I went back home over the weekend and it was so  much fun!  I miss a small town - I really do!  I also  miss all the good, fresh foods that are in everyone's kitchen!  I miss all the talk about recipes, what is ripe, what was planted and when it will be ready.  I don't think I ever have a conversation with my mother that the subject of food and recipe sharing doesn't come up.  I think that really must be a Southern thing.  I came back with a few really good "goodies".  One of  my aunts brought this jar of fresh strawberry preserves to give to my mother.  Thank goodness she decided to share it with me!  The photo just doesn't do it justice . . . the color is so fresh and bright and I'm talking delicious.  It tastes like just picked strawberries softend in your mouth.  The BEST thing about it is I know if there was an ingredients label plastered on the jar it would read, "strawberries and sugar".  That would be it.  That is all that is needed,  and guess what?  We can pronounce every single ingredient!  
Here are a few other things I brought back.  While at a family reunion I won the prize for having traveled the fartherest.  Imagine that!  

There is a huge bag of Vidalia onions.  If you aren't from the South and have no clue what a Vidalia onion is I feel really badly for you!  They are sweet and delicious and make just about everything better!  In fact, my husband had a fabulous Onion sandwich with one yesterday!  There are two bottles of Georgia Cane Syrup made from one of the sweetest men I know and the father to one of my classmates.  Again, BEST of all, look at the ingredients!  The label says, "Ingredients:  Pure Georgia Cane Syrup with a small percentage of corn Syrup added."  That's it.  Nothing more.  No high fructose corn syrup, additives, preservatives, nothing.  You know exactly what you are eating . . .I love it!  My mother also shared a few jars of her homemade Apple Jelly .  One day I will learn how to make her jellies and jams, but until then I'm glad to take jars from her!

Remember while you are traveling and see those awesome roadside stands it is worth your while to stop!  Grab something fresh and homemade.  

Also, don't forget about the upcoming GIVEAWAY - A bag of goodies delivered straight to your door!  Comment on this post and put your name in the pot!

What did you do fun this weekend?  Are you counting down the days until summer like we are?

It's Friday . . .about time is all I have to say!  I'm very happy as it's been a long, busy week. Today  means I'm giving a Fit Tip.  This one isn't really anything new but it seems we still seem to forget and want/need to be reminded time to time.  It may not apply to you, but you may know someone so a little knowledge goes a long way, I always say.  If  you or someone you know is really trying to lose fat and maybe seems stuck I'm going to go over a few things.  Now, I'm not being all self righteousness as I can't say I do things right all the time (or even half the time) so I can get just as frustrated as the next person.  I usually say, do as I say, not as I do.  So, if you are wondering why you are stuck it might be because you are: 

1) You’re Eating Too Many Carbs.  This should be pretty obvious to most people by now, but there are still the old die-hards out there who swear that everyone should be consuming two grams of carbs per pound of bodyweight every day while maintaining a low fat intake.  Not so.  

If you have been told to Load up on whole grains and fruit while cutting down on healthy sources of fat like grass fed beef  and lean protein, STOP right there.  Anyone experienced in physique transformation knows this is nonsense.

If you want to get lean, cutting carbs is usually one of the first and most important steps you need to take. That doesn’t mean you can’t have carbs but you need to make smart choices and they need to be taken in at the right times and cycled properly.

2) You’re Eating Too Much Fat
Some people cut carbs and assume that they’re good to go and there’s nothing else to worry about. However, the low carb diet isn’t as much fun as Dr. Atkins made it out to be.
You can’t eat pounds of bacon, cheeses and mayonnaise and expect to magically be a lean mean fighting machine.
Fat contains calories; nine per gram to be exact! At the end of the day total calories still matter, and if you’re eating more than you burn well, guess what?  The pounds creep up!

Listen though, I'm not saying go to a low fat diet.  That's bad, too!  You have to have healthy fat for your health and brain - just not pounds of it!

So, think about it. a minimum of 20% of your calories should come from healthy fats like egg yolks, wild salmon, grass fed beef, and healthy oils to ensure optimal health. 

You still need to keep a handle on things like total calories.  Remember, all calories are NOT created equal, and they do  matter at the end of the day.

