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Thursday, October 28, 2010

Today's Workout

This is a recovery week, so Zach and I choose light, maintenance workouts to help our muscles rest and recover from three weeks of tough stuff.

Today we did a routine called 100/30/20, and it's a workout that anyone with a jump rope and 40 minutes can do.

  • 100 jump ropes
  • 30 crunches
  • 20 push ups
Take the above set and repeat 8 times. Change up the type of crunches and push ups, and mix things up on the jump rope, too. Bounce on one leg, go fast, go slower, cross-overs, whatever floats your boat. 

This morning Zach suggested we substitute some pull ups for push ups; or, more accurately, he said why don't we do both pull ups and push ups in the set. I said no. Instead, I rotated either push ups or pull ups. And for the record, even though I got a dirty look for saying no, Zach only made it through three rounds of pull ups and push ups. 

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

A Freezer Full of Venison!

This is a happy autumn site at our household:


It means Zach was able to shoot a deer, and I don't have to shop for ground beef for about six months! This doe was about 83 pounds, and netted 43 one-pound packages of ground venison, along with several packages of backstrap and cutlets (that I must confess: I chicken fry. We all have our vices, right?).

Many people cringe at the thought of making dinner out of Bambi, but I'm not one of them. There are several reasons why, the first being that we can process a deer for about $2.50 per pound, while ground beef is running about $3.80 per pound these days.

Secondly, venison has about one-third the fat of beef. Here are the rest of the specs for a three-ounce serving of venison:

  • 130 calories
  • 26 grams protein
  • 2 grams fat
  • 67 mg cholesterol
And finally, venison is as free range as it gets. No hormones or antibiotics there. Zach and his Dad set up feeders and plant gardens to attract the deer, and other than that they're eating what they find in the forest.

I use ground venison in anything I'd use regular ground beef: tacos, spaghetti, meat loaf, chili, hamburgers, etc. Venison burgers do require a little seasoning and TLC, because the meat is so lean. Ordinarily I use 80/20 chuck for burgers, because fatty meat makes the best, juiciest burgers! But when we have venison, I use it whenever and wherever I can.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

The Shakeology Experiment: Bottom of the Bag

Here we are: the bottom of the bag.


Zach has been drinking Shakeology for one month. He has been very happy with the product. He likes the way it tastes, he likes that it keeps him full, and he likes that it takes about one minute to fix every morning. (And because inquiring minds want to know: The pooping? Still awesome.)

He has maintained a seven- to ten-pound weight loss, depending on the time of day. This is the guy who will lose anywhere from three to four pounds at night while he sleeps. He knows this because of all the note taking. For the spreadsheets. The Spreadsheets!

I've been spending a lot of time talking about what Shakeology has done for Zach, but very little talking about what is actually in Shakeology. Here is the equivalent of what you would have to eat for every cup of Shakeology:
  • 10 cups cauliflower
  • 4 cups broccoli
  • 4 cups mushrooms
  • 4 cups radishes
  • 3 cups lettuce
  • 1 cup of peas
  • 7 carrots
  • 3 raw onions
  • Plus a shot of wheat grass
Much is made about the cost of Shakeology - it is about $4 per shake - but when you take into consideration where else your money (and your nutrition) might be going, four bucks starts to not look so bad:

Stop at Starbucks much? (Click for larger view


How about Jamba Juice?


McDonald's for a quick lunch?


So in a head to head cost competition, Shakeology beats the McDonald's. But the thing is, the Big Mac Value Meal will cost you a lot more than $5.19 in the long run. 

The new bag of Shakeology should arrive this week. And I've been told that if I want any, I should buy my own! (In the most loving way possible, of course.)

Monday, October 25, 2010

Monday Nutrition Tip of the Week

How do you put vegetables in your breakfast?

Sure, you could cut up some spinach and tomatoes and put them in your scrambled eggs, but the kids probably won't eat it. Instead, try this recipe for pumpkin spice oatmeal, a serious favorite at our house. The idea for this recipe came from Deceptively Delicious, but I've modified it a bit for our tastes.

One cup of pumpkin has only 30 calories and is high in potassium and beta carotene. You can find canned pumpkin in the baking aisle with pie ingredients. But be sure to get 100% pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling! The pie filling has a whole bunch of sugar in it.

Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal

  • 1 1/2 cups milk
  • 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup canned pumpkin 
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice or nutmeg
  • 1 cup old fashioned oats
  • Raisins or dried fruit (optional) - I'm not allowed to put raisins in the pan...I have to put them on my bowl separately. And yet my kids will eat raisins by themselves all day long. Just add it to the list of things that don't make sense when it comes to kids.
In a saucepan, combine the milk, sugar, pumpkin, vanilla, and spices. Bring to a boil and stir in the oatmeal (and dried fruit, if using). Reduce heat and simmer for five minutes, until the oatmeal is soft and creamy. Spoon it into bowls and add extra milk to cool it down. Enjoy!

Thursday, October 21, 2010

It's What's for Dinner

When I'm at a complete loss as to what to fix for dinner, that usually means it turns into a "veggie night." (Or my other go-to, brinner.) I went for the veggies tonight:

Nice and colorful!
On the left we have a spinach salad with tomatoes, red onions, walnuts, and raspberry vinaigrette (ugh! I just remembered I was going to put mushrooms on it, too! Forgot.)

At 5 o'clock we've got the yellow squash and zucchini from the garden.

And the top right is mashed sweet potatoes. I bake them in the oven first, then remove the skins and mash them up with a fork. I put a tiny amount of butter, about a quarter cup of applesauce, and copious amounts of cinnamon in them, and stir. The applesauce is a low-fat way to moisten up the potatoes and add a little more sweetness to them. It's a better option than a whole bunch of butter!

One person who missed this dinner tonight was Zach. And by missed it I mean that he wasn't here because he had to be at a JV football game, but also because he's become a big fan of veggie night. When we got married I would never have thought he'd let me serve dinner that didn't include a piece of meat with it, but he has really come around in the veggie department.

I think the thing I like about veggie night is that I can pile my plate as high as can be and not feel bad about it. You can't get too many veggies, right?

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Our Workouts This Week

If you follow P90X by the book, it has you on a strict schedule. You work out 6-7 days a week, with three "active" weeks followed by a fourth week of "recovery" (which, with core synergistics and yoga, still seems pretty dang active if you ask me).

Once Zach and I graduated from the first 90 days of P90X, we both agreed that we still liked the workouts and the routine...but not the 6-7 days per week stuff. So we decided to go Monday through Friday, keeping Monday and Wednesday as upper body (chest/back and shoulders/arms), Tuesday as a plyometric day, Thursday as another cardio, and Friday as legs/back. (And Saturday as a "sleep past 5 a.m." day! Yay!)

To create some variety in our workouts, we bought P90X Plus and eventually graduated to receiving the One on One workouts with Tony Horton in his home gym working out by himself. Sounds boring, but it's actually quite entertaining.

At the beginning of each month, Zach and I discuss what the first three weeks' workouts will be. Right now we're in our third week of the cycle, which means next week is recovery week. Here is what we've been doing for three weeks:
  • Monday: Chest, Back, and Balls (One on One)
  • Tuesday: Plyometrics or Interval X 
  • Wednesday a.m.: Shoulders & Arms MC:2 (One on One)
    Wednesday p.m.: Cardio Workout with the Teachers
  • Thursday: Yoga (usually a cardio, but since we're doubling up on Wednesday, we moved yoga into the mix.)
  • Friday: Base and Back (One on One)
It's been fun receiving a new One on One workout in the mail every month. On the day that it arrives, we sit down and view it together as a family. I was alarmed, however, when we previewed Chest, Back, and Balls. 

Whaa?

Huh?

Yeah, right.

But here's the thing. Zach made me try it out, and it turns out I can do some of that stuff. Now, not "The Lever" -- that thing he's doing on the pull up bar up there. I've not come close to completing that exercise. But I can do this one: 


I'm not breaking any repetition records or anything, but I can get up there and do 10 or so. And if he comes to an exercise I can't quite accomplish yet, I use the perfect push up handle bars, or just get down on the floor (and knees if I have to!). And if necessary, I lie down in the fetal position for a few minutes. It's good for ya sometimes.

**************

The following is re-posted from Tony Horton's Facebook Page:

Why P90X works

Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2010

hear 20 times a week - "P90X has changed my life!" I heard it a hundred times in Dallas this weekend. P90X is NOT a workout program that focuses solely on weight loss (which still happens) like most programs. It's not a pill, potion or processed food program to help you look different. Lives are changed because P90X goes much much deeper than smaller dress sizes and lower numbers on a scale. It cuts right to the core of who we can be. Poor eating habits and lack of physical activity keeps us from learning, growing and thriving. P90X grads are completely different people in every way - after 90 days. Physically, mentally, emotionally and even spiritually in many cases.


