Author: Jill McCauslin (Page 22 of 23)

Cooking with Cruciferous Crunch Collection

February 26, 2018 / Jill McCauslin / 4 Comments

I picked up this bag of Cruciferous Crunch at Trader Joe’s this week. It’s made up of shredded and chopped kale, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, green cabbage, and red cabbage. Trader Joe’s did all of the work of shredding the vegetables. Other stores are probably now carrying a similar product but if you have to, you could always make your own crunch collection. This was an impulse buy and it worked out well for me.

I basically decided to make some kind of salad or slaw with this. I think you could add to these ingredients or change them without problem. If I had some dried cranberries or dried cherries in the house, I would have added them to the salad too. Slivered almonds or pignon nuts would have worked in place of the chopped cashews. I think you could also swap out the almond butter with tahini. I think peanut butter might be a bit too strong a flavor but if you try it, let me know.

Ingredients

1 bag of Trader Joe’s Cruciferous Crunch Collection or several cups of chopped kale, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, green cabbage and red cabbage

Dressing:

1/4 cup of almond butter
Juice of 2 limes
2 Tbs apple cider vinegar
1 Tbs. dijon mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder

Garnish:

chopped cashews (optional)
dried cranberries (optional)

Directions:

Mix the ingredients for the salad dressing in a small jar and mix well. Make sure the almond butter is well blended with the other ingredients.

Empty the bag of vegetables into a large bowl and then pour the dressing over. Stir the salad well.

Serve immediately or cover and put in the refrigerator. It tastes better if allowed to sit for a while. I’ve kept this up to three days and it’s been fine. It might have lasted longer but it was eaten before I could determine its end date.

When you serve the salad, add some chopped cashews and/or dried cranberries on top. The nuts will go soggy if mixed into the salad early, so wait and add them immediately before eating.

Training with Your Smart Phone– Fitness Apps

February 21, 2018 / Jill McCauslin / 10 Comments

Today I’m thinking about fitness apps. In one of our recent podcasts, I made the comment that I like to be told what to do for my workouts. Sometimes I use a personal trainer to keep me on track. That’s not always an option and not everyone has the resources for hiring a trainer or doesn’t have a trainer close by. Of course, you can figure out something to do on your own but if you’re like me, and want that little bit of extra guidance, what do you do?

I realized this weekend that I have several apps on my phone that I use for workout routines so I thought I’d share some of them with you. Presumably, most of us have found different apps so please feel free to share the ones you like in the comments below. The ones that I’m listing are free though many of them have premium membership if you’re willing to pay a fee.

I’ve always used an Android phone so these apps are all available in the Google Play Store. I’m assuming most of them are also available for the iPhone.

Mixed Training

Fitbit Coach: This is part of the Fitbit family. It provides a wide range of workouts with instructions, including times and ratings of easy, medium, and hard. (I noticed some easy mediums and medium hards in there too.) Obviously, Fitbit is best known for counting steps but Fitbit Coach includes both strength and cardio workouts. There’s a lot of good advice in this one.

SparkPeople provides a lot of training videos and exercise routines. I tend to think of this site as more of a weight loss site but they provide exercises. SparkPeople does have an app so you’re not tied to a desktop.

Strength

7 Minute Workout: This app is put out by Wahoo Fitness and is meant to be used with their heart rate equipment but you can download and use this app without any equipment. This is a basic full-body workout that can easily be done at home. If you have seven minutes, do this. If you have 14 minutes, do it twice.

Scientific 7 Minute Workout: This is the app that I believe New York Times promoted. This includes options to set the length of breaks between exercises. It also is a basic full-body workout. In fact, I think these two 7 minute workout apps have the exact same workout. You can check out both apps. I noticed that this one has a fair amount of advertising in it but also has a timer and the ability to set it to multiple rounds.

Stronglifts 5×5: This app is a good option if you want to do the standard lifts. It is designed to do five main lifts in sets of five:

squat
deadlift
bench press
row
overhead press

This app asks you a few start up questions and then:

tells you what to do
suggests the weight to use
provides instructions on how to do the lifts
tracks your workouts too
recommends you when to increase the weight.

