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Five Awesome Mom Salads

June 11, 2014 by Leave a Comment
My own version of Caprese Salad...

My own version of Caprese Salad…

I love summer food. Especially salads. Fresh and colorful, summer produce and meats on the grill are delicious additions to an otherwise plain salad. My favorite salads are the those made from fresh ingredients. Following are some of my favorite summer salads (first one is my own version, the others come from great sources). These can be really easy if you are already grilling out chicken, steak or salmon. Just add the meat to the salad and you’ve got protein to boot!! I call these mom salads because even if the rest of the family doesn’t share our love for veggies and are content with the meat from the grill…we can create great salads to enjoy as a main course.

1. Whitney’s Caprese Salad

Ingredients: mozzarella balls, roma tomatoes, red onion, fresh garlic, fresh basil, edamame, salt and pepper, olive oil. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Uncategorized

13 Great Tips for Healthy Eating

May 21, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Eating shouldn't be complicated. It should be as easy as riding a bike!

Eating shouldn’t be complicated. It can be as easy as riding a bike!

My good friend, Alan Tyson, physical therapist and owner of Architech Sports, posted the following healthy tips for athletes.  I believe they make sense for all of us!

Tip #1 Turns out mom was right…EAT BREAKFAST (within one hour of waking up).

Tip #2 EAT OFTEN (about every three hours).

Tip #3 Have a source of PROTEIN at every meal or snack (meat, fish, eggs or egg whites, yogurt, etc.).

Tip #4 Get 20 oz. of PROTEIN after your workout (not the carb-heavy stuff).

Tip #5 Drink H2O!  At least 63 oz. (or more) every day. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Family Life, Nutrition Tagged With: , ,

Finally a Green Smoothie I Can Handle

April 26, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Not bad! That's saying a lot!

Not bad! That’s saying a lot!

My brother-in-law is staying with us.  He decided he wants to start drinking a green smoothie everyday.  Since he had never tried one, he said to me, “How bad can they be?”  Well…pretty bad, actually.  Warm and fuzzy are not emotions that are stirred up in me when the word green smoothie is mentioned.  I’ve tried my share.  When two years ago my husband was diagnosed with cancer, I started making green smoothies for him.  I wanted the healthiest variety.  And he couldn’t eat fruit because his throat was subjected to radiation treatments and was incredibly sore.

We tried many different varieties containing lots of kinds of greens… wheatgrass, kale, spinach, collards, celery, cucumber, etc.  None of them were particularly palatable.  Some people would say it just takes time, that your taste buds get used to things.  Not mine. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Family Life, Nutrition Tagged With: , , ,

Easter Is a Wonderful Chance to Try a “New Program”

April 20, 2014 by Leave a Comment

IMG_9054

HAPPY EASTER!

This is a day of joy.  It represents new life.  New beginnings.  Second chances.  As a Christian, this day is THE day.  It trumps all others.  We celebrate Christ’s incredible gift to each one of us. I sat in church this morning keenly aware of how, though undeserving, I am grateful for the opportunity to start anew.  Glad to toss the “old self”, I feel excitement at the prospect of a new one.  This is true for all of me, not just the spiritual part. As a mother, a wife, a daughter, a sister, a friend.  In all aspects of my life I could use a second chance.  Can’t we all? [Read more…]

Filed Under: Running, Spirituality Tagged With: , ,

Is There a Healthy Way to Lose a Few Pounds In Time for Spring/Summer?

April 7, 2014 by Leave a Comment

beachesphoto_lg_antiguaandbarbudaThe answer to the question is YES. From what I have learned over a number of years, however,  a slow weight loss is typically the most effective.  Losing weight in the short term can be helpful, though, as a jump start.  If, say, you are heading to the beach for spring break, and you want to lose a few pounds, you can do so in a healthy manner.  You can even keep it off if you play your cards right.  My suggestion is always to take the long term approach, but if you have an event like a wedding or spring break, using that as a goal to help you start the process is fine.

The following are three ways to lose a few pounds in a few weeks:

water glassimages1. Drink more water.  Wake up and drink a glass of water.  Drink a glass of water a few hours later.  Before lunch, drink a glass of water. Drink a water bottle all afternoon.  Drink a glass of water before (or with) dinner.  Drink some herbal tea with lemon an hour before you head to bed. Why is water helpful to losing weight? [Read more…]

Filed Under: Getting Started, Nutrition, Strength Tagged With: , ,

Tabata Method is a Great Way to Workout

March 20, 2014 by Leave a Comment

tabatascreen568x568I feel a little late in coming to the dance.  Folks have been talking about high intensity interval workouts for a long time.  Yet, it’s only been recently that I have used the Tabata method.  And I love it.  For those who might also be a little late to the dance, the Tabata method was named for Dr. Izumu Tabata, a Japanese doctor and coach who discovered that short, high intensity exercise followed by shorter rest intervals showed the best performance in studies he conducted (the idea was originally pioneered by the head coach for the Japanese Olympic speed skating team, Irisawa Koichi and Tabata piggybacked on his research and knowledge).