I'm trying to teach people that short term diets, gizmos and gadgets cater to the lowest common denominator. P90X on the other hand, exposes our greatness. P90X grads have moved away from the archaic methods of the past. They know that the numbers on a scale and eating manufactured factory food to lose weight does NOT work and does NOT excite or motivate them. It never did. If it had, these things would have worked long term. Companies with big ad budgets and shiny media campaigns fooled them once, but after P90X they've learned the truth. 

Change is hard for most people because of the lack of authenticity in things they've tried in the past. They bought into the quick fix plan and were disappointed so they make excuses to prevent further disappointment. Pre P90X, people didn't have time. After day 90 they continue to make time because their lives are better. They want to feel good every day. They want their health, strength, flexibility, coordination, balance, self esteem and energy go through the roof. They do NOT want the future to be filled with aches, pains, illness and disease. The P90X devotees around the world know that 6 days a week of muscle confusion and healthy food is the only way to get there. They see through the smoke and mirrors and refuse to be fooled again.

Do you want to look good in a dress at a wedding in front of a bunch of people who don't care, or do you want to change your life? If you said yes to the dress go buy somebody else's program. If you want to be super fit, healthy and at the top of your game (for the rest of your life) buy P90X!


Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Fall Garden

In the past week or so we've been enjoying yellow squash and zucchini from our first ever fall garden. Zach and I have planted summer gardens for quite a few years, but this is the first time we've ever done a second planting. Drew helped me plant both the summer and fall gardens, and the kids really enjoy going out each day to see how much the plants have grown. And I like the fact that they learn where food comes from.

Gardening in Forney is a challenge, though. We moved here three years ago after living in East Texas for three years, where Zach and I enjoyed an inflated view of our gardening prowess. The combination of sandy soil and a garden located on land formerly used as a horse pen meant that the first year we had 468 tomatoes and 14-pound zucchini. We thought we were the valedictorians of gardening.

Let's reminisce some more about the famed garden of 2005, shall we?

Enormous squash plants!

23 zucchini and two squash.
You thought I was kidding about the 14-pound zucchini? I was not. I weighed them.
I remember walking out to the garden of 2005 and yelling, "Stop growing!" to the tomatoes. I did not know what to do with them all.

Fast forward to 2010. We've moved 60 miles to the west, but might as well be on the other side of the universe as far as soil is concerned. The soil in Forney is nasty black clay that is as hard as a rock when it's dry. On the 100-degree summer days cracks form in the ground and you literally cannot see where it stops. I think maybe China.

Conversely, step into the black clay when it's wet and you have a mess on your hands (feet). The longer you walk through the soil, the taller you get, because it builds and builds on your shoes. You can then try to wash it off with the hose, which takes 47 minutes, or wait until it dries and chip away at what is now as tough as concrete. Can you tell I'm bitter at this dirt? I am.

So needless to say, the gardening is more difficult. This summer we had decent squash and green beans, three tomatoes, and a few cantaloupe. When early August came and it was clear the garden was dried up, we decided to try a fall garden. I read that you can grow vegetables in this climate until November, and that the fruit (or veggies, in this case) has a richer taste because it matures in cooler weather.

I had seeds left over from the first planting, so we just tilled up the garden a few times and re-planted green beans, yellow squash, zucchini, cucumber, and cantaloupe. The green beans came up, but were immediately and mysteriously chewed into nubs. I suspect the rabbits, because bugs and weeds have been remarkably absent for the past few months. The cantaloupe and cucumber never came up. My lone champions of the fall garden are my squash.

Ally confirms the rabbits ate the green beans.
See? These plants are puny compared to 2005...


But the squash taste so good, and there is nothing better than going out to the garden, picking some vegetables, and cooking them for dinner within minutes of taking them off the plant.

Monday, October 18, 2010

Monday Nutrition Tip of the Week

When I first got serious about trying to clean up my diet, I remember feeling very overwhelmed. There were so many rules! How was I supposed to remember all of them, and I was going to miss all that food that I wasn't supposed to eat!