JEFIT: This app has a wider range of workouts than the 5×5. The beginner routine follows a traditional weight lifting schedule of days divided into:

chest and triceps
back, biceps, and forearm
shoulders and legs
abs

This app tracks what you do and provides instructions on how to do the lifts. You can find workouts of increasing difficulty. I think this is an excellent choice for those us looking for something to use in the gym.

Running

Get Running is a couch to 5K type app published by Splendid Things. I used this app to learn how to run. It really worked even though I had to repeat weeks sometimes because I wasn’t ready to progress. So, instead of taking 12 weeks, it probably took me closer to 18 weeks to run for 30 minutes straight. I love the woman’s voice on this: she has a charming British accent and is enthusiastic without being mushy. She also doesn’t speak all the time. As the runs get longer, you hear her less often. I keep this app because I find it useful now for running intervals. Plus I just like her voice.

RunKeeper tracks your runs but also includes training programs that you can access from your phone. You can select different distances that you’re training for and get a plan.

Map My Run lets you (you guessed it!) map your run. You can track your runs and get feedback on your performance.

Strava lets you track bike rides and running. It also provides a social media service; you can see your friends’ workouts and update your own via your Fitbit, Apple Watch, Garmin, or other sports watch.

This is a pretty good sized list and now that I’ve made it, I begin to understand why the guy at the phone store once called me the Queen of Apps. However, I suspect my list is a drop in the bucket, so feel free to share the apps that you like. These are great ways to track your performance and get lots of support, regardless of your sport.

Making Your Own Walking Desk

February 15, 2018 / Jill McCauslin / 1 Comment

I know that it is 2018 and that now bicycle desks are becoming the hot thing and that walking desks are so 2015 but today I’m feeling very pleased with myself. I own a lovely treadmill that I bought last year on a Black Friday deal. I use it for running indoors when I don’t go to the gym and for walking in the evening sometimes while I’m watching TV and need to get in some steps. So let me tell you about making a walking desk.

This treadmill takes up a lot of space in my family room so I feel that if it’s going to sit here taking up floor space and represent a significant investment in fitness, I should use it more. I decided I need a walking desk.

I looked at buying a tray to put on it to hold a laptop. I didn’t feel like investing a few hundred dollars on something. I knew that Chris (as in my Becoming Elli partner) rigged up a stand for her treadmill so she can walk while doing email and other tasks. I decided that I had to be able to come up with something similar.

My treadmill is big so I looked around my house for something that I could use. I tried a couple of things and nothing was wide enough. I began to search through closets and voila! inspiration struck.

I found a leaf to my kitchen table tucked away in a closet. The table is in bad shape after years of being used as both a table and the dumping ground for everything that comes into the house. The leaf is in great condition but if something happens to it, I’m not too concerned because it still looks better than the table.

Making my walking desk

My New Walking Desk

I laid the leaf across the walking bars and put my wireless keyboard and mouse on it. I have the laptop across the room, hooked up to the large screen TV. I can type on the keyboard while walking on the treadmill, see the screen easily, and leave the laptop safely sitting on a stationary table.

I also can forget the extra keyboard and the TV and just put the laptop on the shelf. It makes the screen a little low but it’s closer to me. That might be better for detail work.

An easy do-it-yourself solution! I love solving problems without help from anyone. Well, maybe some Google help and inspiration from Chris but the creativity is all mine.

Anyone else have any creative ideas on how to get fitness — in whatever form — into your life? If so, feel free to share. I’d love to see them. Also, if I helped you figure out how to get a walking desk, share that too.

Nutrition and the Best of Diet Writing 2017: Check It Out

February 8, 2018 / Jill McCauslin / 0 Comments

There’s tons of information on the internet about diets. Oh my, I think diet information is only behind pornography in popularity for internet searches. I confess, I like reading some of it. even if I roll my eyes at what some people put out there. Specifically, there’s a lot of discussion about nutrition and what we should eat and less writing about diet.

A good source for information about nutrition that seems to be pretty reliable and unbiased is the Nutrition Wonk blog and website. This site provides lots of detailed information about studies and nutrition science. Here’s their description of the site:

This is a site for the folks who love nutrition as much as they love food.

