast: oatmeal/milk
Lunch: turkey, tomato, cheese, roasted red pepper sandwich, Greek yogurt with fruit
Snack: wheat crackers with hummus
Dinner: pork tenderloin, sweet potato, green beans

Wednesday:

Breakfast: egg beaters/veggies
Lunch: hummus, baby carrots, cottage cheese with pineapple
Snack: Greek yogurt, sunflower seeds
Dinner: chicken, quinoa spinach cakes, broccoli

Thursday:

Breakfast: oatmeal/milk
Lunch: turkey and veggie sandwich, apple with peanut butter
Snack: low fat popcorn and raisins/peanuts
Dinner: not-fried rice with pork, veggies

Friday:

Breakfast: egg beaters/veggies
Lunch: quinoa spinach cake, turkey lunch meat, baby carrots
Snack: Greek yogurt, sunflower seeds
Dinner: fish tacos, chipotle slaw

Saturday:

Breakfast: oatmeal/milk
Lunch: turkey and veggie sandwich, apple with peanut butter
Snack: low fat popcorn and raisins/peanuts
Dinner: whole wheat pasta with roasted tomatoes, peppers, chicken sausage

Sunday:

free day