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Archive of ‘Exercise’ category

Maple Glazed Pumpkin French Toast, SoulCycle Review, NYC Blogger Dinner & Puppy Shred

Big news! So a few months ago B.Healthier made a delicious pumpkin french toast. Lee at For the Love of Peanut Butter read that post and made her own version of Maple Glazed Pumpkin French Toast. Ever since seeing these amazing pictures and thinking about how delicious this sounds, I have wanted to make it for the boy and me. Every weekend something came up that got in our way — until this weekend!

I followed Lee’s recipe as best I could. I had some mishaps along the way, particularly when the Vanilla Extract shot out of the bottle at lightning speeds. The first 2 pieces were extra vanilla-y — and still tasted great! Here is a picture of that very first batch:

The first 2 pieces

I also had to adjust Lee’s recipe since I was making 6 pieces instead of 2. I admit that towards the end I got a bit lax and just started tossing a splash of this and a splash of that without measuring — and even forgot the Vanilla and nutmeg altogether for the last 2! I used Pepperidge Farm Light Whole Wheat Bread (45 calories per slice), egg whites, cinnamon, nutmeg, unsweetened Almond Breeze almond milk, vanilla extract and pumpkin butter.

While grocery shopping at Jubilee for the ingredients, I was annoyed to find out that they do not have any pumpkin puree (as Lee’s recipe calls for) or even Libby’s canned pumpkin. All they had was pumpkin pie mix. Not a big deal, since pumpkin butter is delicious and would certainly do the trick!

I melted some PB&Co Mighty Maple and drizzled it on top. Here is the end result:

Maple Glazed Pumpkin French ToastMaple Glazed Pumpkin French Toast - the final product

It looks great, but the real test is the taste test. I only drizzled a small amount of peanut butter in case the boy didn’t like it, but I kept a bowl of melted peanut butter at the table so we could add more.

We both tasted the french toast (after adding some real maple syrup!) and…. WOW. Incredible! And the boy LOVED the maples glazed peanut butter with it and added lots more! He did like the French Toast Casserole that I made once before a little more, but was VERY pleased with this — and I liked the Pumpkin French Toast much more than the other one!

A big thanks to B.Healthier and Lee for this amazing, delicious, healthy, easy-to-follow recipe!

30 Day Shred
I picked up some 3 lb weights last week and now use them for most of the Shred! Once I am comfortable with this weight for the entire 20 minutes, I will move on to level 2. It won’t be for at least another week though. I have done 9 days so far!

My mom decided to try the Shred this weekend. She called me after and said, “That was so hard! It was the longest 20 minutes of my life.”  Funny since I consider it the quickest 20 minutes of mine! The next day she woke up VERY sore! Which means it is working, so I hope she tries to do it a little more. She won’t do it every day, but I think every now and then would be a great boost!

And the boy has been watching me do the Shred and sees what a great workout I get from it, so he decided he wants to do it too! He also has a hard time waking up so he hopes this will help him get going. So starting tomorrow we will do the Shred together – I am very excited!

And another unlikely candidate decided to try the Shred – SANTANA the puppy! She blogged all about her experience Shredding, read about it for a great laugh! My favorite lines:

“However, also being a puppy, I CAN’T DO THE BUTT KICKS! Who invented these non-puppy-friendly butt kicks??”

…and…

“2) Instead of butt kicks: BUTT LICKING! Increases flexibility and it’s delicious!”

There is much more hilarity in there too – please click here and read all about Santana’s proposed 30 Day Shred Challenge for Puppies (also works for cats and the elderly).

My brother saw this in a store for those of you with a Wii:

Jillian Michaels - Wii

SoulCycle Review
On Saturday, the boy and I finally went to SoulCycle. We have been trying to go for so long but so many things kept getting in our way. This weekend we finally had our chance.

We arrived early and entered a dark, long, narrow entry way full of lockers. I asked someone if this was the entrance since it looked a little creepy and he said it was. We walked through and got to a front desk. Phew! We signed in and were offered spin shoes for rent, which we didn’t need since we have our own. I noticed a sign that said first time guests get a reduced rate of $20 (rather than $32). We paid $32 each online already, as there was no mention of this deal on the site. I asked the girl at the desk and she was very nice and credited us each $12.

