Workouts in Review: Defined Lines

I have been doing a lot of interval workouts combining cardio with weights. I like these workouts a lot because I rarely do them and it's been a pleasant change. The other great thing is that it allows me to fit more yoga in on the days in between.

A new trainer that I have been enjoying is Tracie Long. Now, she does take some getting used to because she can seem very robotic at times. I think that this mannerism is because she gets really focused on form and in that case it's okay with me as I too am a stickler about form. Besides, she has to have the best figure I've seen in a long time. Maybe if I do these workouts enough I'll look like her ;o)

This morning I did Defined Lines for the first time and decided I had to do a post about it. I have really come to love functional workouts and this is an awesome functional fitness workout! Sometimes I get so picky about getting moves just right that I forget to be useful they should be fluid. Shaping muscle with proper form is very important but just as important is making those strong muscles useful in everyday movements. This workout feels like it does just that, yippee!

One thing I need to note is that this workout is not broken down and she goes from one move to the next quickly. Although it can frustrate at first, trust me it is so much better in the end because you don't feel like you're standing around waiting for the instructor to get through an explanation. I would much rather just go through a couple times bobbling than have my workout momentum stalled for a step-by-step.

I have about 8 more of Tracie's workouts and have done quite a few of them several times. She has a Focus series that is great for when you need a quick 30-minute workout that is very effective and gets you in and out fast. Defined Lines is from her Longevity series and these run around 50-minutes. She also has a Reboot series and Focus 30 Hips workouts but I have yet to try them.

If you sign up for Tracie's newsletter she lets you know when the workouts are on sale. I picked up all of mine when she had them on sale for $9.95 each. That was a steal! I hope she will have them on sale again because I know I will be picking up more.

Nicole

P90X Final and This Month's Rotation

This is going to be a long post! Here are the strength changes over the last 90 days of P90X. Shoulders, Biceps and Triceps are harder to make big changes on because the weight variance is so big between weights. Like I said in a previous post, I really need to get PlateMates so that I can make the increment changes smaller than the 3-5 lb. ones I am making now.

Shoulders & Arms- Disc 3


Move                                                     Start                                Finish

Alternating Shoulder Press                  13 reps   12 lbs.               15 reps   15 lbs.
In & Out Bicep Curls                           16 reps   10 lbs.               16 reps   12 lbs.
Two-Arm Triceps Kickbacks               15 reps    8 lbs.                15 reps   10 lbs.
Deep Swimmer's Presses                     15 reps   12 lbs.                15 reps   15 lbs.
Full Supination Concentration Curls   13 reps   10 lbs.                15 reps   12 lbs.
Chair Dips                                             30 bent knees                   25 straight leg
Upright Rows                                       15 reps   10 lbs.               15 reps   15 lbs.
Static Arm Curls                                  16 reps   10 lbs.                16 reps   15 lbs.
Flip-Grip Twist Triceps Kickbacks     15 reps    8 lbs.                 15 reps   10 lbs.
Seated Two-Angle Shoulder Flys       16 reps    5 lbs.                 16 reps     8 lbs.
Crouching Cohen Curls                      15 reps   10 lbs.                15 reps   15 lbs.
Lying-Down Triceps Extensions        15 reps     8 lbs.                15 reps   10 lbs.
In/Out Straight-Arm Shoulder Flys    16 reps    8 lbs.                 16 reps   12 lbs.
Congdon Curls                                    15 reps   10 lbs.                15 reps   15 lbs.
Side Tri-Rises                                      12 reps   12 lbs.               15 reps   15 lbs.


Legs & Back- Disc 5


Move                                                     Start                                Finish

Balanced Lunges                                  25 reps                            25 reps
Calf-Raise Squats                                 25 reps    8 lbs.               25 reps   12 lbs.
Reverse Grip Chin-Ups(brown band)  18 reps                            26 reps
Super Skaters                                        25 reps(touching toe)     25 reps (no touch)
Wall Squats                                           90 seconds                     90 seconds
Wide Front Pull-Ups (brown)               24 reps                           30 reps
Step Back Lunge                                  15 reps    8 lbs.               15 reps   12 lbs.
Alternating Side Lunge                        12 reps    0 lbs.               12 reps   10 lbs.
Closed Grip Overhead Pull-Ups          20 reps                            26 reps
Single-Leg Wall Squats                       60 seconds                      60 seconds
Deadlift Squats                                    20 reps (touching floor)  20 reps (no touching)
Switch Grip Pull-Ups                          28 reps                            30 reps
Three-Way Lunge                               15 reps     0 lbs.               15 reps     8 lbs.
Sneaky Lunges                                    20 total                            20 total
Reverse Grip Chin-Ups                       24 reps                            26 reps
Chair Salutations                                   all                                    all
Toe-Roll Iso Lunge                             20 reps     0 lbs.               20 reps   10 lbs.
Wide Front Pull-Ups                           20 reps                            30 reps
Groucho Walk                                       all                                    all
Calf Raises                                            all +       5 lbs.                 all +      12 lbs.
Closed Grip Overhand Pull-Ups         20 reps                               26 reps
80/ 20 Siebers-Speed Squats              30 reps                               30 reps

