Tag Archives: Health

Steam for soreness

Posted on by
Reply

I woke up SO sore this morning! Since I changed up my workouts I swear I’m sore after every muscle group workout now! It’s one of those good sore feelings, like you know you pushed yourself just the right amount. It is however making me a little slow today. Bending over to pick up Ryder has been a struggle. I spent most of the morning on the floor with him so I wouldn’t have to do much lifting. 😂

Today will be a leg day so I can give my upper body a little rest to recover. Then I’ll hit up the Four Seasons steam room.

Did you know a steam room not only cleanses your skin but helps relax stiff muscles and joints, which aids in the recovery process! During a steam there is an increase in blood flow and circulation. This is due in part by heat causing the blood vessels in the skin to expand. Steam also helps boost your immune system and remove toxins from your body. What I wouldn’t give to have a steam room in my house! 😍

That voice in your head

Posted on by
Reply

If you hear a voice within you say “you cannot paint,” then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced. -Vincent Van Gogh

Often times when we are reaching for a new goal or trying something new, fear and insecurities kick in and you tell yourself you can’t rather than you can. Don’t let the “voice” in your head tell you you can’t. Other people may be negative and discouraging, that’s expected (sadly). But don’t let your own “voice” be discouraging to you. Think positive and be your own biggest supporter! You’ll never get anywhere with a negative mindset.

Growing up I was always told “you can do anything you put your mind to.” If you have the drive and focus, you can accomplish so much!

Protein Pancakes

Posted on by
Reply

Today I made my first attempt at protein pancakes. Ryder is being weird about food. He only eats grilled meats so I’m trying to find ways to sneak a little protein into his diet. Momma doesn’t have time to grill meat every day for him. 😂

They weren’t the prettiest looking pancakes but they turned out ok. The flavor was good, they were just a little on the dry side. I’m thinking if I add a banana or avocado next time it’ll help a bit. Below is the recipe. It makes about 9 silver dollar size pancakes. If you know of another way to make protein pancakes that are moist, please send it my way! 💙 🥞

Ingredients:

2 eggs

1 1/2 scoops protein powder

1 tsp baking powder

1/3 cup skim milk or almond milk

Recipe:

Place a nonstick pan or pancake pan over medium heat. Spray with cooking spray

Add eggs, protein, and baking powder to large bowl and whisk. Add in the milk slowly till batter becomes smooth.

Pour batter in pan one tbsp at a time. Each pancake should take about 2 tbsp. Flip when bubbles form at top.

Plate and serve with fruit or syrup!🍴

41 cal

1g carb

1g fat

6g protein

Gluten Free Chicken Marsala

Posted on by
Reply

Last night for dinner I made a Gluten Free Chicken Marsala. I’m not a huge fan of pasta but it turned out pretty good! Each serving was under 400 calories and it took just 25 minutes to prep and cook.

Ingredients:

•2 boneless chicken breast

•6 oz broccoli

•1 cup pasta noodles (I use gf)

•2 tsp chicken semi glace

•6 oz mushrooms

•4 oz cream

•3 oz Marsala wine

•2 oz peas

•1 shallot

Recipe:

Cut mushrooms into 1/4 slices. Dice shallot. Cut broccoli into bite size pieces. Pat chicken dry and cut into small pieces. Season chicken with salt and pepper.

Heat a pot of water for noodles. Once boiling add in noodles. Cook until soft. If GF 7-8 minutes

Place medium non stick pan over high heat. Add 1 tbsp olive oil and cook chicken for 3-4 minutes. Chicken will finish cooking in a later step. Set chicken aside.

Add 1 tbsp of olive oil to used chicken pan. Toss in shallot and mushrooms. Stir occasionally. 2-4 minutes. Add Marsala and stir occasionally until reduced. 2-3 minutes. Stir and in cream, broccoli, 2 tbsp water, demi glace, 1/4 tbsp salt and a pinch of pepper.

Return chicken to veggie pan to continue cooking. Bring to simmer. Simmer until sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon. Add in pasta and peas. Reduce heat and mix. Let sit for 1 minute to warm peas. Plate and serve!

This will serve about 3 people (can stretch for 4) Happy eating! 🍴

355 Cal

24g Carb

31g Protein

1052g Sodium

Workout after being sick

Posted on by
Reply

Today I went to the gym to try to get my body moving. It’s been over 24 hours since my fever broke. I always press for people to avoid workout when sick or right after sick. However, light exercise right after being sick is ok, depending on the illness. I took to a spin bike and did light resistance. Just a little to get my legs moving and blood flowing. 💪🏻

Ever wonder why they say not to workout while sick or before your fever breaks? Here’s a brief explanation why……

Stress of workouts creates these microtears in our muscles. These microtears from the stress are a normal process of damage and repair. The body uses inflammation to signal and start to repair the damage caused by working out. Inflammation in the body is maintained by the immune system. When you workout while sick or before your body has fully recovered from being sick you are diverting the immune system away from fighting the infection. Instead it’s working to repair muscles. If you were almost over the illness, you can actually cause it to come back!

