A Smooth Start to 2013

A Smooth Start to 2013

Is your first full week of the year off to a productive start?  I'm having a little downtime this week because I had my wisdom teeth removed yesterday.  I've been putting that off for years and it really needed to happen.  In order to put an end to my procrastination, I put 'having my wisdom teeth removed' on my list of one year goals back in October.  Even though I'm sore now, it feels pretty great to have that one checked off of the list!  Putting goals in writing really is a great way to keep you accountable.

Because of my procedure, my nutrition has looked like this:

My blender has been working overtime.  This concoction was a creamy dream!  I'm not sure if it was so good because I had been fasting for the day or if it was because my mom made it for me (it always taste better when mom makes it, right), or if it's just that good!  Here is what it included:

1/2 an avocado

1/2 a banana

1/2 cup frozen pineapple

1 cup of coconut milk

1 scoop of acai berry whey protein (Tera's Whey)

I plan on making this one again, even when I don't have a mouth full of stitches :)

Doctor's Orders

Do you have a hard time following doctor's orders?  I'm supposed to 'take it easy' for a week, which is actually the opposite of 'easy' if you ask me.  I'm only about 24 hours into my 7 day rest period and I'm already planning what my workout regime is going to be when I have the clear to resume normal activity.  I'm going to get back into it with this total body conditioning circuit:

After completing this circuit, follow it with a super set of 10 mountain climbers and 10 push ups back and forth 3 times.  Once you've completed that, go back to the beginning of the circuit.  Complete a total of 3-4 times.

Pureed Perfection

Smoothie #1 in this post was dinner last night.  This morning I was looking for something a little more substantial, so I threw together another smoothie, but this time I added a few ingredients that I thought might give it a little more staying power.  It came together like this:

I threw in 1 cup of almond milk, 1 tablespoon of almond butter, 1/2 cup of pineapple, 1/2 cup of blueberries, 1/4 of an avocado and 3/4 cup of plain greek yogurt.

It was delicious and filling...but I am looking forward to digging into something chewy in a few days!

The GreeneBerger

If you are looking for some great recipes and more information about nutrition and how it impacts our health, check out The GreeneBerger.  You'll find nutrient dense recipes and an explanation as to why certain foods fuel our bodies while others drain us.

If I Could Turn Back Time

Is your calendar moving backward?

Happy New Year!  Now that you've had a few days to let 2013 settle in, how are you doing on your resolutions?  Has the momentum fizzled yet?

I typically resolve to learn something new each year.  Sometimes I set the bar low with something like 'learning how to eat with chopsticks' and sometimes I get a little more audacious and vow to learn a foreign language or something like that (if you need to ask someone where your backpack is in Spain, I'm the translator for you).  I'm still working on mapping out my 2013 goals, but I imagine they will end up being a revamped version of the goals I wrote out in October (which included starting this blog).

As we all know, popular resolutions are often related to health and fitness.  I can certainly understand why.  Our health had a direct impact on our quality of life and our ability to carry out other goals and challenges.  I just read a fun article outline some of the health benefits of exercise.  Click here to read about how exercise is a fountain of youth!

If you are looking for other ways support your body and improve your health, give matcha a try.  Matcha is a finely milled Japanese green tea.

This is what the powder looks like before you whisk it into hot water.  I use a milk frother to make sure it is blended well.  I typically just drink it unsweetened with nothing else added to the water.  It tastes rich and earthy.  I will admit that it's really an acquired taste (that I've grown to love), but if your pallet can't handle it, try sweetening it with a little honey or adding a little coconut milk when you whisk it.

I got mine at Teavana, but I've also seen it at Earth Fare, Whole Foods, and a few local grocery stores.  Why drink it?  It is loaded with antioxidants.  Check out this article from Bodybuilding.com.  The benefits of matcha are mapped out beautifully!

Building a yoga practice in 2013

If all of this talk about tea has you feeling zen, you may want to give yoga a try for your daily workout.  When I started practicing yoga about 12 years ago, I intended to use it as a body leveraging workout to help improve my physical strength and flexibility.  It definitely did just that.  However, about 6 years into my practice (yes, it took that long), yoga became about much more than that.  I started to notice additional benefits from yoga.  At the end of a yoga class, we close with a final posture called Shavasana (also known as corpse pose).  

This happens at the end of class to allow you the opportunity to clear your mind, relax your body and regroup.  I used to despise this portion of the practice.  My mind would wander and I would get anxious about what I could be accomplishing if I could just take that last five minutes to get a head start on what I had left to do that day.  One day, years into my yoga practice, I realized that instead of using shavasana as a time to plot how I could roll up my yoga mat and slither out of class in complete silence, I was actually relaxing.  It was amazing!  My head was clear, my heart rate was lower, I had no muscle tension and I felt refreshed, not fatigued.  By accidentally participating in this final pose, I was able to discover the power that could be drawn from it.  Allowing our minds to quiet for just 5 minutes each day is a priceless gift to give to ourselves.  For many, this challenge will be greater than any headstand, contortion or bind that you may attempt while growing your practice.

At the end of this month, I will be adding additional yoga classes to my training schedule.  I will be sharing poses and postures with you here on this blog as well.  I wanted to introduce shavasana to you first, hoping that you could begin to practice this now so that it doesn't take you 6 years to realize the beauty of relaxation.   

Once you are awoken from corpse pose at the end of your practice, I like to come back to a seated position and hold my hands at my heart and close with 'Namaste',  meaning the good within me honors the good within you.  So let me close the blog today with the same...

Namaste

Let's Get Physio

Have a Ball

Another year is coming to a close and while I believe that you don't need a monumental date or event in order to begin a new challenge or resolve to make changes, I do think this is the perfect time to reflect on what the previous year has had to offer and decide what to take away from it to make the next even better.  In the meantime, if improving your health and fitness level is on your list of goals, give this workout a try:

This one features another one of my favorite, affordable pieces of equipment...The Physioball!

Complete the exercises listed below:

After completing the curcuit, go through this 3 minute cardio series:

45 seconds of high knees-15 seconds of rest

45 seconds of skater lunges-15 seconds of rest

45 seconds of burpees-15 seconds of rest

Then go back to the original curcuit.  Complete all of that 3 times.  If you are unfamiliar with any of these exercises, just comment below and I will add an image with proper form.  Good luck!

Are you tired of crunches? 

 Here is a new spin on a classic exercise.  Check out the video below featuring some of our dedicated Infinity Fitness ladies doing "dizzy bugs".  These crunches are great for targeting the entire abdominal wall and the obliques:

Another Favorite

After blogging about my favorite pieces of exercise equipment, I thought of another favorite that should definitely be on the list.  Gliders are AH-MAZ-ING little devises that you can also use for killer body leveraging workouts.  The best thing about gliders...it's so easy to create a makeshift glider out of supplies that you already have around the house.  Gliders are little plates or pads that are often used for sliding furniture.  They look like frisbees.  You could actually use frisbees, paper plates, upside-down mouse pad, etc. if you don't have official 'gliders'.   I will provide you with a variety of things you can do with gliders on a future blog, but today I want to give you a little preview of my friend and client, Cynthia, performing an inchworm with her feet on the gliders:

To execute an inchworm, you start with your hands in a high pushup position and your feet on the gliders.  Keeping your legs as straight as possible, pull the gliders toward your hands.  Walk your hands back out to the high push up position and continue with that pattern.  

When we talk about reflecting on the past year, Cynthia (pictured above) has A LOT to be proud of in 2012.  She has been committed to training 3-4 times per week since January and all of her hard work has produced major results.  Her waist has shrunk by a whopping...wait for it...6 1/2 inches!!!! Those inchworms may feel like torture at first, but I bet she doesn't regret doing a single one!!  She has accomplished much more than a smaller waistline, but it sure is nice to be able to measure that kind of progress!  Congratulations Cynthia!!!  I can't wait to see what you achieve in 2013!