284/365 Spring Workout: Legs, Shoulders, and Core

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

Truth be told, my workouts for these Wednesdays of legs, shoulders, and core changed from week to week. This was mostly due to me being dissatisfied with what I made and introducing sprint intervals to my treadmill routines. This is the workout I enjoyed the most:

Wednesdays
Deadlifts
Squats on Smith Machine
Lateral Flys
Y-Press-Down (illustration to come tomorrow)
Bicycles
Figure 4 Abs
V-Sits

I repeated the legs exercises 3x12, shoulder exercises 2x10, and core exercises 2x25. You of course should listen to your body and decide how many sets and reps you do should you decide to try out my spring workout.

In health,

Lauren

283/365 Spring Workout: Push Muscles

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

As promised, here are the exercises I used to work my pushing muscles; these are the pectoralis and triceps.

Tuesdays
Push ups on BOSU
Dumbbell fly on incline bench
Overhead cable extension
Dumbbell kickback on bench

Fridays
Bench press
Push ups on bench
Dips on bench
Tricep cable press down
Dumbbell fly on ball
Diamond push ups

As with the pull exercises, I started out with 2 sets of 10-12 reps and moved up to 3 sets the next week. After feeling comfortable with 12 reps, I moved up my weight.

I can definitely see a change in my muscle definition from these strength exercises and my weight loss. I know that I've lost 2.5lbs so far, looking to round it up to 3 by Monday. Next, legs, shoulders, and abs exercises...

In health,

Lauren

PS: If you have any questions about any of the exercises I've listed, just let me know so I can make a handy dandy Paint illustration.

282/365 Spring Workout: Pull Muscles

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

I'm very excited for next Wednesday when I get to measure my girth, body fat %, and weight! Until then, here are the two pulling muscle workouts that I used on Mondays and Thursdays. Remember, pull muscles include your trapezius, rhomboids, latissimus dorsi, posterior deltoid, biceps, pronators, and supinators.

Mondays
Seated rows
Single arm dumbbell rows on bench
One legged posterior deltoid flys
Bow pulls with cable (pretend like you are pulling a bowstring back)
Hammer curl (thumbs point up)

Thursdays
Lat pull downs
Squatting rows (use a cable)
Pronated Curls (thumbs point inwards)
Posterior deltoid flys on ball

When I first started out, I was only doing 2 sets of 8-15. The next week I progressed to 3 sets of 10-12. Once I felt comfortable doing 12 and felt like I could do more after, I moved my weight up. Next, the push muscle exercises...

In health,

Lauren

281/365 Shopping to Stay Motivated

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

As you know, I have been switching up my routine in hopes to get my body just right for beach season. I feel awesome and have lost weight; I think I'll reach at least one of my goals by this time next Wednesday. To keep myself motivated (and because there were incredible sales), I decided to go shopping. Lately I haven't had many good shopping days but, on a particularly rainy and gray Monday, I went to the mall and was very pleased.

I grabbed a bunch of clothes to try on and one after the other I was pleased with the result. I looked great in everything I tried on and felt sexy and cool. This feeling of satisfaction from my accomplishments thus far have stayed with me over the last day and a half. When I'm tempted to eat a few more calories or slack off, I think about that feeling, how awesome and proud of myself I felt trying on everything. This helped me regain discipline and stick with my plan until the end (at least until the next morning, temptation is always about!).

So, even if you don't buy anything, go shopping halfway through your own endeavors. Try on a different size or a style you didn't think you could pull off; you just might surprise yourself. Are you happy about how you feel? Are you happy about how you look? I was thinking about that quote, "Nothing tastes as good as this looks." I'd like to make a change: "Nothing tastes as good as this feels." Feeling healthy and comfortable in your skin is priceless and worth more than all the calories in the world.

In health,

Lauren

280/365 Sinful Spinach and Ham Quiche

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

This is the last recipe I made from my cooking weekend and oh is it sinful. The part that makes it to so bad is that each serving has 14g of fat (you can see full nutrition details here); it's also low in fiber but has 12g protein. Sadly, all the nutrition from the spinach in this doesn't really cancel out the bad stuff. Despite all of this, everything in moderation. I can eat a 243 calorie slice of this mostly guilt free so long as I keep track of my other fat intake for the day. Eating it slowly is difficult but it helps me savor it more and lets my hormones tell my brain that yes, this is a good amount of calories and you're full. I made this recipe up based on a lot of ones that I saw online, I am very pleased.

Ingredients:
1 frozen deep dish pie crust, stab the bottom and sides with a fork
2 tbsp EVOO
1/2 cup onions
1 10 oz. frozen spinach package
2 eggs
4 oz. crumbled Feta
3/4 c. shredded mozzarella
1/2 c. skim milk
1/4 lbs honey baked ham deli meat, sliced into matchsticks

Recipe:
1. Preheat oven at 350F
2. Saute onions and garlic in EVOO
3. Combine spinach, onion, and herbs. Pour into pie crust.
4. Beat eggs in bowl. Add milk and cheese. Pour mixture over veggies.
5. Bake 55 min

Too good, seriously. I can't wait to eat this right now; this picture doesn't do it justice.

In health,

Lauren

279/365 You say Tabbouleh, I say Tabarley

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

I am a huge fan of tabbouleh. I decided to try this spin on it because I knew that I would like it simply because it's tabbouleh. The mix of parsley, lemon, garlic, cucumbers, EVOO, and tomatoes is refreshing on a warm day. The difference between this recipe and most others is that it uses barley instead of bulgar wheat. Bulgar wheat is usually pretty easy to come by; easier if you've got a Trader Joe's or Whole Foods in your area. If not, barley is a decent substitute.

I got my recipe from a blog called Seasonal Ontario Food. Here is her recipe with my alterations (dish makes about 8 servings, 177cal/serving!):

Salad Ingredients:
1/2 cup raw barley
a pinch of salt
1 cup minced chives
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 cup minced cilantro (couldn't find parsley for some reason)1/2 a cucumber, diced
2 tomatoes, diced

Dressing Ingredients:
the juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
a pinch of cayenne or other hot ground chile

Recipe:
1. Cook the barley with a pinch of salt in 1 1/2 cups water. As ever, I do this in my rice cooker, and I cook extra to have on hand for other dishes and salads.
2. Wash, drain well, and mince the green onions or chives, the garlic scapes or garlic if available and wanted, the parsley and the mint.
3. Cut the cucumbers into small bite-sized pieces, if you are adding cucumbers.
4. When the barley is cool, break it up with wet hands, and mix it with the herbs and cucumbers. Toss it with the dressing.
5. I have left the tomatoes for last, as the salad can be made ahead and kept in the fridge for up to 24 hours - without the tomatoes. At any rate, I think the salad does well to rest for at least half an hour once the dressing has been added. Rinse the tomatoes and cut them in halves or quarters, and add them to the salad at the last moment.

If you're not convinced that tabbouleh is worth a try, check out this guy, he'll let you know what's up:


In health,

Lauren

278/365 Getting in Touch with My Inner Jew...Challah!

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

The food making continues! Actually, most of this was done on Saturday since it was rainy and gross but, that's okay. I want to share more happy delicious things that have been made from my tiny kitchen.

I know I wrote a post once upon a time ago about the dangers of eating yummy bread such as this: highly addictive with little nutritional value in return. However, it is the Easter season and I thought it was time to try a stab at making this bread (and yes, I do realize that bread made with yeast like this one would not be acceptable at Passover). Anyway, here is the finished result. The recipe was from Tracey's Culinary Adventures. The one downfall was that her baking time is too high and I should have kept a better eye on my bread; as you can see, it's a little too brown and not shiny enough. Next time, I will bake this at 350F for 20-25 min rather than 375F for 30 min. Still, the bread was not ruined. It is sweet and delicious just like I hoped it would be. Though it is still nice and tender, if I don't eat it (or give it away) quickly it will become hard. This isn't always a problem though; I could make Stuffed French Toast which will probably thwart my April plan...update on that soon, it's going well! Also, I did see a recipe for whole wheat flour challah; I'll explore that in the future too along with gluten-free food.

