The Strength

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Tuesdays Workout

Tabata, Tabata, Tabata!!!!!! Gotta love TABATAS!!!!! Do you know what I'm talking about? Simplified answer: A Japanese Doctor, Izumi Tabata, discovered that by doing 20 seconds of high intensity work followed by 10 seconds of rest, times 8 intervals of each, burns fat like crazy and... AND elevates your metabolism to burn more fat though out the rest of the day! Doesn't that sound wonderful?!

Everything is in Tabata form: 20 seconds on 10 second recovery x8 intervals

Sprint
Air squat
Sprint
Pull up (or body rows with a TRX, or put a broom handle over 2 chairs and pull yourself up)
Sprint
Push up
Sprint
Sit up

32 minutes of high intensity work! You should be cursing my name! (in a good way!)

"When you name your fear you can face it. When you face it you can defeat it!"

Monday, January 23, 2012

Monday Motivation

I was computer shopping today...guess what kind?! Oh my it's a beautiful thing! Anyway.....The sales guy (kid) asked me what I kind of things do I do on a computer. "Well I blog!" I proudly say! He said, "what do you blog about?" I thought that was a weird question, being I just wanted to buy a computer. Anyway...I said, "I have a health and fitness blog." "Wow", (I'm sure he felt WOW!) he said, "that's cool. Well about adding pictures to your blog....."

That got me thinking on my way home...Do you know that I am about "Health" and "Fitness"? Not about being skinny and how to get there fast! Sometimes I think all women think about is "How can I get super skinny, TOMORROW?!" They pick up any publication that says "LOSE 20 POUNDS IN TWO WEEKS!" Unrealistic and just not healthy, and what that does to your body! Whoa...! Talk about a metabolism crasher!

You must eat, EAT! To be healthy! Do ever wonder why you failed on the Slimfast program, or the Special K program? "Just drink 2 shakes for breakfast and lunch and have a sensible dinner!" Just eat a bowl of special K for breakfast and lunch and have a sensible dinner! Lose up to 6 pounds in a week!" Can you live the rest of your life just eating cereal? Or Slimfast twice a day? Hell no! Real food...EAT REAL FOOD! Chicken, beef, fish, eggs, turkey, broccoli, spinach, lettuce, kale, sweet potatoes, I could make lists and lists of real food you can eat and still be healthy and lose weight (if that is what you choose) and have great energy, beautiful skin and hair, and energy! Oh ...I said that already.... just making a point :)

Health, it's something we take for granted until its gone. Think about the "fuel" that you feed yourself and your family. Is it the "High Octane"? Or is the cheapest low grade fuel that you can buy, just so you can go from here to there? I don't know about you, but I didn't lease this body, and I can't trade it in anytime soon, so I have to take care of it myself! And I'll do that with REAL FOOD!

"A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives."

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Seriously!

Kalle Kiander's Photos

Can You Guess What McDonald’s Food Item This Is?

Say hello to mechanically sepa...rated chicken. It’s what all fast-food chicken is made – things like chicken nuggets and patties. Also, the processed frozen chicken in the stores is made from it.

Basically, the entire chicken is smashed and pressed through a sieve — bones, eyes, guts, and all. it comes out looking like this.

There’s more: because it’s crawling with bacteria, it will be washed with ammonia, soaked in it, actually. Then, because it tastes gross, it will be reflavored artificially. Then, because it is weirdly pink, it will be dyed with artificial color.

But, hey, at least it tastes good, right?

Source: http://docakilah.wordpress.com/2011/05/11/can-you-guess-what-mcdonald%E2%80%99s-food-item-this-isSee More

By: Kalle Kiander

Please promise yourself that you will never eat this or feed it to your CHILDREN! Or dogs for that matter!

It's never too late to be what you might have been. ~George Eliot

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Tuesdays Exercise

This is what I did Monday morning before I left. Think of me driving for 3 hours! OUCH!!
3 Rounds
Max pushups 2:00 minutes
Max Situps 2:00 minutes
Max Flutterkicks 2:00 minutes
Max Air Squats 2:00 minutes
Max Double Unders (practice makes perfect) 2:00 minutes (or regular jumpropes, high knees)
This is much easier if you have a timer; Gym Boss or kitchen!
No resting! Keep going, YES YOU CAN!!

Make the decision, then do something - no matter how small - toward accomplishing what you want.

Monday, January 16, 2012

Motivation

This is where I am with my boys for 2 days! I've never been to an indoor water park, so it should be interesting.
I am packing my food as I am writing this. I have an uncanny feeling that there aren't too many salads to be had, and we have a room with a full kitchen. So this is what I'm bringing:
Container of egg whites and broccoli for breakfast
grilled chicken and spinach for lunch
apples
sweet potato
protein powder, chocolate and vanilla
canned salmon in water
celery
sugar snap peas
water and lemons
I believe that we will eat out for dinner. I can be specific as possible, so I can continue to eat clean while I'm gone. No excuses! It is possible to maintain your clean diet while you are away from home, it just takes some planning. It's no different than packing clothes to go away! You just need a cooler instead of a suitcase ;)

What are stumbling blocks and defeat before you, can be stepping stones to victory if you remain determined.

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Tabouli

I came to love tabouli over this past summer. I know...you've loved it for years!!
This recipe comes from one of my very favorite cookbooks, "The Eat-Clean Diet Cookbook 2". If you don't have it, get it! And you might as well get the first one too! They are fabulous!

