CSA: Community Supported Agriculture

A while ago, I heard about a service where you can get local produce delivered to your door. I had forgot about this until now. I have been doing a lot of grocery shopping recently. A lot of unsuccessful grocery shopping, I should say. I have been so frustrated. It seems the produce isn't very good and trying to find organic is sometimes a struggle in stores!

I like buying organic, and local organic would be even better! There are a few grocery stores in the Madison Area that support local and/or local organic produce, but it isn't convenient for me to get there.

After searching on the internet for a while, I realized I was looking for a CSA, community supported agriculture, program. I found the Madison Area CSA Coalition! Tons of farms and all organic! Great! I finally discovered that they don't deliver to your home, but there is a site basically down the road, within 10 minutes of my home, which is great! I decided to email April's Garden CSA for more information. This is definitely something I am interested in. Here is a link to Madison's CSA website: http://www.csacoalition.org/

Are you currently part of a CSA? What do you like about it? Do you live in the Madison area and have a CSA that delivers to your home? If so, tell me about it please!!! That is what I would prefer!

Once I hear back from April's Garden, I will post on what I learned!

I did make it to the gym today and burned 700 calories! 1640 calories left to burn! Did you get your workout in yet today?

Making Jimmy John's For Lunch Healthy

Sometimes it is just easier to run some where and pick up a sandwich for lunch. That's how I felt yesterday, so I ran to Jimmy John's to get a sub. I usually get the vegetarian sub, which is 579 calories. I didn't realize that until I looked it up on their website about 5 minutes go. That seems like a lot of calories for a simple sub. The great thing about their website is that you can add and subtract ingredients from your sandwich. If I just asked for no Mayo my sandwich would about 385 calories! That is so much better! I think I will try next time, saving me 194 calories!

To make your meal even healthier. Skip out on the chips and/or cookie. Instead, grab or pack a banana from home to eat with your sandwich! The chocolate chunk cookie is 420 calories and the Thinny chips are their lowest calorie chips at 130 calories. In general, a banana is about 100 calories, but depending on the size of your banana it could be more. At least the banana is good for you!

Below is a look at the calories for their 6 original sandwiches.

Sandwiches	Calories
#4 Turkey Tom	515
#2 Big John (Roast Beef)	533
#6 Vegetarian	578
#5 Vito (Salami)	600
#1 Pepe (Ham)	614
#3 Totally Tuna	648

The Giant Club Sandwiches are all high in calories. The lowest calorie Giant Club Sandwich is #14 Bootlegger Club at 684 calories and the highest calorie Giant Club Sandwich is #9 Italian Night Club at 948 calories.

The Plain Slims really aren't better for you. The Plain Slim Tuna is actually more calories than the original and the Vito and Slim #5 are the same calories! For the most part, the slims are the original 6 subs without the veggies and dressings. The few veggies you get in the originals are good for you; I wouldn't recommend that you take those away. The dressings on the other hand, you don't always need. So just get an original, and take out the mayo or other dressing and you are probably good to go!

The next time you plan on going to Jimmy John's, check out their nutritional information online first. Educate yourself so you make the best possible decision. Here is a link to their website: http://www.jimmyjohns.com/menu/nutrition.aspx

Also, I made it to the gym today and burned 500 calories on the elliptical. 2340 calories remaining! Have you worked out yet today?

Lunges for Great Legs

With not being able to fit in time to get to the gym this morning, I've decided to take an active rest and start working on figuring out a new lower body toning routine. I haven't done many lower body exercises in quite a while and it is time to get that back into my workout routine. One exercise I know I want to use is THE LUNGE. It is a great lower body exercise. It tones the front and back of your legs (quadriceps and hamstrings) and even your butt (gluteus muscle)!

Here is the right way to perform a lunge

1. Make sure your front knee is in line with your front ankle when you are in the lunge position. You definitely don't want your knee to pass your toes! Also, keep your weight in the heel of your front foot.

2. When lowering in the lunge, drop your back knee straight towards the floor. This will help you stay in good alignment.

3. If you feel you can't do the above, increase your stride to correct your alignment.

There are many different ways to lunge

1. You can step forward, lower into your lunge, and step back into your starting position. 

2. You can step backward, lower into your lunge, and step forward into your starting position. 

3. You can do walking lunges where you step forward, lunge, then step forward with the opposite leg, lunge, and continue alternating legs. 

4. You can also step into your lunge position, stay there and pulse up and down. 

5. You can even add bicep curls (shown in the picture above) to add an upper body exercise while lunging!

Try adding the lunge to your workout routine! Let me know if you have any questions on how to make sure you are lunging safely and effectively!

