Green Smoothie Goodness

I’ve always enjoyed a good smoothie on a hot afternoon, but 2013 is the year I’ve turned into a Green Smoothie Addict.  In March I started drinking a green smoothie almost every morning, and now– four months later– I am completely hooked.

I don’t have a recipe.  Instead, I pick and choose from what I have in my fridge and freezer.  It’s always some variation of:

• greens (duh)– spinach is my favorite, but kale will do when it’s what I have.  I use about 1 cup packed per smoothie.
• banana– when they start going brown, I peel them and break them into thirds into a Ziploc bag which lives in my freezer. I generally use 2 banana pieces per smoothie.
• mixed fruit– about a cup to a cup and a half of whatever I have.  Strawberries, blueberries, peaches, plums, loquats, watermelon, grapes, mango.
• greek yogurt– about half a cup to 6 oz, depending on how much I can get into my blending cup.
• 3-4 oz of water, just to make it thin enough I can drink it through a straw

(Note: I’ve tried peanut butter in my smoothies.  I LOVE peanut butter.  It’s one of my top-five favorite foods.  But in a smoothie?  GAG.  No thanks.)

What changed me from a twice-a-week smoothie drinker to a daily smoothie drinker was the purchase of a Ninja blender.  I love the single-serve cups, which allow me to blend and drink with the same equipment.  I also appreciate the easy cleanup– it’s dishwasher safe.  Having a powerful blender that is easy to clean means I can take 90 seconds to assemble my smoothie, 20 seconds (if that) to blend it, and 10 seconds to unplug the blender and put it back in the cabinet. A two-minute healthy breakfast that ?  Yes, please!

I’m not a scientist or nutritionist, but I can tell you that I’ve had some health benefits from beginning my green smoothie breakfast routine.  Starting your day with a serving of greens plus 2-3 servings of fruit is good for the digestive tract.  Really good.  I add the greek yogurt because the protein helps keep me full all morning (and adds to the lovely silky consistency I prefer).  I have no more mid-morning munchies.  My skin, for the first time in my life as an adult, is clear and bright.  I’ve only just realized the connection between the added vitamins, nutrients, and antioxidants I’m getting from my daily smoothie as a possible reason for my skin’s vibrancy.

Here’s the truth: I’ve become such a believer in the daily green smoothie that I’ve just ordered a blender (not a Ninja, but a much cheaper imitation) to take with me on my upcoming vacation.  This may push me into the territory of crazy health food lady, but I don’t care.

Do you smoothie?  What are your favorite flavor combos?

Good health and great happiness to you!

Summer Outings

 

Even though I still see my personal training clients, run my virtual bootcamp, teach swimming lessons, and lead Aqua Kriya Yoga classes, I still have the majority of each day hanging out with my three kids.  Getting out and about in the summer is key to my survival (and enjoyment!) while being primary parent.

At the beginning of the summer, we made a very un-Pinterest-worthy poster board of all of the outings we wanted to go on this summer.  We’ve been working through our list steadily.  I thought I’d share some of our favorites we’ve done so far:

-Farmers Markets: I let each kid pick out a fruit that s/he wanted to try.  They took their decision-making very seriously, and we had a good time passing around our fruit and talking about what it tasted like.  There was also lots of discussion about where our food comes from and why our family tries to buy local, organic produce when possible.

-Hiking the Greenbelt: It’s shaded!  Unfortunately, there wasn’t a drop of water in the river we were hoping to wade in, but the kids still had a blast on the hike.

-Jumpoline: This is one of those giant play places with all kinds of trampolines.  We went at 10 am on a Saturday, right when they opened, and we were the only people there for nearly all of our hour of playtime.  Score!

-Splash Pads: We’re working our way across the city by visiting different splash pads.  (Thanks to Free Fun in Austin for their comprehensive info!)  This allows us to be active, keep cool, and hang out in ‘hoods we wouldn’t ordinarily visit.  It’s fun to be a tourist in your own town.

