So far so good!

     Well, after last week of being good and then falling off a bit on the weekend, I am happy to report that I really AM back on track.

     So glad to report that I have managed to stay on track both with eating and my fitness!
It will be a challenge when I go to book club tonight, but I am allowing myself a little room for extras by being more calorie and health choice conscious in my choices throughout today!

     My weight was down 1 1/2 pounds since my little weight gain over the holidays! I hope everyone is having a great and healthy weekend!

Kale Chips - Great Healthy Snack

Kale Chips! Great idea for a nutritious snack! They are crunchy like potato chips but low cal, low carb and a great way to get your dark leafy green veggies!



1 Bunch of Kale
1 Tbs (or less) of Olive Oil
Salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Wash Kale, remove tough stems and cut leaves into bite sized pieces. Be sure to remove as much water as possible. Use a salad spinner or set the kale on a clean towel to remove excess moisture.
Put Kale pieces in a zip lock bag with olive oil and salt, seal it and shake it up to coat the kale evenly.

Spread the kale in a single layer on a cookie sheet covered either with foil or parchment paper.

Don't overcrowd the kale so it can dry out and get crispy.

Bake in the oven for 15 - 30 minutes, check it often and turn as needed and remove the pieces that are ready. I put the chips on a paper towel to remove any excess oil and keep them crislpy!

ENJOY!

This recipe makes about 6 servings.

Nutritional Information

Baked Kale Chips

Servings Per Recipe: 6

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 58
Total Fat: 2.8g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 185mg
Total Carbs: 7.6g
Dietary Fiber: 1.5g
Protein: 2.5g

Week 2, Day 4 - January 11, 2012

So far so good with the Healthy Eating plan.  I have managed to stay on track even though my son is home from college and loves to cook and bake!

Yesterday was a challenge at School.  Most of the class along with our teacher went to Umami Burger for lunch.  I opted to stay behind and have an awesome grilled shrimp salad with arugula, avocado, olive oil and lemon juice.  Now that what I'm talkin' about!

Today I did well too.  I just made some terrific Kale Chips from a recipe my son gave me.  Low in carbs , crunchy and satisfying like potato chips, sooooo good!

MEALS:

Meal 1:   Banana, Coffee with sugar free creamer, 1 slice Ezekiel with a tiny bit of butter & 1 egg
Meal 2:   Jerk Chicken (no skin) 1/2 cup of black beans & rice (healthy style), 1/4 of a fried plantain (yes, I know, the fried part is not so good, lol)
Meal 3:  Kale Chips (homemade)
Meal 4:  10 medium grilled shrimp, more kale chips
Meal 5:

Water: 9 glasses!

Killer Leg Workout Circuit

Week 2, Day 3 Wed. January 11, 2012

Had another awesome day!  Good clean eating & a tough workout! 

Today I did another workout from Scott Colby's Bootcamps on Demand Program.

This workout was a continuation of Monday's Upper Body Ladder, whooya, tough love, it was a great workout.

ULTIMATE LEG LADDER

Round 1:
DB One Legged Step Ups x 1 each,
Jumping Lunges x 2 each,
Step Jumps x 3

Round 2:
DB One LeggedStep Ups x 2 each,
Jumping Lunges x 4 each,
Step Jumps x 6

and so on for 10 rounds (Like Monday)

So it will look like this:
R1: 1, 2, 3 reps
R2: 2, 4, 6 reps
R3: 3, 6, 9 reps
R4: 4, 8, 12 reps
R5: 5, 10, 15 reps
R6: 6, 12, 18 reps
R7: 7, 14, 21 reps
R8: 8, 16, 24 reps
R9: 9, 18, 27 reps
R10: 10, 20, 30 reps

Round 10: DB One Legged Step Ups x 10 each, Jumping Lunges x 20 each, Step Jumps x 30

Each round, add 1 rep to the DB One Legged Step Ups, 2 reps to the Jumping Lunges, and 3 reps to the Step Jumps

Week 2, Day 1 - Mon. January 9, 2012

SMART Quest:  Continue to be good with my eating.  I still find myself wanting things my body doesn't need.  I will keep my goal in sight and strive to reach a little farther each day!

