October 30th...You can have this, or you can have that!

WOW...this cup of mixed berries has only 8 grams of sugar, so that equals 1.8 tsp of sugar.  The fruit bar has 29 grams of sugar, so that equals ALMOST 7 tsp of sugar!  I took the picture on an angle so you could see what 7 piles of sugar, look like!  OK...I have to say, even this surprised me.  Truthfully I am guilty of eating these BUT, I was on the West Coast Trail at the time and didn't have the luxury of fresh fruit.  It's the "convenience" of food that is increasing our obesity rate, especially in children.  I know sometimes it's just easier, I get it, but you have to try to be mindful of what you put in your mouth in order to reach your goals...last time I checked strawberries were round and soft, not hard and in the shape of a chocolate bar!

October 26th...Gone fishing!

Well I always seem to get stumped when it comes to preparing fish.  It seems I can do wonders with chicken...can't we all, but fish, seems like entering unknown territory.  Well, fortunately I have the internet and Google will save the day!  And as usual, I'm trying to be Paleo friendly so here is what I came up with...

 Here's what you need...2 Cod fillets, 1/2 tsp mayo, 1/2 a finely chopped onion, 1 tsp dried Dill, pinch Thyme.  I used 1/2 tsp of Coconut oil to coat the pan.

 Lightly brush the fish with mayo or you could also use plain Greek yogurt...

 Sprinkle fish with herbs and onions...

 Then bake at 425 degrees for 12-15mins.

I served the Cod with roasted Yams and a spinach salad.  I have to say I'm always hesitant to take the first bite because I'm not a big fish lover.  But this was really good!  It was really light tasting, and if you're not a big herb fan, go light on the Dill.  Might get daring next week and try this with some sundried tomatoes, enjoy!

October 25th...What path will you choose?

The results of the goals we set for ourselves are directly related to the effort and choices we make.  Choice is the key.  When we set out on our path towards our goal, we will be sure to hit many road blocks.  At that point you have to choose, to either continue on or stop.  How strong is your will to succeed...because it will be tested daily.  Are you willing to move forward, when others want to hold you back?  When one door closes, will you be strong enough to walk through a new door?  When you "reach" your goal and it's not what you wanted, will you stop there and be unhappy or keep trying?  Sometimes we don't know the answer to these questions until we're in that moment.  Sometime it scary to take the path unknown.  But it's all in the choices we make.  We can choose to stop or we can choose to create a whole new possibility for our self...the choice is yours!

October 23rd...Sugar in our breakfast!

Oh I think this picture says it all...I know many of you have told me that you sometimes don't even eat breakfast! This is crazy people! A breakfast combined with protein and carbs gives your body the energy it needs to start moving. And what do you think your brain runs on...and don't say coffee!  Food is the fuel that gets our calorie engine started i.e. your metabolism.  Without it, your metabolism will just slug along.  Think about what you ate today for breakfast, was it a balanced meal like yogurt and fruit, an egg and toast or was it just coffee?  How did you feel after, tired or ready for the day, were you full or hungry an hour later?  Tomorrow morning make an effort, eat better and compare how you feel...might just be enough, for you to get up 5mins. earlier and do something good for yourself! 

October 22nd...Staying motivated in the rain!

Ok, I know this weather is not the nicest...I know it's hard to get motivated in the morning, when your bed is so warm and cozy. I know when you get home from work, it takes all you got, to step back outside into the rain for a work out.  I know, I know, I know!  BUT...you gotta dig deep, get your gear on, and show up.  That's the great thing about group workouts, they keep you accountable.  You know, your work out buddies are going to show up and suck it up, and that "pressure" gets you to my gym.  And that's exactly what it's suppose to do!  You made a choice and a commitment by coming to my gym and I will hold you to it, by keeping you accountable, so you can reach your goals! So give yourself a pat on the back and enjoy the rain, cause soon it will be snow, then you'll really have something to whine about!

October 18th...Let's get Supersetting!

Many of us start our work out routine with straight set training...doing one exercise for several repetitions, resting and then doing another set of the same exercise. This is a great way to get started with strength training but after awhile, you might want to spice things up a bit.  Try adding "Supersets" to your next work out.  What is it?  Supersetting is an advanced training method in which you do two exercises, one after the other, with no rest in between. The exercises can be for the same muscle group or two different muscle groups, depending on your goals. They can even be completely different activities, like a strength exercise followed by a cardio exercise. The idea is to do one exercise and, instead of resting and doing another set, do a different exercise and alternating those exercises for your desired number of sets. What are the benefits of Supersetting...it can save time, add intensity and help you bust through weight loss plateaus.