-Bowling: Our local bowling alley gives the kids a free game every day in the summer.  While we still pay $3 to rent shoes each time, it makes for an affordable air-conditioned activity for my boys.

– Roller Skating: The nationwide Kids Skate Free program gives free admission to my local roller rink for skating twice a week.  Again, we have skate rental ($3/visit) to pay, but we’ve been going with a group of friends so this activity can last all afternoon.  Nice!

-Swimming.  It wouldn’t be summertime in Texas without plenty of time in the pool.  The photo posted above is for nostalgia’s sake– that’s my kid who is about to turn 10, back when he was the age my daughter is now.

Get on out there and enjoy the summer with your kids.  They really do grow up fast.

Happy Birthday, Balance!

Balance Personal Fitness Training turns FIVE today.

Thank you.

No, really.

It is only with the support of you, the friends and clients of Balance, that I have the privilege of doing the work that I love, meeting wonderful people, and still being primary parent to my children.  It is such a blessing.

Five years ago I started with a dream of helping pregnant and postnatal women care for themselves by learning to exercise efficiently and effectively.  I wanted to remind women how strong and capable the human body is.  Through group classes and individual sessions, I have been fortunate to work with women during this pivotal phase of life.  My client base also includes a number of women both before and beyond the childbearing years.  And perhaps the greatest surprise (and honor) is when the women with whom I work are so pleased with their progress that they ask if I will work with their husband, too.

While in-home personal training is still the heart of my work, it has grown in ways I never would have imagined.  Who would have thought virtual training would be a viable method of delivering my skills and workouts?  It’s a brave new world!

For two years, I held an outdoor circuit training class for a small but committed group of participants.  The seeds of those workouts were used as the basis for the workouts in Balance Virtual Bootcamp, which just wrapped up Round One and will begin again mid-June.  It’s such a thrill to reach participants from all over the globe– so different from our neighborhood park beginnings.

Over the last four summers, I have taught swim lessons to nearly 200 children (and a few adults!), and watching them learn this life skill is thrilling beyond explanation.  Knowing that I can help children overcome a fear or discover a love for the water is satisfying.

I never would have imagined I would become a certified archery instructor.  But when that’s what the school PE program needs, I’m there.  To be involved with helping kids in my larger community learn new skills makes me realize how much I love working for and living a life of wellness.

Next weekend I’m going to a training to earn a certification to teach Aqua Kriya Yoga.  This practice brings me back to the heart of my business: wellness for every body.  Aqua Yoga is fantastic for pregnant women, stroke patients, and people with larger bodies.  I’m excited to be able to bring this practice to the Balance community.

In addition to all the offerings at Balance, I’m also working on my new venture EQUIP Fitness Business Development.  I’m looking forward to sharing all that I have learned through my five years with Balance with others who are committed to building a fitness and wellness business.  I’m using my background as a college professor to deliver the EQUIP material in a clear, logical progression.  It feels like the right direction for my talents to be used.

But, most importantly, thank you.  Your trust and confidence are much appreciated.

I eagerly await the adventures that the next five years will bring!

 

Summer Set Up: Snacks

If you’re counting down until school lets out and your kidlets are home for the summer, it’s time to start thinking about how you’ll answer the regular plea, “Mooooommmmm, I’m hungry!”

I have a few ideas to share today.

First up, yogurt pops.  If you live in a hot climate, or even if you just like to pretend you live in a hot climate, cold snacks are a must-have for summer.  Yogurt pops are easy to make:  simply blend any combination of 2-3 cups of your favorite fruits (and vegetables!) with a cup of greek yogurt (add a bit of water if necessary for blending), pour into popsicle molds, and freeze.  Kids love to help choose the flavor combinations– my oldest keeps careful records of what he likes and doesn’t like– and throw the foods into the blender.

As you see in the photo above, my taste testers take their job very seriously.  The yogurt pops shown are a kale, strawberry, orange, non-fat plain greek yogurt variety.  (To be honest, they got a ‘Yum But Not Your Best Creation Ever’ rating.)

