Happy Friday! Just like I committed to yesterday, it's Friday and that calls for a post about our world of fitness.
Let me give you a little background, I worked as a personal trainer for 2 years, a group fitness instructor for 6 years, graduated college with a degree in nutrition and food science, and have run 4 marathons. "Fitness" is just kind of how we do things around here, but I understand we are rare, maybe a little strange :) Nonetheless, we are always trying to incorporate new training regimens and always trying to be healthier and feel even better. A growing family is always a challenge, one that we gladly accept, but we have learned to get creative and get as much exercise and training in the least amount of time! When the weather is compliant, I have a double jogging stroller and the girls and I can run for days, but when we are in the heart of winter we have to find an alternative. Now, I love running, really. It's not something I ever had to force myself to like, it's just my "thing", but when I'm not logging miles I try to add in more muscle strengthening workouts instead of straight cardio. I want to really push myself, and that's where my friend Shaun T comes in. I am NOT a Beachbody coach or anything along those lines so believe I am telling you this for no gain for myself, simply because I love Shaun. He's great, so creative and sometimes such a turd, but he gets results. Recently, Lance and I started Insanity Max:30 and it is, hands down, the BEST workout I've ever done. After 30 minutes, I am lifeless on the floor, and I am still in month 1. I can tell I am getting stronger and can push a little longer each workout. Every person has 30 minutes, I have a 1 year old, a 3 year old and a psycho dog and have 30 minutes each day. Now, I wouldn't advise if you've never exercised before to try this program because it's insanely tough, but find time and do something. Do I follow the plan perfectly? Of course not, if the suns out and it's above 40 degrees, we are going to go for a run :) And on those extra run days, I may have a treat....
Speaking of treats, we are almost through the month of January and I still have a doughnut coupon in my inbox. We are really trying to work on our food intake. We began around October/November cutting out one processed/crap item every two weeks (when I buy "big" groceries). Unfortunately, I think we have reached doughnuts now. Will we ever eat another doughnut? Of course, don't be silly. But, we don't need to take a trip every month, and we don't need to teach our children sugar addiction either- just a conviction over here. So, what is a treat? Actually, I found a recipe for a blueberry "pie" that I think we may try this weekend. My new favorite that I have tried and made is brownies- with black beans and avocados. Now, let me tell you how much I hate avocados- Emersyn would ONLY eat pureed avocados from about 6 months- 1 year. I saw good, bad, and rotten and disgusting avocados. I was up to my elbows in them everyday, and swore I would never eat them again. However, they have great health benefits and I am an expert at picking the best ones out, so pureed in "brownies" I can do, and do well :)
So, if you want your butt kicked, find a Beachbody coach and order Insanity Max:30 ASAP (if you don't have/know a coach, my girl Anjali can hook you up.) And let me encourage you to look deep at your daily intake- how much processed and genetically modified food are you eating, where can you make improvements? I'll talk more about this next week.
Black Bean Brownies
1 can black beans (or 1 1/2 cups if you want to soak and cook your own beans and freeze individual servings, just thaw completely before you add to the food processor.)
1/2 avocado
2 eggs
3 Tbsp cup brown sugar*
3 Tbsp Stevia*
2/3 cup dark cocoa powder
1 tsp coconut oil
2 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup chocolate chips + extra for sprinkling
Place all ingredients in a food processor and puree' until smooth. Add in 1/3 cup chocolate chips. Spread in 9x13 pan and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Bake at 350 17-20 minutes
*For sweeteners, you can use whatever you prefer. I like this combination because it keeps sugar content low but isn't all Stevia. You want about 1/3 cup total of sweetener
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