Say Cheese

This recipe takes a little longer to prepare so it would be a great dish to serve for a special weekend breakfast or maybe even Easter Brunch.


Cheese Blintzes with Sour Cream and Raspberry Preserves
This recipe serves: 10

Ingredients

3 eggs
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup skim milk
3/4 cup flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 pound light cream cheese
1/4 pound low-fat cottage cheese
2 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup non-fat sour cream
1/2 cup raspberry preserves

Cooking Instructions
1. In a small bowl, whisk 2 of the eggs, vegetable oil and milk together. Add the flour and salt and stir until the batter is very smooth. Chill for 30 minutes.
2. Spray an 8-inch skillet with nonstick spray. Pour 3 to 4 tablespoons of batter into the skillet and turn the pan to coat it. Cook until golden brown on one side. Stack crepes on waxed paper, brown side up. Repeat with remaining batter.
3. Beat together the remaining egg, cream cheese, cottage cheese, sugar and vanilla.
4. Fill each crepe with 2 tablespoons of cheese mixture and roll up "egg roll" style by folding in sides of crepe over filling.
5. Heat the skillet and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray. Cook until the blintzes are golden brown on all sides. Remove from heat.
6. Serve with sour cream and raspberry preserves
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 blintz with sour cream and raspberry preserves
Amount Per Serving
Calories 164
Protein 7 g
Total Carbohydrate 20 g
Dietary Fiber 0 g
Soluble Fiber 0 g
Insoluble Fiber 0 g
Sugar 9 g
Total Fat 6 g

Happy St.Paddy's Day!!!!

An Irish Blessing:

"May you live a long life
Full of gladness and health,
With a pocket full of gold
As the least of your wealth.
May the dreams you hold dearest,
Be those which come true,
The kindness you spread,
Keep returning to you."

Gimme 3 Days

This is a holiday week, and holidays like Christmas and Easter can play havoc with your schedule. You're busy with other things; exercise can easily be pushed to the back burner.
I'm asking that you commit to working out atleast 3 days this week. If it will make it easier, you can even cut the time to whatever is do-able. If you only have 15 minutes, then do a 15 minute workout. After the holiday is over, and the dust has settled a bit, you'll be glad that you made the time to keep things on track.

LIFT and SQUEEZE

This is a great movement to use for the glutes and hamstrings.

Elevated bridges - Place your foot on the end of a bench or chair, cross your other leg so your ankle is resting on top of the opposite knee. Lift your body up so only your shoulder blades are on the floor. Hold for 2 seconds, squeeze glutes,lower body then repeat. Start with ten reps per leg.

"jump rope" workout

I'm going to put a cardio element into this circuit.

Start with your usual warm up. You will start with performing this circuit twice, and work up to 4 circuits total.

Some exercises may not look familiar, but I will include a description. The "rope jumping" will definitely get your heart rate up. Try to go as long as you can. And, as always, if you feel like you need to rest -- rest!

If you have problems with your knees, you can substitute the jumping for marching in place.

Jump rope (or simulate jumping rope) for 30 to 60 seconds

Single arm dumbbell row - Bend over at the waist, knees slightly bent, hold a dumbbell in one hand place your other arm behind your back. Hold the weight straight down, then lift until your elbow is higher than your torso. Perform 15 reps per side.

Bulgarian Split squat - place the top of your foot on a bench or chair. Step out with the other foot. You will be in a lunge position. Keep your torso straight as you lower your body. Remember to form a straight line from your ankle to your knee. You don't want your knee to go forward over your toes. If you have problems with balance, place your hand on the end of a chair or the wall. Perform 10 reps per side.

Jump rope (or simulate jumping rope) for 30 to 60 seconds.

Dumbbell chest press - can be performed on the floor, stability ball or bench. Perform 15 reps.

Tricep extension - hold weights in your hands so your palms are facing eachother. bring your elbows up to the side of your head. The weights will be behind you. keep your elbows close to your head as you straighten your arms up. perform 15 reps.

Jump rope (or simulate jumping rope) for 30 to 60 seconds

Side Lunges - Begin with your feet together, your back straight. Step side ways into a lunge, keep the outstretched leg as straight as possible. Bend your stepping leg and sit back slightly on your hips until your knee is bent about 90 degrees, or as far as you feel comfortable. Press back up with your stepping leg and return to the starting position. Perform 10 reps per side.

