Failurephobia

My oldest and dearest friend is currently working her way through nursing school, and has written an essay as part of a scholarship contest. She was telling me about it the other day, and I thought it was an interesting topic that has implications for all of us as a nation.

The topic is "The Loss of Freedom to Fail," and it made me think about how, in many ways, we're collectively failing at fitness and nutrition. I wonder if the American people have the fortitude to pull ourselves out of a mess of our own making? Or have we been conditioned to think, "Oh, I'm trying. That's good enough, right?"

For some background, here is the video from which her essay response was written:

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And the Blue Ribbon Goes to…Everyone!

“And in first place on the beam, with a 9.25, is Kristi Clarke!”  The sport of gymnastics completely shaped my identity and my life.  All through my childhood, each weekday evening from five until nine I was in the gym practicing to become a better gymnast, to earn a spot on the National Team, to possibly earn a college scholarship.  When I look back on my career as a gymnast, the lessons I learned are as clear as day – particularly the ones derived from failure. 

In gymnastics, a slight bobble or a missed grip on the bar often means the difference between standing at the top of the podium and standing on the floor. I quickly learned the value of hard work, mental toughness, and a short memory. If I was to succeed, I couldn’t dwell on my past failures. At the close of my gymnastics career, I was pleased to discover that my sport had adequately prepared me for the real world.

I was very young when I learned the consequences of failure, but it seems today’s children are not given that luxury. Nowadays everyone gets the blue ribbon at Field Day. Everyone gets a trophy for participation. We are sending a mixed message that is bound to confuse and lead astray – after all, isn’t failure an essential part of learning what we are good at? Continual failure sends a clear message to “try something else!”

Thomas Watson, the founder IBM, said, “The formula for success is simple: double your rate of failure.” On the wall at Facebook’s corporate office the slogan “Fail Harder” is painted in huge letters on the wall. Successful people realize the value of learning from failure. Children who are insulated from failure will be paralyzed by the desire for perfection, never learning how to get up after they are knocked down.   

I can’t tell you how many times I fell off the beam or crashed to the floor, and I never did get that spot on the National Team. But the lessons I learned from those failures are what make me a successful person today.

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(Since it's already "blast from the past" week here on Smells Like Fitness, here's a picture of Kristi and I in all our 17-year-old glory.)

Look at our matching white polo shirts! So cute.

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Workout of the Day

P90X One on One, Volume 3: Yoga 

First prom, 17 years later

Do you remember your first prom? The fancy dress, the tuxedo, the Holiday Inn ballroom with cheesy decorations and U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" blaring loudly through the speakers?

One of the perks of being married to a high school principal is that I get to go to the prom every year. I know in some (mostly male) circles, this would be considered some sort of nightmare, but I think it's great fun.

This year is Zach's school's first prom, as they have a brand new high school and this is the first time with a senior class. Of course, there is a lot of excitement, preparation, and squealing going on. I'm sure the kids are getting ready, too.

I've been to prom three or four times with my husband, but this will be the first time since we've gotten super fit with P90X. Most girls would rush out to the store and buy themselves something cute to chaperon the prom, but as you know, I'm a recycler. I'm also cheap and impossibly practical. There's no sense spending money on a dress I can only wear once a year -- that money is better spent on some black yoga pants that I can wear 4.5 times a week in my multi-faceted day job as fitness blogger and chief hiney cleanliness inspector.

So a few days ago I went searching in the dark corners of my closet where all the bridesmaid, wedding, and prom dresses gather dust. A few dresses back I found my first prom dress, a black, velvet, form-fitting dress with a sweetheart neckline, cap sleeves, and slit up the back. I kept it because it's special -- my Mom made it, and I remember very clearly how hard she worked to make sure it was just right. She even made a velvet choker necklace with a pearl sewed on it, and the cutest velvet clutch purse, also with a pearl button. That dress was so pretty.

Here I am on prom night, 1994. I was 16 years old.

"Hmm," I thought when I saw it in the closet. "I wonder if that still fits?" 

I may be 33 years old, but you're never too old to play dress up, right?

I won't lie -- it feels pretty sweet to be able to fit into a dress that you wore when you were 16. And while I've decided to wear one of my old bridesmaid dresses for the prom in a couple weeks (mostly because I won't have to buy shoes with that dress), my first prom dress stands ready for any other black-tie affairs that may pop up on my social calendar. 