Remember: everything in moderation!! Happy Easter!

In health,

Lauren

277/365 Meet Your Toast's New Friend: Pumpkin Apple Butter

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

I realize that this is out of season but, I don't care. I had a hankering for apple butter and I was determined to satisfy it. For those of you who have been on EWC at Camp Bethel, this apple butter will disappoint you. If you just like pumpkin and apples like me, this is a happy alternative to jelly.

sorry that it's blurry y'all! still good, chunky but, smooth

 

Even with 1/2 c of brown sugar, one serving (one tablespoon = 15 calories) of this beats out any jelly on the market (typically 60 calories per tablespoon). I got the recipe from Nestle's Very Best Baking website. It was very easy to follow; you just need a lot of time to dedicate to stirring it and making sure it doesn't explode everywhere. Enjoy it with toast, bagels, or cornbread. It seems like it would be worse for you considering how thick and rich it is.

In health,

Lauren

276/365 DIY Junk Food: Milano Cookies

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

I have been looking forward to this weekend because it's Holy Week and I enjoy celebrating Easter and because there are so many foods I want to make!

Here is the first: homemade Milano Cookies. I do love these Pepperidge Farm treats, so much that I ignored them at the grocery store and decided that yes in fact this is something I can do myself! Thanks to foodgawker.com, I was able to find lots of different recipes for it. I decided to go with this one. I followed the recipe exactly except that clearly I made sandwiches instead of drizzling the chocolate on top. Each cookie sandwich is 130 calories (Pepperidge Farm actually wins here, 3 cookies = 180 calories); I blame it on the ridiculous amount of butter in the dough. I want to try this again with less butter...we'll see. Still, so delicious! Since I worked hard to make it myself, I'd like to think that I'm much more inclined not to scarf them down; that is the method behind the DIY Junk Food madness.

In health,

Lauren

275/365 On the Elliptical: HIIT and Burning Fat

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

So part of my month long challenge for April includes increasing my cardio. I decided to run at least 3 mi on MWF and get on the elliptical for at least 30 min on TR. Since the elliptical is somehow boring to me compared to running, I decided to alternate between HIIT and high resistance, slow paced cardio. So here's the physiology behind both of those strategies.

HIIT (high-intensity interval training) - Choose 2 resistances, one that is intense and one for rest; I use Level 21 for my intense and 6 for my rest. You can choose to do 1:1 time ratios or 2:1 (you could do that intense:rest or rest:intense). The reason for HIIT's success is that according to ACSM you consume more oxygen (burn more calories) than slower, distance-training and therefore burn more calories throughout the day. This gets me sweating like mad. I have yet to wear my HR monitor when doing this but, when I figure out what my heart rate is at each intensity, I'll let you know.

High Resistance, Slow Paced Cardio - Though HIIT makes the 30 minutes go by quickly, I was getting bored with it and wanted to do something else. I decided to up my resistance level even if it meant me going slower; this isn't a bad thing, I just feel like people think I look silly because I'm going so slow (like other people's opinion matters to me, pshaw!). So, here I am on Level 8, trudging through what feels like mud and my heart rate is averaging at about 135BPM. Between 130-150BPM is about where 20-somethings like myself need to be for ideal fat burn. Fat is used as a fuel for lower intensity exercise because it takes longer for your cells to process. Since you don't need energy as quickly, your body says, "Okay fat, time to go...at your slow pace of course but we're going!"

So there you have it, the benefits of HIIT and high resistance, slow paced cardio. Hopefully these will find their way into your cardio routines.

In health,

Lauren

274/365 Strawberry Chocolate Bread

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

Did I mention that I also like to bake when I'm feeling sick? Enter Strawberry Chocolate Bread!

