This Week in Workouts: Travels

Well, as you may know, I we finally arrived home late last week. What you may have also realized is that the Sunday post did not get out... This is mostly because I was just savoring being at home and being with our cats again. But now, it is back to work and back to slightly fewer cat cuddles.

The road home ended up being super fantastic and filled with more than one adventure. Everything started out at our good friends' wedding reception in Wisconsin. There will be much more on that as well since these friends also have an organic coffee farm in Colombia that is getting ready to start sales of their first roast. It was wonderful to see them and incredible to be with all our friends and family together again! Then, we were able to camp in the Smokey Mountains and climb a mountain. My goal (albeit silly) was also accomplished and I was able to eat Trail Mix on the Appalachian Trail. Epic. 

The mountain climb and trail hike did leave my muscles surprisingly achy... Especially the downhill run from a giant rattle snake- for real. Needless to say, the following two days were followed with relaxation and plenty of yoga. Turns out downward facing dog is the best thing ever for sore calf muscles.

Then, came two days at Disney World and a recuperative stay at the Swan and Dolphin where we had, possibly, the best view ever. I have always been partial to the Swan Hotel at Disney World, but after this stay, I may have been converted. We stayed at the Dolphin Hotel for my first time ever and had Hudgens, the  most incredible check-in assistant ever. He upgraded us to the nicest view I have ever had at a Disney resort where we opted to stay in and watch two fireworks displays from the comfort of our room. And yes, the picture above was taken from our wall-length window :)

The next morning the second part of my travel goal was completed and I jogged around the Swan and Dolphin Hotels along with a bit around the Yacht and Beach Club. Granted, my calf muscles were still the most sore things ever, so the run was only a mile long.

My legs were completely soothed by Friday with a welcome home hot yoga class to round out the week. This week's goals include at least two more hot yoga classes and a couple more short runs. Nothing too crazy, but some things that I have been missing incredibly!

Happy Monday, I hope your week is simply wonderful!

Home Again!

We are back and boy, it does feel wonderful to be home again. The house is still here and the cats are doing great. Although I may need to go to our chiropractor a bit earlier than originally planned. It seems that having a 14-pound cat lay on your neck all night is not exactly good for the back. But, he is cute and super cuddly and that is worth some back pain :)

As for the trip, it was awesome! There are many posts that are now being based on that trip including a few on camping, Disney, more isometric workouts, and a trip sum up because, yes, I did accomplish all my goals for it! 

For now though, I am going to relax, unpack, and cuddle some adorable kitties! Here is a great, quick workout that can fit into any weekend plans we may have. Happy weekend!        

TBT: The Pros and Cons of Eating Eggs

There has been a long standing debate in our house about whether or not eggs are healthy. Seems like our house if very similar to the rest of the health community. Some say eggs are terrible for you because of the high cholesterol count, others say that the omega fats and protein are pro's that far out-weight the cons. Like so many foods out there, there are pro's and con's to eggs as well.

Pro's of Eating Eggs

Let's start with what most people are concerned about when it comes to health: weight. In a controlled study, those who ate three eggs per day while on a diet lost more weight than those who did not. Eggs have 5-grams of fat (1.6-grams saturated and 2-grams monounsaturated, 6-grams protein, less than 1-gram of carbs, 10% of the daily value of B12, and 11% vitamin D.  

The part where eggs get there bad wrap is at the cholesterol in egg yolks. The American Heart Association recommends eating 300 mg or less of cholesterol per day; eggs have 186-mg cholesterol. In the past cholesterol has been considered the lead contributor to heart disease. Now, new studies are showing that cholesterol is not as bad as we once thought. Turns out, LDL's are a whole lot worse. There are both good and bad forms of cholesterol depending on the carrier. Carriers of the "good" cholesterol are High Density Lipoproteins (HDL), the "bad" ones are the Low Density Lipoproteins (LDL). Cholesterol and saturated fats are two of the main components that make up and LDL. Cholesterol on it's own is not what is bad, cholesterol and saturated and trans fats are the combo that we want to steer clear from. Eggs are low in saturated fats and have no trans fats.

This is great news for those that love eggs but hate heart disease. You can eat them! Eggs have not been shown to increase risk of heart disease in people who have healthy levels of cholesterol.

