Hi everyone. I'm on Day 5 of our 8 day vacation in Mammoth. Our 8 day vacation will now be shortened by a day as my oldest son, Jacob, fractured his elbow snowboarding today. Well at least the first 4 days were great.
There are a couple of other Forever Fitters up here this week, Trish Wood and Sharon Fornaciari. We have had amazing snow and beautiful weather.
Vacationing is probably one of the toughest tests we can go through when trying to live a fit and healthy lifestyle. And, the longer our vacation, the weaker our resolve becomes, later in the week. That's because we have a limited amount of will power at any one time and if it is exercised frequently, we eventually don't have enough to make the right choices. There are some things you can do to make things easier on yourself. Here's what I've found that works:
1. Vacation with "like minded" people. If you are spending most of your time with people who also want to eat healthy and stay active, it really isn't too hard to stay on track. It's tough when everyone around you is eating pizza and fries and you're eating a salad. We vacation a lot with my parents and it's great because we all like to eat healthy meals, get lots of exercise (my parents insist we walk a mile to and from the ski slopes each day) and we keep the snacks to a minimum.
2. It's great to be on an active vacation with the family. If I had to sit around the cabin for 7 days, I would surely begin to make less than optimal nutrition choices, simply out of boredom. Being on the ski slopes for 4 to 6 hours a day, keeps me out of the kitchen and spending quality time with my family. Oh yeah, and I'm burning lots of calories. Whether you are in the mountains, New York city or a beach destination, find as many physically active things you can do as possible. It makes vacation fun for all! These are the things that you are going to remember years after the vacation is over, not what you ate while you were there.
3. Whenever possible, stay in a house, condo or apartment where you have access to a kitchen. Go to the grocery store and load up on many of the same foods you would eat at home. Keep eating out to one or two meals of the vacation. This is key! Remember, most restaurants just don't care that their food is too high in calories, fat, sugar and sodium. They want you to love your food so much that you come back. Take back the control and soon restaurants will show a little more responsibility in what they offer on their menus.
4. When you do have to eat out, survey all of your options first before making a decision, and make special requests when you can. Vacation is about enjoying everything, and that includes a couple of your meals. Instead of splurging on every meal, decide each day how you will organize your meals to meet the 90/10 rule. 90% of the time eating the foods you SHOULD eat, that are high in nutrients, and 10% of the time eating something that you WANT to eat just because you love it. If you are having an active vacation, you can have a little splurge every day, just keep the 90/10 rule in mind and make sure that your choices are WTC (worth the calories).
OK, have to go help my mom make the salad for dinner tonight. Hope you are all doing well and have found some fun workouts to do this week. I look forward to seeing everyone next week at bootcamp.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Thursday, February 17, 2011
If you want to see definition in your abs, keep reading...
I just got this email from fitness guru Mike Boyle and wanted to share it with you. You can bet we will be doing some HIIT tomorrow at Friday's cardio bootcamp! Hope to see you there.
"I can’t even tell you how often I hear someone at the end of the workout say something like “I need to do more abs, I want to get a six-pack.”
The truth is that passing on a six-pack of beer is a better way to get a six-pack than six hundred sit-ups. The key to abdominal definition is the visibility of the abdominal musculature, not the strength of the muscles.
You can do one million sit-ups, crunches or whatever exercise you want and it will have no effect on abdominal definition.
When people ask me the best exercise for abs I tell them table push-aways.
It usually takes a few minutes for them to get it. It’s not a joke, it’s the truth. If you want better abs, eat less and train more but, don’t just train your abs.
The idea of working abs to get abs is one of the oldest misconceptions in training. This goes back to the old idea of spot reduction. Spot reduction has never and will never work. The research has been done over and over and the answer is always the same.
You can’t decrease the fat layer on a particular area by working that area. That means that the guys doing sit-ups to lose abdominal fat and the lady sitting on the adductor (inner thigh) machine are both wasting their time.
