Stretching: Hips

I’ve talked about stretching on the blog before. It’s really important to take the time to stretch, especially AFTER working out. Stretching before is not as important, and really shouldn’t be done unless your muscles are warm. So if you’d like to stretch before a run, take a 5 minute easy jog, stretch, then start your run. Your muscles can’t stretch sufficiently when cold, and it could even lead to injury.

Today I thought I’d show you some stretches to do for your hips – stretches that might not be as common but are really important. Tight hips can lead to all sorts of other problems and injuries, so don’t let it slip by the wayside!

Seated Hip Stretch

Pigeon Pose

Hip Flexor

Hip & Glute

These are just a few I like to do after long runs or a leg session of weights. Be sure to hold the stretch for 10-15 seconds.

~Got any favorite stretches after a hard workout session?

A Special Day

Today’s my mom’s birthday! She is spending the day serving other people – which is pretty fitting since that is what she does. She is always helping others and forgetting herself.

She’s the greatest mom I could ask for, not to mention best friend, laughing partner, running inspiration and much more. I hope today is the best day ever, and the year to come is full of happiness, success and fun. Love you mom – more than you will ever know!

Time Trial

Sorry for my absence…finals + big interview = no blogging. But I’m back, because SCHOOL IS OUT! And it is going to be a great summer.

So today I’d like to give you another treadmill workout. However, if you don’t have access to a treadmill, you can modify some things and just do it outside. Especially now that the weather is nice!

I know life gets busy, and sometimes you just don’t have time for a super long workout. So I’ve broken this workout into 3 different lengths: 20 minute, 30 minute and 45 minute. Squeeze in as much as you can, and remember when time is short, it is SUPER important that you push yourself!

You’ll notice the last column on the chart says RPE. This stands for rate of perceived exertion. Below is a scale to use. If the speeds or inclines I put up are not allowing you to meet the RPE I listed, or they are too high, then adjust as needed.

TWENTY MINUTE:
*repeat 2x

TIME	SPEED	INCLINE	RPE
0-3	4.0	4%	4
3-5	4.2	5%	6
5-6	7.0	0	8.5
6-8	4.0	5%	6
8-9	6.0	0	7
9-10	7.0	0	8.5

THIRTY MINUTE:
*repeat 2x

TIME	SPEED	INCLINE	RPE
0-3	4.0	4%	4
3-4	6.5	0	7
4-5	7.5	0	8.5
5-8	4.0	5%	6
8-9	6.0	0	7
9-10	7.0	0	8.5
10-12	4.0	8%	6
12-14	4.0	9%	7
14-15	7.5	0	9

FOURTY-FIVE MINUTE:
*repeat 3x

TIME	SPEED	INCLINE	RPE
0-3	4.0	4%	4
3-4	4.0	5%	5
4-5	4.0	7%	6
5-8	6.0	2%	7
8-9	7.0	0	8
9-10	7.5	0	9
10-12	4.0	8%	6
12-14	4.0	9%	7
14-15	7.5	0	9

Don’t forget to cool down and stretch for a few minutes following this night sweat session. Hope you like the workouts! Let me know if you try them :)

Slimming Secrets

The weather is getting better (other than all the rain…) and people are getting antsy for those summer months. But along with that is the annual “spring diet” to get in “swimsuit shape”. All over the internet you can find fad diets that claim you can drop 10 lbs in a week. I hope that you stop yourself before signing up for another juice fast and instead take a few seconds to go through some of these realistic and successful tips for losing weight the right way, while treating your body fairly and increasing your health.

1. write it down: I know I’m a broken record but this truly makes a huge difference. For one week, measure everything and write it all down, and better yet use an online food tracker just to get an idea of how much you are eating versus how much you are burning – it can be really eye opening!

2. drink water: Being dehydrated can lead you to eating more, and also lead to other not so friendly side effects. So fill up that water bottle and get to it!
3. sweat it out: Dedicate yourself to at least 30 minutes of sweaty exercise 4 to 5 days a week. Sweating and exercise have so many benefits besides losing weight, like helping to detox (without the juice fast!), reduce stress and keep your body strong.

4. eat: Crazy idea, right? First figure out what works for you – 5 smaller meals or 3 larger meals. But keep in mind if you are snacking more, the meals need to be smaller too. A good rule for everyone is if you are going to be eating a meal within an hour, try not to snack and just drink water instead. But also, never go into a meal starving – it almost guarantees over eating. And NEVER SKIP A MEAL and MAKE BREAKFAST BIG!
5. love yourself and be patient: When you expect the weight to fall off, then you will let yourself down. Your body is a blessing and deserves to be treated with respect. By making healthy changes, you are showing that respect. So be sure to eat the stuff from the ground, get sleep, stay active, and move forward with a positive attitude.
Have a great weekend! With some nice warm weather, hopefully!

Kids and Food

I really like vegetables. Really.
Except green beans. 

