Good Eats

My home workouts have not been good the last few days! Non-existant actually. So, if they don't exist, they can't really be bad right? Ugh!

I worked out hard at the gym last week then had a few busy days at home where I didn't make the effort to fit in a workout. Now it's Monday and I did something to my neck and I'm not sure I should try to workout. I don't want to hurt it worse. Don't get me wrong, I am not a wimp, but I have issues with my spine and when it's out of alignment I need to either put it back in place myself or see my physical therapist. I usually can't do much with my neck myself. I need to come up with a workout that I can do at home that will still challenge me but won't tax my neck at all. So I probably won't want to lift weights, or do any crazy jumping around. Here's what I've got so far:


5 one minute planks
100 bridges
lunges: stationary lunges and walking lunges

Food today has been GOOD! Delicious and healthy:

1. Green monster smoothie for breakfast. Made mine with 1 cup of unsweetened almond milk, 1 scoop Dymatize chocolate whey, 2 huge handfuls of spinach, a banana. All whipped up in the Vitamix.

2. Before running off to take the girls swimming I knew I needed something quick but protein loaded to keep me full so I mixed up some "eggs and oats" in the microwave. This recipe is from my friend Kim who does fitness shows and looks amazing.
1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup egg whites
1 packet of Truvia
Cook in the microwave for about 2 minutes so whites are fully cooked. I add a little sugar free maple syrup after cooking.

3. Had about 1/3 of a red pepper with artichoke hummus while I made the girls lunch. Was going to have the whole pepper but my 4 year old ate most of it.

4. Stuffed salmon. Found these in the freezer. Bought at Costco. These are delicious. They are stuffed with more seafood/brown rice mixture. I mostly eat the salmon with a little of the stuffing part. I probably won't buy these again as they are farmed salmon, not wild.

Not sure what meal number 5 will be. After the salmon I won't be hungry for awhile but will want to get more protein in for the day.

Nutrition - FAT FAT FAT!

With all of the millions of diet books out there you would think that eating right has got to be the most complicated thing in the world to do, yes? Not so much. Eat real food, in small quantities. That's it, pretty simple stuff.

Today we are going to talk a bit about FAT. Not your fat or mine, but the fat found in food.

People tend to be fat phobic, but you shouldn't be. The body needs fat to survive. Fat is a part of every cell membrane in the body, it helps transport nutrients across the cell membrane. Basically, we couldn't survive without it.

Fats are generally saturated or unsaturated, based on the amount of fatty acids present. Saturated fats are typically found in animal products and processed foods.

Unsaturated fats are what you want to include in your nutrition plan:

• avocado
• salmon or other oily fish
• nuts
• olive oil, sunflower oil

If you're counting calories, fat counts for 9 calories per gram, while carbs and protein count for 4 calories per gram. So, yes, fat calories do add up quicker, but in moderation will help your body work like the well running machine that it wants to be.

As a general rule, I would suggest avoiding most, if not all, diet books. A diet is a temporary bandaid. To get positive, longterm results you need to change your lifestyle. Not all today, not even tomorrow, but you must make changes if you expect to see something different. There are several healthy eating books out there that I like, most of the Clean Eating books by Tosca Reno are great. Her recipes are a bit on the fancy side for me, but her eating ideas are spot on. I bought the Recharged book a few months ago and really like it. Am still working my way through Your Best Body Now by the same author, and am thinking it might not be necessary to get both.