Archive for the 'The Fit Life' Category
August 26, 2010 @ 6:19 am | Filed under: Family,It's funny!,The Fit Life,he said she said
“Hey, Baby, look.” MJ walked into the living room and struck a pose. “I’m wearing my…skinny jeans.”
Now – ordinarily – he has me at “hey baby look,” spoken in that deep, husky voice that I love so much. Ordinarily I would melt immediately and be his love slave for the remainder of the day.
But no. My man had to go and add “I’m wearing my skinny jeans,” which produced a totally different effect on me. A fit of giggles.
Images of Rachel Zoe and fashion mags danced through my head and, even though I am certainly no expert on skinny jeans since I own none, I’m fairly confident that MJ’s aren’t the ones that are currently trending.
However…
I must say that the man is definitely rocking his version these days!
Like everything else in his life, he decides what he wants, goes for it with gusto, and almost always succeeds. MJ decided about four months ago to get healthy and began to implement small changes. Small changes that have begun to reap large rewards.
Changes like this one. And counting points. And eating healthy meals that his most diligent wife prepares for him.
MJ had a physical two weeks ago. These small changes?
Paid HUGE dividends.
In four short months, his blood pressure, cholesterol, and triglycerides (which had all been high before) are now all within the normal, acceptable, praised-by-your-doctor range. To celebrate, he’s planning on running a 5K with me next month!
So my guy wants to rock his skinny jeans, huh?
I think he’s earned the right. Rock on, Baby!
healthy lifesty, healthy lifestyle, laughter, marriage, running
August 24, 2010 @ 6:34 am | Filed under: Food and Drink,The Fit Life
Easy Bavarian Cream
Fold 3 stiffly beaten, pasteurized egg whites into a bowl of prepared, cooled instant sugar-free/fat-free vanilla, butterscotch, white chocolate, banana or chocolate pudding. Chill for 2 hours in individual custard cups or one large serving bowl. Now you’re on the way to the elegant dishes below.
To make a trifle: Layer the Easy Bavarian Cream in a 2-quart glass bowl with 24 purchased lady fingers and 3 cups fresh berries or sliced fruit.
To make a Bavarian cream parfait: Spoon alternating layers of fruit and Easy Bavarian Cream into clear wine glasses. Here are some flavor combinations we enjoy:
- Vanilla Bavarian cream with orange sections
- White Chocolate Bavarian cream and raspberries
- Butterscotch Bavarian cream and sliced bananas
- Chocolate Bavarian cream with strawberries
- Banana Bavarian cream with kiwi fruit slices
Creamy Chocolate Mousse
Prepare a cook-and-serve sugar-free/fat-free chocolate pudding mix according to the package directions. Transfer the hot pudding to a bowl and place a sheet of plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Chill 1 hour or until cool. Fold 1 1/2 cups fat-free, non-dairy whipped topping into the cooled pudding. Chill 2 hours in individual custard cups or in a large serving bowl, or make one of these tasty desserts.
To make a frozen chocolate mousse pie: Pour the mousse into a baked low-fat pie shell and freeze.
For a frozen chocolate mint mousse cake: Add 1/2 teaspoon mint extract to the pudding with the whipped topping. Coat an 8-inch springform pan with cooking spray. Crush 16 low-fat chocolate wafer cookies and sprinkle them on the sides, pressing if necessary to make them stick, and on the bottom of the inside of the pan. Pour the mousse over the crumbs and freeze for 4 hours.
For individual frozen chocolate mousse desserts: Line 6 muffin tins with paper muffin cups and fill with the chocolate mousse mixture. Freeze until firm, then serve with a spoon.
Other Pudding Dessert Ideas
- To make a pudding jelly roll, bake a packaged angel food cake mix as directed by the box. When it’s cool, spread the roll with prepared sugar-free/fat-free pudding (any flavor and either instant or cook-and-serve) and roll up as directed.
- To make pudding ice cream, prepare any flavor sugar-free/fat-free instant pudding as directed on the package. Pour immediately into a pre-chilled ice cream machine and churn until frozen. Serve immediately.
- To make frozen fudge pops, prepare instant sugar-free/fat-free chocolate pudding as directed. Pour into small paper cups and freeze 1 hour or until a popsicle stick will stand up when inserted. Insert one popsicle stick into the center of each; freeze until hard.
