Joining In ~ Running Scared!

So Yesterday I went to GoodLife gym and signed on for a year! Yup... I did! Actually I am more hesitant than ever at this decision and I am not sure why. I am thinking that it must be the first day to school gitters. It is a very big gym unlike curves etc and I am a bit shy when it comes to my workouts. But I went anyway and got the no pay enrolment and no pay first and last month so I paid 0 dollars for my joining so far. However if I quit and try to cancel before the year is through I have to pay them $90 bucks! Hummmm? Maybe that is supposed to be motivation?

Today I met with a trainer named Carrie and she did my testing to see what my body fat index is etc. 32% was the tally number and you are supposed to be in between 15 - 20%... this was not good news but not a surprise. I know what my belly looks like!... oh yes I do! So do many of the people over the last year or so that continually ask when I am due!!! I know... lets not even go there.

 ~I am a bit of an apple at the moment. I never gain much in my hips and legs. For me it is all tummy~

Then we proceeded to do the physical testing: Squats (which I have apparently been doing incorrectly for most of my workouts in the last 10 years),  Lunges (also incorrect technique), push ups (crunching wrists after only two so that is out of the question. I will be doing chest press instead), and of course the dreaded plank (which I also did incorrectly)! Talk about intimidation! Aaarrrrrrrr! I really thought I would get at least an B+ but instead the dreaded F! Plus that only took about 8 minutes total actual workout time and my legs have been weak and shakey for the rest of the day! REALLY? Am I that out of shape?

It was only a few weeks ago that I was up every morning at 5:30am doing my power 90 videos and my Jillian Michaels videos... I am a bit discouraged! I am a bit competitive and I mean that in a good way... it's what has gotten me where I am today with my artist bears and my art quilts and several other things in my life. It got me through Dental Assisting school with an A+ ... because no one thought I could do it! That's why I DID! You see what I mean, don't tell me I can't or I will by golly!

Alright so all that aside I am nervous. The realization that I have been doing it all wrong made me fear injuring myself again and now I was feeling really intimidated. So I hired my trainer for 3 sessions which were on sale and still cost me $170! YIKES! But at this point what are my options? I can't quit the gym or it will cost me $90 bucks and I don't want to get hurt so I can't work cause that will cost me and my family even more! Aaaaarrrrrrr! So I hired her to help with three one hour sessions scheduled at my choice.

I made the first appointed training time for next week on Monday afternoon. The trainer says to me as she is walking away ... "Lookin forward to beating you up next week!" WHAT! my brain screeches! But I have honestly been thinking about this today and talked it over with my husband and NO she will not be beating me up at all! I am sure that 90% of the people she trains expect Jillian Michaels and boot camp but I don't want that I will make that clear on Monday. I want a nice slow informative workout! I want to LEARN the correct way to do the moves so I can do them again on my own. I don't need to be pushed so hard that I cannot work the next day. I need to be couched and trained to learn the correct way to use the equipment and the correct way to preform the tasks at hand whatever that exercise may be! I plan to have her do next week and them one the next month and one the next month. She wants me to do them all bang bang bang right after one another but for me spreading out the time with her will make sure I am still on track and doing the correct things. If I use them all up at once that is all the time I have and money too so not a smart choice.

I wanted to go to the gym tonight to try the treadmill but our car is locked up at the garage to have an oil change. They locked the doors with our car inside and I don't really want to drive my father in laws new truck to the gym. I will wait a day and then get in there to try the treadmills and eliptical training machines. Slow and steady wins the race.

I would like to fit into my skinny pants by Christmas and I am a hard worker so maybe it will happen but if it doesn't at least I hope I can say I am eating clean and exercising and feeling better. I will be healthier!

There was a girl at the gym last night who had an absolutely amazing body... no smile but an amazing body! If I could keep my smile and have a body even a bit like hers .... Whaaaawho! She is only around 29 years old and I am 44 so a bit of a difference there but if Tosca Reno could do it at 40 and in 10 years at 50 win a body building competition and go on to be on the cover or Oxygen magazine... I could maybe achieve getting back into my skinny pants!

So there is your first REAL entry to this new blog! Now we are getting into the nitty gritty of it all! Oh yes we are!

See you soon with more stories to tell!

Publish Post

Avocado - the Wonder fruit

Hello there everyone

So today I want to talk a little bit about one of my favourite fruits, the avocado.

Right now in my clean eating journey I am not using margarine or butter. I am only using healthy oils like olive oil, flax seed oil, Omega oil, pumpkin seed oil etc. Avocado's have very healthy oil and I have found that if I make up a really clean living guacamole I can almost always use this as a substitute on sandwiches instead of using butter or magarine. It adds far more flavour too and your body is going to love you for making this choice. It digests differently and helps to speed up that slow metabolism.