Bicep curl - hold a dumbbell with your palms facing away, bend your elbows and curl the weight up. Perform 15 reps total.

Front raises - hold a lighter set of dumbbells in front of your legs, palms facing you. Raise dumbbells to shoulder height. lower and repeat. 15 reps

Jump rope (or simulate jumping rope) for 30 to 60 seconds

Rest 2 minutes and repeat entire circuit

The Beatles - In My Life

No particular reason for this. Just felt like a little Beatles.
Enjoy.

Minus 100

Check out this link from Prevention Magazine. It offers some great tips on how to cut 100 calories from your daily diet:


http://www.prevention.com/100calories/

Ponder This

“If we're growing, we're always going to be out of our comfort zone.”

~John Maxwell

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. To keep our faces toward change and behave like free spirits in the presence of fate is strength undefeatable.”

~Helen Keller

“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.”

~Helen Keller

“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.”

~Albert Einstein

“I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do.”

~Leonardo da Vinci


Being happy doesn't mean that everything is perfect. It means that you've decided to look beyond the imperfections.”
~Anonymous

It isn't what you have, or who you are, or where you are, or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It is what you think about.”

~Dale Carnegie


Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.”

~Maria Robinson

Plankity, Plank, Planks

Ahh...yess...I can hear the groans. I know how much yinz guys LUVS the planks, so I thought I'd feature a little plank variation this week. C'mon!!!! Give it a try!!!!

This is a Side Plank:

Lie on your side with your left leg on your right leg, and your right elbow in line with your right shoulder. Keep your back in a straight line, lift your hips and torso, so you are balancing on your forearm and foot. Your body should form a straight line from head to toe. Hold for as long as you can.

Is this too easy for ya? If it is, you can increase intensity by lifting the top leg. Hold it up in the air as long as you can.

Do 4 holds per side.

A Few New Moves

For a slight change of pace, I'm introducing a few exercises we haven't done in the studio.

Because of the combination exercises, I'm going to suggest that you use a lighter weight while increasing reps.
The rep range will be 15(per side) for the unilateral, and 20 for the remaining exercises.

Chest press w/ bridge lift Lie down on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat on floor. Hold a set of dumbbells at chest level with palms facing forward. Press the weight up. Straighten one leg, so your calf is in line with your knee. Your rear end will be off of the floor. Lower your body, and switch legs as you press the weight toward the ceiling.

Plank w/ row Either on your knees, or on you toes, get into a push up position. You will have a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing eachother. Hold this position. Now bend your elbow and pull the weight up so it so your forearm is parallel with your back. Return the weight to the floor and repeat on the other side.

Sumo deadlift Your feet will be about three feet apart, with your toes pointing out. Hold a set of dumbbells out in front of you. Let the dumbbells hang in front of your body with your palms facing you. Keep your back straight and head up. Lower the dumbbells to the floor until your thighs are parallel with the floor.

Pulse lunges Put one foot out in front of you. Step back with the other foot into a lunge position. Keeping your feet in this position, raise your torso about halfway then lower. Use a faster (pulse) pace. Perform all reps on one side before moving on to the other side.

Side rows Hold the dumbbells down to your sides, palms facing your body. Pull the weight along your body, elbows out.

Hi bicep curls use a lighter weight Hold the weights up,arms are straight, palms facing the ceiling, your forearms will be parallel with the floor. Keep your arms in this position as you curl the weight.


Shoulder press w tricep extension Hold a set of dumbbells at shoulder height with palms facing your ears. Press the weight straight up. Hold the weight there, now bend your elbows to lower the weight toward your back. Return to overhead position, lower weight and repeat.

How's about a little inspiration?

1980 Ms.Olympia - Rachel McLish
Last week I wrote about using "before" pictures to help motivate, but I'd also like to suggest a few other ways to keep you focused. Visualization -- picture how you want to look. Imagine how you will look in a certain outfit such as a bathing suit,a pair of jeans,or even a wedding dress. Keep this image in your head.

Inspiration can also come from other people. If you read any magazines, I'm sure you've seen women that make you say " I want to look like her." Take these pictures and put them in a strategic spot -- maybe by the treadmill, or even place one on the refrigerator.

