menopausal belly

I try not to whine about it.

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It has been two months since my last blog post and the beginning of my mile training. While it has been exhilarating to try something new, it has been difficult, yet satisfying. I feel like I need to keep going. My friend Dorian and I are training together. She is in charge. I show up at the track and she has planned the workout. I just do what she tells me, and try not to whine about it.

I will let you in on my progress. I am not quite sure what to think about it. I started training on March, 17. On March 31, I did my first time trial. I ran a 8:38 in the park on a mile course. 8:38 is nowhere near 5:55, which is the time I need to break the National record for my age. I wasn’t expecting much because I had not been running and had just started the track workouts.

Fast forward 2 months. I have been training hard twice a week on the track. We had our second time trial on the same course in the park. I ran a 8:28, only 10 seconds under my previous time. I called my brother Paul to tell him about the time. He pointed out when you start something new, you improve quickly and then it becomes so much harder to make any progress. That information doesn’t discourage me. I am thrilled at 68 to be able to complete the workouts. I notice a difference in my body. I feel leaner and stronger. I am starting to feel comfortable running again.

According to Dorian, it is time to up the intensity on our training. I am not quite sure how I can do that. I have gotten this far, so we will see what happens. We need to work on strength and endurance. Hill workouts are now on the schedule. I will work on not whining too much.

The key is to not overdue things and injure myself. I am prioritizing recovery. I am cold plunging, foam rolling, getting massages, taking Epsom salt baths and making sure I am eating enough protein. Naps are important too. I tend to eat too many carbohydrates and push through when I am tired. I don’t want to do that.

Thanks for reading,

Mary

PS. We end all of our track workouts with crunches and Foundation Training. I always include ab work and Foundation Training at OutdoorFit. Are you interested in getting stronger with me and the Fabulous OutdoorFit ladies? It is not too late to start. You will be amazed with you can do.

The perfect stretch after a hill workout!

Dinner in 20!

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Do you have a weekly meal plan?

I cook about the same every week. I try my best to eat in season. I change up the vegetables and herbs depending on what was at the Farmer’s Market, or in the CSA box that week.

Having a plan makes shopping easy. I shop once a week at Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s. I just go through the aisles and buy the same thing I also love Thrive Market. We eat what I buy so there is very little waste.

Here is a typical week of dinners.

  • Saturday: White rice, vegetables, cod  (Click here to read why I eat white rice instead of brown rice.)
  • Sunday: Banza chickpea pasta, chicken sausage, vegetables
  • Monday: Shrimp, sweet potatoes, vegetables
  • Tuesday: Chicken Fajitas(I marinate enough chicken thighs so I can have it on Thursday as well.) I serve with grain free Siete Chips.
  • Wednesday: Scallops, rice, vegetables
  • Thursday: Chicken Fajitas
  • Friday: Pizza Night! Amy’s cheese-less pizza, chicken sausage, vegetables

I cook in portion sizes. I cook for four. Full disclosure, sometimes the three of us eat the whole thing. Or I save one serving for Tom’s lunch the next day. The beauty of it all is cooking time is about 20 minutes.

Lately, I  have been buying a whole organic chicken, pasture raised when I can find it. I make pulled chicken for lunches, and save the bones to make bone broth. I love the efficiency and no waste in the process! During the week, I cook rice in the homemade bone broth. The broth is so good for you and it adds great flavor to the white rice.

I love having a plan and knowing what’s for dinner. My special needs son Tom will ask me what’s for dinner. If I don’t have an answer he will keep asking. He has made me organized! I now have less stress around dinner. I am also working on eating earlier. The plan is to eat at 6 pm. I need to start cooking at  5:40. I can usually get in on the table in 20 minutes or at least in 30!

I love having my IPAD on my kitchen windows so I can watch Garden Answers or Grace and Frankie for the third time! It makes kitchen time fun!

I hope this was helpful to you.  Do you have a meal plan?. Please post a comment. I love hearing about your everyday life.

Watermelon
        Eat in Season.

 

 

 

 

I am roasting a pasture raised chicken today!

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This week, I bought meat from a local farm, Snoep Winkle Farm. They are located in Branchville, NJ. I first learned about Snoep Winkle because they sell their eggs at Whole Foods.

They sell grass fed chickens, pork, beef, and lamb as well.

From Snoep Winkle Farm:

“The more we learned about the conventional methods by which most livestock are raised, the more convinced we became that we wanted our animals to be raised as God intended – eating grass as the basis of their diet.

