Moroccan Beet Salad

This is one of my favorite recipes for beets. I used golden yellow beets for a change, but you can use regular red beets. I have been making this recipe for several years and it is always a winner.

Moroccan Beet Salad 

One Bunch Beets, roasted and diced
2 tsp. Olive Oil
1 tsp. Cumin
Juice of one Lemon
2 springs of fresh Mint
Maldon Sea Salt

Combine all ingredients and serve.

*recipe was adapted from Gourmet Magazine

The Importance of Plan B, Plan C and Plan D

Post half marathon, I decided to dial back the running a bit and add a new weight training program  called Les Mills PUMP into my routine.  I started last week and love it!  PUMP only requires you do 3 weight workouts/week and then you can do cardio of your choice.  Since I have a 5k in a couple of weeks and a 10k on June 23, I decided that I would run on the cardio days.   

Last week I mapped out my workouts, which look like this:

WEEK 2	MAY 20 - MAY 26
Monday	PUMP & BURN
Tuesday	3 - 5 mile run PUMP Challenge, Hard Core Abs
Wednesday	6 - 7 miles, tempo with  2 x 10 minutes in the middle at 10K pace, 4 minutes rest in between
Thursday	PUMP & BURN
Friday	3 - 5 mile run
Saturday	Rest or 2 - 4 mile run
Sunday	6 - 8 miles, with 2 miles in the middle at 20 seconds/mile slower than 10K pace

 

Yesterday on a trip to the playground with my kids, I rolled my ankle and fell to the ground.  There is no swelling but there is a little bit of pain. Accordingly, my fantastic workout schedule is being amended. The running is going to be put off for a couple of days at least and I am going to modify the PUMP so that I do only the upper body moves.  

I like to plan my workouts, but if something isn't right that doesn't mean I abandon course entirely.  I think in life and in exercise, you have to be able to adapt when you face adversity.  Professional athletes don't abandon their entire training when they are injured, they modify it.  I am by no means a professional athlete, but I like to employ that way of thinking.  

When faced with a minor injury, do you modify your workouts or you do you catch-up on reality TV until you're healed? 

Breaking The Breakfast Rut

For a significant portion of my adult life my breakfast of choice was either cereal or a bagel.  Within an hour, or two if I was lucky, I would be ravenous and often end up eating my lunch earlier then planned.    The new thinking on breakfast is to include carbs, protein and small amount of fat so that you get immediate energy and feel satiated longer.  

Breakfast is usually a tricky meal to prepare, we are often still foggy with sleep and don't have time to make elaborate meals.  Below are a couple quick ideas for breakfast. I make the steel cut oats ahead of time and store in the refrigerator. 

Here are a few of my favorite breakfasts:

Pita Bread, Labne, Carrots and Cucumbers

Steel Cut Oats, Blueberries, Nuts and Local Honey

Chocolate Shakeology, Strawberries and Almond Milk

Mango-Mint Smoothie: Mango, Mint, Blueberries, Greek Yogurt and Almond Milk

French Lentil Salad

Growing up the ladies in my family used to drive up to Chestnut Hill outside of Boston for shopping trips.  There was a lovely French Bistro that used to be there and we would have often order the French Lentil Salad.  This recipe is inspired by those lunches. Enjoy!

French Lentil Salad

2 Cups Green Lentil, Cooked

2 Green Onions, green ends only chopped

1 Tomato, diced

2 Carrots, diced

2 Cucumbers, diced

Dressing

1/4 Cup Olive Oil

1 T. Champagne Vinegar

1 t. Dijon Mustard

1/2 t. Salt 

1 Shallot, chopped 

1) Rinse uncooked lentils. Place 1 cup lentils in pot and cover with 2 cups of water.  Cook over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes or until tender.  Set aside to cool.

2) Cut green onions, tomato, carrots and cucumbers, set aside. 

3) Whisk dressing ingredients together. 

4) Combine lentils, vegetables and dressing.  

5) Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour to let the flavors develop.  

If desired, add feta or goat cheese crumbles.  

Serving Suggestions:

Good as a main dish, especially with a crusty piece of baguette.  Also, really complimentary side dish to roast chicken.

Gym, Studio or Home Workouts, Which is Right For You?

I have always been something of a gym rat. I've had gym memberships on and off since high school. The main advantage of a gym is access to a lot of equipment. Even a small gym will have several types of cardio equipment and a variety of weight machines and free weights.  Gyms also usually offer classes, everything from circuit training to yoga.  In addition, some have child care centers and offer special activities for the kids while you workout.

I specifically chose my gym, 24 Hour Fitness Super Sport, based on the child care activities.  In addition to my gym membership fee, I pay $20/month per child for up to 2 hours of child care. The Super Sport is really nice because it has an indoor playground and ours has a sports court where the kids play can play soccer or basketball.  They also watch movies, color and play with toys.  My children actually look forward to going and refer to it as the "gym playground." 

I do a majority of my running at the gym simply because I need the child care.  I know if I had a treadmill in my home, my kids would play on it and never allow me to get a complete workout if they were awake. I also like that I have the option to take classes such as Cycle.

The major drawback to joining a gym is cost.  I pay $49/month plus the extra fees for child care.  In addition there is the cost of gas for driving to/from the gym.  My gym is on the way to my daughter's school so I don't have to make any additional trips except on the weekend.   For some the cost can be an incentive, most people don't like to waste money so it makes them go to justify the expense.

The at home workout option is easy and cost efficient.  You can get a really great workout from using a variety of DVDs and minimal equipment.  My at home gym consists of weights, resistance bands, a yoga mat and Swiss ball. Beachbody fitness DVDs are amazing and good value.  At first I was skeptical, I had worked out using a lot of home DVDs and found I always had to supplement them with other activities to get both cardio and resistance training. With Beachbody most of the programs incorporate both cardio and resistance training so you get everything you need in one program.  

After doing 10 Minute Trainer and Les Mills COMBAT, I decided to become a Team Beachbody Coach mostly so I could get a discount on these phenomenal products.  Since I still have a gym membership, I watch a lot of the trainers with their clients and was pleasantly surprised to see most of the exercises they do are incorporated into the Beachbody workouts. Trainers cost around $60/session at the gym, so buying a Beachbody program is a really cost effective way to get personal training without the price tag. 

The pros of working out at home are that it is cheaper than joining a gym and you can do it anytime you want.  The major drawback for some people is that they lack motivation to work out once they are home, there are too many distractions and the couch looks really inviting after being out of the house all day.  In my case, the major drawback is that I cannot do an at home workout if my kids are awake. They tend to jump on my back when I do pushups or think I am a human jungle gym when I do yoga.

For me a combination of gym and home workouts work best.  I go to the gym 3-4/week to run and do my strength training at home.  While my kids enjoy the gym, I really don't want them to have to go there everyday.  I sneak in my Beachbody workouts at 5 am before anyone is asking for breakfast. 

Another option for working out is a fitness studio.  Fitness studios are small and focus on one or two types of workouts.  I really enjoy Pure Barre and they have studios throughout the country. They offer a specific barre workout that target the abs, thighs and rear. Pure Barre classes are $25 a session for a 55 minute class. You can usually buy packages that bring the class price down to about $15/session.  Pure Barre also has DVDs which allow you to do a similar workout in your home with a small playground ball and a chair or counter. Since they focus on one type of class you can usually find a class time that suits your schedule. 

Classes at gyms offer more variety, but they may only offer yoga twice a week and at times that don't work for you.  If you are soley into yoga, barre-type workouts or Pilates, a studio might be your best fit.  Single classes can be very expensive, but if that is your main workout you can buy packages or monthly memberships that make it more affordable. 

Bottom line: there are a lot of options to get you in shape. It doesn't matter which you chose, you just need to commit fully to doing it.  

If you are interested in checking out any of the options from Beachbody, please check out my website: www.beachbodycoach.com/AND1678

Full Disclosure: Any purchases made through my Beachbody website result in a commission for me. 

Where is your favorite place to workout?

Small Changes, Big Impact - How I Lost The Baby Weight

I made it through my pregnancy and delivery with minimal problems.  My little peanut weighed 6lbs. 13 ounces so she definitely wasn't the cause of my massive gains.  I knew I had a lot of work to do in terms of weight loss but I also gave myself a realistic time frame for losing the weight. I planned on nursing so I knew anything I ate would be going to the baby and that meant no crazy supplements or weight loss shakes.  My goal was to be at a healthy weight by my daughter's first birthday.

My plan to get fit was to follow a sensible diet where I stayed within my calorie limit for the day.  I also planned to walk a couple miles a day.  I researched a ton of strollers and settled on the Mountain Buggy because it had inflatable tires, steered really well and handled all terrains great.  Within a couple of weeks I started taking long walks in the early morning with my baby in the stroller.  I would walk for about an hour and covered about 3-4 miles.  I did this every day unless it was raining.  Slowly the weight started to peel off.

I know some people join a gym with daycare, but at that point I couldn't fathom leaving a stranger in charge of my babe.  I turned to DVDs to help round out my workout routine, my favorites were Buff Moms and Post Natal Taebo. I really liked that the DVDs broke the workout into 10-15 minute increments so I could do it all at once during nap time or break it up throughout the day.

My food at this point was mainly lean meats, grains and vegetables.  I have always like to cook so it made perfect sense to me to make all my child's baby food.  Also, I could ensure the quality of the fruits and vegetables and save a ton of money in the process.  I followed Ruth Yaron's Super Baby Food Book, which I still reference to this day because it is packed with lots of nutritional information.  This helped reintroduce me to the fruit and vegetable heavy diet of my own childhood.  

