Allison's Training Schedule

Her: Ok, I am jumping on the workout bandwagon with hubby.  Now that the baby is a year and a half no more excuses.  She is not nursing and she is sleeping through the night so I should be rested up and ready to go.  Since having the baby I ran a half marathon and a 5k mud run but I still have 10 stubborn pounds I really want to say goodbye to.  I’ve got some clothes I would love to fit into and I need to hurry up and lose the weight before they go out of style!

Here is my game plan.  Troy is doing the Tough Mudder July 7th so I will use that as my deadline which gives me a little more than five weeks. I will have to diet and exercise if I hope to see results because that’s 2 pounds a week, yikes!

Food:

Ok, for food I am going to avoid processed stuff like fast food and pre-made foods.  This will help me to make sure that only healthy things are going into my food.  If I have dessert it will be something like a handful of chocolate chips, a small cookie, or yogurt with fruit and honey. I’m going to avoid alcohol (not that I drink much anyway), soda and fruit juice. I’ll limit the amount of high calorie stuff like chips, sour cream, extra cheese (notice I said extra), etc.  And I will be vegetable juicing. My goal for juicing is just to get some vitamin packed goodness. I will not be using it as a meal replacement.

       Meal ideas:

            Breakfast –

                        Scrambled eggs with ham and an apple

                        Scrambled eggs over sauted veggies or

                        Nuts and a piece of fruit

And always a huge cup of water and a cup of coffee with cream and sugar! (Ok, that will be my dessert!)          

            Lunch –

                        Salad with chicken

                        Chicken taco and a side of fruit

                        Veggie patty and salad

                        Soup

                        And always a huge cup of water!

            Dinner –

                        Burrito bowl

                        Whatever everyone else is having minus the rice, bread, etc.

                        And always a huge cup of water!

            Snacks –

                        Veggie juice

                        Ham wrapped asparagus

                        Cottage cheese

                        Does a second cup of coffee count as a snack?  If so, I see that happening on 

                        occasion!

Workout:

Troy and I just joined a gym which we are totally excited about!  So this makes working out so much easier! I love taking classes so I can just show up, workout and not have to think!

            

            Classes:

                        3x a week

So far I’ve tried a Muscle Conditioning and a Boxing/Kick Boxing class but I can’t wait to do more.

They are all one hour classes so I have to cheat a lot just to finish but my goal is to do the three classes fully by the end of this!

            Other:

Hiking: I also hike with a friend/kids some weeks for 2 miles or so and with hubby/kids sometimes.

Walking: Troy and I will walk with the kids around the neighborhood as a recovery workout.

Running: By week three I will add in one day of running for at least 3 miles.

Swimming: Just gonna goof around with the kids.  Nothing too serious.

Ok, that’s the plan.  I will give an update each week to let you know how its going and maybe a few recipes. Anyone in? If so, let me know!  I would love to have some accountability and encouragement!

Tough Mudder Training

 

Him: About a month ago I promised a fitness plan so here goes. Two key things will start you in the direction of success:

1.     Accountability- team up with at least one fitness partner to ensure that if you decide your pillow is more inviting than your workout, you’ll have the reminder that someone else is counting on you and won’t let you off the hook so easily. This can be a friend from the gym, a spouse, a neighbor, your kids (I occasionally run with my oldest and she is certainly not someone I want to disappoint) or any number of combinations of people who you share a fitness goal with. This brings me to the next key to success.

2.    Goals- establish a goal early. Whether you’re one of those people who like to make lists only to cross off items once they’re completed or you simply enjoy physical activity, setting goals will give you an extra boost to keep you motivated and focused on the reason that you skipped that burger last night or rolled out of bed without recruiting the snooze button for an hour.

So taking my own advice, I’ve teamed up with a friend and registered to take on the Tough Mudder about six weeks from now. (For those of you who don’t know Tough Mudder, here’s a link, the video tells all: www.toughmudder.com) This event takes many things that I’ve done before (10-12 mile run, wall climbs, monkey bars, hills, cold baths, altitude…), amps them up exponentially and slams them all together in one event.

I know I could complete this event today but I want to rock it so I’ve put together a training program that will get me to the finish line and save unnecessary embarrassment. Life’s been busy lately so I haven’t been running much and neither Allison nor I have seen the inside of a gym for a couple years. That’s about to change.

 

Health and Fitness

Him: When I played football in college I was a lean, mean 195 pounds. My body was like a machine and could perform almost any command I threw at it. I spent hours perfecting form, building strength and developing my agility. But in the last 10+ years I’ve found myself spending a lot more time at a desk and a lot less time tuning the machine that I once was. I'm about 15 pounds heavier and a lot softer. My family has doubled in size… almost three times. Priorities have changed and I don’t find myself in the gym, on the court, or making the moves on defenders that used to provide such a rush- I lived to break down a would be tackler and slide past him for a big gain.

There are times when I get the opportunity to lace up my cleats and when that happens I’m like a giddy little kid again. Only when I take that first step, it’s not explosive like it used to be, my head knows how to set up a defender but my body struggles to execute as I feel my feet stumble. Getting old is humbling but being out of shape just adds insult to injury. I get that I may be past my prime, that I may never dunk a basketball again, that someday a fit 17 year old is going to break my ankles but I’m not going down without a fight.

Allison and I are putting together a few fitness goals and to meet them we’ll be developing individual training plans. Gone are the days where I spent 2+ hours a day in a gym. This plan will incorporate things we enjoy doing that also provide great fitness benefits and as a bonus won’t steal us away from family too long. In fact, many of them will include family- we all hike together, my girls run with me (a great daddy-daughter date), obstacles courses in the backyard (I’m excited to start including the pool in this now that it’s warming up), and many others.

As we continue to work out our goals and a plan to get there we’ll share. We hope to help you think outside the box a little. This means getting off the couch, out of the house (sometimes not),  putting technology and social media aside for a short while and investing in your health... stay tuned, there’s more to come!

Delicious Roasted Veggies!

 

Her:  After having my third child I became burdened with symptoms unable to be relieved by modern medicine.  My illness became more and more debilitating and it was overwhelming to think I may never feel good again.  After asking for help from many different physicians without success, I began my own journey to discover ways to heal my body. This led me to eating healthier and I feel amazing!  I am about 90% healed which is awesome.  In the past six years I have discovered a love for all things healthy.  Here is my food strategy: Think about what you are putting into your body, pray about it, take it seriously.  God only gave you one body, treat it well.

So here is one of the healthy and downright delicious recipes that have become a staple in our home.

 

This time I used beets, carrots, rutabaga, red bell peppers and fennel.  But, you can also use potatoes, onions, or any other veggies that sound yummy! 

I diced up the veggies, tossed them in olive oil and minced garlic then laid them out on a cookie sheet.

I then sprinkled the veggies with salt and pepper put them in the oven at 450 degrees for 40 minutes.  I stirred the veggies once at about 20 minutes.  You can broil the veggies for a couple minutes at the end if they still look wet.

 

 

And, ta-dah!  Yummy veggies!  They are great as a side dish or here in a burrito with black beans and cheese!