W.O.W. April 26th, 2010

Begin with a light warm-up for three to five minutes.

Perform each of the exercises below in sequence, then rest. Repeat three times through before going on to next group of exercises.

You will need 20lb dumbbells for this workout.

Squat hop out and in 20X
(hop wide and then narrow, that counts as one)
Squat Thrust 20X
(also known as a burpee)
Push Up and Row 20X
(Place a dumbbell on the floor between your hands, perform a push up and then pick up the dumbbell performing a row in plank position, that counts as one. Alternate sides.)

Turning Squats 20X
(Bend knees into a squat and as you hop up and out of the squat turn 180 degrees, that counts as one.)
Crouch Squat and Hop 20X
(In a wide stance squat touch both hands to the floor and as you hop out of it reach to the ceiling.)
Slow Bicycle for Abs 20X (right/left counts as one)

Split Lunge 40X
(One foot is forward, the other foot is back. Hop up and switch leg positions, that counts as one.)
Squat Hop with Dumbbells in Hands 20X
(Feet should be close together.)
Tricep Push Up 20X
(A push up with elbows tight to the body.)

Alt Leap or Speed Skater 20X
(Touch hand to the floor in front of foot on every leap, that counts as one.)
Tuck Jump 20X
Dumbbell Bicep Curl, Up 2 counts/Down 4 counts 20X (or whatever you can get)

Squat and Shoulder Press 10X
(Dumbbells by your sides squat down, as you come up perform a bicep curl and then press dumbbells over head.)

Knock yourself out!!

Sweet and Sour Beef with Cabbage

Okay. So I have posted a few chicken breast recipes and will continue to do so but I am also going to post beef recipes. I am a big beef advocate. As long as you choose lean cuts the nutritional pay off is huge. And of course it's high in protein and low in carbs...even when the recipes involve other things besides beef.

Whenever I have complete nutritional information about a particular dish I will include it in the post. Up to this point the chicken breast recipes that I have posted have been from my older files and have been hand written. I do have some recipes that have been copied from who-knows-where and some do have calorie, fat, protein and carbohydrate information.

On that note, here's the recipe:

2 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pound lean beef cut-up for stir-fry
3 cups cut-up cabbage
1/2 cup sweet-and-sour sauce

Heat wok or skillet over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil; rotate wok to coat sides.

Add beef; stir-fry 2 minutes or until brown. Remove beef from wok.

Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to wok; rotate wok to coat side. Add cabbage; stir-fry about 3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Add beef and sweet-and-sour sauce; cook and stir about 2 minutes or until hot.

Prep and cook time is appox. 15 minutes, so super fast. Makes 4 servings.

1 Serving:
Calories 225
Fat 10g
Carb 13g
Protein 22g
Sodium 150mg

W.O.W. April 12th, 2010

Here's your Workout of the Week:

Short and sweet. Warm up for 5 minutes with light jogging or on any piece of cardio equipment. Set a pair of 15 lb dumbbells aside and stake your claim on a treadmill for the next 30 minutes. If you can run outside, all the better.

Run 30 seconds as fast as possible, followed by 30 seconds of rest. Repeat 10 times.

Go find your DBs and perform 15 squat thrusts with hops holding the dumbbells throughout. A squat thrust: holding the dumbbells place both hands (holding the weights) on either side of your legs. Kick your legs back into a plank. Hop back in and hop up out of the squat. Repeat for 15. Perform a total of 3 sets. The movement is diagrammed above.

Run 60 seconds at 75% of your maximum (you should have been able to determine your max, or close, in the first set of intervals) and recover for 60 seconds at an endurance pace (so no walking). Repeat 5 times.

Find those DBs again. With hands holding the dumbbells perform a push up and then row with one arm. Alternate push up/row for a total of 20 reps (that's 10 per side). Repeat 2 more times.

Run for 5 minutes at a uncomfortable pace.