3)You’re Not Eating Enough Protein  
I see this so often with women - myself included!  More often than I care to share! The average female who can’t lose fat usually eats a bowl of oatmeal or cereal for breakfast.  Sometimes she might eat an egg.  But only one egg.
For lunch she might have a salad, maybe with a little turkey.  Dinner might be another salad and a little chicken or fish.  She's trying to eat clean and healthy, so what's the problem?

Let’s assume she weighs 135 pounds. Most experts would agree that she would need to consume at least 100 grams of protein per day, if not a gram per pound, which would equal 135 grams.

Each ounce of protein is around 6-7 grams of protein. So in this example she had 36-40 or so grams combined with lunch and dinner plus the six grams from the egg. So that’s a total of 42 grams, which falls just a wee bit shy of where she needs to be.

We women get really crazy when we are told to eat more than six ounces of protein at a time.  However, if you break down the numbers for them and reveal just how many calories they’re eating it should make more sense.  Folks who who eat a sufficient amount of protein usually end up having an easier time losing fat and getting lean than those who don’t. Therefore, we all need to make sure we are getting enough protein.  If you are, you will also be less hungry as it makes you feel full longer. 

4) Your Body/Liver is Over Stressed
This is usually the last thing people think of when trying to lose fat but it is awfully important. Everything that goes into or on our body has to be processed by the liver.  Hmmm.  That's a lot of work.  That means all food, alcohol, lotions, environmental pollutants, everything.. If you are constantly exposing yourself to this kind of stuff and overstressing the liver,  fat loss will be much more difficult to come by.  If you are really serious, try cutting out the alcohol (at least for a bit or at least limiting it!) stop eating grain-fed, chemical laden meat and processed foods.  You will give the liver a break and you will find your rate of fat loss is faster.

5) You’re Eating Nuts
Don't get me wrong.  I love nuts.  I have almonds just about every day around 4 pm.  If there is a bowl of cashews within reach I'll inhale the whole bowl.  These are healthy fats, right?  Yes, that's right, but they also have loads of calories. They are very calorie dense so just keep that in mind as you munch. Ten to twelve almonds is about all you should have.  You’re better off filling up on nutritionally dense foods that don’t pack a lot of calories, like green vegetables. 

6) You’re Eating Too Much Fruit
“What?! You’re telling people not to eat fruit!? Everyone knows that it’s impossible to get fat from eating too much fruit!”

Apparently, in our hunter gatherer days fruit was nothing like what you see in the supermarket today.  I wasn't around back then so I can't swear to that, but it does make sense knowing how we have engineered most things to mess them up.  Back then, berries were small, dark and bitter; not the huge sugar sacks most people consume these days.
I'm not saying to NOT eat fruit.  It is healthy and should be eaten in limited amounts.  It still has sugar and there is some science behind this.  Simply put, an excessive amount of fructose (a sugar found in fruit) consumption will lead to fat gain.  Fructose can only be processed by the liver and once liver glycogen stores are full the excess gets converted to triglycerides and stored as body-fat. So, if your goal is to lose fat, you will want to limit fruit for a while or limit it to one or two servings per day. Just be sure to really up the vegetable consumption so you can keep your getting the nutrients you need.

7) You’re Not Lifting Weights
When you want to lose body-fat the first inclination is often to crank up the cardio and go all out every day with crazy cardio. You need to lift weights!  When dieting, the primary role of strength training is to maintain muscle mass.  If you have muscle, you surely don't want to lose it!  If  you don't have any, you should get some!  Muscle burns more calories than fat and makes sure your body burns all day long!  Get some muscle girls!

8) You’re Overdoing Cardio
Long, slow, steady cardio intervals are useless for fat loss.
On the science end, studies show that excessive amounts of cardio lead to an overproduction of cortisol which leads to more abdominal fat and numerous health problems. 
That's why HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) is so good for you!  No slow and steady cardio!  Intense, short intervals that make you work hard, get your heart rate up, followed by a recovery period and the best and most effecient method for fat loss.  A simple search will show the mounds of research on this.  It works!

9) You’re Not Getting Enough Sleep
I've talked about this in the past and studies show that lack of sleep leads to weight gain.  Yuck!  When you’re short on sleep your insulin sensitivity decreases and your cortisol goes up. Both things lead to less than optimal fat loss.  You also miss out on the critically important Growth Hormone boost that comes each night during deep sleep. If you want to lose more fat you have to get more sleep. Lots of folks will ignore this tip and might be reading this at midnight.  However, this might actually be the most important thing on this list!
More sleep improves EVERYTHING. Make it a priority.

