What I Ate Wednesday - You Must Eat Vegetables!

Hello Leap Day! Hello Wednesday! Hello Vegetables!



Today is the last day of "love your veggies" month over at Peas & Crayons.  
As you know I am a HUGE advocate of eating more fruits and veggies.  Do you even realize how good they are for you?

It's a fact. People who eat a diet higher in vegetables have REDUCED RISK OF CHRONIC DISEASE including stroke, heart disease, and some cancers.  Do I need to say more?


Fine I will - a diet high in vegetables can help you lose and maintain a healthy weight.


Some of you might be gasp veggie haters! I get that...but here's the tough love...you gotta eat the green stuff! There is no substitute for the vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals in nature's nutritional powerhouses.

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Last week I talked about trying veggies raw. Here are a few more tips for those of you with a "fear of the green":


1. Add vegetables to a recipe you already love.  Think adding zucchini in spaghetti sauce or grated carrots in meatloaf. Try: Skinny Lasagna <--what I'm having for lunch today!

2. Eat soup.  Soup is easy to load with veggies and a tomato based soup is even better.  Cooked tomatoes have more bioavailable lycopene for you! Try: Pumpkin Black Bean Soup

3. Roast them.  I hated broccoli until about 4 months ago.  I kept hearing how good it was for me so I tried different ways of preparing it.  I found that roasting brings out flavors I love and now I'm the broccoli queen! Use trial and error to find veggies that work for you and your taste-buds.

4. Drink them.  I have a low sodium v8 everyday.  It's a fast, easy, inexpensive way to knock out one of my 5 needed vegetable servings.

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5. See them.  Don't hide your veggies in the drawers.  Put them at eye level in the fridge. We also have a Whole Foods ANDI list on our fridge.  I see it every time I'm in the kitchen and it reminds me to pick high nutrient density foods.

Have fun with you veggies!

MAKE YOURSELF EAT THEM! Yes, that's a very motherly thing for me to say, but there's no way around the need for vegetables.  Find ways to eat them and know the huge impact it will have on your health.

In other health related news, my glutes are very sore today!  
Last week we posted a Great Glutes workout, but I wanted to share one more exercise.  Yesterday Kyle had me do split squats on the Smith machine.  To do them stand in a lunge position with one foot forward and one back. Do 8 squats with your right leg forward, then switch and do 8 squats with your left leg forward. Repeat doing 7 then 6 then 5...all the way down to 1.  All you will need is 1 set and you will wake up with a sore, sore bum!


I hope you make the most of your Leap Day and get in those vegetables!


What is your favorite vegetable?


Love and ANDI,
Carissa & Kyle


Other vegetable related posts:
Go Raw
Vega Team
Eat THEM!

Unexpected Time Off

I have a month of NO school!  
I should be in class right now.  Learning, toiling, memorizing...but I'm not! I'm blogging and watching the Food Network.  It's awesome!


Why the surprise sabbatical?


We had our first day of "Research Methods" yesterday.  We sat down and took our pre-test on the material as we always do.  Immediately once I got the test a light-bulb went off. "I already took this class," I thought.  And sure enough I did.  I took Communication Research Methods while at UCF getting my first degree. Since this class wasn't nutrition focused that credit counted, and I'm free as a bird for 3.6 weeks!  


I still have 1 work trip and 10 other days of events, but it will be a nice brain break.
So what to do with unexpected time off?


I have a few ideas:


1. Blog, blog, blog, and improve my blog.
2. Make 3 dinners using totally new recipes.
3. Get a library card and read a book.
4. Learn how to use QuickBooks.
5. Take a trip to Ikea.
6. Make Lindsay's Blueberry Scones.
7. Finish putting old photos in albums.
8. Do yoga.
9. Coupon like a mad woman.
10. Relax and de-stress!


What do you think?


If you have any recommendations for books or awesome dinner recipes let me know!
I also bought a Groupon yesterday for Bikram Yoga and I ordered Quickbooks off Amazon today so I'm on my way!


