Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Tip Tuesday- Eat a Big Breakfast!

A study released in June 2008 from Virginia Commonwealth University, showed that women eating a large 600-calorie breakfast lost an average of 40 lbs over 8 months compared to a group who ate a lower calorie breakfast and only lost 9 lbs over the 8 months. The biggest key to this study was that the big breakfast eaters were able to maintain their weight loss while the small breakfast eaters started to put the pounds back on.
Most often when a woman tells me about her daily nutrition she says she doesn't eat breakfast, she has a salad for lunch, and usually has a big dinner. This is all backwards!!
Think about it....if you have the whole day to burn off calories, you want to eat the most early. You don't want to eat the bulk of your calories before you lay down and sleep! How will you burn them?
So, give it a try. Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day, so I never run out of good things to have for breakfast! My favorite though is an egg burrito with guacamole on it! Yummm! Eggs are a great source of protein, they will fill you up, keep you full and give you energy!

Friday, June 24, 2011

The amazing Cucumber!

WOW!!! WHAT A LITTLE GEM THE CUCUMBER IS. I DIDN'T KNOW A LOT OF THIS!
1. Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need every day, just one cucumber contains Vitamin B1,Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc.

2. Feeling tired in the afternoon, put down the caffeinated soda and pick up a cucumber. Cucumbers are a good source of B Vitamins and Carbohydrates that can provide that quick pick-me-up that can last for hours.

3. Tired of your bathroom mirror fogging up after a shower? Try rubbing a cucumber slice along the mirror, it will eliminate the fog and provide a soothing, spa-like fragrance.

4. Are grubs and slugs ruining your planting beds? Place a few slices in a small pie tin and your garden will
be free of pests all season long. The chemicals in the cucumber react with the aluminum to give off a scent undetectable to humans but drive garden pests crazy and make them flee the area.

5. Looking for a fast and easy way to remove cellulite before going out or to the pool? Try rubbing a slice or
two of cucumbers along your problem area for a few minutes, the phytochemicals in the cucumber cause the collagen in your skin to tighten, firming up the outer layer and reducing the visibility of cellulite. Works great on wrinkles too!!! GOTTA LOVE THIS ONE!

6. Want to avoid a hangover or terrible headache? Eat a few cucumber slices before going to bed and wake up refreshed and headache free. Cucumbers contain enough sugar, B vitamins and electrolytes to replenish essential nutrients the body lost, keeping everything in equilibrium, avoiding both a hangover and headache!! MUST ADMIT I AM LOVING THIS ONE TOO!

7. Looking to fight off that afternoon or evening snacking binge? Cucumbers have been used for centuries and often used by European trappers, traders and explores for quick meals to thwart off starvation.

8. Have an important meeting or job interview and you realize that you don't have enough time to polish your shoes? Rub a freshly cut cucumber over the shoe, its chemicals will provide a quick and durable shine that not only looks great but also repels water.

9. Out of WD 40 and need to fix a squeaky hinge? Take a cucumber slice and rub it along the problematic
hinge, and voila, the squeak is gone!

10. Stressed out and don't have time for a massage, facial or visit to the spa? Cut up an entire cucumber and place it in a boiling pot of water, the chemicals and nutrients from the cucumber will react with the boiling water and be released in the steam, creating a soothing, relaxing aroma that has been shown to reduce stress in new mothers and college students during final exams.

11. Just finish a business lunch and realize you don't have gum or mints? Take a slice of cucumber and press it to the roof of your mouth with your tongue for 30 seconds to eliminate bad breath, the phytochemcials will kill the bacteria in your mouth responsible for causing bad breath.

12. Looking for a 'green' way to clean your faucets, sinks or stainless steel? Take a slice of cucumber and rub it on the surface you want to clean, not only will it remove years of tarnish and bring back the shine, but is won't leave streaks and won't harm your fingers or fingernails while you clean.

13. Using a pen and made a mistake? Take the outside of the cucumber and slowly use it to erase the pen writing, also works great on crayons and markers that the kids have used to decorate the walls!!

Wow...new love for an good ole veggie!

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Workout of the Day! 100 Theme...

This was our 6am workout today. Simple, but hard....does that make sense? :)

5 sets through of the following (Circuit Style)....
10 Reverse Lunge with Front Kick- each leg
20 Alternating Squat with Front Kick
20 Push-ups
20 Bicep Curls
20 second Plank

2 minutes of Cardio- Jump Rope or Steps

5 sets of these....
20 Deadlifts
20 Upright Rows
20 Tricep Dips
20 Bicycle Crunches
20 V-ups (seated knees to chest)

When finished you have just completed 100 of each exercise!!! Oh yeah!

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Run Mommy Run!

Training season is almost upon us for the new St. Louis Rock n Roll Marathon!!! This marathon was formerly the Lewis and Clark, which I have to say I am sorry to see go. My best half times were on that coarse. It was flat and open. But....this is the Rock n Roll Marathon! You have to do it! A band at every mile, I can hardly imagine that  you will get bored?
So tonight I asked my "Hot Mamma's" (as they have nicknamed themselves), "Who wants to run the marathon with me?" I got mostly laughs, but I might have them talked into at least walking the half. Thats a good start right? They can always work their way up after they have the time of their lives with 13.1.

So a piece of advice that I got when thinking about doing my first half marathon was this: Never start with a half-marathon because after that you will NEVER want to do a full! I really couldn't agree more! So, I took the advice and I jumped right into training for my my first full-marathon without ever running more than 5 miles (and that was for the St. Patty's Day Run, which used to seem like a really BIG deal!). Our first training run was 6 miles and I didn't know if I would finish......but, I did, along with the 8 mile, 10 mile, 12, 14, 16, 18, and 20 mile runs I completed with a whole group of others who had never run a marathon either! My first marathon (I think in 2004) was by far the easiest of the 3 I've run! I was so prepared and heard so many stories of hitting "the wall" that I paced myself and expected the worst and to my surprise, at mile 20 I actually felt great and picked up my pace! I even drank a beer in Soulard at mile 22 or so just for the fun of it!!! I may have regreted that one later as for the rest of the day everything went right through me, but it still makes for a good story :)

So, if you are thinking, "I've always wanted to run a full 26.2." I say, "Do it now!" I will be starting my training in July and will do long runs on Saturday or Sunday mornings. There are plenty of training teams out there that offer free training and it is great to meet other runners and have the support when going those distances! Email me if you have questions on how to get started. I'd be happy to give you a program and training schedule. gofitmomstl@gmail.com

Oh, and I just have to mention that my girls and my husband are such great support and I love when they come out to see me run. They really keep me going! And the best is that at the end when I receive my medal my daughter Taylor always tells me she is so proud of me for winning the race!!! :) Aww! She even told her teachers that I won! LOL! What a sweety she is.

Monday, June 13, 2011

Mommy Workouts at the Park!

If you live in the Brentwood, Ladue, or surrounding areas, you can join me and my mommy friends for bootcamp at Tillis Park on Tuesday evenings. Our one-hour workouts consist of cardio, strength training, flexibility and core stability. Never are two workouts the same! We make use of benches, tables, playgrounds and anything else we see to make the park our gym! These ladies have done amazing things in the time I've been working with them. They are strong and healthy moms and I love working with them.
If you are intersted in joining us, please email me at jrowfitnesss@hotmail.com Cost is $10 per session.
I am also available to come to your home for a full fitness consultation and program design. No need for fancy gym equipment! All you need is a mat and a pair of free weights.
Go Moms!