Workout for the week

Sorry for the long absence! Now that my kids are on the school track, I can breathe again.

I'm going to change things up a bit and take a break from the food/exercise journal. I think you get the idea. If it was particularly helpful for you, let me know and I will bring it back in the future.

For now, I'm going to focus on a weekly workout and add in workout and diet tips on the other days.

Here is the workout for the week. You can do this one at home!

1. Find a sturdy chair, or use a bottom step or a bench. Whatever you use, it should be no more than knee height. Step up and down on the bench, starting with the same leg each time, for 5 minutes. Repeat on the other side.

2. Do 20 push-ups (they can be on your knees or full military style). Then, facing away from the same bench/step you used in #1, place your hands on the bench/step, (hands should be behind your buns, fingers facing your buns), do 20 tricep dips. Remember, the more your bend your knees, the easier it is, so adjust as needed. Also, elbows should point back as much as possible, and your buns should be as close to the bench/step as is possible without sitting on it.

3. Do a 1-minute wall sit (back on a wall, knees at 90 degrees, weight on your heels). Shake it out and repeat for a second minute).

4. Repeat #2

5. Do 50 crunches with feet flat on the floor. Then, twist your knees as far to the right as you can do comfortably, shoulder blades still on the floor. Crunch up to the center 50 times. Repeat with knees to the left.

6. Repeat #2

This is an all-over body workout that should take 30-45 minutes depending on how many breaks you take. Do this every other day until Monday, when I'll send another workout your way.

Between now and then, if you get chance to go to Big 5, Dick's, Target, TJ Maxx, Fred Meyer, or any other store that carries exercise bands, pick up a medium intensity band. Also, a jump rope will come in handy soon, so grab one of those as well. When you stand on the jump rope with both feet, you should be able to bring the handles to your chest (elbows will be at 90 degrees).

Have fun! I'd love to know how the workout goes, so keep me posted!!!

9/1/10

If you could see my kitchen right now, you would know why I took the day off yesterday! I fell into bed at 9pm and didn't stir until morning.

Speaking of fixing up the house...I looked up calorie counts (which is a measure of how much energy you use) for painting the house (which I've been doing non-stop for days) 202 per hour, and other household chores (which I've been doing in addition to the painting) about 70-100 calories per hour, for light housework, depending on the chore.

What I find most interesting, is that in a day of housework and painting, you would burn (and I know I have both by how tired and how hungry I've been) up to an additional 1,100 calories doing 5 hours of painting and 3 hours of normal household chores. (What I did yesterday)

Contrast that with sitting at a desk for 8 hours: at 46 calories per hour for 8 hours, you burn just 368 calories. That's a difference of 732 calories.

Keep in mind how your activity level affects your calorie needs. If your job requires you to sit at a desk all day, you will likely require hundreds of calories less per day, than someone who is moving around all day!

Here's today's log:

8:30am: 1 liter of water mixed with 1 package of Zip Fizz (10 calories)

9:30am: 3 cups greens tossed with the juice of 1/2 lemon and 1 tsp sugar, 1/4 avocado, 6 ounces
turkey breast: (320 calories)

Noon: 4.5 servings broccoli (I steam this in the microwave for 6 minutes) then add 5 egg
whites (cook for an additional 3-4 minutes until egg whites are cooked), top with
1/4 avocado and season with more sea salt (300 calories) and a diet Coke.

2:30pm: Cup of watermelon (50 calories)

3:00pm: 1/2 tbsp homemade peanut butter, 1 (homemade) strawberry protein shake
(5 strawberries, 1/2 cup water, 2 packets no sugar sweetener, handful or two
or ice, sprinkle of salt, dash of vanilla, mix in the blender)....90 calories for the
shake and 50 for the peanut butter (140 calories total)

5pm: 2 medium red potatoes with 1 tsp butter melted on top and sea salt to taste. I then diced
1/4 avocado on top of the potatoes. I ate 1/2 cup baby peas topped with 1/2 tsp butter
as well. Yummy!!!! The potatoes are salty and buttery and the avocado is creamy and
full of fantastic flavor. I don't even need to say how good sweet peas are...do I?
(390 calories)