Chest Shoulders & Triceps- Disc9


Move                                                     Start                                    Finish

Slow Motion 3-in-1 Push Ups              last set on knees+6 bonus    all full + 10 bonus
In & Out Shoulder Flys                        16 reps    8 lbs.                     16 reps   10 lbs.
Chair Dips                                            30 bent knees                       28 straight leg
Plange Push-Ups                                  3 full 13 knees                     10 full 10 knees
Pike Press                                             12 reps                                 21 reps
Side Tri-Rise                                        15 reps each side                 18 reps each side
Floor Flys                                             3 sets (1 set full)                  4 sets full
Scarecrows                                           15 reps    5 lbs.                    15 reps   10 lbs.
Overhead Triceps Extension                15 reps    8 lbs.                    15 reps   10 lbs.
Two-Twitch Speed Push-Ups               3 sets (1 set full)                  3 sets (2 sets full)
Y Presses                                              15 reps    8 lbs.                    15 reps   12 lbs.
Lying Triceps Extension                      15 reps    8 lbs.                    15 reps   12 lbs.
Side-to-Side Push-Ups                         14 full                                  20 full
Pour Flys                                              15 reps    5 lbs.                    15 reps   10 lbs.
Side Leaning Triceps Extension           12 reps   8 lbs.                    14 reps   10 lbs.
One Arm Push-Ups                              3 reps on knees                   8 reps knees
Weighted Circles                                  all    3 lbs.                           all    3 lbs.
Throw the Bomb                                  12 reps    5 lbs.                   12 reps    10 lbs.
Plyo Push-Ups                                      6 full   7 knees                    13 full   8 knees
Slo-Mo Throws                                    13 reps    5 lbs.                   15 reps     8 lbs.
Front to Back Triceps Extensions        12 reps    8 lbs.                   14 reps   10 lbs.
One Arm Balance Push-Ups                10 full   6 knees                  14 full    4 knees
Fly-Row-Press                                      15 reps    5 lbs.                   15 reps    8 lbs.
Dumbell Cross-Body Blows                 25 reps    8 lbs.                   26 reps   12 lbs.

Back & Biceps- Disc10


Move                                                     Start                                Finish

Wide Front Pull-Ups                               22                                     30
Lawnmowers                                       12 reps   15 lbs.               15 reps   25 lbs.
Twenty-Ones                                       21 reps   10 lbs.               21 reps   15 lbs.
One-Arm Cross-Body Curls               13 reps    10 lbs.              15 reps   15 lbs.
Switch Grip Pull-Ups                             24                                     30
Elbows Out Lawnmowers                  14 reps    15 lbs.              15 reps   20 lbs.
Standing Biceps Curls                        15 reps    10 lbs.              15 reps   15 lbs.
One-Arm Concentration Curls           15 reps    10 lbs.              15 reps   12 lbs.
Corn Cob Pull-Ups                                 12                                     16
Reverse Grip Bent Over Rows           15 reps    10 lbs.              15 reps   15 lbs.
Open Arm Curls                                 15 reps    10 lbs.              15 reps   15 lbs.
Static Arm Curls                                 16 reps    10 lbs.             16 reps   12 lbs.
Towel Pull-Ups                                   5 sets of 3                       6 sets of 3
Congdon Locomotives                       40 reps    10 lbs.             40 reps   12 lbs.
Crouching Cohen Curls                     15 reps    10 lbs.             15 reps   12 lbs.
One Arm Corkscrew Curls                15 reps    10 lbs.             15 reps   15 lbs.
Chin-Ups                                                24                                    26
Seated Bent Over Back Flys             15 reps      5 lbs.              15 reps   12 lbs.
Curl Up/ Hammer Down                  15 reps    10 lbs.               15 reps   15 lbs.
Hammer Curls                                  12 reps    12 lbs.               14 reps   15 lbs.
Max Rep Pull Ups                                 20 wide front                   26 wide front
Superman                                              all                                     all
In-Out Hammer Curls                       8 reps    12 lbs.                  8 reps   15 lbs.
Strip Set Curls                                  10 reps    10 lbs.                 8 reps   12 lbs.
                                                         10 reps       8 lbs.                 8 reps   10 lbs.
                                                         10 reps       5 lbs.                10 reps    8 lbs.
                     

