The Last Minute of your Workout

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So this weekend I had the pleasure of taking my first SoulCycle class with David (which apparently is a big deal!). Now I can totally see what the hype was all about! His class kicked my butt and he was a really inspiring and motivating teacher, just the right kind of person you want in a spin class.

Anywho, David said something during the class that really, really resonated with me and I am totally stealing it to now to share with you guys, but also use at motivation for those of you subscribing to The Skinny Docs. (Subscribers can sign up later this week! Eeee!)

You know around 80-90% through a really tough workout you start to think ‘Ughhh I could stop now…’ or maybe ‘close enough…’ or ‘Noooo! I can’t possibly do two more sets!!!’ Whatever it is you say, I know we can all relate to that end-of-killer-workout feeling. You want to give in early. You can’t possibly run that last mile. Your arms will fall off with one more curl.

At that moment of David’s class he goes, ‘One more minute of this climb. This is ONE MINUTE of your life. You don’t want to regret this minute of your life.’ That’s not a direct quote, but you get the gist.

That’s totally true. I like to think I live my life with no regrets, but that’s not always the case. Aside from one personal situation I can think of, the only thing I really regret are the workouts I give up on too easy. Those days where I only run 5 miles instead of 6. The days I dropped down to child’s pose too easily. The days I went too easy on myself. Do you workouts David-style: no regrets.

When you’re in that minute, remind yourself: you are going to regret giving up. When you’re exhausted and want to quit, picture yourself a couple hours later, when you wish you could go back and push harder. You’re going to regret not going the extra mile. You’re going to regret not pushing yourself as hard as you can. That last bit of your workouts is only a few minutes of your entire life — they are easy minutes to do without regrets. You are in the driver’s seat. You are in charge of your body and your mind and, most importantly, your regrets.

Do life to the fullest. Don’t give up on anything — workouts, dieting, personal decisions — before asking yourself: ‘Will I regret this minute of my life?’

You can do anything for a minute. Make every minute count.

 xx
lisasig
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Posted in SCIENCE, WORKOUTS | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Fit Tip Tuesday #7: Sub the Carbs (3 Step Rec!)

Hey everyone! So excited to see everyone link up for FTT today! Grab a button, add your link, and join in! Don’t forget to jump around and read and comment on some other fit tips!

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My fit tip for the day: sub out the carbs!

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I am a total carbaholic. Carbs are an essential part of the diet and should account for around 60% of your calories. However, if you’re like me, those add up quickly and it’s important to sub out the less healthy carbs (like white pastas and bread) with healthier alternatives. For instance, I love a big bowl of hearty pasta with protein and tomato sauce for dinner, but the serving size of whole wheat pasta is usually not enough to fill me up after a big workout. So, I replace it with a heaping portion of zucchini pasta instead!

I fell in love with zucchini pasta after getting my spiralizer (pretty much the best small investment my kitchen has ever seen). I make tons of different pastas with zucchini, so it’s always new and different. Right now, my favorite is tomato sauce, a touch of creme fraise, and ground lean turkey! Adding chicken apple sausage is an awesome addition to that combo as well.

Here are the super simple steps to make zucchini pasta (3 steps to be exact!).

  1. Wash and spiralize the zucchini (1 zucchini for a small portion, 2 for a large meal).
  2. Add a teaspoon or two of olive oil to a large pan at medium heat. Add in the zucchini, toss with a little bit of salt and pepper, and cover.
  3.  Toss now and then until the zucchini is tender.

Add in your favorite sauce or toppings and viola! Pasta sans refined carbs!

I can’t wait to read your fit tips. I’m so sorry again about last week, I never got a chance to go around commenting and sharing. I want to blame personal problems but that’s no excuse! I’ll be sure to step it up this week and share some extra love.


 

Any other great carb substitutes you guys are in love with these days? 

 xx
lisasig
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Posted in RECIPES, SCIENCE | Tagged , , , , , | 14 Comments

Kitchen Hack: Make Cheap Wine Taste Expensive

Food & Wine, News & Notes, November 2009 So on a grad student/nanny/blogger paycheck, I don’t really get to peruse the aisles of my local gourmet market for the latest and greatest pinot noir on the shelves. Let’s be real, I pretty much dove into the Whole Foods fridge to get the special $9.99 champagne on V-day.  And the 2 Buck Chuck section of Trader Joe’s? Get. At. Me.

This kind of blows when I’m having people over who want to drink real wine, not my amateur interpretation of wine. So I hacked it.

Wines, especially cheap wines, need some room to breathe, or “aerate.” Rather than letting it sit in a glass for an hour or leaving the bottle open all night, here are two options to aerate that cheap wine in a snap — making it instantly amazingly delicious. These tricks have worked for me with even the nastiest of wines, even Yellowtail!! (Sorry Yellowtail).

1. The Blender. This sounds totally crazy, but trust me, it works. Pour the bottle of wine into the blender. Blend for a few seconds to a minute and pour into a pitcher or, if you actually are a fancy pants, a decanter. It’ll taste like magic.

2. The pitcher. No blender? No problem. Pouring your wine into a big open pitcher will help it breathe. Leaving the pitcher uncovered for 10-15 minutes will leave the wine tasting faaaannntastic.

I know, I know, I’m pretty much a wizard.

What’s your fav wine? Did this hack work for you?!

 xx
lisasig
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Posted in SCIENCE | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

3 Step Rec: Pumpkin Pie Buttah

Pumpkin Pie Butter Is anyone else seriously missing pumpkin pie? Every time I go to Whole Foods I ask (1) Is there any pumpkin pie?! (To which they always respond: no) and (2) When is the pumpkin pie coming back?! (To which they respond: uhh lady, it’s February. 8 months.)

So when I was in serious need of comfort food (read: wine and pumpkin pie) but really didn’t want the calories/to expend the energy of making and scarfing down a homemade pumpkin pie this week, I took matters into my own hands.

So I experimented with pumpkin pie recipes and flavors and created: Pumpkin Pie Butter. Yep. Let me repeat: PUMPKIN PIE BUTTER. You can spread it on graham crackers, eat it by the spoonful, top ice cream with it, or for a healthier option, spread it on your favorite whole grain or sprouted wheat toast! Add bananas or strawberry jam to that toast?! The possibilities are endless. My weapon of choice this week was a spoon.

Pumpkin Pie Butter

Calories: 1,135 total, around 130 in a tablespoon
Serving: 1 tablespoon

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 cup macadamia nuts
1/4 cup canned pumpkin pie filling (I like Libby’s 100% pure)
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
dash of cinnamon

Directions:
1. Mix all ingredients in a Vitamix, blender, or food processor.
2. Blend until smooth and creamy (this may take a while, be sure to scrape down the sides periodically).
3. Enjoy & store the leftovers in the fridge!

Easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy pumpkin pie.

Can you guys think of a good way to enjoy this butter? Should I keep going with these butters/any ideas for my next one? Pizza butter? Cookie butter? Candy butter?

 xx
lisasig
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Posted in RECIPES | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments