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Making Hard Boiled Eggs in the Instant Pot

December 1, 2022 / Jill McCauslin / 2 Comments

My new favorite thing is making hard boiled eggs in the Instant Pot. I like hard boiled eggs because they’re good for a snack and can be added to a salad. I also make deviled eggs once in a while.

Why do I keep posting things about using my Instant Pot? I like using it because I can walk away from it and not have to worry about something boiling over on the stove or basically paying attention to what’s cooking. If you do a search on this website for Instant Pot, you’ll find a number of different recipes. We also discussed this on the Fit Strong Women over 50 Podcast, Episode 112 FAQ – Ask Us Anything with Chris and Jill

It’s not hard to make hard boiled eggs on the stove but once again I think it’s just a bit easier using the Instant Pot. It’s not faster at all but still easier.

This is really easy. Put your eggs on the wire rack in the Instant Pot and then add a cup of water.

Put the lid on, being sure to move the knob to pressure. Using the Pressure Cook setting, set the Instant Pot for five minutes.

It will take about five minutes for the Instant Pot to come to full pressure and then five minutes to cook. You can then release the pressure after about five or ten minutes.

Put the eggs into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking.

You then have perfectly cooked hard boiled eggs.

If you want soft boiled eggs or medium boiled eggs, just reduce the time. I would think 3 minutes for soft and 4 minutes for medium.

Let me know if you make hard boiled eggs in the Instant Pot or if you have any good ideas on things to do with the eggs no matter how you cook them. I’d love to hear your ideas.

Thanksgiving Thoughts

November 24, 2022 / Jill McCauslin / 0 Comments

It seems to be a tradition that I post my Thanksgiving thoughts here. I don’t think I’ve posted every year but I’ve caught a few.

As you know, this time of year is Thanksgiving here in the US. It’s a day we’re supposed to spend with family and friends, enjoy a large meal, and maybe watch football or play board games.

This year we are celebrating the holiday at my house. My son and daughter-in-law are spending the day and are bringing a friend who needs a place to go for the holiday. My brother will also be here as will my boyfriend.

It has sort of become a tradition now that we all provide the food that reminds us of our family traditions. I’m roasting the turkey and making the potatoes. My son and daughter-in-law are bringing pies, macaroni and cheese and green bean casserole, because that is Mary’s family tradition. My brother is bringing creamed onions and a squash casserole because that is his tradition. It’s a fun way to spend the day. We also usually play a game or two and enjoy some time together.

What am I thankful for this year? I’m pondering this.

This was a difficult year for me. I don’t know why but this year seemed more difficult than the earlier two years though that was when we were dealing with shutdowns and pandemics. Maybe it’s the aftermath that made me feel down.

I had a couple of moments that really made me feel broken. I don’t know why but they both involved friends. So usually I say I’m thankful for my friends. And that is true, I am thankful for friends but I’m also thankful that I can carry on with life regardless of others. I suppose that’s an important thing, being able to overcome hurt feelings and loss.

I’m thankful that Becoming Elli continues to thrive and that our podcast Fit Strong Women over 50 is going strong. I get so much enjoyment from all of this and I learn a lot too.

I hate to say it because it seems so cliché, but I’m thankful for my health. Again this year has been challenging and I’ve felt very frustrated that I really tried to be living a fit healthy life and still ended up with health issues. But I’m still able to do much of what I want and am trying to get back on track.

I’m happy that my family is close by. It makes life easier not having to travel to see everyone. I hope I can see my sister next year.

My Thanksgiving thoughts don’t seem to be as chipper as some years in the past but I’m trying to focus on the positive. I’m grateful that I can imagine better times coming my way.

I hope everyone who is celebrating Thanksgiving has a great day.

We’re heading into the holiday season when many of us spend time with family and friends and eat more than we intend. Let me know what your plans are for the next month or so.

Nutrition Mechanic Dina Griffin - 119 BE

Nutrition Mechanic with Dina Griffin

November 22, 2022 / Chris Brown / 0 Comments

Episode 119 – Nutrition Mechanic with Dina Griffin

In episode 119, Jill and Chris speak with Dina Griffin, a Sports Performance Dietitian with a passion for optimizing women’s health and providing personalized nutrition to endurance athletes.

Dina Griffin, MS, RDN, CSSD is the Owner and Founder of The Nutrition Mechanic, a nutrition coaching and resource company based out of Boulder, Colorado. As a Sport and Performance Dietitian, Dina works with all levels of adult endurance athletes to optimize health, vitality, and performance. She blends science-based and evidence-informed strategies along with “real life” considerations to devise personalized and sustainable nutrition plans.

