independence weekend

Not too much to report today. Did my regular walk this morning but in general it's been a rest day. Tomorrow we go to the beach, it's a long weekend here, Costa Rican Independence Day is Monday.  

I can't wait to go running on the beach and get some serious swimming in. I'll be posting some info about protein shortly, perhaps this weekend and next week I will have more information about running routines and how to get started. 

Have a great weekend.

xoxo

martha

NEXT UP----> PROTEIN

reach your goals

Well week 1 of my Self Magazine Reach Your Goals Exercise Program is almost complete and I realized I hadn't really broken it down.

So here goes.

For Cardio - WORKOUT A - Build your endurance

Walk for 5 minutes at an easy pace to warm up. Using a scale of intensity from 1 to 10 (1 is drinking water; 10 is digging a well), start at level 3. Do intervals for 18 minutes: Jog 2 minutes at level 5; walk 1 minute at level 3. Do sequence 6 times. Cool down at your own pace. 

Total time: 23 minutes

The speed intervals are definitely hard, especially since I'm pushing the jogger stroller when I run on the road. It's WAY easier solo or in the gym on the treadmill but most of the time I only get to run outside in the morning with the baby. One good thing about running with the stroller is that it reminds me to lean forward but it's still heavy.

For Strength - Watch this Video

I've been doing 2 sets of 10 with 5lb. hand weights for these moves and so far it has been pretty challenging.  I guess I had gotten really comfortable with the Drop A Jean Size Workout, now all my muscles are saying, "Hey what the hell are you doing?" but that's a good thing right, should lead to better results.

I think the strength training is going to change each week, or maybe just the reps change, I don't know yet but I'm ready for it. 

more later.

martha

p.s. Self has a pretty cool tracker to log your exercises and diet and follow your progress. It's free to use, you just have to register.

the envelope please...

Okay so I went to the mall today to try on new jeans and see if the Drop A Jeans Size Workout really helped me drop a jeans size. I have definitely been feeling that my clothes were looser but I wanted to find out for sure.

So wih the help of my faithful assistant (that's her down there in her speedy-shopping-mobile), I grabbed a couple of pairs of jeans in different sizes. 

I got different two style in both 1 size smaller than I wore when I started the challenge and 2 sizes smaller (yes, wishful thinking, positive attitude, call it whatever you want).

And I think the results are positive. <----Look LEFT!  The jeans 1 size smaller definitely fit great, it worked. I did drop a jeans size in a month with this workout. 

YEAH! Thanks Fitness Magazine!

The jeans that were 2 sizes smaller fit but were a bit tight for my taste, maybe later on those.Look RIGHT!-->

So all-in-all, it was hard work and totally worth it. I'm very happy and confident with the results and I think giving myself short term goals really helps me stay motivated. 

I totally encourage and recommend setting short term fitness goals, it really work! 

more later.

xoxo

martha

p.s. shout out to Claire who is starting a new fitness challenge this week!

better than coffee

Yoga in the morning is such a fantastic way to get going. If you can make it a priority it can be super fulfilling and you will need a lot less coffee in the morning. I have been doing the Morning Sequence with Jason Crandell for quite some time now and honestly I love it. 

It's a nice mellow practice, about 25 minutes long and when I don't do it I notice the difference. It really gets me motivated to stay active throughout the day. If you can, try doing it outside on your patio/porch is you have one. I get up really early and it's SUPER satisfying to do sun salutations with the sunrise! 

Give it a try, I think you'll like it.

namaste!

martha

p.s. You can also download the Podcast version of this practice to play it on your Ipod/MP3 player so you don't have to lug your computer around with you!

Yoga Month

Apparently it's National Yoga Month in the USA and since I don't live there anymore I am a few days behind the curve on this, sorry.

Anyway, in honor of this I will be posting some extra info on Yoga, both practice and theory, as well as links to some valuable websites related to yoga.

First, let's start with The Yoga Journal Step by Step Yoga Series Box Set.  This is by far the best yoga video series I have seen. They really put a lot of thought into this. The DVD allows you to choose between INSTRUCTION or PRACTICE. 

In  instruction mode you can watch Natasha Rizopoulos, the host, demonstrate each pose before you ever try to do the entire practice. 

Additionally they have this feature called Chalk Talk which shows someone doing the pose and a narrator troubleshooting the pose with the same kind of white magic pen they use for football games. Each pose is isolated and explained in detail.

Also, they included excellent modifications of the poses featuring my FAVORITE instructor Jason Crandell. 

Once you decide you are ready to do the practice, with all of the poses put together into a Vinyasa (Flow) sequence, you can choose from Practice, Practice with Medical Commentary, Modification and Practice without Music. 

Natasha's speed is a tiny bit faster than I personally like but I enjoy the routines enough to overlook it. The Medical Commentary is interesting because you can learn exactly what's happening with your body. The Modifications option is perfect for people just starting out or recovering from injury or if you want to take it slow. This section is all Jason. And the No Music option is pretty self explanatory.

This is also an excellent reference set to have even for more advance practitioners because of the Chalk Talk feature alone. It's nice to have yoga books to look-up poses and double check yourself but the video option is really handy and the magic pen really does make it all come together with the narration.