I have been making guacamole for many years and I loaded it with Miracle Whip! NOT ANY MORE... now I make a wonderful spread that I can taste the delicious buttery natural flavor of the avocado. Now you can keep it really simple and just use the fruit only or you can add some pizzaz to your spread like this:

Ingredients:

3 ripe avocados
Juice of 1/2 fresh lemon (or lime if you prefer)
1 clove of garlic or more to taste
sea salt to taste
Cayenne pepper to taste (I use about 1/8 tsp)

Optional ingredients:

If you want to jazz this dip up even more you can add 1/2 a red finely chopped onion

1 Tbsp of chopped cilantro (you'll never see this in my spread.. but I know a lot of you love it so go for it!)

You can even add a chopped tomato if you like but know that if you add the tomato it will not keep well in the fridge. It needs to be eaten right away or it gets runny... yuck!

Here is another great trick: If you want to bump up your fibre in this spread or if you need it to look super luscious and green for a party (you know how avocado dip always seems to turn that dark dingy colour) add in about 5 oz of peas, lightly cooked, cooled and drained. You will need to take half of your mixture and zip it around in a food processor or blender and then mix in the rest of your chunky mixture by hand. Don't over mix. This will keep your guacamole nice and green and you'll be the hit of the party! And everyone will feel good too ~ voorum voorum, this will really start your engines!

Preparation:

This is a super easy and really quick thing to make. Cut the avocados in half and discard the pit. Scoop out the flesh into a bowl and mash but leave it a bit chunky... or not if you like smooth, this is your spread so do it the way you like it. Another great bonus about making it all yourself! Place all the ingredients in and mix until just combined!

You can use this spread on any of your whole wheat breads before you add your chicken etc, it's great as a pita dip or even a veggie dip.

And if you kept it really really clean and didn't add anything except your avocados... take a little into the next bath you have and put it on your face! It gives one of the best moisturizing facials I have ever had! You can lick your lips too and YUMMY! If you added a bit of lemon.. that is great for your face too if you have that dreaded T-zone, the lemon will dry the oil and the avocado moisturizes the dry spots... a miracle fruit!

Hope you enjoy your new everything wonder fruit!

Delicious Breakfast Apple Pumpkin Muffins

Hello Everyone: What better post to start of this blog with than a recipe? And a recipe for a nice healthy morning start also. We are off on a road trip and these Breakfast Muffins are spectacular in every way. They are easy to make, easy to carry with you, filled with nutrients, filling and they are good for you also! If you want to add a little something to them once they are made, a lite or no fat cream cheese goes very well with these.

Applesauce Pumpkin Muffins

Ingredients:

1 cup/ 240 ml old-fashioned oatmeal, not instant
1/2 cup/ 125ml unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup/ 125ml canned pumpkin
2 large egg whites + one egg yolk, lightly beaten
2 Tbsp + 1 tsp/ 35ml canola oil
1 Tbsp/ 15ml double-acting baking powder
1/2 tsp/ 2.5ml baking soda
1 tsp/ 5ml cinnamon
1/4 tsp/ 1.25ml ground nutmeg
1 tsp/ 5 ml pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup/ 125ml milk or milk alternative or 1/2 cup apple juice
1/2 cup/ 125ml amaranth or quinoa flour or flour of your choice (I use quinoa)
1/4 cup / 60ml whole wheat flour
1/4 cup/ 60ml maple sugar flakes (I cannot find these so I use organic Turbinado sugar)
1/2 cup/ 125ml dried cranberries or raisins (optional)

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F/ 190 degrees C. Line muffine tray with non fat cooking spray or line with silicone liners.

2. Combine oatmeal, pumpkin, applesauce, juice or milk, eggs and oil. Mix until all ingredients are combined.

3. Measure and mix dry ingredients. Mix until dry ingredients are moistened. Add dry fruit to mixture. Fill cups 2/3 full. Bake 15 - 20 minutes or until light brown on top

Alternative: If you don't have pumpkin you can use sweet potato. Simply microwave the sweet potato and let it cool. Remove the skin and mash the flesh. Measure out the required quantity. Voila!

This recipe is courtesy of Tosca Reno from the Eat-Clean Diet cookbook

I will be back to talk more about this Eat-Clean Diet but I can say this... it is a change of life, not a "Diet" and every recipe I have tried has been absolutely FABULOUS to this point... I am even making the recipes again and again so that says it all doesn't it!

I hope you have a chance to try these delicious and nutritious muffins while I am away! I will return soon with more facts, food and fun!

See you really soon

Welcome

Hello Everyone and welcome to Seraphim's Diner...

As you can see, we are not yet open for business so to speak but will soon have lots of wonderful information, interesting fun pictures and inspiring stories so bookmark us and come back soon to check in on our "blog opening"!

We'll be in and out of the blog setting things up for a little bit but don't be shy... if you have some input or questions you would like to have tackled... send me off an email and I'll do my best to find the answers for you...

And in the meantime: if you like teddy bears... pop on over to Seraphim Bears Blog or Seraphim Bears - your angelic hug website


See you real soon!!!