Last night I also tackled a 2 mile HIIT sprint session.  I'm running the Gasparilla Half Marathon on Sunday so I am tapering my running.
I did a 1 mile warm up and then 7 sets of 30 second sprints with 30 seconds recovery.  I covered 2.1 miles in about 18 minutes.

I also did my Day 1 of the Fit2Flex50 Challenge Week 2.  


And yes...it's harder this week!  Those ab leg circles are NO JOKE! So to those of you who are doing it and finding it's difficult DON'T GIVE UP!

Source: Uploaded by user via Leona on Pinterest

 

Remember that change rarely comes without hard work!  Do as many ad circles as you can.  Separate them throughout the day to allow your body time to recover. If you simply can't do all 50 then do as many as you can and aim to increase that number the next day.


What is the last great book you read?


Love and leisure,
Carissa & Kyle

Disney's Princess Half Marathon

We laughed, we cried, we made bad jokes....it was Disney's Princess Half Marathon Weekend!

19,500 women, 500 or so men, and 18,575 Tutu's descended on Orlando this weekend! 


I had an amazing time at the race. The energy was contagious and I can't wait to tackle my own half marathon on Sunday.


RunDisney brought several FitFluential Ambassadors out to the event.  Check out their blogs for some great race recaps. 
Theodora
Meghann
Heather
Callie
Kelly


FitFluential also has a RunDisney Pinterest board where you can see race highlights as well as some AMAZING costumes!  Kelly is my fave!

Source: thewannabeathlete.com via FitFluential on Pinterest

 What's fun for me is that because the Princess Half is a female centered race, I get to be the main host for the start line!  Meaning I talk first and tell the boys what to do! :)  It was fun!
I also got to interview Mrs. United States Shannon Ford, Olympian Jeff Galloway, and ESPN personality Sage Steele.

I also rocked my own "mini" version of a Princess costume.  The folks at Running Skirts decked with out with a black crown skirt for the event.  It fit great and I'm looking forward to running in it soon. I've never had a running skirt before!  

Congrats to all the runners! The winner, Rachel Booth, did it in a record time of 1:18:11! She has won back-to-back DisneyLand Half Marathons and is now a Princess Champion! Rachel is also a Seminole! Go Noles!

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This was our last RunDisney event for a few months and I'll miss seeing everyone! The next event is Expedition Everest.  It's a 5k with a  team scavenger hunt and a night party in Animal Kingdom. Check it out!


Love and pretty medals, 
Carissa & Kyle

Fit2Flex 50 Challenge - Week 2

Welcome back to the Fit2Flex50 Challenge! 


2 exercises, 50 reps, 5 days.
If you just finished week 1, then a big high 5 goes out to you! Make sure you check in here and enter to win our prize! 


If you are just joining us here's how it works:

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-Each week we'll give you 2 new exercises. 
-You do 50 of each; 5 days a week.
-You don't have to do all 50 at once. You can break them up into multiple sets and do them different times during the day too.

-Tell us at the end of the week and you'll be entered to win a prize!
- Do the exercises in addition to your usual workouts.
- Feel the burn and reap the benefits.
- Develop the discipline to make fitness a habit.
- Use #Fit2Flex50  and #Fitfluential to share the fitness via Twitter.

How does that sound? Tone your core, challenge yourself, and maybe even win a prize!

Week 2's exercises are:
1. Lateral Lunges - 50 each leg
2. Lying Leg Circles - 50 to the right, 50 to the left
The lateral lunges build on the Great Glutes workout we gave you on Friday.  Feel free to add dumbbells and take a very wide side lunge.  The lateral lunges will get you feeling the burn, however they aren't too tough that it will interfere with your usual leg workouts.

Step out wider than this for a bigger burn!

The lying leg circles will build on the lower ab strength you increased last week.  They will also activate your obliques.
Lay on your back with you hands under your lower back for support. Raise your legs about 12 inches off the ground.  Circle your legs to the right.  It should be a small circle maybe 8-12 inches.  Do 50 circles to the right and 50 circles to the left.
The picture below shows the starting position for your ab circles.

