Lean Body Diet & Workout

It's January and everyone is looking to clean up their act; by act I mean diet and exercise regime.
I get asked all the time how to get leaner (lose body fat). My first response is to clean up your diet (1), my second piece of advice is to encourage moving more and in a variety of ways (2).

1.) Eat real food. DO NOT start a juice cleanse or "diet." Both of those may "work" in the short term, but if you're really ready to see your body change you have to think long term. Start by making small sustainable changes, adding more vegetables to your diet to crowd out the bad, then start cutting added sugars, maybe then look at your protein consumption and quality of the sources. There are so many thing you can do to improve you diet that it can be over whelming. Give yourself a week to feel comfortable and confident in each change you make. You'll also be able to use this time to key in to the way your body feels....some changes have drastic affects on the way we look and feel, so listen to your body!

What is real food? Avoid processed foods, even ones advertised as good for you. (diet soda, cold cereal, bars, etc) Focus on veggies, protein, high quality fats, fruit and water.

2.) Moving could be taking your dog for a walk, cleaning the house, or actually setting aside time for a workout.

If you're already doing all those things and still struggling to lose body fat you may need to examine the type of exercise your doing and what it does to your hormones. Hormones play a key role in body composition and we want our bodies to have a healthy ratio of muscle to fat. To burn more fat we need to build/maintain muscle mass through exercise and diet so let's look at a couple things that we can do help us burn more fat.

- Strength Training (Think core lifts, dead lifts, squats, pressing etc) (encourages growth hormone & testosterone for healthy muscle growth... the more muscle you have the more calories your body will burn, even at rest.)

- Interval Training (aka HIIT) (elicits increase in caloric burn and EPOC)

- More Sleep (essential in hormone regulation)

- Consuming balanced, high quality meals at the appropriate time. (Long periods of time without food can lead to overeating. Eat your meals throughout the day to maintain energy and satiety.)

- Prioritizing WATER, FIBER, HEALTHY FAT and adequate PROTEIN consumption for your body weight and activity level.

If you're doing all of these and still struggling let's talk!

3 Tips to Help You Avoid Weight Gain this Holiday Season

Eating well during the Holiday's is all about perspective. Our intentions are always good, but somehow we get derailed by the savory and sweet temptations of the season. This year let's start with a healthy perspective and set some realistic expectation for ourselves. Below you'll find 3 Holiday Weight Gain Traps and tips on how to avoid them!

1. "I'm saving room for dessert." This kind of thinking can lead to eating too little nourishing real food (think turkey, green beans, potatoes, salad etc), then when dessert time comes we eat way more sweets than we had planned on. Instead Try: "This year I'm going to eat real food until I feel satisfied; if I want dessert after I'll have some, but if I'm full from my meal that's ok."

2. "I'm going to go run 5 miles so I can EAT tonight!" Exercising to eat almost always leads to weight gain. When we exercise to eat we set ourselves up to have the thought process of, "I deserve this...you fill in the blank, because I burned so many calories." The truth is most people who only exercise to eat actually end up eating far more calories than they burned which in the long run leads to weight gain. The Fix: Let's be clear, I'm not discouraging exercise, but I am encouraging exercising normally during the holidays. Heck, even do your 10k on Thanksgiving if that's your family tradition, just be aware of your post run munchies and don't let them ruin your good intentions.

3. "I don't have time to sleep during the holidays." Sleep is essential to a healthy weight and body composition. Without sleep your body is like a car that has run out of gas on the side of the road. You're not going anywhere and your body will not treat you well until it gets what it needs! Try these tricks: No TV during the holiday season, buy a sleep mask to block out the light of the harvest moon, go to bed when it's dark, avoid sugar before bed, and/or takes cat naps. Do whatever it takes to get some shut eye!

Most of all I hope you enjoy this holiday season with your loved ones and don't feel guilty for having something special eat every now and then. Just keep your long term goals in mind and practice having good portion control on those sweet treats! Maybe even give this Green Bean Casserole dish a try, it's a new favorite!

