Jill McCauslin, Author at Becoming Elli

Gym Etiquette

February 28, 2019

I notice more questions about gym etiquette from people new to gyms than I do about working out. I think many of us are nervous about fitting in to the gym world. Many women over 50 did not grow up using the gym so we're a bit more shy about it. I know I didn't do much exercise of any kind until I was in my 40s or 50s. Here are the most common questions about gym etiquette that I see and my answers. I've spent many years going to different gyms but I think there's some common courtesies that hold true regardless of which gym you're at. There's no book of gym etiquette that I know of but I think these rules work. Gym Etiquette Sharing Equipment If...

etiquette gym

Using Triathlons to Overcome Adversity: Diana Woolf

February 26, 2019

Fit and Strong, Podcast

Fit Strong Women Over 50 Podcast Episode #28 Download | Play in New Window Please Subscribe: Apple Podcasts (iTunes) | Google Podcasts | Android-Google Play | Stitcher | Player FM | Castbox | Tunein | Spotify | RSS In episode 28 of the Fit Strong Women Over 50 Podcast, Jill and Chris talk with Diana Woolf about how she overcame her PTSD resulting from years in the fire service and how that motivated her to try to help others battling PTSD. In 2009, Diana Woolf began competing in off-road trail races and triathlons to deal with her own PTSD symptoms and found great healing in the sport. Since then, she has competed in over 50 triathlons, including 7 half-distance and 3 full-distance Ironman triathlons, consisting of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and a 26.2 mile marathon. Diana has been a part of the fire service for 20 years...

Seaweed Salad — New Vegetable Challenge

February 25, 2019

Veggie Challenge

I found this seaweed salad on the salad bar at Whole Foods so of course I bought some, simply because I thought, "now this is a great choice for the new vegetable challenge we're doing at Becoming Elli!" How was it? Pretty good, actually. According to the sign on the salad bar, this seaweed salad is made with kombu seaweed, sesame seeds, sunflower oil, scallions,ginger, natural flavor (what does this mean anyway?), and sea salt. Thanks to my Google search, I learned that kombu seaweed is a type of edible kelp. Kombu is a good source of glutamic acid, iodine, potasium, calcium, dietary fiber, and many obscure enzymes. You don't want to eat too much of kombu because too much iodine can be harmful to you. Because I...

vegetables

Coming Back from an Injury

February 21, 2019

Fit and Strong

Oh, glory! You’re finally ready and you’re coming back from an injury. What a great feeling. Being down with an injury is tough. It’s hard on you physically and mentally. You’re usually focused on your workouts and training and then wham! Something happens and you’re down. You lose all the benefits of working out, including all those endorphins and other feel good hormones. It’s easy to feel down and defeated. Then comes the moment when you realize you feel better or your doctor says you can begin to resume your routine. Great news! However, before you get too carried away, here are a few tips for coming back from an injury successfully. Coming Back from an Injury First, listen to your body! When you first start working out...

Fitness on Valentine’s Day: Some Ideas on How to Celebrate

February 14, 2019

Fit and Strong

Valentine’s Day is a weird holiday, I think, so I might as well think about fitness on Valentine's Day. I associate this holiday with those school parties that required me to help create a decorated shoe box and to buy cards for kids to distribute in class. Now that I think about it, isn’t this a strange holiday to be celebrating in school? If you have a sweetie, then you can celebrate in the way you want. If you don’t, you can celebrate with friends or decide to just ignore it. So, basically, Valentine’s Day is not my favorite holiday. And I really hope that nobody gives me candy because you know I’ll eat it. Whether or not you’re celebrating, you can keep the holiday in mind when...

