goals

Do a little daily

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I read an article in a fitness magazine a few months back by this incredibly busy and incredibly toned mom in which she said she always does 100 squats, lunges, push ups, and crunches every night before bed.   Now that’s consistency!  I was inspired.  If this busy and no doubt tired mom can fit this in her day I can certainly make space for a mini routine while globe-trotting.

My routine is slightly less ambitious but it is on top of my regular cardio and yoga and generally active life, just a way to get a bit more into the day.  I started alternating abs and arms everyday (well, everyday certainly is the goal, he he).  Although I rarely go a full 7 days in a row, I have noticed a nice increase in definition in both abs and arms and it is so quick and simple it seems silly not to do it regularly.  Like any sustainable routine, my “daily” mini workout provides loads of flexibility.  The arms days consist of a minimum of 50 push ups, sets ranging from 10-20 reps depending on the day.  Most days I also do 3 sets of 12-15 bicep curls and triceps exercises with an exercise band.  The ab workouts are anything from a quick few sets of bicycle crunches to a full 20-30 minute Pilates session.

Salad that eats like a meal

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I love salad that eats like a meal-substantial with a good variety of textures and flavors.  One of the harder things about traveling for the last four months has been eating well.   Tate and I play a game when we are hungry and feeling less than enthusiastic about another cheap restaurant meal, it’s called “if I could eat anything…”.  Usually in my veg and raw food deprived state my answer is ” a giant hearty salad!”  So, when I find that rare restaurant that knows how to make a salad, like a real salad, I return and return until we leave town (thinking of a certain restaurant, or more specifically a certain salad, in Puerto Iguazu, Argentina.   Luckily they apparently had amazing steaks also and Tate was happy to return every night for 3 nights.  Or was it four?).

Here in Kathmandu Green Organic Cafe has tempted and delivered three times already with their amazing salad.  The first time I ate said salad I was literally moaning with pleasure as I ate and then talked about it for a good two hours after.

This little bit of escape from a diet of too much white rice (more on that later) and more fatty food in a single meal than I usually eat in a month came in the form of

  • a delicious variety of organic greens
  • topped with a pile of julienned carrots, peppers, tomatoes, daikon, and jicama
  • sprinkled generously with chopped cashews, almonds, walnuts, peanuts, golden raisins, and fresh coconut
  • topped with a bit of grated fresh yak cheese
  • dress lightly with lemon vinaigrette

Seriously.  Try it today.

(sub yak cheese for fresh parmesan if necessary)

It’s a good thing dinner was health-on-a-plate because the rest of the days eats were a bit random and perhaps less than virtuous.  Breakfast started with two fried samosas bought from a street vendor for 7 cents a piece.  I usually avoid fried food because it makes my stomach yucky but, damn, these were good!  Totally worth the greasy fingers.

Today was a very active day, we hiked for at least four hours in the hills surrounding the Kathmandu Valley.  It felt great to work up a sweat and get my heart pumping.  After 15 months of running consistently (2-4 times a week) I have only run once in the last month!

Luckily, our days in Nepal have included many big hiking days and lots of walking.  Plus, I have gotten really into my interval workout and actually did it twice this week!

Here is a link to my latest favorite workout.  I extend it to last 35 minutes by adding jumping jacks, stair runs, jump rope, basically anything to keep my heart rate high, and run through the whole thing three times.  Let me know if you want more details on my workout and I can post specific times, reps, etc.

http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/workout/cardio/no-treadmill/boost-energy-blast-fat-cardio-workout/

Warning! The first time I did this workout my inner thighs were sore for days!