Just looking over these things listed, it all seems pretty easy, doesn't it?  If that were the case the diet industry wouldn't be a billion dollar business!  It takes work, dedication and patience.  Entirely worth it, I say!

Enjoy your Weekend!

I'll be heading out of town to take my mother to a real small town family reunion.  I can only imagine the foods that will be there!  Lots of butter, sauces, fried chicken, the works.  

What are your weekend  plans?  Any healthy plans?

By the way, this was delivered in front of my house this week.  A big project moving it all to the back yard.  Wonder how many calories will be burned moving all these woodchips??

I mentioned the other day that I had received a box in the mail filled with goodies.  I was so excited - it's always fun to have boxes delivered to home and even MORE fun when you aren't paying for them!  The item for my review is the latest BENGAY product called BENGAY ZERO DEGREES.  Well, let me tell you, the timing was perfect!  I have been having an "issue" with my right shoulder.  So much so that it hurts to even drive my car!  Of course, my boys completely scoff at my pain since I don't "do" anything.  Hmmm.  I have thought if I ignored it or didn't talk about it that it would go away.  It  just makes me feel old to have an ache and pain!
So, enter the new BENGAY ZERO DEGREES!  It is pretty cool, no pun intended!  It is described as "the first and only topical pain reliever tha can be stored in the freezer, combining the instant sensation of ice with the long-lasting, trusted pain relief of BENGAY GEL."  It is developed with a no-mess stick system and starts to soothe on contact.  AND, most importantly for me, the scent also disappears!  
So, I have rubbed the stick on my right shoulder before going to teach a class, before doing down dogs in yoga and before playing tennis.  It glides on just like a push-up deodarant stick.  It feels so good instantly - EVEN when I don't keep it in the freezer.  It does offer relief to  my shoulder.  I'm not sure why, maybe because it feels so cold it temporarily numbs  my shoulder!  So far, no one has told me that I smelled like menthol, or if they thought it they have been too polite to tell me.  My husband is not that polite, though, so I think I can still keep it a secret that I'm rubbing this cool new product on my "old" shoulder!  
So. . . .drumroll please!  Thanks to these BENGAY folks, I'm offering a sample AND product GIVEAWAY  to TWO of you readers!  Yohooo!  I'm pretty excited about that.  Who doesn't like to get free stuff in the mail?? 
Remember, there will be TWO winners. You can start entering NOW and the contest will end on MAY 1!  Winner to be chosen by Random Number.com and announced on Wednesday, May 2!  Remember, you can't win anything unless you enter . . .
2 winners will be chosen!  Receive up to 3 entries by:

1. Follow me on Twitter or Subscribe to the Marla-Deen-Fit.net RSS feed or email
2. Tweet: You could say something like: I’ve entered to win a chance to win the BENGAY COOL giveaway at @Marla-Deen-Fit.net
   
3. Be Social: Like and Comment on my Facebook site Marla Deen Fit
4. Comment:  What is your favorite NEW workout?  Any advice for shoulder pain, besides the obvious of not using it!?  

Please leave a *separate comment* for each entry!

Where I am from I grew up doing a lot of eating from truly hunting and gathering what we ate.  While my parents both grew up on farms, they decided they wanted to live "in town" when they married and were raising a family.  That being said, we still had grandparents and more than enough friends and family with farms and gardens to keep us quite busy during the summer months.  My mother thought nothing about getting my brother and me up at 5:30 to head to someone generous person's garden so we could pick vegetables and spend the rest of the day cleaning and preparing them to then take them to the canning plant or our own kitchen to freeze, can or pickle.  Later, during the Fall months we did our fare share of hunting.  Now, I know there are lots of vegetarians or non-vegetarians who can't bear the thought of actually killing animals.  I get that - in fact, I spent a couple of years eating no meat.  I'm just relaying the facts of growing up in the South!  My father, friends, brother and all I knew were big hunters, so there this tomboy was right in the middle of it.  What we got from it was  lots of venison, quail, duck, fish and other meat to freeze and eat later.  While I don't do that as much as I did growing up, my boys have learned to sit in a deer stand and shoot straight so we have venison for stews, chili, spaghetti sauce and other recipes calling for ground beef.  

