The Bod Pod and Other Starting Points

You can't judge the results if you don't know where you start. This weekend was all about the starting point. As part of the program I enrolled in at the Y, I was able to do body composition testing in the Bod Pod. This was at least half the reason I signed up for the program. The Bod Pod is the gold standard for body composition testing. It uses air displacement and measures body fat percentage and resting metabolic rate (RMR). It was awesome! Well, truthfully, the entire experience was...weird. I had to get down to a sports bra and compression shorts in front of a stranger, which isn't where you want to be when you have body image issues. Then the guy operating it handed me a swim cap. I'm hoping that it was cleaned in between. I mean, really, really hoping. Then you get in the Bod Pod, which is just an egg shaped thing in the trailer. Did I mention this is all happening in a trailer in a parking lot? Totally weird.

But, at the end of this 10 minutes of weirdness, you walk out with a sheet of info that's really freaking cool. It includes % fat, fat mass, fat free mass, body fat rating, and RMR. It also includes body volume, body density, and thoracic gas volume. I don't have a clue what to do with that info, but do you know your thoracic gas volume? I didn't think so!

In addition to the Bod Pod, I also broke out the tape measure and wrote down all my starting point measurements - waist, hips, arms, thighs, calves. The waist measurement is the most important of these as this is an indicator of higher risk of Type 2 Diabetes and heart disease when over 35" for women and 40" for men. I'm in that high risk category and that's highly motivating to me.

Finally, the program has you establish your fitness starting point by doing wall sits, 1 mile run, and push ups.

Nowhere to go now but up! Or down depending on which starting point you're judging.

Put an egg on it

I'm a pretty boring breakfast girl - either fruit with almond butter or a bowl of oatmeal. I'm developing a love of eggs again and one of my goals for fixing up my diet is to eat more veggies. I'm fairly good with my intake, usually in the 3-5 servings per day range, but I want to be consistent in getting 5 or more daily servings. Breakfast seemed like an easy place to start. I always have bags of frozen veggies or a bunch of leftover veggies from dinner and eggs, so my new favorite breakfast is a bowl of sautéed veggies with an over easy egg and some hot sauce. Since this is painfully simple to make (cook egg, heat veggies, combine, eat), I thought I'd share some egg facts with you instead of a recipe. A large egg has:

• 70-75 calories
• 6 grams of high quality protein
• 4.5 grams of fat
• Vitamin D, supporting bone health
• Lutein, an antioxidant that reduces the incidence of age related macular degeneration
• Choline, which plays a part in liver function and brain development
• Vitamins, minerals, and bonus nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids based on the chicken's feed.

As an added bonus, they're cheap and versatile. And, just in case you have that voice in the back of your head about cholesterol, don't fret. Yes, eggs have cholesterol and not a small amount, but we know that blood cholesterol is not impacted by dietary cholesterol, so this shouldn't deter you. The mix of protein and fat will keep you feeling satisfied all morning. And, having this for breakfast means you're easily knocking out at least one of your 5 daily fruits and veg! 

This is your body off exercise

So, it's been ages since I've hit the gym on a regular basis and at least a month and a half since I was there at all. I've signed up for a small group personal training session - twice weekly TRX. I loooooved TRX when I did it before. If you're not familiar, it's suspension training and it kicks your ass. Should I be starting with something like this? I have no idea, but I know I need to have good reason right now to get out of bed (what's up polar vortex!) for a 6:30 am workout and paying for small group training seemed like good motivation!

Since it's been so long since I've worked out, I thought I'd do a little research into what happens to our bodies when we forgo exercise. The short answer is nothing good...

Within 2 weeks:

• Loss of endurance as measured by VO2 max (the maximum amount of oxygen you can use in one minute of maximal exercise).
• Increased blood glucose levels.
• Increased blood pressure.
• Decreased strength.
• Tiredness, grumpiness, even memory loss.

Within 4 to 8 weeks:

• Gain in total body fat.
• Increased body weight.
• Increased waist circumference (a predictor of heart disease and type 2 diabetes).

The good news is that some of these can be reversed immediately. We all feel a mood boost after a workout and get a better night's sleep. And, don't hide it, you know you walk out of the gym feeling like hot stuff after a workout! Please note: if you are sick or injured or have a legit reason that exercise is not healthy for you at this point in your life, respect that and stay healthy. All the rest of us, let's get out there and do something today!

