lifestyle blog

Lately I’ve been really stiff and achy…which definitely takes a toll on my motivation to exercise. Yesterday in particular, my hips were killing me! It was supposed to be my night to ride my Spinning bike, but I just couldn’t do it. It’s my own fault – I hardly ever take time to stretch after I work out.  

Rather than taking the night off from exercise though, I decided to try some yoga. I went to my new go-to exercise video source – ExerciseTV. I pulled up the Yoga Fitness Fusion video, turned off the lights (using only the light of my computer screen to see what the heck I was doing), and got down to business. 

I was pleasantly surprised to find that this video was both challenging (hello quads!) and relaxing. I was able to get some great toning exercises in, and more importantly, stretch out all my tight muscles - namely, my hip flexors. 

I felt amazing after my 45 minutes of yoga! What a great reminder of the importance of stretching after a workout. I plan to incorporate more stretching into my exercise routine – and do a yoga video at least once a week. 

******************************************************************* 

I’m still working on my exciting blog addition… Hopefully I’ll have that up in the next few days. 

In the meantime, here are some of my eats from today. Warning: I totally failed at taking pictures today. I mean, I took pictures, but they are crazy blurry. I need to slow down a bit and steady my hand before I shoot! 

Breakfast: 

pumpkin oat bran with raisins and walnuts, with 1/2 cup of egg whites + 1 whole egg

Lunch & Snacks: 

apple, banana, Chobani, protein shake, turkey wrap

Dinner: 

ground turkey seasoned with garlic salt and pepper, zucchini, onion, and Trader Joe’s marinara

I used frozen, crinkle cut zucchini for this dish. So quick and easy! You can get just about anything frozen. Super convenient and super cheap! 

Exercise: 

45 minutes on the Spinning bike 

Question of the day: Do you use frozen fruits/vegetables? Why or Why not?

[Via http://healthyfitmama.wordpress.com]

Nothing impinges on an active lifestyle like injury. And as frustrating and inconvenient as it can be, we know that the doctor’s primary Rx will be rest. However, certain foods may facilitate the healing process. A few nutrients your body needs to recover:

1)CALCIUM: Your body needs calcium to build and maintain bone health as well as to ensure proper functioning of muscles and nerves. Yogurt, milk, salmon, and collard greens are great calcium rich choices, all containing over 300mg per serving.
2)LYSINE: Lysine is an essential amino acid, which means that our bodies need but do not produce it. Lysine increases the amount of calcium absorbed by your bones and helps prevent the loss of calcium through urine. It also assists in the formation of muscle protein and thus is critical after an injury or operation. Though it is available in supplements, the easiest way to increase your lysine intake is through protein rich foods like poultry, cheese, soy protein, and nuts.
3)VITAMIN C: Vitamin C assists in the formation of collagen, the protein used to make skin, scar tissue, ligaments, tendons, and blood vessels. It is also crucial in the repair and maintenance of cartilage and bones. Like lysine, Vitamin C is not produced by our bodies so we must make sure we consume enough of it. All fruits and vegetables contain vitamin C. The highest C-foods include oranges, leafy greens, green peppers, tomatoes or broccoli.

So eat well to get well soon!

Try our breakfast smoothies for a Vitamin C boost!

http://www.optimalnutritioninc.com/meals_products/smoothies.php

To Your Health,
The Optimal Nutrition Team
optimalnutritioninc.com

Sources:
“Injury, Diet and Recovery: Guidelines for Nutrition and Healing | Active.com.” Running, Soccer, Triathlon Races | Online Registration, Training Plans & Log, Youth Sports Drills | Active.com. Web. 18 Jan. 2010. .

“Healing Broken Bones.” Research and recipes on osteoporosis, heart disease, cancer, dementia and healingbroken bones. Web. 18 Jan. 2010. .

“Lysine.” University of Maryland Medical Center. Web. 18 Jan. 2010. .

“Vitamin C: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia.” National Library of Medicine – National Institutes of Health. Web. 18 Jan. 2010. .

[Via http://optimalnutritioninc.wordpress.com]

This is so easy it ought to be criminal.

Roast a quartered chicken (I used a happy, free-range, organic chicken from The Healthy Butcher) at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, then broil for 5 minutes to crispify the skin. If you want, sprinkle some coarse sea salt and a spice rub on the skin first. Yummo.

Take all the meat off the bones and dice it, then put the bones in a stock pot and add water to cover.

What? You want to add an onion? Garlic? I didn’t, but you can.

Boil the hell out of it for an hour or more… I bring it to a boil in the morning, leave it simmering during breakfast, turn of the heat then bring it back up to a boil at night.

Grab some clean glass almond butter jars, and fill each about halfway with diced chicken, then fill the other half with fresh or frozen chopped spinach (or chard, or bok choy, or rapini… I won’t judge your choices). Ladle hot broth in to about an inch below the edge of the jar. Sprinkle in some salt, wheat free soy sauce, or lemon juice. Screw the lid on and stick it in the freezer.

Wala! A perfectly Paleo, low carb, deeeelish frozen dinner for some chilly evening when you have no time to cook. Just pop the top off and stick the jar in the microwave.

[Via http://runningonplenty.wordpress.com]

Day 11

Weight- 227 lb.

Food Consumed-  ~1700 Calories
 x1 foot long chicken breast sub from Subway (no sauces), water. a chicken salad, and a california chicken salad from O Charley’s. (That is a lot of chicken haha).

Workout-
Did some core exercises on my exercise ball.

Supplements taken-
Took some multivitamins in the morning.

Overall thoughts-
Pretty boring day today. Attempting to figure out a solution for cardio at home instead of at the gym, but I may be forced to use the equipment at the gym instead if I want to do my cardio daily. This is not completely bad, as the equipment is vastly superior to anything that I will be able to afford, but driving to the gym daily just for cardio makes me frown a little when it is something I could be doing right in my house. My Craigslist search continues.

[Via http://donmichaels.wordpress.com]