one hour plank

Fall Feeding

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Fall in Virginia is a good time for eating; apples are at their prime, “winter” squash is ripe for the picking and glowing all hues of orange, the last of the fresh greens are to be savored, and soups becomes appealing again after several months of steering clear of anything (besides hot coffee!) that might raise my core temperature.

As my I Cook “recipe” page disclaimer states, I ain’t really about recipes but I do love experimenting in the kitchen and wanted to highlight some of my favorite fall makes today.

This cranberry sauce is a personal favorite. It freezes really well and so I make a big batch then put small mason jars in the freezer.  When I run out I grab another jar and let it defrost in the fridge then eat it mixed in plain yogurt.

sugar free cranberry sauce

I’m less of a baker than I used to be (I have lost my sweet tooth!) but historically I am more successful with muffins than cookies or bread and hot from the oven baked goods screams fall.

banana nut muffins

 

Seeing this salt picture is a great reminder to harvest what herbs I can find and make myself a big batch!

stuffing salt recipe

 

Miso serves a double purpose in this recipe; it provides the depth of flavor and richness that I crave in the colder months plus the immune-boosting aspects of fermented food.

miso soup recipe

 

I’ve been working on editing my I Eat page this week and it’s made me realize how much my diet has changed since creating it a few years ago.  I wish I would have saved the old version before I started revising but basically when I made that page I was eating more soy and less animal products than now.   The biggest surprise? I forgot that I was ever silly enough to buy nonfat yogurt!  These days my top choice is this greek stuff that is 10% milkfat, it’s fattier than ice cream and it takes amazing. 🙂

Today is my Day 3 of the One Hour Plank Challenge, how about you?

 

 

One Hour June Plank

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June!

So long May, you were fun while you lasted!

May was a good month, as usual (traditionally my favorite of the year), FULL of birthdays (my own included) and backyard parties and peppered with a bit of dancing and traveling.

Now I’m trying to wrap my head around June.

It’s been a good month so far, all ~30 hours of it.

Yesterday was a quintessential Sunday; outdoor brunch, a kickball game to celebrate a friend’s 40th, a bbq, some gardening and lounging.  This morning started with a great hike before coming into the office.

I’ve been thinking a lot about my fitness needs and goals lately.  I feel like I have a little bit of a gap since the semester ended and I now teach 3 less classes a week.

Two things I’ve decided are that I want a little structure.  But only a little.

Time to bring back the One Hour Plank Challenge!

I’ll be doing five minutes of plank, broken up into bite-sized increments, three times a week through the month of June. My plan is Monday, Wednesday, and Friday but I have a little room to play with the schedule if I need to.

I will mostly be following the variations I did for the February challenge but I might add in some new favorites as well. All the videos from the first month can be found here and I plan to add them all to my YouTube channel over the next month as well.

Join me!

“One Hour” is kind of arbitrary, I like the roundness of it, the way it breaks down into 12 days of 5 minutes, and it’s about the right level of challenge for me; attainable but not easy.  If it’s not the right goal for you though, set your own!  Cut it in half for two and a half minutes a day, aim to plank 10 times over the next month, or shoot for one minute three times a week.  Choose your own workout adventure!

Things to consider in setting your own plank challenge:

  • All styles of planks are intense on the shoulders, which makes them awesome.  However, I do not recommend planking on consecutive days.  Rest those muscles!

 

  • Along the same lines, if you have weak, injured, or sensitive shoulders or a low back plank with extreme caution.  Listen very closely to these areas and DO NOT PUSH IT.  It’s not worth it.

 

  • Practice ridiculously perfect form.  Try to plank in front of a mirror regularly or with a friend that can give you feedback.  If your form starts to fail you, you have had enough.  Listen to your body over the clock or the instructor to know when it’s time to rest.

 

  • This is a little redundant but set attainable yet challenging goals.  Set yourself up for success! Why the hell not, it’s just an exercise.

Alright, gotta hit the floor. Connect and please feel free to ask me any questions you have about form, variations, or staying on-task.