Like my son's Pre-K graduation, perhaps? It's never too early to start embarrassing your children.

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Workout of the Day

P90X Plus: Upper Plus

RevAbs is Here!

• 10 Workouts on 8 DVDs
• Two-phase, 90-day workout plan
• Nutrition guide
• Results tracker, including fat caliper and tape measure
• Calendar
• Anytime, anywhere abs workout guide
• Success journal

The calendar we'll follow for the next 90 days.

The thing I like about Beachbody exercise programs is that they are so thorough. You are introduced to the program and the trainer through a guidebook, which also includes space for a journal and a beginning fit test. The guide and calendar tell you exactly what to do, and when. If you follow the guide, the nutrition plan, and the exercise schedule, you will be successful. 

A lot of people like the gym, but my main problem with the gym is that -- unless you work with a personal trainer -- there is a good chance of having an aimless workout. Either you continually gravitate toward one machine and work on it for the time you're there, or you wander around the weight machines waiting and chatting with fellow gym members. Great for the social life, not so great for a workout.

With Beachbody programs, you pay once for access to a great personal trainer who will train you in your living room with minimal equipment and maximum use of your time (generally less than an hour). 

Zach and I have previewed some of the RevAbs workouts, and they look great. I'm really excited to start this weekend. I'll have a better review of the DVDs once we've actually done some of the workouts, but so far I like Brett Hoebel and it looks like a challenging program.

My goal for RevAbs is to strengthen my core/lower back so that I don't keep having lower back episodes that keep me hobbling around like an old lady.

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Workout of the Day

Insanity/Interval Plus Hybrid Workout

5 sets of 4 exercises -- do each set three times and three speeds: easy, medium, and "gang member chasing me down a dark alley." About 38 minutes, 310 calories burned, average heart rate 152

The Winner! And a great quinoa recipe.

And we have a winner!

Last night the kids and I got dressed in our best rainy Sunday afternoon clothes and shot a special video to pick the winner of the Smells Like Fitness 100th post giveaway. (I may or may not have brushed my hair prior to the shoot.)

Winner! from Susan Hobbs on Vimeo.

That was fun! Thanks to everyone who entered. We'll have to do that again sometime!

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Instead of a full nutrition tip this morning, I'm going to give you a recipe for Quinoa pilaf with cranberries and almonds that is Out. Of. This. World. I have fixed it twice, and can't get enough of it. It came from the Whole Foods recipes website, which is fantastic. I have found recipes on that site that have become staples around here. 

Here's the recipe:

Quinoa Pilaf with Cranberries and Almonds

Serves 6

Quinoa is naturally wheat and gluten free and is a good source of complete protein for vegans and vegetarians. Try it in this quick and flavorful pilaf.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 
1 small red onion, chopped 
1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed and drained 
2 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth (I use one cup of chicken broth and one cup of water)
1/2 teaspoon salt 
2/3 cup dried cranberries 
2/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Method

Heat oil in a medium pot over medium high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring often, until just softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add quinoa and toast, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Stir in broth and salt and bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium low, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in cranberries, cover again and continue to cook until liquid is completely absorbed and quinoa is tender, 8 to 10 minutes more. Toss with almonds and serve.

Nutrition

Per serving (about 5oz/140g-wt.): 220 calories (80 from fat), 9g total fat, 1g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 240mg sodium, 32g total carbohydrate (4g dietary fiber, 9g sugar), 6g protein

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Workout of the Day

P90X Plus - Total Body Plus

Garden Update

Phase I of the 2011 garden has been in the ground for a few weeks and is coming along...slowly. The onions, while alive, do not appear to be growing quickly. And I had given the potatoes up for dead a few days ago until I went digging and found one with a sprout. Oops! I let the rest go and lo and behold, today I saw one peeking through the soil.

We haven't had much rain this month, and I'm not ready to empty my pockets to water the garden yet (I save that particular bill-opening heart attack for the blistering month of July).

I have another issue with the garden, though:

Errant baby squash!

I mentioned last month that I'm a big fan of composting. I'm also a fan of:

- Plans

- Order

- Symmetry

Errant baby squash do not fit in my gardening plans. Turns out I may have jumped the gun on my compost, and some (O.K., probably a lot) of stuff wasn't adequately decomposed (you know, like Beethoven! Ba dum, bum). So I've got unidentified, random squash plants popping up everywhere!

They are cute, though.