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Remember - it's not the exercises that are tough, but the discipline to do them and push yourself 5 days this week! Ready, set, get FIT!


Please let us know if you have any questions!
Feel free to get friends, family, co-workers, and followers in on the fun!

Are you in?

Love and the challenge,
Carissa & Kyle


Check out Week 1 of the Challenge by clicking here.

Fit2Flex50 Challenge - Week 1 Check In

Week 1 of the Fit2Flex50 Challenge is officially finished!  How'd you do?

Did you have the discipline?

Did you have the strength?

This week we challenged you to do 50 pushups and 50 leg raises 5 days this week!

Congratulations to all of you who completed the challenge.

Forming a habit and having discipline is no small task.  There were days where you guys reminded me about the challenge and I was doing leg lifts at 10pm!

Source: falldown7timesgetup8justdontgiveup.blogspot.com via Carissa on Pinterest

If you completed this week's challenge and would like to be entered to win the challenge prize here's what to do:

1. Post a comment on this post.

2. Tweet "I completed Week 1 of the #fit2flex50 @CarissaAnneB. Can you handle the challenge? Week 2 starts tomorrow." Post a comment letting me know you tweeted.

Next week's two moves will be up tomorrow so get ready!

What was the hardest part of the challenge for you?

Love and commitment, 

Carissa & Kyle

Tangled Royal Family 5k

Can you believe it? Another RunDisney event in the books!

I loved the sass of the Tinker Bell half, nothing beats the tradition of the WDW Marathon, BUT I am a princess at heart and LOVE the princess half marathon weekend!!!

Every woman is a princess and that deserves to be celebrated!


What I don't celebrate?  1:50am wakeup times!  I guess it comes the territory!
I started my meals at 430am with my usual whole-wheat bagel and peanut butter.

You know what I realized? I eat the same thing before I run AND before I announce! Carb up!
Rudy flew in from the West Coast and we were ready at 5am to greet the over 5,000 5k runners!

It was just a fun run and not chip timed.  I loved seeing all the families run together and all of the great costumes!

It was also cool to see several of my fellow FitFluential Ambassadors in town for the race.  Say hello to Meghann, Theodora, Heather, and Callie!  

Thx for the pic Callie!

RunDisney is feeling the Fitfluential love and brought down some bloggers to enjoy the race weekend and find out what makes RunDisney so special!
After the race it was a rush over the ESPN's Wide World of Sports to kick off the Kid's Races.
Then I made a quick stop at the "Fit for a Princess" expo to pick up a super cute Running Skirt from RunningSkirts to wear tomorrow. I also got to have a quick chat with Mrs. United States, Shannon Ford, who is running tomorrow.  Not only is she a beautiful, inspiring woman but she lives with Celiac Disease and works to advocate for easier gluten free eating.
And now I think I need to sleep....see you at 2am Princesses!


Love and tiaras,
Carissa & Kyle

Get Great Glutes

There are so many "big butt" jokes that I could make...it's overwhelming. 
But in order to remain the classy and professional bloggers that we are...I shall refrain. "Red beans and rice didn't miss her"

Sorry.  Outburst.

Last Friday we asked you what workouts you wanted to see on Twitter and we kept seeing one word over and over again "Butt". 

Butt.

Tush.

Keester.

Glute.

Apple bottom.

Whatever you call it we are here to work it!

Your "butt" owes its appearance to 3 muscles: the gluteus maximus, medius, and minimus.  

Did you know that the large size of the "glutes" are a one of the most distinguishing features of the human muscular system? True story. Other primates have much flatter buttocks. 

The glutes can be hard to work.  Most exercises that involve them also involve much larger and stronger muscles like the quadriceps and the hamstrings.  The glutes are also frequently weak in people who sit for a large part of the day.

I always think of squats as my "better booty" exercises.  I keep my weight on my heels and I GET LOW! Low is where the butt lifting magic happens.

Here are our five Fit2Flex approved glute exercises.

Incorporate them into your regular leg routine or do them 2-3 times each as part of a "boost your backside butt burning" circuit.