The Tabata method paper was published in 1996 in the journal “Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise.” entitled, “Effects of Moderate-Intensity Endurance and High-Intensity Intermittent Training on Anaerobic Capacity and VO2max.”  These doctors discovered that interval training produces much better results than aerobic training. This included building as much muscular endurance as 45 minutes of normal cardio training. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Strength Tagged With: , , ,

Life is a Love Story

February 15, 2014 by Leave a Comment
James and me after the birth of our 9th child, Sam.

James and me after the birth of our 9th child, Sam.

In honor of Valentine’s Day

“Love is a decision…”

James and I first heard these words from a priest about five years after we were married.  It was a bit of a paradigm shift.  Even in the pre-marriage class we attended, we could not remember hearing that concept.  I mean, who needed to “decide” to love? You just did.  Or were. Or whatever.

In the early years of our married life, we still relied on good “old-fashioned love”.  We figured that is what would sustain us through inevitable hard times.   And good times, too.  Our passionate hearts would trump our rational brains and love would always be there; always reliable.  But by the time we heard those words, like most married couples, the honeymoon had passed, and the reality of three children (there would be more), a mortgage, and the everyday stresses of life had taken its place. At this point the decision to love seemed like an idea worth exploring. [Read more…]

Filed Under: My Favorite 9 Kid Fitness Posts, Uncategorized

Exercise Should Relieve Stress, Not Create It

February 13, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Whitney-on-ball-resizedI was talking to a friend the other day.  He had read one of my blog posts and was asking if I was training for a triathalon.  This launched us into a discussion about biking. I explained why I don’t like it.  It takes a lot of time.  The equipment is expensive.  After two crashes, it scares me.  “Basically,” I said, “I want my workouts to relieve stress…not create it.”

That short conversation got me thinking.  What does exercise do for me?  It’s a whole lot more than physical.  Yes, it keeps me fit, but after all my years of pounding the pavement, cranking out pushups, or tweeking my perfect strength routine, I have come to believe that the most substantial benefit of fitness is what it does for my peace of mind. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Motivation, My Favorite 9 Kid Fitness Posts, Running, Strength Tagged With: , , ,

You Might Be Surprised What 200 Calories Looks Like!

January 25, 2014 by Leave a Comment
That's a whole lot of celery!

That’s a whole lot of celery!

In today’s online world, images are everything.  The images in this article, “What 200 Calories Looks Like” (Fast Company) tell a whole lot!  There are many ways to eat 200 calories.  You get a whole lot more when you pick the healthy stuff.

For me, this photo slideshow is an excellent reminder.  I consider myself a fairly healthy eater.  Yet when I see the comparison of food in the 200 calorie range, I realize just how poor my choices really are.  It is a matter of being smart.  When I find time, cutting up veggies such as celery and carrots and putting them in the fridge for quick access.  Boiling water and throwing in eggs to hard boil.  Using ketchup sparingly!  Here is the link…what do you think?

Filed Under: Nutrition Tagged With: , ,

These Are a Few Of My Favorite Things…Three Fitness Picks for 2014

January 18, 2014 by Leave a Comment
There are so many ways to do a push up....a great body weight exercise!

There are so many ways to do a push up….a great body weight exercise!

These are a few of my favorite things that I will be doing lots more of in 2014…

1.Body Weight exercises

What it is: Body weight exercises are strength training exercises that do not require equipment; your own weight provides the resistance for the movement. Movements such as the push-up, the pull-up, and the sit-up are some of the most common bodyweight exercises.

Why I like it:  Using my own body strength, this kind of workout engages the core, utilizes many different muscle groups, and can be done basically anywhere.  From push-ups and squats, to lunges and planks, there is really no end to the variations I can do.  Sometimes I do the workout on its own, and sometimes I will stick a few body weight exercises in at the end of a run.  Here’s my favorite quickie (source:crossfit): [Read more…]

Filed Under: Family Life, Motivation, Running, Strength Tagged With: , , , ,
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