A rapid-fire update

Another month has slipped by since the last time I posted, and I have the standard excuses:
- Busy shopping for Christmas gifts.
- Busy doing homework with the kids.
- Busy shoveling poop out of the chicken coop.

As the last few weeks of 2013 come to an end, I can't help but want to kick this truly awful year to the curb. I'm usually not a pessimist, but this year it seemed that if something could go wrong, it did -- in both big things and small. While there is nothing magical about leaving one year for the next, I'm sincerely hoping that 2014 brings more good than bad our family's way.

With that, here's an (upbeat) update on what's been going on lately:

The Chickens
No news is good news with our four strong girls! These biddies survived an extreme cold snap a few weeks ago like champs. Three of the four lay eggs daily, and when I step out the back door they come a'runnin for me like they have something to tell me. We have a well-stocked egg carton with big, brown eggs.

See how bright red her comb is? In the mornings chickens get a
surge of hormone prior to laying their egg that makes their combs
and waddles very red. In late afternoon the color fades.

I still have no explanation for my love of these birds. My only complaint is that they are turning the beautiful deck that Zach built several years ago into a true "Poop Deck".

Gross, dude.

In the summer they hung out under the deck for shade, but now that it's cold they like to hang out under the patio table for warmth and protection. Pooping ensues. Yuck.

Workouts
From June to November Zach and I primarily used Focus T25 for our workouts.

We went through the Alpha, Beta, and Gamma phases of this program, and it's my opinion that T25 is one of the smartest, most efficient programs ever produced. Beachbody is on the cutting-edge when it comes to workout design, and the research has shown that the most benefits from a workout come within the first 30 minutes or so. This program takes that concept to heart and works you for 25 minutes straight. You do not waste one second! It's a program that will always be in our rotation thanks to the 25-minute time frame and the intensity of the workouts.

We're anxiously awaiting the delivery of P90X3, a program that is also going the 30-minute route.

P90X was our "first love" Beachbody program, so I'm excited to see what's up with X3. My guess is that it is going to be a more well-rounded program than T25, since Tony is all about diversity: strength training, cardio, yoga, there is even a Pilates workout in this program. It should arrive today; we will spend the next two weeks nerdily previewing the workouts and will start an accountability test group at the first of the year.

If you want to join the group, holler at me! X3 is NOT a graduate program -- it's for anyone who wants to commit to exercising 30 minutes a day. (Get your copy: www.SmellsLikeFitness.com)

Three recipes that have rocked my world recently

The Thanksgiving Champion Side Dish
Butternut Squash Apple Cranberry Bake
http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/butternut_squash_apple_cranberry_bake/




A Chile to Beat All Other Chiles
Pioneer Woman's Chipotle Chicken Chile
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2013/11/chipotle-chicken-chili/



A Homemade Granola Worth Gifting
Andy's Fairfield Granola from "Buttered Up"
http://butteredup.blogspot.ca/2013/03/homemade-granola.html


The kids
They are a delight.

I hope you and your family have a very Merry Christmas!

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Workout of the Day
We created our own mish-mash schedule to follow while we wait for X3. Today we did Insanity: The Asylum Speed & Agility. It hurt. I don't like that one very much!

Meatless Monday: Plateful O'Veggies

Back a few years ago when we started trying to have a few meals here or there that didn't feature meat as the star attraction, I'd do this thing called "Veggie Night." It was pretty much how it sounds: a plate full of three or four kinds of veggies. I was always surprised at how filling, yet low-calorie those nights were!

If you're not much of a cook and/or new to the meatless thing, try Veggie Night. Pick a few veggies you like, make a ton of 'em, and load up your plate. See how it fills you up and makes you feel the next day.

Here's a sample menu:

- Mashed butternut squash (cut it in half and bake face-down in a 375-degree oven till soft)
- Steamed snap peas (buy them frozen and microwave them)
- Roasted new potatoes (cut them in quarters, sprinkle with olive oil and cook at the same time as the squash. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and dill weed to serve.)

If you're feeling adventurous with greens, try this recipe (another favorite from the Ultimate Reset). We like it so much we brought it to Christmas Dinner last year!

Coconut Collard Greens

Ingredients
1½ tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
¼ yellow onion, diced
½ bunch collard greens, washed, stems removed, and cut into ½-inch strips
¼ cup coconut milk
⅛ tsp. Himalayan salt (optional)

Directions
Heat oil in large wok or pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté until golden brown and very soft. Add collard greens and stir well. Add coconut milk and stir. Sauté another 10 minutes, or until greens are very tender. Add salt. Serves 1.

