Weight Training - Bicep Curls

So you've been working on the Arnold Press and your squats for a couple weeks now; what do you say we add something else into the mix?  The third weight-lifting exercise in my circuit is bicep curls.  You've seen these done before, I'm sure, but for you visual learners I've included a diagram.  Guest star today is my good buddy Dr. Bruce Banner, who is here to prove he doesn't have to get angry to get buff.

The important thing to remember with a bicep curl is not to let your elbow swing back as you are lifting the weight.  Keep your upper arms tightly at your sides so that they are always perpendicular to the floor and move only at your elbow.  This isolation of your bicep muscle makes the exercise more effective.

I like to do 15 reps with 10 lb weights in each hand.  By the end of five circuits you'll feel the burn.  If you need to start with lighter weight and do fewer reps, ain't no shame.  Just make sure you are challenging yourself but not risking injury.

Weekly Update

This is a really great post for me to write.  I'm glowing about having made it past the halfway point and am further on my way toward my goal.  I'm also giddy at the possibility of getting under 150 lbs, something I haven't seen since I did weight loss the wrong way in high school.

Also awesome:  I went shopping with some ladyfriends over the weekend and just for fun tried on some pants at Ann Taylor Loft.  Heyo!  I was wearing a size six!  I think this was an isolated event, but it does mean that I am on the lower end of a size eight.  I also haven't seen this in over ten years.

What can I say?  I feel fantastic.

Running Is My Crutch

Just a quick check-in to let you know I am proud of my work-out dedication this past week.  I have been running an average of four miles a day, though Saturday was 6.5, Sunday I reunited with my Jillian Michaels abs workout in lieu of running (still sore, btw), and yesterday I did just three.  The way I see it, three miles is a whole lot better than nothing, which is what I preferred yesterday.  My fabulous ladyfriends convinced me to drag my ass to the gym and power through whatever I could, and I'm glad I did.

I was back on track with four miles today; I had initially intended for it to be five, but when I went to change into my workout gear at noon today I discovered I had left my right shoe at home along with my sweatshirt.  Luckily I always keep a spare pair of old shoes in the trunk of my car, but 43 degrees is cold when I'm in a tank top without a coat, even when I'm doing my best to work up a sweat... at the edge of a windy lake.  Argh.  So I cut it short because I didn't have full confidence in my shoes, either.  But hey - four miles ain't too shabby.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's weigh-in and stats update!

Monday Night Dinner: Sausage Soup with Irish Soda Bread and a Salad

I made this meal for a weeknight dinner with my godfather.  I had exactly 30 minutes to whip something up from the time I got home to when he was due to arrive, so it's in the true spirit of Monday Night Dinner.  This was a beautiful healthy homemade meal that was a great marriage of from-scratch cooking and quick turn-around time.  Most impressive to guests will be the homemade bread.  Start that first and while it's baking move on to the soup.  This dinner serves 8.

Sausage Soup

Ingredients

• 1 lb Italian turkey sausage
• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 6 cups homemade turkey stock
• 1 can white beans, drained and rinsed (about 1 cup)
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp agave nectar
• 6 oz raw spinach

Directions

Cook sausage until browned, remove from pot and set aside
Add oil and chopped onion to pot and cook until translucent and caramelized.
Add salt, pepper, and turkey stock.
Add beans and bring to a boil.
Add agave nectar and cider vinegar and remove from heat.
Add spinach to hot soup and let wilt just before serving.

Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread

Ingredients

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp salt
• 1-3/4 cups 1% milk
• 1-1/2 Tbsp vinegar
• 1/4 cup agave nectar

Directions

Preheat oven to 375
Put vinegar in a container that holds at least 2 cups.
Warm milk just a little to take the chill off,and pour it into the container with the vinegar, and set aside.  It will curdle a little and that is fine.
Mix all dry ingredients together.
Add liquid and mix until combined - it's easiest to do this in a food processor.
Form loosely into two balls (dough will be very sticky) and bake on a parchment lined baking sheet for 30 minutes.

I like to serve these with an herby mixed greens salad tossed with thinly sliced apples and a light vinaigrette.

Light Dijon Vinaigrette

Ingredients

• 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
• 2 Tbsp cider vinegar
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp cracked black pepper
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Whisk everything together and toss with salad greens.  Serve immediately.

So your entire dinner comes in at 573 calories.  Go ahead and have that glass of wine.

Currently On My Workout Mix - Janet Jackson

You want a song to make you feel sassy and strong while you're lifting weights? This is your jam. I squat lower, curl tougher, and feel like a total badass when this song is on. Do it.

Ginger Snap Granola

image source

This one goes out to my cookie lovers.  Much in the same way that the addition of orange juice suddenly makes drinking champagne at 10am ok, this granola is like eating cookies for breakfast with little to no guilt.



I made this last night and brought a little bowl of it into the living room to share with Andrew while we watched an old episode of Lost.  He took a taste, and then literally dumped the entire contents of the bowl into his mouth.  I guess he liked it?  I'd had enough during my taste-testing anyway.

Ingredients

• 2 cups old fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup pecans
• 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 cup agave nectar
• 1/4 cup organic unsulphured molasses
• 1 Tbsp ginger paste
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 Tbsp organic coconut oil

Directions

Preheat the oven to 250F
Combine agave nectar, molasses, ginger paste, and spices in a small mixing bowl.
In a medium mixing bowl, stir together oats, coconut, pecans, and salt.
Melt coconut oil in a pan on low heat, just until it's melted and then remove from heat.
Pour agave/molasses/ginger/spices mixture on oat mixture and stir until fully coated.
Pour coconut oil over mixture and stir again.
Spread on a parchment-lined baking sheet with sides and bake for 50 minutes, stirring every 10 - 15 minutes.
Let cool completely and store in an airtight container.

side note: don't do a google image search for "ginger snaps" expecting to get closeup pictures of cookies.  You won't, and what you do get is not pretty.  I think I might be scarred for life by what I saw.  You definitely want to have the word "cookie" in your search criteria.  

Weight Training - Squats

Have you been working on your form with the Arnold Press?  It burns in that good way, doesn't it?  Make sure you're doing it slowly and controlled.  Lifting weights isn't worth it if you rush through with sloppy form.  Might as well do something else, if you're going to be sloppy - like dancing.  As much as I like to make everything about dancing, let's focus on weights today.

My second move in the circuit rotation is a straight-on squat.  This gives the arms a little break after the Arnold Press before you move into your next move.

As you may have guessed I have a lot of celebrity readership these days.  Late last night as I was watching old clips of tosh.0 and logging my calorie intake on the Daily Plate, I got a call from a contemporary country great, who I admire not only for his well-maintained mullet, but also for his ability to unabashedly rock a very full mustache throughout the decades, despite his publicist's pleas to to try to appeal to the majority of the population who has since moved on from the 'stache craze of the '80s.  Hey, if it ain't broke... amirite?

In any case, Alan Jackson called to say he was so flattered that he was featured as Sunday's workout song that he would like to model my next move.  I think there's also a little bit of keeping up with the Joneses going on here - he seems to fancy himself as the Prince of his music genre.  Sorry, Al, I think you're great and I'd totally rather pound the pavement to your hits, but Garth Brooks owns that comparison.

It was a rush job to get the photo shoot and editing done for today's feature, but I think we pulled it off:

Place your weights on your shoulders, and steady them in place with your hands.  Feet should be shoulder-width apart.  Squat, dropping your booty behind you and keeping your body as upright as possible.  Do not let your knees move any further forward than your toes.  Do 10-20 squats before moving on to the next exercise