As much as I enjoy the comforts of my over-sized chair, fuzzy fleece blanket, cuppa tea, and book, I also love to bake. It keeps me from being totally lethargic and rewards me with a fantastic treat. I decided to make this bread because strawberries are on sale, I love bread, and I love chocolate. This recipe was originally from allrecipes.com. I adapted it just a little and am pleased with the results; I also cut it in half since I didn't have 2 loaf pans and had to use an 8x8 container instead.

Ingredients:
1.5 c flour (I used whole wheat)
1/3 c wheat bran (optional)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs beaten
1/2 c applesauce
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 c sugar
2 c sliced strawberries
1/2 c chocolate chips

Recipe:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare loaf pan by spraying with Pam or the like
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, wheat bran, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
3. In a small bowl, combine eggs, applesauce, and vanilla extract.
4. Place sliced strawberries in another small bowl. Pour sugar on top and toss so that strawberries are coated with sugar. Set aside.
5. Create a well in the middle of the flour mixture. Pour the egg mixture into the well and mix gently until a dough forms. Now take your sugared strawberries and chocolate chips and fold them into the dough.
6. Pour dough into prepared pan and bake for 60 min if in loaf pan (my 8x8 took only 35 minutes). Check with a knife every so often if you're unsure; if it comes out clean, it's ready!

According to Livestrong.com, each serving (16 servings in my case) is 155 calories, 2g fiber, 6g sugar, 3g protein.


In health,

Lauren

273/365 My Remedies for when I'm Feeling Sick

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

Though I do my best to have a sound mind and body, I too get sick sometimes. This just might be allergies from dust in a book that I'm reading but, it inspired me to write a blog about what I do when I'm sick.

I like to load up on my vitamins and antioxidants by drinking Naked juice. Multi-vitamins and pure vitamin C are good but nothing is better than getting those nutrients right from the source. I chose their Blue Machine drink because it was high in vitamins C, E, B3, B5, B6, B12, and fiber; it also tastes awesome. Pretty much all of their "machine" drinks are tasty delicious and good for you. My parents always have me take a vitamin C pill when I'm feeling sick or about to be sick (my sister Kathleen takes Airborne which is essentially a fizzy version of a vitamin C tablet). This usually does the trick and stops the sickness before it really starts.

This allergic reaction/sickness has also manifested into a sore throat. For that, I like to drink tea with lemon and honey (or a Hot Toddy if you've got brandy). Honey has been thought to have antimicrobial properties; this is how it's able to kill the germs making you sick when you sip its sweetness in your tea. If you don't buy into that, it certainly tastes delicious.

On top of increasing vitamin C, veggies in general, and drinking tea, I also make sure I get lots of sleep when I'm feeling under the weather. Sleep is your body's spa where it can rest and rejuvenate. Your cells get tired from fighting bacteria and keeping up your immune system. Make sure you get to bed early if you want a quick recovery. Also, remember that you shouldn't overexert yourself when you start to feel better. You are likely to relapse and get sick even worse than you did in the first place. It's good to get fresh air but, don't force yourself back into moderate-vigorous exercise just yet.

In health,

Lauren

272/365 Boston Marathon: Are You Next?

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

Today was the 115th Boston Marathon. The elite winner for the men Geoffrey Mutai finished in 2:03:02 and the elite winning woman, Caroline Kilel, finished in 2:22:36. How can us mere humans reach that level of athleticism? Hard work, dedication, and a lot of time.

Before you start training for any long distances, Runner's World recommends that you have run at least 3 miles 3 times a week for a year and that you currently average about 15-20 miles a week. This will make sure that your muscoskeletal system has the durability to take the 26.2 miles of the race day and the hundreds of miles in between to train for it. Not only does your body need to be ready, so does your mind. Is this something you really want? Do you have the time to dedicate to training? These and other questions on this quiz/article will help you decide if training for a marathon is right for you.

Since I am new to the whole endurance running scene, I recommend checking out Hal Higdon's site. He was a contributor to Runner's World and wrote Marathon: The Ultimate Training Guide. He has training programs for all levels of racers for every distance.

