‘Tis The Season!  (To Prioritize Exercise)

Quick, what was/were your fitness-related resolution(s) for 2012?  Lose 15 pounds?  Run a 5K race; Run a 5K race faster?  Go to the gym 3 days per week, walk 5? You have just over 30 days remaining in 2012, did you achieve your fitness goals that you set for yourself in January?  Are you close?

Do you even remember what your 2012 fitness goals were or did you stop working on them around February?

One of the reasons I think it’s important to stick with exercise during the holidays is that by doing so, it makes January a heck of a lot more pleasant.  I don’t know about you, but when I mostly sit on my backside between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, it makes getting off my backside in January particularly hard.  In my personal opinion, the reason why so many people’s New Year’s fitness/weight loss resolutions fail is because they’ve spent 4-5 weeks prior to the New Year eating to excess, sitting to excess and doing everything unhealthy to excess.  Starting the year off on the right foot is especially painful when you have to detox from all the junk food and walking up the stairs makes you winded.

This year I’m looking at the 30ish days of the holidays as my New Year Pregame.  Here’s my Play Book (Get it?! I’m making football references!):

1) Create my New Year fitness goals now.  Rather than waiting until December 31^st around 11:49pm or worse, January 3^rd to create my fitness goals, I’m going to create them now.  I’m going to write them down.  I am going to share them with my loved-ones.  I’m going to post them somewhere prominent so I see them often.

2) Create my Play Book.  In order to win a football game, the team can’t just step onto the field and hope for the best (okay they could, but chances are they aren’t going to win), they have to create a play book full of strategies and they have to practice those plays before the game.  For me, I’m going to create a play book of what I need to do to accomplish my goals next year.  For example, I know one of my fitness goals in 2013 will be to back squat 225 pounds.  In order to do that, I need to squat.  Every week.  Several times per week.  So I create a program that accomplishes that.

3) Start Practicing the Play Book Now.  Rather than waiting until January 1^st to start tackling my Play Book, I’m going to start now.  I have 30 days between now and then and I’m going to feel a lot better in January if rather than creating a new habit, I’m just continuing the routine.

4) Create a Short Term Holiday Goal.   For me personally, I have 30 days left to reach my 2012 fitness goals (and they are within reach, which pleases me) so I have to continue to work hard.  But perhaps you’ve already reached your goals for the year in which case, set a mini 30 day goal to reach before December 31^st.  Some ideas could be: register for at least one 5K race, take a new fitness class, hike a particular trail in your area, bike 50 miles… I find that having goals keeps me motivated and moving. 

The holidays can be an easy excuse to avoid exercise, but rather than spending this month in repose, let’s use these 30 days to transition into the New Year in a healthy, motivated manner. 

Happy holidays, y’all!

 

Posted by Rachel May, School of Health Sciences

When it comes to exercise during the holidays -- okay, okay -- when it comes to why I don't exercise during the holidays, my excuses usually fall into one of three categories:

 1) I don't have time.  (I have shopping to do, mostly for myself. Plus, my hair looks good and I don’t have time to wash it again before I go to that party.)

2) I don't want to. (I’d rather drink wine and watch heart-warming holiday television programming.)  
3) I am away from home. (I don’t have a gym membership; I can’t workout if I don’t have a gym membership.)

Do any of these sound familiar?  Perhaps not my exact excuses, but I feel confident that during the holidays you’ve been too busy, not interested and out of your fitness routine.  Fear not!  We have solutions to all of these categories of excuses.

 1) I don’t have time.

            First and foremost, reconsider when you exercise.  I have something shocking to tell you: Nothing holiday-related happens at 5am.  Nothing.  Exercise early and you know that no matter what happens, your exercise session is done and you didn’t miss anything fun.  Second, reconsider how long you need in order to exercise.  We often think we need to carve out 30, 60 or 90 minutes (plus travel time if you’re going somewhere to exercise) in order to make exercise meaningful.  You don’t need 30-90 minutes to exercise.  Remember, any exercise is better than no exercise at all and while your non-holiday exercise program may involve 30-90 minutes, in this time-crunched season, shorten that bad boy way down.  I advocate for a 10 minute workout.  What?!  Ten minutes?! I see you rolling your virtual eyes at the thought of a 10 minute workout.  Here are my two favorites:



If these workouts don’t leave you tired and sore in just 10 minutes let me know and I’ll refund your money.

 2) I don’t want to.

            This excuse is invalid.  I don’t like paying taxes, brushing my teeth or setting an alarm clock.  Guess I still need to exercise.

 3) I am away from home.