Pumpkin Sweet Potato Soup Adapted from Wellness Mama

This Halloween I bought two massive pumpkin thinking that we would carve them as we have in years past. Well, Halloween came and went and we never carved them, I HATE to waste anything that we've purchased so I was determined to make something with these giant pumpkins.

Seth doesn't love the flavor of pumpkin so I was struggling to put something together that I wouldn't be eating alone. I came across this recipe for Loaded Sweet Potato Soup on Wellness Mama's site (btw, she has some great stuff going on over there). Of course a loaded sweet potato soup could potentially have bacon, cheese, scallions and sour cream...all things Seth willing eats so that's where the inspiration for this new fall favorite came from. I like my soup to have lots of texture, not runny like a broth or traditional cream soup. This recipe gives you the flexibility to decide what consistency you'd like.

This soup is very flexible, you can use as much pumpkin or sweet potato as you'd like, I've made this 3 times now and each time I play with the ratios of pumpkin to sweet potato. Most recently I used 4 cups of pumpkin and 1 Camote Yam. The texture was slightly changed but the flavor remained close to the same, so have fun with this one and get creative with your toppings.

Ingredients:
2-3 cups Pumpkin Puree (canned or homemade)
2-3 Large Sweet potatoes or Yams ( I use Camote or Garnet)
1.5 cup Cooked and diced Bacon, Canadian Bacon or Pancetta (nitrate free)
1 Large diced Yellow Onion
3 cloves minced  Garlic (about 2-3 heaping Tbsp)
1 Quart Chicken Broth
1/3 cup Full Fat Coconut Milk or Dairy Cream
1 Tbsp Coconut Butter or Dairy Butter
2 Tsp to 1 Tbsp Ground Ginger
1 Tbsp Dried Tarragon
Fresh Ground Sea Salt and Black Pepper

Optional Toppings:
Plain Greek Yogurt
Shredded Cheese (Seth likes Sharp Cheddar & Jack)
Sauteed Garlic Mushrooms
Scallions
Diced Apples and Honey
Fried Onions
More Bacon or meat of choice

Directions:

1. Peel, diced and boil sweet potatoes in a large stock pot. I prefer to leave the skin on because I like the texture and added nutrient value.

2. While the potatoes are cooking, brown diced onion, garlic, and meat of choice (if using bacon or pancetta wait until onions become nearly translucent to add meat). After browned removed from heat and set aside for later.

3. When the potatoes are soft enough to mash with a fork, turn off the burner and drain water. Return the stock pot to stove (no heat yet) add chicken broth and mash potatoes by hand or with a Braun Mixer.

4. Add pumpkin and coconut milk and turn stove on low. Mix together until coloring is even.

5. Add browned onions, garlic and meat. Season with Tarragon, Ginger, Salt and Pepper. Keep heat on low for 20-30 minutes and stir regularly until heated thoroughly.

6. Top, serve and enjoy!

Notes: This soup taste even better the next day. I've made it with Coconut products and Dairy, I prefer to use butter and cream. but also enjoyed the coconut version (using coconut products doesn't make it taste like coconut). Of all the meat options I liked the Canadian Bacon the best, it browns well with the onion and adds a great texture to the soup.

Bison "Tutto"

"Tutto" means everything in Italian. That was Seth's creative name for this meal...it has a little bit of everything! His came with a BIG grilled cheese, but the main dish is a healthy dose of veggies and Bison. This Bison Tutto makes for a quick weekday dinner and LOTS of leftovers when you're feeding two. Plus, it's a very affordable and filling dish!

Bison Tutto Served with Baked Mozzarella "grilled cheese."

