Category: boun-see balls

January 15, 2015

Healthy Food Prep How-To and Sample Meal Plan

Setting myself up for a week of success starts on Sunday. I am much more likely to stay on track if I have my meals prepped before the week starts. So, my family typically does the grocery shopping after church on Sunday and then I prep my food straight out of the grocery bags when we get home. It has gotten a little bit trickier with an infant to care for too. She slept through a good 1/2 of my food prep this week, but then I had to stir things and nurse at the same time for the other half. A momma’s gotta do what a momma’s gotta do.

Now I’m one of those people that can eat the same thing all week. It has to be tasty though. I’ve made a few duds that I could barely swallow by week’s end (lentil meatloaf, blech!). But I have many old standbys that I make regularly and that I know I’ll look forward to all week.

Tip #1: Start by creating a list of all the breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks you enjoy that you can reference when you’re all out of ideas.

So, each week, I plot out what I’m going to eat at work for breakfast, snack and lunch every day. Every morning, I also have a Shakeology smoothie after my workout at home, so I have to remember to pick up frozen fruit. So, then, I think about all the ingredients I’ll need for these meals and write out what I need on my grocery list. Then, Hubster and I try to figure out at least 5 dinners for the week. We typically either have leftovers, go out to eat, or have dinner with family/friends the other two nights. I try to keep our dinners pretty clean too, but Hubster likes to cook too and it’s not always “nature-made” types of meals. He’s a meat and potatoes man, and that’s ok with me.

Tip #2: Using your list of meal ideas, sketch out a plan of what you’re going to eat for each and every meal for the week. It doesn’t have to be exact, but you should have a pretty good idea of what you’ll be eating and when. This is where it’s much easier to eat the same thing every day for breakfast and lunch. (And a lot of the food we get is in cartons, like Greek yogurt, so it doesn’t make sense to eat it as a snack for only one day).

So, here’s what I’m planning to eat for the week (keep in mind I’m nursing so my intake is higher than normal):

Breakfast: Egg whites + Salsa + Turkey links

Snack 1: Plain Greek yogurt with toppings (pecans and honey)

Lunch: Quinoa with mixed veggies and feta (tomatoes, spinach, mushroom, onion)

Snack 2: Chickpea salad like this

Family dinners:

Beef tips and gravy like this
Easiest crockpot chicken parmigiana ever (chicken + 1 can spaghetti sauce, top with mozzarella)
Teriyaki meatballs (ground turkey + egg + oats + teriyaki sauce, baked in oven)
Turkey stroganoff like this
Broccoli/chicken crockpot meal like this

You’ll notice that not all of our meals are completely clean, but they’re pretty darn healthy and soooo much better than packaged foods or most restaurant foods. My chickpeas and salsa come out of a can for convenience and they’re still pretty darn healthy.

Tip #3: Transfer all ingredients needed for meals onto your grocery list

Here’s my corresponding grocery list. Some of the ingredients we always have on-hand and some we needed to pick up.

Then, we head to the store, of course. We try to stick pretty closely to the list. We may throw one or two non-listed items in the cart, but ideally our goal is to spend $100 per week on groceries (including diapers and pet stuff). So, not only are we eating healthier, we’re also saving money by preparing meals at home and sticking to our grocery list.

Tip #4: Most of your food should come from the perimeter of the store, i.e. the produce aisles, meat section and dairy section. The closest thing to how God made it.

Once we get home from the store and unpack everything, I get to work making my work food for the week. I find that for me, it’s best if I start right away. I’m already up and about, handling all the food. If I put all the food away and get settled in, it’s harder to get motivated.

Food prep doesn’t actually take that long. Well, it could if you wanted to get fancy, but generally I spend an hour or less. That’s one TV show–and I have healthy food for the entire week!

Tip #5: Always start with the food that takes the longest to cook.

Get those things that cook longer in first, especially the ones that don’t require any attention while they’re cooking. I put my acorn squash in the oven first where it went for 1 hour and then started the quinoa on the stovetop for its 15 minutes of cook time. While those things were cooking by themselves, I was chopping and sauteeing veggies and preparing the chickpea salad.

Yummy nighttime snack for the week.

Simply place cut-side down in a pan of water and cook 375 for 1 hour

My pile of veggies sauteeing in olive oil while the quinoa was cooking.

(My lunches consists of just these two mixed together with feta on top)

Quick chickpea salad

Tip #6: Load all your work food for the week in a thermal grocery bag.