Instead of getting frustrated and mired in the minutiae, I decided to take baby steps. I didn't take a look at my pantry and clean out all the bad stuff at once; instead, I took it one step at a time. Once I'd mastered (or at least improved) one area, I moved on to the next.

So the tip of the week is: Baby Steps. Take a look at your diet, and see where you might make small changes for the better. I mean really small. For instance, I stopped putting sugar on my cereal. I used to love putting copious amounts of sugar on my cereal so that I'd have nice sweet milk to drink at the end. But when I wanted to cut down on my sugar intake, that was a natural place to start. Most cereals are sweet enough on their own, and if they're not, I add fresh fruit, or raisins, or some cinnamon.

Here are some other things you might do:

  • Swap your white rice for brown rice.
  • Use wheat tortillas instead of white (and wheat bread instead of white, while you're at it!).
  • Eat baked crackers instead of chips.
  • Move from 2% milk to 1%, or from 1% to skim.
  • Buy plain yogurt and sweeten it yourself with honey or fruit, instead of buying already sweetened yogurt.
  • If you're baking sweet bread or muffins (like banana bread), substitute half the fat (usually butter or oil) with applesauce.
  • Cook with olive oil instead of vegetable oil.
  • Sprinkle flax seed on anything and everything: on cereal, in smoothies, in tuna, in pancakes, etc.
  • At a Mexican restaurant, request black beans in place of refried beans.
By no means am I a perfect eater, and I am definitely not good at counting calories. But through a bit of reading I've learned some tricks of the trade to help me pick foods that are more nutritious than the ones I'd been choosing before. 

I've been pleasantly surprised to find out that I really like most of the replacement foods! Black beans are awesome, olive oil is fantastic, and plain yogurt has all kinds of uses beyond just eating it as yogurt with my lunch. I use it in my chicken salad now to cut out some of the fat from the mayonnaise. 

Once you master the baby steps and start to see the side effects (like lost weight!), you'll probably be ready to implement more changes. Just yesterday morning I conducted an experiment to make strawberry syrup out of agave nectar -- my kids love pancake syrup, but I hate feeding them high fructose corn syrup first thing in the morning. It was a big hit! 

So try to make one small change this week, and see if it inspires you to make another!

Thursday, October 14, 2010

How Beachbody Coaching Landed Me in Jail

I've been a Team Beachbody Coach for about three weeks now. When I signed up, I had no idea how proactive I would be. I'm not a salesperson, and I don't make a habit of striking up long conversations with people I don't know. I do, however, really like P90X and talking about food.

So, it turns out that I am completely eaten up over this job. I cannot stop thinking about who I can talk to, what I'm going to say, and what I can do to help them get into the habit of exercise and eating well. Zach and I pulled together the Wednesday Workouts at his school in practically no time, and hardly one workout is finished before we've planned the next. It's giving me fresh motivation in my own exercise and eating routine, too.

The only negative thing I've experienced so far is that I am not sleeping well due to my inability to turn off my brain at night. I am compulsively composing emails and speeches in my head, and have to get up and write it down in the hope that I can stop thinking about it!

It was one of these late-night brainstorming sessions that landed me in jail.

On Tuesday I decided to visit the police headquarters in our town to see if there was any possibility of getting a group of police officers together to do P90X. It was early, and the only open door in the facility was at the jail. That wasn't really what I had in mind, but since that was my only way in, I went up to the check in desk and asked if there was anyone in charge of fitness and exercise for the officers. The lady told me that would be the Captain, and someone was in his office right now, but he could talk to me in a few minutes. Fantastic! I thought. And I also thought, please don't let this guy be 400 pounds.

Captain Wilson came out to the front and led me to his office. On the way, I gave him the speech I threw together in my head the night before (with a few adjustments made in the minutes spent on the bench in jail).

"I'm a Coach for a company called Beachbody. They're the ones that do P90X," I said. "I'm looking for people who want to get in great shape, and I immediately thought of the police department because they are going to benefit from being fit, and having a group doing this program is ideal because they can challenge each other." (Big breath.) "I just really feel like this country is in pretty big trouble as far as fitness is concerned. I think maybe if we get some leaders in the community who can set an example by taking care of themselves, maybe it will start to have an impact on everybody else."