5:30pm: 1 cup Chex cereal topped with 1/2 tbsp ground flaxseed, 1/2 tbsp peanut butter, and
1/2 cup milk (235 calories)

8:00pm: 1 cup watermelon, 1 serving tortilla chips topped with 1/4 diced avocado, 3 pear halves
(no sugar added, canned pears), topped with 1/2 cup of granola (I also sprinkled
the pears with nutmeg and cinnamon...wow!!!) (560 calories)


(1,955)

Here's what I did for exercise
1 hour on my elliptical at home (My machine says I burned 1,000 calories but I say it's closer to
700!)
6 miles of road biking (about 25 calories per mile) = 150 calories

8/31/10

For those of you who are new to the blog, please keep in mind that I am not suggesting you eat like I do. I know my habits are not the norm. However, maybe you will see a recipe or see some patterns in my eating, that help you on your quest to be more healthy.

That being said, my diet is not perfect. I do try to eat 10 servings of vegetables most days, and I try to eat the least amount of processed food possible. I am able to work in a moderate amount of "junk food," and still feel great...no hunger or feelings of deprivation.

I had a friend ask why I don't eat the egg yolks. Yolks are good for you. They contain lots of B vitamins, iron, and protein. I do not prefer the flavor of yolks, so I choose to dump them down the drain and save my fat and calories for things I do like. Each egg yolk contains about 4 grams of fat and 50 calories (the white has the remaining 20 calories). Both the yolk and the white contain protein. I would rather have egg whites on my salad and use my calories for the diced avocado that I adore.

Life is full of choices. My key to feeling satisfied at each meal, is to weigh what is important to me. I like the flavor of balsamic vinegar, but I don't miss the olive oil. Therefore, I dress my salads with straight vinegar and bank my calories for something I really want.

Here's what I ate today:

8:00am: Zip Fizz with 1 liter of water (10 cal)

9:30am: 4.5 servings of broccoli topped with 1/4 avocado (205 calories)

11:00am: Zip Fizz with 1 liter of water (10)...I'm blitzing my house...I'm on a roll and want to

keep it going!!!

2:30pm: 1 hour on my elliptical at home. My machine says I burned 1,000 calories...I know better. It's probably closer to 700 calories.

3:30pm: I'm quite hungry by now, so I make

myself a salad...much like dinner last night:

3 cups mixed greens, 1 serving of lasagna (I dump the noodles and eat

just the cheeses and sauce as a condiment for the salad),

I add 1/2 cup cottage cheese to the salad for a protein boost)

I top off the salad with 1/4 avocado (300 calories total)

After the salad, I'm still hungry and I eat the following layered concoction:

1 cup corn Chex, 1/2 cup cheerios, 1 serving cottage cheese, 1/2 diced

banana, 1/2 tbsp ground flaxseed, 1 tsp brown sugar, 15

peanuts and 15 raisins (400 calories)

4pm: Coke Zero (Still working on the house!)

7pm: Salad...just like lunch, but with 1/3 cup of peas added (340 calories)

I also eat 2 pieces of bread with 1/4 avocado (270 calories)

I finish the meal with 1/2 banana, 15 peanuts and 15 raisins (146 calories)

I'll finish the evening with a protein shake for an addition 90 calories..recipe in previous posts

Total for the day = 1,771

8/30/10

5:15am - Zip Fizz with 1 liter of water (10 cal)

8:30am - I am feeling extremely tired and hungry. Sometimes an extra Fizz will work, but I can tell it won't cut it today. I need some calories. It may be hormone-induced, or it could be the change in the weather, but I'm feeling off. The key for me, on these types of days, is to not eat the wrong kinds of foods. What is usually easy, becomes hard when I feel like this. Unfortunately, I'm out of all of the foods I would normally eat. I'll go to the store later, but that doesn't help me right now. I search my cupboard and fridge and decide on the following:

1. 30 green grapes: 100 calories
2. 14 cashews, 20 raisins, 20 almonds, 1 cup of cheerios, 1 cup of corn Chex (mixed): 558 cal.
3. 7 Sun Chips topped with 5 egg whites (cooked)...hey, they taste gross plain and I'm out
of bread, cheese, and vegetables...gotta get the protein down the hatch: 170 calories