     Let's face it, we all have such good intentions, right? We want to succeed but we are often our own worse enemies and saboteurs!  I just have to remind myself that I can have what I want...in small quantities on specific days.  I don't  have to eat like a rabbit, there are some terrific meals to be created using good simple foods.  My son is living proof of that.  He has been a vegetarian for over 1 year.  I have no plans to be a vegetarian but the recipes he comes up with are amazingly delicious, healthy and very satisfying!  Tonight he made "Black Bean Burgers".  I will try and post a photo of them with the recipe this week!  Good eats!

     I am currently enrolled in a terrific Personal Fitness Trainer program at the California Healing Arts College in West Los Angeles. I will be getting my NASM Certification.  It is a 1 year program with an extern-ship at a gym.  I didn't realize how difficult classes would be.  We have finished Anatomy & Exercise Physiology (that was really tough) and we will be starting Kineseology soon.  It is a long 9 hour day of classes, labs & training. 

     I am learning so much, a lot more than I had ever anticipated.  Most trainers get their certification on line, but I really couldn't see myself being a good and credible trainer without the knowledge and hands on experience I am getting at the school.  I will post about my experiences from time to time.

     Today is a tough workout by Scott Colby.  I like his style of workouts.  It looks easy on paper but I a sure this one will leave my body screaming as usual.

Upper Body Push Ladder

Round 1:
DB Squat with Rotational Press x 1 each,
Lizard Crawl Push Ups x 2,
DB Squat with Front Raise x 3

Round 2:
DB Squat with Rotational Press x 2 each,
Lizard Crawl Push Ups x 4,
DB Squat with Front Raise x 6
and so on for 10 rounds

So it will look like this:
R1: 1, 2, 3   reps
R2: 2, 4, 6   reps
R3: 3, 6, 9   reps
R4: 4, 8, 12 reps
R5: 5, 10, 15 reps
R6: 6, 12, 18 reps
R7: 7, 14, 21 reps
R8: 8, 16, 24 reps
R9: 9, 18, 27 reps
R10: 10, 20, 30 reps
(Round 10: DB Squat with Rotational Press x 10 each, Lizard Crawl Push Ups x 20,DB Squat with Front Raise x 30)

Each round, add 1 rep to the DB Squat with Rotational Press, 2 reps to the Lizard Crawl Push Ups and 3 reps to the DB Squat with Front Raise
there are 10 rounds total.

This was a tough workout!  I used 12 lb. Dumbbells and as the rounds progressed, they got heavier and heavier as my muscles fatigued.  I have an inflamed rotator cuff on my left shoulder so I used a hammerhead grip on the dumbbells for the DB Squat with Front Raise to keep the pain at bay.

It took me 34:00 to complete this workout.  A lot longer than I had anticipated.  Loved it!

New Blog!

Come follow me at New Body Fitness!
http://new-body-fitness.blogspot.com/

I love the new look, Hope you will too!

Happy New Year 2012 - A new year - A new YOU!

So, I have been neglecting this blog because  I have actually been hanging out at Sparkpeople.com.

I am going to try to keep up with my blog here and try to stay motivated and hopefully motivate you!

If you are feeling like me then you are feeling fat, bloaty, stuffed and in my case suddenly deconditioned!  It is that time of year where I tend to spend 7 - 10 days misbehaving.  I swear every year I won't do it, but alas, I always seem to fall into the same rut.

If this sounds familiar, don't beat yourself up.  lets just get back on track, cut our losses and make a commitment to a new healthy lifestyle and a new healthy you!

No diets here, (that's a bad word), just good healthy, clean eating and a desire to get up and get moving!

What are YOU going to do today?

Time to download some new music to the old Ipod and get going.  Even if you just move 10 minutes 3 times a day you will feel better and start on your Quest for a new Best YOU!