Oh just look at Trellia and Angela chilling out, all relaxed...they have no idea of what their in for...SUPERSETS baby! OH YA!

 1st exercise, 1 minute of alternating chest press on the Bosu, butt up, activates the core and gives a nice burn to the hamstrings!

 SUPERSET 30 sec. with DSD (dome side down) Bosu push ups!

 2nd exercise, 1 minute box step ups, alt. feet, holding 15kgs.

 SUPERSET 30 seconds with Box Jumps...increase intensity hold a weight, Trellia's holding a 12lbs. ball!

 3rd exercise, 1 minute of Squats...both have a 45lbs bar, butt to ball.

SUPERSET 30 seconds Jumping Squats, increase intensity add weight, both have a 12lbs. ball.
Do 3 sets with 30sec. rest between rounds, ENJOY!

October 16th..."cake in a cup"...just shoot me now!

OMG...I'm in the grocery store shopping, heading down the baking aisle and see this, "Mug Cake".

...I'm thinking, WTF people...it's hard enough getting through the bakery section, seeing all my favorite fruit pies, all the colorful cookies with sprinkles and all the donuts covered in icing.  NOW YOU TELL ME, I can have a piece of cake whenever I want it, cause all it takes is 1 1/2 mins. in the microwave!  Can you totally tell, I'm PMS-ing! The angel on my shoulder said "B.A.D." and the devil said, " get it! get it!".  So I decided to sacrifice myself and give it a try...here we go!

 All you need is 1/4 milk...

 For best results it says to whisk in a bowl first...

 "Quality control"...of course!

 Arrrrg!  Too much whisking can get messy...

 Pour in mug and microwave 1 1/2 minutes...

 Instructions say to let cool a minute, then flip upside down and serve...I nuked it too long and the bottom half got stuck in the mug...

Might not look pretty, but given"2 thumbs up" by Max, then quickly inhaled!  OK, OK, I had a little bite...it actually tasted pretty good!

October 15th...get your work-out done, rain or shine!

 OK so we had a brief morning of sunshine.  Felt good to be outside this morning at Boot Camp, sweating and the sun shining down on our faces, so energizing...make me want to go reorganize my house!  So for those of you who missed your morning work out, YOUR IN LUCK, cause here is your work out for tonight! GET IT DONE!

October 13th...Caleb Pike Trail, over and over!

What a perfect morning for a hike...nothing like the cool, crisp, fresh air going into your lungs and invigorating your body!  I LOVE IT.  This was a great hike because it is close to home, 5 min. drive past Bear Mt. and the perfect trail to chit chat with your friends and catch up on life.  

 We were the only "cougars" on the trail! lol

 Laura is waiting patiently while Alison packs her "necessary" supplies...thermus of hot tea, Almond clusters, chocolate, black licorice, and a First Aide kit of course.  Apparently nobody told her it was only an hour hike!

 At this point there are two options, the upper trail, Finlayson Arm, we walked for about 15mins. it's flat and I think it's just an emergency access road...lot of great Christmas type trees up there...just saying!

 We headed down the lower trail that said " Ridge Top Trail"...note to self, follow the Orange marking tags along trail.  It was an easy start with rolling hills but after about 40 mins. Laura started to think this area kinda looked familiar...

 We continued on, caught up in conversation and then the hills began!

 Then I noticed that ALL the trails started with a "Ridge Trail to" ????

 So we actually didn't even know which trail we were on!

 We just kept walking...Alison had her compass so we figured we were in good hands...although, the trail just kept going downwards???

 I knew we weren't in Kansas anymore, because the trail markers were white...

 Hmmm...this sign looks familiar???

 Eventually, we realized that we did a big loop and thought it might be best to just head back from where we started...

 The trail was beautiful.  All the fall colors coming out.  Here is a 3-D spiderweb.  This was as close as I was going to get, but it was really cool.

We arrived back at the truck in one piece and ready for a coffee.  Our total time was one hour and 20 mins. I would totally do that again...with a map and bring the kids along, enjoy!

October 12th...How much sugar are you drinking?