Weight Watcher recipe – healthy & light!
healthy recipes, Tasty Tuesdays
August 10, 2010 @ 8:28 am | Filed under: Food and Drink,The Fit Life
Poppy Seed Salad
with Fruit
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Makes: 4 servings
| 6 | cups of romaine (chopped), baby bok choi or cabbage (thinly sliced) | |
| 1 | apple, cored and chopped | |
| 1 | cup red grapes, sliced in half | |
| ½ | cup slivered almonds | |
| Dressing: | ||
| ½ | cup sunflower oil | |
| ¼ | cup apple cider vinegar | |
| ¼ | cup honey | |
| 2 | oz. soft silken tofu (about 3 T) | |
| ¾ | t dry mustard | |
| ½ | t salt | |
| 1 | T poppy seeds | |
- Toast almonds in a dry skillet over medium high heat until barely brown. Cool.
- Combine greens, fruit, and nuts.
- Combine dressing ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
- Drizzle dressing over salad and enjoy!
healthy recipes, recipes, Tasty Tuesdays
July 13, 2010 @ 6:17 am | Filed under: Food and Drink,The Fit Life
1 pound uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast- 1/2 medium pineapple
- 1 medium green pepper
- 1 medium sweet red pepper
- 1 large onion
- 1/4 cup pineapple juice, or orange juice
- 3 medium garlic clove(s), minced
- 2 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 2 spray(s) cooking spray
- 2 cup(s) cooked brown rice, kept hot
Instructions:
Weight Watcher recipe – 6 pts per serving |
healthy recipes, Tasty Tuesdays
July 6, 2010 @ 6:28 am | Filed under: Food and Drink,The Fit Life,Uniquely Me
- 8 oz whole wheat short tube-shaped pasta
- 1 sweet red bell pepper
- 1 yellow bell pepper
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 lemon
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 Weight Watcher mozarella string cheese sticks
- 1/2 lb cleaned, cooked shrimp
Preheat broiler. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Rinse pasta with cold water; drain again and set aside.
Meanwhile, place the bell peppers cut-side down on a foil-lined broiler pan and broil until charred, 7 – 8 minutes. Transfer peppers to a bowl, cover and set aside about 5 minutes until cool enough to handle.
Marinate shrimp in 1 tbsp olive oil, 3/4 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 1/8 cup water, and 1/2 tsp. desired herbs & garlic. Place all in zip-lock bag, massage well, and then chill in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
Peel the roasted peppers and slice into strips; transfer to a large bowl. Chop mozarella into bite size pieces. Mix the pepper strips with the mozarella, basil, pasta, 1 tsp salt, and pepper to taste; toss.
In a small bowl, prepare salad dressing by mixing together oil, lemon juice, oregano, salt, black pepper and garlic.
Pour dressing over pasta and vegetables and toss thoroughly to coat. Add marinated shrimp. Cover and chill about 2 hours.
Yields about 1 cup per serving.
Light, healthy, delicious!!!
healthy recipes, Tasty Tuesdays
February 13, 2009 @ 9:33 am | Filed under: Food and Drink,The Fit Life
Wilder Homemade Chicken Pot Pies
Ingredients:
- Cooking spray
- 1 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 2 leeks, bottom 4 inches only, washed well and chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 2 medium potatoes cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1/2 pound green beans, trimmed and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 cups low-fat milk
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 3 sheets frozen phyllo dough thawed (we used rolled-out Crescent dough)
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 4 individual-sized baking dishes with cooking spray.
Season the chicken with 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few turns of pepper. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 teaspoons of the oil over a medium-high heat. Add the chicken to the pan and cook for 5 minutes, turning once. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
Add 2 more teaspoons of the oil, the leeks, and the celery to the pan and cook until vegetables begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the potatoes, green beans, garlic, and remaining salt and pepper and cook for 2 more minutes.
Add the milk to the pan. Stir the flour into the chicken broth until dissolved and add to the pan. Cook, stirring, until the mixture comes to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Stir in the reserved chicken, peas, parsley, and thyme. Spoon the mixture into the prepared baking dishes.
Put the remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil into a small bowl. Unroll the phyllo dough and cut it into quarters. Place a quarter sheet on top of each baking dish and brush with olive oil. Repeat with remaining 3 baking dishes. Tuck the edges of the phyllo into the dish rim. Top each pie with Parmesan.
Place on a baking sheet and bake until the filling is bubbling, about 30 minutes.
SO good!
July 12, 2008 @ 11:32 am | Filed under: Family,The Fit Life
A year ago this week, I began running. Looking back, it makes me laugh to think that I could scarcely run sixty seconds straight without running out of breath and out of steam.
These days I continue to run a steady and consistent 3-4 miles several times a week. Running has given me so much: better health, better mental clarity, and…has bonded me in a special way with Braxton!