I don't know if it's acorn squash, butternut squash, zucchini, yellow crookneck squash...I sound like the Bubba Gump of squash consumption.

The problem is that I wanted to do some more work on the (apparently quite fine) soil that the plants are growing in. I guess I'll try to pick the hardiest looking ones and transplant them into nice, neat, OCD-pleasing rows when I'm ready.

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Yesterday at the grocery store I decided to skip the herb section in the produce department and instead picked some up in the garden center. Do you get as annoyed as I do at paying $2.88 for a tiny box of rosemary that I never end up using before it goes bad?

Here's the solution to that problem: buy a $2.50 rosemary bush and stick that sucker in your front garden bed. You'll have all the rosemary you'll ever want, whenever you want it. And it won't go bad in your fridge!

If you don't have a garden, buy a pot or two and some dirt, and skip the herb section all summer long. Really, I can't encourage you enough to buy a few herbs this year to use in your summer cooking. There is something really satisfying about needing something for a recipe, wandering outside with your scissors and cutting some, and then returning to your kitchen to continue cooking.

Last year Zach made me a planter for chives, basil, and cilantro. My basil plant went nuts, but I ended up pulling it up in the fall because I bought the wrong kind of basil...I like the one with the big, wrinkly leaves, but this plant had small ones. So I fixed that this year! The chives and cilantro came back all by themselves.

Chives on the left, basil in the middle, cilantro on the right.

Rosemary

I also picked up a few bell pepper plants and a red pepper plant. It drives me nuts to spend $1.50 per bell pepper (more for a red one!). Four bell pepper plants cost me $2.50, so all I've got to do is get them to grow two peppers and I've got my money back. I put three of the pepper plants in pots so I can baby them. The other two got stuck in the garden to fend for themselves (sorry, pepper plants! Good luck with the rabbits!).

The kids and I had a blast planting yesterday, and Drew is a very attentive gardener. He likes to water them and reminds me to do it every day.

I already used some of the rosemary last night for roasted root vegetables. And I didn't have any left over to rot in my fridge!

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Workout of the Day

P90X One on One Volume 3: Yoga MC2

I think I've said this before, but if you like yoga, this is a great workout. It's a bit more than an hour, but it goes fast.

My 100th Post!

Wow! Today marks the 100th post on Smells Like Fitness. In the past seven months, I can honestly say that I have not struggled to find something pertinent to write about. If anything, reflecting on and writing about fitness has only fueled my interest in the subject. It also helps that this blog combines all the things I like to do: write, cook, and exercise.

In honor of the big day, I want to do something special to say thanks to my little bunch of loyal readers. It's a giveaway, and it has something to do with my favorite (and most important) meal of the day: breakfast! I like it so much, sometimes I have it for dinner, too.

Read on for more details!

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When it comes to breakfast, you can't go wrong with oatmeal. Great fiber, vitamins, protein, the whole bit. But if you want a great oatmeal -- I mean a really great oatmeal, the Cadillac of oatmeals -- you want some steel cut oats. 

"Steel-cut oats are whole grain groats (the inner portion of the oat kernel) which have been cut into only two or three pieces by steel rather than being rolled. They are golden in color and resemble small rice pieces. 

Steel-cut oats are also known as coarse-cut oats, pinhead oats, or Irish oats. This form of oats takes longer to prepare than instant or rolled oats due to its minimal processing, typically 15–30 minutes to simmer (much less if pre-soaked). The flavor of the cooked oats is described as being nuttier than other types of oats, and they are also chewier."  -- Wikipedia

(What? What's wrong with Wikipedia? If it's from Wikipedia, you know it's true!)

Here's how steel cut oats look up close:

And here's how they look in a big bowl mixed with blueberries, strawberries, raisins, and almonds...delicious!

I can confirm at least one thing in the Wikipedia article: steel cut oats take about 30 minutes to cook. Not exactly conducive to a quick breakfast before you run out the door. So here's what I do: one evening a week I cook a big batch and put it in the refrigerator. The next morning I add milk, microwave, add toppings, and I'm good to go. 

Steel cut oats are so filling that  I don't find myself getting hungry until about 10:30 or 11 on the days I eat these. And they're really tasty!

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Back to the giveaway! In honor of Smells Like Fitness' 100th post, I'm giving away a breakfast of champions package that will include:

 - One bag of Bob's Red Mill Organic Steel Cut Oats
- A half dozen of my (almost) world-famous Flax Everything Muffins
- An individual packet of Shakeology in the flavor of your choice -- chocolate or greenberry
- One Shakeology shaker cup

It's a prize package worth...like, $16 or something! (You'll have to cut me a break...my Beachbody business is still pretty new.)