Next, I load all the parts of my meals into a big grocery bag and bring it to work for the week. I used to portion out the egg whites and Greek yogurt into individual containers and take one at a time to work every day, but I’ve found that it’s so much easier and so much less time consuming to just bring the whole container to work. I don’t ever forget anything this way and I don’t have to carry a lunch bag every day, just the one bag on Monday that stays in the work fridge all week. I know that the egg white (microwave scrambled eggs) and Greek yogurt containers have just enough for 5 days, so I never have to worry about portion sizes with things like that. The sausages come in 10-packs, so I have two per day–and then I don’t waste plastic baggies on each serving either.

Dinners are just prepared nightly or thrown in the crockpot in the morning, depending on what we’re in the mood for, who feels like cooking, etc. We like fast and easy meals, otherwise we’re more tempted to go out or eat junk instead. I always keep a few extra things on-hand that we can snack on when we get home from school/work like string cheese, baby carrots, popcorn and the above acorn squash. The snacks typically need to be easy and in the front of the fridge so we remember they’re there and don’t grab for something less healthy.

Really, for one hour on a Sunday, this type of preparation is so worth it! It’s so much easier to stay on track during the week and not have to wonder what our next meal is going to be. It’s not as hard as it seems to prep healthy food for an entire family for a whole week. Give it a try!

How do you prep for the week?

December 13, 2014

Fresh Start Fitness Challenge

It’s never too early to get a jump-start on your New Year’s resolutions. Here’s a call for participants for a challenge group that I’m starting up on January 1. If you’re interested, leave a comment or email me and I will get in touch!

I’m looking for 5 people who are tired of looking back year after year, wishing their bodies would change and riding the weight loss roller coaster. Or maybe you’re like me and tend to hit plateaus that last…years! This year, we do it differently. This year, we lock arms on Jan 1 and forge into the New Year with renewed dedication, as a team!

The New Year is the PERFECT time to make healthy changes. It takes just 21 days to form a new habit, so we’ll spend those crucial first 3 weeks of 2015 together to set you up for a fit, successful new year. It’s only 21 days!

I myself need to lose some baby weight and I’d like to support you through whatever challenges you! From meal planning to motivation to workout support, let me give you my complete attention, guidance and support. The added bonus is that I’m a certified personal trainer and sports nutrition specialist in training, and I will be coaching you through the whole thing. I’m ready to change my life and I can’t wait to help you too!

You’ll be able to pick your challenge of choice from several rewarding options. And you can do any one of them at home! And make sure to get back to me quickly, because there are only 5 slots available and the clock to join is ticking.

If this interests you, Comment below and I’ll get in touch with you.

Together, let’s make 2015 your BEST year ever!

September 23, 2014

Three Best Prenatal Workout Videos

I’m very partial to the prenatal workouts that I picked out for this pregnancy. I did a lot of research and checked out a lot of Youtube clips in order to narrow down and pick the workout DVDs that would be best for me. I wanted workouts that were challenging enough for my already-conditioned body. It seems like a lot of workouts get “dumbed down” for pregnancy, when really, most of us are told that it’s ok to do whatever you were doing pre-pregnancy (to a certain degree). I have slowed waaaaay down, but I still want to maintain some muscle tone for birth and after.

So, I wanted some real strength workouts that would still challenge me, not leave me feeling like I just did a glorified stretching routine. Even some of the mainstream pregnancy magazines print workouts that are just too effortless. There’s a time and a place for stretching and gentle workouts. I especially love the stretching ones right before bed, but I don’t appreciate these easy workouts for my everyday routine.

That being said, here are the three I picked out and have used over and over again this pregnancy. They are tried and true.

1. Tracy Anderson Pregnancy Project:

I know there is a lot of controversy, and alternately, a lot of hardcore fans, of Tracy Anderson. I sometimes incorporate her workouts into my routines, but I don’t wholeheartedly agree with her overall approach to exercise (girls get bulky with weights over 3lbs, say WHAT???) However, all that aside, I found her pregnancy workout compilation to be amazing. There are 9 DVDs, one for each month of pregnancy. This is fantastic since I tend to get bored, and each workout is tailored specifically for the nuances of each month. They’re all completely different. I may just continue doing some of these workouts even after the baby comes.