Dina has a particular passion for working with women’s health, peri- and post-menopause, masters and ultra athletes, and supporting individuals who have a metabolic condition.

Dina is also the co-host of the Inside Sports Nutrition podcast, which covers a wide array of topics on all things related to “real life” sports nutrition.

“Consider a variety of things: How fast do you eat? What do you eat? Quality of the food? How much? Timing of the food.”

Some of the tips she mentioned: Prioritize vegetables for fiber rich foods. You’ll need a combo of nutrition and exercise to maximize metabolic efficiency. It’s the pattern of nutrition changes that affect it more than the exercise. Focus on food that is protein rich, with non-starchy complex carbs and healthy fats. The more you can stabilize your blood sugar curve, the more your fat stores become available.

We discussed:

peri and post menopause
how nutritional needs vary for women over 50
nutrition for female endurance athletes
how much protein to eat based on your body size
metabolic efficiency
testing for women over 50 available at her website
supplements
recipes and food plans

Links:

Website https://nutritionmechanic.com/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/mechanicdina/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/nutritionmechanic
Podcast https://insidesportsnutrition.com/

Lava Shorts Review

November 17, 2022 / Jill McCauslin / 0 Comments

I’ve been using my Lava Shorts for a while now and thought I should write a review of them. I’m not a strong swimmer but I’ve been trying for a while now.

Lava shorts are basically wetsuit shorts. They’re made from neoprene. The point of wearing them is that they help make you more buoyant. They lift your hips to help with swimming. Since you can’t wear a wetsuit in a pool, these shorts help simulate that to help with training for open water swimming.

For some reason, I blocked on the name Lava Shorts and simply called them my “floaty pants.” They do make a noticeable difference in your swimming style.

I think if you’re training for a triathalon or if you have issues with keeping your hips up while swimming, investing in these shorts is worthwhile.

They’re not particularly inexpensive. I found them on Amazon at around $80.

Here’s what I dislike about them. The Lava Shorts are unisex so that supposedly they fit both men and women. I think they’re actually designed for men and it was easier to say they’re unisex.

I had to go up in size to get a pair that fit my hips. When I wear them, I really need to yank tight the string tie at the waist because they feel like they’re going to fall down. Basically, they fit around my hips but then the waist is weird. They don’t actually reach my waist. They hit me between my hips and waist so they feel awkward.

I don’t want you to think that they’re loose because they’re not. I squirm around to get them on and then tighten up the waist as best I can. That’s the nature of neoprene suits. They’re supposed to be snug.

Once I’m in the pool, they don’t feel too bad though I notice that I am sometimes tugging them up when I stop swimming. I have had them work loose and had to stop to yank them back into place. Nothing like standing in a pool, pulling your shorts back up.

I’ve never mastered flip turns so I can’t tell you how these do with them.

If you need help with elevating your hips in the water, try these or if you know you’re going to be wearing a wetsuit in open water, try these.

I’m not sure they’re worth the investment if you just want to swim laps.

If you wear lava pants, let me know how you do with them. If you just like to swim, let me know that too.

Fitness, Health and Mindset with Brian Keane

November 8, 2022 / Chris Brown / 2 Comments

Episode 118 Fitness, Health and Mindset with Brian Keane

In episode 118, Jill and Chris talk with Brian Keane, an online personal trainer, nutritionist and best selling author. Over the past seven years, Brian has gone from working full time as a school teacher to one of Ireland’s and the UK’s leading thought leaders on all things health, fitness and nutrition.

Brian is the author of two best sellers: The Fitness Mindset and Rewire Your Mindset. On top of his ever-growing social media platforms, with over half a million followers, he also hosts one of the world’s top health podcasts which is regularly featured #1 on the iTunes Health Charts.

He has spoken at major wellness events around the world such as Wellfest Ireland, Mefit Dubai and was a Keynote speaker at Google HQ in Dublin for their 2018 wellness event.

Among his many fitness and athletic achievements, Brian has transitioned from a professional fitness model to ultra endurance athlete running through the Sahara, the Arctic, and completing a 100 mile ultra marathon.

