OT: P90X/Health and Fitness Thread

[Newz]

I have been working on a salad as of late that I think has turned out awesome. Pretty similar to Mags.

- Baby spinach leaves
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Carrots
- Onions
- Hard boiled egg
- Tomatoes
- Wasabi and Soy Sauce Almonds
- Grilled Protein (Mostly use chicken, salmon and tuna like Mags)

Wasabi + Soy Sauce Almonds = Greatest.Thing.Ever.

[jerrod]

that sounds pretty tasty, i wish i was ambitious enough to make that. any kind of dressing on that or just plain?

[Newz]

that sounds pretty tasty, i wish i was ambitious enough to make that. any kind of dressing on that or just plain?

I usually put a little lemon on whatever protein I use. Maybe a little seasoning salt, but nothing that goes overboard as that kills the healthy aspect of it.

You usually get enough flavor from the meat, onions and the soy/wasabi blend to avoid the dressing.

[Mags FTW]

At the end of the day though, total calories for the day are what matter most.

I use the Lose It! iphone app to count calories. I always stay under the recommended calorie amount (1,800 right now) and don't even enter in my exercise. Last night's run burned 400.

[Mags FTW]

I have been working on a salad as of late that I think has turned out awesome. Pretty similar to Mags.

- Baby spinach leaves
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Carrots
- Onions
- Hard boiled egg
- Tomatoes
- Wasabi and Soy Sauce Almonds
- Grilled Protein (Mostly use chicken, salmon and tuna like Mags)

Wasabi + Soy Sauce Almonds = Greatest.Thing.Ever.

I'm at the mercy of whatever is at the Metro Market salad bar that day. Today they didn't have sunflower seeds so I had to add a few croutons and chow mein noodles for flavor.

[emunney]

Any runners here?

About a month and a half ago I decided to really buckle down and lose some weight. My diet consisted of fruit and milk for breakfast, grilled chicken/salmon/tuna salad for lunch, grilled chicken/salmon/tuna salad for dinner. I would also run 5K every other day. I was losing about 3 pounds a week and my best 5K time was about 28:30. Then a week and a half ago I sprained my knee and had to stop running. I also slipped in my diet and probably gained a pound or two. Today I felt the knee was good to go so I started up my diet again and ran a 5K. My time was 26:26. What the hell? Am I underestimating the pace I should be going or was it a flukey thing where you running really well after a rest?

I'm not a runner but I've had improvements in strength after taking a rest week. I usually have one roughly every 6 weeks.

This checks out. Most marathoners, for instance, will cut off training for a substantial break before a race.

[ReasonablySober]

Newz that salad sounds great.

Lately I've been grilling whatever I can, most of the time a tuna steak, blackened and cajun seasoned. Still get a smoothie in the morning most days.

For you guys who like your salads, this is a vinaigrette I made that was freaking awesome. In a blender mix red-whine vinegar, Bolthouse Farms Berry juice, frozen raspberries and about two tablespoons of EVOO. It's tart, only a little sweet and really good on something like spinach and chicken breasts.

Does anyone around here bike a lot? I used to be jealous of people who were able to bike to work. I was always carrying equipment to and from work at my old job, but not anymore. It's about five miles on a bike path to my new job and I'm gonna start biking when it's nice. Good source of exercise?

[Kerb Hohl]

Does anyone around here bike a lot? I used to be jealous of people who were able to bike to work. I was always carrying equipment to and from work at my old job, but not anymore. It's about five miles on a bike path to my new job and I'm gonna start biking when it's nice. Good source of exercise?

I lost a ton of weight one summer going back and forth 5 miles each way to work.

[ReasonablySober]

Dope.

[Newz]

Tuna steak is amazing.

DB, what kind of smoothies have you been making? I have been trying to look for some healthy ones that are quick to make for breakfast in the morning.

I got lazy and my diet got out of control for a few months at the end of winter. Too much drinking and big meals with friends and families. I packed on an extra 5-10 pounds that I want to cut off. After that I am going back to eating a surplus of calories with as little fat/sugar as possible.