BENEFITS OF VENISON:

Deer meat, whether hunted or farmed, is known in the culinary world as venison. While it isn't a common dinner staple for most folks, this lean, red game meat is nutrient-rich and offers health benefits. Like beef, venison is rich in protein, iron and many B vitamins; however, it is lower in total and saturated fat than beef. As a low-fat and lean protein food, venison may aid in weight management and prevent nutrient deficiencies.

A 4-oz. serving of venison, baked or broiled, provides only 179 calories, 3.6 g of fat, 1.4 g of saturated fat, 0 g of total carbohydrates and 34 g of protein, according to the World's Healthiest Foods. Choosing nutrient-dense foods, such as venison, or foods that provide substantial amounts of vitamins and minerals and relatively few calories, makes it easier to manage your weight and avoid slow weight gain as you age.  , according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Credit:  U.S. Department of Agriculture Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/289788-what-are-the-benefits-of-deer-meat/#ixzz1syQHjx2e

HEALTHY SPINACH LASAGNA

1 lb ground venison
3 cups marinara sauce
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 C water
1 3/4 C low fat ricotta cheese
2 Cups Low fat shredded mozzarella
1/4 C Parmesan Cheese
2 eggs
1/4 C chopped fresh Parsley
salt and pepper to taste
chopped garlic, to taste
1 container frozen chopped spinach (thawed and drained)
9 pieces Whole Wheat lasagna noodles, cooked

Heat oven to 350. Over medium high heat brown meat and chopped onion in a drizzle of olive oil and a little chopped garlic.  If you use venison you will not really have any fat to drain, if so, drain and wipe out pan and put back in pan.  Add marinara sauce and water.  Simmer about 10  minutes.  In medium bowl, mix ricotta cheee, half of the mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese eggs, parsley, spinach, salt and pepper.  Pour about 1 cup meat sauce into bottom of 13x9 inch baking dish. Arrange 3 uncooked noodles lengthwise over sauce; cover with 1 cup sauce.  Spread one half of cheese mixture over sauce.  Repeat layers of lasagna, sauce and cheese.   Top with layer of lasagna and remaining sauce; sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.  Cover with foil and bake 45 minutes.  Remove foil and bake 10 minutes until hot and bubbly.  Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.


This was a great dinner for a little cold snap in the weather here last night!  Hope you enjoy!

By the way, Seven Day Stretch Challenge is over!  How did you do?  I confess I didn't do as well as I wanted!  I realized I do not stretch as  much when I don't need to . . .meaning I am not suffering from tight hamstrings, piriformis, calves, or back.  When I am, boy do I make time to stretch!  So, that's a true confession - hope you don't wait until you are hurting to get a feel good stretch!

It's Monday and time for a little motivation.  Some days I  have  more energy than others . . . don't we all?  I can usually pinpoint it to whether I had a decent night's sleep, ate good stuff or had some junk thrown in, worked out or exercised, or felt beaten down by my boys!  Sometimes I think we just need a little voice in our ear to get us back in the game or back on the wagon.  
Over the weekend I had someone tell me they really needed to get back to exercising.  They said they knew they would feel better, etc.  That got me to thinking about why we often put ourselves on the bottom of the priority list.  Why is it that we will take better care of our homes, our car, our laundry, than we do ourselves?  We make sure we get the beds made, the house clean, the dishes out of the sink before we get to the gym or take a walk.  No one else can put YOU on top of the priority list.  I have a sticky note on my computer that my boys make fun of.  It says, "Don't just prioritize your schedule - schedule your priorities!"  Take that as my challenge for the week.  Schedule Yourself! The dishes can wait . . .  

Speaking of challenges, how have you been doing on the Seven Day Stretch?  It ends tomorrow!  Finish strong!  I want to hear about it later in the week . . .
If you need a little motivation for stretching, "People who stretched lower body muscles for 30 minutes immediately improved balance by 11 percent afterward, a study in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research reveals.  Loosening up muscles weakens the contraction response, which caused the teeter-totter effect that can lead to a fall, researchers say."
credit:  Self Magazine, May 2012.