We do not give our animals steroids, growth hormones, nor sub-therapeutic levels of antibiotics. Raising the animals on pasture is not only good for their diet, but is also the way they were intended to be raised. Their manure is directly applied to the fields by the animals themselves, thus fertilizing the pastures.”

I think it is so important to support our local farmers. It is critical for our health, our family’s well being and  the survival of the earth. Does that seem extreme? Maybe.

I know it is more expensive. If you pay attention to portion control and eat less. It all works out in the end.

Tom and I have been going to the farmer’s market every Sunday. I love to buy sheep yogurt and sheep cheese from Valley Shepherd Creamery in Long Valley, NJ.  It is so delicious! I buy 1/4 pound and that is our cheese for the week.

I love my little back yard garden this year. It is so nice to go out every morning to pick lettuce for a salad. Pretty soon, I will have tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, zucchini and cute little red potatoes! I have connected with other people who know more about it than I do. It is a wonderful community and we all learn from each other.

Do you have a garden? What do you like to grow?

Happy Gardening!

Love,

Mary

 

Grow Your own Salad.

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I love my simple vegetable garden. I planted lettuce, kale, arugula, tomatoes, cucumbers, a few herbs AND cute little organic red potatoes! I go outside every morning to pick lettuce, so I am all set for the day’s salads. It tastes so much better when you grow your own! I hope you have been inspired to plant a small garden, or maybe have a pot of basil on your kitchen window sill.

 

I am so glad that the April OutdoorFit Functional Fitness Challenge was to go outside everyday and work in the yard. Some days, I went out just to pull a few weeds. Other days I planted a vegetable garden, planted flowers and moved plants around. It was amazing how much I was able to get done!  A huge benefit from all of this has been connecting with my gardening friends! We text each other, send videos and share tips! I love that I have a community of people who love the earth and physical movement here in NJ.

Movement, going outside, eating fresh greens from your garden is very important for your health, well being and feeling fabulous!

Are you feeling fabulous?

Here are a few  fabulous tips.

  • Eat the best possible food that you can.
  • Hang out with Fit and Fabulous Energetic people.
  • Get a good night sleep.
  • Meditate daily.
  • Read a good book.
  • Drink lots of water.
  • Take high quality supplements.
  • Enjoy a glass of organic red wine!
  • Plant some lettuce.

Would you like my support to get you there?  Click here to learn more about my 90 Day Fit and Fabulous Program.

Energize March

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I started the month off doing daily Burpees with a push-up. . . 10 of them. I really wanted it to work. A few days in, I started to feel my SI joint. It has been an issue in the past and I want to keep it there! I hate to give up but I thought I would put my ego aside and just change the challenge.

Today, I did mountain climbers with a close grip push-up. I am working on keeping the push-ups close grip.  They are harder but easier on the shoulders. I felt cranky about doing them. It was 20 degrees and windy outside this morning, but I did them anyway. It was amazing. I felt so great when I finished!

Joyful, Happy, Energetic, Enthusiastic, Vibrant and Confident.

It is amazing what 4 minutes of intense movement outside can do for you.

Would you like to start your day feeling energized, enthusiastic, and confident? Do mountain climbers with me. I have them all timed out for you. Does it seem too hard? Start with 4 rounds or do them off a bench.

Have you started making Fat Balls? I have one almost everyday. I had one this morning after the mountain climbers. They are packed with healthy fats!  I added a scoop of cacao powder to the basic recipe.  So Delicious!

Energize the month of March!

Love,

Mary

Bone Broth Workshop

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I went to a Bone Broth Workshop with a group of friends at Dutch Hill Homestead.

It was a wonderful night. Dutch Hill Homestead is a homesteading lifestyle company created by Ally Dwyer and Rob Stenger. All the magic happens in their beautiful home built in 1860. Ally and Rob set up rustic farm house tables with all the ingredients we needed to make broth. I was most impressed by the bowl of chicken feet! Ally said chicken feet make the best broth! We even had vintage aprons to put on while we chopped vegetables and prepared to make our broth. They also had samples of broths they had already made. We tasted 4 different types of bone broth, wild game, beef, poultry and vegetable. Ally and Rob had many different spices and herbs that we could add to the broth samples to personalize them.  I had the best time and came home with three different samples of broth.

“Chicken Feet makes the Best bone broth!”

Bone Broth is so good for you. It is excellent for your joints, your hair, skin, nails and your gut! It is a great use of leftover vegetables and bones. Ally and Rob emphasized how they are a no waste household.