We discussed topics of fitness, health and mindset:

Finding the best diet to fit a lifestyle and schedule
Improving the relationship with food
Setting clear goals for fat or weight loss
Building a mindset of mental toughness
Looking at fitness in a holistic way
Nutrition for weight or fat loss

Links mentioned:

Brian Keane Fitness Website: https://briankeanefitness.com/
Brian Keane Fitness BKF Podcast: https://briankeanefitness.com/podcast/ (over 400 episodes!)
Tiktok workouts and jokes: https://www.tiktok.com/@briankeanefitness
Quick Links: https://briankeanefitness.com/quick-links/

How to Improve Your Balance

November 3, 2022 / Jill McCauslin / 0 Comments

Wanting to improve your balance is something we think about as we age. You always hear about the elderly not being able to balance, which leads to falls and clumsiness.

Before we talk about how to improve your balance, let’s first check your balance.

First thing to try is to lift one foot and see how long you can stand on the other foot. Time yourself. I suggest you test yourself balancing on both legs. My right leg is significantly stronger than the left so my balance is better on my right.

Second thing to try is checking your balance as you move. Try walking in a single line, as if you’re on a tightrope, for 10 or 12 steps. See how you do.

Once you start working on improving your balance, you probably want to repeat these tests so you can see how you’re improving.

How to Improve Your Balance

Here are a few things you can try to improve your balance.

Practice standing on one leg. Be sure to alternate legs so balance improves on both sides. You may need a chair or counter to hold onto when you first start this. I often try standing on one leg when I do things like brush my teeth. I don’t know why I feel compelled to multi-task in this way but it’s a good way to practice standing on one leg.
Practice standing from a chair without using your hands. Use a basic kitchen chair for this. (Don’t use your rolling desk chair!) Just put both feet on the floor and stand. You’ll probably feel this in your thighs. Do this a few times in a row. If you’re good at this and able to do it successfully, make it harder by standing up from the chair using only one leg. Again, don’t use your hands. Just get up using one leg. It’s a challenge!
Walk heel to toe in a straight line. You want to be sure to place one foot directly in front of the other so that the heel of the front foot touches the toes of the back foot. Be sure to keep yourself upright. You don’t want to slouch forward while doing this.
Stand on one leg and bend and hold the other leg behind you. We do this often at gym classes at the end of class to stretch the quads. You may need to hold onto a chair or wall when you do this. I find it challenging to do it without a wall nearby.
Begin a yoga or tai chi practice. Both of these provide significant help with balance.

Important!

Don’t forget to use your core. Any time you’re trying to balance, be sure to tighten your core. Keeping your central body strong helps keep your body more stable.

These are some simple things you can do at home to improve your balance. Let me know if you try any of these and if they help.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds in the Air Fryer

October 27, 2022 / Jill McCauslin / 0 Comments

It’s that time of year again when we grab some pumpkins and carve them into jack o’lanterns. We had a little pumpkin carving party at my house recently. You can see the results of our handiwork in the photos above and below.

We carved four pumpkins and I took all of the seeds to roast. I basically followed the recipe I posted a few years ago about roasting squash seeds but decided to try using the Air Fryer instead of the oven.

I will say that making roasted pumpkin seeds in the air fryer worked well. The seeds turned out well.

First, I washed the seeds to get the goopy pumpkin strings off of them and then I boiled them for a few minutes.

I then poured the seeds into a colander and then into a towel to dry them.

I put the seeds into a bowl and coated them with about a tablespoon of avocado oil and some sea salt. You can use whatever oil you want on the seeds. Some people coat the seeds in melted butter which probably gives them a richer flavor. I was worried that seeds cooked in butter wouldn’t last as long as ones cooked in oil so I stuck with the avocado oil.

I then cooked them in the air fryer for about 10 minutes at 375°, shaking them at about the halfway point.

The air fryer worked well. It was very easy and didn’t take long. I think roasting in the oven is a longer process. The only problem with the air fryer was that the seeds fell through the base into the bottom of the pot. They were fine, despite falling, but it seemed a bit odd. I guess since the seeds didn’t really cook on the base, I could have just covered it with some foil or parchment paper.

Because I cooked the seeds from four pumpkins, I had a lot of them. So, I ended up roasting the seeds in two batches.

Recipe for Roasted Pumpkin Seeds in the Air Fryer

Raw pumpkin seeds, as many as you have.

Oil (Olive oil, avocado oil, even melted butter. Use your preferred oil.)

Salt

Any other spices you want to use.

Wash the seeds in running water. You can let them soak for a while first to loosen the pumpkin strings and glop.

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and add the seeds.

Simmer for about five minutes.

Drain the seeds and then dry them by wrapping in a clean dish towel or paper towels.