HAVE A GREAT MONDAY!  HOPE YOU ARE MOTIVATED FOR A GREAT WEEK!

Giveaway coming later this week - stay tuned . . . 

What takes away from your energy?  What gives you a boost? 

It's that time of year . . . no, I'm not talking about allergy season, baseball season or even the end of the school year super crazy season - although it is all of those!  I am talking about Race Season!  If you are not a runner, biker, swimmer or other such active, somewhat or uber competitive type you may have no clue what I'm talking about!  If that's the case, keep reading for insight into a ton of fun!
This is the time of year when some folks begin to get the itch to enter and train for triathlons.  I've partnered with Danskin in this post so I'm going to tell you about their fantastic program and hope you find a race in your area!  If your normal exercise routine needs some oomph, you are looking for a new challenge or you've been anxiously awaiting the race schedules, this is for  you!

The Danskin Triathlon Series hosts eight races throughout the season beginning May 13.  The Danskin Triathlon is the LARGEST women and girls series in this Sport.  How cool is that?  

These triathlons are Sprint distances.   What does that mean?  It means YOU can do it!  Sprint triathlons are short-distance triathlons, usually consisting of a 750-meter swim, 20k-bike ride and a 5k-run. This is half the distance of an Olympic triathlon and less than a quarter of the distance of the Ironman. Distances may vary slightly from event to event, but they typically adhere to these standards. Because of their shorter distances, sprint triathlons have become really popular and are ideal for beginner athletes.  Specifically, the Danskin Races are 1/2 mile swim, 12 mile bike ride and 3     mile run.  You can participate Individually or as a Relay Team.  Either way you will have cheerleaders every step of the way offering motivation and support!

DON'T BE SCARED!
If you've never done one of these, don't be intimidated if you haven't swam in a while or don't have a fancy bike.  On my first Sprint Triathlon I trained only a little in our local YMCA pool and used my regular 10 speed bike!  It was so much fun, fabulous and empowering to see all these women together, all sizes and shapes and every age imaginable!  

YOU CAN TRAIN!
As far as training, there are tons of programs and schedules you can find online.  If you have an hour a day for exercise, you have time to prepare for a triathlon race.  The simplest schedule is to alternate running, biking ans swimming and rest on the seventh day.  
They say that the hardest thing for a triathlete to do is take a day off because with three sports to master, you feel like you should always be out there doing something. But giving your body some downtime is absolutely essential.

Much of competing in a triathlon has to do with conservation of strength. When swimming, you need to know the best way to pull yourself through the water with your arms so you can save your legs for the hiking and running. On your bike, you need to know how to pull up with your legs instead of pumping down so you can save your running muscles for the run.   Another important part of triathlon training is "bricking," which means combining one or more activities in a single workout. For example, you might swim laps in the pool, then jump on your bike. Or you could begin with a walking to running workout and then transition to biking.  You can do any of these indoors or outdoors.  I would say try to do some outdoors to get a real feel for what your body will be doing on race day.  There are all sorts of little tips and tricks you can find on the internet and in fitness articles that I won't go into here.  

WHAT'S COOL ABOUT DANSKIN TRIATHLON?
*There are races all across the country!  Look below for the schedule . . . 

*It "PAYS IT FORWARD"!  The Events support Breast Cancer Research       Foundation and Team Survivor nationally, as well as local food banks and women's shelters in each of the  Race cities.  

MAY 13 - CLERMONT, FL
JUNE 3 - AUSTIN, TX
JULY 22 - WEBSTER, MA
AUGUST 5 - HOWELL, MI
AUGUST 19 -SEATLLE, WA
AUGUST 26 - CHICAGOLAND
SEPTEMBER 9 - SANDY HOOK, NJ
OCTOBER 7 - PALM SPRINGS, CA

So, here's your chance to find a TRI near you, plan a destination TRI and begin training!  LET ME KNOW IF YOU REGISTER FOR A DANSKIN TRIATHLON, WHEN AND WHERE!!  

Check out http://www.danskintriathlon.net  for  more info.


What's on your race schedule?  Going to try a TRI?  Any crazy TRI stories from your races?