Trying again...

It's a New Year, but today I found myself looking through some very old posts on my previous, now defunct blog today and it got me thinking about this blog again. My last post was in February 2016. At the time, I had created the blog as a way to post about healthy eating and fitness and to help with my applications to dietetic internships. I was at the gym constantly and was trying to make sure the family was eating healthy. Since then, I broke my wrist, fell off my fitness regime, got into and completed a dietetic internship, became a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, and started working at a job I love in NICU and pediatrics. Unfortunately, I've also gained 20+ pounds, struggled to get in minimal workouts, let convenience rule my plate, and have felt more unhealthy than I have in ages.

Now, I'm trying, like so many others at this time of year, to get everything back on track. I've signed up for twice weekly small group personal training sessions and have joined a group health and fitness program at my local YMCA. They both start this week and I'm pretty terrified about how I will feel when they start. I'm also trying to clean up my plate a bit and work on freezer meals and simple dinners that will keep us eating well even on nights when dinner might not be until 8 pm.

I've struggled to get back on track by myself and I'm hoping having a built in support system at the gym will get me back on track with fitness. As far as eating goes, my family is my support and I need to be sure to keep instilling good eating habits in the kiddos. And, I'm going to try to share my little journey here with whoever wants to read along. Maybe we can lend a bit of support to each other if you're also working on a healthier New Year!

Happy New Year everyone! Let's do this thing!

Roasted Chicken and Veggies

This is one of the easiest meals to have in your arsenal. It doesn't take a lot of time to put it together and it's loved by kids and adults. Plus, if you have a big enough baking dish, you only really need to dirty two dishes for cooking.

Roasted Chicken and Veggies
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
salt and pepper
crushed red pepper (to taste)
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast
6 medium red potatoes, diced
4 cups broccoli, cut into florets

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix together olive oil, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper, and crushed red pepper in a large bowl. Mix potatoes in olive oil, then move to baking dish without removing all of the oil mixture. Do the same with the broccoli and then with the chicken breast, keeping each item separate from the others. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until potatoes are fork tender, chicken is cooked to temperature, and everything is nicely browned. Makes 6 servings.

Total calories per serving: 463
Protein: 29 grams
Fat: 21 grams (0 grams trans fat, 3 gram saturated fat)
Carbohydrate: 39 grams
Fiber: 5 grams
Nutrition facts based on ingredient packaging and information found in the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference.

Leg Blaster Workout

Today was my first day back at the gym following a week of being snowed in with the kids. I spent the week watching movies and making bad decisions about what I ate and drank. Not a good set up for a return to the gym, but I ripped that band-aid off and headed to my favorite class. It's called Bootcamp, but I call it torture. After warming up with a ton of jump roping (which I'm finally getting better at), we did what the instructor called a mini leg blaster. She assured us this is twice as long when you do the full workout, but I'm good with the mini version. Anyway, I wanted to post it for two reasons. One, it's one of those workouts that always gets me because it looks so easy on paper, but ends up being extremely hard. I have a serious love/hate relationship with things like this. Two, it's a body weight exercise that I wish I had known about during this whole snowmageddon thing.

Mini Leg Blaster Workout
10 air squats
5 walking lunges (left and right)
5 jumping lunges (left and right)
10 squat jumps

Complete 10 rounds.

This was just the beginning of the workout today. I'm not sure I'll be able to climb up the stairs tonight for bed!

My Go-To Oatmeal

Breakfast is not my favorite meal of the day, but without it I am a mess by lunch. I tend to go for something that is quick and filling, and most mornings, that means oatmeal. This is a fast, delicious, and healthy way to start the day!

My Go-To Oatmeal
1/4 cup instant oatmeal
1 tablespoon almond butter (cashew butter and sunflower seed butter are also good)
1 tablespoon dried cranberries
1 tablespoon flax and chia seed blend

Add everything to your favorite bowl and mix with hot water to desired consistency.

Total calories per serving: 251
Protein: 7 grams
Fat: 12 grams (0 grams trans fat, 1 gram saturated fat)
Carbohydrate: 35 grams
Fiber: 10 grams
Nutrition facts based on ingredient packaging and information found in the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference.