Category: Weight Loss

Weight loss strategies.

What I Do When I Just Don’t Wanna Work Out

A dear friend of AML, Gina, aka Spark Mama, asked me to write about what I do to keep going when I don’t really feel like working out. Well, as it turns out, Saturday was that day. Don’t get me wrong, I love working out, and I know that once I get it over with, I feel a thousand times better: getting my sweat on really improves my mood. It’s why I choose to start my day with exercise. But sometimes working out six days a week takes it’s toll both physically and emotionally. I didn’t wanna do it.

I hemmed and hawed about it awhile, knowing it was butt and thigh day, and also knowing that my shoulders were achy from the previous day’s kettlebell upper body workout, so holding 25 lb weights on my shoulders while squatting certainly wasn’t going to help that. I considered skipping my workout altogether. I went through my day in my head, knowing that I should just do it. I’d feel better physically if I moved, and I’d definitely be more chipper at work. Still, my heart wasn’t in it. Finally I decided what to do: compromise!

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If you don’t feel like doing a thousand burpees you could just let your dog pull you around your neighborhood for a few miles.

I’m a big proponent of just doing stuff anyway and just getting it over and done with, but on this day that just wasn’t going to work. I decided that instead of doing Fitness Blender’s At Home Butt & Thigh Workout, which is a pretty intense 25 minutes, that I would do two, shorter, much less intense workout videos, one that was a low impact abs, butt and thigh workout plus a relaxing yoga stretch workout for a total of 30 minutes. So I wound up working out longer, while burning fewer calories, but I was much more relaxed and at peace afterwards than I would have been without working out. Plus I didn’t over stress my shoulders, which probably would have happened if I hadn’t taken it easy.

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Recovery sessions mean better workouts later and avoiding burnout!

Because I took it easy for a few days (and by easy, I mean not skipping workouts but doing less intense workouts) I really owned my Tuesday morning kettlebell workout!

What do YOU do when you don’t feel like working out? Let me know in the comments!

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Dr. Oz The Good Life Magazine Article

To all of you that have been following me for some time, I want to tell you about a Super Exciting Thing that has happened to me: I’m in a magazine!

You can find me in the latest issue of Dr. Oz The Good Life Magazine, where they tell my weight loss story journey. I hope you check it out!

I’d like to add a BIG FAT

hyacinth-772389_1280to all of you who have found me from the magazine. I hope you stick around a while and like what you see!

Hope everyone has a fun and safe Labor Day Weekend!

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Recipe: Coronation Chickpea Salad

Honestly, I’ve never been a fan of chicken salad, with one notable exception: Coronation Chicken Salad. I first had it on a trip to England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales with my bestie in 2005. Pre-made sandwiches were ubiquitous at train stations and convenience stores, and Coronation Chicken Salad Sandwiches soon became my favorite.

The original version of this British favorite (made especially for Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1953) includes curry powder, red wine, tomato puree, apricot puree, mayonnaise and… WHIPPED CREAM. No joke! My version eschews chicken for chickpeas, Greek yogurt for mayo, and swaps out the apricot altogether for mango (which is, along with the curry powder and chickpeas, a reference to the UK’s colonization of India) leaving the salad lighter, healthier and full of fiber. Even better? My recipe involves NO COOKING (unless you count making toast to put it on.)20160830_183733

Coronation Chickpea Salad

  • Servings: 6
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

A vegetarian play on the classic Coronation Chicken Salad, this recipe is sweet, salty, spicy, creamy and delicious!

I love this on toasted Italian bread but it’s equally delicious on a bed of romaine. Choose a crunchy base, it really plays well off of the creaminess of the salad.

Ingredients

  • 2 cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
  • 1 cup grated carrots
  • 1 oz dried mango, minced
  • 1/4 cup whole almonds, chopped
  • 2 tbsp curry powder (I used hot)
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • black pepper to taste
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • cilantro (optional)

Directions

  1. In a large bowl, mash the chickpeas with a fork or a potato masher until it’s coarse and flaky (kind of like canned tuna texture). I used my food processor and pulsed it for about 20 seconds total.
  2. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.
  3. Garnish with cilantro if desired.

Happy eating!

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