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Simple and Delicious Spinach Salad

I'm excited that my strawberries and blueberries are growing like crazy this year. I've been trying to think of creative ways to eat them, and one of my favorites so far is a Strawberry, Blueberry, Spinach Salad. It's simple, delicious and perfect for the summer! 


Ingredients: 

Organic Spinach: Spinach is low in calories and packed with nutrition. One 40 calorie cup has all you need for vitamin K and A for the day, plus folate, and manganese. It contains cancer-fighting antioxidants, improves cardiovascular health, protects against aging and improves brain function!


source: http://www.livestrong.com/article/2700-facts-health-benefits-spinach/

Organic Strawberries: One Serving of strawberries has more vitamin C than an orange. Strawberries increase HDL cholesterol, also protect against cancer and can help lower blood pressure. 


source: http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/nutritional-benefits-of-the-strawberry

Organic Blueberries: Also are packed with Vitamin C, manganese which is important  for converting fats, proteins and carbohydrates into energy. Blueberries are loaded in antioxidants, they come close to being one of the top choices when it comes to antioxidant activity per serving! We all know that antioxidants are extremely important because they fight off free radicals which are linked to cancer.


source: http://www.blueberrycouncil.org/health-benefits-of-blueberries/blueberry-nutrition/

 Toasted Organic Walnuts: Walnuts are a great source of omega-3 essential fatty acids. They can lower LDL (bad) cholesterol,  and increase HDL (good) cholesterol. Walnuts are also high in antioxidants, and excellent source of Vitamin E, B complex vitamins and minerals such as manganese, copper, potassium, calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc, and selenium.  They are also a great source of protein, with about 15g per serving. They are a bit high in fat and calories... so don't get too crazy on them! To toast walnuts Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange walnuts on a cookie sheet in a single layer. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, checking frequently.


source: http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/walnuts.html

 Goat Cheese: Goat cheese is low in calories compared to other cheeses. "Goat cheese is higher in vitamins, D, K, thiamine and niacin than a serving of cow's cheese. A serving of goat cheese has the same amount of vitamin A as cheddar cheese, with 6 percent the daily value. Goat cheese is also high in the B vitamin riboflavin, as well as the mineral phosphorous. The body cannot produce vitamins and minerals on its own, so goat cheese provides a source of these micronutrients."

Source: http://www.livestrong.com/article/402645-what-are-the-health-benefits-of-eating-goat-cheese/

 Dressing of your choice- I used an Organic Champagne Dressing, but any type of balsamic or  poppyseed dressing would work too. 


Combine all the ingredients and...... 

Enjoy!

Feel those Legs and Lungs Burn!

So this was my workout of the day. My goal was to get a quick, intense workout that blasted calories and focused on my lower body.  This is one of my favorite workouts right now! Try it if you dare!

Equipment: timer, jump rope, medicine ball or dumbbell

Set your timer for 6 rounds,   50 seconds work, 10 seconds rest:




Skip rope high knees 

Sprinter jumps right   ( get in sprinter stance with right foot in front- left leg back- push off right heel and jump up in air,  land back in sprinter stance)


Sprinter jumps left  ( get in sprinter stance with left foot in front- right leg back- push off right heel and jump up in air,  land back in sprinter stance)

Sit up to Squat (hold a medicine ball or dumbbell,   do a sit up with feet in squat stance, push off heels and squat up)

Speed skaters

Skip rope  high knees


Sprint around block

Rest 



Skip rope high knees

Star jumps   lower and hug knees jump up into a jumping jack- land back in starting position

Half burpees  no pushup - come up to chair position, hold a count and go back into burpee

Broad jump tuck jump jump forward as far as you can, tuck jump, jump backwards as far as you can, tuck jump

Single leg squat 30 sec each leg

Skip rope high knees


Sprint around the block

Rest

Repeat once more for a total of 4 rounds! This workout should take you about 30-35 minutes to complete, depending on how big  the block you are sprinting around is!




This will get your legs and lungs burning! 
Enjoy!

Dare to Conquer the Chair

I did this workout last night and it's a killer! You can break it up and just do the strength or add the 10 min AMRAPs to get in a full hour of high intensity challenge. See video below for exercise demo.

Here's the break down of the workout.

Equipment: Chair, timer, Dumbbell and a mat is optional


1st Part is strength:   Set your timer for 9 rounds. One minute of work and 20 seconds rest.

