No Guilt "Nachos"

We had these last night for dinner and, wow were they awesome! I was skeptical at first but they were so delicious and left me feeling perfectly satisfied! Feel free to get creative with your toppings. We had salsa, guacamole and beans on the side, yum!!!

Ingredients:

1 pound grass fed beef

2 cloves garlic, pressed

1 Tbsp chili powder

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp ground cumin

Handful of black sliced olives

Handful of sliced peperoncini

Optional sprinkle of parmesan cheese

About 12 mini sweet peppers

- Brown meat in pan and season with garlic through cumin

- Cut stems off of mini sweet peppers, then halve them and remove seeds

- Fill the peppers with the cooked beef and add the toppings you desire

- Place them on a baking sheet and broil for about 10 minutes

Give these "nachos" a try, you won't be disappointed!

Healing Hormone Issues with Exercise

"Hormones are chemical substances that act like messenger molecules in the body. After being made in one part of the body, they travel to other parts of the body where they help control how cells and organs do their work. For example, insulin is a hormone that's made by the beta cells in the pancreas. When it's released into the blood, insulin helps regulate how the cells of the body use glucose (a type of sugar) for energy." - KidsHealth.org We tend to think of hormonal issues as an adult problem, but as many parents of tweens and teens will tell you...they start their influence at a fairly young age.  Hormonal control and regulation talk has become common place in our society as we search to maintain our energy, mood, libido, and vibrancy into later stages of life.  What is fascinating is that there is a growing trend, even amidst our current scientific "progress", for people to begin seeking hormonal help at a younger age.  Blame it on stress, fast paced lifestyle, phthalates in our plastics and shampoos, the added soy in our food supply, and putting off child bearing into later years, and there's a perfect cocktail for our need to help our hormones.   Tim Ferris in The Four Hour Body states that "The sperm counts of men in the US and 20 other industrialized countries have been falling since 1942 at a rate of roughly 1% per year in healthy males."  Walk into any infertility clinic in the US and you will shocked by the volume of people who need hormonal assistance to have children naturally.   There are so many reasons why they can be thrown off, it can be infuriating to chase down the cause.

While hormone replacement therapy may be the ultimate solution for some, the more subtle solution is to get back to what nature intended to help us feel great.  More sleep, whole foods in moderation, and stress-reducing exercise.  In a comparison of exercisers and non-exercisers, showed that exercisers' moods were significantly more positive than sedentary women's moods, regardless of menopausal state. Exercising women also scored lower on somatic symptoms and memory-concentration difficulties. (Health Psychology, Vol 16(3), May 1997, 203-208).  Physical activity also seems to minimize weight gain and changes in body composition and fat distribution experienced at midlife and might attenuate the rapid bone density loss that occurs when perimenopausal women engage in moderate physical activity an average of 30 minutes a day.

In general, our hormones decline as we age.  They can become more off balance when we don't take care of our health.  There is still research needed to define what specific types of exercise is best for treating hormonal fluctuation, but we know that Testosterone can be boosted with strength training and that over-exercising can actually reduce Estrogen levels.  We suggest strength training 2 days a week, doing yoga or Tai Chi 2 days a week, 1 day of high intensity intervals and 1 day of hiking or biking at a moderate level to maintain a healthy balance of effort and consistency for your hormonal health.  Of course, your effort level will depend on what you are currently used to doing for training, so see your physician and fitness coach for more info!

Excuses are like belly buttons

Normally I am a pretty easy going person.  I have my ideals and standards, but at the end of the day compassion typically trumps my need for things to get done the way I prefer.  It's funny, because I often wonder if I simply just make excuses for myself and others that I disguise as compassion.  Now that I think about it, lots of things have become a little more grey the older I get.  Not much seems too black and white.  For example- it used to be easy for me to say, "if you want to change, start moving".  Now I realize, the in order for some people to change, they literally need someone or something to get them moving out of depression in order to initiate change.  Of course, a depressed person still has to be willing to engage in the process of change once they get started, and that is where the excuses and continue to factor in.