1. Single Leg Split Squat.

Do them with your back foot elevated. And this is important...put all your weight on the heel of your front foot!  You should be able to pick up your back foot and still squat.  If your weight isn't forward you won't get the maximum effect.


2. Barbell Walking Lunges
Load a barbell and "walk it out". Moving the barbell to your back changes the effect vs. holding dumbbells.  You can do these as stationary lunges too. Use a lighter barbell like those used for Body Pump class and not a 35lb one from the free weight area.


3. Lateral Lunge

Start with your feet a foot apart and lunge out to the right side.  Return to center. Lunge to the left.  Repeat. If you want to kick it up you can stand in a band and use that as extra resistance as you lunge.


4. Low Pulse Squat

This is what low looks like!

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From a normal stance, squat down and from your lowest point "pulse" half-way" up and back down for 10 seconds.  Return to standing.  That's 1 rep.  Do 10.


5. Narrow Squats
These can be done on the Smith Machine (like our 21's), holding dumbbells, or using a bar for balance.  Keep your feet about 6-10 inches apart and squat LOW.  These do it for me!


The one thing that keeping you from great glutes is getting low!  
Don't use momentum and bounce at the bottom of your squats.  The challenging part is keeping the movement slow and controlled through the "below parallel" portion of squats.  This is what Kyle says he simply doesn't see in the gym. Use a lower weight if you can't keep the slow, control in your movement.


According to Kyle, "If you use a controlled motion, go below parallel with you squat, and use a 5 seconds down, 3 seconds up cadence then you will see an improvement."


There you have it.  The secret to great glutes.


Now get out there and do it!

Love and quarter bouncing,
Carissa & Kyle

Muscle Confusion

Call me Justin Timberlake, because yesterday all I wanted to do was "cry me a River." 


Kyle created another one of his killer "numbers" workouts (like the filthy 50) and it was hard!  I think it was more mentally hard than anything else and I was a huge, enormous, annoying whiner!  *sorry babe*


I finished the workout, but it was tough!  It was a "big volume" workout created to shock your muscles into change. 

Our muscles are smart and if you don't change up your workout they adapt to what you're constantly asking them to do.  15 squats with 20lb dumbbells won't get the same result week after week.


Enter the "25,50,75,100 Workout".  It's hurts.  It's hard. It's complicated. And I know you can do it.


Basically you have a set number of attempts to get your required number of each exercise. Use a weight that is challenging for the first set and you can lower the weight if needed for subsequent sets.  As I said before, it is a little complicated so please ask any questions you might have. Pin It

Try not to be a big cry baby like me! It's a great workout and one I think would be wonderful to do with a partner!


I also linked up this post to this week's Fitness Loves of the Week on Lindsay's page.  Check it out!

Love and muscle confusion,
Carissa & Kyle

Let's Get Physical

Today I had my annual physical.  Kyle had his last week.  We were poked, prodded, listened to, and he passed with flying colors! We'll know in a few days if I did too.

Do you guys get regular physicals?
Kyle and I are both in good health with a pretty clear family history, however as they say "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." 
Kyle loved bragging how "allegedly" the Doctor was so taken by his healthiness that she wondered why he was even getting a physical.  He blamed it on me and the Doctor understood.  Blame the wife right?
That's not the first time a Doctor has praised Kyle's health.  After a physical two years ago, Kyle claims the doctor said, "Wow that working out stuff really works!"


Regardless of the medical community's love of my husband, I think physicals are important.  They are recommended once a year for those over 30 and every 2-3 years for those in their 20's. I just like to make sure we are looking good and to keep an eye on cholesterol, blood glucose, and iron numbers.
When I think about it there are a lot of doctors I have to see each year: I need a physical, 2 dental cleanings, 1 OB/GYN visit, 1 eye visit, and 1 to the dermatologist.  Wow! 


I've actually dubbed tomorrow the "worst morning ever". 
I get to visit my lawyer to turn in some auto accident related paperwork, take an Advanced Nutrition final, and THEN have the left side of my gums deep cleaned. I mean come on!  There's no fun in that morning! I'm already dreaming of a dessert to make that night to compensate.  Ideas?