My big kids use Groovy Ice Molds which hold about 1/2 cup each.  That’s a sizeable treat, and the way the holder is shaped keeps it from dripping in case someone doesn’t eat it fast enough.  For my daughter, I use push-up pop type molds– these are by Norpro and are BPA-free silicone.  If we want to take yogurt pops to share with friends at the park, I have used Zipzicles— this genius idea is simply a go-gurt shaped baggie.  While they work great if you want a throw-away option, I have not had good luck washing and reusing them like the company suggests is possible.

Another favorite snack around here is cottage cheese pancakes.  I can make a big batch of them rather quickly, and they keep well in the fridge.  My kids will eat them cold, though I suggest warming them in the microwave.  Sometimes we give them a little schmear of preserves or peanut butter.  The best part is that even my carbaholic middle kid thinks that he’s getting away with a real treat by eating these.

Living in a hot climate means I need portable snacks that can stand being left out for a few hours.  Usually this means trail mix.  I put out a variety of options– multigrain cheerios, cashews, almonds, pistachios, raisins, dried blueberries, sunflower seeds, shredded coconut– and let my kids each make their own mix.  Not only do they like choosing  the proportions of their mix, but it absolves me any responsibility when they later claim they hate their snack.

(This happens to you, too, right?!)

How do you keep your kids’ tummies happy and healthy during summer break?

The product reviews included are my honest opinion.  I was not asked to review these products, nor did I receive any compensation for doing so.

Summer Set Up

If you’re like me and counting down the number of days until your kids are out of school for the summer, you’re also likely starting to think about just how you’re going to continue your wellness program while juggling your additional responsibilities.

First of all, break out your calendar.  Scheduling in your workouts is one of the best things you can do to actually follow through on them.  Committing your time to your workouts demonstrates your strong self-care practice.   Even if it means waking up 30 minutes early 3 days a week, go ahead and make sure you’re taking time to be nice to your body.  Block out your workout time…..now…..before it all gets filled up with other activities.

The next step is to determine what you are going to do during that workout time.    Are you training for a particular goal?  Do you just want regular exercise to keep yourself healthy and happy?  What kinds of workouts really motivate you?  Those are the workouts that you’re going to follow through on.

If you have the time blocked out for exercise but need some direction with what workouts to schedule, check out Balance Virtual Bootcamp.  I’ll be running a summer session beginning in mid-June, with three workouts per week for eight weeks coming right to your email inbox.  If you’re interested in being notified when registration for the virtual bootcamp is open, sign up on the information page.

Do you live somewhere the summer heat is miserable?  Get into the water!  Check out the water workout I posted a few years ago.  If you have older kids who like to swim, you can always tread water while they play around.  I find my kids love it when I judge a diving contest or time them swimming underwater– all things I can do while getting in my own workout.

If you like water and enjoy yoga, I’ll be offering Aqua Yoga classes on Saturdays starting in June.  Fill in this form if you’re interested in more information, and I’ll send you the details.

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No gym?  No worries!  There are a few in-home workouts I’ve posted over the years on the onbalance blog.  Here’s a high-intensity workout you can do with no equipment.  You can also find a few 10-minute workouts hidden on my website.   For when it starts getting super hot, go back and try my 12 Days of Christmas workout for a good bum kicking.

Best wishes for an active, fitness-filled summer.

Good health and great happiness to you!

Hey, Mom

I just wanted to write you– yes, you– a quick note to let you know I’m thinking of you.

With Mother’s Day on Sunday, I’m thinking of you and all the other mamas I’ve had the privilege of working with over the last five years.  Many of my clients have been women pregnant with their first child.  The anticipation and excitement is always thrilling, and to be a part of the growing family’s well-being is a real honor.  To walk with these women as they transition into motherhood, to hear their stories of changing bodies and priorities, is one of the real joys of being a perinatal trainer.