Basically, every month you’ll do a 30-45 minute workout consisting of an arm segment and a leg segment, and core is incorporated into the moves by default. You still won’t use anything larger than a 3lb weight, which was definitely enough to work my muscles. And Tracy doesn’t do her typical 50 reps per leg thing. You will do at most 20 reps per leg and 10 reps per arm.

2. 10 Minute Solution Prenatal Pilates

Occasionally Pilates videos, especially prenatal Pilates, don’t challenge me enough. This one does! Sometimes I find that I can’t finish all the reps. You can choose among 5 total 10-minute workouts, either stacking them together or doing them separately. I loved how I could tailor the length of the workout to how much time I had to exercise. And on days when I was falling apart or sick, just the flexibility segment was enough for me. There is also a bonus post-natal core workout to get your belly back into shape. I used this video when I was pregnant with Peanut and eagerly busted it out again this go-round.

3. Summer Sanders Prenatal Workout

Oh my gosh, thanks to this video, I am now in love with labor lunges! (Basically, a side-to-side lateral lunge where you stay low). And I love Summer’s personality. She’s so cute and approachable on the video. The workout is great and can be adjusted to your workout level. For example, there are a lot of moves with exercise bands. You can use thicker or thinner bands or hold them with more or less resistance to modify the exercise. There are three workouts, one for each semester. From there, you can either do the full workout or the express version, giving you plenty of options. You work the entire body in these workouts, which is just what a fit momma wants.

Have you seen theyogatreehouse.com? It has free prenatal yoga workout videos that aren’t too bad either! I found this website late in the pregnancy game, so I didn’t have a chance to preview them all, but I would also give this website a shot, if I were you:) There are quite a few non-birth-related workout routines too that I will be much obliged to try when I get the green light from my doctor.

Having this selection of workout options is paramount for keeping me interested in my daily workouts. By alternating workouts based on my energy level and mood, I was able to keep my workout schedule fresh and motivating. I bought all the videos above on Amazon. What are your favorite prenatal workouts?

August 19, 2014

Full-Body Prenatal Workout Printable

Just in case you would prefer to do my prenatal workout on your own or at the gym, I created a printable of the workout for you.

Full-Body Prenatal Workout Printable

August 17, 2014

Full-Body Prenatal Workout

I did it! I finally uploaded my very first workout video!!! I’m so excited! It has been a huge goal of mine to start uploading workout videos for people to use for free. And I could see blatantly that prenatal workouts were a pretty lacking area. It’s hard to find good prenatal workouts online for free.

Today, I’m sharing my very first prenatal full-body workout video with you.

Remember to warm up before you do this workout with at least 5 minutes of light walking, marching in place or something similar. Also, I would recommend a little more stretching at the end if you have the time. I know my body gets so stiff lately, it could use more stretching.

If you’re feeling really energetic, you can do this workout twice through. If you don’t have as much time, you can either choose the standing or the mat portions of the workout and just do those. During pregnancy, you generally don’t want to work out too intensely or get too hot. You should be able to keep a conversation going. If you’re huffing and puffing, you’re probably working too hard. Always always always check with your doctor to see what’s appropriate and recommended for you. By doing this workout you are doing so at your own risk.

Introducing my pit bull pup, Titus, where he video-bombed me at about 7:48. You can hear him whining a few times in there as well. The dangers of filming outside! Haha. And let me just share that it’s Hubster’s job to mow the grass and it’s been growing like crazy! Don’t judge…

What do you think? Leave me a comment on here or YouTube to let me know what else you’d like to see in the future.

June 20, 2014

Weekend Family Fitness

Our state park system recently offered a free weekend open house where we could partake in their many amenities at will. We chose High Cliff since it was the closest to home. We started with a long trail hike at a pretty slow walking/waddling pace. We actually chose the horse-riding trail for something different, since we’ve frequented the other trails many times before. Plus, we got to meet a few special visitors of the equine variety that way. Horsey kisses? Yes, please. The day was beautiful, bright and bug-less and the trail a healthy 3 miles long. The handsome fellow below was one happy camper, can you tell?

We counted butterflies, listened for cricket chirps and scoped out the wildflowers.

After our long hike, we recouped with some water and snacks and headed to the very tall viewing tower the park provides. Someone had to stay behind with the dog, and I allowed that person to be me. I left those ten flights of stairs to my guys and their non-squished lungs.

