Down for the Count

Happy Friday to you! My week had its ups and downs, so I'm grateful to have made it to the other side and ready for a fresh start with this weekend.

Unfortunately, my week ended on a down note: during the first round of my boot camp circuit, I pulled my groin muscle. I jumped from a plank position into a "frogger" (keeping hands on the ground, jump the legs out to a wide squat with feet on either side of the hands), and immediately felt a shooting pain.

It started off well...

Despite my disappointment in a seven-minute workout, I stopped immediately and tried "walking it off", hoping it was just a little strain and no big deal. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear so. After ice and some rest a few hours, I'm nervous about this injury and plan to continue resting, icing, compressing, and elevating to the best of my ability. (Not sure how to elevate...lie on an incline?)

I get really down about injuries. I know it's a sign that my body needs rest, but I love working out. Exercising has become my favorite and most effective source of stress relief, so the thought of even a few days or a week off makes me anxious. That hour per day improves my mood, boosts my energy, and makes me feel great overall. Perhaps I'll turn to wine massages for stress management? Meanwhile, it'll be all about extra-healthy foods to keep my energy up while I'm on the bench.

In other news, we have some fun events planned for the weekend. We get to visit both sides of the family, which is especially rare; we'll see my parents in Palm Springs tomorrow and then Terry's parents on Sunday for Mother's Day itself. Nice way to spend the weekend!

Photo by Rhee Bevere

And on that note, happy Mother's Day to my mom! I'm pretty thrilled to actually see her on the big day and enjoy some quality time. Love you, Mom! Thanks for being so supportive and for reading my blog every day!

Greek Quinoa Salad and the Secret to Morning Workouts

Well hello again! I took yesterday off from blogging because we had a meeting at UCLA, but hopefully today's recipe will make up for my absence. It's quite scrumptious, if I do say so myself.

But first, I have found The Secret. You've been waiting, and here it is. Since January, Terry and I have tried our best to reform our schedule so that morning workouts are the norm. Some weeks, I'm super motivated and wake up four or five days in a row, no problem. Other weeks, I'm lucky to squeeze in one workout before school. This week, it was the latter. I just couldn't find the motivation to actually listen to that 4:40 alarm. Until today. 

So what's the big secret? How did I do it? Step right up, folks, and I'll tell you all about it. The secret to waking up in the morning...

Happy hour.

I told Terry that if we woke up this morning to work out, we should go to happy hour together after work. And guess what? I most certainly pulled myself out of bed at 4:50 this morning!

The workout was a 40-minute Best Body Boot Camp cardio session, and it felt great to run the whole time.

Okay, let's get to that recipe, shall we?

Greek Quinoa Salad
Serves 2

• 1 cup uncooked white quinoa
• 1 medium cucumber
• 2 tomatoes
• 2-3 ounces feta cheese
• 1/4 red onion
• 1 lemon
• approx. 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• salt and pepper

Start by cooking the quinoa according to the directions on the package. (Then again, if you forget about the quinoa and leave it boiling on high for ten minutes, your meal won't be totally ruined. I'm only guessing, of course. I would never have a kitchen blunder like that.) You'll want to cool the quinoa completely--and, ideally, chill it awhile--before serving, so it's best if you plan ahead. 

Once the quinoa is cooled, chop all your veggies and crumble the feta. Then zest the lemon and toss the quinoa, cucumber, tomatoes, feta, onion, and zest together. Finally, squeeze half the lemon over the salad along with the olive oil, salt, and pepper, toss one more time, and serve chilled.

Enjoy!

Wake Up Your Warm Up

We've all heard that warming up before a workout and cooling down afterward makes for a happy body, but why? Today a coworker and I chatted about how impatient we feel during warm ups and how we struggle through them because they seem boring compared to the real deal.

But ever since I learned about the benefits of warm ups from my NASM certification, I have become a big advocate of warming up properly before getting to the bulk of a workout. But before I became a personal trainer, I didn't give much thought to how I warm up; I assumed anything that increased my heart rate was sufficient. Very quickly I fell into a routine of walking for five minutes and then jumping into my more intense exercises.

The truth is that warming up benefits your body in a variety of ways, and a walk or light jog aren't always the best options. I thought I'd provide a little insight into warming up, and I hope it helps you out!

Disclaimer: All information derives from the National Academy of Sports Medicine.

So what are the benefits of a warm-up?