I dreaded every meal when my mom would place that bowl of green beans on the table. The smell, the look, everything got my gag reflex going. But every meal somehow a spoonful of those beauties would get on my plate, and I had to eat them. Well, one day when I was about 7 I had had enough of being forced to eat the one vegetable I despise. So I didn’t. But then my parents told me I had to sit at the table until I DID eat those green beans on my plate.
So I sat there. For about 3 hours. Until it was time for bed and I was allowed to leave since I was laying across the chairs dozing off.
Stubborn, much?
So here is the deal – parents are always trying to get their kids to eat healthier. With summer coming and produce becoming more available, I thought I’d be a good idea to throw out some ideas on how to get your kids eating the way they should be and the way you want them to be…without them sitting at the table for hours.
1. Sneak it in: I’m not a huge fan of just doing a puree of vegetables and adding it to everything, since I think kids should see what they are eating and know it is good for them. But making things like smoothies and zucchini muffins are a good way to add them in a subtle way.

2. Combine: Make something your child already enjoys (like mac and cheese or pasta) and add in extra veggies such as broccoli, cauliflower or anything else! Or making an egg omelet with cheese and cut up vegetables is great!
3. Involve them: Bring them in the kitchen and take them to the store with you. Let them pick out what they want to try and help in making the dish – they are so much more likely to try it!

4. Don’t give up: It can take up to 15 introductions to a food before someone likes it. So keep having your child eat even a little, and don’t stop offering it. They will grow to like some of it some time!
5. Make it fun: Make art with your food by making pancakes with blueberry eyes and a banana mouth, or making a “forest” with broccoli or ant logs with carrots. Kids like fun things!
The most important thing is that you don’t get up and that you continue to realize a little here and there does add up!
~What suggestions do you have for getting your kids to eat healthy?

Spring Into Action

On Friday I told you to get on your feet…so today I tell you to get out!

Spring has arrived and even though Utah goes from 3 days of warm to 3 days of cold, I still love that it gives me more opportunities to go outside and exercise, read or garden. Getting kids to get outside can sometimes be rough, especially with how much technology there is out there. Why go shoot hoops when you can shoot hoops as Kobe Bryant on your ipad? Hm.

Here are some ways to SPRING INTO ACTION and get outside to enjoy this time of year:

- get your hands dirty: start a garden, plant some flowers, or go help someone clean up their yard…a bonus is that you get some fresh produce or a great opportunity to serve!

- team up: get some neighbors and play some yard games like ultimate frisbee, kickball, flag football, or anything else you can think of

- sneak in some walking: taking your kids to a nearby park, mini golf course, the zoo or a water park is a great way to get them to spend a lot of time on their feet while doing something fun

- get some new wheels: next time you need to go somewhere close with your family, pull out the bikes, scooters and roller blades instead of the car

- race: there are lots of kinds of races to do, but a great one to get everyone involved is a photo scavenger hunt through a neighborhood or park

- take it outside: plan a picnic to a nearby park…tip: go early enough to let your kids play before eating. Studies have shown that when kids get some sort of recess or exercise before, they will eat more and eat better than if they are rushing to eat so they can go play

~What are some of your favorite activities to do outside?

Get On Your Feet!

…get up, and make it happen! Thanks for the intro, Gloria!

Sitting is something a lot of us do most of the day. In fact, I would guess you are sitting while reading this. So go ahead and stand up to make yourself feel better after reading this.

You’ve probably heard that sitting has been seen to lead to health problems. In an article I recently read it said this:

“numerous studies show rates of heart disease, diabetes and obesity are doubled and even tripled in people who sit a lot. Part of the problem with sitting is that it stops the circulation of lipase, an enzyme that breaks down fats. So instead of being burned by your muscles, when you’re sitting fat recirculates in your bloodstream where it may end up stored as body fat, clogging arteries or contributing to disease.

In fact, simply standing up as opposed to sitting engages muscles and helps your body process fat and cholesterol in a positive way, regardless of the amount of exercise you do.”

Pretty crazy, right? But it is also something we can do something about. Like standing up NOW.

A study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine even found that the longer a person sits at a desk at work, the greater their chances are of being or becoming overweight. Sitting for long hours also puts you at risk of back pain, particularly if you sit with poor posture, leg cramps, tense muscles and, of course, out of sheer boredom.

So here are some tips for sitting less and getting healthy:

- the average person can burn 60 extra calories each hour just by standing instead of sitting
- take the opportunity to stand rather than sit as often as you can. Stand while watching your kids play at the park, stand while you talk on the phone or watching TV, etc.
- Your body can only tolerate being in one position for about 20 minutes before it starts to feel uncomfortable, according to the Mayo Clinic. So about every 15 minutes, stand, stretch, walk around or change your position for at least 30 seconds.

Get on your feet!

And while you’re at it, here are some recipes you might want to try out this weekend. Have a good one!

Black Bean Quinoa Burgers

Cookie Dough Baked Oatmeal

Creamy Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing

Whole Wheat Crackers

Dunkable

I’m pretty sure if I were to pick my favorite snack as a little girl, it would be graham crackers and milk. And those graham crackers needed to be dunked in the milk until they pretty much fell in to the milk. Then I’d stick my little fingers into the milk and slurp up a mushy graham cracker. Ohhh so good.

