Foot Numbness and Apple Cider Vinegar

So hello from your tired blogger! I am so very tired today I do not know why! Must be the snow snow and more snow that we are getting!! Not much to report on. Just doing your average Physical therapy, kicking butt at the gym and dancing routine!! I am loving Pinterest these days. I have found some awesome workouts on there for the days I want to circuit train! The weird thing to report is that I am having this weird numbness on the top of my foot. I have had numbness in that area since my surgery (no where near the incision site) but now it is a different sensation. If I am on the foot a lot, I am getting a tingling in it like the whole foot is asleep and then I get that blood rush like you get when it wakes up. I hope this is more that the numbness is going away and a good sign (since some of the numbness is starting to subside) and not a permanent thing because it is no fun!

 

Apple Cider Vinegar?

So what are everyone’s thoughts on Apple Cider Vinegar? I was always a little weary of it because A)the taste is bad and B) I have heard some so so things. But I decided to give it a go this week and start drinking it and let me tell you, it is a wonderous thing! It helps with everything from metabolism to digestion and in between. I refuse to drink it straight because that is gross and well that cannot be good for your teeth to drink straight vinegar. I dilute it with about a half cup of 100% juice and pure honey and drink it every morning as I am getting ready for work. I feel more energized and the stomach issues I have had are subsiding. I recommend everyone giving it a try by drinking it and even using the product as a household item. Check this article out for the many different ways you can use this product! 15 Uses for Apple Cider Vinegar Now I recommend if you are going to use ACV, to use the Bragg brand with the mother in it. This is the real deal! No Heinz apple cider vinegar, it just will not be the same!!

Alright friends, it is time to get ready to dance my little heart out!

So thoughts, do you like ACV? What are some of your favorite concoctions to drink?

Snow Day

So it is cold….okay so it is not cold if you went to school in Potsdam with me, but it is cold for this area. Negative 5 wind chill and 10 degrees actual. Yesterday, it was so cold that I spilled coffee on my pants while I was outside and it was steaming off of my pants. Yes steam coming off of my pants. Weird site let me tell you!! Today, we get to work and all of a sudden we get this burning smell. Like when someone burned plastic in the microwave….or when you burn a whole bag of popcorn in the microwave….c’mon you have all done that!! I had black smoke once from my microwave because of black popcorn….and I had company over…yeah big oops! So anyways, one of the motors in our heater fried so it smelt like burnt popcorn for a while. At least it is Friday!!!

So I cannot wait to share my new recipe I made for lunch on Wednesday. It is my take on savory oatmeal and it is so easy peasy! Has anyone ventured into the Savory Oatmeal world? It is actually really good and I highly recommend it!!! I was hesitant but I actually enjoyed it. I will share it in the next few days after I photograph it. I didn’t expect it to share worthy good so I didn’t take pictures. I need to have more faith in myself!!

 

Snow Day Exercise

Okay so when you have a snow day, what is the easiest thing to do? Not do anything but cuddle up and watch movies right? We all are guilty of that and you know what? Part of the day could be devoted to just cuddling up with some hot cocoa and relaxing. But part of the day we should get moving. You’ll feel better and more energized if you get a workout in. Now some people do not want to work out if they cannot get outside or get to a gym, but there are so many things you can do! If you have access to a treadmill or bike, that is a great start! Even if you do not, you can find so many workouts that are deemed “Home workouts” that you can do anywhere. Since you have all of this time on your hands if you are snowed in, challenge yourself and try one out. Even if you cannot get through the whole thing, do what you can! You’ll feel great about yourself! I challenged myself to this workout called “The NFL Cheerleader Workout”

NFL Cheerleader Workout<------Check this out!

I started out my warmup with a quick run on the treadmill and there was one part where the exercise caused for resistance bands that I did not have, but I did some calf stretches instead which is part of my PT. This exercise was hardcore! Lots of pushups, planks and total body movements. The best part of the workout was the 10 minute full out dance party break. A dance party burns so many calories and it really just lets you let loose and is a great stress reducer. After I was done with that workout, I did my plank challenge from my FB friend YourFItness411 (everyone should follow her on Facebook for some amazing fitness and nutrition tips. She is excellent!!). I felt amazing and alert after that. I love switching up my workouts and giving myself a challenge. I almost quit because the exercise required jumping and I was worried about my ankle. I decided to go for it. The first couple of jumps were murky, but once it loosened up, it felt great. If you are going to do jumping in a workout, make sure that you land softly and bend your knees so that you don’t put all of the pressure on your ankles. If you land slowly, softly and thoughtfully, you will not hurt your joints! I am so glad I powered through the workout. Make sure after any workout though, you take the time to stretch. I am guilty of not always doing that, but it makes a huge difference!!