So here's to you and your running endeavors!

In health,

Lauren

PS: My dear friend Adam told me a few years ago that you only run 1/3 of what you're capable of. After that, I ran my first ever 3 miles with him. You can do it too!

271/365 What does Your Garden Grow?

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

I picked up some tulips today after Mass; I know nothing about gardening. Thankfully, Kelby informed me that all I have to do is keep them in a sunny spot in my apartment since they are already in bloom. Regardless, gardening is a good way to keep active especially since Earth Day is coming up on Friday. Gardening requires you to do a lot of digging, mowing, watering, weeding, mulch spreading, and other verbs. It's good for the environment and good for you. Remember to stay hydrated in your garden, wear sun protection (Sunday Afternoons makes some great products), and bend from the hips and not your lower back.

Someday I'm going to have a garden. Just wanted y'all to know.

In health,

Lauren

270/365 James Brown was Right...Get up off of that Thing!

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

My coworkers and I share interesting health articles with one another to stay on top of the latest research like the article I shared about the 81 year old marathon runner. One such article was from TIME about the consequences of sitting for more than half a day: a 54% greater chance of dying from a heart attack. The American Cancer Society suggested that even daily exercise cannot counteract sitting on your butt for most of the day. This last bit was most shocking to me. So what do we do about it?

You could buy a standing desk, convert your desk into a standing desk, or get up and move every 20 minutes. Standing for long periods of time brings it's own stresses with it. It puts you at a greater risk for carotid atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) because of how much harder your circulatory system has to work. I would suggest a sit-stand workstation where you could easily switch from one to the other, 20 minutes on, 20 minutes off. Another 20-20-20 rule I learned from my dad for your eyes (who heard from my uncle) is to look 20 feet away for 20 seconds every 20 minutes when working on your computer.

In health,

Lauren

269/365 Not Just for Young People: Running a Marathon

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

Have you heard about this guy? He's amazing! I'm talking about Clarence Hartley who will be running the Boston Marathon for the first time. He started running marathons 13 years ago and has clocked his fastest marathon time at 4:09. Did I mention that he's 81 years old? Read more about this role model to us all at Runner's World.

He's not the only older person with whom I've been impressed. We have a 62 year old man at my gym who has been doing 30 minutes of calisthenics every morning and running ~4 miles every day since he was 20! He is 42 years strong and his hoping he's got at least another 16 years left. I say 16 because he told me about someone who is 92 and had to stop running at the age of 78. Mind you, these two met at a gym where the 92 year old still works out today. Another example is a 53 year old woman here. Three years ago, she decided that she's going to start exercising. Her walk became a jog, then a run, and finally running a marathon. These people don't consider themselves to be gods or superhumans; they are just regular people who had a goal and decided to go for it.

I hope this inspires you to realize that it's never too late to start. However, if you wait too long, you run the risk of not making it there.

In health,

Lauren

268/365 Placate Cravings with Flavored Tea

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

Clearly my month-long diet and exercise challenge has affected my blog topics...all about food! I don't think this is bad. In fact, I think this is great because it shows y'all that I am no better than anyone else. I too crave delicious food, chocolate, sweets, and everything else under the sun. One tip that I subscribe too and I hope you will too is to stay hydrated. Drinking water before satisfying a craving ensures that you're not dehydrated and makes your belly full, somewhat hindering you from letting more food pass through your lips. Other than water, you can try different kinds of tea.

There are many kinds of tea that you can find in the grocery store. If you have the means, I suggest going somewhere that sells loose leaf tea like Wegmans, Rostov's, or Notting Hall. These establishments usually have people who can tell you lots more about tea than you could ever dream; their passion makes the experience special. Tea is a 0 calorie drink except for the spoonful of sugar, glob of honey, or cream with which you may take your tea. I picked up two teas today from Notting Hall: Raspberry Truffle and Chocomint. I cannot wait to go home and try them; the aroma is intoxicating. I have been jonesing for some chocolate/sweets the last few days and I know these teas will hit the spot. I'll let you know how they go.