The poor guy finally got to speak. "I'm completely with you," he said. (Phew.) "I'm a proponent of implementing mandatory quarterly fitness tests for the officers," he said. "I have guys who leave patrol for the desk and immediately put on 25, 30 pounds. I'm trying to get them to realize that they need to take care of themselves."

He took me down to the department's weight room, which was decked out with treadmills, weight machines, a full set of dumbbells, and two flat screen TVs. "We pay guys to work out for either the first 30 minutes of their shift, or the last 30 minutes," he said. "But a lot of them just don't do it or aren't interested. And it's really tough to eat well on the job, too." "It's hard to eat well anywhere," I said.

We talked for about 25 minutes, and he took a brochure, DVD, and my business card. "I want to make myself available to talk to anyone who's interested, or doing a presentation, or letting officers borrow our DVDs to see what the program is like," I said. Captain Wilson said he'd be in touch, and my self-imposed trip to jail was over.

That afternoon I got an email from the Captain asking a question about Shakeology. I'm hoping to get some sample Shakeology packs to take him, because those shakes would be a great alternative to Jack In the Box or Chicken Express (just two of the many fast food drive throughs we have in town). A $4 shake packed with more than 70 healthy nutrients, vitamins, and minerals knocks the socks off the Happy Meal that refuses to decompose.

I'm not sure where else Beachbody Coaching will take me, but I'm hoping I get to go back to jail really soon to talk some officers into getting "supersonic-X-style-fit."

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

You Can't Beet This Cake

Sorry about the title of this post. I had to do it.

So: beets. I don't know of many grocery stores that are struggling to keep these puppies on the shelves. And aside from the pickled or canned variety, I don't know many people that have tried fresh beets before. My first experience with beets came when I was making baby food for my daughter. I read that beets are chock full of folic acid, potassium, calcium, and antioxidants. So I roasted a pureed a few, and she really liked them, which I was happy about...until she sneezed while eating them one day and sprayed bright red beet bits all over the wall and floor.

Anyway, last week I promised to update you about a chocolate cake I was going to make that has beet puree as one of its ingredients. The recipe comes from one of my favorite cookbooks, "Deceptively Delicious" by Jessica Seinfeld.


I wouldn't say this cake is healthy per se, but it does substitute white sugar for brown, canola oil for butter, and egg whites instead of whole eggs (or rather, one whole egg and two egg whites).

For those of you who have never seen beet puree, here's how it looks:


Such a nice deep red color! Sesame Street keeps reminding us to "Eat Your Colors!", so I know this has got to be good.

The rest of the cake ingredients were pretty standard. Semisweet chocolate squares, buttermilk, vanilla, flour, etc. The final batter was a burgundy color, although this picture gives it a pinkish hue:


The batter tasted delicious, and the final cake turned out to be nice and dense (which makes it easy to work with when it comes to icing).


One way this cake cuts calories is that it makes only one nine-inch cake instead of two. It suggests that you cut the cake layer in half and spread frosting between the layers and on the top. It was during my imperfect dissection of the cake that I was able to sample a small piece, and it was very good. It was not an overpowering chocolate flavor, and the beets were imperceptible.

The frosting uses reduced-fat cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, and cocoa powder. Here is the final product:


As with most of the cakes I bake, I sent it off with Zach this morning to be (hopefully) devoured by the teachers and staff. But I didn't forget to print out a note that said, "Chocolate Cake, fortified with beets. Have your cake, and eat your vegetables. See you at the Wednesday Workout at 4:30 tomorrow."

Monday, October 11, 2010

Monday Nutrition Tip of the Week

This week's tip is less of a tip and more of a challenge. When you go to the grocery store this week, pick up a vegetable you've never tried before and bring it home. Eat it raw, or hit the Internet to find an appealing way to cook it. (No frying allowed!)

There are so many things I buy regularly now that I never, in a million years, thought I would eat. Here are the top five culinary shockers that now frequent my refrigerator.

1. Acorn, Butternut, and Spaghetti Squash
When I first cooked an acorn squash, I was flabbergasted. Where had these things been all my life? They are sweet, juicy, easier to fix than a baked potato, and loaded with Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Potassium and a bunch of other good stuff. It is my favorite vegetable. I can sit down and eat a whole one...if no one else in my family is fighting me for it (and they usually are).

My positive experience with the acorn squash led me to try the butternut and spaghetti varieties, both of which are also fantastic. Spaghetti squash really does look like noodles after it's cooked!

