It's about time!

For several months now Jessica and I have been talking about how we need to start exercising on a regular basis, but we have never done anything about it. Most of this is due to the fact of just being lazy and being comfortable in our daily routines.

The past two months have been a change in this routine as Jessica began a new job which means she doesn't get home until 7:30pm or sometimes even 8pm. There have been times were we have been eating dinner close to 9pm. Before this, I was use to coming home and having a nice dinner waiting, and then plenty of time left in the evening to spend together. It's taken some time for me to get use to now cooking most of the meals when I get home from work, as we are now starting to adjust to her new schedule. I say all of this, because we now see the importance of planning meals ahead so that we can eat at a decent time and still have time to enjoy spending with each other. I'll mention more about this a little later.

One of the struggles Jessica and I have about exercising, is being motivated together. There have been times were I am motivated to exercise with my work outs, and Jessica with hers, but usually never at the same time. However, just last night, Jessica and I were talking and I think we are now both at the point were we realize we need to stop being comfortable, and start making a conscious effort toward a regular work out routine.

There have been a few things that have made me realize the need to start exercising and loose a few pounds.

1. Just in looking in the mirror each day, I see that having an office job where I sit at a desk all day has taken its affects over the years. My shorts and shirts don't fit as well as they use to, and I'm starting to become that person I swore I never would.
2. My sister in law Kim has been a big motivation of encouragement as she is always talking about doing something to stay active. Whether it be doing exercise videos at home, mountain bike riding, or going to the gym. Her and I "ran" a half marathon together several years ago, but I know that I would not be able to keep up with her now.
3. A friend of mine has lost 20 pounds in the last 6 months, and reading his blog here http://thejoshuacollective.com/2010/08/11/how-i-lost-20-pounds/ has seen how being determined, setting goals, making the effort is all that it takes. I think reading this and seeing the difference in him has pushed me over the fence.

For Jessica, I know that she can say some of the same reasons as I did for her motivation. At her new job, she works with people who live an active life style from running marathons, to tri-athelons and hiking. She has also started to make more of an effort to eating right with whole grains and more fruits and vegetables.

So last night was a good breakthrough for us, as we both expressed our frustration in where we are at physically, and how we want to break the cycle that we've been in for the past several months. So here is a little recap of what we talked about and realized.

1. We need to plan ahead and set goals: I tend to preach this to Jessica, but sometimes don't follow it myself in certain areas. So for me, the goal will be to exercise Monday - Friday before work. Because Jessica gets off work late at night, the only time we can both exercise together is in the morning before work. This will mean waking up earlier than normal, but if we can plan for this we can do it. To start, this will be our goal as we start out small.
2. Getting out of the house is motivation: Even though we have exercise videos at home, I've come to realize that I'm not motivated to work out as much when I'm at home. This is why we are going to join the gym at our church, as this is close to both of our work. If I go to the gym, I will get a better work out than if I stayed home and did a work out video.
3. Meals: This will probably be the hardest part for me, in changing my diet. Earlier I mentioned that planning out our meals helps. For me it helps in a few areas; one in just that knowing what we are having for dinner saves time, but more importantly it will help us to eat better rather than eating junk food as a snack. I have never watched what I ate before, but I know that this is going to be a key part to getting in shape and feeling more healthy throughout the day.
4. Having a workout partner: Part of the reason why our exercise was so sporadic was because we did different workouts at different times. Knowing that we will be going to the gym together will be more encouraging and motivating, for I'm sure there are going to be days when one of us doesn't want to work out.

As we start our new exercise routine next week, I'll check back in to keep you up to date as to how our progress is coming, and to let you know of any challenges we face along the way. I think that writing about it will also help with the motivation factor as well.

John

Macaroni and Cheese

I found this recipe on Rachel Ray's website. It is a great alternative to the processed version in the grocery store!

Ingredients
1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil, 1 turn of the pan in a slow stream
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups whole or 2 percent milk
3 cups shredded white cheddar cheese
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, ground or freshly grated
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, a couple pinches
Salt
1 pound elbow macaroni, cooked 8 minutes or to al dente, with a little bite to it
Directions
Heat a medium, deep skillet over medium heat. Add oil and butter. When butter melts into the oil, add flour and combine. Gently cook, whisking flour and butter together, until smooth and flour has had a chance to cook, about 3 minutes. Slowly add milk while continuing to whisk. Gently bring milk to a bubble while stirring frequently. Allow the milk to thicken a bit, then stir in 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese a handful at a time. Season sauce with nutmeg and cayenne. Taste and add a little salt, if you like. Add cooked pasta to sauce and coat completely by turning over and over in the cheese sauce. Transfer to a baking dish and top with remaining cheese. Place baking dish under a hot broiler and brown the cheddar cheese on top.

