Breakfast for CHAMPIONS =) Oat biscuit

A friend of mine asked me to post this because she does not care for the texture of oatmeal. I do not have a problem with oatmeal, but there are times that I do not feel like eating my breakfast with a spoon... In order to get a healthy breakfast in, sometimes I have to eat while I drive. Here are the supplies to make my oatmeal biscuit!!

- Spray non stick spray in your small bowl.

- 1/3 cup of oats (or 1/2 cup if you want a bigger/thicker biscuit)

- Egg Whites (I use this carton so that I do not waste whole eggs... and it is cheaper than going through 5 eggs, just to get egg whites) I only put enough egg whites to cover all the oats. If you putt too much, you will have a MOIST biscuit. This ended up being 1/2 cup of egg whites for me, because I wanted more egg today.

- Sprinkle cinnamon and Splenda if you wish, and mix.

To prevent an atomic egg/oat bomb from going off in your microwave, place a paper towel over your bowl and microwave for 1:15-1:30.... You want to make sure all the egg is absorbed... Liquid egg is gross =/

Let it cool for a while and then do a little JIGGLE to get it out of your bowl. You can slather a little peanut butter on top, or cut it in the middle and smear PB on the inside =)

Enjoy!!!

THAT type of day....

Hello all, and happy MLK Day. What a great man. I love how there are such strong, influential historical figures, whom we all respect, but probably would have been hesitant to follow in the MOMENT. We are so often influenced by the popular vote... Not to raise controversial issues on my insignificant blog, but my point is that we choose what is easy... because it is EASY! Our friends (I am pretty sure we cling to those that we LIKE to be around and love those that are EASY to love), our health (it is EASY to sit at home and not head to the gym; it is EASY to make that pop-tart), and our jobs (not that everyone has to be a CEO, but we would be much more efficient and honest to our employers if we actually put in an honest 8+ hours at work).

Today is one of those HARD days. I woke up at 3:40AM and got to work by 5:15. Today we launched our NEW YEAR WELLNESS challenge. My hope is to just help a handful of people completely change the way they view health and wellness. Needless to say, I am on my third cup of coffee. I am making myself go for a run (I have been procrastinating and putting it off... which means I may not be running my half marathon in March) and then I must do some homework (cheers to grad school).

This is one of those days that I feel like my job has taken all of my energy (but I love my job and cannot imagine doing anything else.... I am just TIRED!!!) and I must make those hard decisions to stay faithful and responsible to the responsibilities set before me.

Have a great evening. I will hopefully be asleep by 8:00pm =)

Girls Just Wanna Have Fu-un

Happy weekend friends. *sigh* This week was difficult. I cannot believe the week is over. On Tuesday, the week felt like it would never end. Even yesterday, I felt like I had been run over by a truck.... You know, that Monday morning feel? Work is going well, and I LOVE IT. I was just very tired by yesterday afternoon.

Today is full of girl time for me. I love my girlfriends. I have realized recently that I have multiple girl friends for different times of my week/life. I do not have a group of 4 girls that are all friends with each other and only each other. I have a long list of girl friends that have never crossed paths before. I met with my friend Gina last night, I am meeting my friend Courtney for a run later this morning, and I will be meeting my other friend Courtney this afternoon.... after my friend Bonnie's wedding shower! Crazy right?

Very few of them actually know each other. Lately I have not had to work out by myself at all! I meet Wendy in the mornings before work (2-3 times a week) and I meet Jen at the gym after work (unless I am running with one of the Courtneys, BJ, Carly, or Kristen). Oh, and once in a while, I throw in an upper body blast with Rebekah! I think I should plan a dinner party and invite ALL of them!!!

I will never have to run by myself again!!!!

The truth is, I am thankful for each of these women because they offer something special and different. I have other women in my life, including my sisters, that also provide support and joy just for being themselves. They keep me healthy.... mentally and physically! Girlfriends are so important and I have been thinking about this alot. THANK YOU GIRLS!!!!

Below Post

I posted a link below... but I tried it from my phone, so I could not type with the link... I always wondered if baking with protein powder effected the nutritional value... it is a very good explanation. Happy Saturday!