So after my workout, I studied and then got an extra calorie burn by shoveling as well (as I have mentioned, shoveling is a great way to burn calories as well. No not snow blowing, which is a great time saver, I mean old fashioned shoveling!!). Between the workout and the shoveling, my body was so sore by the end of the night, but a good sore!!

Now everyone should weigh in……If you had a snow day, did you get a workout in? What workout? Do you ever challenge yourself in your workouts?

Weekend Adventures and Party Nutrition Tips

Well it is snowing……what a shocker I know! It is a very snowy winter this year. We either get no snow or we get walloped with a bunch of storms. Now this isn’t a lot of snow for upstate, but trust me LI people cannot drive in the snow! The drive in as it started to snow? Not bad. The drive home today? HORRIBLE! Be careful my fellow snowbirds!

I had a great weekend this weekend! Friday was just a chill down night. Saturday I studied for a work test and cleaned during the day and then I went to my cousin’s party which was a blast!! I learned a lot about myself at that party more that I put too much on myself and that I need to think of myself sometimes!! I also scored some awesome jewelry pieces to add to my slowly expanding collection. And I will show pictures later after I get batteries in my camera :/

I am glad I made it there because Saturday morning during my workout, I hurt my neck going from a full plank back into a forearm plank and I heard my neck crack as my body weight when into it. Luckily with some Aleve and heat it feels fine now. I was able to get to the party with some pain and had to cancel my training session at the gym Sunday, but when I woke up yesterday, it felt fine! Thank goodness for that!! Anyways so then Sunday no gym session, but I did manage to squeeze in a movie. I am on a quest to see as many Oscar nominated films that I can before the award show. First up: American Hustle. I have to say that the acting was phenomenal. They really are so engulfed in their characters that you forget you are watching Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper etc, you just see the characters they portray and that is great acting. The story line was good, not the best but I love the concept! I think it is one of those movies you need to see more than once to really appreciate. I get why they won for Best cast at the SAG awards, but the fact that they didn’t win for the individual roles at the SAG (although the two girls one Golden Globes) makes me really want to see movies like Dallas Buyer’s Club who Jared and Matthew are snatching up all the awards because their acting must be out of this world, or at least I hope it is because their acting is going to be hard to beat!

 

Eating for a Party

Okay so how do you prep to eat at a party? That is hard because most people will starve themselves the day of a party thinking then that they can eat everything. That isn’t the way to go! You are going to overeat! My little piece of advice is that the day of the party, you should eat a lot of protein and drink a lot of water. Why? Because water will keep you feeling fuller and also help you flush your system. Party foods tend to be higher in sodium so you want to keep flushing your system to get rid of the excess salt. Protein will also help you stay full longer. This way when you get to the party, you aren’t going to overeat there. Overeating makes us feel sluggish and is not good for your body. So then what do you do when you are at a party? You aren’t going to NOT eat. That is unrealistic, torturous and rude to the person who went out of their way to buy all of that food to entertain their guests. So here is what you do. If it is a buffet style party, scope the buffet, see what they have and find that one thing you may want to splurge on (whether it is sausage and peppers or eggplant, etc) and get some of that (don’t fill your whole plate with it, just enough that you feel you aren’t going overboard, but aren’t feeling deprived). This should be maybe a quarter to a third of your plate. If you can’t get just one, get two things as long as it is only a small portion of your plate. The rest of the plate you should fill up on healthy veggies or a salad. This way, you get a little bit of what you want, and you also aren’t being rude to your host. Now if it is a picking type party (like appetizers or snacks) than make sure you do not sit within reaching distance of the food. If you constantly have to get up to get more, you are more accountable for what you are eating than if you are mindlessly picking. Last tip, limit the alcohol. Now I am not saying you can’t drink (hey it is a party, you should be able to let loose if you want and have a drink) but don’t go crazy. Why? A) Drinks have calories too and can be sugar based and B) the more you drink, the more you lose you inhibitions which can lead to eating more than you normally would. Now I am not saying do not enjoy the party and cheat a bit, we are human, we need to relax sometimes! But you do not have to derail your diet either for a party. Some enjoy a little bit of the food you love, have a drink (if that is your thing) and cheers!

