WIAW-New Obsession

It's that time of week again for WIAW post inspired by Jen at Peas and Crayons.

I have been obsessed with Green Monster smoothies since I finally had the courage to try one. I think I have had one every morning for the past week.

Ingredients in my Green Monster

 

 

Lunch was a spinach salad with shredded rotisserie chicken, strawberries, green apple and walnuts (no dressing) with a side of whole wheat bread.

Dinner was supposed to be chicken pot pie but I ended up running and having a personal training session last night so instead Joe and I just grabbed dinner. I got a Thai chicken wrap from The Healthy Kitchen and it was delicious. The wrap had chicken, shredded carrots, cucumbers, brown rice and peanut sauce.

Question : Do you like dressing with your salad or do you eat it dry?

Thai Chicken Pizza

Last night after boot camp I decided to try out a new recipe I saw by Jillian Michaels, Thai chicken pizza.

For the crust I used Top This whole wheat crust which I found at Whole Foods that I love. I doubled the recipe below since my mom and sister joined us for dinner.

 

Thai Chicken Pizza

Ingredients:
20 ounces whole-wheat pizza dough
1/4 cup smooth natural peanut butter
3 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced
1 clove fresh garlic, minced
1 teaspoon canola oil
8 ounces organic chicken breast, boneless and skinless, trimmed and diced
1 medium organic red bell pepper, diced
4 whole organic scallions (green onions), thinly sliced
2/3 cup part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese

Preparation:
Place oven rack in the lowest position; preheat to 450°F. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
Roll out or stretch dough on a lightly floured surface into a rough 16-inch oval. Transfer to the baking sheet. Bake on the bottom rack until puffed and lightly crisped on the bottom, 8 to 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, whisk peanut butter, water, soy sauce, vinegar, ginger and garlic in a small bowl until well combined.
Heat oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook, stirring, until cooked through, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl. Add bell pepper, scallions and 1 tablespoon of the peanut sauce to the chicken; toss to combine.
Remove the crust from the oven; spread evenly with the remaining peanut sauce. Top with the chicken mixture, then sprinkle with cheese. Return the pizza to the oven and bake on the bottom rack until the crust is crispy and golden and the cheese is melted, 11 to 13 minutes.

Makes 6 servings.
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 25 mins
Total Time: 35 mins

Nutrition Facts
Number of Servings: 6
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 355
Total Fat: 9 g
Saturated Fat: 2 g
Cholesterol: 29 mg
Sodium: 447 mg
Total Carbohydrate: 42 g
Dietary Fiber: 3 g
Protein: 20 g

We paired the pizza with a romaine salad with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, sea salt and pepper.

Finished Product

26.2 Relay with BOMF

Saturday I participated in a marathon relay with fellow BOMF members. Each participant ran a one mile leg which was four times around the track at Tufts University in Medford.

The relay was supposed to start at 8:00am but because it was raining very hard they delayed the start until 8:30 which was the best idea. The rain stopped just in time for the delayed 8:30 start.

Team Quincy

Team Leader Lisa

My leg was the 8th leg which I rocked at if you ask me. I set a PR for my mile running a 6:34 minute mile, I was so excited that I did a sub seven mile. Our team came in 11th out of 12th which we were very happy that we didn't come in last since we included everyone on our team and not just our super fast runners like a lot of other teams did. 

 



Question: How did you feel when you set a running PR?

Kettlebell Training

I came across this article regarding Kettlebells the other day and I thought I would share it with you. I strongly encourage everyone to try out Kettlebells if you haven't already.

The Top 8 Reasons Why You Should Train With Kettlebells

by Jason C. Brown, CSCS, KBAKettlebell Athletics

Critics of kettlebell training simply dismiss it as a passing fad without a true understanding of the historical record and the shared history’s of kettlebell training and athletic development and fitness training.

I’m well aware of the volumes of hype that have been written about kettlebell training and it’s benefits, sometimes this hype is for marketing purposes, more often however, it’s for a good reason. Kettlebell training holds some distinct advantages over other training tools within the fitness professional and conditioning coaches’ toolbox.

Below are my Top 8 Reasons Why You Should Train with Kettlebells.

