Author: Jill McCauslin (Page 8 of 23)

Review of Brute Women Showdown

March 11, 2021 / Jill McCauslin / 0 Comments

Here’s my review of Brute Women Showdown.

I know we’ve talked about listening to podcasts and watching TV while on the treadmill. Cardio activities, especially indoor cardio activities, can be pretty boring. It helps to find things to occupy your mind. Last year I was doing a challenge at my gym. We had to do swimming, biking, and running at the same distance as an Ironman race. Fortunately, we had four to six weeks to accomplish this goal and didn’t have to do an actual Ironman event.

I was looking around for ways to occupy myself while riding the stationary bike and came across Brute Women Showdown, a competition hosted by Brute Strength Training.. I’m not sure about that name but I loved watching the program. It was five episodes where four women competed in a variety of fitness challenges. Each episode was about 20 to 30 minutes, perfect for a quick bike ride at the gym.

What was great about this competition is that all four women were strong and fit but they all came from different types of backgrounds. The women were:

Mattie Rogers: Weightlifter, 2016 Olympic Team Alternate, Bronze Medalist at the 2017 World Championship, Silver Medalist at the 2018 World Championship
Brooke Ence: CrossFit Games Athlete, 2015 14th Fittest Woman on Earth
Dana Linn Bailey: Bodybuilder, 2013 Ms. Olympia
Maddy Forberg: Elite Powerlifter

The variety of events allowed each woman to have something at which they excelled. What I liked was that each woman was very comfortable with who she was. For example, Mattie Rogers didn’t fret because she didn’t have a CrossFit background. Also, there was a wide range of age. Dana Linn Bailey was 36 (I think) and Mattie was around 20. That didn’t seem to matter.

I loved watching these women do deadlifts and squats and box jumps.

Because I was just pedaling away on the stationary bike at the gym, this made me wish that I was doing a good strength workout instead. I found it to be very motivational.

Now that I’ve shared my review of Brute Women Showdown, let me know if you watch it and enjoy it. Also, let me know if you have any other good videos to watch.

A Variation on the Frittata

March 4, 2021 / Jill McCauslin / 0 Comments

I decided to provide you with a variation on the frittata. Chris posted her pepper frittata recipe the other day and she motivated me to cook one for my lunch. I took the opportunity to capture my version of the frittata and thought I’d share it here.

Because I used a pan that could go into the oven, I decided to go ahead and throw the frittata under the broiler. I didn’t have to do that but it gave everything a nicely browned topping.

One of the things I love about making a frittata is that you can save the leftovers and enjoy them the next day. It keeps and reheats well.

Another great thing about frittatas is that you can use whatever vegetables you have on hand. It’s a great way to use up some of those vegetables sitting in your refrigerator.

My Variation on the Frittata Ingredients

Avocado oil or butter or olive oil. Go with what you prefer.

Eggs. The more eggs you use, the larger your frittata is. I used six eggs but probably could have added a couple more.

One clove of garlic, minced.

Chopped vegetables. I used onion, orange and green peppers, kale, and zucchini.

Parmesan Cheese. That’s the only cheese I available and it worked well. You can use other cheeses if that’s what you have. I think Cheddar or mozzarella would work well. Next time I’ll try goat cheese.

My Variation on the Frittata Directions

Pre-heat the broiler.

Heat the oil in a medium to large frying pan that can also go into the oven.

Add all of the vegetables except for the zucchini and saute until soft. Add the garlic and cook an additional minute or so.

Move the cooked vegetables into a bowl to keep.

Whisk the eggs in a separate bowl.

Reduce the temperature of your stove.

Add a bit more oil to your if needed and pour in the whisked eggs. Let them sit so the bottom begins to set.

Gently add the cooked vegetables over the top of the eggs.

Add the zucchini over the eggs and cooked vegetables.

Sprinkle the cheese over the top and let cook just a bit longer. When the bottom seems cooked and the top is starting to set, move the pan to your broiler.

Let the dish sit under the broiler for a few minutes. Keep a close eye on it to avoid burning the frittata. Remove it when the top is nicely browned and the cheese is melted.

Leave the frittata in the pan for a few minutes to cool and then slide onto a cutting board or serving dish. Let it cool a bit more and then cut into generous slices.

You can enjoy your frittata warm or at room temperature.

