Leg muscle tension and tightness comes in many forms. It can be pain that radiats down your buttocks, through your hamstrings in the back of your leg, down through your calf, and maybe even to your ankle through your foot. Or, maybe it's tightness around the knee, ankle, or hip from muscles being tight and you're unable to get them to release.
It's common even when you're consistent with stretching before and after workouts, especially if you're pushing trying to increase your mileage as a runner or bicyclist. Or, maybe, you're changing workouts to one that involves more jumping or hopping type motions, or even just adding more squats to your routine.
A sharp distinctive pain that comes on quickly during a workout and that doesn't go away after a few minutes, but instead gets sharper and starts hindering your full range of motion is likely a sign that you need to go ahead and stop what you're doing before actually injuring the muscle or tendon.
I've pulled my soleus muscle in my calf where it attaches to the tibia when trying to up my running miles and instead of stopping and resting my legs, I tried to continue to run on it for a week. So, what might've been a shorter injury instead put me out of commission for 6 weeks.
Just stop doing the motion that is causing you increasing sharp pain. Icing immediately with one of those gel icepacks will a lot of times alleviate the swelling and inflammation affecting that muscle or the muscles around a joint. And then rest for a few days until the pain stops.
Sometimes an injury can end up affecting the whole leg because it changes your gait as you're limping around. If you're unable to get the tightness of the seized muscle to release, then you might try alternating between those hot and cold packs that they sell at pharmacies.
Usually gentle stretching at this point doesn't really help when the whole leg is involved. If you're into foam rolling then that would be very useful, a professional massage is also a good option. What I like to do is use one of those electric massagers with the long handle and the two paddles on the head that alternate pounding at you, and massage the muscles of the whole leg myself, including the hip flexors, buttocks, and especially the calves. This way you can control how the massager is working around the sore muscle because you're trying to get the surrounding area to release as well. DO NOT massage an actual joint, instead massage the muscles that are tight.
Either way, you'll probably have to rest and not exercise for a while, or at least switch to a low impact workout that doesn't involve moving or flexing the injured area. And go to a doctor is you think it's a serious injury, but hopefully you didn't let it get to that point.
Things you can do to keep it from happening again, increase your workouts and workout intensity gradually, stretch before and after working out, and use an electric massager at the end of the day when your muscles are still feeling tight.
It's normal to be sore, a little achy, or have some muscle tightness, but sharp pain is something you want to take care of before it gets worse. If you have an injury that keeps occurring over and over, you might want to look at your body mechanics. Are your feet turned too inward or too outward, are your feet too far apart or too close together, is one leg a lot shorter than the other, so you might need insoles for that one foot? Just look at your form when you're exercising and see if there's anything you might need to fix.
Saturday, May 9, 2020
Sunday, April 26, 2020
Stress, the Toll It Takes on Our Lives and What We Can Do to Mediate Its Affects.
I want to talk about stress and the toll it takes on the body and the mind. How stress can affect every aspect of our lives and in the end even damage our organs.
My focus when it comes to health, diet, and exercise is always on longevity. Living a longer healthier life. The main reason for this is because my husband and I had a child very late in life and we truly want to be there for him, at least until he is grown and can take care of himself. What brought this to the forefront of our minds and really crystallized it for us was a health scare my husband had a couple years ago. Where my husband had to be hospitalized twice one summer with the first time having to have emergency surgery.
I found the stress my body endured from being unhealthy and inactive was mentally stressful. I, also, worried constantly about my husband’s health. I worried about him having an aspiration event from vomiting in his sleep, and I worried about the few seconds when he would stop breathing in his sleep.
Yes, our lifestyle at the time was very detrimental to our health, but the mental stress and worry from it, also took its toll.
I had to stop thinking of food as being pleasure based, instead it is a tool, a means to fuel activity and gain mental clarity. Yes, food can bring me joy, but it can also make me feel terrible physically as well as mentally. What did it mean when my hips or knees hurt going up the stairs, when I got winded by doing minimal physical activity, or I couldn’t even bend over because my belly got in the way? I was unhappy with myself and what my life had become.
I had to stop using food as a cure for my unhappiness. The moment of pleasure that I derived from eating something unhealthy wasn’t going to help make me happier. All the compounded stress from being unhealthy and the worry that came from living that way, in the end it just hurt me.
It is well documented that stress hormones can have a disastrous effect on the immune system through its action on the endocrine system. It can make us more susceptible to infections with greater viral loads found in blood plasma of stressed individuals, it can have a negative effect on wound healing, and it increase inflammation within the body which can accelerate diseases associated with old age. And the act of sitting all day in and of itself, is incredibly stressful on the body.
One of the things I do to manage my stress levels is exercise. Working up a sweat is a great way to get out of my head and just exist in my body. And if my body feels achy or sore, I exercise to warm up and loosen those tight muscles. It’s a good stress reliever during this time of pandemic, especially if you can find something physical that you really enjoy doing. I’m actually one of those people that changes their at home workouts regularly. I might do weightlifting kettlebell type exercises 3 times a week for three months with regular aerobics. Or, I’ll do bodyweight exercises intermixed with HIIT workouts for a couple months. Sometimes I’ll just run for a couple months, or do dance aerobics or kickboxing for a few months.
Going outside to enjoy the sunshine or even to experience a rainy day is good way be out in the world while social distancing. It can be as simple as sitting on your front step while drinking some coffee or picnicking in your backyard. Now that it’s warmed up and headed into spring, I’ve started gardening. Raising some lettuce, herbs, snap beans, etc. My brother grows all his vegetables in pots since he lives at a very high altitude where their summers are much cooler.
But the most important thing I do for stress and my general wellbeing, is eat right. I eat as healthy as possible because I know I’m not getting enough sleep and I have a lot of work related stress. Fresh fruit, dried fruit, lots of vegetables, salads, seed and nut filled homemade bread, homemade yogurt with hemp seeds and muesli, and overnight oats with chia seeds and fruit. Sure I’ll eat a couple cookies most days or the occasional pizza or hamburger, but I just make sure the majority of the food I take into my body is as nutrient dense as possible. Instead of getting French fries, I’ll eat a salad with the hamburger or a giant salad as an accompaniment to the pizza. Each meal is a chance to make a good choice for my health.
References:
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/much-sitting-linked-heart-disease-diabetes-premature-death-201501227618
http://www.discoverymedicine.com/Ronald-Glaser/2009/07/18/stress-damages-immune-system-and-health/
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/expert-answers/sitting/faq-20058005
https://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/press/press-releases/2012/october/new-study-finds-that-sitting-for-protracted-periods-increases-the-risk-of-diabetes-heart-disease-and-death
My focus when it comes to health, diet, and exercise is always on longevity. Living a longer healthier life. The main reason for this is because my husband and I had a child very late in life and we truly want to be there for him, at least until he is grown and can take care of himself. What brought this to the forefront of our minds and really crystallized it for us was a health scare my husband had a couple years ago. Where my husband had to be hospitalized twice one summer with the first time having to have emergency surgery.
I found the stress my body endured from being unhealthy and inactive was mentally stressful. I, also, worried constantly about my husband’s health. I worried about him having an aspiration event from vomiting in his sleep, and I worried about the few seconds when he would stop breathing in his sleep.
Yes, our lifestyle at the time was very detrimental to our health, but the mental stress and worry from it, also took its toll.
I had to stop thinking of food as being pleasure based, instead it is a tool, a means to fuel activity and gain mental clarity. Yes, food can bring me joy, but it can also make me feel terrible physically as well as mentally. What did it mean when my hips or knees hurt going up the stairs, when I got winded by doing minimal physical activity, or I couldn’t even bend over because my belly got in the way? I was unhappy with myself and what my life had become.