Nutrition Wonk gets into the weeds of nutrition science, old and new, to examine protocols, outcomes, and historical contexts for nutrition claims.

Nutrition professionals so often need to simplify nutrition science to bullet points. At Nutrition Wonk, we do the opposite. It’s a site for people who ask, “but why?” and want to know how the mouse study gets made.

The most recent post on this blog is The Best Diet Writing 2017 (February 4, 2018 Katherine @NutritionWonk). I really liked her list and recommend checking some of this writing out. (I know that you’re going to have to click on this link and then click on her links but I still think it’s a good list and I want to share.)

The first book in this list is Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body by Roxane Gay. I haven’t read this book yet but I saw Roxane Gay speak last year. She was fantastic: funny and articulate and well aware that she is a large woman. I want to read this book based solely on her talk.

Do you have any good diet writing or even food writing that you want to share? If so, add it in the comments.

Ten Ways to Avoid the Gym

January 28, 2018 / Jill McCauslin / 2 Comments

So, let’s say your idea of fun is not going to the gym and working out but you know you need to get some exercise to stay healthy. How do you avoid gym? Whether it’s because you don’t have a gym nearby, you don’t want to spend the money on gym membership, or you just don’t like gyms, you still need to get some exercise, right? We all know that fitness depends on moving our bodies. What should you do? I have some ideas to share.

Get a Fitbit and count your steps. We all hear this, get 10,000 steps a day. Well, get a Fitbit or some other step counter (pedometer, Apple Watch, Garmin watch) and see how many steps you get in a day. I was shocked when I first started to track my steps. Working in an office was not conducive to walking. If you’re only walking 2,000 to 3,000 steps a day, you probably shouldn’t make your first goal 10,000 steps. Instead, add 1,000 steps to what you walk normally and see if you can get that. Continue to bump up your goal until you get to the level you want and can meet it frequently.I adjust my goal for steps depending on what’s going on in my life. These days, I try not to lower my goal below 10,000 steps but if I’m in a period where I can walk a lot, I’ll bump my goal up. Then, if I know that I’m entering a period where just getting the 10,000 steps is a challenge, I’ll reset my goal.
The important thing to remember is that you get to control those goals.

Nunu on a hike.
Continuing with the walking theme, join a hiking club and get in some lengthy walks and enjoy nature. This can be an excellent way to meet people and to enjoy some exercise without having to really think about it being exercise. If you have a dog who likes to walk, take him along with you. Dogs make great hiking companions.
There are other kinds of clubs you can join. There are biking clubs and skiing clubs. All of these are a great way to combine social activities with fitness. Ride your bike, go skiing, do whatever appeals to you and that you can find a club. I just recently learned of a mountain climbing club near me. I’m in Ohio and there’s not a lot of mountain climbing here but it turns out, this group meets at a local wilderness supply store and uses their climbing wall.
Think about the things that you enjoyed as a kid or teenager. If you loved playing sports, look for some adult leagues for baseball or softball, basketball, soccer, or touch football. Many recreation departments in different towns offer sport activities for adults. If you think you want to do this, check out the team and make sure that they play at the level you’re looking for. Don’t forget bowling. The last time I went bowling, I was shocked at how much I had to use my arms. That’s a serious arm workout.
Maybe you loved dance as a kid. If so, many dance studios and rec departments offer dance classes for adults. You can find all types of dance available to you. Whether it’s ballet, tap, or ballroom dancing, put on your dancing shoes and enjoy!
Dance
Don’t forget sports such as golf and tennis. These can be great ways to get fit. Look for local leagues to join.
Check out yoga studios or yoga classes offered through rec departments or churches. You’ll often find places that offer yoga classes that are reasonably priced and set up for those of us who are as flexible as we once were. A lot of barre places have opened. These are a combination of ballet, yoga, and Pilates and uses a ballet barre for balance. This might be a good option for you.
In the same vein, Jazzercise classes or similar types of classes are offered in a variety of locations. This might be a good solution to doing something without having to join a gym. I just recently saw a place that is offering a class called Blessercise. It’s a religious based fitness class and was housed in a small retail area. You just pay by the class or pay for a monthly membership.
Let’s not forget the favorites of running and bicycling. Neither require a membership to anything and you can do both without a lot of preparation. A good pair of running shoes is the minimum requirement for running and a bike and helmet works for bicycling.
Chris Running
If you really want to just do a workout in the comfort of your home, check out what’s available online for help. Many women enjoy Leslie Sansone. You can buy a DVD or borrow one from your local library or check her out on YouTube. You can get some exercise equipment to use at home. Many people enjoy rebounders at home. Rebounders are like mini-trampolines. Others like to have some dumb bells at home for workouts. Don’t forget simple things like jump ropes. You can invest more money and get a treadmill or elliptical or even a Pilates Reformer machine. If you don’t want to invest in any equipment, do body weight exercises like pushups, lunges, and squats.
Jump rope