            When we travel and are out of our fitness routines, it’s easy not to exercise but I like to see exercising out of town as an adventure.  Here’s how:

            - Do your 100 burpees in the living room of your host’s home.  Perhaps consider doing it during mealtime.  It will be a holiday to remember, trust me.

            - If you’re a gym person, find a local gym and ask them to pay a drop-in fee.  Usually it’s between $5-$15.  I have dropped-in to gyms all over the world and have yet to have someone tell me “no, we don’t like your kind”.  A lot of times if you're really nice they’ll let you workout for free(or so nice people tell me). 

            - Go outside.  Walk, run, skip, hike, climb, in the area where you’re staying.  It can be a great opportunity to enjoy beautiful scenery or at the very least, locate a good restaurant for dinner.

            - Bring your own equipment (your body should be considered equipment) and you can do a workout right where you are: your hotel room, your mother-in-law’s kitchen, the backyard… Back in May I wrote a blog post about go-anywhere workouts, you can read it here. 
 
Darn.  I had intended to open a bottle of wine and settle down for some fine television programming after I finished this post but  it looks like I’ve got 10 minutes to do some burpees. 




 

If you’re like me, you’re still recovering from Thanksgiving.  Between 18 hours in the car to go over the river and thru the woods (or at least over three states and numerous highways), and four days of my family’s not-so-healthy-but-oh-so-delicious traditional dishes, I’m feeling  stuffed.  Stuffed and lazy.

Over the years I have found that the holiday season tends to be a time that exercise takes backseat, for both me and my clients.  Frankly, it’s totally understandable; the holidays are a busy time.  We have work and social functions galore, shopping to do, decorations to hang, church and school pageants to attend, and traveling to do.  And the food.  Oh the food!  This time of year we indulge in the special casseroles, sweets and drinks that only come around once per year (mmmmm Eggnog).  Having less time and being stuffed from fattening foods are hardly the ingredients for exercise.

All year I’m motivated to exercise.  I prioritize my workouts, I create schedules and make sure “GYM” is somewhere on my daily calendar.  But year after year, that motivation and dedication to making exercise a priority falls by the wayside like clockwork as Thanksgiving approaches.  At Thanksgiving my inner Fat Kid voice wakes-up and whispers, “You’re so good all year, don’t you just want to take a little break? Missing a couple workouts won’t kill you.  You can redouble your efforts in January.”  And of course my favorite Fat Kid refrain, “Just one more piece of _____, it’s a special time of year.”

But this year is going to be different! This we’re going to silence our inner Fat Kids and create strategies for making time for exercise and for setting ourselves up for success in January.   We can still enjoy the holidays and make fitness a priority.  ‘Tis the season!    

Well, it's that time of year again.  The leftovers are just about gone, holiday decorations are coming out, and you're hearing festive music in all the stores.  If you haven't started already, it's time to think about gifts for the ones you love.  The holiday season can take a real toll on your pocket book, however.  This season, why not try to do more handmade gifts?  They are more meaningful, save you money, and leave you feeling guilt free.  These can be anything from healthy treats to bath products, to culinary delights.  Here's a few of my favorite recipes:

This recipe is brought to you from the folks at Mountain Rose Herbs.  It looks delicious!

 

1 cup organic all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 teaspoon sea salt
1 3/4 sticks softened organic butter
1 cup organic sugar
1/4 cup packed organic light brown sugar
1 large organic free-range egg
1 teaspoon organic vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups organic old-fashioned rolled oats

3/4 tsp organic cinnamon powder, 1/2 tsp organic cardamom powder, 1/4 tsp organic ginger powder, 1/8 tsp organic clove powder, 1/8 tsp organic nutmeg powder


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, powdered spice mix, and sea salt together.
3. In another bowl, beat butter and sugars until fluffy and creamy. Add egg and vanilla to the butter and sugar mixture and beat until combined. Scrape bowl with spatula.
4. Gradually add flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir until it just becomes smooth.
5. Gradually add oats and mix until well combined.
6. Roll 2 tablespoons of dough into balls with your hands. Place on parchment lined baking sheets about 2 1/2 inches apart. Gently press down each ball to about 3/4-inch thickness using fingertips.
7. Bake until cookies are golden brown, about 13 to 16 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through. Transfer baking sheet to wire rack to cool.

Are you as sick of leftovers as I am yet?  Yes, they are delicious.  But after a few days I can't even look at pie anymore without feeling a bit queasy.   While it's common around the holidays to put on a few pounds, it also feels really  good to get moving and burn off those extra calories.  And as long as you stay active, you won't feel quite so guilty about joining in the delicious holiday festivities.