In health,

Lauren

PS: There are proper ways to make tea. Here's the break-down:

Black Tea: Water should be at a rolling boil when you steep your tea for 3 minutes. Do NOT leave your tea leaves in the water and do NOT squeeze the bag (if you're using bagged tea) as it will become bitter and the flavor will be diminished.

Green Tea: Water should be almost at a boil, like the bubbles are about to start. Steep only for 1 minute then remove the tea from the water.

Tisanes (Herbal Tea): Water should be almost at a boil but can steep for 5-10 minutes.

For greater detail, check this site out.

267/365 Homemade Energy Granola Bar

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

Though I totally love Kashi's GoLean Crunchy! granola bars, I've always wanted to make my own bar. FYI: if a granola bar says "energy" in the title, it usually means its high in carbohydrates and/or fat. If it says "power" then it is most likely high in protein. Moving along, here is my first attempt at this allrecipes.com recipe:

note the incredible texture  :)

It is loaded with carbohydrates and good fat from all the oats, seeds, and peanut butter (I also added sweetened coconut flakes). Sadly, I didn't have enough peanut butter when I made this so it kind of falls apart. Still, it is very good! If you want to try this recipe, cut the salt down to 1/4 tsp because 1 tsp is a little too much especially when you've used roasted and salted sunflower seeds and mix in the chocolate chips. Anyway, I recommend this recipe and I will definitely try this again with all the right ingredients; it makes 24 servings. Each bar has about 200 calories according to livestrong.com's "My Recipes" feature.

In health,

Lauren

266/365 Going Vegetarian: Update and Insight

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

It's been a week and a day since I started my vegetarian diet and it has gone pretty well so far. It's not as bad as I thought it'd be. I don't really miss meat except when I smell it; my co-worker's calzone during lunch today was especially tantalizing. Since becoming vegetarian, nothing has really changed except my skin. I've noticed that its gotten clearer without much effort on my part except giving up meat. I am still meeting (and exceeding) my protein requirements thanks to my post-workout whey, my vegetarian bean curry, and my energy granola bars (you'll find out tomorrow).

I did take a cheat/meat day like I said I would; I decided to make it last Saturday after hiking and went all out. I went to Five Guys and ordered a little cheeseburger and regular fries. This was not a good life choice. My GI system was not happy; my body was totally thrown off by this meal and I suffered. Next time, I'll be kinder and choose something more lean.

In health,

Lauren

265/365 Vegetarian Bean Curry

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

As promised, here is the dish that I made that compliments the quinoa from yesterday so well. My motive for making a bean and lentil dish was because of a packaged version from TastyBite. Don't get me wrong, it tastes pretty good, just really salty. I figured that I could make my own with less salt and with more nutrition. I found this recipe from allrecipes.com. I mostly stuck to the recipe but had to make a few adjustments since I had diced tomatoes instead of crushed. I decided to add more liquid since the crushed tomatoes usually gives more liquid by nature and I didn't want this to dry out.

The tweaks are as follows:
- I did not put cayenne pepper because I didn't have any. After trying a little spoonful of the sauce, I was happy I didn't as the curry powder provided its own kick. If you like things a little more spicy, go for it!
- I didn't put kidney beans because I had a little box of mushrooms that I wanted to use. I chopped my mushrooms and used about 1.5 cups chopped baby bella mushrooms
- Like I said, I had to add more liquid. I used 1 cup of vegetable stock made from water and a vegetable stock cube

It is quite good and I was very pleased with myself and my pairing prowess. The spiciness and saltiness of this dish jive nicely with the light quinoa. I'm sure this would be good with brown rice or on crackers. According to thedailyplate.com, this dish is a little over 200 calories with more fiber and more protein.

In health,

Lauren

264/365 Quinwhat?...Quinoa with Vegetables!