Excuses are like belly buttons: everyone has one and they ain't worth nothin'. - Author Unknown

I have made excuses for more than I would like to admit in my life.  Many of my regrets are for the excuses I made- even subconsciouly, rather than dealing with the situation or taking action in the moment.  It would seem that none of us is exempt from excusing ourselves from time to time.  Usually for good reasons.

The best definition I could find for an Excuse: An explanation offered to justify or obtain forgiveness.

So as far as I can tell, the difference between a legitimate explanation or reason vs. an excuse is that an explanation is an account of what happened without any attempt to avoid responsibility for ones actions. The person giving the explanation would preface and/or follow it up with something like, "what can I do to make it right?"

An excuse is an account of what happened given in an attempt to avoid responsibility for ones actions. An excuse usually includes a sentiment along the lines of, "It not my fault."

So what is your excuse for your actions vs. your reasons?   Do you feel you are constantly apologizing or feeling bad even though deep down you don't think it is your fault or your responsibility?

When it comes to making decisions for your health,  you are in complete control.  You may not think you are because of work, family obligations, social commitments, church, upkeep on the house, etc., etc., but ultimately you are in control.  To avoid what you need and blame it on something else is simply as excuse.  To take responsibility for the fact that you don't exercise or eat better means that you acknowledge that you could make better choices and then ask "what can I do to make it right?".  Even better,  you might let yourself get a little vulnerable and ask, "what can I do to ask for help?"

Let's all strive to avoid making excuses and instead, own up to what we can choose to do to focus our time and efforts on healthy breakthroughs!

The trouble with always leaving yourself a way out is that you always take it. ~Robert Brault

Strawberry Lemonade

Last weekend, my friend, Megan, made this delicious, refreshing beverage at a BBQ. It was SO GOOD! Give it a try!

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups lemon juice (about 8-10 lemons)

8 cups water

3/4  - 1 1/4 cup raw honey (depending on how sweet you like your lemonade, you can also use Stevia if you prefer it)

1 pint strawberries, washed and stems removed

- Throw everything in the blender then strain. That's it!

- Serve chilled or over crushed ice (or both!)

If you can manage not to drink it all,  freeze this yummy lemonade into popsicles. What a healthy and perfect hot Summer day treat!

Quick Banana Breakfast To Go For 2!

This recipe is so yummy and so easy! Breakfast is so important in firing up your metabolism, managing hunger throughout the day, and can help reduce binging later in the day.

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

1 scoop of your favorite vanilla protein powder

2 bananas sliced

1/2 cup old fashioned (gluten free) rolled oats

1/3 cup pomegranate juice

2 tablespoon chopped walnuts

1 tablespoon sunflower seeds raw

- Combine/stir together all in microwave bowl

- Heat in microwave 3 minutes

- Enjoy hot or cold

5 strategies to transition your mindless eating into a healthy habit

Food can certainly be a passion, goodness knows we Americans can easily mindlessly eat just about anything, anytime.  Dr. Brian Wansink has done extensive research on mindless eating, and he offers 5 strategies to transition your mindless eating into a healthy habit.

1. Focus on One Goal: Trying to do too much at once leads to failure.  Focus on one thing at a time like eating more vegetables, snacking less, or reducing your food intake after 8pm.
2. Select Three Changes:  All goals need baby steps and action plans to reach them.  For instance, if you want to eat more vegetables, the strategies you will use to accomplish will be to purchase at least 4 different types of vegetables at the store, eat vegetables first at every meal, and eat at least one vegetable as a snack.
3. Form a Simple Plan: Get ready by having a list of the things you will need, or a checklist to mark off what you have accomplished each day.  Schedule in your changes whenever possible.
4. Execute the Plan:  Get support and accountability by making your goal public to those you trust.  Track your progress and celebrate your milestones!
5. Maintain the Plan: Brian says, "plans that don't change eventually don't fit."  Even if your plan works brilliantly for months, life happens, and sometimes you have to make adjustments.  Be ready for them and be flexible enough to learn and adjust as your body needs it.