I had to stop using food as a cure for my unhappiness. The moment of pleasure that I derived from eating something unhealthy wasn’t going to help make me happier. All the compounded stress from being unhealthy and the worry that came from living that way, in the end it just hurt me.
It is well documented that stress hormones can have a disastrous effect on the immune system through its action on the endocrine system. It can make us more susceptible to infections with greater viral loads found in blood plasma of stressed individuals, it can have a negative effect on wound healing, and it increase inflammation within the body which can accelerate diseases associated with old age. And the act of sitting all day in and of itself, is incredibly stressful on the body.
One of the things I do to manage my stress levels is exercise. Working up a sweat is a great way to get out of my head and just exist in my body. And if my body feels achy or sore, I exercise to warm up and loosen those tight muscles. It’s a good stress reliever during this time of pandemic, especially if you can find something physical that you really enjoy doing. I’m actually one of those people that changes their at home workouts regularly. I might do weightlifting kettlebell type exercises 3 times a week for three months with regular aerobics. Or, I’ll do bodyweight exercises intermixed with HIIT workouts for a couple months. Sometimes I’ll just run for a couple months, or do dance aerobics or kickboxing for a few months.
Going outside to enjoy the sunshine or even to experience a rainy day is good way be out in the world while social distancing. It can be as simple as sitting on your front step while drinking some coffee or picnicking in your backyard. Now that it’s warmed up and headed into spring, I’ve started gardening. Raising some lettuce, herbs, snap beans, etc. My brother grows all his vegetables in pots since he lives at a very high altitude where their summers are much cooler.
But the most important thing I do for stress and my general wellbeing, is eat right. I eat as healthy as possible because I know I’m not getting enough sleep and I have a lot of work related stress. Fresh fruit, dried fruit, lots of vegetables, salads, seed and nut filled homemade bread, homemade yogurt with hemp seeds and muesli, and overnight oats with chia seeds and fruit. Sure I’ll eat a couple cookies most days or the occasional pizza or hamburger, but I just make sure the majority of the food I take into my body is as nutrient dense as possible. Instead of getting French fries, I’ll eat a salad with the hamburger or a giant salad as an accompaniment to the pizza. Each meal is a chance to make a good choice for my health.
References:
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/much-sitting-linked-heart-disease-diabetes-premature-death-201501227618
http://www.discoverymedicine.com/Ronald-Glaser/2009/07/18/stress-damages-immune-system-and-health/
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/expert-answers/sitting/faq-20058005
https://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/press/press-releases/2012/october/new-study-finds-that-sitting-for-protracted-periods-increases-the-risk-of-diabetes-heart-disease-and-death
Sunday, March 29, 2020
Exercise For Stress Relief
I hope everyone is doing okay while in the process of self isolating and practicing social distancing.
It's definitely been a thing. The added stress of being in a strange situation while being trapped at home where the outcome is still to be decided, it can be too much. So I wanted to throw it out there that physical exertion can be an effective way to get out of your head. Exercise can be a good outlet for anxiety with the added benefit of helping you sleep.
Start out easy. Grab that jump rope that's been collecting dust. Follow along to some videos on YouTube. If you have a elliptical or treadmill, now is the time to break it out. It can be even simpler than that though, just start doing those exercises you did in P.E. when you were in middle school or high school. A few jumping jacks, squats, reverse lunges, pushups, and crunches and you'll have yourself a good workout. Just get your heartrate up and sweat a little.
Here's a couple videos I've been doing in March. I've been doing them one after the other to get a hour long workout:
I've stopped doing stairs at work since we're supposed to be avoiding close contact with other humans. And of course our gym is closed, so we picked up a used treadmill on Craigslist that needed work done on it. Works great now and we started using it this weekend.
It's definitely been a thing. The added stress of being in a strange situation while being trapped at home where the outcome is still to be decided, it can be too much. So I wanted to throw it out there that physical exertion can be an effective way to get out of your head. Exercise can be a good outlet for anxiety with the added benefit of helping you sleep.
Start out easy. Grab that jump rope that's been collecting dust. Follow along to some videos on YouTube. If you have a elliptical or treadmill, now is the time to break it out. It can be even simpler than that though, just start doing those exercises you did in P.E. when you were in middle school or high school. A few jumping jacks, squats, reverse lunges, pushups, and crunches and you'll have yourself a good workout. Just get your heartrate up and sweat a little.
Here's a couple videos I've been doing in March. I've been doing them one after the other to get a hour long workout:
A good 10 minute bodyweight workout. The six year old does this with me.
Fast paced low impact aerobics with great arm work.
Wednesday, March 4, 2020
Daily Workout, 3/3/20
Cardio
30 minutes stair sprints
45 minutes aerobics
Meals
Breakfast: 3/4 cup yogurt with 1 tsp hemp seeds. 1/2 cup oats with 1/2 cup almond milk, 1 tsp honey, 1 tbsp chia seeds, strawberry, and dried coconut.
Lunch: 1.5 cups spaghetti with zucchini, peppers, onion, mushrooms, and tofu
Dinner: 2 cups chicken vegetable soup with mushroom ravioli
30 minutes stair sprints
45 minutes aerobics
Meals
Breakfast: 3/4 cup yogurt with 1 tsp hemp seeds. 1/2 cup oats with 1/2 cup almond milk, 1 tsp honey, 1 tbsp chia seeds, strawberry, and dried coconut.
Lunch: 1.5 cups spaghetti with zucchini, peppers, onion, mushrooms, and tofu
Dinner: 2 cups chicken vegetable soup with mushroom ravioli
Tuesday, March 3, 2020
Daily Workout, 3/2/20
Cardio
30 minutes stair running
Strength Training
Kettlebell 15 pounder:
36 deadlifts
36 kettlebell swings
30 renegade rows
72 single leg deadlifts
36 single leg/single arm to upright rows
36 boat crunches
36 Russian twists
Meals
Breakfast: 3/4 cup yogurt with 1 tsp hemp seeds. 1/2 cup oats with 1/2 cup almond milk, 1 tsp honey, 1 tbsp chia seeds, strawberry, and dried coconut.
Lunch: 1.5 cups spaghetti with zucchini, peppers, onion, mushrooms, and tofu
Dinner: 2 cups chicken vegetable soup with mushroom ravioli
30 minutes stair running
Strength Training
Kettlebell 15 pounder:
36 deadlifts
36 kettlebell swings
30 renegade rows
72 single leg deadlifts
36 single leg/single arm to upright rows
36 boat crunches
36 Russian twists
Meals
Breakfast: 3/4 cup yogurt with 1 tsp hemp seeds. 1/2 cup oats with 1/2 cup almond milk, 1 tsp honey, 1 tbsp chia seeds, strawberry, and dried coconut.
Lunch: 1.5 cups spaghetti with zucchini, peppers, onion, mushrooms, and tofu
Dinner: 2 cups chicken vegetable soup with mushroom ravioli
Sunday, March 1, 2020
Mini Goal: Lose 20 Pounds by June
My family is having a little family reunion for a nephew's graduation, so I thought it would be fun to time a weight loss goal with the event.
The idea is to lose 20 pounds in three months. That's close to 6.5 pounds a month which should be doable. I would still be 10 pounds away from my ultimate weight goal, but would be close enough to make me very happy in terms of success.
Diet thoughts: I'll need to double down on my nutrition which I've been very lax about this month. Back to calorie counting and making sure I have the right calories and macro ratios for fat loss, while keeping energy levels high enough for intense workouts.