Today since I had to fast before my blood work I missed my morning meal and coffee.  I hit the gym after the doctor so when I came home around 1130 I decided to start my day over.
I made coffee and a very comforting bowl of oatmeal.  Oatmeal is great for you.  It can lower cholesterol and provide filling soluble fiber that reduces your LDL (bad cholesterol). 
I managed to make my oatmeal a little less healthy. Here's the run down:

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Waka Choca Oatmeal
- 1/2 cup oats cooked in water
- 1/4 almond milk
- 1T cinnamon
- 1 pack splenda
- 2T PB2
- 1T cocoa powder
- 2T slivered almonds
- 1/2 banana
- AND 15 chocolate chips!

Wow that was some rich oatmeal! I couldn't even finish it , but those melty chocolate bits were divine!


Kyle invented another killer "numbers" workout similar to our Filthy Fifty.  I was a HUGE baby today and whined the whole workout.  Sorry baby...but really 25 leg press, 50 dead lift, THEN 100 squats!  I'll post the whole workout tonight.  

Thanks to everyone kicking butt on the #Fit2Flex50 Challenge!  I love seeing all the Tweets!

My abs are sore from hanging leg raises and I felt it in my Smith Machine squats today. I'm going to break them into sets of 10 today.

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Do you get yearly physicals?  Why or why not?


Love and stethoscopes,
Carissa & Kyle

What I Ate Wednesday - Go Raw!

Welcome back Wednesday! This month over at Peas & Crayons Jen encouraged us to LOVE our veggies!

This girl right here...ME...I love my veggies! I always have...even when I was this tiny...

....yup....still loved veggies!
I can thank my mother for this love.  As a kid, instead of bowls of candies or chips out at night we had bowls of raw fruits and veggies.  I mostly remember it being a lot of veggies.  Raw bell peppers, carrots, celery, cucumber (in vinegar), broccoli stems were all put in a bowl in the living room.  As the night wore on and the desire to "munch" came on...there were veggies. Therefore at a young age I got very used to eating and liking raw veggies.My Mom also let me pick out 1 fruit or veggie to eat every time we went to the grocery store.  I feel like I picked star fruit a lot.  

At gymnastics we also had a day called "Fruit & Veggie" day.  We payed $1 and on Wednesdays we would start practice with a giant tray of every kind of raw veggie out.  The rule was that you had to at least eat one of each.  Once all the veggies were gone then they would bring out the fruit tray.  The veggie tray had hearts of palm on it.  I hated hearts of palm. I don't know what was more traumatic - eating the hearts of palm or the days where they made us stay on beam until we stuck 5 of our series in a row....tough call!

Can you find me? Level 6 circa 1995.

Can you find me here? Hint - I'm the giant holding the sign! :)

Kyle is also a good raw vegetable eater.  His dinners often include raw bell pepper, carrots, or a simple spinach salad.The link between fruits, vegetables, and good health is clear. Fruits and veggies have been proven to help prevent numerous cancers and a diet high in them helps your heart.
Go raw this week! Take $15 and buy some veggies, cut them up, and see which ones you and your family like to eat raw. You may discover something new you like AND it's way faster to cut a bell pepper than to even steam one. (psst- red bell pepper totally higher than many fruits in Vitamin C content)
Today my meals have been heavy on the fruits.I had beautiful Florida strawberries in my cereal this am.

I had my usual v8 juice and carrot sticks with my lunch.My afternoon snack was a pear and some Pom Wonderful pomegranate arils.  Pomegranate's are very high in anti-oxidants, polyphenols, and Vitamins B, C, calcium, and phosphorous. 

Pomegranate seeds are notoriously hard to get out.  Pom Wonderful has made this beautiful 100 calorie pack that comes with a spoon, but my friend Alexis has an easy method on her blog.

Dinner includes more veggies in the form of mushrooms, red bell pepper (raw), spinach, and zucchini.
How do you like your veggies?
Love and carotenoids,Carissa & Kyle