That is when a lightbulb went off for me.  I should follow the diet I was feeding my child, lots of fresh organic fruits and vegetables, hard boiled eggs, plain yogurt, lentils and lean meats and minimal grains.  People often stuff their kids with cereals and crackers, but these are extremely processed to add the nutrients that can be found by simply eating whole foods.  I have followed this diet for myself and my children ever since.

I've had lapses and dug into a few bags of Cheetos, but my daily emphasis has been on eating a varied diet that is based on whole foods. I also don't believe in bad food days or bad foods.  I don't even really like the "cheat meal" idea that is thrown around. My eating philosophy is to try and make the best possible choice for me at each meal.  Eating a cupcake or candy or both isn't going to send me into a mental tailspin because the next time I eat I am going to make a better choice. Life is really all about balance and so should your philosophy about food. 

By the time my daughter turned one, I had lost 70 pounds and fit into my honeymoon clothes. My OBGYN congratulated me and said "you know, very few people actually lose that weight...we didn't think you would either."  I was proud, but kind of wanted to slap her at the same time. She went on to state that women often fail to lose weight from the first baby and then add more weight with subsequent pregnancies and set themselves up for high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes. Talk about some scary stuff.

Home Gym Equipment: weights, yoga mat, band and swiss ball

How did you lose the baby weight? 

Am I Really That Big?

Am I really that big?  The answer five years ago was yes. I was pregnant, but carrying a lot of weight. When I got pregnant with my first child I was about 10 pounds overweight.  Nothing that put me in the obese category, but my suits were fitting a little more snugly and required the wearing of Spanx.

Once I was pregnant, I thought this is great I will be able to eat whatever I want during these nine months and deal with the weight loss after.  I ran into a significant problem during my pregnancy because prior to I was a full fledged Weight Watcher devotee.  Back in those days the emphasis was on keeping your points low regardless of nutritional content.  I realize that while my weight was low on Weight Watchers, my diet was poor and filled with artificial foods. As an adult I never learned proper nutrition, which is the key to lasting weight loss and probably a good idea to have a working knowledge of when pregnant.   Since I was concerned with the life I was growing, I made a decision to eschew all things that had artificial sweetener and replaced them with the regular versions which resulted in a lot of sugar and calories.

During this time, I was working as an attorney for the Department of Corrections and commuting into work via bus and train.  I was stressed and nauseous most of the time so I ate a lot of bagels. Thank you Finagle a Bagel for being located in my office building, I think you contributed to a significant amount of my weight gain.  I didn't think I was eating unhealthy per se, a bagel with reduced fat cream cheese and a side of fruit.   Perhaps I wasn't, but I was eating way too much and not moving enough.  I kept my gym membership and occasionally hit up the elliptical and took lunchtime walks around Boston with my work colleagues but I really wasn't doing enough to offset the amounts I was eating.

I rationalized that I was pregnant and that most of it must be the baby and water weight.  I wasn't really that big, people told me I looked good. Plus there were others around me that clearly weighed more,  so what was the problem? I had this really irritating nurse practitioner who pointed out I gained too much weight on every visit.  After one visit, she filled out a referral for a nutritionist.  It was horrifying, I remember standing in front of Lens Crafters on Boylston Street sobbing on the phone to my husband.  What was I supposed to do now, go on a diet at 6 months pregnant?

I was more than a little annoyed that this lady was taking the buzz out of the all you can eat buffet that is supposed to be pregnancy.  I sought the comfort and solace of my work crew, they assured me I looked fine and not overly ginormous. I tried to make better decisions, but I knew I was struggling with how to adapt my previous sugar-free,fat-free artificial diet to a healthier diet.

Things got way worse,  I went to my 7 month check up on the Friday before Patriots Day.  I was excited to cut out of work a little early on a long weekend and had plans to catch up with friends on Monday and watch the Boston Marathon. On this visit, the nursing assistant checked and rechecked my blood pressure.  Her face became rather serious and she got my nurse practitioner.  I was told effective immediately I was on bed rest.  My blood pressure was too high and they didn't want it to develop into preeclampsia.  I immediately panicked, but thought after a weekend of rest it would be fine when they rechecked it on Tuesday.  Tuesday came and my blood pressure was still high.  I was told that I could not return to work and warned the risks of developing full blown preeclampsia and what that meant for me and the baby.

I was really angry at myself at that point for not paying more attention to what I ate during the first and second trimesters.  I often felt guilty that I could have avoided putting myself and my child in danger because I wasn't more careful about what and more importantly how much I ate.  I made a promise to myself and to my unborn child that I would eat a healthy diet and exercise.  This wasn't about vanity, it was about health.  My failure to adhere to a healthy diet and exercise plan was negligent but if I continued on that path it would truly be reckless.

I will write a few more posts on how I made small but significant changes in my diet and exercise and lost 70 pounds in one year.   I can tell you that by my daughter's first birthday I weighed less than the weight I was when I became pregnant.  If you want to make a change you can do it, but it takes effort and it is not easy.

Have you had a health wakeup call yet? If so, what did you do change your path?