Manic Monday

So today started off on a bad note with me oversleeping!! But fortunately I only ended up being 15 minutes late to work.

Today wasn't as busy as it normally is and I focused on taking the stairs instead of the elevators. It is so easy to be lazy working at a hospital with multiple elevators but I took the long way today and took the stairs when I could.

When I got off of work, I drove to the gym and squeezed in a 1.5 mile run on the treadmill before Crossfit Bootcamp. Let's just say I don't think there was a single square inch of my body that wasn't drenched in sweat after my workout! It was a cardio packed class and it was just what I needed :)

I forgot to wear my fitbit today since I rushed out the door this morning in a panic, but I know I burned some serious calories today and I feel great!

Now it's time to watch the Bachelor finale!! Who do you think Sean picks?!

I hope to start taking pictures throughout the day to make this blog more pretty!

Questions:
1. What are your favorite exercises/workout routines?
2. How do you get motivated when you don't feel like working out?

Back from blogging vacation!

I cannot believe it has been 2.5 years since I have used this blog. I am excited to start blogging again to document what I eat, and my exercise regime. I promise to use this blog more regularly from now on.

Let me recap my Physical Activity for the week:

Monday- I went to Bootcamp class and it was TOUGH. We did two different circuits plus an abs workout. It was all cardio and a total calorie scorcher
Tuesday- I was so sore that I had to rest and recover (rest days are important)
Wednesday- I went to the gym and did the Elliptical
Thursday- I took Spinning and it was a major cardio burner (I sweated buckets)
Friday- I took Bootcamp class again with a 1 mile run warmup
Saturday- I ran 4 miles and then did weights at the gym with my boyfriend
Sunday- (today) I took Spinning again


Man my muscles are sore today. Prior to Friday I had not run in about a month. Now that the weather is started to warm up, I am going to try to run at least 2-3 times per week. I am running a race in May. I am looking forward to Bootcamp tomorrow afternoon.

I have a goal to lose 15# in 7 weeks. Do you think I can do it? My boyfriend invited me to a military ball which I've been told is a very formal event. I haven't gotten that dressed up since high school Prom! Ahh!

I am going to try to update this much more frequently because once every 2.5 years simply won't cut it!

Happy Sunday! :)

Don't let the weather prevent you from working out!

This afternoon I thought of EVERY excuse not to go to the gym:

• I was too sore from my workouts earlier this week
• Too tired from work
• I had no energy
• It was pouring down rain and windy
• The gym was not on my way home

BUT I thought about how I would feel if I didn't work out and then how I would feel if I did and voila my decision was made and I went to the gym!

I worked hard on the elliptical and spent 30 minutes lifting weights!

I feel great and I'm SO glad that I wasn't lazy and got my workout in for the day!!

Calcium and Dairy!

...Well I'm embarrassed at my absence from this blog but the good news is I'm back!

Did you know that 10 million Americans have Osteoporosis and 18 million have low bone mass putting them at an increased risk to develop the disease?

Did you also know that this disease can be prevented via a diet of calcium rich foods like milk, dairy and leafy green veggies?

Think of your bones as a bank account: You deposit and save calcium so you’ll have enough to draw on later in life. So make the investment now, it’s almost impossible to make up for it later!

Use this chart to figure out how much Calcium is recommended for your age group and how many milk group servings that equivocates to.

Age	Recommended Daily Calcium Intakes (mg)	Milk Group Servings
1-3	500 mg	3 *(serving size of milk is 6 oz)
4-5	750 mg	2-3
6-9	900 mg	3
9-18	1300mg	4
19-51	1000mg	3
51+	1200mg	4

It is important to remember that a milk serving provides about 300 mg of Calcium (amount in 1 cup of milk).

Non fat yogurt (8oz) provides about 300 mg Ca or 1 milk serving, but if you only eat 6 oz (common portion size), that only counts for ¾ of a milk serving!

These foods are calcium rich and count as 1 cup in the milk group:

• Skim milk (1 cup)

• Non fat yogurt/low fat (8 oz)
• Mozzarella , Swiss, and Cheddar cheeses (1.5 oz)
• Ricotta cheese (1/2 cup)
• Cottage Cheese (2 cups)
• Fat Free Pudding (1 cup)
• Frozen Yogurt (1 cup)
• Ice cream (1.5 cups)

Notice that the portions listed aren’t necessarily the serving size for these products, but they are the amount needed to equal the amount of calcium in 1 cup of milk. (Ex. 3 servings of ice cream or 1.5 cups are needed to equal 1 cup of milk.)

However there are several other foods that are rich in calcium that aren’t even dairy products:

• Broccoli
• Spinach
• Almonds
• Sesame Seeds
• Chick peas (hummus)
• Baked beans
• Salmon
• Pasta
• Rice
• Breads

Ways to Sneak Calcium into other foods

· Make fluffier scrambled eggs with milk. Whisk about 2 Tablespoons of milk into egg batter and add lowfat shredded cheese

· Mix fresh or frozen berries, a banana and lowfat vanilla yogurt into a blender for a cool smoothie

· Instead of water…….use milk in foods such as oatmeal, or when making rice and instant potatoes.