My Husband doesn't like it when I post about food or recipes.  He says they are boring.  However, I have had friends call me FROM the grocery store to ask  me what ingredients to buy for something they have seen here.  I guess it is actually serving its purpose then.  So, this will be another food/recipe post.  If that's boring fast forward to the end, for a little excitement!

Last night we had three baseball games scheduled, which meant a crazy, scrambling evening.  Yet, it rained ALL day and all three games were cancelled.  That meant I could cook dinner and we could actually all sit down at the table . . . like a real family!  Yoohoo!
I made it to the grocery store and came up with a good, healthy meal that was a hit all the way around.  I didn't really follow a set recipe, but took one of my old favorites and worked with what was fresh.  We had wild Halibut in a packet of fresh vegetables.  As a side I roasted green beans, cauliflower and brussel sprouts with just a little olive oil.  We also had a side of pasta for the hungrier fellows at the table.  
This is a perfect "go to " way to cook any light, white, flaky fish and is great with whatever veggies you have on hand.

FISH IN VEGETABLES 
*In a jellyroll pan, take two pieces of aluminum foil and cross them over in the middle.  You want enough to fold over and crease to  make a packet.
*Spray the bottom with a non-stick spray.
*Lay fish filets in the bottom.  (I use Talipia often in this recipe)
*Add Salt, Pepper and your favorite spices to the fish
*Cover fish with chopped vegetables.  (Last night I cut off three ears of corn, sliced a purple onion, orange bell pepper and added grape tomatoes)
*Sprinkle with spices
*Add 1/4 Cup Fresh Lemon Juice
*Add 1/4 Cup White Wine
*Seal at the edges and either put in the oven at 350 for about 35 minutes or grill for about 35 minutes, or until fish is light and flakey.  

Serve with your favorite side.  Let me know if you try it!

Now, for something a little more exciting!  Look what I got in the mail today!

I got a great box full of goodies today!  What does that mean, you may ask.  It means there is a GIVEAWAY coming SOON!!  STAY TUNED FOR THE DETAILS!  AND REMEMBER . . . YOU CAN'T WIN ANYTHING IF YOU DON'T EVER ENTER!

Gotta run!  Two baseball games were re-scheduled for tonight!  I'll be at the ballfield . . . 

WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE WAY TO COOK FISH?  WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU USED BENGAY?  OR NEEDED IT FOR THE ACHES AND PAINS FROM A GREAT WORKOUT?  

Today was a two workout day for me, and the workouts couldn't have been more different! I met my husband today to "share" a workout with his "new workout friends" at Pinnacle here in Buckhead.  He's been going to this gym and working with one of the trainers twice a week.  He always loves telling me all the torturous moves they put him through!  I joined him today to "share" in the torture as I had a free hour.  We are only slightly competitive so we had a great time.  They have a fabulous wall called a Kinesis wall which allows them to put clients through hundreds of different moves that allow the body to work in a full range of motion.  Who knew one person could come up with so many creative ways to work chest, legs, abs, arms, etc?

The photo shows you what it looks like and here is a more scientific explanation to this cool piece of equipment.  Usually dedicated to an entire room, these exercise devices are cable pulleys that are hidden behind wood paneled walls. These cable pulleys allow for a natural full range of motion in any possible direction away form the wall, while maintaining constant resistance. Kinesis will help improve balance, core strength, flexibility and muscular coordination in more than 550 possible movements.
It also allows you to combine cardiovascular and resistance workouts so that your time at the gym can be decreased. Kinesis targets large, multiple groups of muscles so productivity increases as well with decreased time. Kinesis allows for a lot of practical push-and-pull type exercises that can be combined with movements, such as the lunge and squat. I had a great time and a great workout.  I didn't let my hubby beat me too badly.  There was this nasty move where you hold the ends of a huge rope and whip it up and down for timed intervals.  I really need to work on that one.  It wasn't pretty at all! 

Prior to this workout I had the joy of going back to teach a class at my church that I used to teach a couple of times a week.  When my now ten year old was two years old he used to come with me to teach an aerobics class in the gym in my church.  A wonderful woman started her Heart and Soul Ministry years ago and began teaching classes to a large group of women.  I learned so much from her, her physical strength and spiritual strength.  She brought  me in and for about 6 years I had the privilege and joy of leading cardio, interval and resistance classes to Christian music while my son toddled around us!  We watched him grow up in front of us as we sweated and groaned.  At times, he was great entertainment so we couldn't think about the pain from squats or leg lifts!  Until today, I hadn't been back in a while, so I had the best time seeing these wonderful ladies again and leading in a fun workout.  