I may still get on a walk with Nora later today. If not, I'll be back in the gym tomorrow! How about you? Are you gonna make it to the gym today?

How Many Calories Do You Burn On the Elliptical?

Yesterday, I posted about calorie burn on walking versus running, so today I wanted to let you know what the calorie burn is like for the elliptical machine. Of course, the calorie burn does vary based on the the speed and resistance at which you are going, but below is a general look at what you would burn for 30 minutes on the elliptical.

I worked out on the elliptical today for about 1 hour and burned 660 calories. I usually work at a resistance of 3 and at a speed between 55 and 60 rotations/minute. That leaves me with 2,840 calories left to burn this week!

Have you worked out today? Maybe you can workout on the elliptical! It's a great workout!

I got the calories burned from this online calculator: http://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/cbc

Weight (lbs)	Calories Burned
100	258 calories
110	284 calories
120	310 calories
130	335 calories
140	361 calories
150	387 calories
160	413 calories
170	439 calories
180	464 calories
190	490 calories
200	516 calories

Walking versus Running

Walking and running are both great forms of exercise. Running burns calories more efficiently, creates more impact on your joints, and covers more distance in less time. Walking doesn't burn calories as efficiently as running, but it is much less impact on your joints, making it less likely for injury.

I use to be a runner, but due to continual injuries, I started to enjoy walking much more. When I want to burn calories more efficiently I get to the gym and hop on the elliptical where I can work hard without causing a flare up!

Running isn't for everyone. If you love to run, great! If not, don't sweat it. Go for nice long walks around your neighborhood, on a bike trail, or other nature trails! While it may not burn calories in the fastest manner, you are still burning calories and doing something healthy for your heart.

I took Nora for a long walk around our neighborhood this morning. We walked and walked and walked, totaling 80 minutes! I burned about 300 calories, making my remaining 270 calories I needed to burn! Yay! So finally for the first time in a while I have met my 3500 calorie burn challenge! I may not have burned as many calories as I would have on the elliptical or if I had been running, but then again I probably would have stopped long before 80 minutes too! So here is to the endurance of walking, allowing me to make my goal by just stepping outside!

Here is a look at comparing calories burned when walking and running. Remember, how much you burn is related to the time, the pace, and your weight. In the example below we are using a time of 30 minutes.                      

Weight  (lbs)	Walking (3miles/hour)	Running (5miles/hour)
100	99 calories	192 calories
110	108 calories	211 calories
120	118 calories	230 calories
130	128 calories	249 calories
140	138 calories	268 calories
150	148 calories	288 calories
160	158 calories	307 calories
170	168 calories	326 calories
180	178 calories	345 calories
190	188 calories	365 calories
200	198 calories	384 calories

I got the calories burned from this online calculator: http://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/cbc

Enjoying The Outdoors

Summer is definitely coming to an end, but not quite yet. It is a beautiful day out today and I plan on spending some quality time out there with my baby girl! Nora has started walking a little bit; maybe we'll get to walk around in the yard! Sometimes she isn't too sure about grass and doesn't want to walk, crawl, or sit on it. Other times, she is on the move! We'll she what she does today. Not too many days left where we can go and enjoy our warm days outside!

I also made it to the gym this morning. Burned 600 calories, leaving me with 270 left to burn by tomorrow evening! Have you worked out yet today? If not, at least get outside and enjoy the weather!

Walk For Your Treats

Yesterday afternoon Nora and I decided to go on another walk. It was such a beautiful day and I was feeling like making our walk a little extra special. So I walked Nora down to our local pizza place, Papa Jimmy's, where they have my favorite ice cream. It took about 20 minutes to get there and then we ordered an ice cream cone. Nora loved it! When the ice cream was gone she kept saying "Nummy, Nummy, Nummy"! I guess I have passed on my love for ice cream onto my 1 year old daughter! Oops! After that we walked back home. Another 20 minute walk. It was perfect!

A few years ago, Chris and I had made a summer rule, that whenever we wanted ice cream we had to walk for it. It was a good rule that summer. We got a lot of walking in that year!

Walking to get a treat is great. You get a little bit of exercise and then treat yourself for it. Plus, you are burning off at least a little bit of your treat's calories! Try it sometime! Next time you want an ice cream treat, walk to your nearest  grocery store, McDonald's, or where ever they sell your favorite ice cream treat near you!

So I burned about 100 calories on our afternoon walk yesterday. I also made it to the gym this morning and burned 500 calories on the elliptical! That means I have 870 calories left to burn this week! What did your exercise regimen look like today?

Stroller Walks!

One of my favorite things is going on walks with Nora. I love pulling out the stroller, getting fresh air, and a little bit of exercise! Nora loves going on walks too!