Good total body work is, was, and always will be the key to fat loss.
Want better abdominal definition?
Finish every workout with some hard interval training instead of extra sit-ups or crunches. Interval training or what is currently called High Intensity Interval Training (abbreviated HIIT) is the real key to fat loss and the resulting definition.
Interval training burns more calories than steady state aerobic training and because it is a sprint program you get a sprinter's body.
Abdominal training may potentially reduce the diameter of the waistline but, will do very little to reduce body fat.
The truth is there are lots of good reasons to do abdominal work or core training as we now like to call it. A strong core (strong abs) is one of the keys in the prevention of back pain.
A strong core will help you look better and improve performance in a host of sports but, sit-ups or any other abdominal exercise will not reduce body fat. The fact of the matter is that crunches will lead to back pain long before they lead to visual abs.
Another good tip.
Don’t do crunches. A good abdominal or core program is a lot more than crunches. Most of your core work should be isometric exercises like front planks and side planks or carries like Suitcase carries.
One of the major functions of the core musculature is the prevention of motion.
What does that mean? It means that the abdominals are great stabilizers. Work on the stability function, not on flexion and extension.
Regards,
Mike Boyle
"I can’t even tell you how often I hear someone at the end of the workout say something like “I need to do more abs, I want to get a six-pack.”
The truth is that passing on a six-pack of beer is a better way to get a six-pack than six hundred sit-ups. The key to abdominal definition is the visibility of the abdominal musculature, not the strength of the muscles.
You can do one million sit-ups, crunches or whatever exercise you want and it will have no effect on abdominal definition.
When people ask me the best exercise for abs I tell them table push-aways.
It usually takes a few minutes for them to get it. It’s not a joke, it’s the truth. If you want better abs, eat less and train more but, don’t just train your abs.
The idea of working abs to get abs is one of the oldest misconceptions in training. This goes back to the old idea of spot reduction. Spot reduction has never and will never work. The research has been done over and over and the answer is always the same.
You can’t decrease the fat layer on a particular area by working that area. That means that the guys doing sit-ups to lose abdominal fat and the lady sitting on the adductor (inner thigh) machine are both wasting their time.
Good total body work is, was, and always will be the key to fat loss.
Want better abdominal definition?
Finish every workout with some hard interval training instead of extra sit-ups or crunches. Interval training or what is currently called High Intensity Interval Training (abbreviated HIIT) is the real key to fat loss and the resulting definition.
Interval training burns more calories than steady state aerobic training and because it is a sprint program you get a sprinter's body.
Abdominal training may potentially reduce the diameter of the waistline but, will do very little to reduce body fat.
The truth is there are lots of good reasons to do abdominal work or core training as we now like to call it. A strong core (strong abs) is one of the keys in the prevention of back pain.
A strong core will help you look better and improve performance in a host of sports but, sit-ups or any other abdominal exercise will not reduce body fat. The fact of the matter is that crunches will lead to back pain long before they lead to visual abs.
Another good tip.
Don’t do crunches. A good abdominal or core program is a lot more than crunches. Most of your core work should be isometric exercises like front planks and side planks or carries like Suitcase carries.
One of the major functions of the core musculature is the prevention of motion.
What does that mean? It means that the abdominals are great stabilizers. Work on the stability function, not on flexion and extension.
Regards,
Mike Boyle
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Week 6 - Valentine's Day and All!
PART 1 - VALENTINE'S DAY
Well I think I over did it a bit on Valentine's Day. I started out the day with chocolate chip pancakes for the kids and had two myself. Both my kids and my husband gave me boxes of dark chocolate. And, to top it off, I had ordered a dark chocolate cake from Keely. There was some Indian food and Filet Mignon mixed in there too. Wow I feel ill just typing this. It was a fun day with the family and hubby, but I have to tell you, I don't want to see chocolate for a while. Sure wish that feeling would last but I know it won't. I'm not sure yesterday was a good example of a Cheat Day. Looking back, it was more of a chocolate binge day. You would think all those extra calories would have fueled my workouts today but I just feel tired and sluggish. It's never been more evident to me how sugar negatively affects my system.
The good news is that I was so ready to start my morning with my fish oil and tall glass of water. I had 2 eggs in a hole, vegetable style. I had a tuna salad with my Super Soup for lunch and I am starting to feel good again.
PART 2 - A DIFFERENT SPIN ON EGGS AND SUPER SOUP!
If you are looking for something different to do with your eggs, cut 2 3/4 inch rings from a red bell pepper. Heat them for a couple minutes in a nonstick pan and then pour an egg into the middle of each one. Sprinkle some black pepper on both and after about a minute or 2, flip them over. Some of the egg runs out of the pepper but most of it is contained. Then serve the hot eggs and pepper on a bed of spinach. The heat from the eggs will slightly wilt the spinach. You could sprinkle a little parmesan on top if you need more flavor.
It occurred to me last week that my broth based vegetable soups have a lot of flavor because of the chicken broth, thyme, leeks and yellow onions. This got me thinking. Instead of making soup with just one vegetable like broccoli, asparagus or zucchini, why not use the opportunity to get in as many vegetables (and hence nutrients) as possible. So this past Sunday when I made my vegetable soup for the week, here's what I did. I'm going to call this SUPER SOUP!
1. 2 leeks, white parts chopped
2. 1/2 yellow onion chopped
3. 4 cloves of garlic chopped
4. Tons of dried Thyme (can use fresh too)
5. Sautee all of the above in about 3-4 TBSP olive oil
6. Then add your chopped veggies. Here are the veggies I threw in this week: 5
cups of broccoli, 1 bunch of asparagus, 2 zucchini, 1 large head of bok choy, 1
large head of swiss chard, 5 cups of spinach
7. Then I poured about 4-5 cups of low sodium chicken broth over the top of the
vegetables and let them cook for a while (about 15 minutes) to get them nice and
soft.
Then I took my Cuisinart Smart Stick hand blender. STOP! - if you don't own one
of these, you have to get one!!!! I use it almost daily and it is both faster
and cleaner than a regular blender or mixer. If you come to one of Keely's
cooking classes, you'll probably see her using it. I would not have the patience to make soup every week without this!!!!! It is by far my favorite kitchen utensil. In the near future, we'll do an entire blog post about setting up an efficient kitchen. This can have such a huge impact on the time it takes you to make home cooked meals.
PART 3 - HOW TO ENJOY YOUR TIME IN THE KITCHEN
Do you dread spending time in the kitchen? Let me give you one easy piece of advice to try this week. Put your ipod and some speakers in the kitchen. Listen to one of your favorite playlists while you cook. Light a scented candle and make yourself a nice warm cup of tea. Preparing meals can be very relaxing if you set up the right atmosphere. I used to hate cooking but now I actually look forward to it. It has become somewhat therapeutic for me. Now grocery shopping...that's another story!
I have so much to share since my last post but we'll stick with that for now. I have realized that I just feel so much better without all of the processed carbs. I'm hitting it hard for this 10 week session but I will continue to follow a modified version of this forever!
I would love to hear from you. I am leaving Friday afternoon for a week in Mammoth. I plan to blog while I am there. You can probably figure out the topic of my blogs next week...how to vacation and not gain weight!
Well I think I over did it a bit on Valentine's Day. I started out the day with chocolate chip pancakes for the kids and had two myself. Both my kids and my husband gave me boxes of dark chocolate. And, to top it off, I had ordered a dark chocolate cake from Keely. There was some Indian food and Filet Mignon mixed in there too. Wow I feel ill just typing this. It was a fun day with the family and hubby, but I have to tell you, I don't want to see chocolate for a while. Sure wish that feeling would last but I know it won't. I'm not sure yesterday was a good example of a Cheat Day. Looking back, it was more of a chocolate binge day. You would think all those extra calories would have fueled my workouts today but I just feel tired and sluggish. It's never been more evident to me how sugar negatively affects my system.