We went to the narrow hallway of lockers and did our best to get ready with people trying to get past us and getting ready themselves. There are 2 individual changing rooms, but when the class before ours let out, they were taken. There were just 2 small benches to wait for our class and to get out shoes on. We opted to put on our shoes in the hallway of lockers.

Finally, it was time to go into the class room. We walk in and can barely get to our bikes on the other side of the room — there was simply no walking space. Every bike was practically on top of the next. We squeezed and shimmied our way through and saw that our bikes were against a fan, a speaker and a corner. We were able to switch bikes since the class wasn’t full and we moved up a row.

The bikes themselves were different than the Spinner bikes I’ve used in every gym I have gone to. Setting them up was different and I wasn’t familiar with the numbering system. I set it up the best I could, albeit with a bit of apprehension. Then I noticed there was no computer. For a studio that costs $32 a class, a studio where a set of 5 classes is the same price as a full month of my own gym membership, a studio where they specialize in a workout where monitoring heart rate is pretty important, I would have expected computers on every bike. No biggie, I could always look at my watch to track my heart rate. And I guess RPMs don’t matter here. I also noticed that there were water bottle holders in places sticking out of the lower part of the bike, rather than on top.

I hop on the bike and attempt to snap my shoes in. Right, snap! Left, no snap. Tried again with the left foot. Wouldn’t go in. Kept trying. Class began. I was still trying to get my left shoe in. Keep in mind that I spin almost every day and I never have this problem. I am getting upset and the boy, whose shoes snapped right in, suggests I try another bike. I was scared that another bike would have the same problem, and I was determined to make this one work. I keep trying. Keep struggling. The teacher, I need to note, didn’t care.

At my gym, most of the spin instructors will come and help you if you’re having a problem with your bike. I remember this being the case at my old gym as well. But not at SoulCycle. The teacher just kept on going, ignoring the fact that a paying customer was not able to participate in the class. Finally, after getting so agitated and upset and fighting with the pedal, I decided to move to another bike. I couldn’t move the knob to adjust the next bike I chose, so I used the one in the very corner, the bike that was touching the fan and directly under the speaker.

I adjusted it, got on and finally started pedaling, 15 minutes after the 45 minute class began. And I burned over 100 calories by just fighting with the bike and being stressed! Remember how I said there were water bottle holders and other things sticking out of the bike? Well, those ended up being the real death of me there.

Bang. OUCH. I hit the part of my thigh right above my knee on a piece of bike. Kept  going. OWWWWWWWW. Banged my knee HARD against a piece of bike. I stopped pedaling and re-adjusted my seat so I was further back. Keep in mind that (1) I spin all the time and know how to adjust a typical bike, these were not typical and (2) even when I am too far up on a typical bike, there are no pieces of water bottle holder and other random crap to bang into me! The worst that happens on a Spinner bike is that my tush hits the seat a little while standing. No big deal. But I never, ever got deep, dark, painful, raised BRUISES like I now have from the bike at SoulCycle.

Here are pictures of my thigh bruise and my knee bruise.

Thigh bruiseKnee bruise

 

Once I moved my seat back it got better. And by better I mean less painful. Except that other problems arose. I look up at the mirror and it is ALL FOGGED. Can’t see a thing. Now, as I have said, I have taken many a spin class… and this has never happened. A studio that specializes in just this one thing should have some proper ventilation, don’t you think? As a result, I couldn’t breathe. I feared for the boy, who has asthma. I looked down at my Polar F7 Heart Rate Monitor and saw that I was at 195 even though I wasn’t pushing myself that hard — that is just how hot and suffocating the room was.

