How Having a Kid Prepares You to Work With a Trainer

"Stick your butt out." "Use your legs." "Push through your heels." "Hold at 90 degrees." "Squeeze your shoulders together." "Pull harder." "Keep your muscles engaged." And the ever popular, "Suck it up Sally," followed by a dirty look from me (or an occasional f-bomb, depending on if I'm grumpy), then "Really Larry?" To lighten the mood and eliminate my grumpiness. Yes, I have been told all these things and NO, my trainer is not a jerk. He's usually encouraging me during my heaviest set or correcting my form so I don't hurt myself. The man (Doug) will physically poke me to indicate which muscle should activate during the exercise, will pull my shoulders together to demonstrate how much they should engage during the set, he will move my hands apart on the bar to make sure the grip is accurate and will stand over me or so close while spotting me that if we weren't at the gym people would talk. All of this is a huge invasion of my personal space, so why doesn't it bother me?

The answer is simple, I have a child. I learned 9 years ago, and am reminded everyday, that my space is not my own, it's no longer personal. Those of you with kids, I bet you understand this perfectly. It's somewhere between childhood and adulthood the concept of personal space develops. You see elementary kids standing in line and they are all touching each other (teacher yelling at them to keep their hands to themselves), smushed against each other, faces inches apart breathing on each other, all without a care in the world. Jump ahead to adulthood...picture a line of adults waiting to get concert tickets or the new model of Xbox or PlayStation, for the most part everyone is evenly spaced out. Think of an elevator, if there's room, people simply don't stand next to each other. When you're walking, you don't walk directly behind someone, not only is that totally creepy, it's bound to get you pepper sprayed. We even have a name for adults who invade people's personal space, they're called "close talkers." These are people who seemed to have never left childhood and will constantly touch you and put their heads right in front of yours while talking.

Prior to becoming a Mom, all these things would totally freak me out. I was the queen of stay at least 2 feet and 3/4 inches away from me, don't touch me, don't stand next to me and sure as hell, don't breath your stinky coffee-breath on me. Fast forward to today. My son still likes to be around me. He will grab my hand and hang on me when he doesn't feel well. He walks directly in front of or behind so we end up stepping on each other. He sticks his face in mine and does something goofy. He will poke me and pull me, he will wedge himself in a chair made for one with me. And my personal favorite, he insists on draping his hands AND legs over me when watching TV then falls asleep. I have no personal space, but I'm actually ok with that. Don't get me wrong, sometimes I just need a little alone time. That's when I lock myself in the bathroom. Then usually the cat tries to get in. But all of this has served a purpose, it has made me realize that if someone comes within the 2 foot radius, it's ok, I don't get agitated or freaked out. I'm ok with standing next to someone in the elevator and sometimes do it on purpose to watch people's reactions. This also allows my trainer to effectively spot me, making sure the bar doesn't crush my skull or let me fall backwards while squatting and make a giant ass out of myself. I'm used to being poked and legs and arms being moved to better locations. It's now just normal. The exception that still stands is someone skulking behind me, there's a good chance I'll turn and round-kick your knee.

What are you thoughts on personal space? Do you have boundaries or could care less?

Review: Pan-Roasted Scallops with Tarragon

Hi Everyone! It's been a while since I've written anything. Have to say it's been a very busy, constantly going, no time to sit around kind of summer. It was incredible time spent with my son, family and friends. And now it's over, booooo! I'll be honest, I haven't been the strictest with my eating choices. From having a zillion of the best hush puppies evah at Miller's Seafood to yummy beer at Erie's Public House, it was a GOOD summer for so many reasons. But now, it's over and time to get back to eating clean and exercising hard.

As you know I'm always trying new, healthy recipes. It's gotta be good for you, great flavor, quick and easy to cook and most importantly...kid friendly. Not too much to ask for. While I don't always have my son eat exactly like me (yes, there are multiple kinds of Oreos in the house), he does need to eat a good healthy dinner. He understands the basics about protein, carbs, refined sugar and processed crap. So when I saw this recipe (I'm a fan of Tarragon) I thought perfect, let's give it a try.