From http://mindlesseating.org/what_can_i_do.php.  The Mindless Eating site is full of awesome ideas to help you reduce your mindless eating and help replace it with health mindless eating.  It's nice to think you can go on autopilot and still healthy!

Committing to Decisions You Will Complete with Confidence

We are inundated with a million choices, and have so many tools at our fingertips these days it's almost too much.  It's rare to just pick up the phone as ask a question, we would rather look it up on the internet. When I have a question about my business or my twins, I often times go to online forums. Last week we talked about making a strategic health plan to give you the steps to move forward to reach your goals.  But what if you are having a hard time just deciding what to do first?  Do you start with diet, fitness, mindset??  It's all important.  Rather than getting caught up in the details, it is often best to sit quietly and ask yourself what your body needs now.  No should's, no guilt, simply "what does my body need now to help me feel more calm, confident, and in control?"

Once you have let yourself listen, it's time to get some information and then start the decision making process.  A wise person once told me to seek out 2-3 people in my life that I can reach out to at a moments notice to get advice from when making a decision.  They aren't making the decisions for us, they are simply there to remind us of the why behind the decision, help give us experience gleaned from their own lives, and to help us weigh out the options in black and white.  A third party beyond our heart and mind can often times make a world of difference!  That's where a caring trainer or health coach can really help.

Once you have reached out to a reliable and trustworthy sage, and you have narrowed down your options to exactly what you want to do, there is a simple three step process:

1) Put your decision in writing in clear and descriptive terms.  For instance, if you say I am going to go to the gym on Tuesday and Thursday morning, narrow it down even more to what time, what you do to prepare yourself to get there, and what you will do once you get there!

2) Put a date on it.   It is super easy to say, I am going to clean out the car....and then it keeps getting put off (and please do not look at mine!).  When you put a date to something it creates a deadline, and the sense of urgency becomes much more palpable.

3) Go public.  This is where the conversation and conversion begins.  When we talk about what we are going to do we have to both get excited about it, defend it, or wiggle our way through it until we become more comfortable with our intentions.  In the talking we convert our thoughts  into words which then move us into action.  Talk with as many people as you can, post it on facebook, or join a like-minded community.

We love to support people in their decision making process.  Not only do we do this on a daily basis in our coaching, but we also offer quarterly Nutrition and Lifestyle Programs to give you the nudge to the three steps above with a community of people who are doing it with you!  Challenging yourself is tough, but it is much better when you have some buddies who can support you through it!  Check out our upcoming 21 Day Wellness Reboot and Detox for more information on getting involved with a tribe of life-changers!  We start May 4th, 2013!

Strategic Planning for Health Success

It's nice to be successful at the things we put time into, right?  We create plans for travel, plans for our education, plans for our career or our businesses, but we often think our health is a byproduct of doing a few things here and there when we finally get around to it. Not so.

Leaving your health to chance is disaster.  The best way to have success at living a healthy life is by planning for it!  We love to set SMART (specific, measurable, applicable, realistic, and timely) goals here at Restoration Fitness, but if you don't have a plan for how you can make step by step progress toward achieving that goal, the likelihood of you getting there is pretty slim.

So here are some steps to help you start the process of planning you health!

1) Get a clear vision of what health means to you.  Why is being healthy important to you?  What is the purpose of doing things that support your health?  What do you hope to be able to do by focusing on your health?  What will your daily life look and feel like when you have your health in check?

2) Find an inspiring quote or phrase.  This is sort of like choosing a mission statement.  Something that wakes you up and reminds you of why you have committed to your goal and vision.  Mine has always been "I am the Bomb".  It's just a little mantra, but it has helped me countless times when I was in the dumps and didn't want to do what I said I would do.

3) Pick a date.  When you set a goal, we obviously expect it to be timely.   But even more importantly, we want you to know how you are going to celebrate your acheivement one you have reached your goal.  Get specific and then put reminders all over the place of that date.