Valentine's Day

Pea Shoots — Weekly New Vegetable Challenge

February 13, 2019

Veggie Challenge

Pea shoots made it into my shopping basket this week for the Becoming Elli new vegetable challenge. Aren't they gorgeous? I bought these at Kriegers, a locally owned health food/produce store. These microgreens are grown by Vigeo Gardens, an Akron, Ohio-based modern farm. What is a microgreen? It's a young vegetable, typically between one to three inches. They fall somewhere between a sprout and baby greens. I did exactly as the label advised and threw them on top of my salad. They were delicious. I think I preferred them to the broccoli sprouts I tried a couple weeks ago. They're crunchy and have a delicate flavor....

vegetables

Twelve Ways to Eat More Vegetables

February 7, 2019

Fit and Strong, Food and Drink

One thing that stands out in the podcast episodes we’ve had with food and nutrition experts is that everyone, regardless of what else they recommend, seem to recommend eating more vegetables. The nutrients and fiber that vegetables provide to our bodies are invaluable. The different colors of vegetables provide different nutrients which is why we’re often instructed to “eat the rainbow.” Chris and I often share vegetable recipes. If you check out our ebook, Fitness Food, you’ll see most of the recipes include vegetables. Plus, we’re having the One New Vegetable a Week Challenge in the Becoming Elli community. You can either try a new vegetable or prepare one in a new way. Not to continue to harp on vegetables, but let me share one more post...

Flourless Chocolate Cake

January 31, 2019

Fit and Strong, Recipes

Flourless chocolate cake? Really? There are times when you need a dessert or to be more specific, there are times when you need chocolate cake. January is a big birthday month in my family (my brother and I are two days apart, birthday wise) and of course February brings Valentine's Day. This is a good cake for a sweetie who is trying to avoid flour and added sugar. I don't think this falls completely into the healthy eating camp but it's a good try. I try to avoid sugar and often I avoid wheat. So trying to find a cake recipe can be tough. Here’s something I make when I need something that feels a bit celebratory. It’s easy and tasty and looks great. The berries and...

cake chocolate flourless

How to Work with Your Personal Trainer

January 24, 2019

Fit and Strong, Fitness

I want to discuss how to work with your personal trainer. There's a lot of information on how to find a trainer. We discussed that with Brenda O'Hara in our interview with her on the Fit, Strong Women Over 50 podcast. But what do you do once you've found one? How to Work with Your Personal Trainer Once you've hired your trainer, you have to go to that first session. It can be a bit intimidating so that's where some planning in advance helps. Be honest Be honest with your trainer. If you have injuries, be sure to tell him or her. There's no point in doing something that is going to hurt you. A good trainer should be able to work around any injuries and, in fact, can...

trainer

Group Exercise Instructor Diane Reuther

January 22, 2019

Fit and Strong, Podcast

Download | Play in New Window Please Subscribe: Apple Podcasts (iTunes) | Google Podcasts | Android-Google Play | Stitcher | Player FM | Castbox | Tunein | Spotify | RSS Group Exercise Instructor Diane Reuther talks with Jill McCauslin and Chris Brown about being fit as a woman over 50 in episode 26 of the Fit, Strong Women Over 50 podcast. Diane is a group exercise instructor and has been one since 1986. She's seen a lot of changes in the fitness industry and how instructors are trained and credentialed. Today, Diane teaches: Pilates (certified through SCW Fitness Education) Silver Sneaker (certified https://www.silversneakers.com/) Step class We discuss why some of us like step class and why others don't. Diane explains that step a visual class, walk through the steps repeating the motions so that the class feels like a dance class. Some of the questions that we ask Diane is...

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Author: Jill McCauslin

Gym Etiquette

Using Triathlons to Overcome Adversity: Diana Woolf

Seaweed Salad — New Vegetable Challenge

Coming Back from an Injury

Fitness on Valentine’s Day: Some Ideas on How to Celebrate

Pea Shoots — Weekly New Vegetable Challenge

Twelve Ways to Eat More Vegetables

Flourless Chocolate Cake

How to Work with Your Personal Trainer

Group Exercise Instructor Diane Reuther

Beyond the Basic Bowl: Creative Ways to Use Quinoa

Buddha Bowl

Vegetable Soup for a Cold Weekend

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