BBQ Chicken and Cheddar Foil Packet Dinner

3 TBSP BBQ sauce
4 small boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 small unpeeled red potatoes, thinly sliced
1 red or green pepper seeded and sliced
1 green onion, finely chopped
¼ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1-1/2 cups shredded reduced fat Cheddar Cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place a 12 X 12 foils sheet on a work surface. Spoon about 1 teaspoon of BBQ sauce in center of foil sheet. Place one chicken breast half over BBQ sauce and spread another teaspoon over chicken. Top with a quarter of the potato, bell pepper and onion. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.

Fold foil in half to cover contents; make narrow folds along edges to seal. Repeat with remaining ingredients to assemble 3 more packets. Place packets on a baking sheet and bake for 35 minutes.

Open foil packets with scissors and carefully pull back edges. Sprinkle a quarter of the cheese over the top of each chicken breast half and return to oven, unsealed for 2 more minutes to melt cheese.

Nutrition Facts per serving: Calories: 290; Fat 4.5g; Sat Fat: 2.5g; Cholesterol: 75 mg: Sodium: 630 mg; Calcium 20% Daily Value; Protein: 38g; Fiber: 2 g;

Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred

With the February Blizzard of 2010 I found myself inside for the past couple of days.

I was a little wary at first to try a workout DVD, however I am so impressed with the results so far!

I started 4 days ago and have been doing one 20 minute exercise each day! My muscles are so sore after every workout! I love the feeling :)

Each workout contains 1-2minute warmup, 3 circuits each consisting of 3 minutes Strength, 2 minutes cardio, 1 minute cardio. Then a 2 minute cooldown/stretching

Love this and definitely recommend this product!

How do you get your protein?

After an exhausting and intense cardio and strength workout, how do you refuel your body with enough protein to repair the tissues and muscles that you worked?

I usually make myself a breakfast sandwhich consisting of:

• 1 Arnold 100% whole wheat Sandwhich Thin (100 calories, No HFCS, Low carb)-It may look small but it holds the sandwhich together and does the trick. If you are an endurance athlete you don't want to get rid of carbs altogether.
• 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of egg whites (60-75 calories, 0 g fat, 12-15 g of protein)
• 1/2 cup of frozen Birds Eye Stir Fry Vegetables (15 calories loaded with vitamins and fiber)
• 1 light mozzarella string cheese melted in with vegetables and egg whites (60 calories, 3 g fat (2g sat fat), 7g of protein)

I ate my breakfast sandwhich with a handful of red seedless grapes

And drank about 32 oz of water!

This meal was under 500 calories (~400), less than 5 grams of fat, and supplied me with (19-22g) ~20 grams of protein!

How do you refuel?

Broccoli

I'm back from my mini-blogging vacay now that I'm officially done with college!

Broccoli is the super vegetable!

So you may be wondering why broccoli is such a healthy food? Well, not only is it my favorite vegetable because it tastes great, but broccoli is loaded with Vitamins A, C, E and K as well as the following minerals: calcium, magnesium, folate, potassium, manganese, selenium and iron (to name a few)! Broccoli is an excellent source of fiber as well to support colon health! The ascorbic acid or Vitamin C in broccoli is very beneficial for collagen synthesis, antioxidant protection and some clinical studies even show that Vitamin C has an inverse relationship with cancers of the oral cavity, esophagus, and uterus. Vitamin C also helps iron absorb easier into the cell. The Vitamin E in broccoli not only serves as another antioxidant, but there is evidence that Vitamin E may reduce the heart disease risk in both men and women! Like most other vitamins and minerals, heart disease risk is only reduced when the vitamin is received through foods and not in a supplement form- so I wouldn’t recommend going out and buying your Vitamin E supplements right away! Believe it or not, there is also a fair amount of Vitamin A in broccoli that you may not have been aware of. Vitamin A can help with vision, cell differentiation, bone development and it serves as an antioxidant along with Vitamin C and E. Vitamin K is necessary for normal blood clotting. Vitamin K also supports bone mineralization and crystallization.

The chlorophyll in magnesium also aids in bone structure and thus supports healthy bones. So when Vitamin K and magnesium combine with the calcium contained in broccoli, there is an even stronger association with bone health and calcium is able to easily absorb into bone to keep them nice and strong! Folate is not as easily absorbed into the bloodstream as folic acid, however it still helps prevent the same diseases such as neural tube defects in women who are pregnant or may become pregnant, as well as cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Studies have shown that there is an inverse relationship between dietary folate and colorectal cancer! However, please be advised that this is a prevention method only. Studies also show that if you currently have colorectal cancer, increasing folate consumption can cause cancerous cells to grow!

One serving of cooked broccoli is ½ cup and one serving of raw broccoli is 1 cup. One cup of raw broccoli contains 30 calories, 0g of fat, 30 mg sodium, 6 g carbs, 2 g sugar, 2g fiber, and 3 g of protein. It’s a very nutritional snack offering 135% of the total daily value of Vitamin C, 11% of the total daily value of Vitamin A, 4% of the daily value of Calcium, and 4% the total daily value of Iron. So as you can see, one serving of this vegetable has over 10 different vitamins and minerals to keep your bones strong, and bodies healthy and to prevent infections or diseases!