Put into a small bowl and mix with the oil, salt, and any spices you like.

Put into the air fryer and cook at 375.

Cook for about 10 minutes or until the seeds have reached a crunchy, roasted state.

Shake the seeds around about half way through the roasting.

That’s it! A batch of crunchy roasted pumpkin seeds, full of vitamins, fiber, and tasty goodness.

You are the Expert of You with Traci Fisher

October 25, 2022 / Chris Brown / 0 Comments

Episode 117 – You are the Expert of You with Traci Fisher

In episode 117, Jill and Chris talk with Traci Fisher, the Founder and Chief Creation Officer of The Wellness Coach, LLC. She is a certified Health and Wellness Coach, motivational speaker, corporate wellness trainer, frequent media guest, managing director of two health and wellness companies based in Cleveland, Ohio, and a mother of three.

Traci began her leadership training as a cadet at West Point, The United States Military Academy. She is a former US Army captain & helicopter pilot. After leaving the military she started her career in the fitness and wellness industry. She created Live Active, a total-body workout series with Cleveland Clinic doctors; is a coauthor of Lean Body, Smart Life, and creator of The Wellbeingness® Model.

Her podcast is very motivational, no matter where you are in your fitness journey.

Topics of discussion:

Managing the stress in our lives
Staying emotionally and mentally healthy
Losing Weight and keeping the weight off
You are the expert of you
Improving decision making skills
How to choose what we should eat/how to work out
Dealing with brain fog from hormone changes

Links:
Website: The Wellness Coach
Podcast: The Healthy Leader
Traci Fisher’s link tree: https://linktr.ee/thehealthyleader

Intermittent Fasting Insider with Ellen Britt

October 11, 2022 / Chris Brown / 0 Comments

Episode 116 – Intermittent Fasting Insider with Ellen Britt

Jill and Chris talk with Dr. Ellen Britt, an intermittent fasting expert. She is the co-founder and principal writer of The Intermittent Fasting Insider, a bimonthly newsletter that brings her audience the most compelling developments in intermittent fasting as well as innovation in practices that can be stacked with IF.

She also co-facilitates with her colleague Denise Wakeman an 1800 member free Facebook group for entrepreneurs interested in intermittent fasting, as well as their latest paid membership project, The Longevity Experience.

Ellen has over two decades of experience as a PA in emergency and occupational medicine. She holds a doctorate (an Ed.D.) in biology, as well as a Master’s in Clinical Psychology. Ellen lives and works just south of Atlanta, Georgia.

You may remember our interview with Denise Wakeman: Adventure Travels with Denise Wakeman

During this episode we discussed:

Various types of intermittent fasting
Research findings concerning the health benefits of intermittent fasting
Which type she recommends for women over 50
Medical reasons for not doing an intermittent fasting regime
How to get started with intermittent fasting
The easiest hours to do an intermittent fast
How long to do an intermittent fast
Using intermittent fasting with other eating plans like paleo, keto, or vegan

Links for more information:

The Intermittent Fasting Insider, a bimonthly newsletter
Facebook group for intermittent fasting

Struggling to be Fit and Strong

October 6, 2022 / Jill McCauslin / 0 Comments

I’ve been struggling lately with living my fit, strong life. I’m having a hard time getting myself to the gym or out for anything more strenuous than walking Penny. I’m also not eating as well as I would like. I know this is just a mental block on my part but I’m having a hard time getting over it.

I thought perhaps if I wrote about it here, it would help. You know, share my misery and see if that helps. Sometimes sharing the things you struggle with really helps relieve some of the struggle.

I’ve allowed sweets to come back into my life. I was doing so well with not eating sugar but suddenly I’m back to eating baked goods. I slipped in some ice cream but it made me feel so sick that it was easier to remove that from my life.

Being around people who eat in a healthy way makes it easier for me but since I no longer spend much time around people, that support has disappeared.

I also struggle with having a schedule because I’m able to create my own schedule. I really don’t manage to do that so my eating has become erratic.

I’m not complaining because I know I could make some simple changes and things would get better, even if only a little bit.

Perhaps if I make one or two small commitments to myself, I’d get back on track.

The problem is that if I’m not exercising and eating well, my moods plummet. If I’m feeling down or anxious, it becomes difficult to exercise and eat well. You know, a Catch 22 sort of thing.

If you have any advice for me, I’d love to hear it. I know we all struggle with things at different times but right now I’m struggling to be fit and strong.