Yoga is a great way to get active.  It's low-impact, affordable, and can be done just about anywhere.  Try this series of Sun Salutations to get your blood pumping, build muscle strength, and improve flexibility.  Don't be discouraged by the length of the sequence! Here's the breakdown:

by Lisa Beach, Ph.D.

I have one more coconut flour based recipe to share with you! If you missed the prior posts/recipes, check them out here: 
What is Coconut Flour and what can you do with it?
5- Minute Breakfast Cookies
Coconut Flour Cauliflower Pizza Crust

I love making crispy "bites" with all different themes--like pizza, ham and cheese, cheeseburger, etc. The base is always the same, and then you just add in whatever you like! The recipe I'm sharing today is my favorite "bite" theme to date!

Grain Free Turkey Avocado Bacon Bites

Heat 2 heaping Tbsp coconut oil in a skillet.
In a bowl, mix together:
1/4 cup diced avocado
3 Tbsp crumbled bacon
3 Tbsp parmesan cheese (grated or shredded)
3 Tbsp diced turkey
2 Tbsp diced sauteed purple onion (optional)
1 egg
1 1/2 Tbsp coconut flour

Dump the melted coconut oil in with the other ingredients and mix well. Add a little more coconut oil to your pan, and drop dollops of the mixture in the pan on medium-low heat. Flatten just a little bit. When the bottom is browned, flip them over and finish off the other side.

Serve with Chipotle Avocado Dip. This isn’t really a recipe, but just take 1/4-1/2 of your avocado and blend (or mix with hand mixer) it with a splash of oil (I used walnut oil, but olive oil or some other would work–it’s just to thin it out a little bit). Add chipotle powder or cayenne pepper to taste. Add a dash of salt, a squeeze of lemon, and any other seasonings you like (I put in a shake of southwestern seasoning).


This serves one to two people (one if it’s for me!).

These are amazing!

by Lisa Beach, Ph.D.

I decided to continue my posting trend about coconut flour, and share another grain free healthy recipe! If you missed my other posts about this, check out the background information plus a recipe here, and a pizza crust recipe here.

5 Minute Stovetop Coconut Flour Cookies
2 eggs
2 tbsp coconut flour
2 tbsp melted coconut oil
1 scoop protein powder (21g – I used SunWarrior brand, but I honestly think Jay Robb would be better) – I bet you could just sub in a little more coconut flour for this if you aren’t into protein powders.
a few drops of stevia (to taste), or a splash of maple syrup (to taste)

First, in a frying pan over medium heat, add just over 2 T coconut oil to melt.

Next, in a bowl, add all the other ingredients. Add the melted oil to the bowl, and mix with a fork till well-combined. Taste the dough and add more sweetener if needed. You can add things to these—chocolate chips, nuts, cinnamon, seeds, etc.

Roll the dough into balls with your hands and flatten (they won’t rise or change shape in the pan). Place the cookies in the pan, brown on each side and then eat! They would be fabulous with nut butter, chocolate, or even cream cheese on them. I ate them plain and was completely happy. This will make about 7 cookies, depending on how big you make them.

by Lisa Beach, Ph.D.

Back in April, I wrote a post about the benefits of coconut flour and what you can do with it. This week, in my seminar for HW220: Contemporary Diet and Nutrition, my students and I had a discussion about this ingredient, and I told them I'd share another recipe.

I've made cauliflower pizza crusts many times (don't knock it till you try it!), but this time I decided to add coconut flour to it in hopes that it would make the crust a little more "bread-y." It worked! I tried this recipe out on some unsuspecting (standard American diet eating) guests...

Cauliflower Coconut Flour Pizza Crust
3/4 cup riced cauli (steam it, rice it—the best way is with a food processor, but you could use a grater)
3/4 cup shredded cheese (I used sharp cheddar)
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
2 eggs
2 Tbsp coconut flour
1 to 2 tsp pizza seasoning
add garlic and other flavors of your choice

Mix everything together till well combined, form into pizza crusts (I did three small ones so I could flip them easily) on a very well greased baking pan. I greased it with butter, and it stuck a little bit…I’d recommend coconut oil for less sticking!

Bake at 350 until the bottom is browned (depends on your oven, probably 15-20 minutes or so). Flip the crusts and continue baking till the tops are golden. Remove from the oven, add toppings, and then put under the broiler till everything is warm and the cheese is melted.

The guests' verdict: “Amazing!”

What do you think? Do you dare try coconut flour and cauliflower in your pizza crust? 

Are you adventurous in the kitchen?