Dance and Spices

So I went back to dance last night. I was so happy to get back into it. Here is a picture of me ready to go to dance

See that smiling face! I went in knowing that it wasn’t going to be easy, and I was extremely nervous about doing anything that would tweak my ankle. It was great just being back into the studio and doing my thang! We took it slow and worked on small tweaks that needed to be made. Later that night, Ed told me that I needed to go to sleep and I said why? And he said because you do not realize how tired you really are and how much that session took out of you! He was right! As much as it wasn’t a sweat induced session, dance has so many little intricacies and little movements that you don’t realize how much it adds up. It is also a mental game and you have to remember where to place this foot or that hip that yes it is very tiring and I am feeling my abs a bit today! I was so excited because as I was practicing a step in the bathroom at work (yes I practice in my bathroom at work when no one is around, don’t judge!!) the step we were working on finally clicked! He has been showing this step to us and trying to show us the right way to do it for a little while now and finally BAM! it just clicked today! I was so excited I can’t wait to try it with Ed!

 

Sugar and Spice

Okay so this area has nothing to do with sugar sorry guys! But I will be speaking about spices in some upcoming posts. First up? Cinnamon! So it is sweet like sugar so does that count? Cinnamon is such a great spice and so versatile. It can be used to add a flavor to your favorite meal or to counterbalance a spicy meal. One of the best ways to use cinnamon is to use it in lieu of sugar in drinks like coffee or tea. Today I put it in my teecino (which I have started to drink black lately and it is soo good that way. It isn’t acidic like coffee so it doesn’t have that bitter aftertaste that coffee can have especially black coffee so it doesn’t need milk or cream!). Anyways sorry I got on a rant. Back to your regularly scheduled program. So I put it in my Teecino and it tasted ahmazing! Cinnamon is naturally sweet and thus can be a great alternative to sugar in some instances. Of course, some flavors do not mix well with cinnamon so it may not work as well for everything but when you can you should give it a try! Something I want to try soon is I want to brew coffee and add cinnamon right to the coffee grinds so it brews through and creates a cinnamony goodness!

So aside from being a good sweetener, cinnamon has a few big health benefits; one being it balances your blood sugar. When your blood sugar is balanced, your insulin levels are in check. When your insulin levels are out of whack (especially if you are hypoglycemic, diabetic or tend to just eat a lot of sugar) your pancreas has to work harder which can cause inflammation and metabolic issues. By eating cinnamon, you balance your levels which can cause an increase in your metabolism and overall a healthier system. Who doesn’t want to be healthy? That along with the antioxidant punch the spice gives you and I would say that is one sweet spice you got there!

Okay until next time!

Murfee

     Yesterday our family went through a sad time. We lost Murfee, my in-laws 16 year old dog. This was from when I watched him on the 4th of July. He wasn’t technically my dog, but him and I spent many a holiday together when my in-laws went out of town and as some of you know, we have been living in their basement apartment while we get ready to move into a house so I feel like he is part of my family. I haven’t had my own dog since I was a kid, so I feel very close to him. He was gentle and kind and just wanted to be loved and trust me he got plenty of love in this family. I still think I am going to hear him go out at night.  We will miss you Murfee and you will always be in our hearts .

 

There is no fitness post today. I just wanted everyone to take the time to hug their four legged friends (or your two legged friends or if you have no animal friends, just your family). You never know what will happen. Life is too short and my heart hurts today. Sometimes the best medicine isn’t exercise and nutritious food, but it is love and family. So everyone show and receive love today. That is today’s exercise. Just go out and recognize just how lucky we all are and how loved we all are <3.

 

Okay tomorrow we will resume normal operations.

you Murf

Low Impact Sundays

      Ever have one of those days that tests you? That the universe says “I’m going to let everything just go wrong and  test your patience to see how much you can take?” Yeah I had one of those days yesterday and I woke up still feeling that way. When I get into funks like this, I usually can hit the gym and snap out of it. We shall see!!  How do you snap out of funks?  I am looking forward to a major sweat session at the gym!! As I said I like to wake up and eat and enjoy my breakfast (oatmeal  and coffee of course!!) then sit and digest and then hit the gym. My weekends are so routine. I tell my husband that we are the oldest 30 something’s ever…I tell him we are 90! My Grandmother who is 85 has a better social life than us!!  There was a time when I must have called her for something and left her a message. Than we do our thing and go to sleep. I wake up the next morning to a message on my answering machine from her saying how she just got in and blah blah blah. I turned to Eddie and said “We were asleep before my 83 (at the time) year old Grandmother. What is wrong with this picture?

Are you guys early birds or nightowls?