This is a picture of Braxton with his proud parents, Brian and Stefanie (my cousin.) On Friday, Braxton ran in his regional track finals and I went to watch. Braxton ran a 6:20 mile and I couldn’t have been more proud if he’d been my own son!
Way to go, Braxton!
March 21, 2008 @ 10:43 am | Filed under: The Fit Life,The Solid Rock
“Sometimes when we read the words of those who have been more than conquerors, we feel almost despondent. I feel that I shall never be like that. But they won through step by step. By little bits of wills. Little denials of self. Little inward victories. By faithfulness in very little things. They became what they are. No one sees these little hidden steps. They only see the accomplishments, but even so, those small steps were taken. There is no sudden triumph, no sudden spiritual maturity. That is the work of the moment.”
—from the journal of Amy Carmichael, as quoted in Holy Sweat: The Process of Peak Performance
“What is WRONG with me?” I limped into the house, scraped my running shoes off of my feet, and all but collapsed on the living room floor. “I don’t understand this.”
“Your knee again?” Mike had become quite adept in noticing when my right knee – the definite weakness in my body – was once again making its presence known.
“Not just my knee. It’s both legs.”
This was Saturday and, for the third day in a row, I’d suffered a horrible case of shin splints. I’d not felt this kind of discomfort (and, at times, downright pain) since last summer when I was in the beginning stages of training for the 5K.
“Last Saturday I ran 4 miles, without even thinking about it.” I was in full-on whine mode and – unfortunately for him – Mike was the only one within earshot. “Today I ran only two and the last half I was in HORRIBLE PAIN.“
Irritatingly unfazed by my drama, my sweet husband had the good sense to just humor me. Or so…I thought…
“Okay, let’s think about this. Have you done anything differently this week?”
“No.”
“Are your shoes still in good shape? Are you lacing them properly?”
“Yes. To both.”
“Still stretching first, aren’t you?”
“Of course.”
“Hm.” Mike continues to be maddeningly unfazed even as I continue to bemoan my sudden, unexpected fall from runner-girl-goes-far status.
“Let’s go over this again. Have you done anything differently?”
Uh-oh.
A little niggling of something remarkably akin to discomfort began to worm its way through me.
“Well, have you?”
“Not really.” I hedged as much as I dared to. “I mean, I increased my speed…some.” The truth was that for the past week I’d spent three days on the treadmill, rather than outdoors, working on taking my speed from 5.2 to 5.6.
“Uh-huh, that’s what I thought. What about stretching? Are you compensating for the extra stress by doing extra stretching?”
“Not really.” This time I didn’t even try to hedge. The picture was becoming crystal clear and it was letting me know that I’d made some simple, stupid mistakes.
Not only had I not done extra stretching but I had become so comfortable and complacent in my running routine that I’d all but told myself I didn’t really need the stretching anymore.
“I get it.” I held up a hand in protest when my kineseology major husband opened his mouth to say more. “Believe me, I get it.”
And I did get it.
Before I ran early this morning – I followed ALL that I knew to be right. I spent the needed time in stretching. As I worked the muscles still sore from days of neglect and (okay, let’s call it what it was – abuse) I was struck by the odd feeling the stretching gave me.
It hurt…so good.
There was soreness, definitely. Even a few twinges of pain. But the longer I stretched, the better I felt about what I was giving to my body. It hurt…so good.
God began to speak to me like He does during times like these, this time giving me an analogy that was very personal, very timely. Very real.
These past weeks have been such a growing time for me. Over and over, I have found myself being challenged in ways that are taking me to a new level. He’s calling me to new places, new levels of ‘fitness’, new dimensions of awareness, and new endeavors.
At times it is pure delight. Still – many other times, it’s quite painful.
He’s shaking up my complacency, calling me to spend extra time in ‘stretching’ in order to be flexible enough, limber enough, strong enough – for the course He’s setting me upon. I can’t get away from the feeling that He has much He wants to say to me, but I have to get myself out of the way in order to hear it all. I have to let down the masks I wear, the disguises that I use to hide my imperfections, my weaknesses. He wants me, real and honest.
He knows those ‘weak’ spots too. Just like my right knee, He whispers words of both, caution and encouragement and I know I’d be wise to listen, to pay attention to the ways I can compensate for those weaknesses. My weak spots need not be a hindrance; they can just serve as a reminder that my only chance of true strength is when I place myself completely under His care.
He’s calling me to something ‘different.’ All my past training is just that – in the past. This is a new thing – a fresh thing – and requires a fresh vision, fresh faith, a fresh anointing.