Quick and Easy Vegetable Ramen Soup

February 25, 2021 / Jill McCauslin / 0 Comments

When I’m talking about quick and easy vegetable ramen soup, I don’t mean the cheap packets of ramen I used to buy for a very cheap meal. Though I suppose you could certainly use those noodles to make this soup and they would work just as well. I don’t know about those packets of seasonings though. They may be a bit suspect.

I bought a large package of gluten-free organic millet and brown rice ramen noodles at Costco. They’re quick and easy to make and here’s my take on a quick and easy soup.

In one of our recent podcast episodes, Chris and I discussed this year’s veggie challenge. Chris said she was cheating because she was using large bags of frozen vegetables to get in those extra servings of vegetables. I said making something easy isn’t cheating. So, this recipe is one of those. I bought a giant bag of stir-fry vegetables (also from Costco) and used that in this recipe.

I also bought a box of broth called Ramen broth. It’s very good. I did not buy it at Costco but at a regular grocery store.

You could add some hot sauce to the broth or a bit of sesame oil. The Ramen broth was good so you don’t have to add anything unless you want.

I added some cooked chicken to the soup as a protein source but you wouldn’t have to do that. You could probably add some cubed tofu if you wanted a vegetarian option or just omit the protein all together.

Quick and Easy Vegetable Ramen Soup

Feel free to make any changes you want to this. It’s basically a quick, throw-together kind of soup.

Ingredients

2 cups Ramen Broth

1 brick of Millet and Brown Rice Ramen

2-3 large handfuls of frozen stir-fry vegetables

1/2 cup chopped cooked chicken

Directions

Heat the broth in a medium saucepan.

Add the frozen stir-fry vegetables and let simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.

Stir in the cooked chicken.

In a separate pan, bring water to a boil. Add the brick of ramen noodles. Cook for about four minutes. Follow the directions on the package. Drain noodles and place in a serving bowl.

Ladle the broth and vegetables over the noodles and mix.

Enjoy the soup! If you haven’t achieved the perfect ratio of broth to noodles, feel free to add some more broth and vegetables to the remaining ramen noodles.

This is a very quick and easy vegetable ramen soup. If you try it, let me know what you think.

Five Things I Wish I Knew About Fitness Ten Years Ago

February 18, 2021 / Jill McCauslin / 0 Comments

Here are five things I wish I knew about fitness ten years ago or whenever it was that I really started focusing on being fit. If you want to know more about how I decided to focus on fitness, check out this very early podcast episode. Chris and I talked about how and why we began to focus on fitness. Since that time, I’ve learned some things. These five things that I wish I knew about fitness aren’t in any order of importance and certainly is not the only things I’ve learned.

Things change and that’s ok. Working out and trying to live a healthy life is not the only thing going on in our lives. I mean, that’s the way it’s supposed to be. There are family events, work changes, financial changes. Yes, there are even changes due to a pandemic. There are plenty of things that happen that are out of our control so it’s ok to adjust what you’re doing to accommodate those changes. My goals ten years ago are not the same goals I have today. To be honest, I don’t really know if I ever met those ten year old goals because I’m not sure what they were. I do know that I’ve figured out how to work out when living in a hotel for an extended period of time. I’ve learned how to train when I’m dealing with an injury. I’ve learned that it’s ok to take a break from training and just enjoy walking all over Italy and being glad that I was able to do all of that walking.
Nobody really cares what you’re doing. Go ahead and go to that bootcamp class if you think you’re ready, even if you think people will look down on you. They won’t because they’re too busy focusing on what they’re doing. Go lift weights in the free weight area. The people lifting weights aren’t going to care that you’re there.
Conversely, don’t worry about what others are doing. There will always be people who are stronger or more flexible or faster. The only person you’re really competing with is yourself.
Fitness and healthy living can change your relationships. Your friends and family may think it’s great that you’re getting fit and strong or they may think you’re doing too much. The physical changes in our bodies can cause changes in our relationships and we have to accept that. Accept that if you lose weight and your close friends or family are struggling with their own weight, they may struggle with what you’re doing. Focus on yourself and don’t worry about others.
Tracking really does help. Figure out what is important to you and track it. I like to weigh myself daily and I measure myself about once a month. I measure my chest, waist, hips, and thigh because it’s an easy way to see what’s happening. If you’re lifting weights, keep track of your reps and the weights you’re using. If you’re running, pay attention to the distance you run or your pace. You don’t necessarily have to track everything you do but pay attention to it periodically. Tracking food is a truly eye-opening thing. Want a big surprise? Try tracking what you eat for a week and see the results. Calories sneak in to what I eat and somehow I end up with extra fat or sugar.