Pan-Roasted Scallops with Tarragon

Start with:

5 tbs olive oil
2 tbs fresh tarragon leaves, rough chop (pull the leaves off the stem)
2 cloves garlic, minced (if you love garlic use 4-6 cloves or to save time you can buy pre-minced garlic in a jar)
1.25 lbs scallops (remove connective tissue if not done by store)
1/2 c fresh orange juice (roll the oranges on the counter to soften them up prior to cutting in half and juicing, it's easier and you get more juice)
1/4 tsp paprika
1 tsp orange zest (before rolling and cutting in half, scrape the zest off, be sure to wash the skin prior to zesting)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Heat 4 tbs of olive oil in a large, ovenproof skillet over medium high heat. Add tarragon, stir, add garlic and sauté until it begins to sizzle (love, love, love the smell of sautéing garlic).

Add scallops and orange juice. Sprinkle paprika, zest, salt, pepper and remaining olive oil over scallops. Place entire dish in oven and roast for 10 min. Remove from oven (use a mit! Yes, I had an idiot moment when I touched the handle forgetting it just came out of the oven) and remove scallops from the pan, keep warm. Over medium high heat, begin to stir the remaining sauce until it thickens (2-3 minutes). Drizzle sauce over scallops and serve. About 30 minutes from prep to serve with one pan and a couple plates. Making it an easy weekday meal. Garlic, tarragon and zest add flavor while the orange juice adds a bit of sweetness to balance out the dish. Serve with a veggie of you choice. Tonight was green beans. Took some of the sauce and drizzled over the veggies.

So, give this high protein, high flavor dish a try and let me know what you think. Welcome to Fall.

Serving Information:

Calories: 164
Protein: 17.5 g
Carb: 8 g
Fat: 6 g
Cholesterol: 34 mg
Sodium: 679 mg

P-R-O-T-E-I-N, Protein - We Love Protein!

P-R-O-T-E-I-N, Protein...sung to the music of Van Morrison's "Gloria." I couldn't resist. The song popped in my head as I began to write. Ok, so why do we care about protein? Do you know what protein is? How much we should consume? This article will give you the low-down on this valuable nutrient.

Protein is comprised of amino acids, also known as the "building blocks" of the human body. There are 20 different amino acids, don't worry, we're not going to discuss all 20. What I will tell you is there are nine essential amino acids which can't be produced by the body, we have to eat them. The remaining eleven are amino acids that the body can produce on its own.

A complete protein is a protein that contains all the essential amino acids. An incomplete protein is a protein that lacks one or more amino acids and complementary proteins are two or more incomplete proteins when put together provide the essential amino acids.

Why should you care? Protein does ALOT of important things for your body, such as: helping build strong muscles and bones (it's not just calcium that makes your bones strong), protects your organs and helps with tendon and ligament strength. It helps create enzymes and hormones that send signals through your body to help thyroid, adrenal and other glands function. It helps with blood transport and clotting, tissue repair and cellular health. Holy crap, it does a ton of stuff to keep you healthy. And it helps with weight loss and maintaining a healthy BMI. As we know being over-weight and obese lead to a myriad of other health issues.

Studies have shown that low protein diets could not only lead to health issues but will cause people to overeat. If you're trying to lose weight this could lead to failure of reaching your weight loss goals. Which totally stinks, I know. Low protein diets don't give people that satiated feeling, so they will tend to snack and screw up all their hard work. High protein meals (note I didn't say protein only meals) have been shown to reduce excess food consumption. By increasing your protein intake, especially during meals, you will feel full but have actually eaten less.

When and how much protein should you take in? Females 19 - 70 years old = 46 - 54 grams daily. Males in the same age group = 56 - 64 grams daily. Split this into approximately five meals a day every 2 - 3 hours. One very important time for protein intake is after a workout. Protein paired with a carbohydrate (such as chocolate milk) will start to repair muscle damage caused by exercise. It will boost your immune system reducing the chance of getting sick when you're recovering. And it will replenish your muscles cells, getting them ready for your next work out.

So, the next time you begin to prepare a snack or meal, check to see if it contains any protein. If it does, you're a step ahead, if not, consider adding it. Hard boiled eggs and egg whites, tuna with plain Greek yogurt instead of mayo, grilled chicken breast, hummus, natural peanut butter...all are excellent protein sources. It may be hard at first if you're not used to eating the recommended allowance, but it gets easier. You'll notice that you feel fuller and won't experience the sugar highs and lows as often, plus remember all the things you can't see or feel going on inside. It will pay off.

