Squats and Lunges

I used to despise squats and lunges. Even now, I still don't love them, but they make me feel strong during and after finishing my routine.  There are a couple of different types of squats.  Here is how to do one squat:

1.  Place your fee hip width apart and parallel to each other, toes pointed forward (Some people overestimate how wide their hips are so if you need to, check your position in a floor length mirror before you begin).

2. Keep your weight pressed into your heels as you lower your body, as if you were seated in a chair.

3.  As you lower your body slowly, make sure that your hips don't sit below your knees. 

4.  Slowly, raise your body up to start position.

Do 2-3 sets of 12. 

As your body gets used to lowering its own weight, you can add two hand-held weights in each hand.  Start with 3-5lb. weights (one in each hand).  Hold your hands next to your side with the end of the weight facing forward and backwards. 

The other type of squat is done the same way, but instead of pointing your toes forward, you place them on a 45 degree angle and lower down into a squat. 

*If doing sets is too tedious/annoying to count, time yourself for one minute for a set and then switch to a different exercise.  Then come back to doing another minute of this, if desired.

Lunges

1.  Start with your feet parallel, hip width apart, toes pointed straight ahead.

2.  Step forward with your right leg and lower down slowly.

3.  Bend both legs at the knee.  Your back heel, left foot, should come off the ground as you lower down.  Keep your weight balanced in between your legs.

4.  Make sure that you stop lowering once your thigh is parallel with your knee. Make sure your hips do not lower past your knee.Your left shin should also be parallel or almost parallel to the ground in the lunge position.

5.  Raise yourself up and return your right leg to start position. 

6.  Switch legs and repeat for one minute alternating legs.

7.  You can also pulse on the last 2 lunges.  On your last lunge with your right leg forward, raise up and lower and raise yourself slightly for 16 counts.  Switch and do the same on your left leg. 

8.  If you feel like you want to add weights, go ahead and do so, but start off with 3-5lb. weights.  Hold the hand weights so that the weights are at your side with the ends facing forwards and backwards.

*I will talk about other ways you can incorporate weights to get the maximum benefit in your work-out in some later blogs.

Squat with Curtsy Lunge 

1.  Stand with your feet hip width apart, toes pointed on a 45 degree angle.   

2.  Lower down into a squat position.  

3.  As you come up take your left leg back and cross it behind your right leg as you lower straight down.

4.  Come up and return your left leg to first position.

5.  Squat down, come back up.  As you come up, take your right leg, cross it behind your left leg, and lower straight down. Rise up and repeat the other leg again.  

6.  Do this for one minute without stopping.  Remember not to let your hips go below your knees.  

*You can alternate all of these exercises and repeat each exercise 2-3 times.  Do 1 minute for each exercise.

*Remember to stretch before and after you work-out.

Running doesn't have to be lonely

Yesterday, I went on a run with my husband and my dog, Beethoven. My husband and I had been fostering him since right after Thanksgiving, and then we adopted him from a rescue shelter about a week before Christmas. He's an interesting dog, because he has anxiety/adjustment issues, but he's a sweetie.  We decided to drive over to a nearby park and run with him where there wouldn't be as many cars and people as if we had run through our neighborhood. I've never run any distance with a dog, besides just a quick sprint down the block. This was interesting and I was glad my husband had the leash instead of me, because Beethoven's nose took over his sense of direction. Initially, Beethoven, zigzagged between my husband and me. At one point Beethoven ran to my left with the leash in front of me, so I leaped over the leash (My husband was still the one with the leash to the right of me), and Beethoven was then behind me. All of a sudden he started coming back forward, so I quickly moved out of the way. Beethoven seemed to want to play jump rope with me. Eventually, he got used to running next to us, until he decided to run behind me and sniff the bottom of my shoes as my feet kicked up.  He was lucky that he didn't get knocked in the head. Overall, he did pretty well and ran a pretty good distance. I guess he is a runner, after all, and he added some extra joy to our typical Sunday run. I didn't even miss my i-Pod, since I had a new kind of entertainment.

Addendum to January 16

So, my mother just corrected me in telling me that I did take naps, but once I was 22 months I usually did not want to do so. Either way, I seem to enjoy sleep more than when I was a child. I wish you all happy naps and sweet dreams.

Ah...pillow.

Sleep. As a child I never wanted to sleep.  My mom has told me that I refused to take naps (Once I hit college, I learned that naps were the greatest gift to man). I envied my older sister who could have sleepovers and stay up late with her friends. Finally, I made it to third grade and had my first sleepover. Of course, I always wanted more and wanted to be older like my sister. My sister soon was able to drive and stay out late with her friends. I wanted that freedom; I never wanted to go to bed.  Hah! Little did I know that I would soon wish I could have the privilege of having an 8PM bedtime and getting eight or more uninterrupted hours of sleep regularly.  Some of you, who know me, are probably thinking, "What is interrupting her sleep; she doesn't have kids."  Well, I might not have kids, but I have pets, a job, have household chores, and just regular adult-type stuff to do.  Oh, how I wish my head could rest on my pillow for a couple of more hours, especially on Monday mornings. Ah...

So, you might be wondering why I'm writing about sleep when this blog is supposed to be about fitness, fashion, and yummy veggie meals. Well, sleep is very important in order to help you stay physically and mentally fit.  Lack of sleep can cause you to be more prone to physical illness (WebMD).  Personally, I tend to catch a cold more easily when I haven't gotten enough sleep and have been stressed over several days.  Also, when people stay up longer, they tend to snack on foods that aren't very healthy.  If they stay up late and snack on unhealthy foods often, they might find they gain weight.  

