July Squat Challenge

JULY SQUAT CHALLENGE

Squats are soo good for you!! Squats are not an exercise which should be ignored. In fact, squats are one of the best functional exercises out there, promoting balance, mobility, fat burning, and body-wide muscle development. A complete workout in a simple movement. Plus, functional exercises are the ones that help you perform real-life activities, and squats are one of the natural movements people have been doing since they could walk upright.

Squats are the perfect exercise to shape your buttocks and legs as well. They also help with abdominals and lower back muscles. So if you want to be fit and lean, squats are the way to go! Doing squats helps increase your muscle mass (the more muscle you develop, the more fat you burn), which can help the body burn 50-70 more calories a day. So gaining 10 pounds of muscle through functional exercises like squats will help the body burn 500-700 additional calories.  Because you are building muscle, make sure you consume protein before and after your workout.

Work in sets of 15-20 repetitions working your way up to the total of the day. Be sure to mix the squats in with a regular workout routine and a healthy diet, especially if you are trying to lose weight during the process and be sure to rest on rest days. 

SQUAT FORM

Assume the stance you wish to do your squats in (wide or narrow or combined).
• Keep your back straight and your knees centered over your feet.
• Go down as if you wanted to touch your heels with your glutes, pushing your glutes out.
• Bend down with the knees, hips and ankles until your thighs are at a 90 degree angle to your calves. If your knees go further than your feet, you are doing it wrong and might hurt yourself.
• Keep your back straight but leaning forward while your head is aligned with your back and you look straight forward (not up or down to the floor).
• Breathe in as you lower your body and out as you return to a standing position.
• Do not rush it. It is better to do it properly than fast.

Even though squatting is usually more narrow, for the purpose of muscle strengthening, a wide squat—with your feet wider than shoulder-width apart—is ideal. Not only will this stance work the same muscles as a narrower one, it will work the glutes and the quadriceps without putting undue stress on the knees.

Try your squat with wide and narrow stance and feel which muscles you are working the most with each variation. You can choose the one that feels best for you or do a combination of both. If you feel too much pressure on your back or knees, modify form.

Happy Squatting! 

xo,

Rachel 

Tuscan Roasted Chicken Recipe

Here is the finished result as promised of my Tuscan Roasted Chicken dish from last night - voila!! 

Tuscan Lemon Roasted Chicken (adapated from Nordstrom Family Table cookbook)

whole chicken or boned chicken parts (I used breasts and drumsticks for kids)
1/2 c EVOO
1/4 cup lemon juice
8 cloves of garlic
2 tsp fresh chopped parsley
2 tsp fresh rosemary
2 tsp fresh thyme
3/4 tsp kosher salt 
3/4 tsp ground pepper

Mix all in blender/ food processor to make marinade.  Marinate chicken in pan for 6-8 hours covered.  Roast at 350 for 30-45 min, then at 400 for 30 min.  I like to uncover it for the last 15 min to brown the skin some.  Enjoy!! 


I added some sauteed zucchini, seasoned with fresh herbs, EVOO, S & P and glazed carrots with fennel seeds.  The kids had extra cous cows with theirs :)  The glazed carrots are an adapatation from the Nordstrom family table cookbook as well. 

Glazed Carrots
1 tbs butter
carrots, peeled and cut into matchsticks
3 tbs light brown sugar
2 tsp fennel seeds
1/4 tsp ginger - ground 
pinch of kosher salt and pepper

Happy Cooking! 

Xo,
Rachel 

Power Protein Pancakes!

OK, it has been way too long since I have blogged! And I know that blogging is something that you have to do regularly if you want people to read your blog, but you're reading this now, right??? So all is well again!!

Anyway, I made some delish protein pancakes this morning post workout, along with my power smoothie.  I had to test and play with 2 batches worth but think I got it down.  They were so yummy, no need for syrup or butter, and hit the spot.  I adapted this from Blogilates who adapted it from the Tone it Up Girls so I have to give credit where credit is due!  Here's my take on the protein pancake:


Power Protein Pancake
1 tsp psyllium husk
1 egg
1/8 - 1/4 c. of coconut milk, vanilla almond milk, or water (I used coconut milk)
1 scoop of Vanilla protein powder (I use either Jay Robb (my fav, but $$), Met RX, or Trader Joes)


Preheat griddle or pan on medium heat and lightly spray with a EVOO or canola cooking spray. Beat egg and add in milk or water.  Add in psyllium husk and scoop of protein powder and beat with fork or mixer.  Check consistency - may be a little runny, but not watery.  I added a little more powder to thicken mine up.


Pour batter, let edges bubble for 2 minutes or so and flip.  These are a little trickier than regular pancake batter so be patient - it took me a few pancakes to get them right.  

Each mix yield 4-5 pancakes - 180 calories total, 7g fat, 9 g carbs, only 3 g of sugar, and 24 g of protein!!