BONUS! When you fix this recipe you will have some leftover coconut milk. Save it! Within a day or two, bake a butternut squash or an acorn squash, scoop out the flesh and mix it with your leftover coconut milk and some nutmeg. Those three ingredients will create a knockout soup! 

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Workout of the Day

It's heeeeerrrree!!

A-2 day. We've had Asylum 2 in the house for a couple months now, but running training prevented us from tackling it straight away. Zach's recovered and we're ready to DO THIS! Day one was X-Trainer, and it was really fun! The workout was 49 minutes of agility training, and it went by really fast. I can't wait to see what the next 30 days are going to look like. 

Last night we were previewing the workout, and Kate said, "Hey, he (Shaun T) has the same bumps on his stomach like Mom does!"

Thanks, Kate! That's called a 6-pack. I appreciate you noticing! I'm going to go write this date down now. 

The Shaun T Experience

Last Saturday about 500 people got up real early and drove to Arlington to work out with Insanity's Shaun T. It was a blast!

This was the largest Beachbody event of the year outside the annual coach convention.

Arlington Convention Center, Pre-workout

Beachbody sent members of their Success Story team to interview people who have completed Insanity: The Asylum. Zach gave a lengthy interview about his experience with the program, and I chatted briefly with someone else. So look for us in a future infomercial or online segment on TeamBeachbody.com!

Group workouts this large are a lot of fun. There is so much energy in the room and everyone is excited to be there and work out with the person that's been screaming at them from the television screen all this time. Saturday had a concert atmosphere, with people fighting to get to the front of the stage where Shaun T would be.

But Zach and I have done Asylum, so we knew the last place you want to be is within arm's reach of someone while they're doing Asylum moves. So we parked ourselves at the back where there was plenty of room. And also...I knew that people in the back always get a visit from the trainer. We were in the middle of our basketball jump shot move when Shaun T came by to give me a pat on the back and tell me good job.

This was a tough, tough workout. Asylum is all about sports conditioning, so we were acting like quarterbacks, diving to ground like goalies, and jumping up from plank position to a surfing stance. The scissor kick/Simon Says game just about killed everybody in the room (if he didn't say "jump" and somebody jumped, you started over. And over. And over. It was supposed to be 4 sets of 10 and 40 total jumps, but it was probably more like 60 or 65).

Then we did a pushup pyramid where you had to do 16 military pushups, 16 standard width, 16 wide, then 16 "spider" pushups (stay in plank, alternate bringing each leg up outside your shoulder). Then repeat in reverse, with another round of spiders thrown in at the end, just for fun. I did most of those on my knees.

One older (but fit) lady in front of us was spending quite a lot of time on the ground in child's pose (kind of like the fetal position, for those of you who don't do yoga). Zach walked up and asked if she was alright and she replied, "Hell no I'm not alright!" Then she laughed and got back to it.

Shaun T saved the core moves for the end. I was physically incapable of doing it! Not because I was tired (even though I was), but because core is still a weakness of mine and I cannot hold my legs out in front of me for 30 seconds at a time, like so:

Get after it, people!

After the workout, there was a 45-minute Q&A with Shaun T.

He answered questions about workouts and nutrition, and about how to keep your workouts interesting so that you can keep at it day after day. 

One lady asked how to tackle changing her diet, and he gave some sage advice: Take a piece of paper and make two columns. On one side, write down your favorite foods that you couldn't live without. On the other side, write down the "OMG, I would have to eat that" foods. When you plan your five meals per day, make sure it's mostly from the "OMG" list, but one or two things can be from your favorite list. But you need to cut the portions of your favorite foods in half. 

He said that when he walks down the street in NYC and has to have an ice cream cone, he gets one. But as soon as they hand it to him, he takes a napkin, grabs about half of the giant scoop they gave him, and throws it in the trash. His point? It's not the 1 slice of pizza that's going to do you in, diet-wise. It's the 3 or 4 slices, multiple times a week. Don't deny yourself anything, but eat in moderation.

My other favorite part of his discussion was when he described his complete disbelief at being mistaken for Tony Horton. "He's a 50-year-old WHITE GUY!" he said incredulously. "I give the guy mad props, and I hope that I can do what he does 17 years from now, but c'mon."

And he's right -- even though they're both trainers, and both super-fit, they could not be more different. And that's a good thing! I like both of them, but they appeal to a very different set of people. I'm glad Beachbody has so many different trainers to choose from, because (as Tony says) "variety is the spice of fitness."

We wrapped up the day with a meeting about what Beachbody has planned for the last few months of the year. I'll write more about it later, but it involves Challenges...and discounts on the workout programs. Cool!

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Workout of the Day

P90X One on One, Vol. 3: V-Sculpt