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

As you know, I am attempting to be vegetarian for the month of April with the exception of one Cheat/Meat day a week. I have been meaning to explore quinoa, a grain that has all the essential amino acids, that is great for vegetarians because of its complete protein value; I now have a really good reason to do so. Having said that, here is a recipe that I made today that goes fantastically with tomorrow's recipe...(oh the mystery!) I am especially pleased because this quinoa did not come out dry, very moist and flavorful.

The tweaks I made are as follows:
- Used 2 cups of chicken stock (made with bouillon cubes) with the 1 cup of quinoa
- Instead of using the sliced green onion at the end, I chopped a medium onion and cooked that until tender before adding the garlic
- Instead of 1 red bell pepper, I used about a half a package of frozen pepper strips (no slicing, just cut the bag and pour!)
- I did not end up using corn because I poured more pepper strips than anticipated and my skillet was getting full
- At the end, I poured my vegetables into the quinoa pot and squeezed the juice of half a lime over the whole thing

This was pretty easy and really delicious. According to thedailyplate.com, which I just found out allows you to add your own recipes and then automatically calculates its nutrition info, one serving (about 3/4c.) is 197 calories!

In health,

Lauren

263/365 Make like a European and Go Hiking

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

When I studied German in high school and college, my teachers and professors always remarked on the weekend past time of families in Europe: hiking! Today, my cousin, my uncle, and I ventured to Blue Hills Reservation for a moderate/strenuous 3.5 mile hike. The weather was perfect, sunny with a breeze.

Depending on the course, hiking can be leisurely or a bit more challenging. It is a test of endurance overall but, when scaling rock ledges and trails bedecked in leaves, it can also work your anaerobic (quick and powerful) energy system. When you power through those inclines, you get a momentum and don't really want to stop until you've reached the top or a nice plateau. It's important to stop every once in awhile so that you can admire the great scenery around you. Hiking also burns a lot of calories, bonus!

If you've never been hiking, I suggest you give it a try during this month to take advantage of the light spring weather and the lack of insects. Wear layers so that you can easily regulate your body temperature and sturdy sneakers or hiking boots if you have them. Also, pack a backpack with water and/or Gatorade (natural please!), trail mix for when you reach the top, a compass, whistle, and first aid kit; as they say, "Always be prepared." I can't wait to go hiking again!

In health,

Lauren

262/365 Make Your Own Energy Bar on YouBars.com

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

I received a Groupon offer in my inbox for a company called YouBars where you can custom create your own energy bar. While you build your bar, you get to see how each ingredient affects the nutrition label. Not only do they offer to help you build your own bar, you can make shakes, cereal, and trail mix. I think this is a really neat idea and I am very tempted to make my own. However, Sunday will be my big cooking day, so look out for recipes from yours truly!

In health,

Lauren

261/365 Workout Example: Legs, Abs, and Shoulders

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

Here is my legs, abs, and shoulders work out that I'm doing once a week; I go through it all the way down then repeat in reverse.

- Side Jumps on Box: 1min
- Lateral Flys: 12 reps
- Pikes: 15 reps
- Leap Frog: 1min
- Anterior Deltoid Raise: 12 reps
- Figure 4 Abs: 10 reps on each side
- Jump Roping: 1min
- Overhead Press: 12 reps
- Shrimping (see video below, only do if you have a slick floor; carpet is not kind...ouch!): 6 each side
- Jump Squats/Tuck Jumps: 20 reps
- Plank: 1min forward (Round 1), 30sec each  (Round 2)

This was challenging but I think I need to make the abdominals part a little more difficult by using a medicine ball. I will probably also have to step up the legs portion in a couple weeks. Anyway, give it a try and tell me what you think!

In health,

Lauren

260/365 BlackBerry: Smartfood

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

When I studied abroad in Austria, I bought yogurt. I didn't realize that the yogurt I bought was completely unsweetened and was even more sour than sour cream. Once I got my hands on sweetened, vanilla yogurt, I felt completely unworthy of the incredibly, heavenly taste. Before I was blessed with such goodness, blackberries were my saving grace. The plump, dark berries fresh from a fruit stand made my plain yogurt much better.