Lemongrass Baked Snapper Recipe

We all know that fish is a good for you food, which in many people's minds means, "Blah." I can't say it's my favorite food, but I eat it because I know all the health benefits...low fat, high protein and all those Omegas we've been hearing so much about...you know the ones that help your heart, reduce inflammation and boost your brain power. My challenge is finding fish recipes that my son will eat, not an easy task, but is possible. This happens to be one of those recipes he gobbled down, primarily due to the onions. Crazy kid is loving onions these days. Totally feel sorry for his friends at school.

Ingredients:

2 TSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) -- a healthy choice for oils
1/4 c fresh lemongrass -- peeled and chopped, easily found in the produce section
1/4 c shallots -- minced, honestly I just chopped mine
2 cloves garlic -- minced, I used 4 cloves, but I love garlic and just chopped
1 1/2 TBS reduced sodium soy sauce -- would love an alternative
1/4 TSP crushed red pepper -- add more if you want more zip
1 lemon, thinly sliced
2 red snapper filets, 6 oz each -- you can substitute any light flavored fish, my store was out of snapper so I used tilapia, cod or haddock are also alternatives
1 scallion -- aka green onion

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425. Heat EVOO in a medium skillet/frying pan on medium high heat. Add lemongrass, shallots and garlic (yummy aroma starts filling the kitchen). Sauté until tender, 2-3 min. Remove from heat and add soy sauce and red pepper flakes, mix well.

Use a baking dish that has sides, there will be liquid during baking. A glass 11 x 7 works well. Spray dish with olive oil cooking spray (shhh, I just used a Pam knock off) and layer bottom with the lemon slices. Put filets over lemon and top evenly with the lemongrass mixture. Bake 15 min until cooked through and flaky. Sprinkle with scallions before serving.

Would be good with a light brown rice and a bright veggie like carrots or broccoli. We just did the fish and veggie. Other than the prep, very easy recipe and quick cooking. I easily made this during the week.

Nutrition:

Calories: 296, Protein: 38 g, Carbs: 15 g, Fat: 11 g, Cholesterol: 63 mg, Sodium: 564 mg

There you have it, easy, tasty fish recipe...enjoy.

Why I Lift...And I Don't Look Like a Dude

When I finally got serious about my health and fitness, I never thought I needed to lift weights or that I'd like doing it. I thought it was going to be all about cardio and maybe do a few machines every now and then. My goal was to lose weight, a.k.a get smaller. I sure as hell didn't want to get bigger and look manly, which is the myth I had been living with for years. Weights will make you big and look like a guy.

Wow, how wrong I was. Yes, you see women that have big, huge, manly muscles but some of them use steroids, some of them have very special diets and most of them spend hours and hours and hours and hours at the gym. Lifting and getting big is their goal, at that's ok for them, more power to them. But for most women, myself included, that's not the goal. I wanted to get into my pre-baby clothes, wear a smaller size and feel better about myself. Yes, seeing some muscle definition wouldn't be a bad thing, but that wasn't the driving force.

As I started this journey, I learned a lot (and still learning) about myself, about nutrition and fitness. The biggest thing so far...lifting heavy weights will not make me look like a guy. Many of you see my pictures on Facebook, do I look like a dude to you? If you said yes, you're looking at the wrong picture, LOL. My trainer knew I was working under the false information that I'd get huge and he started to re-educate me. He provided me with text book chapters to read on muscles, how they work and how they grow. He showed me pictures and had me read bios of fitness professionals, what they ate and their exercise routines. He introduced me to women at the gym that lifted and I talked to them, none of them look like guys and they had been at this for a lot longer than me. He asked about the women in my family, how they were built, I come from a long line of lean, none of them were big and muscly, so genetics was against me for becoming big like a house. He continued to fill my brain up with truths not myths and he got me lifting weights.

We started with the basics, lunges, squats, bench presses, lateral pull downs, etc. focusing not on weight but proper technique. He explained how the muscle works during each exercise, where I should be feeling it, what not to do and if he saw my form fail, we stopped and went to a lighter weight with higher reps until I learned what I should be doing. Form and technique, I'd hear, "Stick your butt out," "Look up," "Elbows back," "Chest out," over and over, until things finally started sticking. Honestly, he still reminds me if I get sloppy, which I'm glad he does, prevents injuries.