Oh how we love our sugar!  Some people call it "white gold" or "white poison"...I like to think of it as "white crack" because it's very addicting!  Once you take a drink or a bite of something high in sugar, it sets off your brain to keep wanting more and MORE.  So even if you think you can handle just a little taste, WALK AWAY!!!  Don't be sucked into the sugar "black hole!"  I wanted today's blog to be short and sweet, so watch the video...it says it all.

October 11...Paleo style eggs and hash!

Anything with eggs, I'm a fan so when my sister-in-law Lara, sent me this recipe, I was eager to try it!  Doesn't get much easier than this and who would of thought, shredding sweet potatoes / yams would cook so fast and taste so good!

Ingredients: Coconut oil, 2 eggs, 1 tomato and 1/2 cup Sweet potato, which is more Paleo friendly than the Yam but all I had in the cupboard was a Yam. 

 

 ... shred Yam, about 1/2 cup...

 ...add 1 tsp of Coconut oil in pan and satay yams til the tips turn brown...

 ...the original recipe adds 2 eggs in the middle of the pan and then you put a lid over it for 3 mins. if you want soft eggs.  I on the other hand, only like my eggs scrambled!

The great thing about this breakfast is it's under 300 calories and fills you up.  You could get creative and add mushrooms, green onions, bacon etc...whatever you fancy, enjoy!

October 4th...Paleo Shepard's Pie...just in time for Turkey-lerky!

OK here's my twist on an old favorite, Shepard's Pie.  So this month in my gym, I'm encouraging everyone to "get on" the Paleo Wagon.  I've talked about the Paleo diet many times before and how awesome it is for like 100 reasons, go to http://paleodietlifestyle.com/ ...get yourself up to speed and discover just how yummy healthy eating can be!

 OK so I'm all about saving time, so I cut up the sweet potato, cauliflower and onion, put it in a baking pan, a little olive oil and seasoning.  In the oven for 400 degrees for 50mins...

 then I sauteed onions...

 added the ground turkey and pork, browned it...

 OK so the pre mixed Shephards Pie seasoning is NOT Paleo friendly  cause I'm sure there's some kind of preservative in it, but it just tastes so darn good...and it's fast...note to self, will find a real seasoning mix...

 so by this time veggies should be roasted and soft enough to whip up...feeling lazy so I used the mixer instead of the hand masher.  I added some butter and a tiny bit of milk to soften it up a bit more...

I used the same roasting pan...less dishes!  Meat on the bottom, mashed veggies on top.  I was not sure if the kids would be crazy about sweet potatoes and cauliflower topping, instead of white potatoes.  So I added some cheddar cheese on top, and no, cheese is not on the Paleo diet, but sometimes ya gotta do what ya gotta do to get the kids to eat it!  

INGREDIENTS:
Ground turkey / extra lean ground pork / 1 onion / 2 sweet potatoes / 3/4 head of cauliflower / 1/2 cup cheddar cheese / Club House seasoning mix...B.A.D.  I know, but soooooo good!

October 1st...The Dirty 30 WOD!

Well Alison and I survived another Tough Mudder, Seattle WA this time!

This course was way more challenging because of the obstacles, they were crazy...too many to list, I loved it!  Alison's broken finger survived the ice baths, mud crawls, Berlin walls, monkey bars, and at least a two story jump into the water...that was a long way down and I screamed like a baby the whole way!  We completed the 12 mile course in under 3 hours, and I survived 5 zaps from the "Electro Shock Therapy".  One hit me in the neck, and took me down like a ton of bricks, followed by one on the ear, at which point I blacked out.  Then came 2 more before I could crawl out of the mud and be helped up to cross the finish line.  Give me a "HOO RAH!"

Not sure what is next on our "to do" list, but I'm pretty sure it won't be boring, and I'm pretty sure it will cause some pain somewhere, in my body! 

Today is October 1st!  That means around here at my gym, it's the month end WOD time!  What awesomeness of a CrossFit work out did I have planed???  The Dirty 30!

 Here we go!

 30 Box Jumps...

 30 Jumping Pull Ups...

 30 Kettle Bell Swings...

 30 Walking Lunges...

 30 Knees to Elbows...

 30 Push Press...

 30 Back Extensions...

 30 Wall Balls...

 30 Burpees...chest to floor baby!

30 Double Unders!

Awesome energy everyone!