I’m sure there are lots of ways that I’ve not thought of to get exercise without joining a gym. Feel free to share what you do. We all need help on our way to becoming like Elli.

Sardine Salad or How to Get Sardines in Your Diet

January 24, 2018 / Jill McCauslin / 2 Comments

The standard health message these days is to eat lots of veggies and try to get oily seafood into your diet a couple times a week. I don’t know if that’s really a healthy diet, but it sounds reasonable, though I’m not sure referring to fish as oily is all that palatable. Oily seafood includes tuna, salmon, and sardines. It seems like every diet or healthy eating book I pick up recommends eating sardines. I usually try to add protein to my salads so making a sardine salad seemed like a good idea.

Sardines are not my favorite food. They remind me of eating them on a Saltine cracker, and it’s not my best childhood memory. Maybe I’d like sardines on a cracker now, but I still haven’t tried them.

In a burst of sardine enthusiasm, I bought a stack of sardine cans at Costco. Then I had to figure out how to eat them. I tried adding sardines straight onto a salad and it wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great. I decided there had to be a way to improve the flavor of sardines and have a healthy meal.

This recipe is what I came up with. As seems to be the case with most of my recipes, you can adjust the ingredients to fit what you have on hand. If you don’t have lemon juice, just use all vinegar and if you don’t have vinegar, use all lemon juice.

Ingredients for Sardine Salad

1 4.34 ounce can of sardines packed in water or oil

¼ cup finely diced onion

1 celery stalk, diced finely

1 carrot, diced finely

¼ cup red bell pepper, diced finely

¼ cup olive oil

2 Tbs apple cider vinegar

2 Tbs lemon juice

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

Salad greens

Directions for Sardine Salad

Drain the sardines. Put into a small mixing bowl and break up into small pieces.

Add the onion, celery, carrot, and bell pepper. Mix well.

Add the olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Mix well.

Put salad greens on a plate and top with a generous scoop of the sardine mixture.

This makes two to three servings.

Variations

If you don’t drain the sardines and use that liquid, reduce the olive oil by half.

The vinegar and lemon juice do not have to be in equal proportions. If you don’t have one, use all of the other.

If you want a creamier version, replace with olive oil with the mayonnaise of your choice.

Yummy Sauteed Keto Cabbage

January 15, 2018 / Jill McCauslin / 0 Comments

Here’s a recipe I’ve read variations of on different Keto sites. I can’t believe I’m going to say this about a cabbage dish, but I LOVE this recipe. It’s so easy and cabbage is so inexpensive, and it keeps for a long time. This is a great change from making coleslaw or that infamous diet cabbage soup.

I’ll write a post about Keto diets later, but a quick definition of Keto is a diet consisting of high fat, moderate protein, and low carbs.

If you’re hesitant about eating fat, you’ll have to modify how you make this dish. I think you could make this with olive oil but I’ve never tried it. I’ve written this up using butter but I’ve seen similar recipes that recommend bacon grease or coconut oil.

This dish is great to accompany chicken or a sausage like bratwurst or kielbasa. I often eat leftovers as a kind of breakfast has by reheating it and topping it with a fried egg.

Ingredients

Cabbage: A quarter of a good size cabbage makes a generous serving for one or two people.

