My favorite energy bar is the Zone Perfect Nutrition Bar (fudge graham flavor).
I grabbed one yesterday on my way to my daughter’s swim meet. It almost tastes like a candy bar so I have to wonder how nutritious it is! The label says 15 grams of sugar, which is a lot. But the protein is also high, which means it satisfies for a long time. In my crazy life of running kids around, I rely on energy bars a lot.
I don’t know much about the science behind the Zone bar, except that it is based on the 40-30-30 way of eating. That is the one that says that 40% of calories should come from carbohydrates, 30% from protein, and 30% from fat. Actually, the ranges are really 35-50% carbs, 25-35% protein, and 20-35% fat. So, according to the Zone Perfect diet, each meal or snack should incorporate those levels.
But I am really not that interested in any of that. I just like the way it tastes. Unfortunately my kids really like the Zone Bars too, and I have to hide them or they will be gone before I can get my hands on them!
What are other busy moms eating on the run? Do you have a favorite energy/nutrition bar you can recommend?
What is Your Favorite Energy Bar?
Saddling up Anyway
It is scary to do something new! For some people, embarking on an exercise program that involves commitment and resoltion-making, is scary. For me, beginning this website is more than a little scary.
But I have decided that it is good for me to get out of my comfort zone. How many times have I told my kids to face their challenges head on?! Hopefully, through this conversation, we all can encourage each other, and be better for it!
Welcome to 9 Kid Fitness!
Thanks for coming to see the site. Hopefully you will see something that rings a bell for you, and you’ll join in the dialogue.
As a part of this website, I will include a weekly quote that may reflect some of the posts for that week.
Quote of the Week:
Courage is being scared to death, and saddling up anyway! John Wayne
Black Bean Burritos
Here is a great recipe for Vegetarian Black Burritos … yum!!
I served them for my family, and they were gone fast. Wished I had made more!
Ingredients:
Whole wheat tortillas
2 cans black beans (dried beans are fine, just soak overnight)
2 green scallions (chopped)
1 clove garlic
1 tsp. cilantro
2-3 peppers (green, red or yellow) chopped
2 tablespoons cream cheese
1 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups of Colby/Jack shredded cheese
In a skillet, sauté oil, scallions, garlic, and peppers until just soft. Add black beans, cream cheese (cut up and added separately), and cilantro. Blend and stir. Microwave tortillas and add bean mixture and add a handful of shredded cheese to tortillas. Wrap burritos, place in a casserole baking dish, cover with foil, and place in 300 degree oven to stay warm until you serve.
Serve with salad and tortilla chips and salsa. If you don’t want to get in trouble for not having enough, double the recipe (leftover black beans can be used the following day in soup).
These burritos are perfect for Lenten Fridays.
Strength Training
I used to really hate strength training! Or more accurately, I hated what I thought was strength training. I could do a cardio workout all day long (not really, just saying) but a weight workout…that was torture! Now, I’ve come to enjoy strength training, and I’ve broadened my understanding of what “strength” means. Part of the problem was that to me, the word strength meant primarily weights. I wasn’t interested in becoming bulky, and lifting weights was burdensome, so it seemed impractical to me. At the end of a run or after a swim workout, I would try to fit in a few upper and lower body weights to “tone” up and to gain some strength, mostly to avoid injury. But one day, I tagged along with one of my kids to a personal trainer (we had given her some sessions and the trainer let me come for free) I was amazed at the intensity of the hour long workout, especially at how my heart rate increased and stayed fairly high throughout. The idea that strength and cardio could be done at the same time was a new concept for me. Still, a personal trainer is expensive and took a lot of time. For me it wasn’t realistic. [Read more…]
Ladies, Beware of Crunches
Okay, this really isn’t just an excuse for me to get out of doing a sit-up (although I know a good excuse when I see one). Sit-ups and crunches (a sit-up with smaller range of motion) are still the old standby exercise for abdominal muscles. However, I think there are good reasons for some women to be cautious about doing them. [Read more…]
To Exercise or To Sleep…That is the Question!
To Exercise or to Sleep….that is the question!! We might as well face it: we can’t do it all. There are no “extra” hours in the day just waiting for us to use for sleep and exercise. I am often faced with the dilemma: sleep or workout? Now in my 40’s, I face this more than I did in my 20’s or 30’s, when it seemed “I could do it all”! I find that the answer has a lot to do with trying to keep balance in my life. We can usually sense when our bodies are sleep deprived. As a mother of nine, and with one child still under the age of two, I can honestly say that I have been sleep deprived for about 20 years! [Read more…]
I’ll Have the Tiramisu
My husband and I went out for dinner the other night, and after a delicious main course, the waiter asked if we wanted dessert. I was already full and would have been just fine leaving right then. But James asked to see the dessert menu (I’ll just blame it on him). We decided on coffee and the Tiramisu. When it came I was glad we hadn’t ordered two because it was a large serving…at least 500 calories large! But I dug my spoon in and savored every bite. [Read more…]
A Power Nap is Pretty Powerful
I can’t remember anything else on the list. Just #5.
It read, Take a cat nap everyday. At the time I thought it was a quaint and old-fashioned idea. But not a very practical one. Once my older kids weren’t napping anymore, I figured I had to give mine up as well. The list was given to me by a friend. It was 5 Things Busy Moms Need to do Everyday. Having forgotten the other four long ago, I now understand the wisdom in #5!
Whether our work is at home with kids, or out of the home, a daily cat nap is invaluable. I try to steal one at least three days a week! Ideally, I should be doing it everyday. I am totally amazed at the difference in how I feel after I close my eyes and really try to rest (in quiet) for 20 minutes. A power nap is like a free version of 5-Hour Energy.
Here are just a few of the rewards of a 10-20 minute cat nap: improved brain functioning, renewed energy, and looking and feeling better. Closing your eyes for a power nap is more difficult to do if your work is at an office, but it is not impossible. Sleeping is not the goal. Just closing your eyes and trying to relax for at least 10 to 15 minutes is all you have to do to reap the benefits of a power nap. There is nothing old-fashioned about that! I would argue, in fact, that we need a daily nap in today’s world more than ever before!
Exercise and Pregnancy
Boy, am I a hypocrite! I have nine children, and, with the exception of baby #1(Charlie), I ran throughout each pregnancy. Baby number 5 (Annie) was born a few hours after I ran 4 miles. And I ran the day before number’s 8 (C.C.) and 9 (Sam) were born. Every pregnancy went to term, with more than a few going beyond the due date. My mother, understandably, disapproved at first. But I reassured her that the minute I thought something wasn’t right, or felt that running was not good for the baby, I would immediately stop. I felt very fortunate that my doctors were supportive, and I always knew that I could talk to them without feeling judged.
With all of that being said, I could not believe my gut reaction the day I was driving and I saw a pregnant woman running. She was at least seven months along, maybe more. And it looked, well…wrong! It just didn’t seem right. That’s all I could think. I quickly recovered, and thought, “Good for her!” However, I couldn’t shake that initial feeling when I saw her swollen tummy and watched her running. Wow, what a hypocrite I was!
Things have come a long way since our mothers and grandmothers were pregnant. But what is now acceptable? Is it okay to run throughout the pregnancy? To do aerobics? Pilates? Lift weights? A recent article in Runner’s World talked about exercise and pregnancy.
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