4) Work your way back.  Once you have a date, you can start walking backwards to set smaller steps for the tangible things that need to be done to get you there.  For instance, say you want to eat 5 vegetables a day in the next month.  Well, every week you just need to add about 1 extra serving a day.  What are the strategies that you will need to implement:  getting to the grocery store, keeping fruits and veggies on hand at all times, ways to improve their pizzazz so you won't get bored of them, people who can support you, etc.

5) For bigger goals, especially as it concerns the bigger vision of your health picture, start with 1-year goals and then break it down into 3 month and 1 month goals.  REview your strategies and objectives on a weekly basis and then commit to what that means for how you need to structure your day to day life.

This stuff really works! It is exactly how running coaches plan their training programs for the year.  They look at each race and work their way back in intensity and mileage.  Here's a sample 5k Run/Walk Guide to help you get your steps in motion for your next race this summer!!  Enjoy!!

Honey's Delicious Dahl Soup

Restoration Fitness member, Honey, is a wonderful cook! We were lucky enough for her to share her lentil dahl soup recipe. Give it a try, it's SO delicious! Thanks, Honey!!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 cup masoor dal red lentils, picked through for stones

2 cups water

1 onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 (1/2-inch) piece ginger, peeled and minced

2 medium tomatoes, diced

1 serrano chile, sliced in 1/2, optional

Tempering oil (bagaar):

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds

Generous 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

1/2 teaspoon paprika or bafaat powder

1 tablespoon olive oil

Handful chopped fresh cilantro leaves

- Put the lentils in a strainer and rinse them under running water. Add them to a bowl, cover with water and let soak for 30 minutes. Drain and set aside.

- In a medium saucepan, combine 2 cups of water, the onions, garlic, ginger, tomatoes, chile, if using, and the lentils. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Skim any scum from the surface. DO NOT ADD SALT YET; it will toughen the lentils, thereby lengthening their cooking time. Lower the heat, cover the pot with a lid and gently simmer until the lentils are tender, almost translucent, and almost falling apart, about 30 to 40 minutes.

- Whisk the lentils, releasing its natural starch, and mash some them so the mixture becomes thick. Add salt, to taste.

- Tempering oil (bagaar): In a small bowl, combine the cumin and mustard seeds. In another bowl, combine the spice powders. Have all the ingredients ready because this will move very fast!

- In a small skillet, over a medium-high flame, warm 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Once the oil is shimmering, add seeds and immediately cover so you don't get covered in spluttering oil and seeds! Add the spices. They should sizzle and bubble a little - that's the blooming and it's exactly what you want. Don't let them burn. The mixture should bloom for about 30 seconds, no more.

- Pour the oil mixture into the lentils, standing back so you don't get hurt when the mixture splutters again. Stir to combine. Transfer the lentils to a serving dish and garnish with cilantro.

Using your strengths to lighten up

Getting lighter to find strength    

There are those of you who hear "getting lighter" and automatically assume that means getting thinner.  What I am addressing may mean losing a few pounds, but what usually really needs to be examined is where a person needs to shed the should's, the ought to's, the excuses, the guilt, the self-condemnation, the comparisons, the perfectionism, and the not good enough's.  How can a person find their strength when all they can think about is how they aren't measuring up?

It's amazing how much energy we can spend lugging around extra baggage about what we should look like, what we should be eating, or the disappointment we can have about our lack of self-discipline.   What is interesting to me is how much we hang on to the negative because we think it will push us to do more, eat better, or act more disciplined. In the end, research shows that we are much more likely to follow through and act when we are motivated through our strengths, rather than focusing on our fears.

I used the picture of Carl from the Pixar movie "Up" to remind us that sometimes we can feel like we are just hanging on when circumstances spin us out of control.  The awesome thing about Carl, is that he takes charge by doing the thing he said he would always do- no matter how he had to do it.  Along the way he makes friends, he grieves his lost wife, and he finds himself again.  His story is a lot like all of ours.  We all have a choice to take control over what we eat, how we move, and how we think about ourselves.

It isn't always easy to take the risk to believe that by dropping your "baggage" (those things that hold you back or weigh you down) you can lighten up enough to laugh at yourself, ask for help, or finally start fighting for what you want most in life.  We get stronger not by avoiding struggles- our struggles develop our strengths.   We get lighter by realizing we are not alone, we have immense purpose and meaning, and that we have the power to change ourselves.

What will you do to lighten up and start your journey toward growing stronger?

Ham and Broccoli Egg Bake

Ingredients:

Extra virgin, cold-pressed coconut oil or olive oil

5 eggs

A pinch of salt

1/2 cup almond meal

1/4 cup coconut flour

7 tbsp coconut milk

7 tbsp almond milk

A handful of finely chopped fresh herbs such as parsley, savory, thyme, oregano

1 medium red onion, finely minced

1/2 lb  bone-in ham, diced

1 head of broccoli, steamed and chopped

- Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C) and brush with olive oil or coconut oil a 7 x 4 pan or individual ramekins.

- In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the sea salt until pale yellow and frothy.

- Sift and fold in the almond meal and coconut flour, and give it a few stirs

- Stir in the coconut milk and almond milk

- Add your chopped herbs and mix until combined. Set aside the mixture

- Meanwhile, in a small pan over medium heat, add some olive oil or coconut oil. Sweat the red onions until soft, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add to the egg mixture

- Pour the batter in the pan or ramekins

- Scatter the chopped broccoli and ham throughout the egg mixture evenly

- Bake 35 to 45 minutes, or until golden and set

- Serve warm or at room temperature

7 Steps to Fit without the Fuss

It might be easy to assume that fit people are just born that way.  I mean, some people are just born smarter than others, right?  While we may all have a genetic predisposition to like certain things, that doesn't give us license to stop learning or being active. My cousin is a bookworm.  She would rather spend her days sitting on the couch with a cup of tea and a great book than do just about anything else.  And as much as I love reading, if I were given the choice to do anything, I will almost always choose a run or a hike outside.

Of course we do what we enjoy and what makes us happy.  So for those who have a hard time getting up and out the door (and perhaps getting their nose out of a book), here are some tips from the research for what makes fit people stay fit.  There's some facts here that may surprise you!

1. Make exercise a non-negotiable part of your routine. Working out in the morning has been shown to improve exercise consistency, even though multiple studies show that working out between 4 and 5 in the afternoon is physiologically the best time break a sweat (it is when our body temp is highest).
2. Workout with a friend, hire a trainer, or join a class.  Statistics have shown that individuals that work out with a partner have a higher probability of reaching their personal fitness goals.  Consistency, motivation, and long-term commitment increases when you work out with a buddy!
3. Pair your workout with an audio book, a podcast, or a youtube video.  I haven't found any research on this one, but I have many clients and have even found for myself that I am much more motivated to go out when I know I have something engaging to listen to!
4. Have a plan.  Even for when you go on vacation or get sick. Just because your daily routing is different, that doesn't mean you have to give up your exercise.  The general rule of thumb for illness is that if your symptoms are from the neck up, then it's OK to try a moderate workout.  However, if your symptoms are from the neck down, take a day or two off.  This isn't foolproof, however, and research done int he '90's points to the fact that those who regularly get moderate exercise will have half the days of illness as their sedentary counterparts.  Stick to your program by doing something that is much lower in intensity from your normal routine unless you clearly feel worse after 10 minutes of movement.
5. Move for the sake of moving.  In 1986 Eric Ravussin studied 177 subjects who were confined to a 10x 12 foot respiratory chamber where everything was controlled except for how much the subjects were allowed to move around.  Those who were more spontaneously active burned as much as 2300 calories in a 24 hour period!
6. Find a great motivator.  Most people think they are working out to stay trim and lean, but there are a million other benefits for activity.  Improved cardiovascular function, improved sleep, decreased stress, improved patience.  Did you know that a new study from the Journal of Labor Research shows that fit people make 9% more money than those who don't exercise?
7. Work out on an empty stomach.  Belgian researchers have recently discovered that the study group who exercised before eating, despite eating a horrible, weight gain-inducing diet, did not gain weight. Not only that, but the group's insulin sensitivity remained high and the bad diet did not make the group insulin resistant.   Just another reason to get that workout in in the morning!