Low impact Sundays

    So one of the questions that were asked of me is if I knew of any good low impact workouts. A lot of people have problems with their joints and still want to work out but they do not know where to start. I am going to start a segment on my blog called “Low Impact Sundays.” Sundays are days people tend to relax and take it easy, so I thought it fit. Also, most people tend to start a new routine on Monday so if you read something here you like on Sunday, you are armed and ready to start it on Monday!

      Today I am going to focus on the one thing that I feel is the most neglected part of our workout routines. We work hard in our sessions and run our bodies to the max, but then we do not take the time to give it some TLC at the end or beginning of our workouts. What do I mean? We do not stretch our bodies. Stretching is so important on its own and at the end of each workout. It helps get rid of the some of the lactic acid we build up when we workout. Have you ever noticed after a hard sweat session that the next day the parts you work are tightened up? That is because you did not stretch them properly when you are done.

    Stretching though can be a workout on its own. Miranda Esmonde White (who was a ballerina) created a no impact workout which focuses on stretching which is called…wait for it… Classical Stretch .  It is a combination of tai chi and yoga and stretching. It is an excellent workout on its own that you can do in your living room. Before my surgery, I used to do it every morning before getting ready for work. It really helps people young, old, male or female. Stretching can help prevent injury and this program I have seen help people bounce back from injury. My mom (hi mom!) has sciatica in her back and she couldn’t bend down. After doing this program every day for about a month she was able to squat down and get back up no problem. Being a dancer I know how important stretching is and now that I am cleared, I plan on starting this program up every day. Best part? it is about 20-25 minutes long. And don’t be fooled, this program isn’t easy, you will work and some of the programs you might even sweat a little. But it is easy. All it requires is a chair, a mat (if you want) and that is it. No shoes!  Check your cable provider because if you have NYCHD it is on every morning (except Saturdays) from 6-6:30 am. If you do not, she sells DVD’s or if you live near me, I have some of the shows on DVD I can lend you.

 

Happy Stretching

Yogurt Celebration

 

Celebration Yogurt

So unfortunately I did not go to dance last night, my dance instructor had a family emergencyL. However, he gave me plenty of things to work on before I get back into the studio on Wednesday so I am officially back in dance training beast mode! J. I know this is going to be a slow and frustrating process, but it will be worth it in the end! So instead of dance, Eddie (my husband) and I headed out for celebratory fro-yo. Look at how neat his looks

And mine is kind of droopy looking!

(Or as he put it the unhealthy version (his) and the healthy one (mine). What I love about the frozen yogurt shop we go to is that they have fro-yo for everyone. Regular gelato, gluten free variety, dairy free flavors and they always have two sugar free (well no sugar added) flavors that they constantly rotate. What is great about their no sugar added flavors is that they do not add chemicals to compensate for the no sugar, it is all natural. That is great for someone like me who cannot have a lot of sugar but who tries to avoid the fake stuff as well (if I add sweetener to anything it is 100% stevia, maple syrup or honey).

So today I am definitely in a chill mood. I love the knowledge that I am free to do any exercise I want (although I am quite nervous let me tell you!), and knowing that I have a great lunch also makes my day (recipe below). Also, I get to enjoy my lunch with Teecino which you know I love! Today I have the tea bag version in Hazelnut flavor.

Love the cup? That was a Christmas gift from a co-worker. She always gets gifts to fit our personalities and this year she didn’t disappoint! I am a fashionista at heart! Okay back to the Teecino. So I think the teabag is definitely more convenient (especially when you are enjoying it away from home) but I think the ground version is just a hint stronger and so you get to enjoy the flavor more. Just an opinion!

 

Lunch

So one day last year. I looked in my fridge and noticed that we had Greek Yogurt that needed to be eaten that week (I am a stickler for using it within the week that you opened it, I read and follow labels like crazy!!). So somehow the brilliant idea was hatched of mixing fruit and peanut butter in my Greek Yogurt and see what happened. Now the trick to this is making sure the strawberries you use are frozen strawberries so that as it dethaws in the fridge, the juice mixes in with the Greek Yogurt making it less tangy and more delicious!! Well the day I made this, I brought it to work (not knowing if it was going to be amazing or a disaster) and then I got a call at work asking if I wanted to go to lunch. I never pass up a lunch date with my friends and/or family, so I decided to go. Before I did, I tasted my concoction…..and well I almost wanted to cancel my lunch date it was that good (I didn’t but it was tempting!!) Instead I ate it for dinner and put it on a frozen Whole Grain Waffle and yep still good that night (yes not very dinner like but it was that good l didn’t care!! And besides it almost became a breakfast for dinner meal and who can pass up breakfast foods?)