 Whew! That was a lot of typing!! I'll let this sink in and do a separate post with my new rotation on it : ) I hope that gives you an idea of the strength gains that I made through my P90X rotation. I loved every minute of it and I know I'll be doing it yet again one day.

Nicole

P90X Update plus a New Protein Supplement

Here I am in my last month of P90X and I can't believe it's almost over. I have thoroughly enjoyed this round and have noticed that I do not dread some of the workouts like when I have done it in the past. The biggest change I made was in the cardio. I did do some of the P90X cardio but really mixed it up with my other HiiT workouts, hiking, kickboxing, etc. This was a great way to take advantage of the program without getting burnt out on cardio repetition.

Because I am in the last 2 weeks, I am doing workouts for the "last" time. The absolute best part about doing workouts for the last time is that you can push yourself the hardest. You see, when I know I have to do the workout the next week I mentally hold back knowing that I will want to beat that number the next time I do the workout. Since I won't be doing the workout again, I push so hard I can even get a bit queezy. I like getting a bit queezy, it means I am pushing my hardest! I don't recommend it for everyone though ;)

Okay, so here are my final numbers from Chest & Back:

Move                                                     Start                                Finish

Standard Push-Ups                             15 full 15 knees               36 full
Wide Front Pull-Ups (brown band)      21                                    32
Military Push-Ups                                18 knees                          10 full 10 knees
Reverse Grip Chin-Ups                        22                                    28
Wide Fly Push-Ups                              17 knees                          20 full 5 knees
Close Grip Overhand Pull-Ups            16                                    26
Decline Push-Ups                                16 knees on chair             20 full
Heavy Pants                                         10 reps  15 lbs.                16 reps  20 lbs.
Diamond Push-Ups                              24 knees                          14 full 9 knees
Lawnmowers                                       15 reps  15 lbs.                13 reps  25 lbs.
Dive-Bomber Push-Ups                      10 knees                           8 full
Back Flys                                             15 reps  8 lbs.                  15 reps  12 lbs.

All of the moves are repeated in a second round so this is the lowest and highest of the 2 rounds. I don't like the Dive-Bomber Push-Ups in the beginning and I don't like them in the end. I do them like Marain does them and just go under the fence then push up. I was quite happy with my final round today and am so glad to see the vast improvement. I lost my book from the last two rounds I did and I am sad because I know I have improved since then. Anyways, one down, five strength workouts to go!!

On another subject, I started using a new protein powder a couple of months ago and I really like it. It's still vegan like my other brown rice powder but it has so much more good stuff in it. They changed the formula on my Vanilla Protein Energizer which was a bummer. They took out a lot of the spirulina and wheatgrass because some of the customers said it was too "green". My advice to them, drink something else and leave my perfectly good protein alone! Oh well, here is the new one I found that's even better!

I managed to get this when Amazon was offering it on Subscribe and Save and have still been able to have it shipped that way. I'm sure next month they'll not do it anymore and then I'll be sad. I love that it uses several different proteins(Pea, Hemp, Rice with Chia Seed) and has lots of greens as well as 10 essential amino acids. Plus, the taste is delicious!!

Hope you liked the update! If you are thinking about doing P90X, do it!!

Nicole

My Favorite Way to Get a Healthy Dinner on the Table

For the past year I have been making menu plans through Plan to Eat. I have input almost 400 recipes into the program and it has been so wonderful!It helps me stick to a budget and ensures that I can easily make good, healthy meals for my family.

There are so many great websites with recipes but making them all easily accessible was tough.  Enter PTE, now I can just copy the HTML code from many of my favorite cooking sites(like Clean Eating) and add them into the PTE site in under a minute. Once they're in the PTE program I can print them and add them to my shopping list.

The shopping list is totally customizable. I can add things, remove things, put them on a list for a specific store and I do it all in under 10 minutes.

The best thing about being part of PTE is that your friends can join too and then you all have access to each others recipes. Yep, you can benefit from the work of others : ) You can also manually input your personal recipes as well as recipes from sites that don't have the formatting for copy and paste HTML. I have input lots of recipes this way and it is really simple once you get the hang of it.

The cool thing is that you can join with just an e-mail address and a password and you get 30 days access for free. You don't even have to put in a credit card number unless you decide to join later, yippee! Click on the logo above and try it out, you'll be so glad you did!!

