Challenge Workouts

It’s a blizzard here in Calgary today (again). Sigh…Here was the weather report from last night.

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I feel like wrapping up in a blanket and NOT leaving the house (ever!). Ever feel like this? Sev does, he refuses to wear his Christmas sweater even though it’d really help on a cold day like this (stay tuned I’ll get a picture on the blog soon).

Well, if you ever feel like this, before you snuggle up in your blanket, do this bodyweight and burpee workout first. You’ll feel much better about getting a workout in at home.

Then, after my workout, I’m going to do something surprising (but perfect for a cold day). Read on.

This is a great full body workout. It’s a countdown set, start with 10 reps of each exercise, then 8, 6, 4, 2 and then count back up the ladder: 4, 6, 8, 10 (or you could do 10, 9, 8….3, 2, 1)

It includes everyone’s favourite exercise: the BURPEE!

Here are the exercises:
burpees
prisoner squats
wall sit stick ups
cross body mountain climbers

Rest as little as possible between sets.

For more cool workout ideas, and more than 50 burpee variations, head here.

Happy training! (That will definitely warm you up!)

Now I’m gonna go do some baking…

Yes, you read correctly. I’m experimenting for Christmas and figure that I’d best do a trial run. I’m going to try to make the recipe below.

My daughter, Hannah is quite the cupcake baker so I want to surprise her with some ‘healthy’ cupcakes.

My good friend Belinda Benn created “Sinfully Healthy”, a set of cookbooks which include 24 healthy (and unique) cupcake recipes like:

• Metabolism-Boosting Cupcakes
• Pure-Cleansing Cupcakes
• Energy Boosting Cupcakes
• Gourmet-Indulgence Cupcakes
• Protein-Power Cupcakes
• Libido-Enhancing Cupcakes

Each cupcake is delicious and actually good you because they’re power packed with super food ingredients, such as quinoa, maca powder and goji berries and use alternative sweeteners like Stevia. This means you get the same rich taste without all the sugar, fat and calories.

Take a look at the pics here and see if your mouth doesn’t water too.

I also like that Belinda  includes instructions for making ingredient substitutions on your favorite recipes to make them healthier.  So Hannah can swap out the ingredients in HER recipes to make them healthier. Thankfully she’s at an age where she’s willing to do this, the whole ‘I won’t eat it cuz it’s healthy’ stage is long past.

If you’re interested in the Sinfully Healthy cookbook package, it includes:

• Sinfully Healthy Gourmet Cookbook – over 100 super-tasty and healthy recipes for any occasion the whole family will enjoy!
• Sinfully Healthy Cupcakes Cookbook – 24 delicious super food cupcakes to help you burn the fat, boost your energy, improve your libido, increase your metabolism and much more!
• Christmas Super Food Snacks & Treats – stop guilty snacking by eating these delicious snacks which are actually good for you!
• 21-Day Fat Burning Accelerator Program – a unique and never before released rapid fat loss nutrition program which is designed to kick start your fat-burning efforts and see serious results in only 21 days!
• The Optimizer High Intensity Workout – designed to be used with the 21 day fat burning accelerator, this workout burns the maximum number of calories possible to really ignite your fat burning potential
• Torch The Fat Recipes – this added extra bonus which is ONLY available until midnight (insert date) will give you mouth-watering recipes to help burn unwanted fat

I can never have enough HEALTHY recipes to help my horrid cooking, but my cooking is actually improving 😉

Check out Belinda’s recipes here.

Here’s a recipe to spice up your breakfast. Egg whites, fire-roasted green Chile and diced tomatoes create a tasty omelet that is bursting with flavor and packed with protein. Serve with a side of salsa and sliced avocado.

Servings: 2

Here’s what you need…

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 3 small tomatoes, finely chopped
• 2 (4oz) cans of fire-roasted, diced green chiles
• 12 egg whites
• 2 Tablespoons water
• Non-stick cooking spray

1. In a skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the tomatoes and chiles and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Season with pepper and salt and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl whisk the egg whites and water. Lightly coat a medium non-stick skillet with non-stick cooking spray and place over medium heat. Add ¼ of the eggs and swirl to evenly coat the bottom of that pan. Cook until the eggs have set, about 2 minutes.
3. Use a rubber scraper to lift the eggs up and let the runny uncooked egg flow underneath. Spoon 1/4 of the Chile mixture onto half of the omelet, fold over, and slide onto a serving plate. Repeat with remaining egg whites and Chile mixture.

Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals: 163 calories, 5g fat, 6g carbohydrate, 2g fiber, and 26g protein.

The first thing that you’ll notice about this salad is that it tastes amazing. It also doesn’t hurt that spinach is an extremely nutrient-dense food. The recipe calls for raspberry vinegar, which is a flavorful and refreshing alternative to traditional, oily dressing. The fruit and nuts add flavor, fiber and healthy fat.

Servings: 8

Here’s what you need:

• 8 cups cleaned spinach leaves
• 3 oranges, peeled, sliced and quartered
• 2 cucumbers, peeled sliced and quartered
• 1/8 cup macadamia nuts, coarsely chopped
• 1/8 cup sunflower seeds
• 2 Tablespoons poppy seeds
• 1 cup strawberries, sliced or whole raspberries
• 1/2 cup white balsamic raspberry blush vinegar

1. Combined the spinach, oranges, cucumbers, macadamia nuts, sunflower seeds, poppy seeds and strawberries in a bowl.
2. Add the vinegar and toss well.

Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals: 99 calories, 3g fat, 14g carbohydrate, 2.6g fiber, and 3.5g protein.

My new toy is a lotta fun…rings arrived on my doorstep randomly last week (not sure who’s trying to win my heart, but rings were a good start ;))

I’ll come up with some fun stuff on these things to share with you soon. In the mean time, I’ll take the razzing from the kids. They tease me that I’m working on my circus act and will be the oldest performer when I take off to join.

Sev seems to enjoy them too, although I don’t think he’s helping my circus act much.

I followed this up with this…

• 4 oz. Chopped Chicken Breast (use left overs or you can buy precooked, just be sure it’s all natural)
• 1⁄4 cup Celery, Chopped
• 1⁄4 cup Walnuts, Crushed
• 1⁄2 cup Red Grapes, Sliced
• 1⁄4 cup Green Onions, Chopped
• 1/3 cup Broccoli Slaw
• 1⁄2 Bell Peppers, Sliced (green, orange or red)
• 1⁄2 cup Nonfat Greek Yogurt
• Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Add a scoop over a bed of spinach, serve as a side, or enjoy all by itself.

This was simple and yummy. Who’d a thunk how versatile Greek yogurt is? I used it in my chicken salad and then made dessert with it:

Now you know that I’m a bit of a kitchen clutz, emphasis on the word ‘bit’. I’m not a terrific cook (to say the least) and one of the reasons is that I always try to make recipes as healthy as possible. In an effort to do this, I may find a recipe that I end up taking stuff out and substituting stuff in (which never seems to work because I don’t know how to replace an ingredient).

Simple is good as far as recipes go.

If you want more easy to follow, easy to eat recipes, check out my pal, Dani Woodrum’s Home Cooking for Fat Loss recipes.

I may not have mentioned that in the past year I’ve given up one food almost entirely. It’s really helped me maintain my weight.

While most women my age are struggling, I don’t seem to have any trouble with a ‘muffin top’.

Honestly, I’m not trying to brag or rub anything in.  My fitness boot camp is filled with 40+ ladies asking my secrets, my email blows up from readers asking the same.  I’m constantly preaching the same sermon: solid nutrition along with hard training.

Keep it simple.

Here’s a big tip that’s helped me….pass on the bread basket. You just don’t need bread. Slowly replace it with other, more nutritionally dense choices.

Now I tend to think that ‘gluten free’ is the ‘new black’ when it comes to the dieting world. There’s no need for EVERYONE to go gluten free. There are those that gluten truly is a serious health issue, and then there are those that could just benefit from eating less calories from gluten products, like bread.

Whether you need to eliminate all gluten from your diet or whether you feel you could just benefit from eating less gluten, having some tasty recipes to help is a great option.

My pal Dani has 120 recipes for you here.

Like I said, I’m no whiz in the kitchen, but his recipes have helped me create some pretty tasty eats. I don’t even miss eating bread when I eat tasty food. Take a look at Dani’s Home Cooking for Fat Loss and consider replacing bread in your diet. You’ll have less belly fat for it.

Use this white bean hummus instead of creamy dressings or cheese in your sandwich. The hummus is filled with protein and fiber – both important for building your best booty.

Servings: 8

Here’s what you need:

• 2 cans white beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
• 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• dash of salt

1. Throw everything into the food processor and blend until smooth and creamy.
2. Spread onto bread or use as a dip for cut veggies.

Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals: 124 calories, 1.6g fat, 20g carbohydrate, 5.5g fiber, and 7g protein.