2. Asparagus
When I was growing up my Mom had a prolific asparagus garden that yielded plenty of fantastic, fresh asparagus every summer. Did I eat my fill every night? No. Wouldn't touch the stuff. What was wrong with me?

As an adult I really like asparagus. My favorite way to fix it is to coat the spears in olive oil, sprinkle with Kosher salt and pepper and roast it in the oven for about 12 minutes. Yum.

3. Edamame
That's ed-ah-mah-may for the uninitiated. Edamame is green soy beans in a shell, and they are my favorite food to eat mindlessly. You know, the way you usually eat chips.

Edamame is low in calories, low in fat, and has plenty of protein and calcium. And oh yeah, they also taste good. You can find them in your freezer section in a steamer bag, although I usually prepare them by boiling them for about four minutes in salty water. Squeezing the pods so the soy beans pop out is pretty fun. Then just toss the shell!

4. Collard Greens
Eat your greens! Eat your greens! I kept reading over and over again. But...but... greens? Really? That sounds so gross. I resisted for quite awhile, but then decided to jump in. I'm glad I did!

I started with this recipe from Whole Foods Market that calls for collard greens, carrots, red onions, brown rice, and feta cheese. Oh, man, that recipe is so good. I was fixing it every week for awhile. And it makes great leftovers, too!

5. Spinach
Up until about two months ago, I was really scared of spinach. I'd bought the frozen variety once or twice for a mushroom spinach manicotti that I make, but I'm embarrassed to admit I'd never bought it fresh.

So a few weeks back I took the plunge, and I'm pleased to admit that spinach is not scary! To me, it's pretty much like any other lettuce, but better for you! It's full of iron, potassium, magnesium, and folic acid. And versatile, too. I put it in omelets, on my turkey sandwich, and in a plain old salad at dinner.

So try something new this week! Maybe you'll find something that will become a regular in the veggie rotation.

Friday, October 8, 2010

Why I Work Out at 5 a.m.

Back when Zach and I were in negotiations regarding the logistics of starting a 90-day fitness regimen, I reluctantly agreed that we would work out together at 5 in the morning.

Now I'm as much a morning person as the next gal; that is, not at all. But with two young kids, Zach's full-time (and then some) job, and a million other things to do, it quickly became apparent that 5 a.m. was just about the only time no one would be crying, calling, or catching up on paperwork.

Before the 5 a.m. workout habit started, I used to lay in bed with a pillow over my head, trying to ignore the lights and shower as Zach got ready for work. Then my then three-year-old would open his door and come wandering in the room saying, "Mama. Mama. Mama! Mama! MAMA! I want bweckfast." And I would literally moan, groan, and berate my son for his inability to sleep past 6:15. What a way to start the day! Instead of coffee, I was starting my day with a big 'ol cup of negativity.

Then P90X arrived in the mail, and we set the alarm for 5:00. Day in, and day out, I surprised Zach as I actually got up, dressed, and out the door to start working out by 5:10 or so. And a funny thing happened. Even though I was "losing" an hour or more sleep a night, I was happier and more energetic. When my kids woke up, I was able to greet them cheerfully. I had worked out, showered, dressed, and felt like a human being by 6:30 a.m., which was not something I could say pre-P90X.

And even though we aren't necessarily talking, the hour that Zach and I spend working out together in the morning has meant the world to our relationship. His job as a principal means many extra curricular events after school and late and night, and many days that hour is the only time we see each other in the day. This shared goal and experience helps keep me sane when I'm spending long hours alone with the kids.

All the warm fuzzy stuff aside, I will tell you that I hate life from 5:00 until 5:04. I pile my workout clothes next to the bed so that all I have to do is swing my legs out of bed and pull clothes on. And I make no illusions that Zach is the motivator around here. He jokes that in two years of doing this, I've been the one coaxing him out of bed approximately two times. If he says, "let's sleep in," I'm game. Unlucky enough for me, I can't think of any times he's done that.

Early rising did mean we had to adjust our bedtime. I feel pretty geriatric when I refuse to start watching a show that starts at 9 p.m. "because that's just too late to start a show!" But I know that if I don't get 7 to 8 hours of sleep 5 a.m. feels a heckuva lot worse than usual.