I used this when I first started lifting weights. My inspiration was Rachel McLish. In case you don't know, Rachel McLish was the first female bodybuilder to win "the Olympia" ( It's the most prestigious title in bodybuilding) She WAS female bodybuilding until it somehow went haywire. Her picture still remains in my exercise room. She helped me push out at least one more rep many times.

This may sound like a silly idea, but who cares if it works for you.

The One Sided Workout

The recommended workout for this week will feature all unilateral exercises. You will perform each exercise for a specific number of reps by either alternating from one side to the other side, or by doing all reps, before moving to the other side. Are you asking yourself "umm…why?" Well, I'll tell ya...

A great way to shake up your weight training is to train unilaterally. Basically, what this means is that you perform the specific exercise by working one side of the body at a time. Most people have one side that is weaker than the other, and by training unilaterally, the stronger side can't pick up the slack for the weaker side; it's forced to become stronger. It also allows for greater focus on the contracting muscle; it improves the mind/muscle connection. In other words, it may be easier to think about squeezing and releasing just the left bicep during a curl.

15 reps per side. 1-3 circuits.


Chest press - alternate reps

Bent over rows - perform all reps per each side

One leg wall squat- perform all reps per each side

Shoulder press- alternate reps

One leg bridge- with leg on bench

Bicep curl - can be performed either alternating or all reps per side.

Tricep kickbacks - all reps per side.

Crunch this

If you are bored with crunches, and you want to shake up the abs, give this exercise a try. It's called an exercise ball pull-in; so, obviously you'll need an exercise ball to do it.

Here's the set up: get into push up position with the front of your legs and feet resting on an exercise ball. Keep your body parallel with the floor. Your abs should be nice and tight so your back doesn't sway. Roll the ball toward your upper body by bending your knees and crunching your abs. Keep your midsection stable. Pause for a count before rolling the ball back to the start position.

Tracking Progress

"Hello, it's very nice meeting you. I look forward to being your partner on this fitness journey; now take off your clothes so I can take your picture."

Sounds a little bold, huh? When I first meet a person, they are usually a little nervous so I don't insist on taking before pictures, but I highly recommend it to anyone who is in the process of losing weight. Not only is it a great motivator, but it's an excellent way to track progress. Sometime, you may look in the mirror and think " I don't see a difference", but if you look at side by side photos, it might tell a different story. Personally, this helped me quite a bit because I was willing to do whatever I had to to change the way I looked in the before picture -- definitely my motivator.

Here's what you do; put on a bathing suit or some clothing that shows your body, and then have someone take a picture of the front, back and side every 2-3 weeks. (If you want, I'll take your picture)

If you are in need of motivation, give this a try.

Fat Does a Body Good

Yep, your eyes aren't deceiving you. Fat does the body good.

Of course, I'm talking about the good fats-- the Omega 3's--not the artery clogging trans fats. You need fat to help your body absorb fat soluble vitamins, keep your energy levels up, help you feel full, and to provide the body with essential fatty acids it can't produce on its own.

However, a common mistake some people trying to lose weight make, is to cut just about all fat out of their diet. Don't do that. Sure, their logic may be "If I don't eat fat, I won't get fat--I'll be skinny in no time, fo sho'!"

But, in reality, you may be sabotoging yourself. If your body isn't receiving the proper amount of essential oils, it will retain all the fat it needs.

Here's another interesting fact about fat; not only does the BODY need fat, so does the BRAIN. A recent study has shown that 6 out of 10 people suffering from depression, got relief from taking fish oil (omega 3) supplements. It appears that omega 3's help the brain use Seratonin, the chemical that helps lift our mood.

A great way to ensure that you are receiving enough Omega 3 in your diet is to eat fatty fish like salmon several times a week. If this is not practical, another option may be to take a dietary supplement. It's recommended that people take approximately 2000 mg a day. However, if you are on anticoagulants, have a bleeding disorder, uncontrollable hypertension, or a weakened immune system, you should check with your doctor first.

I'm not big on recommending supplements, but I feel the benefits of Omega 3 warrants it. Try it for yourself -- think about taking 500mg three times a day with a meal,and see how you feel. Also, take a multivitamin to help replenish any vitamins your diet may be lacking --this is really all you need.