Find your DBs. Alternate lunge while performing a shoulder press. If 15 lbs is a tough weight for you, complete 10 reps otherwise go for 16-20 reps. Repeat for 3 sets.

Run at a comfortable pace for 10 minutes. Stretch.

You. Are. Done.

Roasted Chicken and Potatoes & Potassium

This is a great recipe that combines both protein and good carbs. Until recently I haven't eaten a potato in about 15 years but they have a significant amount of potassium. Potassium has many benefits but the one that I like best is balancing out sodium intake which can decrease water retention and bloating. Those are things my female clients complain about regularly and I can relate. Sodium seems to be in everything we eat these days unless you eat close to the source but without any sauces, which is boring. Even the light dressing or mayo that is used in this recipe has a lot of sodium although you can buy low-sodium salad dressing.

The maximum recommended amount of sodium intake per day is 2,500 mgs. I tracked my sodium for a week and some days it was as high as 5,000 mgs! After I saw that I was able to bring it down to close to 2,500 but it was hard. If you bring your potassium intake up, the negative affects of too much sodium are decreased. A large russet potato (3-4") has 1,500 mgs of potassium which is incredible. One potato can provide almost half of your recommended daily allowance. Everyone seems to know that bananas are a good source of potassium. Other good sources are dried apricots, avocado, tomatoes, broccoli, spinach and oranges. Those are all foods that are healthy anyway and are great to include in your diet every day.

So...here's the recipe:

6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 pound small red potatoes, cut in quarters
1/3 cup of light mayo or light salad dressing*
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 cloves garlic, crashed
Chopped fresh chives, if desired

*Italian, vinaigrette, honey mustard (you may not want to eliminate the Dijon) and even ranch are good choices. Blue cheese and French are not.

Heat over to 350 degrees. Grease a jelly roll pan, 15.5 x 10.5 x 1

Place chicken and potatoes in pan. Mix remaining ingredients except chives; brush over chicken and potatoes.

Bake uncovered 30-35 minutes or until potatoes are tender and juice of chicken is no longer pink at the center. Sprinkle with chives.

Now go eat and revel in the knowledge that you are including so many good nutrients in your diet.

Workout Of the Week April 1st

I haven't posted a workout for awhile so I think it's time. You all know I am all about intervals. I don't think any of us has time to waste so don't do it by getting on a piece of cardio equipment and slogging along for 45 minutes while you zone out to whatever is playing on the club's televisions. Walking outside has tons of benefits - nothing can beat fresh air, especially now that Spring has arrived - but don't forget, fat loss is not one of them.

Here's the workout:

First start out with Dillon lunges. I call them that because the owner of the studio where I train my clients does them with her clients all the time and they are awesome.

Take a GIANT step forward, lean down and touch the ground with BOTH hands just to the inside of the front foot. Continue that same movement as you walk forward (find a long hallway or place in your gym that you can cover some space). Perform a set of about 20 total steps. Immediately follow the Dillon lunges with squat and drop. Perform a wide squat then pivot to the right and drop into a lunge. Repeat left and continue R then L for a count of 10 - R/L counts as one. The lunge in this pattern is slightly diagonal, not completely to the side. It should feel fairly natural to perform. Take a short break and then complete two more cycles of both exercises.

Now find a treadmill or a 3 mile route outside with a steep hill somewhere around the middle of the route. I prefer outside just because of all the other benefits associated with being outside (fresh air, sense of well-being, anxiety/stress release because of the wide-open space, etc). Jog to warm up, about 5-10 minutes. If you are outside the route will dictate how much you will warm up. Once you get to the hill run up it as fast as you can and jog slowly back down, taking small steps. Repeat the hill runs 10 times. Jog home. If you are on a treadmill take the incline up to the highest setting which is usually 15%. You will also need to increase the pace to something that is super hard. Run that hill for 15-20 secs then decrease both speed and incline. Repeat 10 times. As you can see running this routine on a treadmill is somewhat more cumbersome so I suggest you go outside.

You should be gasping for air at the top of the hill. Have fun.