I was recently listening to Eric and Kathy  on Chicago's 101.9 The Mix WTMX (Eric and Kathy), and they discussed how most people can get eight hours of sleep if they really want to and are more organized/procrastinate less.  Some people really can't get eight hours due to crazy job hours or babies that cry at all hours, etc., but some of us just choose to stay up later or get up earlier too in order to cram more things into the day.

In order to be mentally and physically better, try to get tasks done ahead of time when you can, take turns getting up with your loved one when your baby cries, DVR shows that are on later, turn off your computer and TV earlier (Staring at a bright screen before bedtime can cause difficulty falling asleep right away in bed), and exercise a couple of hours or more before bedtime (Exercise also will help you sleep better and more sound, but too close to bedtime and it will stimulate your heart, brain, muscles, and will raise your body temperature).

So, it's time all of us get some more sleep and relax. Night!

Get Movin'

It's almost Wednesday, halfway through the work week.  Have you exercised this week, yet? If not, then get movin'.  You should exercise at least 3-5 days per week for 30 minutes or more.  Exercising can be fun. Dance or ride your bike if you don't like to run or use a machine at the gym. I personally like to do a mixture of cardio and strength training throughout the week. Cardio burns fats and calories, but strength training continues to burn calories even when you're not working out.  The muscle that you build takes energy to maintain it.  I prefer to run and do my elliptical for cardio training, but I also like some DVDs that provide a mixture of cardio bursts and weights.  Jackie Warner has a great DVD out that works everything called Workout: One-On-One Training with Jackie. I work-out to it at least once a week. Every time I do her DVD, my muscles are sore the next day (good sore, not pain).  I bought mine at Target or you can check-out her website and buy it there. Jackie Warner's website.  She combines squats, lunges, weights, cardio, upper body, lower body, and abs all on one DVD. I usually do the entire workout video, but she has three different parts that you can mix and match, or just play one at a time.  Each segment lasts about 20 minutes.  So, get movin' and have fun!

Here's another yummy recipe!

Greek Vegetable Salad-Stuffed Pitas
from Rachel Ray's 30-Minute Meals Veggie Meals
Serves 2 as a supper, 4 as a side dish or starter

1 can (14oz.) quartered artichoke hearts in water, drained
1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced
2 vine-ripe tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 small pickling (Kirby) cucumber or 1/4 seedless European cucumber, washed, peeled, and chunked
20 Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
(2 handfuls)
8 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
Juice of 1 lemon
A generous drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil
Coarse salt and black pepper, to taste
1 cup of plain yogurt
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
A pinch of coarse salt and black pepper, to taste
4 large pitas, warmed
4 leaves of romaine lettuce, from the heart

Combine first 9 ingredients in a bowl.  Season with a little salt and pepper.  In a small bowl combine yogurt with garlic, dill, and salt and pepper.  Line a warm pita with a lettuce leaf, fill with salad, and top with yogurt sauce.

It's cold outside...brr.

 Here's a yummy soup to try for cold weather. If you like pumpkin and like to save on time, try this!

Pumpkin and Black Bean Soup from Rachel Ray's 30 Minute Veggie Meals  

Buy her cookbook
Serves 4

1 tbsp vegetable or canola oil (1 turn around the pan)
1 tbsp butter (a couple of pats)-I usually omit the butter or use less
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 can (14 1/2 oz) chicken or vegetable broth
1 can (14 1/2oz) diced tomatoes in juice
1 can (15oz) pumpkin puree
1/2 cup heavy cream (3 turns around the pan)-I use skim milk instead
1 1/2 tsp curry powder (1/3 palmful)
1tsp ground cumin, a little less than curry
3 pinches cayenne pepper (1/4 tsp)
Coarse salt, to taste

Heat a deep pot over medium heat.  Add oil and butter.  When butter melts, add onion and saute, 5 minutes, 'til tender/  Add broth, tomatoes, black beans, and pumpkin.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and stir in cream (milk), curry powder, cumin, cayenne, and a few pinches salt.  Simmer 5 minutes, adjust seasonings and serve.

Welcome!

Happy New Year! It's 2011 and it's time to start whatever you want to start for you.  The holidays are a time to celebrate, eat, and be with family and friends whether we love it or we don't love it.  I personally love the holidays, but it can still be overwhelming and stressful at times. There's the shopping, the work parties, the family parties, the figuring out of what to wear and what to buy for others.  Even though the holidays are over and we're now into the new year, we can still feel exhausted and a little tense from the sudden end of everything.  Here are some things to do to help relax:

1.  Breathe-Taking slow deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth works wonders. Breathe in like you're smelling baked cookies and breathe out like you're blowing out birthday candles. 

2.  Music-listening to your favorite music can release positive emotions.

3.  Take a long shower or bath-It's important to just take time to cleanse your body literally and metaphorically. You can even practice you're relaxation breathing while soaking in the suds. :)

4.  Read a good book or a magazine-Once you find something interesting and indulging, you can get lost for a little while reading about someone else's adventures.

5.  Talk to a friend or family member who makes you laugh/feel good about yourself-Connecting with others helps release endorphins that create a happy feeling inside of us.

6.  Watch a good movie-It's okay to sometimes be a couch potato and relax a little.  Moderation is key.

7.  Exercise/move-You don't have to run a marathon to be physically healthy. Just get outside and move. Take a walk, ride a bike, take your dog to the park. Of course, if you want to run a marathon then do it!