I think this DVD box set and a copy of Hatha Yoga Illustrated is all you need to get serious about your practice. 

namaste!

martha

pleasure and pain

So I just got back from the dentist. Without details that WILL make you cringe, I will only say that I am not working out today. I am going to snuggle up on my couch and veg-out. Perhaps have some soup or ice cream, only soft cold things she told me :(

In the meantime it is my great pleasure to introduce my good friend Heather H2O who has graciously put together a wonderful post for us today about her home grown heirloom tomatoes and some snazzy and healthy recipes (with pix!) to go with them. 

enjoy!

martha

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Tomato Ideas from the Kitchen Garden of Heather H2O 

So this summer we went crazy growing tomatoes and as a result, we had to get creative with ways to serve and eat them.  We actually grew 6 different varieties, most of which grew to more than 8 feet, and all were very good fruit producers.  I think that starting with a super delicious tomato is the key to everything, including a good sauce.  

Everything we planted was described as an eating tomato (as opposed to a sauce tomato), but the sauces we made with them were pretty great as well.  

We only grew heirlooms, but we did try several different varieties.  All of them had slightly different flavors.  I really like cherry tomatoes because they are sweeter and, somehow, more tomato-like in flavor – plus they produce massive quantities.  Another big favorite was the Brandywine; it produced giant (like each one was about 1lb. or more) tomatoes, and the fruits had a great texture (not mealy, not dry, but not too filled with seeds and liquid either) and a good mellow flavor.

!!!!RECIPES!!!!

The proportions in the following recipes are to serve about 4 people, but I kind of made them us as I went along.

Corn/lime/jalapeno salsa

Husk and clean 5 ears of corn and cook them in boiling water with a dash of salt.

Rinse, drain cool until you can handle the corn without burning your fingertips.  Make sure you strip any corn silk that may be remaining.

Cut the corn from the cob by placing the larger end on the cutting board and firmly holding the narrow end.  With a sharp knife, slice down and most of the corn will come off the cob.  If you turn the knife around, so the blunt side faces the cob, you can run the knife down the same area again, and any remaining corn will come off.  Place corn into a large bowl.

Squeeze 5 limes, add the juice to the corn and mix.

Add 2 to 3 jalapenos, finely minced.  We are growing jalapenos in our back yard, so I just took a few that were ready.  I like spicy food, and so I put in 3, but you can back it down if that’s too much for your taste.

I added some of the cherry tomatoes from the garden, about ½ yellow pear cherry tomatoes, and ½ of a small orange-colored cherry called ‘Sungold.’  The total quantity was about the size of one of those green plastic strawberry containers, and then I added one large ‘Pineapple’ variety tomato.  (The corn and the cherry tomatoes are sweet, so I added the ‘pineapple’ to balance out the flavor.)  All tomatoes were coarsely chopped & added to the mix.

Add 1 avocado, loosely chopped.  Add ½ of a red onion, finely chopped, and 4 or 5 minced cloves of garlic.  Add a small pinch of sugar & salt and pepper to taste.  (The sugar helps bring out the salt/lime flavor, but you can skip it if you want.)  Add a small bunch of chopped fresh cilantro & mix well.  (I added the cilantro by taste; it was probably about 2 tablespoons chopped, but you can vary it according to personal preference).  Mix well and serve.

I think this salsa tastes better cold, and if you let it sit overnight, it will have more kick the next day.  It’s good with fish & shrimp (and probably chicken, although I don’t eat poultry).

Cucumber & tomato salad with feta cheese 

Peel 2 cucumbers, coarsely chop, and add to large bowl.  I didn’t de-seed mine today, but you can, and it will help reduce the amount of water/liquid in your salad.  Add 1 large tomato.  I added a Brandywine, coarsely chopped, and a few yellow pear cherry tomatoes, chopped.  Add ½ red onion, minced, 2 minced cloves of garlic and some feta cheese ( a little less than a cup) & salt and pepper to taste.  Mix, chill & serve.

 

bbq’d tomato – we just cut a Brandywine into a few slices and put it directly on the grill.  Once it was done, we sprinkled a little kosher salt on the top and that was it.  (Kosher salt tastes less salty than sea salt, but the larger grain of it makes it more fun than simple iodized Morton’s salt.)

 

Grilled salmon  Lightly coat in olive oil (leave skin on) and sprinkle fresh pepper on both sides.  Put on grill with skin side down first.  Grill it a few minutes on each side, until done, & serve.

happy monday!

What a day, it is absolutely beautiful here today. It's the rainy season here, actually we are coming into the 2 rainiest months of the year but right now the sun is shining and it's clear which was great for my morning walk.

I needed to walk really badly today, I woke up pretty stiff and a little sore so it was nice to get the blood flowing and muscles warmed up. I slept a little too long to get in my entire morning yoga session but the walk seemed to fix everything up nicely.

In about 3 hours I have to go to the dentists which I'm not thrilled about and won't share the details of but will say that it is interfering with my new challenge for the month of September.

This month I will be taking on the Self.com Reach Your Goal Program. You register and then you can access this cute little tracking system which is tied into a selection of workout challenges. I chose....drumroll please.......

run 3 miles with ease

I really want to participaate in the Fun Run at The Son's school 

and after the few positive running experiences I have had lately I think I'm ready to make it happen. 

For the Drop A Jeans Size Workout from Fitness.com, I will be posting my results shortly. I need to go to the mall and try on some new pantalones to see how I did.

We should be having some guest bloggers in the coming days to cover a range of topics so keep coming back.

more later.

xoxo

martha