I was lifting three times a week, I was losing weight, and I was NOT getting big. Ok, so far so good, but it wasn't like I was trying anything heavy. Well, once I had my form down the weights started to increase. We'd do a couple warm up sets on lower weight then a drop set on a higher weight, many times he kept putting weight on each time to see where my max weight was. It was becoming fun to surprise him, he'd think I was at my max and I'd power through the set, no problems, just a little sweat. It became fun, for both of us, to see how much weight I could do. We began to set goals for lifting. This was a lot of fun for me. I had always done that with my cardio (how fast can I run, how long can I run), but never with weights. I'll never forget the day he loaded a bunch of weight on the bar for squats. As a rule, I don't add up what he puts on before I do the exercise, I'll psych myself out. I put the bar on my shoulders, I could tell this was a big one but went for it. Got my full set, put it back on the rack and turned to look at him. He had a shit-eating grin on his face and simply said, "You did it, 200." I was stoked and totally high-fived him, the guys around me were cool about it, a couple came over and said, "Nice job."

It's been several months now since that day and I've hit several other lifting goals and have set new ones. I'll be honest, I have off days where I feel like I could barely lift my phone, that's ok, I plug through, knowing I won't hit my max goal that day, but still work my arse off. I get to the gym 5-6 times per week and spend 1-2 hours each time. Some days it's about the long cardio, some all about lifting, most days it's a combination of both. And after all that, 200 lb squats, 100 lb bench presses, 838 lb leg presses, countless shoulder exercises, more back exercises that I can remember the names of, lunges all around the gym and what ever other "torture" is in store for me, I do it all AND I still don't look like a dude. No matter how much I lift, I won't look like a guy and neither will you, well, unless you are one already :-)

If you need more inspiration, here are a few great reasons to lift:

• Bigger muscles burn more fat
• Stronger muscles lift sagging areas up (like butt and arms) making you look younger
• Weight lifting increases your performance in other areas (my running has improved tremendously)
• You have bragging rights and is a fun topic of conversation
• Helps with your posture
• Increases your bone density / strength (reduce osteoporosis)
• Reduces heart and other diseases

I could go on, but I think you get the point. Weights are good for you, they can be fun and ladies and you won't turn into a guy. I encourage you to give them a try. You never know, you might really enjoy it.

If you have any questions or would like to share your story, please do, it's always good to share our thoughts and ideas.

Hierarchy of Fat Loss

I gotta love my trainer, not only does he push me to do more and more and MORE, he gives me homework in the form of articles to read from a wide variety of sources. I've read chapters from text books, to physical therapy articles to body building programs. I have to say that 99% of the content is solid, but there's the 1% that I just think, "What the hell is he smoking?" LOL

One of my recent homework assignments was a great article from www.ptonthenet.com, titled "The Hierarchy of Fat Loss" by Alwyn Cosgrove. This gentleman has been a trainer for over 20 years and the number one goal his clients are looking for is fat loss, the more the better.

From personal experience this past year, 80% of my time has been focused on exactly that, getting rid of that nasty stuff that makes us look lumpy and our clothes too tight, causes multiple diseases and conditions when in excess and makes us just blah. While I've been partially successful, getting rid of those last pounds and percentage of body fat is proving to be elusive. What I did in the past is no longer working so I need to find another way. Educating myself on different approaches, then trying them is what I'm doing. And sharing the success and failures with you is all part of it. I've recently started Metabolic Resistance Training, so the jury is still out regarding fat burning, but my strength has increased.

In a nutshell here's the hierarchy:

1. Correct nutrition - you can pretend to be a rock star at the gym, but if you're not eating correctly for your goals it will be just that, pretend. Talking the talk isn't going to do jack if you're putting garbage in. If you want to burn fat, create a caloric deficit while eating enough protein (chicken, fish, eggs) and essential fats (avocado, olive oil). Eliminate processed crap!!!!

2. Activities that burn calories, maintain / promote muscle mass and elevate metabolism - the "holy grail." The majority of calories burned is determined by the resting metabolic rate (RMR), while exercise affects how many calories you burn in a day, they are a smaller percentage. RMR is largely affected by how much muscle is on your body. This is achieved through Metabolic Resistance Training (MRT) or in other words, exercise every muscle group (compound exercises) hard, frequently and with high intensity that creates a long afterburn or period of time that you've stopped exercising but are still burning calories at a higher rate.