I know that there are probably more than five things I wish I knew about fitness. I could easily come up with another five items, I’m sure. Is there anything you wish you knew back when you started on this journey? Share your thoughts, please.

Falling on the Ice

February 11, 2021 / Jill McCauslin / 0 Comments

Yes, I’m going to talk about falling on the ice. Ouch.

Here in Ohio, we’ve been hit with winter weather for the past couple of weeks. I mean serious winter weather with snow and cold. The snow plows came through and cleared the roads but they didn’t put any ice prevention down so the streets ended up being sheets of ice. Very slippery.

As you know, I have a puppy, Penny, who is now almost nine months old. She loves her walks so I take her even though it’s cold and snowy. The day the snow came and the roads were icy was a tough one because down I went. Penny was puzzled. Why was I lying on the ground? Fortunately, she didn’t get loose and I didn’t have to chase her around. That would have been terrible.

Fortunately, I was not injured by my fall. I think I slightly bruised my hip but since I had several layers on, I was ok. Later I saw a woman in my neighborhood who is probably close to 80 and she was outside. I worried that she might fall but she made it back to her house without problem.

Falling on the Ice Can Be Dangerous

I know that falls can be serious so I’m glad that I wasn’t injured. All of the strength trainers that we’ve talked to on the Fit Strong Women over 50 podcast often tell us that strength training helps to keep your bones healthy and help prevent injury in a fall. So perhaps my working out is paying off.

I know one of our earlier podcast episodes was about balance. Jill Rango talked about balance and mobility. She suggested walking like a penguin when on ice. Unfortunately, I forgot that until later but I’m going to try to keep it in mind for the rest of this winter.

How are you faring this season? Keep me posted.

2021 Veggie Challenge

February 4, 2021 / Jill McCauslin / 7 Comments

Time for the 2021 Veggie Challenge! If you listened to Chris and I talk about our goals for this year in episode 74 of the Fit, Strong Women Over 50 Podcast (Tracking and Motivation – Three Year Anniversary Podcast, you may remember that we discussed reviving our veggie challenge. I believe I said that we’d get something organized to start in February.

We last did a Veggie Challenge in 2019. If you’re trying to find ideas for this challenge, just search on this site for veggie challenge and you’ll see lots of recipes and ideas

2021 Veggie Challenge

We’re going to make this simple this year. We all know that we’re supposed to be eating more vegetables, well, unless you’re following the carnivore diet. Obviously, do what feels best for you.

This challenge is going to be up to each individual. Here are the options that you can commit to:

Trying new vegetables, perhaps once a week or even once a month.
Testing a new recipe for a vegetable that you’re already eating
Adding one or more servings of vegetables to your current way of eating

Of course, you can make the commitment to try all three.

I know when we did the Veggie Challenge a couple years ago, I ran out of steam on finding and preparing new vegetables. I was already eating a good variety of vegetables, so it became difficult to find new ones.

There are ways to expand the vegetables you eating. If you eat carrots, you can try buying a bag of rainbow carrots and see how they compare to the standard orange carrots.

If you normally roast your vegetables, you can try a new way of cooking. I found myself recently making some new soup recipes to try to expand how I cook certain vegetables.

When you have a meal, consider if there’s a way to add an extra serving of vegetables. Even if you’re making a salad, perhaps you can add an extra ingredient. So, it doesn’t have to be a huge change.

We’re going to start the 2021 Veggie Challenge now and see how long we can keep it going. Please feel free to join us and be sure to share your veggie achievements with us.

Everyone Knows Women Can’t Do Dips or Pull-ups

January 28, 2021 / Jill McCauslin / 4 Comments

Yes, “everyone knows women can’t do dips or pull-ups” is what I recently heard a young woman say. Young as in 28 years old. And who apparently goes to a bootcamp class somewhere.

She complained that she can’t do dips and said that of course she can’t do pullups. Because, yes, you got it, “everyone knows women can’t do dips or pulls.” The only good thing I can say is that at least she didn’t add any age to it. Her belief is for ALL women.