Please note that the breakfast of champions package should not be eaten in one fell swoop. Break it up...steel cut oats one morning, Shakeology another morning, maybe a muffin for a snack. Be creative, but conservative. No need to eat it all at once!

Here's what you need to do to enter for the prize:

If you are a Facebook user, visit the Smells Like Fitness Facebook Page (be sure to click the "Like" button at the top), and leave me a comment that answers this question:

"What did you have for breakfast today?"

If you're not a Facebook user, you can comment here on the blog. 

You have until Friday at noon Central time to leave your comment. Then I'll transfer all the names to a spreadsheet and have one of my lovely children point to a name on the spreadsheet (they can't read, so it's fair). That lucky person will be the winner!

Everyone is eligible for this prize. Even my Mom and sister, since I'm sure they make up a good percentage of my readership.

The winner will be announced here next Monday morning.

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Workout of the Day

P90X One on One: On One Leg

Monday Nutrition Tip of the Week: Daily Protein Intake

Many people struggle with protein intake. "How much should I get?" "How should I get it?"

Exactly how much protein you should be consuming is a contested topic. My thought is that someone who is exercising and wants to build lean muscle should strive to consume half their body weight in grams of protein each day.

So how does a hypothetical 150-pound person go about getting 75 grams of protein into their diet? Yes, they could go out and get a cheeseburger for lunch to get 33 grams of protein, but then they also get 31 grams of fat. The key here is to find high-quality protein with low fat.

Here is a sample day's menu to calculate a perfect protein day. (These aren't complete meals -- just the protein portion.)

Breakfast
3 egg whites (boiled or scrambled) = 18 grams protein
1 slice whole wheat toast = 4 grams
1 tablespoon peanut butter = 3.5 grams

Breakfast total: 25.5
If you're going to meet your protein goal, it's essential to start early. If you're having just a bowl of cereal, you're not going to get there. You'll be stuck in carb city.


A.M. Snack
Shakeology = 15 grams

Breakfast and Snack total: 40.5
You're almost halfway there, and it's not even noon yet!


Lunch
1/2 cup cottage cheese = 14 grams
1/2 avocado = 2 grams
1 slice wheat bread = 4 grams

Breakfast, Snack, Lunch total: 60.5


P.M. Snack
Zone protein bar = 14 grams

Breakfast, Snack, Lunch, Snack total: 74.5
You're there, and you haven't even had dinner yet, typically the most protein-heavy meal!


Dinner
6-ounce tilapia filet = 32 grams
1/2 cup black beans = 7 grams

Daily total: 113.5
Whoa, we went way over our limit. But since our bodies don't store protein, you're O.K. Only people who have kidney problems should worry about consuming too much protein.


The key thing to notice is that you're consuming protein in some form at every meal. It's much easier to reach your goal that way, and in my experience, my body operates better when I get protein early and often.

Of course, you can't eat the exact same thing every day. Here are some other high-protein items I like to eat:

Breakfast
1/4 cup steel cut oats (uncooked) = 7 grams
1/2 cup Kashi Go Lean Crunch cereal = 6.5 grams
1/2 cup plain yogurt = 6 grams (mix the Kashi and yogurt together for a high-protein parfait.)
1 cup milk = 8 grams
1/2 cup oatmeal = 5 grams (add a scoop of protein powder to oatmeal to give it a boost.)

Snacks
24 almonds = 6 grams
Clif bar = 11 grams
Protein shake = 11-30 grams, depending on protein powder

Lunch
5 ounces tuna = 20 grams
6 ounces chicken = 25 grams

Dinner 
6 ounces salmon = 32 grams
6 ounces sirloin steak = 50 grams
3 ounces tofu = 7 grams
1 cup cooked quinoa = 8 grams

So the tip for the day is to strive to get half of your body weight in grams of protein by including it in each of your meals. Try it this week and let me know how you feel!

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RevAbs Challenge Update

Six people have committed to the RevAbs Challenge! I ordered our copy of the program last night, and I can't wait to get it. (Did you know you get an extra cardio workout and a professional fat caliper with your order? Sweet.)

If you're on the fence, if you're making excuses, if you don't know if you can do it, watch this:

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Workout of the Day

P90X Core Synergistics