Behind the viewing tower is a long railing bordering some steep drop-offs. There’s a secret spot though that a handful of people found behind one of the fence posts. There’s a stone staircase and a series of pathways through neat rock outcroppings and caves. We climbed those fence posts and took the little side trip that happened to also be pretty picturesque.

Find the steps behind the secret railing. Secret hideouts are my favorite!

What you are witnessing are my only prenatal photos so far.

One lone autumn leaf that survived the deep freeze.

Happy boys!

Our day was so perfect. We finished with dinner and more play time. You’d think Peanut would be exhausted, but he never wears out. All day of playing and hiking followed by more heavy play and he probably could’ve kept going. No naps, no time outs. I, on the other hand, feel like napping after simply thinking about this hike again. Haha. I’m still trying to stay as active as my body will allow me to. Sometimes that’s a 6 mile bike ride, a 3 mile hike or a 2 minute stretch session. I’m just letting my body guide me and enjoying my capabilities even in my pregnant state, and I’m enjoying the relaxed nature of it all. No counting reps, no tallying up miles, no tracking calories. I’m hoping to carry some of this relaxed, carefree, exercising-but-not-trying-to, bring-the-whole-family energy into my post-natal fitness approach. I enjoy being hardcore when I’m not pregnant, but there should always be space for serendipity.

April 21, 2014

Full-Body Prenatal Workout

The second trimester of pregnancy has left me much more functional and energized. Now that I’m back into the habit of a “regular” workout routine, I thought I’d start sharing some of my prenatal workouts with you in case you’d like to follow along or get some ideas for your own prenatal workout routine. And really, this workout would even be great for someone who isn’t expecting. If I weren’t pregnant, I’d probably do each circuit three times, moving faster between moves and increasing the weight.

This is the routine I did on my lunch break today, scribbled on a simple post-it. I had a good stretch afterward (ohhhhhh yeah) which brought total workout time to about 25 minutes. Choose a weight that you don’t struggle with. I chose 5# for most of these. It’s better to decrease weight and increase reps from your normal routine than to use a heavier weight for fewer reps during pregnancy. You should also not be working past the point of being able to speak in full sentences. If something doesn’t feel comfortable, don’t do it. Take it easy momma!

Always check with your doctor concerning your exercise regimen, especially during pregnancy. These moves are based upon my own limitations and abilities, but you’ll want to make sure to get your own all-clear.

Some of the stretches I did: shoulder stretch, wall chest stretch, pigeon, standing quad stretch, standing calf stretch and a triceps stretch. Try to stretch the entire body since you just worked most of it, holding 30 seconds per stretch. After the first trimester, it’s not usually recommended to lie flat on your back, so that’s why most of my stretches were standing or sitting variations.

How do you stay fit during pregnancy?

April 14, 2014

A Weekend of Non-Race Results

I swear I read on the pamphlet that the kids’ race started at 9am. I’ve had it written in ink in my calendar for months, since I reserved Peanut’s spot right when registration opened.

I get a call from my mom. Where are you? The five-year-olds are already lining up. Peanut is 5. Oh noooo! It’s 8:30 and the races have already begun. I race down the street and will the lights to turn green with my razor-sharp glare. We pull up and the 6-year-olds are already starting to run. Peanut is crying real sincere tears in the backseat as I share the news with him that we missed his race.

Peanut and I rush out of the car and run toward the crowds, my pregnant belly not holding me back yet. We race up just in time to see the 7-year-olds lining up. His cousin is in this group, so we’ll see about sneaking him in. I get Peanut in line to run and I race over to the registration booth to grab Peanut’s race bib. Without enough time to pin it on, I tell him to just hold it in his hands.

The whistle blows and the 7-year-olds and one 5-year-old bolt across the pavement. The route for 7-year-olds is quite a bit longer than the route for 5-year-olds, but Peanut holds his own. He even manages to pass a few little runners. With his height, he doesn’t even look the least bit out of place.

I meet him at the finish line, and the huge smile on his face as he shows me his medal helps me to feel a little less guilty. I high-five him and give him all the accolades about keeping up with the big kids. His daddy calls and gives him a virtual fist bump from work. He’s happy and proud and smiling. And that’s what truly matters.

Sunday morning, Hubster and I are signed up to run the corresponding 5k. I also signed us up way back when registration opened. I pick up our race packets after Peanut’s run and set out all our gear for the next morning. Being pregnant and tired, I plan on walking for most of the race, which suits my unconditioned Hubster just fine.