The good news is that I was so ready to start my morning with my fish oil and tall glass of water. I had 2 eggs in a hole, vegetable style. I had a tuna salad with my Super Soup for lunch and I am starting to feel good again.
PART 2 - A DIFFERENT SPIN ON EGGS AND SUPER SOUP!
If you are looking for something different to do with your eggs, cut 2 3/4 inch rings from a red bell pepper. Heat them for a couple minutes in a nonstick pan and then pour an egg into the middle of each one. Sprinkle some black pepper on both and after about a minute or 2, flip them over. Some of the egg runs out of the pepper but most of it is contained. Then serve the hot eggs and pepper on a bed of spinach. The heat from the eggs will slightly wilt the spinach. You could sprinkle a little parmesan on top if you need more flavor.
It occurred to me last week that my broth based vegetable soups have a lot of flavor because of the chicken broth, thyme, leeks and yellow onions. This got me thinking. Instead of making soup with just one vegetable like broccoli, asparagus or zucchini, why not use the opportunity to get in as many vegetables (and hence nutrients) as possible. So this past Sunday when I made my vegetable soup for the week, here's what I did. I'm going to call this SUPER SOUP!
1. 2 leeks, white parts chopped
2. 1/2 yellow onion chopped
3. 4 cloves of garlic chopped
4. Tons of dried Thyme (can use fresh too)
5. Sautee all of the above in about 3-4 TBSP olive oil
6. Then add your chopped veggies. Here are the veggies I threw in this week: 5
cups of broccoli, 1 bunch of asparagus, 2 zucchini, 1 large head of bok choy, 1
large head of swiss chard, 5 cups of spinach
7. Then I poured about 4-5 cups of low sodium chicken broth over the top of the
vegetables and let them cook for a while (about 15 minutes) to get them nice and
soft.
Then I took my Cuisinart Smart Stick hand blender. STOP! - if you don't own one
of these, you have to get one!!!! I use it almost daily and it is both faster
and cleaner than a regular blender or mixer. If you come to one of Keely's
cooking classes, you'll probably see her using it. I would not have the patience to make soup every week without this!!!!! It is by far my favorite kitchen utensil. In the near future, we'll do an entire blog post about setting up an efficient kitchen. This can have such a huge impact on the time it takes you to make home cooked meals.
PART 3 - HOW TO ENJOY YOUR TIME IN THE KITCHEN
Do you dread spending time in the kitchen? Let me give you one easy piece of advice to try this week. Put your ipod and some speakers in the kitchen. Listen to one of your favorite playlists while you cook. Light a scented candle and make yourself a nice warm cup of tea. Preparing meals can be very relaxing if you set up the right atmosphere. I used to hate cooking but now I actually look forward to it. It has become somewhat therapeutic for me. Now grocery shopping...that's another story!
I have so much to share since my last post but we'll stick with that for now. I have realized that I just feel so much better without all of the processed carbs. I'm hitting it hard for this 10 week session but I will continue to follow a modified version of this forever!
I would love to hear from you. I am leaving Friday afternoon for a week in Mammoth. I plan to blog while I am there. You can probably figure out the topic of my blogs next week...how to vacation and not gain weight!
Thursday, February 10, 2011
FoodviewsII
So...the other day I was searching the fridge for some
lunch...when I saw the left over turkey spaghetti sauce.
I tried it "Deanne style".
Steamed my veggies and added a
bit of Parmesan to the top.
I have to tell ya...it WAS tasty and VERY filling.
Oh yeah...and this is my "fancy plate". I only have one.
I find my lunch much more satisfying on the "fancy plate".
