Salmon "Stir Fry" (Clean Recipe)

I posted this on my FB page, but then realized that some of you might not be 'fans' so I thought I'd post here too...you know, since I blog SOOOO MUCH. (They really need to invent a sarcasm font).

I was not sure what to cook tonight, but we had salmon and veggies, so I threw this together.  It's sort of a 'stir fry', but not really in the Asian sense.

So sorry for the craptastic iPhone photo....

Please remember that I made this on the fly, so there are no measurements. 

Ingredients:
salmon (cubed)
red and yellow cherry tomatoes (halved)
asparagus (chopped)
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper

Heat your wok or a large saute' pan.  Add olive oil. Cook salmon.  Remove salmon from pan. Saute' the veggies with a few splashes of balsamic vinegar.  When veggies are cooked, add salmon back in.

I served this over brown rice with avocado sauce.

Avocado sauce:

In a blender combine :

4 avocado
greek yogurt
2 cloves of garlic
salt
pepper
lime

Enjoy!

What Most People Won't Tell You About Running (and taking a sneaky pee)

This post is dedicated to my friend and food blogger Emily at Defining Delicious
When I was a new runner I pictured myself effortlessly running my races looking beautiful, long legged, and glistening with a healthy pink flush on my face.  To my new runner self I say "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

I had several misconceptions about what running would be like. Although I do love running and the high, freedom, and feeling of accomplishment I have when I'm finished; it is not pretty! I SWEAT, not glisten. My face is RED, not pink. Instead of a beautiful long legged glide I have this kind of shuffle, limp, stumble, trip thing going on when I run.  Besides all of that, there were a couple of things nobody told me about: Peeing and Runner's Trots.  I'm proud to say I have experienced both.

Let's start with the more disgusting one first : Runner's Trots. If you are not familiar with Runner's Trots, it is a cramping and diarrhea that some people get when exerting a lot of physical efforts.  For me it happened any time I ran over 12 miles. It happened to me a lot when I first started running, but once my body got used to running, it stopped happening. My first half marathon ended  with me doubled over with cramps and spending the rest of the day close to the bathroom. To prevent this, I just took a couple of Immodium on race day. Immodium could cause problems if taken too often, so I never took them during my training runs. ONLY ON RACE DAY.  I am not saying you should do this, but if you plan on doing it, check with your doctor first. Here is a great article I found on the trots: http://www.active.com/nutrition/Articles/How-to-Avoid-Runners-Trots.htm

Okay. Peeing. There have been several, yes, several times I have peed myself during runs. One main reason is because I have had 3 kids.  Sometimes there are just no bathrooms around, the port-a potty lines are too long, or I just don't want to stop and add minutes to my finishing time.  Sometimes, during super long runs, I just don't even realize it's happening until I feel the warmness running down my leg.
True story.  Peeing happens all the time.  Many of the cyclists and triathletes I know pee right on there bike because who wants to stop, unclip, get off the bike, pee, get back on, start again...no one, that's who.  Peeing in your pants doesn't make you gross, it makes you hard core!

My friend and I have a strategy for peeing if we are just on a training run and there are no bathrooms around.  I also use it during races when I don't want to wait for a bathroom, but I'm not ready to pee in my pants yet.  We just pretend we are stretching and let it flow.  Like this:

"I'm just stretching...and looking off into the distance, while I ponder my run...not peeing at all. Nothing to see here. Just stretching"

  What you have to do is pull the lining of your running shorts over while getting into your lunge position. While lunging, discreetly pull the corner of you shorts over  while still covering up and pee.  The cars are moving too fast to tell what you are doing and the rest of the runners are focusing on themselves.  You just look like your stretching.  I'm not gonna lie, this takes some practice, but once you get it down, your GOLDEN!  Haha! I love puns!

So...what did we learn today? Some people do get runners trots and it is normal to pee in your pants when you run. You are welcome! If you have any other sneaky peeing techniques you'd like to share, leave them in the comments below!

Zits, Zits, Zits....

The universe has played a cruel joke on my when it decided to give me grey hair and acne at the same time.  Seriously???
The other morning I woke up with a pimple so huge that my husband said it deserved a name...so I called her Estrogeena.  Later that day, her sister Hormonia decided to join the party on my face.  So, YAY...at the age of 39, I get to walk around with gray hair, crows feet, and some big a$$ pimples on my chin. Awesome.

This morning I discovered this little gem on Pinterest.  Its a chart that tells you why you have acne in certain areas of your face!

In high school my problem area was 1 and 2...makes sense...I did eat a lot of junk food, but I think that the 36 oz can of aqua-net a day to acheive these rockin  4 inch high bangs probably had a lot to do with the forehead acne too:

These days the pimples like to hang out in zone 11...which makes TOTAL sense.  (Warning: TMI Alert).  According to the chart, chin pimples are hormonal and happen when you are ovulating.  And guess what?  I'm ovulating.  Interestingly enough, the side you are ovulating on is the side you get the pimple on.  And guess what again?  i only have one ovary...on that side...the side where I always get a chin pimple.  I thought this was pretty cool.

This year, in order to try to get better skin, I have been testing out new products.  I am currently using the skincare line from Beauty Society.  I have only been using the products for a little over a week now, but am already noticing a difference in the softness and firmness of my skin.  I'll let you all know if I notice a big difference as the weeks progress.   *Just so you know, I do not sell or get kickbacks from Beauty Society for posting this.  It's just a product that I am enjoying and thought you might like to know about it :)

Anyway, hope you find the pimple chart helpful!