Black Bean and Pepper Quesadillas

  From The Pioneer Woman.com - excellent website with many delicious recipes.

     1 can (19 Oz) Black Beans, Rinsed

      1 whole Chopped Bell Pepper (red, Orange, Yellow- Or A Combination)

      1 cup Grated Cheddar Cheese

      ½ cups Salsa

      ½ teaspoons Chili Powder

      ½ teaspoons Cumin

      ½ teaspoons Garlic Or Onion Powder

      ¼ teaspoons Salt

      6 whole Large Whole Wheat Tortillas

Preparation Instructions

In a large bowl, mash up the black beans. Stir in peppers, cheese, salsa and spices until fully combined. Spread onto one half of a tortilla, then fold in half. Repeat with remaining tortillas until all the filling has been used. Cook the quesadillas on a large non-stick skillet or electric frying pan on medium heat until golden brown, then flip and repeat on the other side. Cut tortillas into quarters with a pair of kitchen scissors. Serve with sour cream, salsa and/or guacamole.

Serves 6

Beef Stew

2 lbs stew meat
3 cups organic beef broth
3 Tbs Montreal Seasoning (Costco)
1 cup dried lentil soup mix (Safeway bulk food section)
15 mini carrots
7 new potatoes
4 celery stalks
1 zucchini
5 fresh basil leafs

Cut the stew meat into small pieces, add to a  hot skillet and brown outsides. Add Montreal Seasoning, beef broth, and dried lentil soup to meat and stir. Once meat is cooked thoroughly add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 30-45 minutes. Yum!

You may need to play with the amounts of the ingredients as I made it up as I went along. All the kids asked for seconds!

Sexy Joes

This is a recipe I found in the Biggest Loser cookbook.

Ingredients:

1 pound extra-lean ground chicken or turkey
1 tablespoon white vinegar
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
11/2 teaspoons honey
1/2 teaspoon hot-pepper sauce
2/3 cup chopped yellow onion
1/3 cup chopped green bell pepper
3/4 cup low-sodium tomato sauce
3/4 cup chili sauce
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
4 whole-grain or whole-wheat hamburger buns

Mist a medium nonstick skillet with olive oil spray and set it over medium-high heat. Add the chicken or turkey. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, breaking into large chunks, for 4 to 6 minutes, or until no longer pink.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the vinegar, Worcestershire, honey, and hot-pepper sauce. Whisk to blend. Set aside.

Drain off any liquid that has accumulated in the pan. Add the onion, bell pepper, tomato sauce, chili sauce, chili powder, and the reserved vinegar mixture to the pan. Stir to blend. Bring the mixture to a boil then reduce the heat so mixture simmers.

Cook for 20 minutes, or until the mixture is thickened.
Spoon the mixture equally onto the opened buns.
Serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings

Per serving: 331 calories, 31 g protein, 43 g carbohydrates, 4 g fat (less
than 1g saturated), 66 mg cholesterol, 5 g fiber, 876 mg sodium

CHINESE CHICKEN SALAD - from Cooks.com

This is an excellent lunch or dinner recipe that one of our authors has made many times over the years and it is always a hit. Try it out and let us know what you think. Try substituting Splenda for the sugar and see how it comes out.

CHINESE CHICKEN SALAD
6 c. shredded cabbage
3 green onions, chopped
2 to 3 c. shredded chicken
2 tbsp. sugar
1/3 c. salad oil
1/4 c. rice vinegar
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 pkg. Top Ramen noodles
1/3 c. sliced almonds
3 tbsp. sesame seeds
Combine cabbage, green onions, and chicken in one bowl. In another bowl mix sugar, vinegar, pepper and oil; mix with packet from Top Ramen. Pour over salad. Crumble noodle and nuts, add just before serving. Sesame seeds optional.

Awesome workout with great friends!

Today my friends and I completed the first workout DVD in the Insanity Series by Shaun T. We were sweating and breathing hard, partially due to the fact that it is 110 degrees outside, but also because this is a seriously "insane" cardio workout. We consumed many cups of water and had to take an extended break between the 2nd and 3rd circuit due to the high intensity of the workout. I frequently find my heart rate exceeding the 150's during the Insanity workouts, but with the built in 30 second rest periods after each circuit, my heart rate quickly lowers for a recovery period. Thank goodness!
I really enjoy this workout series because it films real people showing authentic fatigue, taking rest breaks when needed. Not everyone is a machine, thank goodness. For my own personal workouts I like to trade off between the Insanity and Jillian Michael DVD's. I have seen good results from both, although Insanity really pushes the cardio envelope by using your own body weight and strength.