New Recipe Ideas and a High 5 for Me!

So, if you've never heard of the 17 Day Diet, check it out here. I read the entire book back in April/May and decided to give it a shot. My faithful companion (my hubby) decided to give it a shot with me. It went well, we followed the diet, lost weight, went on a cruise..... and..... RIP diet. It was tough getting back on the horse entirely, but we're at it again.

The first 17 days is the toughest... no starchy carbs, period! A sample daily menu is as follows:
Breakfast: 1/2 Cup Eggbeaters with spinach, mushrooms, onions and 1 Tb. Frank's Red Hot (no cals, no sugar, no carbs)
Snack: Fruit (for example.. red grapes, small orange,  or mixed berries)
Lunch: Salad - LOTS of colorful greens and veggies (peppers, tomatoes, celery), a hardboiled egg or turkey/chicken breast strips or can of tuna, topped with 1 tsp. olive oil and 1 Tb. Balsamic Vinegar or Red Wine Vinegar
Snack:  1/2 Cup low-fat  cottage cheese mixed with 1/2 cup fat-free Greek yogurt
Dinner: Grilled or baked fish or chicken (salmon, tilapia, catfish) and veggies (steamed anything, mashed cauliflower) or a small salad

If I'm craving something sweet I'll have a 60 calorie, sugar-free pudding cup... sugar-free is the important thing (over fat-free).

Anyway! While I've discovered some creative, yummy ways to eat carb-free I still crave not only eating, but cooking other yummy things.

This is my list of things I want to make.... eventually....:

• Moroccan Chicken with Couscous
• Cilantro-Jalapeno Hummus
• Buttermilk and Blueberry Pancakes
• Chicken Cordon Bleu
• Cheddar Spirals
• Beer Margaritas

The Moroccan Chicken, Cilantro-Jalapeno Hummus, and Buttermilk & Blueberry Pancakes are not all that sinful, they just look delcious and I CRAVE pancakes. The Cordon Bleu and Cheddar Sprials, however, are just plain naughty...

In workout news.... I participated in an event on base this morning at 0645 called the Splash and Dash! It was a 400 yard swim followed by a 3 mile run. Most everyone else participating were doing it in pairs (1 person runs, the other swims), but oh no.... I decide to do it myself. I'm glad I did! When I came around the corner to cross the finish line of my run I couldn't believe the time - - 33:01. I started my personal watch when I started the run... when I finished it was at 23:58. 3 miles in 23:58??! New personal record... yippee!

Stack the Deck

My husband and I have done this workout on a few different occasions.... once or twice when we've wanted to switch things up a bit, and several times when we've been traveling and unable (or unwilling) to pay $12/day to hit a gym. You'll be AMAZED at not only the intensity of the workout, but how quickly the time goes by.

STACK THE DECK
Use a deck of cards to determine not only the move, but also the number reps to do. Decide and write down on a sheet of paper what each suit will represent. Pull a card and do the number of reps indicated for the suit of the card. Face cards are worth 10 and aces are worth 11. Draw a new card for each move.
For example:

Hearts - Push Ups
Spades - Squat Jacks (jumping jacks but you're jumping into a squat when you're in the 'X' position)
Clubs - 8 Count Bodybuilders (Google it..)
Diamonds - Jump Lunges
Jokers - 1 Minute Planks

You can modify this workout depending on the amount of space you have. It can be done in a hotel room, living room, or if you're able to get outside you have even more options (i.e. park bench could do bench/tricep dips, sprint across the tennis court, etc.)

So NO EXCUSES! Get out there and get mooooooo-ving :) All you need is a deck of cards!

Spartacus Workout

This is a GREAT at-home workout. I've been doing it 3 times per week as my strength/resistance training... However, give it a shot and you'll notice it'll give you quite a dose of cardio as well!

You will need: Several sets of dumbbells of various weights (5, 9, 12, 15, 20, etc.) and a visible clock. I always wear my watch, but it's nice to have a BIG wall clock (with seconds) you can watch.

Perform the exercise as a circuit, that is, perform all 10 exercise one time through. Take a 2 minute break and then repeat. Do this twice for a total of 3 circuits. Perform each move for 60 seconds, completing as many reps as possible. Take a 15 second "break" between each exercise to change weights and transition into the next exercise.

1- Goblet Squats
2- Mountain Climbers (or hold a plank for 60 seconds)
3- Single Arm Dumbbell Swing
4-  T-Pushups
5- Split Jumps
6- Dumbbell Rows
7- Dumbbell Side Lunges
8- Pushup Position Row (if this is too difficult, omit the push-up portion of the move)
9- Dumbbell Lunge with Rotation
10- Dumbbell Push Press

Notes
This workout is from The Women's Health Big Book of Exercises, which I highly recommend! Ever head to the gym with a few moves in mind, but get bored of doing the same moves or working on the same machines? I always have it in my gym bag and have followed several of their suggested workouts - all of which are serious butt-kickers!

If you're unsure how to do any of the moves listed above, or to see pictures of how to do them, follow this link: Spartacus Workout

HITS 1: High-Intensity Interval Training

I typically hit the gym 5 mornings a week and then head outside for a long run on Saturday or Sunday. Mondays and Wednesdays are spent at a Total-Body Bootcamp type class, so Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday it's up to me. I always try to switch it up to keep it interesting... but Fridays I try to pound out an especially hard, dripping-in-sweat workout to feel energized for the weekend. This has been my go-to:

It can be done on any cardio machine (treadmill, elliptical, bike, stairclimber, etc.) but I prefer the treadmill..

1. Warm up and get loose however you choose.. jumping jacks, leg swings, body huggers..
2. Walk on the treadmill for 5 minutes, starting at 3.5 mph and progressing faster until you reach a brisk walk.
3. Amp it up! Set your pace at speed that is uncomfortable, but doable. I set mine to 8 mph. Keep this speed for 45 seconds.
4. Bring it back down to a jog. Depending on how I feel this is anywhere from 5.5 mph to 6 mph. Keep this speed for 90 seconds.
5. Repeat this cycle 10-12 times (45 seconds hard followed by 90 seconds recovery)
6. Cool down for 5 minutes with a cominbation of slow jogging and walking.
7. Stretch! This is important... my husband skips stretching and it drives me crazy! It has been proven over and over that people who stretch post-workout have greater flexbility and more strength gains than those who don't.

I wear a heart-rate monitor when I workout and this typically burns 550-600 calories for me, all in about 35 minutes! What more can you ask for? No excuses.