I like the idea of fidgeting and simply choosing a little different time of day to exercise on an empty stomach having such a large positive effect!

St. Patrick's Day Gluten Free Soda Bread

Don't let your desire to maintain a gluten free lifestyle slow you down this St. Patrick's Day. Try out this simple and tasty gluten free treat!

Ingredients:

2 C Almond Flour 1/2 C coconut flour (can use all almond flour instead) 1/4 tsp salt 1 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 C raisins 2 Eggs 1/4 C coconut or almond milk 2 Tbs apple cider vinegar

- Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl

- In another bowl mix all wet ingredients

- Mix wet ingredients into dry. Add more milk or flour as needed to form a slightly crumbly dough

- Form dough into a disk shape then using a knife cut an X shape across the disk

- Bake for about 25 minutes at 350 degrees

Very Simple and Delicious Roasted Eggplant

It took me awhile to attempt cooking eggplant. I found them to be slightly intimidating and I wasn't quite sure what to do with them. Thankfully, I got over that! Here is a very easy, quick, and tasty way to roast an eggplant.

Ingredients:

1 large eggplant

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

- Preheat oven to 400 degrees

- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease (Pam, olive oil, etc)

- Slice the eggplant half lengthwise, then cut each half into quarters. Cut each quarter in half to make a two shorter pieces

- Place the eggplant skin side down onto baking sheet. Brush each piece with olive oil and season with salt and pepper

- Roast in oven 25-30 minutes or until softened and golden brown

- Remove from oven and sprinkle with lemon juice

Ta da! Nothing hard or scary about this eggplant recipe. You can add them to rice or pasta dishes. Or eat them as a side to any meat entree. I even like to dice them up and add the cold leftovers to salads.

Crockpot Tomato Basil Bisque

Ingredients:

28oz Canned Petite Diced Tomatoes in Juice 1 Cup Finely Chopped or Processed Celery 1 Cup Finely Chopped or Processed Red Onion 1 Cup Finely Chopped or Processed Carrots 1 Tablespoon Dried Basil (Fresh Basil can be Substituted) 2 Cups Beef Broth (Chicken or Vegetable Broth can be Substituted) 2 Cups Tomato Juice 1 Teaspoon Salt, 1/4 Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper 1/2 Tablespoon Garlic Powder 1 Can (Approx. 13 oz) Coconut Milk

-Process Celery, Red Onion, and Carrots in blender or food processor

-Add all ingredients to slow cooker and combine

-Cook on low for 6-8 hours

-Blend soup until smooth (Or leave as a chunky soup if desired)

As you can see, I diced up avocado and put some on top. Yum!!!!

Top 5 Tips for Wise & Warm Winter Workouts

After spending everyday out in any kind of weather including rain, wind, snow, or sleet, I can tell you from experience that wearing the right gear is crucial for success.  Running has always been, and continues to be my drug of choice to give me energy, calm me down, bring me peace, or lift my confidence.  It beckons me from a deep place, even if on the surface I may not feel like getting out the door.  I like to think it's sort of like cleaning the house.  Nobody really wants to do it when they are thinking about it, but once they get started it feels so good to have a clean environment, they can't believe they waited so long to just get it done.  When it's cold outside, it can be even harder to get motivated to get out the door.  Well, from one hooked outdoor enthusiast to another, here's my top 5 list for wisely staying warm for your outdoor workouts: 1) Always dress in layers.  My favorite is a pair of light leggings and a long-sleeved wicking underlayer top, a vest, and light wind pants and a water resistant jacket.  The layers help to trap in heat while the clothes that contact your skin help to keep the sweat moving through the material rather than sitting and collecting in the fabric.

2) Keep a hat and gloves handy.  Even if you don't end up needing these, they are light enough to stow away in a pocket.  I like to start out in those cheap cotton gloves and a cap that covers my ears.  I typically go for cotton, but there are some great synthetic brands that have more grip to keep the hat down around your ears that are great too.  In the end, as long as it covers your ears, no matter how tight it is, you will likely be fine.  For colder days, choose a heavier thickness hat with tighter grip and mittens.

3) Use a mask.  Not like one from the hospital, but I guess that would do.  I have used anything from a tied up scarf, a neck warmer sleeve, to an actual ski mask.  I've always liked the cotton neck warmer the best because you can always just give it a little spin and you have a new dry spot to breathe into!

4) Drink water.  On colder days it sometimes doesn't seem like drinking water is as necessary as the hot days, but it is just as important, if not more important, to keep your body hydrated to maintain a stable body temperature.  I like drinking luke warm water when I can find it.

5) Don't stop.  Even if you are just waiting for the light to change, keep moving.  You want to keep the blood pumping to your extremities and keep the muscles active so you don't stiffen up.  If you have to stop, use the time to stretch your calves, quads or hamstrings to keep your body in some motion.

In the big picture, there have only been a few times over the course of thousands of outings that I have ever regretted getting out in the cold to workout.  In fact, most of the time I feel so much better that I did.  Just like cleaning up my house!

What the diff between Semi-Private's and Classes?

When a person says, "fitness class" it's easy to picture a Jane Fonda type scene with spandex, steps, and tiny weights.  We thought it might be good to clarify what we think our classes have to offer you, and how they differ from our semi-private and private sessions.  Of course, you're welcome to wear whatever you like to any of our offerings, just as long as you know where you fit in! Classes: Right now we call these "Fitness Fire" classes.  They are a high-intensity, circuit-style, total-body workout that combines cardio with weights.  It's what many people in the fitness world call Metabolic Conditioning.  Every now and then we shake it up and go for time or highest amount of reps on a series of exercises which is more about Metabolic Density Conditioning, but overall, it is meant to crank up your metabolism by working the muscular and cardiovascular system together.  This type of workout is likely not going to get you to load your body for building maximum strength, but it will help with building some muscle endurance, and potentially some speed. The thing that makes our classes different, is that our average class size is only 6 people.  That means we can treat each class more like a group personal training session by adjusting exercises to fit each persons unique needs.  Have an injury or a funky shoulder...we can accommodate that!

Semi-private Sessions: These are what we call fitness coaching sessions.  The best part about these is that we get to directly address your goals and your body's unique movement patterns to help you maximize your strength and function.  We incorporate a specific program design to include dynamic warm-up and stretching to correct your tight areas and activate your weak spots.  We also use a variety of methods to strengthen your body in all planes of movement.  The best part about these workouts is that these are what build muscle and improve your overall physique the most!  We love semi-privates because 2-3 people can work out together for greater inspiration and accountability while saving a ton of money compared to personal training.  We like to call it  "buddy strength training".

Private sessions: These include all of what the semi-privates offer, only its you and trainer only.  That means you get the full attention and conversation to maximize your coaching to troubleshoot, motivate and keep you accountable during your sessions.  The only downside, is they are nearly double the price of a semi-private session.  So  if money is not a barrier for you, and you like your trainer all to yourself, then by all means...personal training is a great choice.

We also offer nutrition services and wellness coaching to help you with your nutrition and lifestyle needs.  But that's the lo down on the current activity at the gym!

Red Red Red Lentils

My sister shared this recipe with me a few weeks ago. It was quick and easy and very visually pleasing. I made it with pork tenderloin and green beans. This recipe makes a lot but the leftovers heated up great!

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked red lentils

1/2 medium sized yellow onion

1 green bell pepper

1 tbsp chopped garlic

4 cooked and peeled beets (I microwave them in about an inch of water, covered with wet paper towel for 15 minutes or until soft. You can also bake them.)

Salt and Pepper to taste

- Place onion, bell pepper, garlic, and beets in a food processor

- Process until smooth

- Fold beet mixture into cooked lentils

It's that easy, enjoy! This can be served warm or cold, I enjoyed it more warm. Let me know what you think!