I had a great day, and two completely different workouts.  Who can complain about that?  

I've thought about those who ran the Boston Marathon yesterday.  Not only is a normal 26.2 mile race a doozie, but the heat yesterday was brutal.  I hope all those folks are recovering today and giving their legs a rest!


Know anyone who ran the Boston?  If your get the chance to try the kinesis wall, go for it!  Have you tried it yet? 


Read more about kinesis at: http://www.livestrong.com/article/327500-kinesis-wall-exercises/#ixzz1sKI1zilM

Here is a NEW Challenge for you to try for Seven Whole Days . . . 

We all know how important stretching is for our flexibility and joint range of  motion.  Not to mention it is my favorite part of any exercise class or workout!  Nothing feels better than a good stretch - and nothing feels worse than stiff tight muscles! For whatever reason this seems to be the part of a fitness routine that is the first to go out the window.  So, I'm joining a few other fitness bloggers out there (Check out Bessbefit.com) and challenging you to stretch every day - yes, that's right EVERY DAY for at least 20 minutes.  You can even break the 20 minutes up if that suits.  Anything counts, dynamic stretching, foam rolling (one of my favorites), yoga, static stretching, they all count.  

You will LOVE how limber and flexible you will feel!  It is never too late to begin working on flexibility.  I constantly tell my husband he has GOT to stretch or he will not be able to put on his socks when he's 80 . . . and I don't want to do that for him!

And here's a NEW WORKOUT to get your body all warmed up and in need of a good stretch.  We did this at my bootcamp class this morning - I'm not sure whether they loved it or hated it, but it got us all moving and sweaty!  We went through it twice and finished with more cardio and added  more upper body weights, but this is a great "base" to your workout.  Give it a try, then finish with a good stretch!  

Let me know what you think . . . 

If you are in the South you know what a beautiful weekend we had!  It was fabulous being outside!  I spent about four hours today planting, pruning, cleaning out my herb garden and re-planting it and adding more perriniels to our beds.  I couldn't have been happier!



The rest of my weekend looked a lot like this:

Baseball . . .

With a hat and good sunscreen I even managed to get a little sun but not too much.  In between the many innings I did manage to get in a great workout.

This is a ferocious 60 minute interval workout that promises to torch the calories.  You do 5 to 10 minute intervals switching from the treadmill to the floor where you are lead to do ridiculously hard and torturous sprints, hills, weights, abs, legs and any other body part you can come up with!  Definately not for the feint of heart.  I was happy to burn 700 calories - and that was just on the jogging setting!  Imagine if I had done it as a runner!  Check it out!  If you are not in a Blast900 area, check out the website - and you can make your own creation of intervals and weight work.

One of the best parts of today was my lunch:

Look at this plate of food!  Is that amazing or what?  It is also a ridiculous amount of food!  My husband went to a local place here, Cafe Jonah, and brought home all of this deliciousness.  However, the coolest thing about it is that on Sundays they set out a huge spread with all sorts of fresh, healthy things to choose.  When you go to pay your bill, you are told to pay what you think it is worth and 20% of the proceeds will go to one of four charities.  Isn't that just the best??  I love that idea!  Please find your way there on a Sunday to support them!

In case you are wondering, on my plate are a tuna salad with fresh basil, a tomato mozzarella salad (my husband's favorite!), a pasta and red pepper salad, couscous with pineapple and the best fruit you could imagine!

As far as the other great meal I had this weekend - I just could not photograph it!  We went to a friend's home where they cooked ribs on their Big Green Egg along with the best Macaroni and Cheese you have ever had!  Cooked on the Big Green Egg it had the greatest smokey flavor . . .just delicious!  I knew better than to have second helpings, although I really wanted them!  I cannot even think about what was in that recipe, but know that I was so glad I had burned lots of calories earlier in the day to make up for the decadent meal . . . and did I mention the margarita I also had?  I haven't had a REAL margarita in years!   

What great meals did you have this weekend?   Do you have a cheat meal on the weekends?