I'll be doing a cutting diet, which is what weight lifters do to get lean and lose as much fat as possible while trying to maintain muscle mass. The macro ratio I'm going for is one gram of protein for pound of bodyweight, one gram of carbs for pound of bodyweight, and 0.25 gram of fat for pound of bodyweight. Within the context of my macros, I'll be aiming for 1400 calories a day but one day a week I'll go up to my maintenance calorie level of 1800 calories (probably on my rest day).
Exercise thoughts: I'm going to try to workout 60 to 90 minutes a day with one day of rest, so at least an hour a day for six days a week.
3 days a week, I'll do a 20 minute full body weight training routine, followed by 40 minutes of cardio. The other 3 days of the week, I'll do 30 minutes of stair sprints and an hour of cardio later in the day.
The idea is to lose 20 pounds in three months. That's close to 6.5 pounds a month which should be doable. I would still be 10 pounds away from my ultimate weight goal, but would be close enough to make me very happy in terms of success.
Diet thoughts: I'll need to double down on my nutrition which I've been very lax about this month. Back to calorie counting and making sure I have the right calories and macro ratios for fat loss, while keeping energy levels high enough for intense workouts.
I'll be doing a cutting diet, which is what weight lifters do to get lean and lose as much fat as possible while trying to maintain muscle mass. The macro ratio I'm going for is one gram of protein for pound of bodyweight, one gram of carbs for pound of bodyweight, and 0.25 gram of fat for pound of bodyweight. Within the context of my macros, I'll be aiming for 1400 calories a day but one day a week I'll go up to my maintenance calorie level of 1800 calories (probably on my rest day).
Exercise thoughts: I'm going to try to workout 60 to 90 minutes a day with one day of rest, so at least an hour a day for six days a week.
3 days a week, I'll do a 20 minute full body weight training routine, followed by 40 minutes of cardio. The other 3 days of the week, I'll do 30 minutes of stair sprints and an hour of cardio later in the day.
Saturday, February 1, 2020
For the Love of Kettlebell
I had no idea kettlebells were so awesome. Man, I was missing out. They are incredibly fun and so different then strength training with dumbbells are barbells. Who knew?
Mid-December, I was debating about going out and getting some dumbbells just to get some variation for strength training, rather than just doing bodyweight exercises all the time. But I have a young kid who is very curious and likely to hurt themselves if we had dumbbells around the house. I looked it up and soft kettlebells exist. Amazing.
I started out with a ten pound kettlebell, but decided after the second week it was too light. So, got a fifteen pounder which has been magical. Feel the burn. They do make 5 pound kettlebells in the hard version if you want something lighter.
This is the kettlebell I got, not an endorsement or anything. It's the only one I could find at a local store so I could feel get a feel for it. I have little hands so I wear fingerless lifting gloves to help with gripping.
I work out with the kettlebell 3 days a week instead of doing bodyweight exercises. I usually do my kettlebell routine right before a longer cardio workout. Although, sometimes I'll do it at the end of the night but I then make sure to follow it with some good stretching.
If you're new to strength training and are sore after the very first day you start training with weights, I would make sure to workout the very next day with some cardio. Just anything that will get your heart pumping like aerobics or jumping rope, to get blood moving through your muscles and help with muscle repair. And then do some good stretching afterwards.
Here's some fun kettlebell workouts that I've been doing:
Mid-December, I was debating about going out and getting some dumbbells just to get some variation for strength training, rather than just doing bodyweight exercises all the time. But I have a young kid who is very curious and likely to hurt themselves if we had dumbbells around the house. I looked it up and soft kettlebells exist. Amazing.
I started out with a ten pound kettlebell, but decided after the second week it was too light. So, got a fifteen pounder which has been magical. Feel the burn. They do make 5 pound kettlebells in the hard version if you want something lighter.
This is the kettlebell I got, not an endorsement or anything. It's the only one I could find at a local store so I could feel get a feel for it. I have little hands so I wear fingerless lifting gloves to help with gripping.
If you're new to strength training and are sore after the very first day you start training with weights, I would make sure to workout the very next day with some cardio. Just anything that will get your heart pumping like aerobics or jumping rope, to get blood moving through your muscles and help with muscle repair. And then do some good stretching afterwards.
Here's some fun kettlebell workouts that I've been doing:
Quick Kettlebell Routine with good direction on form.
Raw Full Body Kettlebell Workout
Full Body Kettlebell Routine (my current favorite)
Very Effective Stretching Routine with great direction
Wednesday, January 29, 2020
Adding Strength Training to Your Workouts
Adding more strength training to your workout routine can be as simple as doing a few bodyweight exercises like pushups and tricep dips. Focusing on strength exercises for the arms and back seems intuitive for me personally, since I mostly do high impact cardio to begin with which already works the legs.
I alternate and do one set of pushups and then one set of tricep dips on the floor for two sets of 25 repetitions each. For a total of 50 pushups and 50 tricep dips. If you can't do 25 reps at a time, then start at a number you can do while still having good form, still alternate between pushups and tricep dips, but increase the number of sets or the number of reps over time.
Once you're doing so many pushups and tricep dips in a row that you're getting bored, you can do harder variations of those exercises by using a stable coffee table or chair to put your feet on for pushups or hold onto with your hands for tricep dips.
In November and December, I stopped doing two a days and just worked out longer by adding bodyweight and abdominal exercises, or HIIT routines to the end of my cardio workouts. I, also, dropped down to only working out 4-5 days a week since I was busy with holiday activities.
Different workouts I did in November and December:
I alternate and do one set of pushups and then one set of tricep dips on the floor for two sets of 25 repetitions each. For a total of 50 pushups and 50 tricep dips. If you can't do 25 reps at a time, then start at a number you can do while still having good form, still alternate between pushups and tricep dips, but increase the number of sets or the number of reps over time.
Once you're doing so many pushups and tricep dips in a row that you're getting bored, you can do harder variations of those exercises by using a stable coffee table or chair to put your feet on for pushups or hold onto with your hands for tricep dips.
In November and December, I stopped doing two a days and just worked out longer by adding bodyweight and abdominal exercises, or HIIT routines to the end of my cardio workouts. I, also, dropped down to only working out 4-5 days a week since I was busy with holiday activities.
Different workouts I did in November and December:
Fast Paced Aerobics
Fast Paced Aerobics
Low Impact Aerobics
Low Impact Aerobics
Step Aerobics (yeah, that's Cher)
HIIT
HIIT
Sunday, January 26, 2020
Memes That Perfectly Express My Weight Loss Journey
I've been on the never ending diet the past two years. This one still manages to make me laugh.
This one fits as well.
This one fits as well.
Friday, January 24, 2020
Getting Through the Holiday Season While Working Out and Dieting
Ah, November and December, where months are spent celebrating and being merry and the time of year when diets go completely off the rails. It’s a difficult time to keep to our diet and exercise goals, but there are a few changes a person can make so we can get through the long holiday season relatively unscathed. Because it would be nice to not completely blow all our health and weight loss goals, especially if you’ve made some great gains the previous year.
One of the things I started doing in November was food prepping. It can be a difficult thing to get into. There’s a lot of planning, shopping, and cooking that a person has to do, but it makes it a lot easier to just eat what’s in the fridge rather than the temptations that are everywhere during the holidays. Heavy rich foods that tempt even the most stalwart of us because “it’s just the holidays, anyways” can be a convincing excuse.
Meal prepping involves preparing all the food in a single day that a person needs for the next 5 days. I actually make yogurt (for me) and bread (for my spouse) one day, then the next day I make food for our meals so it was kind of split into two days. So yeah, both my days off during the week are spent cooking.