These are those baby steps, revisited.
But I’m excited. I want to be ‘more than a conqueror.’
That can only happen in those little steps.
Those little bits of wills.
Little denials of self.
Little inward victories.
By faithfulness in very little things.
This new call to more is not always comfortable.
There is soreness, definitely. Even a few twinges of pain. But the longer I spend in these new things, the better I feel about what I am giving to my soul.
It hurts…so good.
August 3, 2007 @ 7:01 am | Filed under: The Fit Life,Uniquely Me
Today is Friday, the third day of August, and I – Staci Wilder – just completed my first week of 5K training! Only…<gulp> EIGHT. MORE. gut-wrenching, sweat-drenching delightful. WEEKS.
Eight.
I can do this.
In honor of this effort, and the efforts of women everywhere who are trying to fight their way to fitness, here’s something to make us all smile! Enjoy!
A WEEK AT THE GYM: ONE WOMAN’S STORY
- Dear Diary…
- For my 40th birthday this year, my husband purchased a week of personal training at the local health club for me. Although I am still in great shape since playing on my college tennis team 20 years ago, I decided it would be a good idea to go ahead and give it a try.
- I called the club and made my reservations with a personal trainer named Joe, who identified himself as a 26-year-old aerobics instructor and model for athletic clothing and swimwear. My husband seemed pleased with my enthusiasm to get started!
- The club encouraged me to keep a diary to chart my progress…
- MONDAY
- Started my day at 6:00 a.m. Tough to get out of bed, but found it was well worth it when I arrived at the health club to find Joe waiting for me. He is something of a Greek god – with blond hair, dancing eyes and a dazzling white smile.
- Woo Hoo!!
- Joe gave me a tour and showed me the machines. He took my pulse after five minutes on the treadmill. He was alarmed that my pulse was so
- fast, but I attribute it to standing next to him in his Lycra aerobic outfit. I enjoyed watching the skillful way in which he conducted his aerobics class after my workout today. Very inspiring!
- Joey was encouraging as I did my sit-ups, all though my gut was already aching from holding it in the whole time he was around. This is going to be a FANTASTIC week!!
- TUESDAY
- I drank a whole pot of coffee, but I finally made it out the door. Joe made me lie on my back and push a heavy iron bar into the air – then he put weights on it! My legs were a little wobbly on the treadmill, but I made the full mile. Joey’s rewarding smile made it all worthwhile. I feel GREAT!!
- It’s a whole new life for me.
- WEDNESDAY
- The only way I can brush my teeth is by laying the toothbrush on the counter and moving my mouth back and forth over it. I believe I have a hernia in both pectorals. Driving was OK as long as I didn’t try to steer or stop. I parked on top of a GEO in the club parking lot. Joe was impatient with me, insisting that my screams bothered other club members. His voice is a little too perky for early in the morning and when he scolds, he gets this nasally whine that is VERY annoying.
- My chest hurt when I got on the treadmill, so Joe put me on the stair monster. Why in the world would anyone invent a machine to simulate an activity rendered obsolete by elevators?
- Joe told me it would help me get in shape and enjoy life. He said some other crud too.
- THURSDAY
- Joe was waiting for me with his vampire-like teeth exposed as his thin, cruel lips were pulled back in a full snarl. I couldn’t help being a half an hour late. It took me that long to tie my shoes.
- Joe took me to work out with dumbbells. When he was not looking, I ran and hid in the ladies room. He sent Muffy to find me. Then, as punishment, he put me on the rowing machine — which I sank.
- FRIDAY
- I hate that jerk, Joe, more than any human being has ever hated any other human being in the history of the world. Stupid, skinny, anemic, little cheerleader! If there was a part of my body I could move without unbearable pain, I would beat him with it. Joe wanted me to work on my triceps. I don’t have any triceps! And if you don’t want dents in the floor, don’t hand me the bloody barbells or anything that weighs more than a Sonic Route 44 Diet Coke. The treadmill flung me off and I landed on a health and nutrition teacher. Why couldn’t it have been someone softer, like the drama coach or the choir director?
- SATURDAY
- Joe left a message on my answering machine in his grating, shrilly voice wondering why I did not show up today. Just hearing him made me want to smash the machine with my planner. However, I lacked the strength to even use the TV remote and ended up catching eleven straight hours of the Weather Channel.
- SUNDAY
- I’m having the Church van pick me up for services today so I can go and thank GOD that this week is over. I will also pray that next year my husband will choose a gift for me that is fun — like a root canal or a hysterectomy.