Today, Nora and I got to go on an extra special walk with my friend Bethany and her new baby boy Blake! It was so much fun - minus Nora screaming off and on because I forgot her pacifier (which she calls "meme") in the car. Oh well, I will know better next time! 

Nora and Blake

I forgot to check the time when we started our walk, so I wasn't going to count any calorie burn. Luckily, Bethany knows I love counting my calories, so she told me the route we walked usually takes 40 minutes. So I am counting 100 calories for our walk!!!!!

That brings my total calorie burn for the week to 2,030 calories. That means 1,470 calories left to burn. Good thing I burned extra calories yesterday! Maybe I'll get another walk in with Nora later today too!

Do you like going on walks? If you have little ones, pull out the stroller and go on a nice walk today! If you do, ask a friend to join you! 

Great On-The-Go Snack

Recently, I have rediscovered muffins. If you are grabbing a muffin from a coffee shop or bakery, you are doing yourself a disservice. Most muffins are high in fat and sugar, leaving you with the amount of nutrition you would be getting from a bowl of sugary kid's cereal. The great thing is - muffins don't have to be bad for you! If you make them yourself and use healthy ingredients, you are bound to be making a healthy snack that you can grab out of the refrigerator (heat up in the microwave, if you wish) and go.


The KEYS to making healthy muffins:
Replace the flour in the recipe with: WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR
Replace the oil in the recipe with: UNSWEETENED APPLESAUCE.
Replace the sugar in the recipe with: DATE SUGAR
Replace the eggs in the recipe with: EGG WHITES

Date sugar can be hard to find. I know Bob's Red Mill makes it, but I haven't gotten the chance to get it yet since learning about this great substitution. Dates are full of fiber, potassium, and many other vitamins and minerals. Plus, it is almost half the calories of regular sugar. Dates are 528 calories/cup while regular sugar is 774 calories/cup.

Here is my Zucchini Recipe! I have used all the healthy ingredients listed above with the exception of the date sugar. I used regular organic sugar since I don't have the date sugar yet. But I am excited to try it soon!

Ingredients
2 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup date sugar
1 1/2 cups zucchini, grated and squeezed 
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Combine egg whites, vanilla, sugar. Stir in zucchini. Stir in applesauce. Mix in baking soda and salt.
In a different bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
Stir flour mixture into zucchini mixture.
Divide mixture among 12 muffin cups.
Bake 20 minutes. 

I love having these around for a quick breakfast or snack in the afternoon! They are only 100 calories!

Along with loving this muffin recipe, I loved my morning workout at the gym. I burned 770 calories on the elliptical. I kept going after 500 calories because I didn't want to turn the TV show I was watching off! That makes for a total of 1,930 calories burned so far this week! Did you get to the gym yet today?

And do you have a healthy muffin recipe that you love? Share it with me! I would love to try it!

Madison Arboretum

Me and Nora

Yesterday, we took Nora for a walk through UW-Madison's Arboretum. We had so much fun there. It is so peaceful being surrounded by nature!

The Arboretum is a place where ecological restoration and physical fitness can mesh.

While the vision of the Arboretum is to return this area of land back to it's more natural condition, they have made amazing pathways for hikers, walkers, bikers, and cross country skiers to enjoy Madison in it's most pure state. We had such a fun time just walking around the beautiful scenery.

My Husband Chris and Nora

I burned about 160 calories on our walk yesterday! I also went to the gym this morning and burned another 500 calories on the elliptical, stretched, and did my ab exercises!

That brings me to 1160 calories burned so far this week!

What did you/are you doing for exercise today? Are you out enjoying nature or sweating it out in the gym? Share your workouts with me here and stay motivated each and every day to get some physical activity into your busy day!

Labor Day Brings a Fresh Start

With Labor Day here it feels like Fall already. I'm ok with the weather changing. I like the slightly cooler days where you can walk around in jeans and a sweatshirt. It always feels like a fresh start. So I am taking a fresh start to the gym! I have been so horrible on getting to the gym regularly this summer and I'm ready to get back to working out every day.

Chris and I worked out this morning! I burned 500 calories on the elliptical and did my ab exercises, including 3 minutes of planks! It's nice burning 500 calories instead of 700 or 800. It seems so much easier. Plus, I need to balance my workout with some upper body and lower body toning. Cutting my cardio down to 500 calories will help me do that!

I am also still trying to drink 8 cups of water each day! It is still such a challenge for me. But like I started a few weeks ago - for each day I drink 8 cups I get to count 100 calories towards my goal!

Join me this week in making a fresh start with your workouts for the Fall season! Share your workouts - what is your favorite workout activity?

And later today, I think we are going to pull out the stroller and go for a family walk!