Women Can’t Do Dips or Pull-ups. Or, Can They?

Sheesh. Several women in the Becoming Elli Facebook group are working towards doing a pull up. I was able to do a pull up a few years ago. I can do a dip today. OK, maybe my arms might shake a bit but I can do it. And I guess I should say that I usually do bench dips or I use the dip machine.

I love the dip/pull-up machine. It’s one of my favorite pieces of equipment at the gym. And you know what? I see women use it frequently.

I get that doing some things can be hard. Difficult, even. But if you set a goal and work at it, usually you can get there.

If you go through life saying it’s impossible to do something, then of course it’s impossible to do it. If you don’t try, you can’t succeed.

I’m still impressed by Pam Sherman who we interviewed in Episode 59. She does pull ups every day.

Obviously, this young woman is struggling and so justifies her frustration by saying it’s impossible. That’s despite it clearly being possible. It makes me wonder if there’s anything that I’m saying is impossible that I could actually do.

What about you? Is there anything that you find yourself saying, “oh everyone knows that’s impossible.” Share with me if there is.

Winter Running Requires Some Planning

January 21, 2021 / Jill McCauslin / 0 Comments

I’ve tried to do my running outdoors this winter as much as possible. I’ve been lucky that the weather has not been too bad here this winter because I’m not really prepared for running in snow. My shoes are not winter running shoes, really.

What to Wear

Check out the photo of me. I’m wearing layers to stay warm while running. I have on my winter running tights from Under Armour. They do a great job of keeping my legs warm. I do have on my knee high compression socks just as an added layer for my calves. I have about three layers of clothes on top. It seems like it’s necessary to keep my core warm. I also have gloves, a hat, and a scarf thing that I recently bought.

Here’s my advice on running in the cold. Keep moving! Even if you just slow down, you want to keep moving at some pace. Otherwise you’ll start to cool off. When you’re waiting to get started, don’t stand around in the cold. You will get cold! If you’re waiting for a running partner, wait in your car.

I like to wear enough clothes that I get warm while I’m running though I might feel a bit chilly when I first start out. If I overdress, then I get overheated while running so it’s important to find that happy balance.

Staying Warm

You’ll notice that I have my Nathan water belt strapped around my waist. I took a bottle of water with me just in case. I probably didn’t need it because I only ran about three miles but I like to have the option. Obviously, during the winter, I don’t freeze my water bottles because I don’t need to have that cold feeling on my lower back.

When you’ve finished your run, you’ll want to get out of the cold and get out of your damp clothes. Don’t stand around talking in your running clothes because you’ll get chilled. Also, you might enjoy a warm drink or a cup of soup after your run. I’ve seen that some companies are coming out with protein mixes to make hot chocolate. I’ve not tried them but I bet they’re a great way to end a run.

My Three Words for 2021: Create, Lift, and Rally

January 14, 2021 / Jill McCauslin / 3 Comments

It’s time for my three words for 2021. Choosing three words to reflect my goals for the year has become an annual tradition. I actually think it might have been Chris who started me on doing this.

I dug out last year’s words. As you can see, I wrote a post about them but then the year got so crazy that I forgot all about it. You’re supposed to review your words every day to keep them in your mind but I obviously didn’t do that. My words for last year were Abstain, Routine, and Family. I spent a lot of time dealing with family issues so I guess that was accurate without even trying. I don’t think I abstained from much and my routine fell to pieces when I quit going to work every day.

Last year was a tough year and I’m hoping that this year is better. That hope is reflected in a way in my words.

I like to choose words that have multiple meanings. That way I can think about them in different ways. For example, the year that I used the word Reduce for one of my three words turned out to be the year that I release some weight that I’d been wanting to see go as well as the year that I got rid of many household items that I no longer needed.

My Three Words for 2021

Here’s what I’ve come up with for 2021:

Create
Lift
Rally

These words all have multiple meanings for me.

Create

I have lots of things I want to create this year. I love creating content for the Becoming Elli community and hope to increase what I’m doing here. Hopefully, you’ll see some creative content on this website.

I also joined a Zoom writing group in 2020 and while I’ve been a participant, I’ve not been a creative one. I’ve been the person giving some feedback and being the audience. I intend to pursue some creative writing projects this year.