I love knowing creative, energetic entrepreneurs that send you home with cute jars of bone broth!

Bone Broth will make you feel fabulous!

 

Keto Bacon Chocolate Chunk Cookies

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Oh my goodness!

Bacon Chocolate Chunk Cookies! (Basic recipe from Bulletproof Recipe Lab)

Keto Bacon Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Prep Time: 15 min.
Total Time: 45 min.
Makes: 16 delicious cookies

Ingredients: 

  • 2 cups cashew flour (I blend raw cashews in the vitamix.)
  • 3 tbsp. grass-fed  butter
  • 3 tbsp. Collagen Protein. (I like the Bulletproof Brand.
  • Stevia  (I put in a dropper of  organic stevia.)
  • 2 tsp. vanilla
  • 1 pastured egg
  • 1/2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
  • A pinch of salt
  • 1/3 cup high quality, dark chocolate, chopped. (I use a dark chocolate bar and used half of it.)
  • 4 pieces of cooked chopped Nitrate-free Bacon

Instructions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350.  Line one baking tray with parchment paper.
  2. Add the cashew flour, collagen protein, salt and baking powder into a bowl.
  3. Pour the apple cider vinegar directly on top of the baking powder and allow it to react (it will go fizzy).
  4. Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and stir to combine evenly.
  5. Taste the dough and adjust the sweetness if needed.
  6. Begin rolling the mixture into balls and place them onto the lined baking tray.
  7. Press the balls as flat as you like, they won’t rise much, so if you like them softer and chewier keep them quite full. However, if you like a crunchier cookie, press them quite flat using your hands to shape them.
  8. Place the cookies in the oven and bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown.
  9. Remove from the oven when they’re ready and place the cookies on a wire cooling rack.
  10. Store in an airtight container when completely cooled.

Wendy’s 90 Days to Fit and Fabulous!

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This morning Wendy came over for bulletproof coffee. She had just finished the 90 day Fit and Fabulous Gold Program, and was ready for her final weigh in and measurements.  Wendy wasn’t overly concerned about her weight. Her main goal was  to lose her menopausal pooch. She was feeling a bit matronly and pudgy around the middle. Her beautiful clothes were getting tight.

BIG NEWS! She lost 2 inches off of her waist, and 1 inch off her hips! Wendy also lost 4 pounds.  She has easily changed her habits and is confident that this will be a life long program. Wendy has committed to almost daily meditation, and is feeling centered and grounded throughout her day.

 

It has been so great to work with Wendy. She started the program in good health. She was able to change a few habits and now her daily life is even better! Wendy is the youngster in my OutdoorFit program. She is certainly Fit and Fabulous…Aging Optional!

February is the perfect month to start the 90 Day Fit and Fabulous Gold Program. How would you like to feel 3 months from now?  Energetic? Lighter? Vibrant? Reach out let’s have a conversation to see if the program is right for you.

Wendy made me a Beautiful Wendy Cettina Design thank you scarf. The yarn is by Madeline Tosh. The color is Graphite and the pattern is Fractal Danger. How cool is that?

Elena has lost 11.4lbs and 2 inches off her waist!

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Elena started the 90 Day Fit and Fabulous Gold Program the end of October. She was concerned about starting during the Holidays . It turned out to be the perfect time. Elena was suffering from back pain when she saw me doing a founder on Facebook. We connected and she joined my Program and is down almost 12 pounds and 2 inches off of her waist. Elena’s back is strong and she is feeling so much better! She really didn’t think she was going to enjoy OutdoorFit especially in the winter. She said the workouts under the trees brings her joy and happiness! The Winter Warrior season is the Best!

I am enjoying the 30 day Challenges. I love the concept of the  4 minute workout. You can challenge yourself  and experience result in only 4 minutes! We finished our 100 day squat challenge today. The 30 day 8 point plank challenge was so effective that I am bringing it back in February. I am also energizing January with Mountain Climbers. 4 minutes! 8 Rounds! 20 seconds on 10 seconds off. Would you like to join in? Head over and like my Facebook Page. The Mountain Climber Fun is happening there!

Love,

Mary

January

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January Intentions

What small thing can I do to change my myself for the better today?

2 glasses of water before meals

Vegetables, Vegetables, Vegetables

1/3 Body weight  in protein.  46 grams

Grass-Fed Butter, Brain Octane, Avocado

Supplements

Coffee

Movement, Go Outside

Meditation

Read a Good Book

Mindset: Positivity, Creativity, Simplicity, Gratitude

Always Be Nice

What small thing can you do today to have a better day?