So for the foreseeable future, I'll be hitting our "gym" way before the sun rises. I think it was Ben Franklin that said, "Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise." I don't know about the wealthy and wise, but at least I've got the healthy part covered.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Inaugural Wednesday Workout

Yesterday Zach and I hosted 21 teachers and staff from his school district for the inaugural "Workout Wednesdays," a new fitness club at his school. When I signed up to be a Team Beachbody Coach, one of the first things I wanted to do in order to reach people was start up a fitness club. Since Zach is a principal and has access to both willing participants and a high school gym, we were quickly in business.

With the help of one of the teachers at his school, we publicized the event and secured high school students as babysitters for anyone with kids (so no one could use kids as an excuse not to come!). I was thrilled with the enthusiasm that the teachers showed about the program. We had thirty people express interest in coming, and even more asking questions about it.

Zach and I had a blast coming up with the workout. We used moves we have learned in P90X and through the One on One with Tony Horton programs that we have delivered every month. When choosing which moves to put in, it was essential that they meet two criteria: 1) it does not require any equipment like weights and 2) it is modifiable for any fitness level. Most of the moves came from the "Cardio Confusion" DVD, but some came from Plyometrics, and one move even came from the Insanity workouts.

The day before our workout, I sent a special treat up to school to advertise one last time: Black Bean Brownies. Now, I won't lie and say these brownies are as good as the real thing, but they were definitely good. Next time I'll either dust some powdered sugar on them, or sprinkle walnuts and chocolate chips on them to pump up the chocolate flavor a bit. Anyway, the point was to say that treats don't have to be totally fattening and/or ruin our diet. Next week I'm trying a chocolate cake that uses beet puree. I'll keep you posted  on the results of that one.

Back to the workout.

We met at 4:30 in the gym, and 21 of the 30 who said they were interested came to participate. The cardio workout consisted of 25 one-minute moves, followed by a cool down and 10 minutes of abs. Zach stood at the front with me and demonstrated the high intensity version of the moves, while I showed how to modify for low intensity. Everyone did fantastic! We had people of all ages, some who are currently doing P90X, and some who haven't exercised in years.

Wrapping up our ab workout
After the workout, we had a short talk about nutrition, wherein I challenged the group to go soda-free. I figured it would be an unpopular suggestion, but people took it pretty well! Paula, the teacher I'm working with, has generously offered a prize to the participants who live up to the challenge for the week.

I can't tell you how good it feels to help people get on the road to good health. My hope is that we can inspire people to make exercise and healthy eating a part of their lives for the long term, because I really believe healthy and fit people are happier people, too.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

The Shakeology Experiment: Week One Wrap-up

Sunday marked the end of week one in the Hobbs Shakeology Experiment. I sat down and conducted an in-depth interview of Zach to uncover his feelings about the product thus far.

Here is the lowdown: Zach is drinking one shake a day for lunch. He usually adds a banana or natural peanut butter (or both) to his shake, taking it from 140 calories to approximately 300-350 calories. That's not a lot of calories for a meal, but he said he has not felt hungry in the afternoons, nor does he crave sweets or any other foods.

Anyone who knows my husband knows about his love of spreadsheets.

Thinking about buying a car? Put it in a spreadsheet.
Refinancing the house? Put it in a spreadsheet.
Rearranging the pantry? Put it in a spreadsheet.

So here is the manifestation of his spreadsheet addiction as it relates to the Shakeology experiment:

The Shakeology weight loss graph (click for larger view).


During his initial cleanse he lost about 7 pounds. Since then, his weight has varied from as much as 10 pounds lost to a current weight loss of 8 pounds.

My husband is not one who needs to lose a bunch of weight, but these few pounds has made a significant difference in his appearance (i.e., he looks SUPER BUFF. That's a technical term. I looked it up.).

This morning he branched out into another recipe on the provided recipe calendar, adding vanilla extract and a banana.

Super happy to be making the daily Shakeology.
One side effect of committing to the Shakeology program is how it affects the way you think about the other meals that you eat. Zach said that since he knows Shakeology is a good, nutritious meal, it makes him strive to eat healthy for the other meals as well. This weekend was opening weekend for archery season, and he said he felt guilty about eating a hamburger down at the land. But he did mix up some shakes to take with him to eat down there!

I can see that for someone who might eat out for lunch every day, or someone who stops at Starbucks every day, Shakeology would have a big impact. Because as much as it's about eating a healthy meal, it's also about NOT eating an unhealthy meal.