9:30am workout: Stretch for 5 minutes, do a pilates/yoga fusion with a friend who is a fantastic teacher! I'm sweating, and tired in every muscle. Since I'm low-energy today, I choose the elliptical machine that reads calories the highest. Now, I know this is true, but on a day that I am not motivated, it helps my morale. Working out is a bunch of mind games...as long as you stay in the game, no worries!!! I finish my calorie goal (easy on this machine) and call it a day!
Maybe something more intense tomorrow? (I burned about 650 calories)

Noon: 1 head of cauliflower, cut and steamed, topped with 1 ounce extra sharp cheddar: 265 cal
1 piece of bread with 1/4 tbsp butter: 125 calories
1/2 cup cottage cheese mixed with 1/2 diced banana and 1/4 packet no-cal sweetener...I
like Stevia: 85 calories

2:30pm - 20 grapes (66 calories)

4pm - Coke Zero (not healthy, but tasty!), 1 cup watermelon (60 calories)

5:30pm - large plate of greens (about 3 cups), topped with 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar (plain)
We were having vegetarian lasagna for dinner. I don't like pasta, so I ate the
cheese and sauce of one piece of lasagna as a condiment to my salad. I also had
2 pieces of bread with 1/2 tbsp butter. I also topped my salad with 2 servings
of low-fat cottage cheese (650 calories)
After dinner: 1 serving of low-fat cottage cheese, 1/2 banana, 1/2 tsp honey: 150 calories

8:30pm: 1/2 cup no-sugar-added Dryers Ice Cream, 1 TBSP natural peanute butter, 1 TBSP
ground flaxseed, sprinkle of cinnamon, topped with 1 cup Cheerios, 1 cup corn Chex
(I layer this concoction, something like a sundae. It's sweet, crunchy, salty, savory,
has protein and fiber so it's filling...I love it. My family was having lemon meringue
pie, so I needed something!) 440 calories

2,679...high calorie day...but I've been really hungry...again, maybe hormones, but also I had sore muscles over the weekend from a fantastic workout and I know my body is trying to rebuild.

As always happens at times like these, I'll be back on track in a couple of days. No reason to stress out or beat myself up about it!

Other than the cereal and the 3 pieces of bread, and the 1/2 scoop of ice cream, everything else is natural. I've consumed about 7 servings of vegetables and 4 servings of fruit. In addition, I ate peanut butter, almonds and cashews (healthy fat), cottage cheese (low-fat, healthy protein), flaxseed (great for you with lots of fiber and omega-3 fats), egg whites (more low-fat, healthy protein)...all-in-all, a good day!

8/26/10

8:30am: 10 almonds, 10 cashews, 15 raisins (200 calories)

9:00am: Zip Fizz with 1 liter water (10 calories)

11:30am: Strawberry Protein Shake (90 calories)...e-mail me for recipe

Noon: 1 1/2 cup steamed green beans (I buy the organic frozen beans from Costco), 1/2 ounce extra sharp Tillamook white cheddar (grated on top of the beans), sea salt to taste (125 calories)

2pm: A plate full of chopped romaine hearts topped with 6 ounces of chicken breast and 1 tbsp low-fat balsamic vinaigrette (400 calories)

3pm: 2 homemade spelt pancakes (e-mail me for the recipe) and 1 cup of 1% milk (500 cal)

7:30pm: 2 servings of canned beans (not super yummy...but I'm out of fresh/frozen veggies and in need of a fix) topped with 2 ounces of chicken breast (180 cal)

8:30pm: 25 almonds, 17 cashews, 35 raisins, 1 1/2 cup corn Chex, 1 1/2 cup cheerios (I mix these all together for my own trail mix...it's salty, sweet and crunchy!!) (660 cal)

9:00pm: 40 grapes (140 calories)

Total for the day: 2,205

For an easy calorie check on your food, go to www.calorieking.com

A different kind of post

No food and exercise journal for today or yesterday. I was involved in putting on a wicked disco party and did not take the time to journal during the day. I will start back tomorrow.