Cooking With Protein Powder | Recipes | Lean Bodies Consulting

Cooking With Protein Powder | Recipes | Lean Bodies Consulting

Efficient a.m. Workout

Thanks to Lily's Health Pad, I had a great workout this morning with Wendy. We did cardio and strength training in 50 minutes... and we had time to spare! We threw in a few ab exercises at the end. I have to run off to work now, but I wanted to share the workout with you from Lily's page. We made some modifications for Wendy's knee, and we replaced the jack flys with wacky jacks.... video on this to come soon!!! =) off to work for me!!!

You will find this on Lily's fabulous blog!!!! I am going to start following her:

10 minute warm-up at easy pace

12 overhead tricep extensions

16 plyometric lunges

10 chest pushups

16 plyometric lunges

12 overhead tricep extensions

16 plyometric lunges

10 chest pushups

20 plyometric squats

12 standard bicep curls

20 plyometric squats

10 chest pushups + 10 tricep pushups

20 plyometric squats

12 hammer curls

5 fly jack sequences

10 chest pushups + 10 tricep pushups

5 fly jack sequences

12 bicep curls at 45 degrees from navel

5 fly jack sequences

12 bent over rows on right and left (24 total)

16 plyometric lunges

12 bent over rows on right and left

20 plyometric squats

12 bent over rows on right and left

5 flyjack sequences

This extreme, fabulous workout is found at www.lilyshealthpad.com.

Time Management and Family

In this season of life, I probably need the most help with time management. Someone told me the other day that she did not particularly care for the magazine REAL SIMPLE because her stage of life right now is pretty simplified. This is true for her, and I appreciate what she was saying. However, that is not me. I work full time. I am in graduate school. We just moved. I have a lot going on. I have been struggling with lack of motivation to exercise (run) lately... probably because October and November of 2010 were extremely full of races and exercise events for me. I am ready to lie low. I am ready to learn new recipes and catch up with loved ones. I may not even run my half marathon in March... I want to go to the gym like a normal person, do my workout, and go home. Does anyone else ever feel like this? In my stress management courses I teach at work, I encourage people to take moments to be thankful.

I am thankful for my fabulous husband. He is my best friend.

I am thankful for sunsets.

I am thankful for my mom, dad (taking the picture), my sisters, and their husbands (missed you at this one Nathan!!!)

Speaking of thankful, I am going to go upstairs and watch Jeopardy with my hubby. Goodnight all.

Healthy Heart: Blood Pressure

Blood pressure. We all know the general numbers... or at least I thought we did. Recently, I have been in contact with young males (20s-30s) who have had blood pressures in the 160's/80's. Even one of my family members told me that his blood pressure has been normal... 170's! In nursing school, we learned that hypertension (high blood pressure) is known as the silent killer. Young people allow their blood pressure to be higher than normal (making their hearts work harder) for most of their youth/early adulthood. Unfortunately, that catches up with us when we get older. If we get injured, forget exercise. If we get busy, we stock our freezers with frozen meals (SODIUM!).

A normal blood pressure needs to be 120/80 or less. Individuals with 120-139/80-89 are now considered PREHYPERTENSIVE. Unfortunately, most people do not start worrying about blood pressure until they have symptoms (headache, fatigue, dizziness, palpitations...) until their blood pressure is REALLY high.

Most of the time, high blood pressure is caused by our diet, weight, stress, and insulin sensitivity (diabetes...). However, there are risk factors that create a higher risk. Family history, age (over 55 if you are a woman, younger than 55 if you are a male) , race (African American), and gender (male) all play a part. Of course, please see your primary care physician if you have concerns about your blood pressure. Here are some things that you can do to help:

- Cut sodium from your diet. Do not add it to your food. Try to eat fresh foods... not prepackaged meals. NO SODA. Watch your soups.

- Add fruits and vegetables.

- Cardiovascular activity... power walk. Go play Frisbee. Ride your bike. Get your heart BEAT'N!!!