3 to 4 TBS of Butter

Directions for making Sauteed Keto Cabbage

Slice the cabbage in half and remove the core. Cut as much cabbage as you want to cook into small pieces.
Melt the butter in a heavy skillet.
Add the cabbage and cook at medium heat until the cabbage becomes golden brown and very tender, about 20 minutes or so.
Serve.

If you’re trying keto, you may want to try out this Sauteed Keto Cabbage recipe. What’s your favorite way to prepare cabbage?

Who Thought Up Swimming as a Sport?

January 15, 2018 / Jill McCauslin / 13 Comments

It was 2^oF this morning so what did I decide to do? Go swimming! I’m signing up for an indoor triathlon at my gym. It’s held in early March. The race is swim for 10 minutes, bicycle for 25 minutes and run for 20 minutes. Everything is done in the gym, so the run is on a treadmill and the bicycle is a bike used for spinning classes. For me, the order of ease with this is running, bicycling, and dragging up the rear is swimming. I know I can run for 20 minutes. I can ride the bicycle for 25 minutes though probably not very fast. The swimming is a problem.

Initially I thought, swim for ten minutes? How hard could that be? Turns out, a lot harder than I first thought.

I go to the pool at my gym and I’m always amazed at the people who effortlessly swim laps. When I swim, I swim one length, catch my breath, swim back and rest. I’m not sure I understand why swimming is so difficult for me. I obviously have the respiratory capacity and am physically able to swim. There’s something about the breathing that challenges me.

Swimming as a Sport

I’ve not been a swimmer since I was a kid. I remember those Saturday morning swimming lessons I took. I’d like to go back to my instructors and thank them for teaching me something that I can still remember.

I break out the kick boards and use them to practice kicking. It’s a good break from swimming up and down the pool. I guess I just need to practice more and eventually I’ll get better.

swimming as a sport, Flippers, goggles, and swimcap

Swimming Accessories

Since every sport I take up seems to require special accessories and clothing, I now own goggles, a swim cap, and mini flippers. I have a couple of old bathing suits that fit me. I think I’d like to get a new workout bathing suit. I’m not sure what exactly that would be but I’m sure if I start shopping, I’d find something.

I see people using aquatic headphones and feel that itch to go buy another accessory but I’m not sure that I want to listen to music or podcasts while I swim. I suspect if I ever get to the point where I can swim without feeling like I need to stop to breath that it could become a great meditative exercise.

Here’s my thoughts on swimming:

It’s easy on the joints and it really doesn’t require much in the way of equipment.
I can do it at my own pace because, let’s face it, there’s plenty of better swimmers and there’s some who are worse. Doesn’t matter because we can all just grab a lane and go for it.
It’s a good whole-body workout. It works the abs, hips, legs, shoulders, back, and arms but it doesn’t overwork them. It’s not like going into the weight room and lifting heavy weights. It’s easier on the body than running because you don’t have that pounding on the ground.
The biggest problem for me, and I know that this is silly, is that I must wear a bathing suit, I have to get wet, and then I’m usually cold when I return to the locker room.

Because I’m going to do the triathlon (indoors, mind you!), I’ll keep practicing my swimming. I’d like to be able to swim for 10 minutes without constantly stopping. I’ll keep everyone posted on how my training and that race goes.

High Energy, Easy to Make Protein Oatmeal Balls

January 12, 2018 / Jill McCauslin / 1 Comment

I created these as a snack for someone who has food allergies, avoids sugar, and wants protein mixed in with carbs. He uses them as an energy snack. Chris and I tried them on a long run and they work pretty well. Because the balls are small, they’re easy to carry for a run and they’re easy to eat while on the trail.

These oatmeal balls are easy to make and pretty tasty, considering there’s not much in them. They are dairy free and sugar free. If you use gluten free oats, they would also be gluten free.

I don’t use sugar or sweeteners and with the banana, I don’t think you need it but if you wanted it sweeter, you could add some honey or whatever you want to use.

You could easily doctor these up with raisins or chocolate chips or nuts but I haven’t tried that yet. If you want to increase the fat, use whole eggs instead of the egg whites.

The recipe can be doubled or tripled and the amounts are flexible. If you don’t have much apple sauce, increase the egg whites.