So anyways lately I have been on a salad or quinoa kick…like to the point where I am surprised I didn’t turn into a salad or quinoa bowl! I seem to get on kicks with food and continue to eat the same thing to the point where I get tired of it and that is no fun! I don’t want to get to that point with quiona bowls or salads because they are good food! I needed a change this week so I vowed no salad and no quinoa if it was the last thing I did and let me tell you it has been a success! I almost reverted back today because I couldn’t think of what to bring. Then I remembered this recipe I made from last year and knew I had everything to make it so I hopped to it!!

PB Fruit Yogurt

½ cup of Plain Greek Yogurt

½ a banana

¼ cup of frozen Strawberries

1-2 tablespoons of natural Peanut Butter (only ingredient is Peanut Butter)*

Sweetener (optional)

1-2 Whole Grain (or gf) Waffle, toasted (Optional)

1. Put the Yogurt, banana, strawberries and Peanut butter in a container do NOT and put in the fridge for a few hours or overnight (if you want it for breakfast which would be good!)

2. When ready to eat, take it out of the fridge and mix the peanut butter and yogurt together. Smash the strawberries and mix them as well to really get the juices and strawberries to mix in with the PB yogurt.

3. Add sweetener if desired. Greek Yogurt tends to be tangy so I do add 1 packet of 100% stevia to my mix. However, the strawberries and bananas might be just enough for you!

4. If you really want to have fun, you can toast one or two waffles and top the waffles with the  yogurt mixture. I will warn you though, this is a messy meal!!

*If you are allergic to Peanut Butter or do not like Peanut butter, you can try and substitute it for another type of butter (like sun or almond butter) as long as it is all natural. I am normally an almond butter girl myself, but I did eat this recipe with Peanut Butter and loved it! Let me know if you try it with another type of butter!!

Here is my before mixture

And after I stirred it.

It may not look so appetizing but it really is!! I have eaten it with waffles and without and it is really a matter of preference because they are both good. If you want to get the banana split approach to this yogurt, feel free to add almonds and dark chocolate chips/cocoa powder. I haven’t done this before so I cannot vouch for it, but it sounds yummy!!

Tell me….have you ever made an experimental meal and have it come out fantastic?

Doctor’s report/Exercise Guidelines

Well…..I went to the orthopedist today…..and he CLEARED ME TO GO BACK TO ALL ACTIVITIES NO RESTRICTIONS!! Whooho!! Dance here I come!! I might be going back to dance as early as tonight! (yes I do not waste any time here people!). The nurse in the office (whom I have grown to like…not so much in the beginning and will miss after my last appointment in March) asked me how long ago my surgery was and when I said a little under four months (four months on the 13th)  she said that I am moving so quickly! The fastest they usually  send people back to all sports like activities is four months and I am almost a week shy of that even! That is why it is so important to take care of yourself before and during recovery!! .

   Now realistically I know I am not running any marathons or doing any dance competitions today (maybe tomorrow lol), but it is nice to get back into it. It will be a slow and grueling process to get back into training mode, but I am ready! I will not be in these anytime soon (sorry you have to look at my unpainted and red toes!), but I do have a nifty pair of dance sneakers which will be my new best friend for the next couple of months. now look at the bottom and see how they bend These are a dancer’s best friend let me tell you! All dancers (or zumba pals, or any dance fitness person or anyone who likes to dance, you get the hint!) should have a pair of these shoes!! So good!  They give you the flexibility of a dance shoe with the support of a sneaker. My sister in-law told me about them a few years ago and they were the best investment I have made! Now we sit and wait and see if I will be making my dance comeback tonight!

When Should You Exercise

Now my Aunt asked me two questions which I will address below (I love my family!) Now before I start answering these questions please know that this is just my opinion and not a fact. This is just what I feel and there will be others who do not agree with me and that is fine. Feel free to share your opinion on these questions in the comments box.

So first, when should you exercise? I say whenever you can exercise! Those calories you are burning will come off whether you burn them in the morning or at night. Now here is the one exception though. Your exercise should not interfere with your sleep. Yes people will sacrifice their sleep to workout. Personally, if my husband knew I was thinking of doing that he would think I was crazy (well crazier than I am) because to him sleep is the most important thing. Joking aside, if you are someone who likes to stay up late and than tries to get a workout in the morning, you could be doing more harm than good. Sleep is needed for recovery and for your overall health. Plus don’t you notice that when you sleep less, you are more likely to reach for that second cookie (or pizza or whatever) than when you are rested. It is true. Your metabolism is out of wack and you eating patterns can get off.  If you are a night owl, then you should perhaps workout later in the day or try and get to bed earlier if you can so you don’t sacrifice your sleep.