While working out is great for our health, in some instances it can be damaging. Listen to your body. If you don’t have much energy, or feel exhausted, the gym is obviously not a good idea. Wait until you are feeling a little more like yourself. Make sure you have an appetite, especially if you are like me and got that 24 hour flu bug! Make sure your body is ready to go back. When it is, ease into your workout to be safe. Better to start out slow than push yourself and do more damage! 😳

You only get one body in this lifetime! Take care of it! 💙

Stomach bug

Posted on by
1

A stomach bug had me and little man down for two days. I kid you not, horrible doesn’t even describe it. I’ve never had a stomach bug that bad! He was actually tougher about it than me. But I could tell the poor thing was so uncomfortable and aching.

I made sure to keep he and I hydrated. Even when we were unable to eat we just kept consuming fluids. You can actually make yourself worse and cause internal damage (worse case scenario) if you don’t hydrate well while sick.

I’m starting to feel a little more normal again but I’m not 100%. My body is exhausted. I literally feel like the life has been rippled out of me. It’s crazy what an illness can do to your body in just a short period of time! I would never wish that stomach bug on anyone. This week my focus will be just to build my strength and immunity back up.

Ryder however is making me look like a weakling. He’s bouncing around the house like crazy as if nothing happened. What I wouldn’t give for that kind of energy!

Take your vitamins, drink lots of water and pray this bug doesn’t hit you! 🐛 😷

Sleep troubles

Posted on by
Reply

On occasion I struggle to fall asleep. My mind races with all the things I need to do that week and the next thing I know it’s 3am and I’m still staring at the ceiling. How I laid there for 4+ hours just thinking without falling asleep is beyond me!

Over the years I’ve tried a few things here and there to help me fall asleep. I’m not really a fan of sleep meds, so anything organic and natural I’m all for. Here’s a few things that work for me:

•Melatonin- Your body produces this naturally, but you can buy melatonin supplements at almost any wellness or grocery store. It is a hormone released by your brain that tells your body it’s night time and time to sleep. It naturally makes you tired

•Drink a glass of milk (doesn’t have to be warm)- Milk contains an amino acid called tryptophan that causes sleepiness

•Earplugs- Sometimes sounds keep me up. I’ll hear something outside and it startled me or makes me think of something which gets my mind racing

•Avoid your phone and the tv- being exposed to blue and white light from your phone, tv, computers, etc at night prevents your brain from producing melatonin

•Take a walk- Taking a walk before bed can help tire your body but also tire your brain. I’ve noticed when I go for a walk at night my mind runs during the walk. I make my mental lists and think about the week. Then when I get into bed I’m physically and mentally tired

As I said, these are things I’ve found that have worked for me. Everyone is different. Some of these things won’t work for some people. But if you’re having sleep problems give one (or more) a try. See if it works for you! Happy sleeping! 💤

Bosu squats safety explained

Posted on by
Reply

Recently someone asked me why I do bosu squats because everything they read said they are horrible to do and can cause injury. This is semi true. You should NEVER do bosu squats on the ball side. There is not enough stability for your ankle and leg. Performing heavily loaded squats, lunges, hip thrusts, or deadlifts with your feet on the ground is risky enough. Stepping onto an unstable surface while performing big movements like those only increases your risk of injury. When you are on an unstable surface, your body is working to keep its balance and because of that your muscles are “distracted” from the task at hand

Bosu squats on the flat side are ok to do. This is because you have a flat (semi) stable surface. You aren’t fighting to keep your balance as if you would on the ball side. Placing the Bosu with the flat-side up is great for building core strength ( abs/lower back area) and improving overall balance while toning abs

Hope this gave a little more clarity! Happy Friday! 💙

Random fact of the day

Posted on by
Reply

For those of you who don’t know, I used to teach high school health. One of my favorite things to do every day was have a random fact written on the board for us to discuss before we started the days lesson. I have a list of my favorite ones still saved. I’m going to start posting a few every so often. So here goes today’s……

When you sneeze your body is getting rid of infected cells and an average sneeze will spread over 100,000 virus cells up to nine meters. On average, adults catch two to three colds each year. School-age children can have 12 or more colds in a year. Yikes!

Cold and flu season is fast approaching! Cover your mouth and nose people! 😳 🤧

Teriyaki Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Posted on by
2

Last nights dinner was one of the easiest meals I’ve made and SO good. Teriyaki chicken lettuce wraps. Just 7 ingredients and it takes less than 20 minutes to prep and cook!

Ingredients:

2 boneless skinless chicken breast

1 head of butte lettuce

1/2 oz honey

3 oz shredded carrots

1/2 oz almonds

2 tsp of sriracha (add more if you like spicy)

3 oz teriyaki glaze

Recipe:

Separate lettuce for cups and rinse. Pat dry with paper towel. Dice up chicken and season with salt and pepper

Place a non stick pan over medium high heat and add 1 tbsp of olive oil. Add chicken and cook until browned (or no longer pink in middle) 3-5 minutes

Add in carrots and stir until carrot is tender (about 3 minutes)

Remove from burner and stir in teriyaki, honey and sriracha. Put chicken mixture into lettuce cups and top with almonds.

Enjoy!! 🍴😍

554 Cals

31g Carbs

28g Fat

47g Protein