Maybe you should get a fancy plate too:)
Friday, February 4, 2011
What's Next??
I went to Wednesday's boot camp this week. It's been awhile since I went to a Wednesday boot camp. Have you tried that group? Extra friendly, high energy and pretty supportive but this week Deanne decided to add a new exercise...I call it "butt bumping". Maybe if you are lucky she and Emma will demo this move for you and you too can try this with a fellow boot camper. Deanne did assure me this will not be tried on Tues or Thurs...don't even want to think about Greg and Andy's commentary...actually go for it Deanne...this could be hilarious!!
Also...next up for me and interview posting is going to be tips on the new food plan which I call 4-2-1. I have a list of campers that Deanne knows have had success that I will be contacting for my content but if you would like to chime in on said post...please leave me a comment or send an email to allenkath06@gmail.com.
Also...next up for me and interview posting is going to be tips on the new food plan which I call 4-2-1. I have a list of campers that Deanne knows have had success that I will be contacting for my content but if you would like to chime in on said post...please leave me a comment or send an email to allenkath06@gmail.com.
Friday, January 28, 2011
What Motivates You?
(double click collage to enlarge...)
The final part of my conversation with Andy involved any tips or advice he may have for fellow boot campers to which his response was "Everyone must figure out what motivates them. Once you figure that out, keep that as your focus."
Andy's initial motivation to pull himself out of bed and join boot campers in Carmel Valley came in the form of a silent auction bid. Andy was attending a charity event put on by the City of Hope. The event was winding down and he hadn't yet bid on any of the items for auction. He looked through the selection of Wine, Golf and various other sports packages and came across Deanne's donation: Forever Fit Boot Camp Session and Nutrition Counseling (that had been collected by fellow boot camper, Debbie Dveris). It looked interesting and he realized that this might just be what he needed to get himself going. (Or as he put it..."I needed somebody to kick me in the butt!"--enter Deanne, ahem.) Andy did win the bid and this is where our story begins...
In the previous year Andy had taken a month long trip to Asia which was the catalyst for gaining 15 pounds of extra unwanted weight. Upon his return, he had tried his usual routine of increased activity and paying a bit more attention to his diet but nothing seemed to be working.
After winning the bid, he began working with Deanne. He started a week after the Fall session started and became a regular at each 6 a.m. workout. This was huge for Andy since he works from home and could really sleep as late as he wanted each day. Somewhere he found what motivated him and each day that he would get up and go work out...he started to feel new energy for the rest of his day. He took Deanne's nutrition tips and menus as a guide and continued with the two boot camp workouts each week. Without adding any other workouts to his schedule, within 9 weeks he was able to lose 14 pounds and 3% body fat!!
The new lower number on the scale and the improved body comp are not the only benefits that Andy has felt with this new change. As a consequence, he has noticed increased energy, agility and cardio capability that he appreciates with his active lifestyle. Andy loves to ski and skiing has been a part of his life for years.
But after putting on the extra weight Andy noticed on his annual ski trip that even buckling his boots got him winded and everything seemed to be such a struggle. By contrast, just recently he took a ski trip to Mammoth where he quickly recognized the difference he felt skiing at his new fitness level. Everything feels easier and he even finds himself now on his "off days" going into his workout room and doing pull ups and chin ups etc. just because he can. Perhaps he used the same reasoning when joining a group mud run in Del Mar....do it 'cuz you can:)
Andy adds a lot of life to the 6 a.m. boot camps...maybe you should consider pulling yourself out of bed to come join him...you never know where it might take you....As for Andy he is on a plane headed to Austria and Amsterdam for an extended European Ski Vaca:)
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Week 3 - The Stomach Flu...Blah!
Hi everyone. Thanks for being patient with me this week while I battled this nasty stomach flu. Starting to feel back to normal and looking forward to getting back to my healthy eating plan. Let me know what meal ideas you have been trying this week. Emma provided us with a great smoothie that she created.