(Even this healthy soup has 400mg of soup... you should aim for <2300mg)

Why cut salt??? Here is the tricky part. Salt causes your body to RETAIN WATER... think of your veins as a hose. If you put your thumb over the top, water squirts out faster and HARDER... that is your blood pressure... your thumb is like your heart. Think of that blood putting PRESSURE on your heart. Furthermore, increased volume in your body (which happens when you retain water) actually hinders your kidneys from releasing salt in your urine... SO YOU GET SALT ON BOTH ENDS.

(lovely drawing, right?)

OOOOH how the body is so fascinating. I hope this helps !!!! Have a good evening.

SOURCES:

Medical Surgical Nursing (2004). Lewis S., Heitkemper M., Dirksen S. Mosby, Inc.

FREE Online Weight Loss Tools

I just put this together for work, and I thought I would share. These free resources are available online and MOBILE APPS. This just may help you reach your new year's resolution!!!


Calorie King:
- www.calorieking.com
- Look up food lables and nutrition facts
- BMI and calorie calculator tools
- ** You have to pay monthly to keep a diet log,
But it is FREE to look up food and use the calculators.
Livestrong
- www.livestrong.com
- Look up food lables and nutrition facts.
- Log your food daily for FREE.
- Look up exercises and fitness tips.
- iPhone and BlackBerry app for $2.99
- BMI and calorie calculator tools
SPARK People
- www.sparkpeople.com
- Look up food lables and nutrition facts.
- Easily to use calorie diary for FREE.
- Recipes and accountability groups
- Log exercise and activity
- BMI and calorie calculator tools
- iPhone, BlackBerry, and Android apps FREE.
My Pyramid
- www.mypyramid.gov
- FDA approved
- Daily calorie needs as recommended by dieticians.
- Informational handouts
- Food log
- Sample diet plans for adults and children
Fit Day
- www.fitnday.com
- Look up food lables and nutrition facts.
- iPhone and BlackBerry apps FREE.
- Exercise log and tips
- BMI and calorie need calculators

What is Healthy???

As people flood the gyms and attempt, once again, to kick off their new year's resolution to lose weight, I feel more motivated to educate people on what health is. At work, my coworker and I have started a WELLNESS CHALLENGE instead of a WEIGHTLOSS Challenge. The point is for people to track healthy behaviors for 6 weeks. Each person who participates, WINS. You get points by checking off your daily checklist. Each check = one point. On the daily list, there are tasks like drink 8 glasses of water, eat two fruits, eat three vegetables, engage in 10 minutes of activity (this is a great way to start if you are not already exercising), and take a moment to be thankful for what you have EACH DAY. Our mindset behind this is to help people learn healthy behaviors BEFORE they attempt to lose weight. We want people to reach a healthy weight and MAINTAIN it... Not lose it and gain it back.

While I am on my soap box: CARBOHYDRATES ARE NOT THE DEVIL. WEIGHT WATCHERS, SOUTH BEACH, and other popular diets can be used as tools, but they will not teach you to keep the weight off unless you change the way you view food (as fuel) and portion sizes.

I want people to realize that cleaning up your diet FREES you; it does not TRAP you. Our society is ADDICTED to junk food and ADDICTED to quick fixes.

So HEALTHY is not just a combination between weight and exercise; it is a lifestyle. Stress management, a healthy support system, and sleep are all ALSO a part of health and WEIGHTLOSS.

Speaking of HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS:

I have decided to learn golf. I want to exercise. My husband does not want to go to the gym. I like to run. Clay will NOT run. Clay will golf. I will learn to golf. Do you see my reasoning? I have realized that my own gym schedule will not be worth it in 10 years, unless I get to spend some of it with my husband. Sure, I will be healthy, but I want to be with Clay. Do not get me wrong, I really enjoy my workouts with girlfriends, or by myself in my zone ... but my husband is my best friend. I want to do things with HIM. If golfing with him leads to walking or stretching with him. FABULOUS. Maybe that will lead to doing some shoulder exercises to strengthen our swings... WHO KNOWS.

I am off to finish some cleaning, get in some strength training, and then maybe, JUST MAYBE, I might watch the bachelor. Every year I am disappointed in the human race; however, a preview I saw the other evening about this season sparked my interested. Have a good night!!!!