3. Activities that burn calories and elevate metabolism - these are exercises that also create the long afterburn period. The common group of exercises that fall into this category are HIIT or High Intensity Interval Training. Remember the wind sprints we did in gym class when we were younger? That's HIIT. During these exercises you increase your heart rate as much as possible, go "all out" during the interval time, anywhere from 30 seconds to two minutes. Once the interval is complete, stop and bring your heart rate back to resting. This interval can be anywhere from one to two minutes usually. Then repeat. The duration and intensity is up to your fitness level, but during the exercise interval, it's max effort (a.k.a. balls to the wall). HIIT can be done with almost any exercise, walking, running, kettle bell, pushups, you name it, you can turn it into HIIT.

4. Activities that burn calories but don't usually maintain muscle or increase metabolism - basically you are burning you calories while exercising but there's no afterburn. These are your Steady State Cardio exercises like walking, jogging, and low intensity exercises. If you've never exercised, have been injured or getting back into things, this is a good place to start, get MOVING, but you won't want this to be your only form of exercise long term.

Next question is, "How can I apply this information?" You need to determine how much time you are going to devote to getting healthier, losing fat and feeling better. With that being said, we all have lives and crap, other than exercise, that we need to get done...work comes to mind, LOL. Reality is we have all have limited time and want to get the biggest bang for our buck. Eating correctly is where you need to start, if you can do nothing else, look at the food you put in, where can you easily make changes? Next, focus on Metabolic Resistance Training (three hours a week, note there are 168 hours in a week, three hours a week is about 2% of your entire week, you can find three hours out of 168 ;-). Keep in mind you don't need a gym to do this, there are exercises you can do in your home, that will achieve these results. If you have more time, add HIIT to the MRT (three to five hours a week). Again, there are many HIIT exercises you can do without a gym.

Yes, there's a lot of information here, especially if this is all new to you. Remember, baby steps, do things that make sense and will work for YOU, not anyone else. The goal is to change your lifestyle not simply a quick hit. We all want to get the most out of our time and move forward, how we do that is up to us.

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to reach out to me or add comments for group discussion. I'm sure folks have ideas, suggestions and support to share. Let me know how I can help you.

Original article below:

Tabata - Ciabatta; There's a Difference?

Tabata? Ciabatta? Am I just making up rhyming words on a Saturday morning because I have a few moments of spare time to myself? One might think this to be true but there's "alatta" difference (I couldn't help it, just had to write it) between the two.

Ciabatta is a flat, open textured Italian bread made with wheat flour and olive oil and is often used in making Paninis.

Tabata is a form of High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) developed by a Japanese professor in the late '90s.

While both words are fun to say, Tabata is what we'll be discussing here today. I had the "pleasure" of taking my first Tabata class yesterday. I had Friday off, wanted to get my workout in and said, "I'm going to try something new." Tabata is a hot word that has been cropping up in the exercise  world for a while now. The word pleasure is in quotes because while you're actually taking class, it's pretty...well let's just say I was sweating and breathing heavy (and not in a prank phone call kind of way). As I'm trying not to drop my weights from exhaustion I'm trying to figure out what's the difference between this and HIIT. Both have interval / rest periods. Both can involve cardio and strength exercises, so why call Tabata out?

The difference between the two comes down to the rest period; HIIT's rest periods are the same or longer than the exercise  interval. Tabata the rest periods are shorter than the exercise interval. For example, the class  I took had a 1:30 exercise interval followed by a 45 second rest period. When I do HIIT on the treadmill I traditionally sprint for a minute followed by a 1:30-2 minute rest period, making sure my heart rate comes down significantly.

Which is better? I haven't plowed through the literature comparing the two, but there are studies that show HIIT is better at burning fat than steady state cardio due to EPOC or excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, also know as after burn. In addition, interval training reduces cortisol levels (fight-or-flight / stress hormone) by allowing the body to produce HGH (human growth hormones) and endorphins during the recovery periods.

So, if you're looking for a HIIT type exercise class to raise your heart rate, strengthen your muscles and provide a variety of movements, give Tabata a try.

If there are any fitness goals I can help you achieve, please let me know.