• By bringing your heart rate up, you increase the cardiorespiratory system's ability to work, increase blood flow to active muscle tissue, and increase oxygen exchange capacity.
• By raising your tissue temperature, you increase the rate of muscle contraction, increase opposing muscles' contraction and relaxation efficiency, increase metabolic rate, and increase soft tissue flexibility.
• Finally, by warming up, you mentally prepare for the workout, which increases your readiness to attack your routine!

What type of warm-up should you do?

If you are in the beginning stages of a new workout routine--or if you are new to working out altogether--you'll be working toward improved stabilization. Your warm up should include:

• self-myofascial release (foam rolling)
• static stretching (holding a stretch for about 30 seconds per muscle)
• cardiorespiratory exercise (5-10 minutes) 

Self-Myofascial Release (Foam Rolling)

(source)

For more experienced exercisers focusing on building strength, warm up with: 

• self-myofascial release (foam rolling)
• active-isolated stretching (hold each stretch for 1-2 seconds and complete about 5-10 reps per muscle)
• cardiorespiratory exercise (5-10 minutes)

Finally, if you're very experienced and emphasizing power in your workouts, you should complete a functional warm up that includes:

• self-myofascial release (foam rolling)
• dynamic stretching (examples include lunge with rotation, single-leg squat touchdown, or prisoner squats--the movements would mimic your planned workout moves) (complete 10 reps per side)

Example of dynamic stretching (leg swing)

(Source)

What are the options for cardiorespiratory warm-ups?
Let's face it: Walking on a treadmill for 5-10 minutes isn't exactly thrilling. And maybe you belong to a gym that has a 30-minute limit on cardio equipment, so you can't exactly spend all that precious time getting your heart rate up. So consider mixing up your cardio warm-up!

• Dance - shake it to your favorite song, throw on a dance video, find a quick Zumba video on YouTube.
• Walking or jogging - Walk to the gym, or jog a few laps around the workout area. Even a lap or two around the parking lot ought to do the trick. 
• Stairs - Jog or walk up and down the stairs at your house, a park, or the gym.
• Mix it up - if you'll be performing your more intense cardio on the treadmill, you could warm up on a different machine, such as the elliptical or stairmaster.

The idea is to increase your heart rate but keep the intensity well below your eventual target for the more intense workout. Don't go crazy during the warm-up, but be sure that the movements are full-body, dynamic movements (activities such as jumping jacks, skipping, and cross-country skiers are awesome warm up options).

If you're looking to spice up your warm-up, I hope this overview helps! Enjoy that leisurely warm-up time before your kickass workout!

Any recommendations for good cardio warm-ups? What's your favorite way to foam roll? 

My Favorite Back Exercises

Today's Best Body Boot Camp workout included several back exercises, like upright rows and one-arm dumbbell rows. Upper back and shoulder exercises tend to make me nervous, because I injured my neck/upper back doing an overhead press in college. While I'm much stronger (in terms of core and overall musculature)  and safer in my weight lifting now, I tend to choose super light weights for overhead press, lateral raises, and rows.

But I've also really grown to love working my back. For a long time after my injury I avoided all back work, and when I finally saw a sports therapist he told me he was shocked at how much my muscles had atrophied. That's never a good sign. So I sloooooowly eased back into bodyweight exercises and yoga/Pilates moves, eventually working up to light dumbbells. Now I feel much better, and my posture is improving, too!

Here are a few of my favorite back exercises--enjoy!

Upper Back

• Upright Row (dumbbell, cable, or barbell)

(Source)

Mid-Back

• Wide-Grip Lat Pull Downs - Alternatively, try an assisted (or unassisted, if you're awesome) pull up

(Source)

• One-Arm Bent Over Row

(Source)

• Dumbbell Pullover - Requires far more muscles than it seems but focuses on those lats!

(Source)

Lower Back (part of your core)

• Superman Lifts - Ridiculously unassuming little buggers.

(Source)

• Back Extension on Ball (can also be done using a bench and/or with a weight)

(Source)

Add your favorite back exercises below!

Scenes from the Weekend

Another weekend flown by too quickly, another hectic week about to start. But it was a great weekend, and I can't complain too much about the fun plans we've got:

• More Best Body Boot Camp workouts
• Teacher Appreciation Week, including buy one, get one free night at Chipotle! (Bring your teacher ID and claim your free burrito, bowl, or salad!)
• Submitting grades on Tuesday and taking a minor break from all the red pen action
• Another Young Alumni meeting at UCLA
• Potential Iron Man viewing next weekend

But first, a recap of yesterday and today:

Celebrating Jenn's birthday at Bridlewood Winery in Santa Ynez was certainly a highlight.