Ingredients:
1 lb ground Bison (ground beef or pork if you prefer)
1 large diced yellow onion
2 Garlic Cloves
1 cups sliced mushrooms (baby bellas or white button)
1 head of cabbage thinly sliced (thinly sliced zucchini)
1 can fire roasted tomatoes
1 can Arrabiata or Marinara (no canola oil or added sugar is preferred)
Salt, pepper and oregano (to liking)

Optional:
Parmesan or Mozzarella Cheese

Directions:

1. Partially brown meat in pan, add diced onion and garlic. Add mushroom and cook down. (if not using bison drain grease after browning, grass fed bison is very lean so there's little to no fat to drain)

2. Add thinly sliced cabbage or zucchini, cover, stir frequently under medium heat until tender. Drain excess liquid if needed.

3. Add fire roasted tomatoes and marinara sauce, mix and heat thoroughly.

4. Remove from heat and serve. Top with cheese if you'd like and enjoy! Maybe even have it with a glass of Malbec!

Serves 6
*Made with grass fed Bison, Cabbage and Arrabiata sauce
Cals: 265
Fat: 7
Carb: 27
Pro: 24
Fiber: 8
Sugar: 9

Porky Balls!

I hope you have a sense of humor and can get past the title because this recipe is amazing.

Do you struggle to get your loved ones to eat veggies?

Are you looking for a healthy high protein snack?

Are you sick of eating the same thing all the time?

If you answered yes to any of those questions you must keep reading!

This recipe was inspired by my lovely cousin Melanie. She recently made one of her childhood favorites, Porcupine Meatballs and posted about how good they were on Facebook. When I saw that recipe I knew Seth would love them, they're simple and have all of his favorite things (meat, rice and marinara sauce).  But, I also wanted something I could eat on the go in between appointments and something with veggies! I played with the recipe, made some tweaks and came up with a little ball of hearty goodness that Seth willing eats not knowing how healthy it is! Thanks for the inspiration Mel, I'll have to bring some over to have you taste test!

Ingredients:

Balls:
1.25 lbs 95% Lean Ground Pork (You could use beef or poultry)
1/2 cup Shredded Mozzarella
1/2 cup Uncooked Brown Rice
2 Tbsp crushed Garlic (2 large cloves)
1/2 cup diced onion
2 cups Shredded Carrots
2 cups raw spinach

Ready to be browned  in skillet

1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 Egg
Salt and Pepper to liking

Sauce:
1 16 oz Jar Tomato or Marinara Sauce (look for one with very few ingredients, avoiding canola oil and added sugars)
1 cup water

Directions:

1. Mix all ball ingredients by hand in a large bowl, you will need to mix and squeeze to bruise the spinach well enough to stick to meat mixture.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

3. Scoop and roll 14-16 meatballs to the size of your liking and place in skillet (med-high heat) to brown. Roll or flip the balls around to brown all sides. This should take 12-15 minutes.

Browned and ready for sauce.

4. Use a slotted spoon (to drain any grease) and and place balls in a large baking dish (glass 8x12 is my preference).

5. Mix Water and Sauce together and then pour evenly over the balls.

6. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 35 minutes, remove from oven and take foil off. Put in the oven uncovered and bake another 10-15 minutes (watch to make sure all the sauce doesn't evaporate).

7. Let cool and serve!

Ready to be put back in the oven for 15 minutes uncovered,

Serving Size 2 Balls:
Cals: 198
Fat: 6
Carb: 12
Sugar: 2
Fiber: 2
Protein: 24

Baked Salsa Tilapia

I hope everyone had a great weekend. My weekends always feel like someone pressed fast forward. They're busy in a good kind of way, on Sunday evening I'm always left wanting more. This weekend was no different. I worked half day Saturday, got my training in, ran some errands and headed to a friends house for their Maker's Expo Party (great party idea), everyone makes something completely homemade to share, they are brewers so we had some yummy beer and cider. I made lentil burgers and someone made amazing bacon wrapped plantains. Their was tons of other food, but the beer and bacon wrapped plantains were AMAZING! Sunday morning started with some paperwork and a workout, then prep work for my Sunday group, they were on fire today, they did a great job at the workout.

Tonight I made Baked Tilapia and Greens. I used the linked recipe, but used salsa and diced celery rather than frozen veggies and no butter. I served it on top of mixed greens with olive oil and cider vinegar, I'm out avocado but would have topped it with that it I had some. Yum! I sure hope my Sunday crew is eating a healthy dinner tonight too!
Check out the nutrition on this guy:
6oz Filet with mixed greens & Olive Oil/Vinegar
Cals: 325
Fat: 18g
Carbs: 7g
Pro: 32g
Fiber: 4g

Enjoy and rest up! Monday will be here before we know it!

Dessert Hummus

Happy Super Bowl Sunday! I have to admit I'm a terrible sports fan, I love playing sports, but watching them bores me to tears. Luckily no one forces me to watch; instead of watching the game or interrupting others who actually care about the score I'm spending some time in the gym and kitchen where I can do the things I love on Super Bowl Sunday.

Going in to Fitness Rehab this morning was just what I needed, 30 mins of yoga and foam rolling (I'm so super sore from dead lifting with Cara yesterday) and then Spin. I can actually touch my toes again. My Monday morning Yoga students will happy to not hear moan as I forward fold after sun salutations.

The recipe I'm making for today serves as great dip for parties, but I really like it because I love nut butters and they are healthy in moderation. I eat them very conservatively because they pack so many calories and fat in to very small portions. This dip allows you to stretch your serving of nut butter out so that you can eat each slice of your apple with dip or make ants on log without over indulging.

Today we are making Sweet Hummus or Dessert Hummus, whichever you'd like to call it. The best part of this recipe is that you may have all the ingredients at home right now!

Grown Up Ants on Log with Dessert Hummus

DESSERT HUMMUS

1 12oz can Garbanzo Beans or White Beans drained and rinsed
1/2 cup Granulated Stevia (or sweetener or choice Maple Syrup, agave etc)
1/4 cup Nut butter (Almond, Peanut, or Cashew)
1/2 t salt
1 t Cinnamon
1 t Vanilla Extract
1/8 cup Ground Flax or Quick Oats
1/4 cup optional add-ins, Raisins, mini chocolate chips, slice almonds, Vanilla protein Powder, or crushed peanuts.
(if you need more moisture add water 1 T at a time)

1. Combine all ingredients in food processor and mix until creamy or to your desired consistency.




2. Enjoy with sliced apple, carrots sticks, celery etc!

Gluten Free Cheaters Cookies... Seth Approved!

To all guilty Chocolate Chip Cookie Fans-


These only take about 5 mins to prep and 10 mins to bake!

So I've mentioned before that I like to make stuff that's not so healthy, make a version of it that's more healthy and then make Seth guess what's in it. He likes everything, my family calls him Mikey because he'll eat pretty much anything...except when it comes to my baking. One time I made him brownies, or at least that's what he thought he was biting in to. Little did he know his "brownies" had black beans, protein powder and spinach in them. Yum! Well, I guess he didn't like them and ever since then he's hesitant to eat anything I bake until I made these delicious, super easy, gluten free cookies. They looked so "normal" he just walked up and ate one and said, "Is this real?!" I just laughed. So here it is, the Seth approved healthier cookie:

1 container of premixed Gluten free Cookie mix (I like Bob's Red Mill or Namaste)
1/4 cup water (as need to get doughy consistency)
1/4 cup Sunflower butter or Almond butter
1/2 cup liquid egg whites
2 Tablespoon Ground flax seed
2 Tablespoons Ground Chia Seed
2 Scoops Natural Whey Protein Powder (I like MRM)

Mix all ingredients and bake as directed!!! Enjoy and let me know what you think!

Chocolate Sunflower Butter Protein Balls

2 cups Chocolate Protein Powder
2 Crushed Rice Cakes
1/2 cup Almond Milk
1/4 cup Sunflower Seed Butter
1/4 cup Ground Flax Seed
1/4 cup Cocoa Power

Mix all ingredients in a medium mixing bowl by hand. It will be very doughy in consistency, then roll into 1-inch balls and a little extra protein powder or cocoa powder to keep the balls from sticking together. Place on a lined baking sheet and refrigerate. ENJOY!!!!

100 Calories
4g Fat
6g Carbs
10g Protein
2g Fiber
2g Sugar

Just Chicken and Rice?

I believe we all express our affection in different ways. Some people like to buy gifts or go to fancy restaurants, others leave sweet "forget me not" notes and flowers. And all of these are great, but they never really seem to fit what I want to say. Recently I've been wanting to say something to effect of, "I know you're busy and stressed, but I'm so proud of you. Keep up the great work." So what do I do to my show my affection? ...I simplify. I know it sounds strange, but I figured out that I show affection towards others by trying to make their life as painless as possible. If that means cleaning their house, I clean. If that means watching their kids, then I watch their kids.

In this case it means cooking. Seth is preparing for his 2nd of 4 CPA exams and he's stressed to the max with work projects and studying. I'm no good at helping him study and taking him out to dinner would be a waste of precious study time. But, preparing his lunches is something I can do. It's simple, but I feel good about doing it, and making sure he gets a balance of Protein, Carbohydrates and Fats in each meal may make a couple of percentage points difference on the exam. :)

So next time you see a guy in the cubicle next to you open his lunch bag, you better think twice, it's not just chicken and rice. It's a gift, a love note, a fancy dinner, and a warm embrace all inside a little brown bag. Enjoy!

Seth's Garlic Lemon Chicken and Spinach Rice

Ingredients:

2.5lbs Boneless Chicken Breast Tenders (12 tenders)

1 bag or bunch of Spinach

2 cups mushrooms

3 cups cooked brown rice

3 cloves crushed garlic

1/4 yellow onion chopped

3 Tbsp Olive Olive

Juice from 1 lemon

lemon pepper  

1. Heat 2 Tbsp of Olive Oil in a medium skillet, add crushed garlic, and chopped onion. Add Chicken tenders, sprinkle with lemon pepper and brown on medium heat until cooked through.

2. Remove chicken from pan and add mushrooms, spinach, lemon juice and remaining olive oil. Saute until spinach begins to wilt. Then add brown rice and continue to mix and heat thoroughly.

3. Remove from heat and serve chicken on top of warm spinach rice.

Serves 6 

300 Calories

27g Carbohydrates

8g Fat

30g Protein

3g Fiber

EggS!

This post was inspired by a couple of things...

1. I ate 4 of these in one setting and I believe any recipe that good should be shared.
2. It's almost Easter and while most foodie bloggers will be posting decadent egg shaped treats, I'll be posting the real deal....Egg Mc-No muffin needed!

So these little guys are full of protein, easy to make, keep well in the fridge and can be reheated. The options for ingredients are endless as far as veggies and meats or cheeses go. Here's my favorite and probably easiest version as far a prep goes:

The Ingredients:

2 cups Egg whites or Egg Substitute
3 whole eggs
1 cup cooked spinach (chopped, steamed and drained)
3/4 cup Salsa
6 oz diced cooked turkey bacon or shredded chicken (optional)
Black and Cayenne Pepper to taste
Cooking Spray

The Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.  In a large mixing bowl combine egg whites and whole eggs, beat until well mixed. Add spinach, salsa, and meat if desired. Mix thoroughly and refrigerate, I let mine chill for 4 hours but definitely not necessary.

3. Spray non-stick muffin tin with coconut oil (or oil of your choice) and rub in the creases. Pour egg mixture in to muffin tin filling each cup half way. Then bake for approximately 20-25 mins, but keep an eye on the little guys because they may brown quickly depending on your oven. They will puff up and settle back down when they cool. Let cool in tins before removing and then ENJOY!
Makes about 14 Egg Mc-NO muffin needed muffins.
  

