excuses be gone

i hope everyone is having a great new year so far.  i promised last week .  this time of year many people have a list full of resolutions for health...and a list full of excuses why they can't reach those goals a few weeks later.  this workout is for your fitness excuses.  no space, no time, no gym, no equipment...no problems.

it is true that there is nothing new under the sun and many of you have probably heard of this before but for those of you that haven't i hope you find this helpful.  no this is not a game of solitaire but you will need a deck of playing cards for this exercise routine. there are tons of different ways to use this play cards workout.  here is one way: pick a few of your favorite exercises, for example you could pick , burpees, push-ups, planks and .  next grab a deck of cards.  assign each exercise to a suit of cards.  


** if you are unsure of proper form, click on the name of the exercise below. **

for example:

  spades=burpees                    hearts = mountain climbers

  

diamonds = push-ups            clubs= air squats

face cards= 1 minutes rest (or if you are a real die hard pick another exercise)

the numbers on each card will represent how many reps you will do that exercise (depending on what exercise you pick this could represent minutes).  set a timer  (the timer on your microwave or cell phone will work just fine) for the length of time you want to work out, for example 20 minutes.  for the next 20 minutes you will flip over the cards one by one and complete whatever exercise pops up.  let’s say you turn over  a 10 of spades, you will complete 10 burpees.  you will then turn over another card and it’s a 8 of diamonds, you will complete 8 push-ups.  then you turn over a 3 of hearts, 3 reps of mountain climbers at your own pace.  next you turn over a king of diamonds, now is when you rest for one minute.  next, you turn over a 10 of clubs- 10 squats.

of course remember to consult with your physician before beginning any workout regime.  work at your own pace, rest when needed and use proper form.  if you have any questions please let me know.

so what do you think?  have you done this before?  do you have a different way?  i would love to hear what you have to say. 

happy turkey day fools!

happy thanksgiving!  one year ago jb and i were in key largo eating ribs and mango pie for thanksgiving...true sufffering i know.  as fun as it was to spend our first married holiday away this year we are so grateful to be back in the company of good family and friends.

even though the holiday season is truly the most wonderful time of the year many people tend to make the worst food choices this time of the year.  often the holidays become a license to mindlessly dump lots of junk down the hatch.  of course, the holidays are also a time for traditions and many traditions can be around food.

some foods are worth the splurge right?  grandma's favorite pie is totally worth spluring on because besides being delicious it has sentimental meaning.  the doughnuts with gobs of glowing frosting that magical appear in the office kitchen have little nutritional value and even less sentimental meaning.  in this sense food and shopping can be similar, usually the impluse buy is not a good buy especially when it is pricey.  junk food splurges are high in calories and are never a good investment.

use this tool to help you navigate through the holiday food terrain.  no need to shrink it down pocket-size, laminate it and pull it out of your back pocket at the buffet line but hopeful it will help you be more mindful about what you eat this holiday season.

happy healthy thanksgivig!

my favorite app

recently i became really fancy and bought a smart phone, an iphone to be specific.  jb has had a droid phone for quite some time and my covetous heart got the best of me and i needed a smart phone all my own.  although, i have to say after having an iphone i definitely don't covet his droid, i always tell him droid doesn't (if you have seen the droid ads and used a droid you know what i am talking about).  anyway, let me get back on track, it's amazing how quickly i get distracted.  i love my iphone.  i don't how i survived without it before.  honestly, i am in love.  sometimes i lie awake at night whispering sweet nothings in it's ear.  then jb will whisper something real sweet back to me.  "oh honey, that is real sweet and all but gosh, this is awkward...i was talking to my beloved iphone".

one of the best things about the iphone is the endless apps.  my favorite app so far is fooducate, it is free app aimed at helping consumers eat a bit better.  it is available for the iphone or the droid.  the app let's you scan the barcodes of the food you are purchasing and gives that food a grade (a-f) to help you make healthier food choices.  i use it everytime i am at the grocery store.  it is particularly helpful at stores like sunflower market or whole foods where everything is marketed as being healthier.  last week, i thought i would buy some healthy frozen waffles for quick breakfast items.  not a single waffle had a grade better than a c, even the ones that were organic with flax and other fancy tricks up their waffle sleeves.  but fooducate doesn't just give you the bad news and leave you in the dark (without waffles), it gives you healthier alternatives.  

so here's your challenge if you have a smart phone, download this app today and start scanning.  head to your local grocery store and start scanning! hit up the cereal aisle and scan some of your favorites.  or even as you are shopping scan some of the items you normally purchase such as breads or frozen meals.  aim to fill your carts with only a or b grade items.  let me know what you think of the app.  how it changed (or maybe didn't change) your food choices.  or better yet, tell me if any items shocked you with their high or low grades.

if you can't get enough fooducate or don't have a smart phone, head to their fantastic blog.  happy scanning!