On the other hand, you shouldn’t exercise and then go straight to bed either (unless it is a workout like a PM yoga that is meant to help you sleep). The reason for that is your body temperature rises when you workout, and it is hard to fall asleep when your temperature is higher than expected (just think of how hard it is to fall asleep when you are hot). You need to wait a little while to allow your body temperature to come down to a reasonable temperature!

So how do you get yourself to workout later after work if you are not someone who can workout in the morning (and trust me I can barely get up to go to work in the morning!)  Make yourself accountable. I bring my workout clothes to work with me. If I make the effort to pack my workout clothes and even change before I leave work, then I feel like I have to workout since I made that effort to have my gear with me. Also, set a date to meet a trainer or a friend at the gym or the park. If you are supposed to meet someone to workout with, you are not only cancelling on yourself if you do not go, but letting someone else down too so you are more likely to go then to bail out. If you are someone that works out at home, you can still bring your workout clothes to work with you and change. That way when you get home to workout, you are ready to go and you do not have to “make that effort” to change before heading out for a run or doing a workout dvd (or whatever your heart desires).

Should you eat before working out?

This is also something that is a matter of opinion, but I will share mine with you! If I am waking up and working out right away (which is not usually my thing) then I usually will not eat before working out. As long as you ate a decent dinner then night before (and I do not mean a 2pm early bird dinner I mean a dinner in the dinnertime hours!) than you should have enough fuel to fuel yourself for a morning sweat session with no problems. If however you did not have a good meal the night before or you wait a couple of hours after waking up to work out (which is what I do on the weekends) than I suggest you eating a meal full of good carbs (for energy). See here is the thing, if your body does not have fuel to burn for your workout, then your body has to look for something to burn. If you have fuel, it will more likely burn fat for energy, but if you do not have fuel, than it will more likely burn muscle instead. And well who wants to burn those guns that you have been working hard to achieve! Not me! I work hard for my muscles and I want to keep it!! So lets put it this way. If you have time in the morning to eat breakfast, then at least eat something light before going out to workout (but wait about an hour or so or you might have digestion issues). If you do not have that time (lets say you want to get a session in before going to work), than you should be okay as long as you ate a decent meal the night before.

Now here is my tip for you that is uber important….listen up!   No matter if you eat before a workout or not, you MUST make sure you are properly hydrated before you workout. If you try to workout without being hydrated, you will not only be able to complete your workout but you risk injury to your body and possible fainting and other complications from dehydration. When you workout your body utilizes more liquids than being sedentary, so you have to make sure that you are properly hydrated before working out. Also, make sure you eat something after you work out. When you work out, you are breaking down muscle fibers and you need the proper fuel to repair them. Again, we work hard for our muscles, so we want to treat them right so that you look and feel your best! Just make sure that the food you eat is high in protein because this is what the muscles need to repair themselves. Just do not go overboard, if you are ready for a snack, than keep it under 200 calories. If it is time for a meal, than just eat your normal nutritious meal (just make sure it is high in protein).

Okay I am getting off my soap box now.

I hope you continue to comment below with your questions!! I will do my best to answer them!!!

Spinach and Fruit and Polar Watch

      Well….no doctor’s appointment tomorrow. They had to postpone it until Wednesday probably because my doctor was stuck and could not get a flight home. When I told the women that I needed to get cleared for dance, she was happy to accommodate me and give me an appointment on Wednesday which was great because dance lessons are Wednesday so I should be on track still!! So as much as I would have liked to hear “You are cleared to dance” tomorrow, I can wait until Wednesday. What will be very is if he said that I couldn’t dance yet but I am not expecting to hear that. He pretty much hinted last time that I would be cleared at this appointment!

I was excited to use my Polar Watch for the first time today. For those who are unfamiliar with the Polar Watch, it is a watch that has a strap with electrodes that attaches to you and when you put it in training mode, it tracks your calories and heart rate. What is cool is that if you use most of the cardio machines, your heart rate will automatically display on the machine. I highly recommend the watch because it can help you track how efficient your workout is by tracking your heart rate and showing you if  you stayed in the targeted zone and for how long as well as your average heart rate and maximum rate. It is a great training tool in my humble opinion. It comes in a variety of colors. Mine is pink of course!  My time and calories were as follows:

Not my best time and calories burned, but considering I am coming off of surgery, I will take it! I did a 5 minute elliptical warm-up, a 6.5 minute run, and then various leg and ab workouts followed by a minute run on the step (to test my foot) and a lot of stretching after. I cannot wait to see the numbers on the watch when I get back to cross fit type workouts and dance!!  Even so, I had a blast doing my workouts!!