In general I don’t eat baked goods, deserts, or ice-cream as part of my weight loss regimen. Oh, how I miss you ice-cream. But during this time of year, I’m extra disciplined about not snacking at night.
Breakfast was ¾ cup homemade yogurt with a teaspoon of granola and a teaspoon of hemp hearts, and ½ cup of oats with ½ a cup of plain almond milk and berries for overnight oats. Lunch was hummus with carrots and celery, or tomato and mushroom omelet over rice with steamed vegetables. Dinner were such things as ginger chicken over rice with a large serving of steamed cabbage, or stir fried beef with peppers over rice. For dinners, I just made sure to practice excellent portion control and included extra servings of steamed vegetables with each meal like broccoli, cabbage, or cauliflower, when I prepped my meals into those black meal prep containers (I prefer the two split compartment ones). You don’t even have to order the containers online anymore, they sale large stacks of them at Walmart for reasonable prices.
Being so regimented with eating the majority of the month gave me the freedom to have those indulgences on days when treats were all around at work, or the week after Thanksgiving or Christmas when delicious high calorie leftovers were everywhere.
By New Year’s Eve I had only gained two pounds while still being able to feel like I got to enjoy the holiday season with plenty of indulgences.
One of the things I started doing in November was food prepping. It can be a difficult thing to get into. There’s a lot of planning, shopping, and cooking that a person has to do, but it makes it a lot easier to just eat what’s in the fridge rather than the temptations that are everywhere during the holidays. Heavy rich foods that tempt even the most stalwart of us because “it’s just the holidays, anyways” can be a convincing excuse.
Meal prepping involves preparing all the food in a single day that a person needs for the next 5 days. I actually make yogurt (for me) and bread (for my spouse) one day, then the next day I make food for our meals so it was kind of split into two days. So yeah, both my days off during the week are spent cooking.
In general I don’t eat baked goods, deserts, or ice-cream as part of my weight loss regimen. Oh, how I miss you ice-cream. But during this time of year, I’m extra disciplined about not snacking at night.
Breakfast was ¾ cup homemade yogurt with a teaspoon of granola and a teaspoon of hemp hearts, and ½ cup of oats with ½ a cup of plain almond milk and berries for overnight oats. Lunch was hummus with carrots and celery, or tomato and mushroom omelet over rice with steamed vegetables. Dinner were such things as ginger chicken over rice with a large serving of steamed cabbage, or stir fried beef with peppers over rice. For dinners, I just made sure to practice excellent portion control and included extra servings of steamed vegetables with each meal like broccoli, cabbage, or cauliflower, when I prepped my meals into those black meal prep containers (I prefer the two split compartment ones). You don’t even have to order the containers online anymore, they sale large stacks of them at Walmart for reasonable prices.
Being so regimented with eating the majority of the month gave me the freedom to have those indulgences on days when treats were all around at work, or the week after Thanksgiving or Christmas when delicious high calorie leftovers were everywhere.
By New Year’s Eve I had only gained two pounds while still being able to feel like I got to enjoy the holiday season with plenty of indulgences.
Sunday, January 19, 2020
Double Workouts or Two A Days
Back in September I posted how I was considering doubling workouts or doing two a days. I did end up adding a second workout 2 or 3 days a week, to the aerobic YouTube video that is pretty much standing ab workout that I did everyday. So for September and October I did a forty-five minute aerobic workout 7 days a week, plus HIIT/Tabata/strength exercises 2-3 days a week. And I did my usual gym routine once in a while.
The aerobic workouts were completely low impact, you're barely shuffling your legs around for 95% of the video, but it works your core the entire time. After the first two times I did the workout my husband said, "I think I can actually see changes from your workout in just a couple of days."
But after the first two weeks of doing 9 or 10 workouts a week he was shocked. "That workout is completely transformative. It has transformed your body. I can see it in your back and your core."
I wasn't dieting or counting calories at that time, so my energy level was up. I felt great doing the extra workouts, and on top of that I was eating super healthy and eating plenty of food. Breakfast was typically summer rolls with shrimp and pork, and fruit and berries. Lunch was usually stir-fry with rice or a curried udon noodle dish with vegetables and tofu. Dinner was a free for all depending on whether it was my husband or I cooking. I just made sure to eat a little protein with every meal.
I didn't miss any workouts in September and October. The routine was fresh and new and I super enjoyed what I was doing, so it didn't really feel like an effort to get through the daily workouts.
I lost lots of fat in my back, stomach, and arms, they got noticeably smaller. Legs stayed the same since I ran a lot before this and they were already strong, but I did notice I no longer got side cramps at all. Probably due to building up core strength to a great extant.
Here's a list of those workouts I was doing in September and October:
The aerobic workouts were completely low impact, you're barely shuffling your legs around for 95% of the video, but it works your core the entire time. After the first two times I did the workout my husband said, "I think I can actually see changes from your workout in just a couple of days."
But after the first two weeks of doing 9 or 10 workouts a week he was shocked. "That workout is completely transformative. It has transformed your body. I can see it in your back and your core."
I wasn't dieting or counting calories at that time, so my energy level was up. I felt great doing the extra workouts, and on top of that I was eating super healthy and eating plenty of food. Breakfast was typically summer rolls with shrimp and pork, and fruit and berries. Lunch was usually stir-fry with rice or a curried udon noodle dish with vegetables and tofu. Dinner was a free for all depending on whether it was my husband or I cooking. I just made sure to eat a little protein with every meal.
I didn't miss any workouts in September and October. The routine was fresh and new and I super enjoyed what I was doing, so it didn't really feel like an effort to get through the daily workouts.
I lost lots of fat in my back, stomach, and arms, they got noticeably smaller. Legs stayed the same since I ran a lot before this and they were already strong, but I did notice I no longer got side cramps at all. Probably due to building up core strength to a great extant.
Here's a list of those workouts I was doing in September and October:
Low Impact Aerobics (This was my go to daily workout)
For the workouts below, I did 4 videos 2-3 times a week plus a stretching video. So, about a 20 minute workout.
Cardio Blast
HIIT
HIIT
Strength Training (I used a 10 pound medicine ball.)
Tabata
Tabata
Tabata
Fast Paced Tabata
Sunday, September 1, 2019
Double daily workouts. Folly? Or the Road to Heartache and Despair?
So my belly just won't go away. Why? Damn you, why? And I've been thinking about ways to increase the rate of fat loss.
I could go back on the keto diet. But, ugh. Consuming that much fat, cheese, and heavy cream is just not natural. And the inability to eat fruit while on the diet is soul destroying. I can't do it. I just can't.
I've decided the only way to deal with the belly fat, at faster than glacial speed, is to adjust my workouts and meal plans. Two weeks ago, I started meal planning, otherwise known as meal prepping. On a day or two that I have off, I make all our meals for the week. Homemade yogurt and bread for breakfast and snacks, and then three different meals for lunches and dinners. We've agreed not to eat out until November, so that'll force adherence to the meal plan.
Workout-wise, I've been thinking about doubling up on my workouts. A lot of weight lifters do this in general, they'll lift in the morning and do cardio at night, or vice versa. Of course, if you're weight lifting everyday, most people split the area of the body their working on day to day. But for me, I'll probably do strength training with a medicine ball while doing Tabata, HIIT, or kickboxing. Then the second workout will be some sort of cardio or aerobics workout probably running, rowing, or aerobics.
I could go back on the keto diet. But, ugh. Consuming that much fat, cheese, and heavy cream is just not natural. And the inability to eat fruit while on the diet is soul destroying. I can't do it. I just can't.