Finally, I took knitting back up after a lengthy break and enjoyed it. I made some scarves, a couple of hats, and a lot of dish cloths to share with people. I’m hoping to create some more bigger projects this year.

Lift

This word too has multiple meanings. I really want to focus on my strength training this year. My boyfriend, who was a big gym rat, always refers to a strength training session as a lift. He’ll ask me, “how was your lift?” I hope to spend a fair amount of time at the gym this year lifting weights.

Lift, of course, also means to raise something up (besides a barbell that is). I’m hoping that 2021 allows many of us to have a lift. A lift in spirits, a lift in health, a lift in mood. We could all use some sort of lift.

Finally, a third definition is to give someone a ride, as in “do you need a lift?” I’m hoping that as I move through 2021, I do it with others. I’ve spent too much time alone recently and I need a lift, indeed.

Rally

As soon as I reviewed the definitions of this word, I knew it had to be one of my three words for the year. Absolutely.

According to the Free Dictionary, rally as a verb means:

1. To call together for a common purpose; assemble: rally troops at a parade ground.

2. To reassemble and restore to order: rally scattered forces.

3. To rouse or revive from inactivity or decline: paused to refresh themselves and rally their strength.

and as a noun:

1. A gathering, especially one intended to inspire enthusiasm for a cause: a political rally.

2.

a. A reassembling, as of dispersed troops.

b. The signal ordering this reassembly.

3.

a. An abrupt recovery from a setback, disadvantage, or disease: The doctor was delighted with the patient’s rally.

b. A sharp increase in price or value after a decline.

I want to revive myself and rally my strength. Also, I want to get my life back into some sort of order after the past year.

My boyfriend and I do some camping in his Airstream trailer. We plan to attend a few Airstream Club rallies this year, assuming the pandemic is at least somewhat behind us.

Wrapping Up My Three Words for 2021

The important part of setting up the three words is to focus on them throughout the year. It does no good to select the words and then forget about them. I think I’ll make my graphic a wallpaper for my phone or laptop. That way I’ll see them all the time.

What are you doing for the new year? Setting goals? Picking words? Let me know what works for you.

Creamy Vegetable Soup in the Instant Pot

January 7, 2021 / Jill McCauslin / 2 Comments

I came up with my version of creamy vegetable soup in the Instant Pot.

I was out of town unexpectedly recently and left with a refrigerator full of vegetables. When I got back, I realized that I needed to use some of the produce quickly or I was going to have to throw it out. It was more than I could eat in one sitting so I tried to come up with a creative solution.

We’ve shared a variety of vegetable recipes on this site. Chris shared a recipe for vegetable soup. I didn’t have enough variety of veggies to make her recipe so had to come up with something different.

Creamy Vegetable Soup in the Instant Pot

Here’s the recipe I created. I used the Instant Pot for this though I suspect you could make this on your stove top. This ended up being a quick and easy recipe that was came out well.

I took the head of broccoli and chopped it roughly into large pieces, including the stalks. There was a bag of Brussels sprouts that needed to be used so I cleaned them. I ended up with about a pound of broccoli and a half pound of Brussels sprouts.

I think you could switch out the vegetables to something different. Perhaps a squash and carrots would be good. Cauliflower added with either the broccoli or the Brussels sprouts would be good.

Experiment with different combinations of vegetables for a variety of quick and easy soups.

I put all the ingredients in the Instant Pot and set it for 10 minutes.

I think you could make this soup with any number of vegetable combinations.

Ingredients

1 pound chopped broccoli

1/2 pound Brussels sprouts

½ yellow onion, chopped

4 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 tsp ground ginger (fresh ginger would be great)

Salt \

Pepper

1 can coconut milk

1.5 cups of chicken broth

Juice of half a lemon

Directions

Put everything in the Instant Pot. Set the Instant Pot to 10 minutes. Let it release naturally.

Use an immersion blender to cream the soup. Or put the soup in a heavy duty blender (I use a Vitamix) and blend. Take the center piece out of the lid and cover the lid with a towel.

Toppings

If you have toppings, go ahead and add them to the bowl of soup. I used raw pumpkin seeds. They worked well. You could probably use croutons or a bit of coconut cream or pine nuts. Toppings aren’t necessary but they do add a bit of crunch to the soup.