For today, here are the top five ways to lean down and feel better

1. Stay away from high-fructose corn syrup.

It doesn't taste good and it messes with your ability to feel full. Also, there is some evidence that it is addicting. You will have to read labels because it is everywhere...including in Rice Crispies! The last time I went searching for barbecue sauce I found about 20-30 different brands...only two contained real sugar!!

2. Eat 5-10 servings of non-starchy (corn and potatoes are starchy) vegetables each day.

I know it sounds like a lot, but it will keep you full, provide you with vital nutrients for your body, and you will lean down without being hungry. Aim for about 1-3 servings at each meal. You can round out the meal with a serving of meat the size of a deck of cards and a small serving of starch (potatoes, bread, etc).

3. Get at least 7 hours of sleep each night.

You can google sleep diet for more information. A lack of sleep will make you more hungry...and you will crave carbs and sweets which are a quick source of energy for a sleep-deprived body.

4. Exercise for 30-60 minutes 5-6 days of the week.

Not only is exercise a great stress-reliever, it is also good for your skin. New studies have found people who exercise regularly have fewer wrinkles and healthier skin.

5. Don't sweat the small stuff!

Cortisol is realeased in our bodies when we are stressed out. Too much will lead to fat deposits in the belly...even in otherwise thin people.

8/26/10

Welcome to my blog! Below, you will find my food and exercise journal for the day. As you will see, my diet is not perfect. This is real life...crazy mom schedule, hormonal eating and all. In spite of this, I manage to eat in a way that keeps me lean and full of energy for my vigorous daily exercise.

I do not believe that everyone can/should eat exactly like I do. However, you are welcome to take from this blog whatever helps you on your quest to eat better and get in shape. Of course, if you have questions, comments or need clarity, please contact me via e-mail or on my cell phone. 503-709-5811. tetfitness@yahoo.com

Have a happy, healthy day!!!!

7:30am: Zip Fizz (from Costco) with 1 liter of water (10 calories)

8:45: Stretch for 10 minutes.

As for cardio, I have a caloric goal each time I work out. The goal is always the same number, but because some cardio machines read high (elliptical machines) and some read lower (treadmill, stair climber, most high-quality exercise bikes), the amount of time it takes to meet this goal varies from day-to-day. I've been trying to hit my caloric goal on a particular bike in under and hour and today I did it in 58:17...so I'm happy.

For weight training, I did the chest press machine, the rear fly machine, dumbbell bicep curls and dumbbell tricep press-backs for 4 minutes each exercise. (16 minutes of lifting). I stayed with the same exercise for the entire 4 minutes but took very short breaks when absolutely necessary. Fun, fun fun!!!

11:30: Cobb salad at Oswego Grill (my girlfriend's birthday). Dressing on the side (but I didn't use it). I also traded the bacon out for avocado. It had black olives (which I detest, but decided not to pick out), blue cheese and diced turkey. 1/2 salad had about 200 calories without dressing. Plus 1/2 piece of bread with about 1/4 tbsp butter...about another 100 calories (300 total)

I also had 3 glasses of diet Coke. Not healthy at all, but I do love it! I have it when I go out or at parties, but I try not to have it in my house. I can feel the effects of it for days afterward...yuk.

3:30: The other half of the salad.

I also eat 3 (rather large) homemade spelt pancakes (you can request the recipe, if you are interested). These are one of my favorite things and my kids love them. I don't top them with syrup, but I sprinkle a little bit of sugar in them. I've done the math with the ingredients (again, I can e-mail you the details if you are interested) and the total calorie count for my sering is about 930 calories (including the 1/2 cup of 1% milk I use to wash it down).

I really haven't eaten much all day, and I don't feel full when I'm done (but surely not hungry either), and they are full of great fiber and protein...so no worries.

I will have a protein shake (at about 100 calories) before I go to bed...probably around 10pm for another 100 calories.

Today weighs in at about 1740 calories. I haven't been hungry at all (except while I was making the pancakes...which is why I made them...better to eat something healthy and filling and homemade!) I also won't get 10 servings of veggies in today...a goal I try to reach more often than not. The salad had about 3-4 cups of greens and there is a serving of strawberries in the shake, so 4-5 servings is just all right. I'll shoot for more tomorrow!