Blackberries are a "good source of Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), Folate, Magnesium, Potassium and Copper, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin K and Manganese." Vitamin E acts as an antioxidant that fights against free radicals. Combine this blackberries with strawberries and raspberries and you've got yourself a great mix of vitamins, antioxidants, and lots of fiber to keep you running smoothly. Blackberries are in season in the summer months but you can pick them up at your local grocery store now.

In health,

Lauren

259/365 Plyos with a Twist

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

Plyometrics are a great way to increase intensity and work on your explosive, anaerobic system. Instead of the usual forward plyo box jump, try this one with a twist. Safety is key. Start out on a low box before you go higher just to be sure. This exercise will challenge your heart, lungs, legs, core, balance, and focus.


1. Face the box. Get ready for your jump by swinging your arms back.
2. Leap up onto the box while turning 90 degrees. You should now be perpendicular to where you were jumping.
*For an added challenge, do this with one foot after you've mastered both feet.



In health,

Lauren

258/365 New Month, New Plan, New Goals

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

It is now April and time for me to switch up the ol routine.

I have been running and practicing yoga consistently for the last two months and I'm ready for a change. I've decided to get back into weight lifting, add HIT (high intensity training) into my cardio routine, and try being vegetarian (with one cheat day, let's be serious...I'm a hopeless carnivore). I have arbitrarily chosen the goals of losing 5% body fat, 6 inches overall, or dropping 5 lbs. I'm not really sure how these will manifest but I figure that they are small enough numbers that I can achieve it. This is after all the most important thing when making goals, make them attainable! You can either make them quantitative or qualitative. Since I've reached my qualitative goal of feeling good naked and looking good in my clothes, I've decided to put some numbers down and see what happens.

I'll let you know what happens with my new plan, share my weight lifting routine, and my progress.

Do you have a goal for spring?

In health,

Lauren

257/365 Homemade Vinaigrette

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

I've decided to make my own salad dressing. I wanted something light, sweet, and fragrant. With inspiration from 400 Sauces: Dips, Dressings, Salsas, Jams, Jellies & Pickles; How to Add Something Special to Every Dish for Every Occasion, from Classic Cooking Sauces to Fun Party Dips by: Catherine Atkinson, Christine France, Maggie Mayhew, I made my own tasty vinaigrette

Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Sherry cooking wine
- 6 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp sage, minced
- 1 tsp thyme, minced
- 1/8tsp salt
- 1 clove of garlic, minced

Recipe
1. Pour sherry or whatever other acidic liquid you have around, like balsamic vinegar, into a bowl.
2. Add the herbs or something you already have. Follow your nose!
3. Add salt and garlic.
4. Add olive oil
5. Whisk together and pour into a container with a screw top; I chose an 8-oz water bottle.
6. Mix and pour when ready!

In health,

Lauren

256/365 Dark Chocolate Almond Milk

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

As you know, I like to try different items in the grocery store when they're on sale. This week, I decided to pick up Silk's Pure Almond Dark Chocolate Milk. Oh my, this is so good! I am sipping on a glass of this yummy goodness. I feel like this drink should be more than 120 calories and 3g of fat (the good kind), it's that delicious. I bet this would taste good warm...

Check it out if you want an alternative to your standard chocolate milk.

In health,

Lauren

255/365 Tasty Wallaby

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

First of all, let me say Wow! 7000 views with 110 posts left to go! Thank you for your support and readership. I hope that this blog has helped you initiate small steps to a healthier you. I mean that y'all.

Onto the subject of this post...I am loving Wallaby Yogurt's Dark Chocolate Down Under. Is it particularly healthy for you? Not really. All yogurts that aren't plain have to have about 20g sugar to cut the sour flavor. However, it's organic which means there aren't any strange sweeteners and because it's yogurt, you've got those great bacteria for your intestines (and it's been on sale so how can I resist?). I have yet to try their other flavors but there is a Berries and Creme cup waiting for me; I'll let you know how it is later.

If you're craving something sweet but not heavy with fat, flavored yogurt could be the answer for you.

In health,

Lauren