[ReasonablySober]

Tuna steak is amazing.

DB, what kind of smoothies have you been making? I have been trying to look for some healthy ones that are quick to make for breakfast in the morning.

I got lazy and my diet got out of control for a few months at the end of winter. Too much drinking and big meals with friends and families. I packed on an extra 5-10 pounds that I want to cut off. After that I am going back to eating a surplus of calories with as little fat/sugar as possible.

Same. Got down to 190 in November but a winter of birthdays, holidays, Chicago and Packer parties led to me sitting at about 205 for the last few months. Not worried, I know I can drop it soon, but nice weather is gonna be welcome.

My smoothie recipe is very easy and very tasty.

Frozen fruit from the bag (about 1/2 cup each):
Blueberries
Raspberries
Blackberries
Cherries

One banana, cut up

One serving of fat free blueberry/cherry/lime/etc. yogurt

Splashes of:
Bolthouse Farms Green Goodness juice
Bolthouse Farms Carrot juice
Bolthouse Farms Berry Boost juice

1 tbsp low fat kefir

1/4 cup light Silk chocolate soy milk

Blend it all until smooth. You have to play around with the portions, but if you follow the above it'll give you about two large servings, and one is good enough for your breakfast in the morning.

[jerrod]

is that the kind of thing that you could make 2 or 3 days worth at a time and keep it in the fridge or would it get gross?

i've been eating a couple kashi granola bars for breakfast but aside from protein and fiber, there isn't too much else in them.

[ReasonablySober]

is that the kind of thing that you could make 2 or 3 days worth at a time and keep it in the fridge or would it get gross?

i've been eating a couple kashi granola bars for breakfast but aside from protein and fiber, there isn't too much else in them.

I've found that once you've made it a couple times, it becomes really easy to eyeball everything and have a days worth in about three minutes. I'll have a glass for breakfast, stick leftovers in the fridge have the rest with my dinner or lunch. Rinse the blender out and repeat the next morning before work. It's actually quicker than making a bowl of cereal.

[Newz]

Same. Got down to 190 in November but a winter of birthdays, holidays, Chicago and Packer parties led to me sitting at about 205 for the last few months. Not worried, I know I can drop it soon, but nice weather is gonna be welcome.

My smoothie recipe is very easy and very tasty.

Frozen fruit from the bag (about 1/2 cup each):
Blueberries
Raspberries
Blackberries
Cherries

One banana, cut up

One serving of fat free blueberry/cherry/lime/etc. yogurt

Splashes of:
Bolthouse Farms Green Goodness juice
Bolthouse Farms Carrot juice
Bolthouse Farms Berry Boost juice

1 tbsp low fat kefir

1/4 cup light Silk chocolate soy milk

Blend it all until smooth. You have to play around with the portions, but if you follow the above it'll give you about two large servings, and one is good enough for your breakfast in the morning.

Sounds like it could be pretty good. I'll have to give it a try soon. I am going to be moving toward my work soon'ish and it should clear up a ton of time for me to work out and eat healthy. Right now I spend anywhere from an hour and a half to three hours on the road a day because of the I-94 construction.

I also hope to move closer to a Panera too. They have a lot of stuff there you can just run in, pick up and eat quick that is super healthy.

I'd also recommend Vitamin Water ZERO for people who haven't tried it. Regular Vitamin Water is basically just soda (high in calories/sugar) that has some vitamins in it...

But Vitamin Water Zero is naturally sweetened, it has 0 calories and a much lower sugar count. If you drink a bottle of that stuff it's like taking a one-a-day multi-vitamin. I really like the lemonade flavor.

Also, I'd recommend taking a one-a-day multi-vitamin for anyone who doesn't. After you do it for about two weeks you just start to feel better when you wake up and as you go through the day.

[SheedsWeed]

I saw some of you talking about static stretching a page or two back. I try to run a lot and would stretch just cause I thought it was normal, but I read some posts and looked it up and some say it may not be good. So, should I just not stretch at all before I run now?