What I did like about the class was that it wasn’t focused on hills as much as the classes at my gym are. It was more about getting up, sitting down, leaning forward and backwards, and using 1 lb hand weights. I really enjoyed this change of pace and the time did fly once I got started. I would like it if some classes at my gym were structured more like this one. It was nice not to be told what percent of my max hear rate I should be at, how many RPMs I should be at and how many minutes the next hill will be. That being said, it took my experience at SoulCycle to realize just how good I have it at The Sports Club/LA! There is room to breathe, room to walk in between bikes, a mirror you can actually see in, and air that is quite breathable!

My heart rate remained in the 190s throughout the entire class. Too high for such an extended period in my opinion, but I am not an expert so who knows. I did burn a lot of calories — and if I didn’t miss out on the first 15 minutes, I would have probably burned close to 550 calories for the class, which is unheard of for me. But it wasn’t worth it. Not for the price.

SoulCycle is expensive, but you certainly don’t get what you pay for. I would think a company who does just spin and nothing else, and charges a high price, would offer a top-of-the-line experience. SoulCycle did not.

NYC Blogger Dinner
We had a really great night at the dinner! I met some fantastic girls and ate wonderful food at Planet Thailand. I drank the Iced Green tea Lychee Lemonade (it was alcoholic — and VERY strong!) and split Chicken & Shrimp in Chili Sauce and a Tiger Roll with one of the other girls. I tried keeping Bethenny’s advice in my mind and not go overboard and I think I did a great job! I strive for this every day now – and hopefully I will start to see a difference. I will blog more on this another time.

Iced green tea lychee lemonadeChicken & Shrimp in Chili SauceTiger Roll

Some of the bloggers brought goodies!

A big thanks to Tanya from IAteAPie.net for the wonderful Lean Cuisine Lunch Bags! I used mine today to carry all my Chobanis to work! And another major thanks to Melissa from FitnessNYC — she not only organized the event, she also gave every one of us a goodie bag that included free passes to Physique 57 – which I am dying to try, and a free pass to Kinespirit! I love trying out new work outs! She also included yummy treats and gripping ponytail holders for exercising, menus for great restaurants and more!

I had a great time and it was so nice to talk to other girls who write health and fitness blogs. I learned about some new blogs that I’m getting started on reading!

Spin-A-Thon
It is on Friday, March 27. Each session is an hour. I am going with Melanie and Missy at 6:30 AM. It benefits Muscular Dystrophy. I am very excited!

Snuggie
The boy got me one this weekend, along with a mat for the Shred.

It’s Not Cheese. And a Possible Approach to Eating Forbidden Fruits (literally)

Many of you suggested in your comments in previous posts that my problem might be the cheese I am eating rather than the vegetables. I just wanted to say a few things about my condition, especially to those who just started reading who might not have read my previous posts.

I do have a diagnosis, but I’m not going to get into it on here. Feel free to contact me, I will be happy to discuss in a less public forum. And I am trying a new medication starting Friday. We will see…

My GI problems started in August 2007. I didn’t see a doctor until November 2007. I arrived at the doctor’s with a food journal in my hand; I recorded everything that went into my mouth for a week a half prior to my visit. There was almost no dairy on this list.

Everything I ate was very high in fiber and extremely healthy. I ate oatmeal with banana for my breakfasts, spinach salads filled with veggies  for lunch, fruits, nuts and natural bars such as ThinkOrganic and Lara for my snacks. My dinners typically included brown rice or whole wheat bread. I had been eating this way for a few years by this point and up until my GI problems started I was at a weight I felt happy and comfortable with. I didn’t have any GI problems — until I did.

I did eat some dairy. My salads sometimes contained goat cheese. My sandwiches and wraps usually had cheese. Sometimes I had cereal with milk. Sometimes I snacked on Alpine Lace cheese. But dairy was not a major part of my diet. It was obvious to both the doctor and myself that lactose was not contributing to what was happening to me. I feel like I am always responding to comments and updating my posts in response to say, “It’s not cheese!” It’s become almost a tagline to this blog, as Mallory noted: Dori’s Shiny Blog: It’s Not Cheese.

