Can You Read the Ingredients -

Do You Know What is in your favorite bar?  

I went just about a couple months without any processed foods, and in all honesty it is just not possible for me to live that way.  Now I eat ‘bars’ and some chips, but I am just careful about what is in them, especially ‘Nutrition’ Bars'.  Some of them have some very strange ingredients that I cant pronounce and cant figure out what they are.

I recently found a replacement breakfast at Starbucks (I used to eat the Spinach and Feta Wrap).  It is now a banana and a Kind Bar.  I am in love with these bars; they have the simplest ingredients ever!!!  They are also only 180 calories….a nutritionist once told me that snacks should be under 220 calories for a person with my build and energy output.  (In order to maintain where I was…about a 1600/ day calorie plan).

Kind Bar –

Mixed Nuts, (peanuts, almonds, brazil nuts, walnuts), dried fruit (raisins, apricots, vegetable based glycerol, pectin, citrus fiber, citric acid, dates, honey, chicory fiber, Non GMO Glucose, puffed rice, flax seeds, soy lecithin

They also claim to be...

• All Natural
• Gluten & Wheat Free
• Low Glycemic Index
• Dairy Free
• Low Sodium
• No Sugar

These are all buzz-words, and I rarely trust the front of any package (marketing tricks), but the back of this item seems to match the front, so I feel good about them.  I still only eat them a couple times a week in an emergency, but they are fabulous for fast or in the car…or like yesterday, at the Airport.

Core Class - My Humble Opinion

Core Workout Class

I went to a ‘Core Class’ at Columbia Athletic Club the other day with my husband.  It is just 25 minutes long, but the whole class is focused on core strength and abs. 

I was skeptical of course, because I am a firm believer in the idea that you can't ‘spot reduce’, but I wanted to try to give it a chance.   I feel like the people who go to this class are thinking it will give them a flat tummy or abs.  It will not!!!!  If your intention is to just engage your core as a focus then I suppose it is worth it as a suppliment to another workout...still not really sure.

There was a 5 min ‘warm up’ to kind of stretch and get your muscles warm…there isn’t really time for much more then that so it was a good attempt, but sort of pointless in my opinion.

Then we did some floor work…

• ·      Legs lifted a few inches off the ground and fluttering the hands up and down similar to what they do in Pilates
• ·      Single leg V-Ups or Scissor Kicks kind of, again it was a little hard for me to figure out what these moves were really doing for me…but I tried to follow
• ·      Push up position…knees to opposite elbow – the only exercise that really felt like it was working me hard to the point of fatigue
  
• ·      Rest - Stretch
• ·      Into Circuit 2 which was very similar to circuit 1 it just was bicycles and plank rocks for 30 seconds or so each

Here is my frustration to classes like this…it is not actually doing anything.  Just movement camouflaged as a workout to try and convince its participants that they will see some kind of result.  I don’t even think that anyone would leave that class with a stronger core in any way and they certainly wont leave with a flat stomach or abs.

It is a shame, because I think that is one of the biggest problems with all these fitness ‘trends’…it is often just a way to pretend you are working out without actually having to workout. 

The best measure to a good workout is what do the people who are doing it look like and what does your trainer do for a workout?  If it isn’t that class or that particular workout, then it is time to save your money and your time and do what they are doing.

Our bodies are designed to do movements that simulate hunting and gathering and working for our food and shelter….so use your body that way.  ‘Athletic Ability’ has very little to do with it…balance, coordination, and endurance are all achievable skills.  Some have better natural abilities then others, however everyone has the ability to have it at some level if they are WILLING TO WORK FOR IT!!!

Running Pain, Worth It?!?

Running - Pain vs Joy

I have always loved running...and when I say running, I mean a slow jog.  It relaxes me and I can think things thru or get lost in my music if I need a distraction.  However, over the last few years, my hips have started hurting so bad it keeps me up at night.  I have tried everything...Physical Therapy, stretching, foam roller, massage, and reflexology.  Nothing was helping...shooting pain down my legs, tight hip-flexer joints, and a no ability to sit for longer then an hour. 

I had to give up running as my form of working out, and that is when I found Crossfit...(see my blog about Crossfit).  The pain went away almost immediately!  I still stretch my IT band with the foam roller some nights and go to reflexology about once a month....I like the Chinese Foot Reflexology service because it is only $25 and you stay clothed...and they work a lot on pressure points. 

I still run on really sunny days...I love to run up and down Lake Washington Blvd, pretty views of the water, lots of people, and great hills for wind sprints.  Just went on a run instead of Crossfit yesterday, because it was so hot and pretty outside. 

To break up my run a little these days (to avoid the hip pain) I do a hill sprint about every half mile, then I stop and do walking lunges whenever I get to a park.  If it is dry enough, I do some abs too.  This seems to give my legs a short break so they dont get so tight.   I also try to keep my runs under 3 miles so it limits the constant pounding on my joints.

Hill sprints help improve my cardio and tighten everything up, because it uses every muscle.  You also burn a high amount of fat as your heart rate comes back down...that is why interval training works so well.   If you are trying to get in shape it is the best thing to do...it will give you really fast results.

Whenever I am on vacation I still go for my runs, it is such a great way to see the area you are staying in and find things you wouldn't see just driving around.  I also try to find a crossfit gym close by and go to at least one crossfit workout.   Keeping your workouts different and unpredictable will help your body continue to improve and you are less likely to get bored.

My Mother - by Sequoia Leopold

Mother Knows Best - 

My mother is probably going to live forever and I think I just got the receipt for it today.  Her famous homemade granola!  My mom has eaten organic and fresh and local and unprocessed foods her whole life, effortlessly.  She shopped at organic local grocery stores before it was chic and always tried to convince me that fruit was a desert (even going as far as to freeze the dessert).

Now that I am trying to improve my overall life thru nutrition, what better way then with my mothers homemade granola.  I am getting much better in the kitchen these days!

I grew up on this stuff as much as I fought for Lucky Charms they never appeared in my house.  I am lucky now as I have an amazing immune system and I know it is from my childhood.  One year (birth to first birthday) in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri with no Anti-bacterial spray or handy wipes will do that!!!

Belt - Switzer - Leopold Granola 
Old Fashioned Oats
Sweetened Coconut Flakes
Wheat Germ
Sunflower Seeds (raw)
Brown Sugar
Honey
Molasses
Vegetable Oil
Flax Seed***
Sesame Seed
Walnuts
Almonds ***
Pecans
Dried Apricots
Dried Papaya
Dried Mango

Spread it out on a cookie sheet and bake in the oven until just barely crispy...then let it cool, bag it up and ready for breakfast each morning.  You only need about 1/4 cup.

I eat mine with Almond Milk and fruit.  It also makes a great snack during the day (keep it in your car so you are not tempted by drive thru's and Starbucks)

Also a great alternative to Gold Fish Crackers for little ones!

The Biggest Loser - by Sequoia Leopold

I used to watch The Biggest Loser all the time and then the product placement got annoying and I stopped watching.

I'm back this year to watch again, because they have the kids on the show.

I'm so glad they have decided to tackle this, because it is so sad! It is our fault, because no 10 year old feeds themselves McDonald's or Taco Bell.

This is so exciting to see these kids hopefully break the cycle for their future kids. The adults are acting like the victims and that is what got them there!

I am going to add this to my workout/nutrition plan. During the show, I will cut up my veggies and fruit for the week.... And during the commercials I will do jumping jacks, abs, lunges, and pushups.