1. Round Kick Reverse Lunge Right Leg
2. Round Kick Reverse Lunge Left Leg

3. Single leg Chair dips alternating legs
4. Elevated Pushup with knee drives  focus on keeping your core tight

5. Single Right Leg Squat - come down slow and controlled with barely any weight in the chair
6. Single Left Leg Squat

7. Right arm Row with Left leg raise  squeeze shoulder blade into spine, squeeze your glute when you lift      your leg
8. Left arm Row with Right leg raise

9. Elevated leg sit up



2nd Part AMRAP Cardio:  Set your timer for 10 minutes. Do as many rounds as possible of the following:

10 reps:  Burpee with pushup
               Floor touch jumping jacks
               Mt Climbers
              Tuck Jumps
              plank Jumps
              Squat Jumps


Repeat the Strength and AMRAP once again, for an hour workout!   If you want to shorten the workout and focus more on strength, do two rounds of the strength part. The AMRAP can be done solo as well if you are looking for a quick, intense burst of cardio.

Portland Rock N' Roll Half Marathon

Yesterday I ran in the first ever Portland Rock n' Roll half Marathon. I can honestly tell you that the overall training experience, race and recovery has been night and day compared to training for a full marathon. I think that training worked well with my busy schedule, didn't completely take over my weekends, and I was still able to enjoy other physical activities because I wasn't tired from long training runs. I'd highly recommend training for a half marathon for anyone interested in endurance events. The distance is challenging, it doesn't set you back a week to recover from, and the last two miles you aren't asking yourself why you are doing this!
I ran the 1/2 just under 2 hours, which was my goal. I didn't do as much speed work as I would of liked too... but with all of my fitness classes and other outdoor interests, I managed to fit in a short run during the week, and a long run on the weekends. The weather was perfect, cool with a slight mist. The race was well organized, and there were plenty of aid stations.

This was the training program I followed loosely. I wasn't training to race.... and I only fit in two runs a week....

I averaged 8:55 per mile...  I ran at a comfortable pace, and I probably could of pushed it a little harder, but my main goal was to finish strong, and have fun! 1:57 was my finishing time, which honestly isn't very fast, but at least there's room for improvement! 

The course was really fun, it was mostly on the east side of Portland, it started on the waterfront and then headed towards Mt. Tabor. The last half of the race was a slight down hill which I was pretty happy about. I learned my lesson from the last race I was in, and started off slow... and each mile I got faster and faster. I love negative splits! I enjoy running in these big events, it is so inspiring to see people of all ages, shapes, fitness levels, working so hard to accomplish a goal! It's also so humbling when 50 year olds are passing me... gives me hope for the future! 

So would I run another half marathon? Hell yeah! Another Marathon? No Way!   Until next time! Happy training!

Half Way through-  I'm still smiling cause I only have 6.5 miles to go! 

My boyfriend was taking photos of me while he was on his skateboard, he skated with me for a few minutes at the half way point! ( A great place to have your cheer squad is at the half way point!) 

Boxes and Bars Workout

I've been feeling the minimal equipment workouts lately! Easy to set up, and get right to business! Here's a new workout that will only require a bench or box, a 15-30 lb bar and timer. It should take you 20-30 minutes to complete, depending on how many rounds you decide to do. See video below for exercise breakdown. Good luck!

Equipment: Timer, Box/Bench, and 15-30lb bar

Set your timer for 8 rounds
One minute of work, 20 seconds rest

Warm up 5-10 minutes

1.Burpee Box Jumps  - Do a burpee and jump up on box landing in a squat with soft knees- jump or step back down

2. Overhead Squat  - Beginners should rest bar on shoulders instead of holding bar up over head until you are confident in a traditional squat. Push bar up into the ceiling, keep hips back and drive through your heels.

3. Overhand Grip Row and Right Leg lift - squeeze shoulder blades into spine, squeeze your right booty cheek, keep abs on, hips square to floor.

4. Underhand Grip Row and Left Leg lift- squeeze shoulder blades into spine, squeeze your left booty cheek, keep abs on, hips square to floor.

5. Bench Bar Pushup with Swivel.   Perform your pushup- keep abs on- opposite knee to shoulder on both sides

6. Lateral Box Jumps- drive off foot that's on the bench.

7. Triceps Bench Dips

8. Bench Taps



Repeat 2-3 times

Stretch and cool down

Balls to the Walls 30 Minute Workout

This workout can be done almost anywhere. All you need is a wall, ball and timer. I'm using an 8 lb medicine ball in my workout today, obviously the lighter the ball the easier, so pick a weight that's challenging. Good luck and let me know how it went! 

Equipment: Open Wall Space, Medicine Ball and Timer

Set your timer for 6 rounds. 50 seconds of work and 10 seconds rest

Complete 3 rounds.

Warm up  5-10 minutes

1. Wall Ball Shots   Squat and toss medicine ball, catch it on your way down

2. Wall Knee Tucks  Abs tight- alternate drawing knee to chest

3. Wall Sit   Squeezing medicine ball between your knees

4. Hand Stand use wall for balance  or Wall Walk ups

5. Wall Glute Press - keep hips lifted and glutes tight

6. Medicine Ball Burpee Pushup Toss

Cool Down and Stretch after your 3rd round

See Video Below for Exercises