My planning day was never more important as it was this past Saturday. Because I had planned out our dinners for the week and did my shopping before I got sick, my husband was able to get a healthy dinner on the table every night for the kids. Every week I am reminded of just how important this planning time is to the success of our healthy eating. I know it is the main reason why I and so many others have had success so far. One person mentioned that this program is making her think about food more than ever. Remember, if you are trying to figure out what you are going to eat when you are hungry, it's too late! If you do your planning and prep on the weekend, you won't have to figure it out in the moment. You will know exactly what you are going to have everyday for every meal. If it feels overwhelming to you to figure out what exactly you will eat for the next 7 days, then just plan for the next 4 days. It just means you will have to carve out two planning times during the week instead of one. I cannot emphasize the importance of this enough. Making choices when we are hungry is a bad idea when you are trying to change your body comp. Our willpower will often disappoint us and our cravings will usually conquer. Make it easier on yourself by knowing on Sunday what you plan to eat on Wednesday. It may not sound like fun but that's not the idea here. The idea is success and to get you to your goals once and for all. After all, you have your Cheat Day to have fun.
That brings me to my next point. Make sure you "earn" your Cheat Day. How do you earn it? By following days 1-6 very closely. If you do follow the plan closely, you won't feel guilty taking that Cheat Day. If you feel guilty, it may be because you've already cheated quite a few times during the week. And remember, the cheat day is not a binge. It's a day to have a little of those foods that you've said no to all week long. It's a day off from eggs or egg whites for breakfast ;)
Now that I'm feeling better and cooking dinner again, it occurred to me that the very best time to do prep for future meals is while you are already in the kitchen cooking. You're already making a mess and you are already in "cooking mode" which will make you more efficient. For example, I marinated my flank steak last night while I was cooking our spaghetti dinner. But, if you don't do your planning at the beginning of the week, you won't have anything to prep for the future.
Hope you're having a healthy and active week. I look forward to hearing what's working for you!
My planning day was never more important as it was this past Saturday. Because I had planned out our dinners for the week and did my shopping before I got sick, my husband was able to get a healthy dinner on the table every night for the kids. Every week I am reminded of just how important this planning time is to the success of our healthy eating. I know it is the main reason why I and so many others have had success so far. One person mentioned that this program is making her think about food more than ever. Remember, if you are trying to figure out what you are going to eat when you are hungry, it's too late! If you do your planning and prep on the weekend, you won't have to figure it out in the moment. You will know exactly what you are going to have everyday for every meal. If it feels overwhelming to you to figure out what exactly you will eat for the next 7 days, then just plan for the next 4 days. It just means you will have to carve out two planning times during the week instead of one. I cannot emphasize the importance of this enough. Making choices when we are hungry is a bad idea when you are trying to change your body comp. Our willpower will often disappoint us and our cravings will usually conquer. Make it easier on yourself by knowing on Sunday what you plan to eat on Wednesday. It may not sound like fun but that's not the idea here. The idea is success and to get you to your goals once and for all. After all, you have your Cheat Day to have fun.
That brings me to my next point. Make sure you "earn" your Cheat Day. How do you earn it? By following days 1-6 very closely. If you do follow the plan closely, you won't feel guilty taking that Cheat Day. If you feel guilty, it may be because you've already cheated quite a few times during the week. And remember, the cheat day is not a binge. It's a day to have a little of those foods that you've said no to all week long. It's a day off from eggs or egg whites for breakfast ;)
Now that I'm feeling better and cooking dinner again, it occurred to me that the very best time to do prep for future meals is while you are already in the kitchen cooking. You're already making a mess and you are already in "cooking mode" which will make you more efficient. For example, I marinated my flank steak last night while I was cooking our spaghetti dinner. But, if you don't do your planning at the beginning of the week, you won't have anything to prep for the future.
Hope you're having a healthy and active week. I look forward to hearing what's working for you!
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