Serving size 1 muffin (with chicken):
Calories: 57 cals
Fat: 2g
Carbs: 2g
Protein: 8g
Fiber:1g

Hello healthy and delicious! Finally a muffin you can eat 4 of and not feel guilty! :)

Pre-Race Checklist...

Recently, I've been getting a lot of questions about the best way to prepare for a race (today we're talking 1/2 marathon). Race preparation is something that takes practice and is different for everybody, but I'll share what works for me. Preparation should really start the moment we sign up for a race but today we're just talking the last couple of days leading up to the race. Without further-ado....

Your weekly mileage should be tapering as you approach your race date and the intensity of your weight lifting sessions or anything that would normally require max effort should be tailored to a moderate intensity. We want fresh legs when the gun goes off so limiting leg work in the last 3-4 days leading up to your race is recommended. 

Thursday- 3 mile run (1 easy, 1 hard, 1 easy), Low volume body weight strength movements (push up, pull up, squat etc)

Friday- 30 min cycle (moderate intensity), 45 mins Yoga and or dynamic stretching

Saturday- OFF (but if you MUST RUN 4x100m, w/a warm up and cool down) just enough to keep your legs fresh.

Sunday-RACE DAY   

I don't change my diet dramatically for two reasons, you don't want to introduce anything new to your body right before a race and if you've been training and/or working out consistently leading up to the race your body is already acclimated to burning fuel (your food) and shouldn't need anything out of the ordinary to do the same during you race. If you eat more "low-carbish" adding a little fruit may help, beyond that your body shouldn't need anything extra. Following the race you will need to make sure you get a good snack right away (my favorite is carrots and almond or sunflower butter) and a good recovery meal later (grilled chicken breast with steamed broccoli smothered in homemade marinara and topped with nutritional yeast for me please!)  On the other hand, hydration will be key in race preparation, I shoot for at least a gallon a day, especially when we've been sweating a lot! I don't like to drink during a 1/2 half marathon unless it's extraordinarily hot, but our bodies need water about 90mins into exercise so if you plan on walking and or jogging hydrating along the way is recommended.

Pre-Race Checklist Suggestions:

Day before (Saturday in this case):

Packet pick-up (if you didn't already)

Look at the course map and decide if you're going to use the hydration stations

Eat clean, not too much of anything in excess or different from your regular diet

Foam roll

Try not to sit too much (can cause unwanted tightness in your hips)

Plan and prep all pre-race and post race food

Night before:

Ladies out there, if you have long hair shower because you don't want wet hair for your race...brrr! In early morning races :)

Drink 8oz  warm water with 1 full lemon squeezed in to it after dinner to cleanse your tummy.

Shoot for 8 hrs of sleep

Lay out your clothes for the race and include a change of clothes for after (trust me)

Try to RELAX...pre-race jitters may try to keep us up, but preparing as much as you can the night before should take some stress off.

Day Of:

Arrive at least 45 mins before race start

Bring a large water bottle and leave it in your car for after the race

Pick a meeting place with your buddies in case you get separated (speaking from experience on this one :)

Pace yourself and save some gas to finish strong,! Run smarter not harder...don't let other runners determine you pace especially in your first couple of races, just run YOUR RACE as you imagined it and have fun. If you have energy to push harder in the last couple of miles then go for it!

Good luck to all my runner's in the Shamrock on Sunday! Chantell, Andrea, Colleen, Stacey, Madhavi, Richelle, and all others, have fun and know that I'm cheering you on in spirit! Happy Running!

-Brittany

Garlic for Grandpa, Kale Salad...

Hi All,
My grandfather passed away on Monday afternoon. He was 94 years old and we believe he died of "natural causes," but being that he was 94 he had many preexisting conditions including various types of cancer. He lived a long, full life and passed painlessly with his children at his side. Unfortunately  I did not know my grandfather or "Poppy" as we called him well, but we did get together on most holiday's for a meal. One thing I'll always remember about him was that he loved to eat, especially anything with Garlic (being Sicilian probably had something to do with it). So today I'm sharing one of my family's favorite garlic paste or dressing recipes; of course I've added my own twist but it's still super garlicky just as Poppy would have like it!

Here's the original Garlic Dressing that my family makes and keeps on hand to put on literally everything, salads, meats, veggies, pita bread, pasta, etc. I'm giving you fair warning this stuff is no joke...it's intense and everyone will know you eaten garlic after you've enjoy the oh so delicious combination of garlic, lemon and olive oil :)

Cino's Garlic Dressing  
Two heads raw Garlic (about 30 cloves peeled)
Juice from 6 lemons
3 tsp Salt
3/4 cup Olive Oil

1. Place garlic in food processor or blender with 1/4 cup of the Olive Oil. Process or blend until a thick paste forms.

2. Add the salt, lemon juice, and remaining Olive Oil.

3. Enjoy the GARLICKY goodness on anything!
(This big batch lasts about a week and makes about single 20 servings or enough to dress 3-4 large salads)

And here's my version in action... Garlic for Grandpa, Kale Salad!

The Dressing
4 cloves peeled raw Garlic
1 Tsp Bragg's Amino sauce or 1/2 Tsp Salt
Juice from 1/2 lemons
1/3 cup Olive Oil
1/4 cup Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar 
3-4 Pitted dates and soaked in 1/8 cup hot water
The Salad
2 large heads of Kale or about 30 leaves torn in to bit sized pieces
1 cup shredded Red Cabbage
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/4 cup Raw Sunflower, Pumpkin seeds or Pine Nuts

1. Place dates in 1/8 cup water and microwave for 45 seconds. Then place dates and hot water in the blender or food processor, add the garlic cloves and cider vinegar and 1/2 the oil. Process or blend until dates and garlic look minced and well mixed.

2. Then add the rest of the oil and lemon juice slowly, pouring each in a little at a time, then add the  Bragg's liquid aminos and blend or process well.

3. The dressing should be "whipped" in appearance, slightly sweet and very Garlicky! Pour over the torn kale, cabbage, carrots, and seeds of your choice. Toss well and enjoy.  I like to let the dressing soak in about 5 -10 mins before consuming because it's dense and more porous than lettuce so it really absorbs the garlicy-ness!
(this dressing recipe makes a very generous amount of dressing for one large salad but will keep for about a 7-10 days in the fridge)

Spicy and Oh Sooo Healthy! YUMMM! You can read about the health benefits of Kale here!!

What's next?...

Now that Christmas is over and we're approaching the New Year I find myself asking what's next? Take some time this week (especially you lucky ones who are off work) and ask yourself the same question. What's your next goal? Come up with a long term goal, write it down and start planning now. Pick dates of achievement and set small goals along the way. Your goal(s) can be fitness and health related or something totally off the wall, just give yourself something positive to reach for this New Year.


My goal this year is to make the Running Crew a "BIG DEAL." It's not that we aren't cool already, but I want us to have matching T-shirts, sponsors, a seasonal training schedule and at some point be able to host our own relay. I'm giving myself until 03/01/12 to find 2 sponsors and order T-shirts. By 07/01/12 the Crew will double in size and I hope to host a relay next Fall. What are your goals? Do you have ideas about what you want to achieve this year, send me your thoughts and let's turn them in to definable goals. Dream BIG in 2012!


Happy Running!

Holiday Running!

Hi Runners!

I know the holiday's are very busy for all of us, but we have a couple of things coming up on the calendar! Next Saturday is X-mas Eve and the following Saturday is New Years Eve. Here's what I'm thinking...track workout @ ARC (American River College) on 12/24 @ 8:30am. The following Sunday, 1/1/2012, I'm encouraging everyone to run following race  http://www.jandjsportsproductions.com/page80.html . I've done this one a couple of times and find it just as challenging each and every year. The course is very challenging (hilly, muddy, etc.) I highly recommend doing the 5k if you've never run in the Auburn area. Please let me know your availability for Christmas Eve and/or if you're interested in running the Resolution Run. 