Spin-gina Pain

Oh how I love my spin class.  A sweaty, tough cardio workout that also shapes your legs and butt like nothing else.  After class, my legs are sore jello, but as any woman can tell you, that's not all that was sore.  The spin-gina pain was so bad that I almost stopped going. It not only hurt during class, but my entire underwear area felt badly bruised for days after a spin class.  I didn't want to give up spinning, so I researched my options.  First I tried one of those gel filled seats, but it didn't work out very well for me:

These gel seats are nice and squishy, but I felt like maybe they were too squishy.  Since it was so super padded, it offered no support and I would sink my entire body into the seat instead of sitting up on my sit bones.  I keep it in my gym bag in case I forget my padded shorts, but otherwise, I don't use it anymore.

These padded bike shorts really work for me.

 

These bike shorts look good on no one!  They are tight and make you look (and feel) like you are wearing an adult diaper under spandex, but they WORK! The padding is placed in just the right places to make you more comfortable in the saddle.  Since the padding is not as thick as the seat cushion, I have better form because I can still feel the solid seat under me.

Having correct form on your bike helps immensely with that darn spin-gina pain.  Engaging your core and making sure your seat and handle bars are at the correct height help make you more comfortable.  Any good spin instructor will help you figure out what that is when you go to class.  Don't be afraid to ask for help if you are not sure about how high/low to adjust everything.

One last item that has helped me in spin class are a pair of shoes that clip into the pedals: 

 

Obviously, mine have never been outside.  The drivers here in San Antonio are morons and I refuse to be on the road with them.

These shoes force you to have good form.  They help create a nice circular motion that make me utilize my quads and my hamstrings. When I was just using regular shoes, I overused my quads and when they got tired, I would bounce in the saddle...which was a pain in the butt, for real! The stiff soles help keep my feet from hurting and the curve of the shoes force me to keep my knees in on the bike when a lot of times, people want their knees to fly out while riding. 

People seem to think you need to be a cycling pro to wear the shorts and the shoes...and I am FAR from being an expert.  I just do it because I think it's a fun way to get my cardio in. I bought the shoes and shorts because I believe paying the money for the right equipment, is better than paying the money to see a doctor when you are injured later.  Also, I'm cheap, so if my brain tries to make excuses for why I shouldn't go to spin class, I think about the money I invested in the shoes and the shorts and tell my brain to stop wasting my money.  

Thanks to my shorts, my shoes, good form, and a tight core, I don't have the pain I used to have from spin class.

If you have any questions about spinning (or preventing the hurt) feel free to ask and I will help to the best of my ability.  If I can't help you, I know a lot of people who can. Hope you give it a try.

Black-Bean Scramble

I find typical breakfast food BORING and I like to try to mix it up.  Many times I eat non-breakfast things for breakfast.  I recently started making this black bean scramble for breakfast.  It's quick, easy, full of protein and I love it.  It's even easier if you have your veggies pre-cut.

Now, if you have been reading this blog, you know I don't really use measurements.  honestly, I'm just too lazy.  I just eyeball everything according to my appetite or how many people are eating.

Ingredients:
black-beans
green peppers
green onions
egg-whites
salsa

First I spray a bot of cooking spray in a pan  to heat the black beans and green peppers.

When those are heated through I add my liquid egg whites and chopped green onions:

When that's cooked, I plate it and top it with salsa.  I don't even know if salsa is considered "clean", but I don't even care.  I can't quit salsa!

Like I said.  Simple. Quick. Delicious!

Bikini Pics (wink wink)

Sooo.... I have gotten a few emails and messages that basically ask why I don't have any bikini or sports bra shots of myself up like many of the other fitness bloggers have on their blogs and FB pages.  Pinterest seems to generate a whole bunch of forward people and comments, I guess. One commenter even asked if I was "ashamed to show my body" and I  must have "something to hide"...aye yi yi!

Honestly, it's just not me.  I don't see anything wrong with the ladies who bare their well toned and healthy bodies on their blogs.  I admire their results, enjoy seeing their photos,  and they inspire me by their fitness levels...but really, it's just not me.  I wear a bikini when I am swimming, but as soon as I get out of the water, I dry off and put on my cover up.  When I work out, no matter how hot I am, I keep my tank top on. This is just me and just how I have always been.  I am not ashamed, I am just modest. I am uncomfortable with people looking at me. I am uncomfortable with attention.   That's probably why I am a photographer and not a model...oh yeah, plus I am only 5 feet tall and lack the model-type beauty....that kinda puts a damper on a modeling career;)

So, to satisfy the curiosity of all of the people who want to see...here is the one and only bikini photo you will see of me.  Enjoy.

My Honest Opinion

Two weeks ago I wrote a blog post in which I said I would alternate two workouts from Bodyrock Tv and tell you what I think....well, here is what I think. I am not the best at watering down my opinion and I suck at sugar coating stuff, so here it is:

If I was new to working out or back to working out after a long break, these are great workouts! I would probably lose weight, lose fat, and tone. I'd be sore in a good way(I am not telling you to do this.  Check with your doctor first if you plan on doing this).

If I was moderately active and in decent shape, this would be a great workout.  It made me sweat, it was pretty challenging, and I think it would help tone and shape.

I consider myself very active and in good shape.  There are a lot of people in better shape than I am, but I feel like I can hold my own and I am always up for a challenge.  For me, this workout was good for maintenance.  I don't feel like it got me in any better shape (and I'm always trying to get better than myself) but it kept me from getting out of shape. 
It's just my personal preference, but I need more...a lot more. Mostly because I have tons of piss and vinegar built up in me and in order for me to be a good mom and a kind wifey and not go off on people who deserve it (I have a big, smart a$$ mouth) I have to work out hard....OMG, I sound like a psycho!  I'm really a nice person (if I work out hard enough...lol).

I think I will keep these workouts in my rotation, but I will have to do them in addition to my regular workouts.  Next I will be testing this:

Can't wait to see my neighbors reactions to this!