I've decided the only way to deal with the belly fat, at faster than glacial speed, is to adjust my workouts and meal plans. Two weeks ago, I started meal planning, otherwise known as meal prepping. On a day or two that I have off, I make all our meals for the week. Homemade yogurt and bread for breakfast and snacks, and then three different meals for lunches and dinners. We've agreed not to eat out until November, so that'll force adherence to the meal plan.
Workout-wise, I've been thinking about doubling up on my workouts. A lot of weight lifters do this in general, they'll lift in the morning and do cardio at night, or vice versa. Of course, if you're weight lifting everyday, most people split the area of the body their working on day to day. But for me, I'll probably do strength training with a medicine ball while doing Tabata, HIIT, or kickboxing. Then the second workout will be some sort of cardio or aerobics workout probably running, rowing, or aerobics.
Thursday, August 29, 2019
Should You Exercise or Run While Sick?
The real answer is: It depends.
Most runners think along the line of, as long as it's an illness that is just affecting your head, then it's ok to run. If the illness travels any lower, like say your lungs or a stomach bug, then definitely take the time to rest and don't do anything strenuous.
We've all been recovering from a summer cold in our household. My husband kept up with his every other day run, and still managed to have at least one long run during the week while he was ill for three weeks. When it got into his lungs, he went to the doctor and quit running. Now, he's over his cold and back at his usual workout schedule.
It's in my lungs at this point, so I haven't run this week. But I did find a fun little low impact aerobics video, that's pretty much 45 minutes of standing ab exercises. So addictive, feel the burn in those arms and abs.
Most runners think along the line of, as long as it's an illness that is just affecting your head, then it's ok to run. If the illness travels any lower, like say your lungs or a stomach bug, then definitely take the time to rest and don't do anything strenuous.
We've all been recovering from a summer cold in our household. My husband kept up with his every other day run, and still managed to have at least one long run during the week while he was ill for three weeks. When it got into his lungs, he went to the doctor and quit running. Now, he's over his cold and back at his usual workout schedule.
It's in my lungs at this point, so I haven't run this week. But I did find a fun little low impact aerobics video, that's pretty much 45 minutes of standing ab exercises. So addictive, feel the burn in those arms and abs.
Tuesday, August 20, 2019
Increasing Protein Intake When You're Sore from Working Out
My husband was getting incredibly sore after workouts or after long strenuous days at work. Days were spent icing his muscles after work, rolling out, and stretching. But the soreness never really went away, although it would die back down for awhile.
I did some reading and decided he wasn't getting enough protein in his diet. I exercise as much as he does and I wasn't excessively sore like him, although admittedly his work is more strenuous than mine. But I eat homemade yogurt in the mornings, and I eat more things that have higher amounts of protein like hummus with vegetables, and soft tofu with crackers and cheese.
So, I started adding higher protein foods to our meals, like brown rice, corn, and beans. Then I purchased hemp seed hearts which have the added bonus of omega 3's and a giant 5 pound container of whey protein powder, both are added to our fruit smoothies. (In all honesty, I did not realize how gigantic a 5 pound container of whey protein really was. It nearly touches the bottom of the cabinets when it sits on the counter.) I also, put hemp seed hearts in my yogurt with fruit, and they are delicious. Much better than roasted hemp seeds, which always made me fear for my dental work.
He has so much energy now and the deep muscle soreness is gone. No more icing, no more begging for hour long messages on a daily basis. Come on. Who has time for that? Plus, my hands were getting tired.
I do think hydration is important when a person greatly increases their protein intake. My husband is always careful about drinking lots of water.
I did some reading and decided he wasn't getting enough protein in his diet. I exercise as much as he does and I wasn't excessively sore like him, although admittedly his work is more strenuous than mine. But I eat homemade yogurt in the mornings, and I eat more things that have higher amounts of protein like hummus with vegetables, and soft tofu with crackers and cheese.
So, I started adding higher protein foods to our meals, like brown rice, corn, and beans. Then I purchased hemp seed hearts which have the added bonus of omega 3's and a giant 5 pound container of whey protein powder, both are added to our fruit smoothies. (In all honesty, I did not realize how gigantic a 5 pound container of whey protein really was. It nearly touches the bottom of the cabinets when it sits on the counter.) I also, put hemp seed hearts in my yogurt with fruit, and they are delicious. Much better than roasted hemp seeds, which always made me fear for my dental work.
He has so much energy now and the deep muscle soreness is gone. No more icing, no more begging for hour long messages on a daily basis. Come on. Who has time for that? Plus, my hands were getting tired.
I do think hydration is important when a person greatly increases their protein intake. My husband is always careful about drinking lots of water.
Sunday, August 18, 2019
Weird Deals You Make with Your Spouse
I've been meal prepping the last couple weeks. It's torture, makes for an exhausting day, and I have no idea how people do it on a consistent basis. They must have a will of iron, and a high stamina for vegetable chopping. The main reason for doing this was to eat healthier during the workweek and to give me extra time, so I can get back into writing.
My disappearance from the blogging world, and writing in general, can be directly attributed to trying to eat healthier and working out. It's a one or the other kind of thing for me because there's no way, I can give up taking care of my kid or going to work.
I was going over the week's menu with my husband, and expressing the idea of eating healthier and eating out less.
"Why don't we make a deal and stop going out to eat altogether?"
I was struck into silence for long moments, but finally returned to my body. "Okay."
"How long?"
"Till November."
Then we shook on it.
So no restaurant or cafeteria food for two and a half months for the two adults. The kiddo will still get to eat school lunches.
If you're curious about last week's menu, it was southwest chicken or herb chicken on a bed of brown rice with 6 mix and match vegetables. The vegetables were air fryer roasted sweet potatoes, air fryer roasted beets, air fryer roasted broccoli, sautéed corn, sautéed sweet peppers, and sautéed zucchini. Each meat got 3 vegetables along with added beans or chickpeas for extra protein.
This week's meal prep was vegetarian. I made a sweet spicy chili tofu on a bed of kamut, ginger sesame tofu with kamut, tomato mushroom cheese omelet with kamut, burritos with tofu crumbles, and vegetarian refried bean burritos with homemade salsa.
My disappearance from the blogging world, and writing in general, can be directly attributed to trying to eat healthier and working out. It's a one or the other kind of thing for me because there's no way, I can give up taking care of my kid or going to work.
I was going over the week's menu with my husband, and expressing the idea of eating healthier and eating out less.
"Why don't we make a deal and stop going out to eat altogether?"
I was struck into silence for long moments, but finally returned to my body. "Okay."
"How long?"
"Till November."
Then we shook on it.
So no restaurant or cafeteria food for two and a half months for the two adults. The kiddo will still get to eat school lunches.
If you're curious about last week's menu, it was southwest chicken or herb chicken on a bed of brown rice with 6 mix and match vegetables. The vegetables were air fryer roasted sweet potatoes, air fryer roasted beets, air fryer roasted broccoli, sautéed corn, sautéed sweet peppers, and sautéed zucchini. Each meat got 3 vegetables along with added beans or chickpeas for extra protein.
This week's meal prep was vegetarian. I made a sweet spicy chili tofu on a bed of kamut, ginger sesame tofu with kamut, tomato mushroom cheese omelet with kamut, burritos with tofu crumbles, and vegetarian refried bean burritos with homemade salsa.
Friday, August 16, 2019
A Frank Conversation About My Health and Weight
Sorry it has been such a long time since I last posted. After my husband was seriously ill last year and hospitalized twice that culminated with an emergency surgery, our family has been looking seriously at our health. As a couple who had a child late in life, I felt longevity was something we needed to focus our energy on.