 Dancing Cheese   Dancing cheese   Dancing cheese

 

My next doctor informed me that my high fiber, healthy lifestyle was making my symptoms worse. He suggested I cut these foods out and basically go on Atkins. He was right. Once I stopped eating fiber, my condition improved a bit. I wasn’t at all cured, I still had awful days with horrible pains and extreme bloating — but overall, I felt better. The discomfort decreased immensely. I had more energy. I was able to eksusize in the evening which was not an option at ALL when I was eating the foods most likely to bloat, the foods that were high in fiber.

After my doctor made this suggestion, I started incorporating more dairy into my diet. Really, what other option did I have? I can’t eat JUST chicken and fish. I need something more — and something snackable! And I can honestly say that it doesn’t bother me. I have cheese and yogurt every single day without  the issues I would have if I ate oatmeal or lettuce. A bunch of you mentioned that the sweet potato didn’t bother me when I ate it alone and not with cheese — but I DID eat it with cheese. My dinner that I ate with it had cheese. The sweet potato probably didn’t bother me as much that night because it was a smaller portion.  Which brings me to my next point, which I will discuss in the following section.

First, I just want to say that I have been seeing doctors for my condition since November 2007. I have had many tests. I have taken many medications. Believe me, if it was lactose, we would know it by now! More importantly, my main symptom is NOT a symptom of lactose intolerance. Simple as that!

Luckily, greek yogurt (right now Chobani and I will soon try and review Oikos) allows me to have a breakfast or a snack that tastes delicious and doesn’t upset my tummy. I am grateful for this. Today I had Chobani for breakfast AND lunch (mixed with some ricotta for lunch!), and I feel MUCH better than yesterday when I had half a butternut squash for lunch (more on that below).  So I think that speaks for itself!

Which brings me to… A new approach to eating?
I love the Real Housewives of NYC. It’s been my guilty pleasure favorite show since it started.  I am a proud member of Team Jill and think Bethenny is one of the funniest people I’ve ever seen. I have seen Jill in person twice. The first time she was walking down my street and I happened to be walking behind her (she lives right near me so I wasn’t surprised). I had no idea I was walking behind Jill Zarin until I heard her voice. She was talking on the phone and there is no mistaking that voice. My ears perked and I looked up at the head connected to said voice, and it had red hair and bangs. I was too scared to say anything to her. The next time I saw Jill was outside the entrance to Madison Square Garden. There was something going on there that night but I am not sure what. After surreptitiously walking back and forth past where she was standing, I noticed that at some point LuAnn had joined her as well!

My favorite scene is from season 1 when Jill and Bethenny went to look at apartments and they went back and forth between the camera showing Jill being Jill, nosy and know-it-all while they were looking at an apartment, and showing Bethenny talking to the camera privately, imitating Jill being Jill, spot on! The producers did this marvelously.

Bethenny & Jill

I met Bethenny at the Food Emporium last year when she was giving out samples of her healthy baked goods, BethennyBakes. I told her I thought she was great. I absolutely love her but I chose not to mention that. She wrote a book about her attitude towards eating called Naturally Thin. It came out on Tuesday and I picked up my copy the next day.

Naturally Thin

Bethenny used to be like many of us are when it comes to eating: obsessive, self-loating, self-abusing, trying all the diets, etc. She overcame these thoughts and has been freed from these obsessive thoughts. She does not diet. Instead, she has 10 rules that are a guideline for eating anything you want — NO diets. I read the first few chapters and can’t wait to read more — in addition to the wonderful advice, I love how her personality and humor shines through and I love reading her catchphrases from the show within the text. For example, when explaining how after you have a couple of bites of an indulgent food that you enjoy (fried calamari was the example here), and eventually the novelty has worn off, you should take that opportunity to simple stop eating it. She explains this with a phrase she’s said on the show that makes me laugh: You laughed; you cried; it was better than Cats.  While reading that, I could really hear Bethenny saying it. 