Spinach and Fruits

So I had my first fitness question that one of my followers would like me to answer. Yes okay so it was my mother who asked me, but hey I am still excited about it!! She wanted to know if it was true that you should eat leafy greens with fruits. Well the answer is yes if that leafy green is spinach and that fruit is loaded with Vitamin C. According to a few sources I have read, (and here is a link to one of them) http://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/everyone/basics/vitamins/iron.html Vitamin C helps absorb the iron in the spinach especially if they are eaten at the same meal. This is so important because most women do not get enough iron in their diets and this is a surefire way that the iron you do ingest gets absorbed properly!

The easiest way this can be done is be having a green smoothie. Now if you haven’t tried these, than you may be wary of putting spinach in your smoothie, but trust me, you will not regret it. The smoothie will take on the green color of the spinach, but trust me, spinach has such a mild taste, that you will not be able to taste it.

Here is a recipe for one of my favorite green drink concoctions. Now every meal should have a healthy carb, fruit/vegetable, healthy fat, and protein and this is no exception. Avocado’s are great in smoothies because they make them creamier and again you will not taste it. You will just get the taste of the Strawberry and Chocolate. Here you go. I hope you enjoy!!

Chocolate Covered Strawberries Green drink

½ C of Strawberries

1-2 cups of fresh spinach

1 Cup of Water or Milk of choice (I either use all Almond milk or half water and half Almond Milk)

¼-½ of an avocado (skin removed) (Optional, but I would keep it in!)

1 scoop of chocolate protein powder

1-2 packets of stevia or natural sweetener of choice* (optional)

Ice

Directions.

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until completed mixed. Serve immediately.

*Natural sweeteners include 100% pure maple syrup, honey, coconut sugar, or anything that is not artificially sweetened or regular white sugar.

If you make this recipe with one cup of almond milk, two cups of spinach and half an avocado, it is about 300 calories. Feel free to adjust as needed. Perhaps you already know you are getting a higher amount of good fats in today, you can always use ¼ of an avocado. I have other alternatives for green drinks and will devote a whole blog segment in what I believe should be in a green drink at a later date. Something for you all to look forward to!!

Question of the day…..Do you have a nutrition question you would like me to answer? Comment below with your question and I will do my best to answer it in a future post!!

Ankle and Oatmeal

     So I'm  sitting here this afternoon sipping my teecino and looking at our tree for the last time. It is coming down tonight or tomorrow. This time of year when the tree comes down and the holiday really is over can get depressing, but I am actually looking forward to the next few weeks. If you do not know what happened, I had reconstructive ankle surgery in September. Long story short, my ligaments were too loose which resulted in numerous sprains and chronic tendonitis in my ankle My husband and I are amateur competitive American Rhythm dancers (similar to Latin dancing) and it got to the point where I had to cancel all of my summer competitions because I couldn’t even stand in my heels anymore and my calfs were constantly getting Charlie Horses. Ouch!! Everytime I ran that night or next day resulted in pain. It was something that needed to be done! So in September I went in for surgery, and for a while I looked like this and then I got even cooler when I transitioned to this Yes my nails are painted. My husband painted my toenails to match my crutches which were pink and black leopard (yes I know you are jealous because I have the best husband and I had awesome crutches!). Those crutches were the talk of the town!  So I have had a normal foot with no crutches or boot or anything since the end of October to beginning of September. I am now in PT and let me tell you because I am an athlete, they are making my sessions no joke!!! I am happy to say that I am running now for 5 minutes at a 4.5. It might not sound like a lot but coming from someone who could barely walk a few months ago, I’ll take it!
Now the good news I should be cleared to dance on Tuesday (fingers crossed). I am so excited!! It will be a slow process to come back, but I am ready for it!!
Would you guys like a post on how to eat right and stay in the game when you are recovering from an injury or surgery? I have been told by my doctors and therapists that I am healing so great and ahead of schedule, I would love to share my recovery story with you guys if you are interested.