P.s. It's a great time to inspire your friends and family to start running too! We all have to start somewhere, why not January 1st!?!

Happy Running! 

California International Marathon Relay 2011...

The Running Crew finished our first CIM Relay with a time of 3:52 giving us an average pace of 8:53/mile. I think some of our runners were inspired by all of the athletes who ran the entire CIM and are now marking their calendars for next year. Everyone did a great job and I'm so proud of the improvements we have seen in the last couple of weeks. Our early morning track sessions are really paying off! What's next? How about the Tahoe Odyessy? http://www.renotahoeodyssey.com/index.htm We have several months to train and we are looking for a couple more runners to join our team. It's definitely going to be a weekend to remember!
Happy Running!

Halloween Relay!!!

Leg 1- 3.7 Done!
Leg 2- 4.1 Done!
Leg 3- 5.3 And DONE!

Great job guys, I'm so proud of all of you!

Running/Sports Watches....

Ok, so this may not sound like the most exciting topic of conversation, but for runners and most athletes we live by our watches. Therefore selecting one can be a very personal thing. For me less is more and simpler is better! I wear a  good old fashioned Timex like one below:

It does everything I need it to... it's a stopwatch and can keep track my splits! I tried a Garmin 405 but found it to be more of a burden than a tool. My advice is start simple and after you use it for a couple of months if still want more then go for it, but spend wisely. See below for some great options:

http://www.roadrunnersports.com/rrs/gear/gearwatches/

The Running Crew!

This weekend we wrapped up 3 training sessions focusing on running form and body mechanics; all of our athletes made huge progress in their form and efficiency! Remember...little steps, quick turn over, open chest, tight glutes and breathe!


What's next?..... Strength training for runners and speed work!
As we briefly discussed this past weekend, one of the keys to being a great runner is overall fitness, that said this coming Sunday (8/21) we will be hosting a strength training for runners and speed training workshop. We will be discussing training programming to include both elements in to your weekly schedule as well a doing a strength training workout specifically designed for runners. Details to come soon!

WE ARE TOE RUNNERS! ;)

Why Run...

As a distance runner with a history of various overuse injuries and over training complications, people often ask, "why do you run?"

I used say, "I love it. I love the feeling, the high, the intense speed training days, and the long runs filled with quiet time to let my mind wonder." The second most common answer is, "I run to lose weight and it's good for you."

I found that after years of distance running and maintaining a weekly training schedule of up to 90 mi/wk. I no longer had an answer for I why run. I was injured on a regular basis and never felt "good" going in to races. Running became a chore and any flexibility and I once had from  gymnastics and my agility from soccer had completely vanished. Despite what most people think, most runners are not universal fit. Don't get me wrong, I was dong enough cardiovascular exercise for everyone on my block, but I was also eating enough for everyone my block!

I've met so many fellow distance runners, experienced or not who struggle with the same problems; primarily overuse injuries, plateaued running times, and difficulties in maintaining a healthy diet while performing high weekly mileage.

But, what if we could have it all? Run farther faster, be leaner, stronger, and more flexible while taking more rest days....

Some of the most successful distance runners are learning training methods that create all around athletes. My athletes and I now train in multiple sports to include strength, agility and flexibility. We focus on whole body movements and lots of high intensity intervals in both running and cycling. As testimony to this training method I can tell you from first hand experience, I run no more than 16 mi/wk and never more than 6 mi/day. Yet I'm continuing to improve my times in distances over 10 miles and as short as 400m. Plus, I have lost nearly 10lbs and I'm leanest I have ever been since switching to this training methodology.

Answer the question for yourself, "WHY DO YOU RUN?" Consider your training regiment...is it really working for you?

Please post comments, questions and feedback. Thanks,