Anyway, the point here isn’t to gush about Bethenny! It is to discuss an idea I had while reading her advice — an idea that I emailed to my nutritionist and am waiting for a response. Part of Bethenny’s plan is “taste everything, eat nothing” and “you can have it all, just not at once.” This is fantastic idea for foods with high levels of fat, calories, carbs, desserts, indulgences, etc. But what about, in my case, fruits and veggies? An example: What if I eat just half a sweet potato one day? Another day, maybe I’ll have four strawberries. Four strawberries won’t hurt me, right? And I will never eat the strawberries on the same day as the sweet potato.

I will see what the nutritionist says, but I am  hoping this is a way I can get at least a minimal amount of nutrients back into my diet. And this way I’d get to have very small portions of the foods I most hate giving up – fruits! Forbidden fruits. Sigh.

I still have to finish the book and then I can say more about it and provide some  type of real review. But for what I have learned so far, I think this could be a good thing! Thoughts?

30 Day Shred
This is going well! I wake up early every day to do this 20 minute workout. I sweat and it is a challenge, but not impossible for me to do. I still despise push ups, but I force myself to do all 27 or so of them. Some might be half-assed. That is just my nature when it comes to push ups.

This is not me. But I do those girly push ups.

girl push up 

But there has been one problem. During the butt kicks (you kick each foot backwards to hit your tush, repeatedly, as cardio) I kept hearing a loud cracking sound. The sound was coming from my left ankle. It didn’t hurt. But it happened every single time I did the left footed butt kick.

I was alarmed for a few reasons. The first is that I get very freaked out when I hear any bodily cracking sounds. I HATE it when the boy cracks his knuckles. It really freaks me out. Another reason is that I sprained that ankle when I was 10. It is my brother’s fault. We shared a room and he didn’t like it when he could see the time on the alarm clock facing the room, and always made me turn it to the wall at bedtime. One night he asked me to turn it and on my way to the clock I somehow sprained my ankle. Ever since then, my ankle hurts when it is going to rain or already raining. I became concerned that the butt kicks would cause damage. I became more alarmed when I heard the cracking during jumping jacks and jump ropes as well — although it didn’t happen at every move the way it did during butt kicks.

I didn’t want to keep doing butt kicks if I was causing damage to my ankle but at the same time I didn’t want to stop doing that eksusize — or any others in the Shred, like jumping jacks — if I didn’t truly have to.

Luckily, the boy is a doctor and described my ankle cracking to an orthopedist he knows. The orthopedist said that as long as it only happens during this exercise and it is not painful, I should be fine. So I will keep doing the butt kicks! If it begins to hurt, I will stop — but for now, I have the okay.

I am really happy that I accepted the Shred challenge. I feel like I am doing something so great for myself. When I went to spin on Monday my calves were sore — good sign. At spin on Tuesday, I had a very hard time because my quads were BURNING. I was able to have a great spin experience regardless, but I definitely couldn’t push my legs as hard as I usually do. It hurt, but it was a joyous hurt because I knew I was making myself stronger. I also couldn’t push my legs much at spin on Wednesday either — although I had an amazing class anyway. My legs just couldn’t push the pedals at a high resistance! I’m not going to spin tonight so I can give my legs a chance to rest. And as you know, tomorrow is No Workout Friday so my legs will get an more rest — and hopefully by Saturday’s SoulCycle I will be good to go!

More spin news!

Missy and I have a great friend who invited us to join her at a Spin-A-Thon! I will describe more once my attendance is confirmed for sure, but I will say that it is for a charity and I will be spinning for an hour, which I have never done before. I am VERY excited — especially because I will be spinning with 2 of my closest friends. I never get to workout with my friends!

Delicious and Nutritious Chocolate Fix
After my nutritionist recommended I stop taking vitamins you swallow and switch to chewable, I found Viactiv chocolate chews! Every morning it is my treat! I wish I could eat them all day. Yes, I am aware of what the first 2 ingredients are, but I simply do not care. They are delicious. They are only 20 calories. They make me happy. I strongly recommend them!

Viactiv

And please check out Heather Eats Almond Butter’s Coconut Milk Product Giveaway and The Fitnessista‘s All Natural Gift Bag giveaway!

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