Terry and Justin (Jenn's boyfriend)

Lakeside picnic

We tried to get Jenn to take a carriage ride. No dice.

The birthday girl and her studly man

Paula and Kat and Jenn

Our dinner spot in Santa Barbara

Seriously killer bolognese

We even made it home before 9 pm and enjoyed a relaxing evening. This morning we hit the gym for a 30-minute cardio/strength circuit and headed out for UCLA's Select-a-Seat event at the Rose Bowl. Season ticket holders are invited every spring to check out available ticket upgrades. Despite the chilly day, we had a good time checking out the Rose Bowl and even touring the suites. $30,000 for a 4-person box? No problem!

We got to check out the guys' locker room, which is huge.

Empty stadium

Football season is just around the corner...

Tonight we ended the weekend with a delicious meal, some DVR shows, and an early bedtime. Off we go!

Crock Pot Chicken Fail

This morning, in our usual scramble to get out the door at a reasonable hour, I remembered that we had planned for crock pot chicken for dinner. Terry and I made a team effort to rinse the chicken, rub it with a spice mixture (garlic powder, paprika, salt, pepper, cumin), throw some roughly chopped onion in the pot, and slice up a few lemons to stick in the chicken. 

But when Terry arrived home this evening and called to ask if I had already been home, I knew disaster was upon us. Sure enough, Terry has accidentally set the crock pot to "warm" instead of "low", resulting in a still-raw and completely inedible chicken. 

Honestly, I can't say Terry's blunder is the worst in the history of our kitchen. Here's one where I set the butter to soften on the top of the warm stove (while the oven was on), but I put it seam side down:

And of course there was the (embarrassingly recent) pepper-in-the-oatmeal-because-I-thought-I-had-grabbed-the-salt incident. It happens. So instead of feeling bummed about our sad little chicken, I asked Terry where we were going for dinner.

Barney's Gourmet Burgers won!

I LOVED my Greek Burger--cucumbers, lettuce, feta, tomato, and avocado in a whole wheat pita. SO delicious. And Terry ate a Western burger, smothered in BBQ sauce. We shared some sweet potato fries and each ordered a beer to round out the meal. Then we (thankfully) walked home, stuffed and happy.

Those types of kitchen catastrophes happen all the time around here, but the result is almost always a memorable and hilarious night (the other times...let's just not talk about those). I'm lucky we live somewhere with lots of walking-distance options for back ups!

And for some other recent happenings...

A photo from Wednesday night's scuba prom

An awesome bowl of chili courtesy of my husband (no fails this time!)

Some blondie baking tonight

I'll be bringing these and a fruit salad to Jenn's birthday celebration tomorrow! Can't wait to enjoy a gorgeous day with some delightful people!

And finally, I'm sending lots of prayers and good thoughts to the firefighters, emergency responders, and families and homes in danger of the fires just north of us. Let's hope this weekend brings some rain to ease that scary situation.

Any fun kitchen disasters to share?

Swimming in Papers

Last night, Terry and I attended "Scuba Prom," a fundraiser benefiting the USC Hyperbaric Chamber.
We ate, we drank, we laughed with Terry's scuba buddies--but we also arrived home at 11 pm, and I sprinted to bed to avoid becoming Zombie Teacher today.

Lately, the focus of my life has been grading. I only have about 150 students--many teachers have closer to 180--and I feel as though completing one pile barely makes a dent in the overwhelming stack of white papers and red pens that I face daily. So if you've noticed a marked decrease in the length and frequency of these posts, you're definitely not crazy. But here's a quick recap:

• Completed an awesome legs, back, and biceps workout from Best Body Boot Camp (similar to the one I created for Terry on Monday).
• Hopped on the treadmill today for some cardio--reminiscent of my 5-4-3-2-1 Treadmill Workout.
• Tonight we ate pancakes for dinner. There may or may not have been mimosas involved. I'm not ashamed. 
• Terry bought this shirt, and it made me love him even more, if that was possible.

Get one for yourself--or for your guy!

Meanwhile, this weekend promises greatness: Celebrating Jenn's birthday, event at the Rose Bowl, and more grading. Plus all that fitness and health stuff I enjoy, like a homemade meal or two and a few workouts. 

I wish I had more time to stay and chat, and I have some fun posts planned, but the business side of life is taking over around here. I hope you have a fantastic Friday, and I promise hope this weekend will be far more riveting at BLWB!

Happy Friday!!!