February Challenge 2014

There have been too many days this past month that I didn't get a chance to get to the gym.  Here is my solution for this problem.  I can usually find about 10 minutes to myself in the mornings or after the kids go to bed at night.  Until now, I have used this time to relax (do nothing).   Where has that gotten me?  Same place I was a month ago, still not in the shape I want to be in, lacking in energy, and still not in the size I want to be wearing.  The challenge for February is to use that time more wisely.  I've found a lot of quick at home workouts that don't require weights or a gym.  I plan on doing one of these workouts everyday.  I really think it will make a big difference in my energy, weight and muscle tone.  I also think it will help me with my half-marathon training.  Here are the workouts:

Morning Workout
80 jumping jacks
20 push-ups
40 sit ups
50 squats
20 lunges (per leg)
60 second wall squats

Bob Harpers Workout
20 jumping jacks
20 lunges
20 push-ups
Repeat 3-5 times

4 Minute Workout
0:00- squat thrust
0:20- rest
0:30- mountain climbers
0:50- rest
1:00- high knees
1:20- rest
1:30- jumping jacks
1:50- rest
2:00- squat thrust
2:20- rest
2:30- mountain climbers
2:50- rest
3:00- high knees
3:20- rest
3:30- jumping jacks
3:50- rest
4:00- DONE!

Flat Belly Workout
50 jumping jacks
40 crunches
40 squats
40 leg lifts
30 jumping jacks
20 bicycle crunches
20 squats
30 leg lifts

Quads and Core
25 squats
3 minute plank
25 lunges
1 minute elbow side plank
25 star jumps
1 minute elbow side plank
25 split squats (each leg)
1 minute elbow plank
25 wide leg squats
plank with 50 knee to elbow
1 minute wall sit

I challenge you to just take 10-20 minutes everyday and do a workout.  Just try it for one month and see if it makes a difference for you.  I am also making it a goal to get up to 5 miles on my runs this month.  Good luck!!

Brussels Sprout Salad

One of my challenges for the year is to try new foods every month.  Today I was at the grocery store and saw a bag of brussels sprouts.  Before, I never would have even considered them.  But, I challenged myself to try new foods, so I picked them up, along with a bag of kale, spinach and swiss chard, and went home.  I looked up some recipes and found one that sounded good. And it was really good, so here it is for you to try.  I found it on www.justataste.com

Ingredients:

For the dressing:
1 Tablespoon minced shallots or green onions
2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest
2 teaspoons honey
1/4 cup olive oil

For the salad:
4 cups finely shredded kale, spinach and swiss chard (or just kale)
4 cups finely shredded Brussels sprouts (loosely packed)
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Cut the veggies into narrow strips and put in a large bowl along with sliced almonds.  Mix the ingredients for the dressing

January Challenge

Okay, I know January is over, but here is what we have been doing this month.  I decided we were going to do another month of no eating out and we did.  We did this a little over a year ago and it was a lot less challenging this time.  If you have never tried this before, you should definitely try it.  You won't believe how much less bloated you will feel while saving money at the same time.  What did we eat, you ask.  Well, let me tell you.  At the beginning of each week, I would boil about 4-5 lbs of chicken.  I used that in the majority of our meals for the week.  Here are some examples of our meals.
Chicken and shrimp stir-fry
Beef stuffed bell peppers
Barbeque chicken and potatoes
Grilled chicken salad
Chicken sausage and grains
Sloppy Joe's, rice and slaw
Chicken fajita bowl
Chicken nuggets and sweet potato fries
Chicken salad sandwiches
http://happyhealthyhouse.blogspot.com/2012/10/southwest-chicken-salad.html
http://happyhealthyhouse.blogspot.com/2012/04/tortilla-soup.html

All very simple meals that can be fixed in one pan for the most part.  I'll put some more of the recipes on soon.


The other challenge this month was my personal goal to reach 3 miles in my running.  Done.  Step one of training for my half-marathon is accomplished. Now on to February challenges.

I've Got Some Work to Do

So, I'm trying really hard to eat better.  I was eating so well for a while and then last year, between being pregnant, renovating our house, having a baby, moving into a new city and house, my husband going through chemo and so on, I got in some bad habits.  And needless to say, I gained some weight. Now, with my whole "get back on track in 2014" thing that I'm doing, I'm trying to come up with ways to easily change my bad habits.  My husband is different. He is disciplined. I am not. When he says "I'm only going to only eat chicken and vegetables and drink only water", he actually does it.  When I say that, we both laugh.  So, now I have to be creative.  I need to come up with ways to tame my sweet tooth,  stop grabbing food as I walk through the kitchen, basically, be more disciplined.  Here are my solutions so far.

Substitute food cravings.  Like tonight, I was really craving a burrito.  My solution was to put some Trader Joe's frozen brown (organic) rice, some T.J.'s refried black beans, some T.J's enchilada sauce and a touch of cheese in a bowl and heat it up. I could also add some corn, tomatoes, avocados, peppers, etc. I probably will next time, but it was good and satisfied my craving at the time.  Basically, if I'm wanting something bad for me, just substitute something similar and healthier and less of it.  No problem.  The other option is to ignore the craving until it goes away, but we've already established that I don't have much self-control, so that could be a problem.

Detox myself.  I've decided that sugar and cola's should be treated like any other addiction.  Because they are addicting!! I know from past experiences that the more sugar you eat, the more you crave it and vice versa.  When I was doing really well about not eating sweets, I didn't crave them.  I still enjoyed them when I ate them, but I wasn't craving them after every meal.  So, my plan is to cut sweets down to one a week.  When I lived with my Aunt and Uncle back in college they had Friday night dessert nights.  They took turns getting to pick the dessert for that week.  Sounds like a good plan to me.  I may even go a week or two without any sweets at first, to get it out of my system, detox.  Wish me luck.

Plan meals and try new foods.  As a mom of three, I know it's impossible to plan every meal and snack and stay on track 100% of the time.  It's just not realistic.  But, if I can try to plan most of our meals and stick to the plan as closely as possible, it will help to avoid the junk.  I also need to keep trying new foods.  It's easier to eat healthy when you have a wide variety of foods that you like.  If you will only eat certain fruits and vegetables, they are going to get old after a while.  Another problem I have is that I do not like fish, but it is so good for you.  So, this year, I will learn to like some seafood.  I just need to find some really good recipes.  This is going to be tough, but I'm going to do it.

What are your tricks?