As a Vietnamese American, waist circumference, BMI, and weight takes on a more heightened meaning. Asians overall have higher rates of diabetes, renal failure due to diabetes, and strokes of any other race in America. Which is due to the manner in which we store fat on our bodies. Asian’s tend to store fat inside their abdominal cavity right around their organs, also known as visceral fat.
Fat acts as an organ by producing an array of hormones. Hormones that are involved with blood clotting, blood pressure, insulin sensitivity, and cell signaling. In this manner, when there is too much fat stored, these hormones can affect other organs negatively.
This means as an Asian American, I need to be at a smaller weight and have a smaller waist circumference than the rest of the population. Non-Asian women with a waist circumference over 35 inches are at high risk for developing heart disease and Type 2 diabetes, whereas Asian women with a waist circumference over 31 inches are at high risk for those same things. That is a 4-inch difference in waist size. Asians also have to stay at much lower BMI to lower their risks for these diseases.
What is considered a healthy weight for the average American would put an Asian American at high risk for heart disease and Type 2 diabetes. Japan has taken steps to adjust their BMI charts to take into account the higher risk at lower BMI’s for their population, they now consider a BMI of over 25 to be obese. In comparison, a BMI of 24 is healthy for non-Asian populations, they are not even considered overweight.
Every 11-pound increase in weight in adulthood for Asians correlates with an 84% increase in their chances of getting diabetes.
What this means for my own health… I have lost 20 pounds this year and now currently weigh 143 pounds, which equaled a loss of 2 inches in waist circumference. For me to lose another 3 inches around my waist to reach a waistline of 31 inches, I would likely need to lose another 30 pounds.
The weight loss has been very slow. Over the course of almost 2 years, I have lost 35 pounds. My spouse actually lost 50 pounds in a month or two during his health crisis, which left him weak and wasted.
Last November, 10 months ago, we joined a gym. To gain strength and at the same time lessen the impact on our joints, we just did an hour on the elliptical every day for two months. After that, we started adding stair stepper and jogging to our exercise routine. At this point, we regularly run on the treadmill 3-4 days a week.
I did experience a couple of setbacks this year with straining a tibialis anterior muscle, which kept me from exercising for 4 weeks. Then I had minor surgery on my foot which laid me up for another 4 weeks.
My husband has made tremendous gains in his strength and endurance. He was running eighteen to twenty miles a week, but has backed off from that pace when his work became more physically strenuous.
Sources:
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/ee8f/dbb68f1e1470b0333ddef027a5b75344a0da.pdf
https://www.yourhormones.info/glands/adipose-tissue/
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/obesity-prevention-source/ethnic-differences-in-bmi-and-disease-risk/
As a Vietnamese American, waist circumference, BMI, and weight takes on a more heightened meaning. Asians overall have higher rates of diabetes, renal failure due to diabetes, and strokes of any other race in America. Which is due to the manner in which we store fat on our bodies. Asian’s tend to store fat inside their abdominal cavity right around their organs, also known as visceral fat.
Fat acts as an organ by producing an array of hormones. Hormones that are involved with blood clotting, blood pressure, insulin sensitivity, and cell signaling. In this manner, when there is too much fat stored, these hormones can affect other organs negatively.
This means as an Asian American, I need to be at a smaller weight and have a smaller waist circumference than the rest of the population. Non-Asian women with a waist circumference over 35 inches are at high risk for developing heart disease and Type 2 diabetes, whereas Asian women with a waist circumference over 31 inches are at high risk for those same things. That is a 4-inch difference in waist size. Asians also have to stay at much lower BMI to lower their risks for these diseases.
What is considered a healthy weight for the average American would put an Asian American at high risk for heart disease and Type 2 diabetes. Japan has taken steps to adjust their BMI charts to take into account the higher risk at lower BMI’s for their population, they now consider a BMI of over 25 to be obese. In comparison, a BMI of 24 is healthy for non-Asian populations, they are not even considered overweight.
Every 11-pound increase in weight in adulthood for Asians correlates with an 84% increase in their chances of getting diabetes.
What this means for my own health… I have lost 20 pounds this year and now currently weigh 143 pounds, which equaled a loss of 2 inches in waist circumference. For me to lose another 3 inches around my waist to reach a waistline of 31 inches, I would likely need to lose another 30 pounds.
The weight loss has been very slow. Over the course of almost 2 years, I have lost 35 pounds. My spouse actually lost 50 pounds in a month or two during his health crisis, which left him weak and wasted.
Last November, 10 months ago, we joined a gym. To gain strength and at the same time lessen the impact on our joints, we just did an hour on the elliptical every day for two months. After that, we started adding stair stepper and jogging to our exercise routine. At this point, we regularly run on the treadmill 3-4 days a week.
I did experience a couple of setbacks this year with straining a tibialis anterior muscle, which kept me from exercising for 4 weeks. Then I had minor surgery on my foot which laid me up for another 4 weeks.
My husband has made tremendous gains in his strength and endurance. He was running eighteen to twenty miles a week, but has backed off from that pace when his work became more physically strenuous.
Sources:
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/ee8f/dbb68f1e1470b0333ddef027a5b75344a0da.pdf
https://www.yourhormones.info/glands/adipose-tissue/
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/obesity-prevention-source/ethnic-differences-in-bmi-and-disease-risk/
Thursday, March 28, 2019
Roasting Vegetables
I roast vegetables regularly during the winter regularly. Root vegetables like carrots, beets, sweet potatoes are wonderful roasted. Butternut squashes and asparagus are also delicious baked in the oven.
Roasted vegetables make a nice accompaniment to baked fish. For vegetarians they go well added to mashed potatoes, the potatoes can be prepared with olive oil and nut milks. I also like roasted vegetables added to pasta with a sprinkling of parmesan. They actually make a pasta from soybeans that have 50% of the daily protein and 50% of the daily requirement for fiber, plus it's pretty tasty.
Note: The herb and spice blends I use vary day to day. But the ones I most commonly use are salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, marjoram, oregano, basil, turmeric, Penzey's Mural of Flavor, and Penzey's Sunny Paris. Mix and match for your preference, but definitely don't use them all at once.
Beets
Who knew, how delicious beets could be? They are lovely when roasted, especially with a little coconut oil brushed on the baking sheet or jelly roll pan to lend it some sweetness.
I leave the skin on all my vegetables that get roasted. Just be sure to give beets a good scrub with a brush or green scrubby scour pad. Since beets are a hard vegetable, I boil the whole unpeeled beets for ten minutes. Chop the beets into good sized chunks once they're cool enough to handle, but the smaller you chop them the less time you will have to cook them. Put them in a pan that has a little coconut oil or olive oil brushed directly onto the pan. Drizzle olive oil lightly over the top, and then sprinkle on your favorite herbs or spices. I would choose salt, pepper, and a sprinkling of Mural of Flavor. Since I cook beets on the same pan as sweet potatoes, the parboiling helps keep the cooking time the same at 35-40 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Sweet Potatoes
These lovely root vegetables are amazing roasted, so sweet and delicious. A little coconut oil brushed on the baking sheet or jelly roll pan makes them even sweeter.
The skin gets left on for added fiber and nutrients, just be sure to give them a good scrub. Chop into good sized chunks. Put them in a pan that was brushed with coconut or olive oil, then drizzle olive oil over the top. Herbs and spices aren't necessary because they're pretty flavorful already, but you can sprinkle your favorites for added variation. Marjoram, or Penzey's Sunny Paris, or even basil might be good. Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 35 minutes.
Asparagus
We eat ton of asparagus since they have such a short window when they're actually in season. For two months we eat asparagus a couple times a week. It's such a happy time.