The plan at the beginning of this experiment was to let Zach try it for a month, and then I get to try it. But after one week, I think we've run into a snag. He's not going to want to give it up!

Monday, October 4, 2010

Monday Nutrition Tip of the Week

This week's food for thought is:

Count ingredients, not calories.


I've never been good at dieting, and I have never counted calories. Maybe it's my math aversion, but sitting down and calculating the amount of food I ate, and converting that to calories is nothing but a complete drag.

But counting ingredients is like playing golf: the lowest score wins! If you're eating things like eggs, apples, bananas, carrots, acorn squash (my personal favorite), it's easy to keep track of what you're eating.

Are you eating these? They are amazing.

Scott Colby of SC Fitness sat down and calculated what all you would eat if you had three popular food items: Smart Start Cereal, Reduced Fat Wheat Thins, and Chicken with Basil Cream Sauce Lean Cuisine. Here's the laundry list:


RICE, WHOLE GRAIN WHEAT, SUGAR, OAT CLUSTERS (SUGAR, TOASTED OATS [ROLLED OATS, SUGAR, CANOLA OIL WITH TBHQ AND CITRIC ACID TO PRESERVE FRESHNESS, MOLASSES, HONEY, BHT FOR FRESHNESS, SOY LECITHIN], WHEAT FLAKES, CRISP RICE [RICE, SUGAR, MALT, SALT], CORN SYRUP, POLYDEXTROSE, HONEY, CINNAMON, BHT [PRESERVATIVE], ARTIFICIAL VANILLA FLAVOR), HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, SALT, HONEY, MALT FLAVORING, ALPHA TOCOPHEROL ACETATE (VITAMIN E), NIACINAMIDE, ZINC OXIDE, REDUCED IRON, SODIUM ASCORBATE AND ASCORBIC ACID (VITAMIN C), CALCIUM PANTOTHENATE, YELLOW #5, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B6), RIBOFLAVIN (VITAMIN B2), THIAMIN HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B1), BHT (PRESERVATIVE), VITAMIN A PALMITATE, FOLIC ACID, BETA CAROTENE (A SOURCE OF VITAMIN A), VITAMIN B12 AND VITAMIN D. WHOLE GRAIN WHEAT FLOUR, UNBLEACHED ENRICHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE [VITAMIN B1], RIBOFLAVIN [VITAMIN B2], FOLIC ACID), SOYBEAN OIL, SUGAR, CORNSTARCH, MALT SYRUP (FROM BARLEY AND CORN), INVERT SUGAR, MONOGLYCERIDES, SALT, VEGETABLE COLOR (ANNATTO EXTRACT, TURMERIC OLEORESIN). CONTAINS: WHEAT. BHT ADDED TO PACKAGING MATERIAL TO PRESERVE FRESHNESS. Blanched macaroni product (water, semolina, wheat gluten), skim milk, cooked chicken breast with rib pesto glazed smoke flavor added (cooked chicken breast meat with rib meat, water, chicken flavor (dehydrated chicken broth, chicken powder, flavor, salt, modified corn starch, salt, spice, glazed with: water, seasoning (sugar, (dehydrated romano cheese and blue cheese {part skim cow's milk, cheese cultures, pasteurized cow's milk, salt, enzymes}, spices, salt, modified food starch, dehydrated garlic dehydrated onion, citric acid, (dehydrated flavorings {(modified food starch, corn syrup solids, flavor, smoke flavor, partially hydrogenated soybean oil), dehydrated flavor (maltodextrin, citric acid, gum arabic, natural flavor}, extractives of garlic, olive oil), water, red peppers, ywllow peppers, 2% or less of cream, parmesan cheese (cultured milk, salt, enzymes), soybean oil, modified cornstarch, bleached wheat flour, basil, asiago cheese (pasteurizred milk, salt, cheese cultu res, salt, enzymes), water, salt, lactic acid, citric acid), extra virgin olive oil, garlic puree, enzyme modified parmesan cheese (cultured milk, water, salt, enzymes), whey protein concentrate, cheese flavor (cheddar cheese (cultured milk, salt, enzymes), water, salt, enzymes, cultures, phosphoric acid, xanthan gum), dehydrated onions, potassium chloride. 


Scary, right? So keep it simple to keep it healthy!