Recipe of the day

I am an oatmeal freak. I love oatmeal. I eat it pretty much every morning. In fact, I have a go to recipe that I make at least four times a week because well it is really good and most mornings I am on autopilot and need something that I do not need to think about! It is easy and I can pretty much make it in my sleep. To me, breakfast should not be a small meal that you grab. It should be substantial so that it carries you through the day and prevents you from binging later in the day. My breakfasts are usually on the low end about 250 and can be up to 350-375 calories depending on what I am doing that day. This recipe is about 320 calories.
Now if I am cooking my oatmeal in the microwave like in this recipe, I use quick cooking oats because rolled oats do not cook well in the microwave in my opinion. If I am doing overnight, stovetop or baked oatmeal, I stick to rolled oats or quick cooking steel cut oats (which everyone needs to invest in, it is so good!). This recipe was derived from a Banana split recipe I found a long time ago. I prefer to use berries instead of banana and strawberry  and dark chocolate  then milk chocolate so I made it my own. This is like dessert for breakfast and it gives you the healthy indulgence and antioxidants of dark chocolate chips, your fruit, fiber and healthy fats and protein from your almonds! It might be indulgent for some, but it works for me and I find myself not craving sweets after having this in the morning!

Berry Sundae Oatmeal
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
slightly less than a cup of water
1/4 cup of frozen strawberries*
1/4 cup of frozen blueberries*
2 tablespoons of slivered almonds
a handful of dark chocolate chips (I put in about 12 chips)
*You can change the fruit up by using 1/2 a cup of mixed berries instead of the strawberries and blueberries, or substitute the blueberries for raspberries for a new take on the recipe
Directions:
1. Pour the oatmeal and water in a bowl and set aside
2. Place your strawberries and blueberries on a plate and heat it up for about 40-50 seconds until they are not frozen anymore.
3. Place the oatmeal in the microwave with a paper towel over the bowl and heat it up for 1 and a half minutes. Take the paper towel off and heat it for another 15 seconds
4. Take the oatmeal out of the microwave and top it with blueberries and strawberries.
5. Top that with the slivered almonds and chocolate chips. Mix it up and enjoy!
(This is before I mixed it up. When you mix it up the chocolate melts and you get chocolate goodness!)

Sound off….Do you guys have a go to breakfast that you make most mornings? Please share what you have!

Winter Wonderland!

    Most of the Northeast has gotten hit with the Blizzard Hercules (since when are Blizzards named?) I knew when it looked like this when I woke up…

I knew I wasn’t going in. See those footsteps? My husband wasn’t so lucky! He had to! So I watched some News 12, enjoyed my breakfast and got an outdoor workout in by shoveling. That is such a good workout! The good news? The snow was light so it moved easily? Bad news? The snow is light so the wind moves it easily!  I learned from my Potsdam days that if it is cold out to dress in layers! Make sure if you are going outside that you dress accordingly or if you don’t you risk frostbite! I had a runners thermal shirt, a teeshirt over that, my husbands new wicking sweatshirt (thanks babe!) then yoga pants, snow pants, two layers of socks and snow boots, a hat, a hood and waterproof gloves! Of course I had the little child syndrome that I had to use the bathroom once all of that was on! Even with that on, my feet were numb when I was done! Now we are all shoveled out and it is time to enjoy a hot drink and lunch.

My product of the day

      Each entry, I will feature a WOD, product of the day or recipe. My product of the day is Teecino. It is an herbal coffee that has no caffeine but gives you a boost naturally. It is great for those who like coffee, but may not want the caffeine. My Husband and I want to try and have kids soon, so I am trying to limit my coffee intake now so that it is not a shock to my system when I have to cut down for real. Don’t get me wrong, this girl still loves her Morning Joe and cannot cut it out permanently, but this my alternative when I get to the afternoon (after my two cup maximum I have given myself).  This product comes in ground form or in tea bag form. As you can see I love them both!

 

and it looks like regular coffee

It tastes like coffee too! I have my brother in-law addicted to this stuff because it is that good! Warms you up just like your cup o’joe!

 

Okay lunch time. My Mother in-law made sandwiches yum!

Welcome to my blog!

Welcome to my blog! If you do not know me, my name is Jaime and I live on Long Island. I am just a typical 30-something girl, married, no kids and living the “American Dream.”  I love to dance (I am an amateur competitive dancer with my husband), I work out as much as I can and I love to eat healthy (although taste comes first!). My blog will be to track what is going on with my hobbies and life, as well as to give you some of my favorite healthy items and workouts. I will also post some recipes I will try and show you a glimpse into my life through words and pictures. I am not a superhero, I do cheat!  I especially love my bagels and I think cheating is good as long as your cheating occurs in moderation (85% healthy, 15% cheating!) I hope you join me on my journey and see how I handle this crazy thing I call life .