I used these oatmeal balls last summer as a running snack. They’re small enough that you can pop them in your mouth and have a tasty bite of energy.

So, here you go. Here’s the basic recipe. Remember that you can expand this by simply increasing the ingredients. This is a very forgiving recipe.

Oats, apple, egg whites, applesauce, and bananas

Ingredients

2 bananas (the riper the better)

1 cup natural applesauce

½ cup egg whites

½ tsp cinnamon (you can definitely increase this)

2 to 3 cups old fashioned or quick cooking oatmeal (not instant and not steel cut)

1 apple, peeled, cored, and diced

Apples

Directions

Preheat oven to 350.

Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Note: foil won’t work. The balls stick to the oatmeal. I suspect it’s because there’s no fat in them.

Mash the bananas with a mixer. Add the applesauce, egg whites, and cinnamon and blend well.

Mixing ingredients

Add 2 cups of oatmeal. If the mixture is very wet, add the final cup.

Mix in the diced apple.

Drop small balls onto the cookie sheets. I use a small melon baller but spoons would work. There’s no leavening ingredients in this so the balls will not expand.

Bake each tray for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven when the balls look darker or golden brown.

Slide each oatmeal ball onto a cooling rack.

These freeze well. Leave out some to eat over the next day or two but freeze the rest. These balls have no preservatives in them and only last two or three days.

Finished product

Three Goals for the New Year

January 2, 2018 / Jill McCauslin / 1 Comment

I asked my mother on New Year’s Day if she was making any resolutions for the new year. She said, “No, I’m past all that.” She’s now 88 years old so I guess that makes sense. I sort of want to be past all that too so no resolutions for me. No, instead I’m setting goals. Is that different than making resolutions? I hope so. Instead of saying, this year I’m gong to lose weight and be fit and healthy, which is what I want to be all year long and not just in this year, I’m trying to set clear definable goals.

So, here are my top three goals for this year:

Goal 1: Run three half-marathons this year

Running

Last year I ran one half-marathon and it felt like a big deal. This year I want to repeat the Akron marathon and hopefully run it faster than before. I also want to do two more. Why two? I don’t know. It just seems like a good number. I’ve already registered for the half marathon that’s part of the Cleveland Marathon in May and I signed up for the half marathon that’s part of the Akron Marathon in September. I need to find one that’s in between those times or do an extra one later in the fall. I feel confident about this one since I’ve already committed money to two races.

Two races are on the calendar with the first one being in May. That means I’ll need to start training soon. It will be a good idea to figure out my training plan and begin to implement it.

Goal 2: Reduce my body fat percentage

Berries

I’d like to get it beneath 30 percent. There’s at least two ways to do this: increase muscle or lose fat. Ideally, I’ll do a bit of both. This seems like a healthier way to set a goal than to make a resolution to lose weight. Is this goal any different than a lose weight resolution? Maybe not but I feel better about it and it’s measurable. If I said I want to lose 20 pounds, I could do that but I might lose muscle as well as fat. One thing I’ve learned is that we want to keep as much muscle as we can.

One of the hardest things about being over 50 is that losing weight becomes more and more difficult. I definitely have to watch calories and figure out the best way to eat to build muscle and lose fat. I’ll share my successes and failures with this as the year progresses. In some ways, this feels like the most difficult challenge.

Goal 3: Do a pull up

Kettlebells

I want to get back to doing a pull up. I reached this landmark a couple of years ago and then my trainer left, and I’ve lost the strength to do it. It took a lot of work to get there and I’d like to get there again. It takes a lot of upper body strength to do a pull up. I don’t think many women past 50 can do one and I like the idea of it. Plus, my arms looked fantastic when I was working on this before.

How will I accomplish this? Lots of upper body strength training. Doing a pull up requires a strong core, strong shoulders, back, and arms. I work with a trainer so we’re going to have to discuss these goals and how I’m going to reach them.

My three goals fall into running (endurance), body fat (weight or health), and pull ups (strength). That’s basically what I’m working on so I feel confident I can reach all three goals in 2018. It will be a challenge but that’s what goals are about, right?