Make sure to become my "friend" if you do join and you get to see all of my recipes. I have regular, Clean-Eating, Vegan, vegetarian, organic, Paleo, Gluten-Free and other fun recipes in my recipe book. On the main recipe page click on the "Friends" tab. Once it opens click "Add Friend" in the upper left-hand corner. You can find me under TheFitnessFreak. Check it out!

Nicole

Clean Eating Recipe of the Week: Pasta with Kale, Caramelized Onions, and Parsnips

Kale is one of my favorite veggies! I eat it most everyday and I often have it in my green juice. Here is a great recipe that makes working kale into your diet possible : ) Enjoy!

Ingredients

    •    2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
    •    3 cups diagonally, thinly cut(about 1/4") parsnip (about 1 pound)
    •    2 1/2 cups sliced onion (about 1 large)
    •    1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
    •    4 garlic cloves, chopped
    •    1/2 cup dry white wine
    •    8 cups trimmed and chopped lacinato/ dinosaur kale (about 3 bunches)
    •    1/2 cup organic low-sodium vegetable broth
    •    8 ounces uncooked whole grain penne pasta
    •    1/2 cup (2 ounces) shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided
    •    1/2 teaspoon salt
    •    1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add parsnip to pan; cook 12 minutes or until tender and browned, stirring occasionally. Place in a large bowl; keep warm.

2. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in pan over medium-low heat. Add onion to pan; cook 20 minutes or until tender and golden brown, stirring occasionally. Stir in thyme and garlic; cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add wine; cook 3 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates. Stir in kale and broth; cook, covered, 5 minutes or until kale is tender. Uncover; cook 4 minutes or until kale is very tender, stirring occasionally.

3. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain pasta in a sieve over a bowl, reserving 3/4 cup cooking liquid. Add drained pasta to kale mixture. Stir in parsnips, 1/2 cup reserved cooking liquid, 1/4 cup cheese, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper; cook for 1 minute or until thoroughly heated. Add remaining 1/4 cup cooking liquid if needed to moisten. Top with remaining 1/4 cup cheese.  Serves 6


Nicole

Organizing. Half the Battle.

I know that New Year's is a time for resolutions and I'm all for them. Eat better. Sleep more. Yell less. Laugh more. Exercise regularly. Find out how to add more time to the clock. Okay, maybe that last one is a stretch but I'm still working on it.

If there is one thing I've learned over the years, it's that being unorganized can stop me from accomplishing many of my goals. Yes, being more organized IS one of my goals but that one goal can be the key to unlocking so many of your other goals.

I, in the pursuit of being organized once and for all am tackling a book by Tsh Oxenreider called "One Bite at a Time".  Tsh makes becoming more organized and setting goals just a bit easier.

This is a great e-book and I am happily working on Week 1. This week is all about "Eating the Frog". You know how it goes, you procrastinate doing that one thing you hate. It may be laundry for some, it may be washing your weeks produce or even washing the car. Whatever it is your goal in week 1 is to make it a habit to do the worst chore first. This way the rest of your to-do list seems easy. For me it was trimming and separating about 10 lbs. of chicken. I hate doing it! I tell you, I am so glad it's done and not lurking in the fridge waiting for me to deal with.

I am benefiting from this book and I want you to as well. Tsh is offering the e-book for only $4! Just use the code HAPPYNEWYEAR when you checkout. I hope this book sets you on the path to being more organized so that you can accomplish all of the goals you have set for yourself. Happy New Year everyone!! Now go Eat Your Frog : )

Nicole

New Year, New You

It's that time of year again. you've overindulged and about now you are swearing to never eat sugar again! Oh how I remember those days! I have family and friends asking me left and right what to do to detox their bodies. It is really hard to find a plan that works for everyone and that's because the same thing doesn't work for everyone...... most of the time! The good news is that if you reduce your intake of acid forming foods you'll have a better chance at winning the battle. The good, good news is that alkalizing foods are the same for all people. I thought I would give you a cheat sheet of alkalizing foods and acid forming foods. If you stick to the alkalizing foods you will reduce inflammation and be that much closer to more energy, less bloating and maybe we'll drop those darn holiday pounds : )

Your goal should be to have 80% of your diet alkalizing and 20% acidic. Top choices are marked with a *.