Con's of Eggs

If you already have high cholesterol, that is the biggest con of the egg. Different people have different levels of cholesterol. Like fat, there is no singular amount of cholesterol in any person. As we already know, cholesterol is not the baddy, LDL's are. People who have high blood cholesterol levels tend to also have high LDL levels. This means that people with higher levels of cholesterol should keep their cholesterol intake down. Therefore, nixing that whole eating tons of egg yolks bit. By loosing the egg yolk you will loose about 2.6-grams protein, 60 calories, all of the vitamins and nutrients, all of the cholesterol, and almost all of the fat.

Then comes the environmental impact of eggs. Eggs are not as bad as the meat industry, but it is not great either. Ethically, caging chickens in cramped and dirty environments for their eggs is just as bad as any other part of the meat industry- it is awful. But, free range chickens have greater access to pollutants, meaining the free rage eggs have higher pollutants as well. This Pandora's box of ethics vs. health is something that most people do not want to get into... Including me. 

In the end, whether you eat eggs or not depends on your person preference and current health. Those who have diabetes and high cholesterol are advised to steer clear of anything more than three eggs a week, including what is in their food already. Those that do not have any health factors to be altered by eating eggs can find them beneficial to a healthy diet. Eggs are a simple way to get quite a large amount of protein and Omega-3 and 6 fatty acids with very few calories, tans fat (none, actually) and saturated fats tagging along.

Here are a few more articles if you are interested in doing some extra egg research.  

Mind Body Green 

Eggs: Healthy or Not? Huffington Post 

Pollutants in Free Range Eggs 

Myth about eggs 

This article was originally posted on October 16, 2013 :)

3 Great Workouts to do with Kids

Did you exercise as a kid? I loved exercising with my Mom when I was little. We would do step aerobics together- my Mom with her real weights and me with my pretend ones. This "workout" time for me may have been nothing compared to the energy my friends and I put out riding bicycles and running around outside all day, but I believe both instilled a love of physical activity in me at a super young age.

Finding my favorite workout video, the  Barbie Dance Aerobics was like finding a missing piece of my childhood a few years back. I loved doing this workout... Even though doing this workout usually meant participating for 10-minutes then asking a family member to fast forward to the end. Hey, it may not have been long, but it was an organized workout that was fun. That Barbie Dance Aerobic video may be past it's prime, but the workouts below are some that most kids would enjoy. If we can show them the fun and importance of organized exercise at the beginning of life, maybe there will be less of a gym-love learning curve as they age.

Circuit Training

It may sound crazy, but if you have a kiddo who gets bored super easy, circuit training could be a perfect fit! In circuit training we are constantly changing what we are doing and, if done right, there is hardly time to get bored! Of course, it would not be recommended to have your little six year old try a tabata class off the bat, but something easier that adds fun things they love doing could be a hit.

A good circuit workout for kids could include some running, jumping jacks, crab walks, down dogs, planks, pull ups on monkey bars, hula hooping, hopping on one foot, and running up and down some stairs. Exercises like these will increase core muscle strength, motor functions, coordination, and athletic performance. Like running, circuit exercises will also help better understand one's own body and learn about heart rate changes.

This website has some great workouts for kids along with some handy advice!

Dance

This may not be for your ten-year-old son, but if you have little girls, look out. Dancing is something most children do for fun anyway, so having a dance class or a video they follow may seem more like super fun time to them than a group activity. Dance also encourages mental strength (memorizing all those moves can be a challenge!), social skills in a classroom situation, joint health and flexibility, healthy living, and a proper self image.

Children starting at two to three years of age can start dancing in some form, whether it be hip hop, ballet, gymnastics, or just a fun freestyle class. All of these will encourage healthy lifestyle choices early on. If there are no dance classes in your area or you do not want to shell out a couple hundred before knowing if your little one will actually like it, you can try some workout videos first.

Jogging

I cannot even believe the number of kids I know who have participated in 1-mile of 5K races by the time they are six years old. If your little one is not the dancing type, jogging can be a great option- especially for children. This is something that kids and parents can do together and has nearly instant gratification. Children will be able to see fast changes in the amount and time they can run much quicker than us adults may be able to. Races and group running events are also great ways to have them socializing and being rewarded for their work.

Running is also a fantastic way for children to better understand their heart rate, how physical activity changes the way they feel, breathing, mental fortitude, and goal setting. Starting can be the biggest hurdle so start small. The best way to begin is to have a goal such as a 5K fun run that you can do together. Three miles may not be the easiest for all parents, so why not form a love of running together? Just be sure to take things slow, 15-minutes may not seem like long to us, but to a five year old, it can be an eternity.

I simply loved this article on helping your child love running. For more tips on running with kids, be sure to check it out!

If you want to kick it up, this article talks about getting your child into the triathalon lifestyle.