Well, here’s a delicious recipe for homemade graham crackers! Very dunkable.

Graham Crackers

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, room temp
1/2 cup agave syrup or honey

Preheat oven to about 300 degrees and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Mix the four dry ingredients together and then cut in the room temperature butter. At this point, I used my hands :) It will start to get a bit crumbly. Then add the agave or honey and get it all well combined. Divide into two mounds of dough and roll out onto the two cookie sheets. Roll out to desired thickness (they can be pretty thin). It might help to flour your roller and pan. If you’d like, draw cutting lines with a butter knife and poke some fork holes into the crackers.

Bake for 20-25 minutes and let cool completely before breaking apart.

Get dunking!

Dogs and Running

What, you don’t think dogs and running go together? Because they sure do.

I have a confession…

I’ve never been afraid of dogs. In fact, I usually enjoy being around them. Even the big ones that are the size of a horse.

Okay maybe not. But anyway. I think dogs are fun to play with and usually pretty cute and super smart. The only time I don’t like dogs?

While running.

In fact, they pretty much scare me.

Here is an example: Just last week I was running in a neighborhood near my house. I was just about ready to head back home when I started turning a corner and a some what large dog came barking and running toward me. After my heart started pounding and my sweat level increased significantly, I stopped in the middle of the street. Pretty smart right? Well, if I moved AT ALL the dog would bark and follow me looking like he was about to bite my hand off. So I stood there whispering sweet nothings in his ears hoping he would turn around and go home. That might not be completely true – it was more like trying not to move while telling him that I was a nice person. After probably 5 minutes he calmed down enough that I could walk to the side walk and then his owner came out and he ran away.

See the fear? Yes, it is legit. So people, either teach your dogs that runners aren’t bad people or keep them on a leash PLEASE.

This post really has no point…but I will say that I’m glad I’m not this kid.

Happy Monday!

Healthy Fat Cookies

Remember talking about avocados giving us healthy fats? Well I swapped avocado in my latest batch of cookies instead of butter. Ya know why?

Avocado has a quarter of the calories of butter and a fifth of the amount of fat. Two tablespoons of avocado has 50 calories, 4.5 fat grams, and zero cholesterol. Two tablespoons of butter has 204 calories, 23 fat grams and 61 mg of cholesterol. A bit of a difference, eh?

Healthy Fat Cookies

1 ripe avocado
1/2 c. agave or honey
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup wheat flour
1/2 cup oats
1 t. baking soda
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 t. salt
1/2 c. chocolate chips

In one bowl, whip the avocado, agave, vanilla and egg together. In a separate bowl mix the dry ingredients – then combine. I add the chocolate chips on top after scooping the dough onto the cookie sheet, but you can mix it in if you’d like.

Bake at 290 degrees for 15-18 minutes. It is a low temperature because the outside cooks fast due to the avocado. So keep the temp low in order to cook the inside too.

Enjoy! Have a safe and fun weekend!

The Avocado

When I was younger, I’m pretty sure I either didn’t know what an avocado was or I thought it would be gross…because I didn’t try one til just a few years ago. And I feel like I should apologize to the avocado for not giving it a chance for so many years.

The nice thing is, avocados both taste good AND are good for you. And they are pretty dang versatile. Here are some of the impressive stats:

- Despite it’s dark green skin, avocado is known to contain a spectacular array of carotenoids. Researchers believe that avocado's amazing carotenoid diversity is a key factor in the anti-inflammatory properties of this vegetable.

- While it is true that avocado is a high-fat food (about 85% of its calories come from fat), the fat contained in avocado is unusual and provides research-based health benefits

- Some of the health benefits include: anti-inflammatory, cardiovascular health, promotes blood sugar regulation, digestive health, and anti-cancer properties

Here are some tips on how to pick an avocado and store it:

A ripe, ready-to-eat avocado is slightly soft but should have no dark sunken spots or cracks. If the avocado has a slight neck, rather than being rounded on top, it was probably tree ripened and will have better flavor. A firmer, less mature fruit can be ripened at home and will be less likely to have bruises.

A firm avocado will ripen in a paper bag or in a fruit basket at room temperature within a few days. As the fruit ripens, the skin will turn darker. Avocados should not be refrigerated until they are ripe. Once ripe, they can be kept refrigerated for up to a week. If you are refrigerating a whole avocado, it is best to keep it whole and not slice it in order to avoid browning that occurs when the flesh is exposed to air.

If you have used a portion of a ripe avocado, it is best to store the remainder in the refrigerator. Store in a plastic bag, wrap with plastic wrap, or place on a plate and cover with plastic wrap. Sprinkling the exposed surface(s) with lemon juice will help to prevent the browning that can occur when the flesh comes in contact with oxygen in the air.

Want some recipes?!

Southwesten Salmon and Black Beans

Avocado Cream Sauce

Chicken Avocado Pizza

Avocado Chipotle Deviled Eggs

Now go eat some avocado goodness!