Tabouli
servings 6 x 1 1/4 cups

1/4 cup quinoa
1/2 cup water
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
1 English cucumber, seeded and chopped
1 cup chopped tomatoes
2 cups chopped curly parsley
1/2 cup chopped mint
1 clove garlic minced
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp fresh ground black pepper

1. Combine quinoa and water in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil. reduce heat and cover to simmer for 10-12 minutes until almost all water is absorbed. Remove from heat, fluff, cover and let stand for 5 minutes to finish absorbing water an plump up.
2. In a large bowl, add green onions, cucumber, tomatoes, parsley, and mint. Add cooked qunioa. In a small bowl, whisk together garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper, and pour over tabouli in large bowl. Toss to combine.

Nutritional value per serving:
Calories: 59
Protein: 2 grams
Carbs: 9 grams
Fat: 7 grams
Fiber: 2 grams
Sodium: 327 grams

The only one who never makes mistakes is the one who never does anything. ~Teddy Roosevelt

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Mindfull Eating

Here is a few tips to keep in mind when eating clean!

1. Eat when you are hungry. I know that sounds silly, but sometimes we are not hungry when we eat! We are bored, thirsty, stressed out...You know the reasons!! Take a few moments and really think about the state of "hunger" you are in before diving into that bowl of ice cream!

2. Stop eating when you are full. Studies show that it takes a full 20 minutes for our brains to realize that we are full. Slow down while eating, have a conversation with your family, (?!) read (if no one else is with you!) Set your fork down between bites. Pay attention to how you feel. Feel your stomach getting fuller. And stop before it's FULL!!

3. Focus on each bite, not the whole meal. Take note of the textures of the food. The flavors of the food(broccoli is actually sweet!). The first bite is actually the most satisfying bite, savor it. It may be all you need!

4. Minimize distraction. Turn off the TV, iPhone, Ipad...(unless you are reading! or logging your food that you are eating! OK...Just turn off the TV!)

5. Write it down. Keep a food log! Studies show that people who have lost weight and have kept it off over five years, have kept a food journal. I do! Start one today!

Statistically, 100 percent of the shots you don't take don't go in. ~Wayne Gretzky

Motivational Quotes

You must act as if it is impossible to fail.
Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself!
Happiness is an attitude. We either make ourselves miserable, or happy and strong. The amount of work is the same.
Whether you think you can or you think you can't, your probably right!
If you are sick of starting over, you have to stop quitting
You won't fail if you're not perfect, you'll fail if you're not committed to improving yourself slightly each day.
We can reverse years of damage to our bodies by deciding to raise our standards for ourselves, then living differently. Old wounds heal, injuries repair, and the whole system improves with just a few changes in what we put into our bodies and how we move them.
Failure is not fatal; failing to change will be."
Food for Thought: The starting point of all achievement is desire. Keep this constantly in mind. Strengthen Your Desire! Weak desires bring weak results, just as a small amount of fire makes a small amount of heat.
Success is not a race, be patient.
It's not about how good you are, but how bad you want it!
Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go..."
"Never trade what you want the most for what you want at the moment"
"Success is not a place that we aspire to, it is a process in which we live by. Often the only ingredient being the ability to not quit"
Be specific in what you want, and use specific words. Empower yourself, and become the person you dream about
That which we persist in doing becomes easier to do; not that the nature of the thing itself is changed, but that our power to do is increased."
The odds of hitting a target go up dramatically when you aim at it." ~Mal Pancoast
At the beginning of any task, more than anything else, your attitude will affect it's successful outcome.
Do or do not. There is no try.~Yoda
Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means, effort, pain, difficulty.
Focus on where you want to go, not on what you fear."
There is no one giant step that does it. It's a lot of little steps."
Start doing what's necessary, then do what's possible, and suddenly you'll be doing the impossible!
"My life tomorrow will be the result of my attitudes and the choices I make today."
People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing, that's why we recommend it daily. Zig Ziglar
"Clear your mind of can't." ~Dr. Samuel Johnson
"Any experience can be transformed into something of value. Everything depends on the way you look at things. You cannot have the success without the failures.
What are stumbling blocks and defeat before you, can be stepping stones to victory if you remain determined.
Listen closely: the only time it's too late to change yourself is when you're dead. Until then, you're simply making excuses or lying to yourself.
If you keep doing what you've always done, you'll get what you've always got!
"Failure is the opportunity to begin again more intelligently". ~Henry Ford
What we think or what we know or what we believe is, in the end, of little consequence. The only consequence is what we do. ~ John Ruskin
Your goals, minus your doubts, equal your reality." ~Ralph Marston
One definition of insanity is: Doing the same thing again and again and expecting a different result.
"If we defend our habits, we have no intentions of quitting them."
Your past does not equal, nor does it dictate, your future
Do you choose to simply know the path, or do you choose to walk it?
Your body keeps an accurate journal regardless of what you write down...
When one approach is not working to reach the desired goal, that's not a reason to abandon the goal. Instead, it is time to devise another approach."------Ralph Marston
Discipline is remembering what you want.
Knowing is not enough, you must apply.
Make the decision, then do something - no matter how small - toward accomplishing what you want.
Don’t live down to expectations. Go out there and do something remarkable. ~Wendy Wasserstein
Food for Thought: The starting point of all achievement is desire. Keep this constantly in mind. Strengthen Your Desire! Weak desires bring weak results, just as a small amount of fire makes a small amount of heat.