ALKALINE FOODS

VEGETABLES

Alfalfa*
Barley Grass*
Beet Greens
Beets, red*
Broccoli
Cabbage
Carrot
Cauliflower
Celery*
Chard Greens
Chlorella*
Collard Greens
Cucumber*
Dandelions
Dulce
Edible Flowers
Eggplant
Fermented Veggies
Garlic*
Green Beans
Green Peas
Kale*
Kohlrabi
Lettuce*
Mushrooms
Mustard Greens
Nightshade Veggies
Onions
Parsnips (high glycemic)
Peas
Peppers
Pumpkin
Radishes*
Rutabaga
Sea Veggies*
Spinach, green*
Spirulina*
Sprouts
Sweet Potatoes
Tomatoes*
Veggie Juices
Watercress
Wheat Grass*
Wild Greens*

ASIAN VEGETABLES

Daikon
Dandelion Root
Kombu
Maitake
Nori
Reishi
Shitake
Umeboshi
Wakame

FRUITS

Apple
Apricot
Avocado*
Berries
Blackberries
Cantaloupe
Cherries, sour*
Coconut, fresh*
Currants
Dates, dried
Figs, dried and raw*
Grapes
Grapefruit
Honeydew Melon
Lemon*
Lime*
Muskmelons
Nectarine
Orange
Peach
Pear
Raisins
Rhubarb
Strawberries
Tangerine
Tomato*
Tropical Fruits
Umeboshi Plums
Watermelon


GRAINS and LEGUMES

Buckwheat*
Chickpeas
Kamut, sparingly
Lima Beans
Lentils
Spelt

PROTEIN

Flax Seeds
Squash Seeds
Sesame Seeds
Millet
Sprouted Seeds
Pine Nuts
Almonds
Chestnuts
Eggs
Tempeh (fermented)
Tofu (fermented)
Rice Protein Powder( I use Vanilla Protein Energizer from Rainbow Light)
Vega Protein Supplements ( Personal addition here. They have great alkalizing products.)
Yogurt, plain, sparingly
Cottage Cheese, sparingly
Pumpkin Seeds, sparingly
Sunflower Seeds, sparingly

SWEETENERS

Stevia

SPICES and SEASONINGS

Caraway Seeds*
Chili Pepper
Cinnamon
Cumin Seeds*
Curry
Fennel Seeds*
Ginger
Herbs (all)
Miso
Mustard
Sea Salt (or himalayan salt)
Tamari ( or Bragg's Liquid Aminos)


OILS and FATS

Coconut Oil (raw)*
Flaxseed Oil*
Olive Oil (Cold-pressed)
Almond Butter, raw

OTHER

Alkaline Antioxidant Water
Apple Cider Vinegar*
Baking Soda*
Bee Pollen
Fresh Fruit Juice
Green Juices
Lecithin Granules
Mineral Water
Molasses, blackstrap
Probiotic Cultures( Xymogen ProbioMax is my top choice)
Soured Dairy Products

Although it might seem that citrus fruits would have an acidifying effect on the body, the citric acid they contain actually has an alkalizing effect in the system.

For example, lemons are very acidic, however the end products they produce after digestion and assimilation are very alkaline so, lemons are alkaline forming in the body. Meat leaves a very acidic residue in the body so, like nearly all animal products, meat is very acid forming.

ACID FORMING FOODS

ANIMAL PROTEIN

Bacon
Beef
Carp
Chicken
Clams
Cod
Corned Beef
Fish
Haddock
Lamb
Lobster
Mussels
Organ Meats
Oyster
Pike
Pork
Prawn
Rabbit
Salmon
Sardines
Sausage
Scallops
Shark fin
Shellfish
Shrimp
Tuna
Turkey
Veal
Venison

GRAINS (People respond to grains differently so I would eliminate them to begin with and add the whole grains* back in slowly and see how your body reacts to them.)

Barley*
Bran, oat and wheat*
Bread, white or wholemeal
Corn
Cornstarch
Crackers, soda
Flour, wheat* and white
Hemp Seed Flour
Macaroni
Noodles
Oatmeal
Oats (rolled)*
Rice (all)
Rice Cakes
Rye
Spaghetti
Wheat Germ
Whole Wheat*

DAIRY

Butter
Cheese
Ice Cream
Ice Milk
Margarine
Milk (especially processed milk)
Yogurt, sweetened

OTHER FOODS

Catsup
Cocoa
Coffee, whaaa
Corn Syrup
Mustard
Soft Drinks
Sugar, White or Brown
Vinegar, white
Wine, sorry : (

This is a general guideline and you alone will be able to gauge which foods make you feel and perform best. I would eat as many of the vegetables in their raw form as you can but feel free to cook them if that's easiest for you. I hope this gives you the jump start you need to start your New Year right!!


Nicole


The above comments were written from my personal opinion and should not be in any way considered medical advise. I urge you to discuss these ideas with your physician and make sure they are beneficial for your own personal situation. Thank you!