I also ordered the "lazy" protein pancake mix from Met RX - going to play with that as well to taste test if I have to make in a jif.  Let me know if you attempt your Betty Crocker hand and these and how they taste!!

xo,
Rachel

Cold Be Gone!!

Everyone asks what I take when I am sick since I don't do OTC, conventional medicine, or flu shots.   I have tried them all over the years and see no results.  Even for my kids, we have wasted so much money on in-effective medicine only to end up at the doc in the end.

My lifesaver when I have a cold is Bio Energy Vitamin C powder.  My primary care recommended it and you can buy at River Hill apothecary.  I swear by this! 1 tsp. every 4-6 hours as soon as symptoms begin, mixed with water and juice.   It has L-Ascorbic acid and the dose is more potent and absorbed by the body faster.  I also have been sipping on hot lemon water with honey for the last 2 days to stay hydrated and soothe my throat.

I also take Vitamin C, D, Omega 3, and Zinc as well as a daily preventative. I can honestly say I rarely get sick, but when I do  I try to stay as proactive as I can when symptoms set in.  I also wash my hands constantly, a task I am still trying to get my hubby and kids to comply with.  My hands get so chapped from all the hand washing but it's worth it and in my opinion, the #1 cold preventative!    I aim to get 7-8 hours of sleep at night, but let's be honest, some days that just doesn't happen.  I try to rest during the day when I'm feeling under the weather, but that is still a work in progress.....

Stay well!

Xo,
Rachel

November: Back on Track

Today brings us to November 1st.  Cool, crisp, feeling like fall for sure today.  As I sit here writing this blog, curled up in my leggings, sweater, and holding a hot tea, I think of the next 60 days and the craziness that begins! Thanksgiving, school breaks, shopping, shopping, and more shopping, lines everywhere we go, cookie baking and card writing, and then Christmas and the start of the New Year.   It is so easy to get off track of our own personal focus and goals this time of year, health and fitness especially.  Skipped or missed workouts, eggnog and all to yummy snacks at holiday parties, and a feast of Thanksgiving food are all looming on the horizon.  I intentionally stopped tracking my food and fitness last month to see if it made a difference to me and maintaining daily good health and weight.  I found that not only did I get off track with food, my workouts suffered, as did my motivation to want to do anything.  This is a time to hibernate and all I wanted to do was that! 

Now, coming to the 1st of the days of November, I am pledging to get back on track.  Food logging began today, I got an awesome Bikram session in, and off to Barre tonight.  Running goes back to full force as my 1/2 marathon approaches. I found that my motivation affects so many others - my family, my clients, my class participants - if I am not motivated myself, how can I motivate others?   So fresh start begins today!  I am not stressing about holiday gifts, cards, or cookies (yet) and focusing instead on getting my head in the right place for the crazy 2 months coming to all of us.  Stay focused, care for your body, and everything else will simply fall into place.

Xo,
Rachel 

Blah Day Blues...

FALL is HERE!! 

I must say while I love fall, this dreary, rainy weather is not on the top of my favorites list!  While teaching and classes are in full swing, I really just want to park my butt on the couch and never get out from under my luxe blanket - and this is coming from someone who never relaxes on the couch!  HELP: INTERVENTION NEEDED!

I have the Baltimore Marathon approaching on Saturday, and MUST get 2 more training runs in and am promising to keep to my yoga schedule.  My hubby always says to enjoy the time and actually rest a little, I might just enjoy it.  So I am trying to embrace it.

Here is what my weekend was filled with:

Pilates For Runner workshop followed by.....

Ravens football....  from my couch! 

O's trying to knock out NY!!!

Here's to a more productive week!!! 

Blow out Another Birthday Candle

Now I know some people run for the hills every time a birthday comes around, but I personally LOVE them!  I think it is the only day each person gets that is 100% theirs, and should be special, and why not be a little selfish 1 day a year? If you ask my kids, "what is Mom's favorite holiday?" they'll tell you : her birthday! 

I turned 34 on Wednesday the 12th, my day sandwiched between my dad turning 60 on the 11th and my aunt turning 50 on the 13th!  We are a family of fountains of youth and each one of us is totally embracing it!  I have no shame in sharing my age and actually my 30's have been fabulous.  I am not one to dwell on age or the number, but look forward to what the next 5, 10, 15 years have in store for me.  Are there parts of my body that will never look 20 again? SURE! But I can honestly say other parts of me are in the best shape they have ever been in.  I eat healthier than I ever have, maintain a consistent workout routine, and share what I love to do with others.  Who can complain about that??? 

So, yeah I turned another year old. I am looking forward to 35 already. I don't see it as a countdown to the end but a start to the new beginning.  In the next 10 years, my kids will be off to college, my hubby and I will have time to ourselves again, life will be different. New ventures ahead, travel, and life changes.  I hope to have checked some items off my bucket list by then and look forward to doing so.  Here's to another year of good fortune until my next holiday - and I can't wait. 

xo,

Rachel