But Saturday night turned out to be the very epitome of “April showers.” April showers that didn’t relent for one second. April showers that filled our backyard like a built-in pool. The rains went well into the night and we prepared ourselves for what happens nearly every spring.

Hubster set up camp on the couch, checking and adjusting the pumps every half hour. I pulled a pump-watching shift from about 1-3am since I couldn’t sleep anyway and Hubster needed a break. The encroaching waters and the perceived threat on our garage and eventually our basement left me feeling wide awake in the middle of the night.

Toward 6am, the rains finally let up and the backyard drainage was actually getting somewhere. We were finally starting to feel that exhaustion seep in as the water finally seeped out. Sleep was much more needed than the gratification of finishing the race. Yes, the race is one of our family traditions, but so is pumping out our spring-fed backyard I guess, so we’re even. Ha. We’ll run again next year.

This morning we woke up to snow on top of our spring floods. It was like a cruel, yet beautiful-looking joke. With our natural northern instinct, we brush off our vehicle windows, pull out the snow pants again, and pretend like the snow will just vanish by the end of the day, hoping against hope that 70-degree weather will be in the forecast for next week again, yet knowing in the back of our minds that snow is possible well into May.

How was your weekend?

February 13, 2014

Agility Ladder DIY

You can get all the supplies to make your own agility ladder at a regular hardware store, and it really only takes less than half an hour to make.

Agility ladders are an amazing unsung fitness tool that you’re probably not using. I will be back to share some agility training drills soon too, so stay tuned for that. But these exercises shouldn’t be saved for professional football players or high school track teams. Agility drills not only increase your agility, but they also provide a great source of cardio, especially if you’re getting bored with your treadmill routine. You can get pretty creative with your fancy footwork, like sport dancing, and it also tests your mental acuity. We did some agility drills at the NASM workshop I attended and they were kind of fun and challenging and had me out of breath within a few minutes.

Supplies:

Short nails/carpet tacks
Hammer
Wood shims or other flat thin wood*
Rope
Tape measure

Instructions:

1. Stack two shims on top of each other with one narrow side and one thick side of each together. Nail the end of the rope into the top of the first shim stack.

2. Measure 15 inches to the next rung and hammer another nail into the top of that shim stack.

3. Continue until you have 15 rungs. Cut the rope at the end of the 15th rung. Now, go back and do the same thing on the other side of the ladder, hammering the string to the shims every 15 inches.

Voila, your very own agility ladder! It’s easy to fold up and hang in your garage or shed. Be careful if you’re doing this project outside with little kidlets around. All the neighbor kids ran over when they saw what I was doing and asked if they could “help.” Um, no. And we ended up with a knocked over pile of nails in the grass that I was really trying to prevent (barefoot in the summer, ouch!). Just hand them a few shims and a little length of rope and see who can make the best godseye.

*I would actually recommend using some thin wood versus shims. Shims are what I had on-hand, but nailing into the narrow ends proved to be a bit tricky. The wood needs to be pretty thin though, so you’re not tripping over it. Also, if you have feet that are much larger than mine (women’s 8), the width of a shim might not work for you. You should be able to fit both feet inside with some room left over, so take your own measurements from there.

January 23, 2014

Workouts and Guilty Pleasures Confession

I have a confession to make. I think workout time is the best time to indulge in some harmless guilty pleasures. When I was working out at the YMCA, I really enjoyed catching up on a little bit of trashy reality TV since the treadmills had built-in televisions. I loved that! On treadmills without TVs however, I enjoy reading gossip mags when I get the chance. I don’t subscribe to any, but when the gym offers them, I shrug and grab one. Might as well, right?

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I don’t normally indulge in these kinds of things. I like to try and keep my mind fresh with ideas and inspiration most of the time. I like to read more intelligent writing, but I figure if I’m doing something of virtue (exercising), and I’m able to multitask, I should allowed to indulge a little bit. I would never usually waste my time watching this type of show, but it’s not really wasting time if you’re running too. I’m always trying to push myself to be a better person, setting new goals, trying to improve, etc. I figure for all that work I’m allowed to give myself this one teensy chance to regress a little.

Be careful though, because multitasking on the treadmill could make you stumble and fall. I’m one of those people that can read and run at the same time, without holding the rails or compromising form. I don’t recommend trying it unless you can do the same.

What do you think? What are your guilty pleasures and how do you justify them? Any other gym confessions you’d like to share.