Snap the tough fibrous bottom ends off the washed asparagus stalks. A one pound package of stalks usually fit well in a 8x8 square Pyrex glass pan. Drizzle lightly with olive oil. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon on them. Sprinkle with your favorite spices and herbs. My choice would be salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Mural of Flavor. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. (Quartered mushrooms also roast incredibly well with asparagus.)
Butternut Squash
A large butternut squash makes a lot of squash cubes. You might only want to bake half the squash this way, the other half will keep well in the fridge covered in plastic wrap. Use the other half for another dish, like Curried Butternut Squash with Lentils. (Recipe will be posted soon.)
Peel, deseed (a spoon makes a good seed and innards scooper), and chop up your squash into cubes. Rub a little olive oil or coconut oil into a pan. Then put them in a single even layer in a baking sheet and drizzle lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle on your favorite seasonings. Butternut squash is very sweet and flavorful, so you may choose to not season at all. Although, salt and pepper would do nicely. Bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes.
Carrots
This root vegetable really lends itself to roasting, which brings out its savory and yet sweet flavors.
Cut the carrot into 3-4 inch long strips. It's easier to cut a small section off the carrot to create a flat side, so the carrot doesn't roll around while you're cutting it. Drizzle a little olive oil over the top and sprinkle with some herbs and spices. I might use garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 25-30 minutes.
Roasted vegetables make a nice accompaniment to baked fish. For vegetarians they go well added to mashed potatoes, the potatoes can be prepared with olive oil and nut milks. I also like roasted vegetables added to pasta with a sprinkling of parmesan. They actually make a pasta from soybeans that have 50% of the daily protein and 50% of the daily requirement for fiber, plus it's pretty tasty.
Note: The herb and spice blends I use vary day to day. But the ones I most commonly use are salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, marjoram, oregano, basil, turmeric, Penzey's Mural of Flavor, and Penzey's Sunny Paris. Mix and match for your preference, but definitely don't use them all at once.
Beets
Who knew, how delicious beets could be? They are lovely when roasted, especially with a little coconut oil brushed on the baking sheet or jelly roll pan to lend it some sweetness.
I leave the skin on all my vegetables that get roasted. Just be sure to give beets a good scrub with a brush or green scrubby scour pad. Since beets are a hard vegetable, I boil the whole unpeeled beets for ten minutes. Chop the beets into good sized chunks once they're cool enough to handle, but the smaller you chop them the less time you will have to cook them. Put them in a pan that has a little coconut oil or olive oil brushed directly onto the pan. Drizzle olive oil lightly over the top, and then sprinkle on your favorite herbs or spices. I would choose salt, pepper, and a sprinkling of Mural of Flavor. Since I cook beets on the same pan as sweet potatoes, the parboiling helps keep the cooking time the same at 35-40 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Sweet Potatoes
These lovely root vegetables are amazing roasted, so sweet and delicious. A little coconut oil brushed on the baking sheet or jelly roll pan makes them even sweeter.
The skin gets left on for added fiber and nutrients, just be sure to give them a good scrub. Chop into good sized chunks. Put them in a pan that was brushed with coconut or olive oil, then drizzle olive oil over the top. Herbs and spices aren't necessary because they're pretty flavorful already, but you can sprinkle your favorites for added variation. Marjoram, or Penzey's Sunny Paris, or even basil might be good. Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 35 minutes.
Asparagus
We eat ton of asparagus since they have such a short window when they're actually in season. For two months we eat asparagus a couple times a week. It's such a happy time.
Snap the tough fibrous bottom ends off the washed asparagus stalks. A one pound package of stalks usually fit well in a 8x8 square Pyrex glass pan. Drizzle lightly with olive oil. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon on them. Sprinkle with your favorite spices and herbs. My choice would be salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Mural of Flavor. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. (Quartered mushrooms also roast incredibly well with asparagus.)
Butternut Squash
A large butternut squash makes a lot of squash cubes. You might only want to bake half the squash this way, the other half will keep well in the fridge covered in plastic wrap. Use the other half for another dish, like Curried Butternut Squash with Lentils. (Recipe will be posted soon.)
Peel, deseed (a spoon makes a good seed and innards scooper), and chop up your squash into cubes. Rub a little olive oil or coconut oil into a pan. Then put them in a single even layer in a baking sheet and drizzle lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle on your favorite seasonings. Butternut squash is very sweet and flavorful, so you may choose to not season at all. Although, salt and pepper would do nicely. Bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes.
Carrots
This root vegetable really lends itself to roasting, which brings out its savory and yet sweet flavors.
Cut the carrot into 3-4 inch long strips. It's easier to cut a small section off the carrot to create a flat side, so the carrot doesn't roll around while you're cutting it. Drizzle a little olive oil over the top and sprinkle with some herbs and spices. I might use garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 25-30 minutes.
Thursday, March 21, 2019
Alternate Day Fasting
For a couple of weeks I fasted on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, which is considered a form of alternate day fasting or intermittent fasting. I think it was a little harder than a straight only water fast, lemon juice fast, or even fruit smoothie fast. At least with those other fasts, a person can ignore food. With an alternate day fast, I still had to plan for the next day's meals.
The first day is usually the worst for most fasts, I just made sure to drink water or coffee whenever I started to feel hunger pangs. It wasn't too difficult, except when people were trying to tempt me with doughnuts or chocolate.
I still exercised on fast days, but it was during the time I was laid up with an injury so couldn't run. It was easier to exercise more on those days because I didn't have to spend time packing breakfast and lunch, or plan an evening meal.
Those two weeks I did calisthenics like crunches, pushups, and tricep dips, or bicycled in the mornings. Right after work I did kickboxing, aerobics, or went to the gym on days I had off.
Normally, my husband and I sometimes do a spring fast to reset ourselves, and get out of bad eating habits we may have developed. It's a way of cleansing ourselves of food addictions. My reasoning is, if I'm not eating saturated fats, red meat, and sugar than I am in essence cleansing my body of those things. We usually embark on fasts for health purposes.
But this time around, it was something I was doing on my own and purely for weight loss reasons. I'm still pretty heavy for my height, and I want to avoid injuries associated with being overweight. Especially, since I want to be able to ramp up my mileage and speed during runs.
As an aside, I wanted to talk about intermittent fasting. It usually refers to eating at only a set time of day. It's a smaller window of time to eat, so it limits the number of calories a person consumes in a day. I know people who just eat once a day as just they way they live, it's not for dieting purposes. But that would be considered a form of intermittent fasting.
The first day is usually the worst for most fasts, I just made sure to drink water or coffee whenever I started to feel hunger pangs. It wasn't too difficult, except when people were trying to tempt me with doughnuts or chocolate.
I still exercised on fast days, but it was during the time I was laid up with an injury so couldn't run. It was easier to exercise more on those days because I didn't have to spend time packing breakfast and lunch, or plan an evening meal.
Those two weeks I did calisthenics like crunches, pushups, and tricep dips, or bicycled in the mornings. Right after work I did kickboxing, aerobics, or went to the gym on days I had off.
Normally, my husband and I sometimes do a spring fast to reset ourselves, and get out of bad eating habits we may have developed. It's a way of cleansing ourselves of food addictions. My reasoning is, if I'm not eating saturated fats, red meat, and sugar than I am in essence cleansing my body of those things. We usually embark on fasts for health purposes.
But this time around, it was something I was doing on my own and purely for weight loss reasons. I'm still pretty heavy for my height, and I want to avoid injuries associated with being overweight. Especially, since I want to be able to ramp up my mileage and speed during runs.