1. Kettlebell training amplifies your power output. This may be my favorite reason to train with kettlebells! Since classic kettlebell lifts such as the Snatch and the Clean & Jerk cannot be performed slowly, they develop a special quality known as power-endurance, or your ability to produce movements over an extended period of time. This differs from strength-endurance. Strength- endurance is your ability to produce force over an extended period of time. Power-endurance adds another time component; power-endurance is your ability to sustain fast muscular contractions over an extended period of time. While both strength-endurance and power-endurance are essential qualities to possess, power-endurance is usually what determines who the winner is in sport. Power-endurance training is also an excellent way to training for fat loss and conditioning.

2. Kettlebell training teaches your body how to contend with a constantly changing center of gravity. By design, the kettlebell’s center of gravity lays 6- 8 inches outside of your grip; this replicates the forces that you’ll encounter in sport and activities in daily living. This feature of the kettlebell will help improve this aspect of sports performance.

3. Kettlebell training builds powerful forearms and a strong grip. Kettlebells possess a thicker handle than their barbell and dumbbell counterparts taxing your grip and developing greater forearm strength. As our society continues to move away from manual labor our grip strength continues to decrease as well. Kettlebell training will help reverse this trend. The design of the kettlebell also adds another unique component to your grip training. Since the kettlebell’s center of gravity is usually in motion your grip training becomes a combination of dynamic and static muscular contractions in an attempt to control that fluctuating center of mass.

4. Kettlebell training improves your cardio –respiratory fitness. Since many kettlebell exercises take place with your arms in an overhead position the muscles responsible for assisting the breathing process are engaged in muscular activity, not allowing them to assist in the respiratory process. This forces the muscles most responsible for breathing to play an even larger role in cardio-vascular fitness.

5. Kettlebell training eliminates the need for a large training facility. The fitness industry is undergoing a change in thought and design…”Small is the new big…” Smaller, more focused fitness and sport training facilities increase in number daily and are much more profitable than larger, less personal studios. This makes kettlebell training ideal for small facilities. Kettlebells possess a very small footprint, meaning that they take up very little floor space. Kettlebells don’t require expensive racks; they can be stored in the corner or underneath other equipment.

6. Kettlebell training allows you to reduce overall training time, so you can devote your attention to other issues such as strategy, skill, rest and recovery. We all know how time-crunched everyone is today. A quick yet effective workout is the order of the day and kettlebell training delivers.

7. Kettlebell training bridges the gap between strength training and cardio; sport and real life do not respect the difference.

8. Kettlebell training allows you to never miss your workout. Again, we all know how busy people are today. Kettlebells allow you to train anywhere, the local park, beach, outside or inside.

Question: Have you ever trained with Kettlebells and if so what are your thoughts?

Two Time Thursday

Yesterday was a very busy day foe me. I was up bright and early to head to the gym for a quick cardio warmup followed by a 45 minute kettlebell session. During our session I was able to use a new kettlebell which they just got at the gym. The weight is 10kg so it is about 2lbs heavier than what I usually use and it made a big difference but in a good way.

Kettlebells

During our workout we did several rounds which included swings, figure eights, high pulls, and clean and presses. I love kettlebells so much since they are not only used for a great strength training workout but they also keep your heart rate elevated during the workout or round.

After I finished my workout it was home to shower, change and head to work. It was another day which flew by at work since I am training a new employee. Before I knew it the clock struck five and it was time to leave and head back to the gym for my bosu and bells class with Keri. My gym just finished a new Athletic Performance Center (ACP) which has turf and a bunch of other fun new toys to play with. We started our class tonight in the new ACP studio where we did some dynamic stretching and warmups. Then we did a bunch of ab work using some new weighted medicine balls, which we got to throw up against a wall. It was so much gin doing this plus it got out a little anger I had built up this week. After doing several exercises with the new medicine balls we headed upstairs to our normal studio and finished class using kettlebells, bosus and myoforce. I love when I can get two quality workouts in during one day, it makes me feel so accomplished.

Weighted Medicine Ball

Question: Do you ever do double workouts in one day?

WIAW

Welcome to another week of WIAW. Hop on over to Peas and Crayons to join in on the party.

Yesterday morning I finally made a green monster smoothie and it was delicious. It will be the first of many for sure! In the smoothie I had almond milk, chia seeds, protein powder, spinach,  raspberries and ice.

 

 

Lunch was a mango salad with chicken from Qdoba with extra guacamole. I can't believe how many people don't like guacamole, I wouldn't know what to do without it.

