Don’t be afraid of the muscles!

Posted on March 27, 2013 by Malin

Today I worked out with some of the girls from back in the days when I first met Jonathan over at Lifetime Fitness. It always happens on the brakes when everyone’s schedule is up in the air but I love to see them because they are so much fun to hang with. I thought we were going to work legs but like I mentioned with this week when Jonathan trying to accommodate everyone’s schedule we ended up focusing on upper body instead.

I think pretty much everyone has their favorite muscle to work and for some reason my shoulders are “OK strong” and I like to challenge myself with they weight. Toady was no different I started out with a 25 pound kettle bell as we had 4 movement circuit and I will admit that the last set when I was doing 30 pounds was bloody heavy but yet so fun…lol.

The next circuit we kept on working with the pulling/pushing and I started with the “Arnold shoulder press” (I have no ambition on going down that road). Even though the weight was not that heavy I think my shoulders already had done a fair bit of work. The point was to keep it light and do higher rep counts, then go heavier on the following two exercises and do less reps.

The first heavy movements were a barbell press and I got annoyed with myself when Jonathan had to take off weight. I don’t know what it was but my pecks really hurt from Monday and I only realized lying down on the bench, so maybe I was not prepared. The last set I went up again in weight and I guess it was pure will but at least I got my 12 reps in ;).

I’m not afraid of getting bulky because I think it takes a lot of work for a woman to achieve that and it is not my goal. But I really got scared today when I was on the “bench” for the priest curls and I looked myself in the mirror. All I could see was this big two shoulders between this little head of mine and all I can think is OMG this is soooo wrong, when did this happened?! I told Jonathan and he smiles at me and goes “What did you expect when you working the heavy weight on the shoulders? The thing was, sitting like that really made up a funny angle so the shoulders came into focus because as soon as I was standing up I looked like my old self again.

This is Ms A just saying Hi…

We finished the workout with some high intensity work, squat jumps, mountain climbers and some more shoulder work. Tomorrow I am starting to do some painting in our basement and I have a feeling it is going to be painful…

Spice up your Breakfast egg

Posted on March 19, 2013 by Malin

Have never been a breakfast gal, except for my cup of black coffee! My lack of interest in this early meal is also the reason why I never really blog about my breakfast as it’s not that exciting but today I decided I would actually change it up a bit.

I normally have 3 boiled eggs (1 yolk) depending how I feel I also might make porridge but not always. Today I decided to try to make something that is a little bit more enjoyable, as well as something that was quick and easy.

3 hard boiled Eggs (3 egg whites with 1 yolk)

1/2 avocado

1/2 tomato

chili flakes

Garlic powder

A splash of Lemon Champagne Vinegar

salt and pepper

Good Morning Lazy Saturday

Posted on March 16, 2013 by Malin

Knut already played his game of indoor soccer this morning and apparently it was a disaster. Two player from his team got a “blue card” and was sent of for a 2 minutes penalty, not sure what sport the ref was calling but I am pretty sure it was not soccer! When Freddie and Knut returned they both pretended that the game never happened and I am very glad that me and Miss Mira stayed in bed and snuggled.

So when I finally made it downstairs I made pancakes for the kids and tried this great recipe I re-blogged earlier this week from fit for life http://www.talesofinspiration.wordpress.com.

muffins

So now I am sitting in our sitting room sipping on my morning coffee and eating my breakfast muffin…

2 eggs and 4 egg whites

garlic powder

Chili Powder

Fresh Thyme

Fresh Tarragon

Sun dried tomatoes in olive oil

salt and pepper

Splash of water

mushrooms, chopped

Fresh baby spinach

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Spray non-stick spray in a saute pan, cook onions and garlic, stirring often so they don’t burn. Add mushrooms and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add spinach. Cook until spinach is wilted add salt and pepper, remove from heat and set aside.
Spray 6 cup muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray or brush with olive oil.
Depending in the size of your muffin tin, measure out 3-4 TBSP of egg whites in each tin (or 1 egg per muffin cup), then evenly distribute your sauteed veggies into each cup. Sprinkle with just a touch of cheese for flavor (we don’t want to add to many extra calories).
Place in oven and cook for about 12-15 minutes or until firm. Remove from oven, let them cool until you can handle them. Place in small containers to easily grab them out of the fridge and go!

Lets make porridge sexy!!

Posted on January 15, 2013 by Malin

I never been a breakfast girl but I do know the importance of a good one. I’ve been eating a low-carb diet for years and omelets with crème and cheese as always been a favorite but since I committed to my challenge I am now both dairy and gluten-free which make it a bit more interesting. John has suggested me that I need to eat a small portion of carbs in the morning and now I am not talking about stuffing my face with Duncan Donut and a Moccachino, I talking about making porridge! I use ¼ cup of oats and 1-2 tablespoons of flaxseed that I seasons with cinnamon and cardamom and a little bit of salt and when it thickens up I throw in some blueberry.

The trick is not to get it to dry so I always leave a little bit of water in the bowl instead of the milk.

Blueberries have some great health benefits with a lot of antioxidants that is good for your immune system, circulation, and cell growth just to mention a few. Flaxseeds together with cinnamon will help to stabilize your blood sugar so mixing oats with flaxseeds will prohibit the blood sugar to hit the roof too fast.

To get my protein I also make an omelet but nowadays without my beloved cheese. I will have 4 egg whites and 1 whole egg that I will season with salt, pepper, chili flakes, oregano, basil, and thyme. To make the omelet more appealing for my eye as well as my taste buds I chop a few mushrooms, tomatoes and a couple of olives.