Own It To Get Fit: How to take responsibility for your health

Yesterday at the gym, I overheard a woman telling her trainer about how she didn't stick to her food goal because her husband had left something out on the counter.  Before the complete sentence was even out of this clients mouth, the trainer curtly said, "That's crap.  You decided to eat it and that's that, so I don't want to hear about how it is someone else's fault."  Oooo SNAP!  Talk about cutting to the chase. Something in me hurt for the client who had received no grace, and another part of me was like, right on trainer...you tell her! There's no doubt we all have a million excuses...

"I didn't have time today";

"I don't know what to do"';

"I have no money to get the right help";

"My family eats too much tempting food and keeps it around the house";

"I don't like to sweat"

I have heard them all.  And they all have a legitimate reason behind them.  But if you look at what is really important to you.  The Big Why behind what is driving you to get healthier or lose weight, all the excuses typically pale in comparison.  Self-discipline is a learned trait and one that I feel we have to keep mastering over the course of our lives.  Most things don't come naturally or easily until we practice them.  And that takes self-discipline.  When I was a kid I loved to play the piano, but I hated piano lessons.  Maybe it was the fact that I hadn't practiced enough or maybe it was just that I didn't like it because it made be accountable to how much self-discipline I had committed to since the last lesson.  Now that I am a grown up, I wish I would have stuck with the lessons longer despite my annoyance with them.  Most likely you have something you wish you would have stuck with longer too.  Studying more, finishing a project, getting in exercise more regularly, staying away from wine a little more.  It all boils down to owning up to what you say you want and what you are willing to take action about to really make the necessary changes.

There are so many things that can help you get more disciplined beyond simply mustering up more will-power.  Here are a few ideas:"

1) Get very clear about your Big Why.  When you have a specific reason for why you are doing something, rather than "it would be nice if" then you will find that you naturally want to complete the tasks to get there more.  That's why people have more success losing weight or exercising consistently when they have a class reunion or a wedding coming up.

2) Make a specific plan.  when you are wishy washy to begin with because you don't set parameters on what it is you are really committing to, then it is even harder to follow through.  Your intentions should be specific, measurable, applicable to your end goal, realistic for the time and resources you currently contain, and timely so they can actually be accomplished within a reasonable time-frame.

3) Enlist help.  Talk to a friend, hire a coach or trainer, start writing a blog or posting regularly to an app like My Fitness Pal.  In fact, you can get all sorts of ideas for how to get help from apps to keep your goals (one of my other favorites is "Lift") in the most recent news article that features me (Nicole) and the 9 Top Health and Fitness Apps to Help You Stick To Your New Years Goals.

4) Give yourself a bit of wiggle room.  I am not saying to give in to not doing what you said you would do, simply that we can't always be perfect all the time.  With that said, you may do best to aim for 90%.  That's what we teach our clients here with there nutrition and exercise goals and it is so much better than feeling like just because you missed a day that you are a now a failure.

5) Do it anyway.  If there is nothing else to fall back on, do it simply because you said you would, and the time it takes to just get it in is much less than the time you will spend beating yourself up because you didn't do it.  Taking responsibility in anything means you fess up to the fact that it is up to you to make things right.  At the end of the day, even when you have a great community to fall back on, you are the one who has to take action.

Don't let destructive thinking or a day or even a week of missing your target derail your entire process.  Simply re-evaluate, and get back on the horse!  You can do this!!

Chicken n' Bean Balls

 

I got semi-creative last night and ended up with these very yummy, kinda different, very easy chicken meatballs of sorts. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Olive oil

1 lb ground chicken

1 15 oz can of cannellini beans, drained

Salt, Pepper, Garlic (and any other seasoning to taste. I was thinking curry powder could be delicious.)

- Heat pan over medium heat

- Mash chicken, beans, and seasonings together in a bowl

- Coat bottom of pan with swig of olive oil, heat until it feels hot

- Shape chicken mixture into ball shapes and place in pan

- Cook for about 6 minutes on each side or until cooked thoroughly

We had these last night with sauteed brussel sprouts and onions. Try them out and let me know what you think!