Dinner was easy and so delicious. I had bought some homemade raviolis from Whole Foods which I made with Newman's Own Fra Diavolo sauce (which I want to try on pizza next). I bought plain cheese raviolis which were just okay (I tried one) and vegan veggie raviolis which were to die for! If you live near a Whole Foods you need to try these.

 

Question: How do you feel about guacamole, love it or hate it?

Fitness Fun - Pilates

Pilates is another form of exercise I have been practicing over the past year or so. The form of pilates I have worked primarily with is reformer which incorpoarte exercises using the Pilates reformer machine. Pilates can also be done on a mat using just your own body and sometimes with the use of some props.


Reformer

 Pilates can transform the way your body looks, feels and performs while buidling muscle strength without excess bulk. Pilates is something that continually challenges me no matter how long I have been doing it. The exercises never seem to get easier which is one reason I love Pilates because I am always challenged. Below are some sample exercises of common beginner Pilates exercises.



Footwork



Supine Arms



Feet in Straps

 
 Question: Have you ever tried a form of Pilates? If so, what do you think?

Stanley is in Boston!

Growing up my family has always been a Bruins family. My dad grew up playing hockey and has loved the Bruins through thick and thin. Since he didn't have any sons my sister and I were the ones to always watch the games with him even when they were pretty awful. Wednesday night I was planning on staying at my sister's house because I was watching the baby yesterday. It just so happens that it was also game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals. It was like old times for my dad since he was able to watch the game with both of his daughters but the best part was that the outcome wasn't like old times. The Bruins had finally done it again and brought the cup back to Boston.

My dad had tears in his eyes as the buzzer sounded, it was official the Bruins had become the 2011 Champions!  My dad celebrated with some special scotch he had received from my cousin for Christmas and my mom ass celebrating because he would finally shave off that awful play-off beard (not quite yet though he is keeping it until after the parade tomorrow).

Then we all celebrated by raising our replica Stanley Cup which my brother-in-law had made a few weeks ago.

It was a late night on Wednesday so I was happy not to work yesterday. Abigail and I went down to the beach for a walk and had a nice relaxing morning.

 

 

I couldn't have asked for a better day, the Bruins came home with the cup and I got to spend the day with my niece.

Question: What is your favorite sport to watch?

Race Calendar

Yesterday my day started off with a morning run along with beach with my BOMF Team. It was such a peaceful morning and the weather was ideal. Anytime I run near the beach I find it so peaceful!

After my run I headed to the gym for a quick 30 minute session of Pilates on the reformer. Pilates is something that never gets easy every week I am challenged more and more and I love it!

Source

Since the summer is finally here I have quite a few races scheduled for the upcoming months, some are with Back on My Feet and others are on my own.

26X1 Relay - Saturday June 25 (BOMF)

Squantum 5 - Thursday June 30 (This is a maybe right now, I haven't signed up yet)

Hingham Road Race -Monday July 4 (BOMF)

Jim Kane Sugar Bowl 5 Miler - Thursday July 21

Rock n Roll Providence Half Marathon - Sunday August 7

Falmouth Road Race - Sunday August 14

Maine Marathon - Sunday October 2

Question: What races are you signed up for?

WIAW - Fruit and Veggies

Welcome back to another week of WIAW. This week I incorporated a lot of fruit and veggies into WIAW so I could update you on how I am doing with my Fruit and Veggie Challenge.

Breakfast yesterday was a banana berry smoothie which consisted of a banana, raspberries, chia seeds, ground flax seed, vanilla protein powder, wheat germ and almond milk.

My mid morning snack was an ezekiel cinnamon raisin english muffin with peanut butter and raisins. I am in love with these english muffins lately, they are so filling and delicious!

Lunch was a spinach salad with strawberries, rotisserie chicken and a laughing cow light cheese wedge. I enjoyed the salad with a piece of whole wheat bread.

As you can see I have been incorporating lots of fruits and veggies into my diet in various ways to ensure I get my minimum of 5 servings a day. Some days are harder than others but I notice that it is a lot easier to incorporate fruit into my diet as opposed to veggies.

Dinner was not so good last night, the only thing that was good was the corn on the cob. I had purchased a few swordfish kebabs the other day at Whole Foods since they were on sale, but unfortunately they were not very good. Lesson learned if I want swordfish buy the swordfish steak not the kebabs.

    

Question: How do you incorporate veggies into your daily meals?