As an aside, I wanted to talk about intermittent fasting. It usually refers to eating at only a set time of day. It's a smaller window of time to eat, so it limits the number of calories a person consumes in a day. I know people who just eat once a day as just they way they live, it's not for dieting purposes. But that would be considered a form of intermittent fasting.
Monday, March 11, 2019
Irish Soda Bread
A very delicious and yet wholesome bread. Dense, yet soft, with just the right amount of moisture. I used to make this all the time when we lived in Oregon, but I lost the recipe in the move. It's taken a while to adapt something that is closer to what we enjoy.
I usually include seeds or nuts like sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, chopped walnuts, chia seeds, etc. I would definitely substitute ground flax seeds for rolled oats, if our kiddo wasn't allergic to flax.
*Notes on substitutions are included at the end.
This has been published on both my exercise and gardening blogs.
Irish Soda Bread
Makes: 1 large round loaf
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Bake time: 40 minutes
Dry ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 cup wheat flour
3 tbsp. butter, sliced into small pieces
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup wheat bran
1/4 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/3 cup seeds or chopped nuts
Wet Ingredients:
1 large egg
1 cup milk
3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
The wet ingredients just have to equal 2 cups, if you're going to do substitutions.
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
2. Mix the two flours in a large bowl. Add the butter to the flours, rub the butter into the flours with your fingers until incorporated. Mix in the rest of the dry ingredients.
3. In a 2 cup measuring cup, add the egg, yogurt, and milk until you reach 2 cups. Mix the wet ingredients well, and then incorporate into the dry ingredients. The dough will be fairly wet.
4. Dust the counter generously with flour, and scrape the dough out of the bowl with a spatula. Sprinkle wheat flour on top of the dough and with floured hands, quickly work the dough on the counter into a round. I just roll the edges of the dough under with both my hands to clean it up a bit. I like a rustic loaf, so I don't spend too much time shaping the dough.
5. Place the dough on the parchment lined baking sheet. Press on x onto the top of your round loaf with a knife, it's not necessary to actually cut into the dough. Bake for 40 minutes at 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
6. The loaf will be a dark golden brown and should sound hollow when you thump it. I would give it an hour cooling before cutting into it. Great toasted and served with butter and jam, hummus and cucumbers, or with mustard and thinly sliced extra sharp cheddar.
*Notes: Baking powder can be substituted for baking soda, but you'll need to use at least twice as much. It is important to use fresh baking powder in humid environments as the humidity in the air can already have activated it somewhat, making it less potent.
Baking soda needs an acid to activate, which is why buttermilk can be substituted for the yogurt and milk. For vegans 2 tbsp lemon juice and 1 3/4 cups nut milk can be substituted for the yogurt and milk.
Instead of an egg, vegans can use 1 tbsp. ground flax seeds in 1/4 cup water or 1 tbsp. chia seeds in 1/4 cup water. Although the chia seeds will need to be soaked for at least 15 minutes, including a minute of swirling now and again.
If you use sunflower seeds, they will turn a lovely dark forest green when they come into contact with different acidic and basic elements of the dough. It's a very interesting aspect of food chemistry.
I usually include seeds or nuts like sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, chopped walnuts, chia seeds, etc. I would definitely substitute ground flax seeds for rolled oats, if our kiddo wasn't allergic to flax.
*Notes on substitutions are included at the end.
This has been published on both my exercise and gardening blogs.
Irish Soda Bread
Makes: 1 large round loaf
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Bake time: 40 minutes
Dry ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 cup wheat flour
3 tbsp. butter, sliced into small pieces
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup wheat bran
1/4 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/3 cup seeds or chopped nuts
Wet Ingredients:
1 large egg
1 cup milk
3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
The wet ingredients just have to equal 2 cups, if you're going to do substitutions.
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
2. Mix the two flours in a large bowl. Add the butter to the flours, rub the butter into the flours with your fingers until incorporated. Mix in the rest of the dry ingredients.
3. In a 2 cup measuring cup, add the egg, yogurt, and milk until you reach 2 cups. Mix the wet ingredients well, and then incorporate into the dry ingredients. The dough will be fairly wet.
4. Dust the counter generously with flour, and scrape the dough out of the bowl with a spatula. Sprinkle wheat flour on top of the dough and with floured hands, quickly work the dough on the counter into a round. I just roll the edges of the dough under with both my hands to clean it up a bit. I like a rustic loaf, so I don't spend too much time shaping the dough.
5. Place the dough on the parchment lined baking sheet. Press on x onto the top of your round loaf with a knife, it's not necessary to actually cut into the dough. Bake for 40 minutes at 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
6. The loaf will be a dark golden brown and should sound hollow when you thump it. I would give it an hour cooling before cutting into it. Great toasted and served with butter and jam, hummus and cucumbers, or with mustard and thinly sliced extra sharp cheddar.
*Notes: Baking powder can be substituted for baking soda, but you'll need to use at least twice as much. It is important to use fresh baking powder in humid environments as the humidity in the air can already have activated it somewhat, making it less potent.
Baking soda needs an acid to activate, which is why buttermilk can be substituted for the yogurt and milk. For vegans 2 tbsp lemon juice and 1 3/4 cups nut milk can be substituted for the yogurt and milk.
Instead of an egg, vegans can use 1 tbsp. ground flax seeds in 1/4 cup water or 1 tbsp. chia seeds in 1/4 cup water. Although the chia seeds will need to be soaked for at least 15 minutes, including a minute of swirling now and again.
If you use sunflower seeds, they will turn a lovely dark forest green when they come into contact with different acidic and basic elements of the dough. It's a very interesting aspect of food chemistry.
Saturday, March 2, 2019
Foam Rolling or Rolling Out
Have you heard of it? Because you know... Everyone's doing it.
I'm fairly late to foam rolling, which has been around for years. Everyone I mention it to, are like: Oh yeah, a foam roller. I've got one. Then why haven't you mentioned it to me? I could've really used it, when I was telling you about my leg pain weeks ago.
It's a solid cylinder of dense foam that varies in length from 18 inches to 36 inches. Their diameter is larger than I would expect, at 6 inches. It's a way of massaging yourself on the floor, using body weight, by rolling various body parts on top of it. I only use it on my legs for the calves, quadriceps, iliotibial band, tensor fascia latae, and the soleus muscle. (It was probably the soleus muscle I strained, along the medial border of the tibial shaft.) Rolling on foam doesn't really work for my hamstrings, a harder surface like a PVC pipe would probably work better. One thing to note, is to not roll your joints, like your knees.
I did go to the doctor, just to make sure it wasn't something serious. He told me to stop running for a week or two, take an anti-inflammatory like ibuprofen, and ice it. He also said it was ok to continue rolling out.
I'm fairly late to foam rolling, which has been around for years. Everyone I mention it to, are like: Oh yeah, a foam roller. I've got one. Then why haven't you mentioned it to me? I could've really used it, when I was telling you about my leg pain weeks ago.
It's a solid cylinder of dense foam that varies in length from 18 inches to 36 inches. Their diameter is larger than I would expect, at 6 inches. It's a way of massaging yourself on the floor, using body weight, by rolling various body parts on top of it. I only use it on my legs for the calves, quadriceps, iliotibial band, tensor fascia latae, and the soleus muscle. (It was probably the soleus muscle I strained, along the medial border of the tibial shaft.) Rolling on foam doesn't really work for my hamstrings, a harder surface like a PVC pipe would probably work better. One thing to note, is to not roll your joints, like your knees.
I did go to the doctor, just to make sure it wasn't something serious. He told me to stop running for a week or two, take an anti-inflammatory like ibuprofen, and ice it. He also said it was ok to continue rolling out.
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