[MartyConlonOnTheRun]

Any runners here?

About a month and a half ago I decided to really buckle down and lose some weight. My diet consisted of fruit and milk for breakfast, grilled chicken/salmon/tuna salad for lunch, grilled chicken/salmon/tuna salad for dinner. I would also run 5K every other day. I was losing about 3 pounds a week and my best 5K time was about 28:30. Then a week and a half ago I sprained my knee and had to stop running. I also slipped in my diet and probably gained a pound or two. Today I felt the knee was good to go so I started up my diet again and ran a 5K. My time was 26:26. What the hell? Am I underestimating the pace I should be going or was it a flukey thing where you running really well after a rest?

I'm not a runner but I've had improvements in strength after taking a rest week. I usually have one roughly every 6 weeks.

This checks out. Most marathoners, for instance, will cut off training for a substantial break before a race.

True, but that is more so you don't injure yourself then getting an added boost. You probably can't run 20 miles and then the next week run 26 without injuring something.

[jimmybones]

At the end of the day though, total calories for the day are what matter most.

I use the Lose It! iphone app to count calories. I always stay under the recommended calorie amount (1,800 right now) and don't even enter in my exercise. Last night's run burned 400.

You're good then, in the scheme of things, calorie totals are going to be far more important than any of those other details for losing weight. 1,800 sounds kinda low though, with the amount of running you do... Make sure you're getting edequate protein(at least 0.75grams x your body weight) to make sure you're losing fat and not muscle!

This checks out. Most marathoners, for instance, will cut off training for a substantial break before a race.

Same with weight training. It's important to deload from time to time to give your nervous system a break. Muscle, tendons, ligaments usually all adapt just fine, but if your nervous system is fried your performance will suffer.

Good source of exercise?

Absolutely.

I saw some of you talking about static stretching a page or two back. I try to run a lot and would stretch just cause I thought it was normal, but I read some posts and looked it up and some say it may not be good. So, should I just not stretch at all before I run now?

Stetching is perfectly fine before and should be done after. Before, it's more about what gets you "loose" so it depends on what you're doing and what your body responds to. I think what JoeyMorgan was saying is that for some people it's better to do dymanic stretching before, which is true for a lot of people but everyone is different. Strongly recommend static stretching AFTER running though. Keeps your muscles long and out of knots, which helps reduce soreness and makes them more effective the next time you train.

[SheedsWeed]

I saw some of you talking about static stretching a page or two back. I try to run a lot and would stretch just cause I thought it was normal, but I read some posts and looked it up and some say it may not be good. So, should I just not stretch at all before I run now?

Stetching is perfectly fine before and should be done after. Before, it's more about what gets you "loose" so it depends on what you're doing and what your body responds to. I think what JoeyMorgan was saying is that for some people it's better to do dymanic stretching before, which is true for a lot of people but everyone is different. Strongly recommend static stretching AFTER running though. Keeps your muscles long and out of knots, which helps reduce soreness and makes them more effective the next time you train.

Ah ok. Yeah, I never thought to stretch AFTER I ran. I will definitely have to do that from now on.

[Mags FTW]

At the end of the day though, total calories for the day are what matter most.

I use the Lose It! iphone app to count calories. I always stay under the recommended calorie amount (1,800 right now) and don't even enter in my exercise. Last night's run burned 400.

You're good then, in the scheme of things, calorie totals are going to be far more important than any of those other details for losing weight. 1,800 sounds kinda low though, with the amount of running you do... Make sure you're getting edequate protein(at least 0.75grams x your body weight) to make sure you're losing fat and not muscle!

How does the body decide to burn muscle instead of fat?

[MartyConlonOnTheRun]

What are some cheap, easy sources of protein? I'm extremely lazy and my 3 favorite meals are cereal, tuna, and pizza. I see canned chicken breast but have always been afraid to try it due to this forum posting pics like this:

Is just regular canned chicken breast any good/good for you?