I've got a fever

"Don't let it go away |This feeling has got to stay" No Doubt, New

Sometimes inspiration and motivation can come from unlikely places at unlikely times. On my way home from school I see this guy running on the sidewalk. He's looking the part: wearing shorts (check out those calves!), got the tunes hooked up, sunglasses on to fend off the morning glare and to top it off: a gorgeous blue sky in mild temperatures. Perfect for running.

I thought my legs were going to start twitching. Right then I wanted to be on the road too, pounding the pavement and listening to my own tunes. I felt like I could lose myself in that feeling and I could have run forever.

I just caught Spring Fever.

How I lost 10 pounds in 31 days

"Fully alive | More than most | Ready to smile and love life" Flyleaf, Fully Alive

Yep, I did it. Not that I set out to do it but nevertheless I did it anyway. I lost 10 pounds in a month. So what's the big secret? What on earth could I have possibly done to effect such a change?

I ate better. I moved more. That's it. And I'm down one dress size (almost 2!) as a result.

One month ago I made a commitment to myself: I would make better food choices and do something active everyday. "Active" didn't have to mean running a marathon each day. It could be something as simple as putting a little extra oompf into the house cleaning if I couldn't make it to the gym. Or taking the stairs at work instead of the elevator if I didn't have time to the dog out for a run. And making better food choices didn't mean that I was relegated to eating nothing but brown rice and vegetables (although I did eat brown rice and vegetables, but not at the same time).

I challenged myself for 31 days. Why not challenge yourself? What kind of commitment could you make to yourself over the course of the next 31 days? Walk the dog around the neighborhood each night at sunset? Learn how to do a perfect pushup?

What's your goal?

Ab-solutely brilliant

"Are you happy, are you satisfied | How long can you stand the heat?" Queen, Another One Bites The Dust

Face it: most people would rather fill their belly's with food than to exercise them. And no wonder, it's hard work! But if you're going to go for the complete package, you can't afford NOT to have a good ab routine.

Here are a few exercises that I've done in "boot camp-like" ab classes. You won't find a standard sit up or crunch here. No way.

Easiest:
* Get yourself in the classic sit up position. Sit up, do a rapid 1-2-3 punch with both arms, and come back down 10 times. Once you complete that immediately roll over into a plank position (keep your arms folded, not extended) and hold for 20 seconds. Rinse, repeat. Aim for 4 sets.

Harder:
* Grab a couple of dumbbells. Get in plank position holding onto the weights. Take your left arm and raise it up to the side and over, twisting your body so that your arm and chest are in line. Bring the weight down, repeat on the opposite side. How many can you stand?

Hardest (Note: these are advanced moves... so don't even think about it if you are a beginner!):
* Got a medicine ball handy? No? Grab a bag of sugar. Get in classic sit up position. Bring your legs up in "bicycle". Hold your ball (or sugar, as the case may be) close to your chest and twist side to side as you bicycle. Remember to breath. Try not to pass out.
* Lay yourself down. Have a "lighter" dumbbell overhead. Holding the dumbbell with both hands, bring your arms overhead to meet your legs, which, by the way, come up at the same time. Are you feeling this yet?

Stop eating boring diet food!

"What I've succumbed to is making me numb" No Doubt, Just A Girl

Have I got a salad for you. Wait--did I just hear "boring"? Banish the thought! I do not eat boring food.

Indulge in this:

• 2-3 green lettuce leafs
• 1 cup baby spinach
• 1 tbsp thinly sliced red onions
• 6-8 black olives, rinsed and sliced
• 1 tbsp crumbled feta cheese
• 1.5 ounces of grilled chicken strips(Tyson has a small bag)
• 2 tbsp Pasta House salad dressing (or vinagrette equivalent)

This powerhouse salad looks like this on the nutrition chart:

Nutrition Facts Serving Size: 1 recipe Amount Per Serving Calories 302 Total Fat 26g Saturated Fat 4.8g Cholesterol 40mg Sodium 1312mg Carbohydrate 8.3g Dietary Fiber 2.7g Sugars 1.3g Protein 14g Vitamin A 95% Vitamin C 22% Calcium 12% Iron 22%

Granted, the sodium is a bit high on this recipe. This is because of the store bought grilled chicken breast strips. If you make your own that number will almost vanish. But look at your other stats! Only 302 calories? Check out those vitamins! And while 26 grams of fat looks daunting, most of that is good monounsaturated fat.

And now, to really indulge: I love to treat myself, especially when I eat. I had this deliciousness today for lunch, served up in a china bowl with a small glass of Merlot to get those benefits of red wine. It felt rather decadent, if I do say so myself.

And that's exactly how I like it.

In the land of the BBQ, Grilled Portobello Mushrooms are King!

I nearly had a heart attack this afternoon when my husband announced that he wanted to bust out the grill and do the "manly" BBQ thing. At present, I am distancing myself from all things Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, Ice Cream, Candy Bars, French Fries, etc.
What's a girl to do during "grilling season"?
Bust out the portobellos!
After a quick internet search I found a Grilled Portobello Mushroom recipe to die for. This statement was cemented after my husband, having just pulled my concoction off the grill for me to eat, sliced a piece off and fed it to... himself. The man nearly melted into the floor; the look on his face was pure bliss and I almost raced to get the camera.
For the record: He took two bites of his burger and then promptly polished off one of my mushrooms. Yes, you read right. This was that good.
So, without further ado: Grilled Portobello Mushrooms.
Note: I only used 1/2 tsp of salt (to reduce the sodium intake) and a scant 1/4 cup of olive oil. I added 1/3 cup of crumbled feta cheese (which slightly upped the sodium intake, oh well) and a teaspoon of oregano.
Given the above changes, here's how two portobello mushrooms stacked up nutritionally:

Nutrition Facts Grilled Portobello Mushrooms
2 Servings (Two mushroom caps per serving)
Amount Per Serving
Calories (Excellent!)		396.9
Total Fat		34.6 g
	Saturated Fat	7.8 g
	Polyunsaturated Fat	3.5 g
	Monounsaturated Fat (here's your good fat)	21.4 g
Cholesterol		22.0 mg
Sodium (not too shabby!)		873.6 mg
Potassium		1,228.7 mg
Total Carbohydrate		18.8 g
	Dietary Fiber (pretty darn good!)	6.5 g
	Sugars	4.7 g
Protein		10.1 g

(That's awesome!!!!)

Get outside!

"It's not having what you want, it's wanting what you've got" Sheryl Crow, Soak Up The Sun

So you can't make it to the gym. Big deal. That's no excuse no to get some exercise on a gorgeous day.

Got kids?

Chase them around the grass in a game of freeze tag. Not only will you spend quality time with your kids but you'll get a great workout as well (can you say interval training?!).

Got a dog?

If your dog is like mine, they are nuts about chasing things. Harley likes to chase balls. Get a game of soccer going with your dog. Use forward, side and back kicks to work your legs.

Got a bike?

Take the family on a bike ride or head out yourself for some time to reflect. And sweat.

Got running shoes?

Hit the pavement. You don't need a treamill to run. Breathe in the fresh air.

Got a garden?

You'd be surprised at how many calories gardening burns.

Got a lawn?

Mow it. Try to stretch it for an hour.