Ten years ago, I was awaiting the birth of my first child.  I had just met a group of women in an NCT class who would become my family through the first year of motherhood.  There is no Mother’s Day that goes by that I don’t think of these women, half a world away, and how they shaped my mothering.  Having a community of new moms to share our experiences galvanized our friendships for life.

I also think of all the moms of my friends growing up.  There was the mom who let us do whatever we wanted to, the mom who always seemed tired and grouchy but wanted us around anyway, and the mom who always seemed to have it 100% together.  Now, as an adult and mother, I have a tremendous appreciation for those women, who were undoubtedly balancing their own interests and struggles with the needs of their kids (and their kids’ friends) just as I am now.  I am mindful of how my friends’ mothers influenced me and recognize I can have the same powerful effect on my kids’ friends.

So, Mom, this Mother’s Day, let’s be nice to ourselves.  When we get that feeling that we aren’t being a perfect parent for our child, let’s remember how many other mothers are helping us in our childrearing journey.  Taking time to be ourselves– honoring our own interests, separate from our children, and taking care of our bodies– will ensure we can offer our best selves to the mothering community.

Take a deep breath, Mama.

You’ve earned it.

Good health and great happiness to you.

Photo credit: Shannon Cunningham of Photo Frolic

Winding Down

Even though there are six more weeks of school for my kids, this seems to be the week of the wind down.

• Last “Scottie Singers” school chorus performance for The Bear.  (Today in the Rotunda of the State Capitol at noon, in case you work downtown and want to hear some talented and adorable kids.)
• Last Religious Ed class was yesterday.  And there was much rejoicing from the children.
• Last soccer practice is this week, and the last game is on Saturday.
• Last piano practice for The Bear is tomorrow, and his recital is on Sunday.

As much as I love giving my children the opportunity to play sports, learn music, and be a part of their school and church communities, I must admit that I really love when all of these activities wrap up for the year.

The timing couldn’t be better this year: today I start teaching swimming lessons in the afternoons.  It’s a real luxury to get out of the pool and have time to shower off before making dinner for my family.  No rushing off to practice or rehearsals!  For someone who prizes balance in work and family life, this schedule feels just right.

I feel fortunate that my kids don’t ask to be in every class or camp they hear about.  I know that as they get older, our precious family time will dwindle, so I’m savoring it now.

How do you keep a sense of balance (and sanity) with your kids’ activities, your intellectual or creative pursuits, and general family life?

 

 

Yummies from Pinterest

On Monday I told you that I’d started some Pinterest boards for friends of onbalance and Balance Personal Fitness Training.  I also told you that I’d share with you some of the recipes that are “instant classics” that I’ve found on Pinterest.  And being a person of my word, here we go:

Baked Oatmeal Casserole

 

This is a super easy, super fast all-real-food breakfast casserole. Bake it once, refrigerate, and eat it all week long.  (If you can keep your kids out of it, which I can’t.)  It is flexible in its ingredients– the photo shows raspberries, but I often use blueberries or blackberries instead– and can be altered to suit a wide range of tastes.  I’ve decreased the sugar from the original recipe and changed to mini chocolate chips which get all melt-y lovely even when the casserole is reheated in the microwave.  The best part is that 1/6 of this recipe is quite filling and comes in under 300 calories.  It’s a tasty start to the day.

Energy Balls

 

This protein-packed alternative to a cookie brings me back to my childhood.  My mom called these “no bake cookies” and loaded them up with wheatgerm instead of flaxseed. (Hey, it was the 70s!)  These energy balls are quick to make, store well in the fridge, and are a great after-school treat.  They’re also a huge hit with my boys’ soccer teams when I bring them for the after-game snack.

I don’t love getting my hands all peanut butter-y, though, so I use a small ice cream scooper (1″ diameter) to do the dirty work for me.  I used to let my kids make up the balls themselves, but then I found there wasn’t much left for another day.  That’s how yummy these are.

Copycat Nature’s Valley Granola Bars

 

My desire to try this recipe was fueled by nostalgia.  Ohmygosh, how I loved the crinkly green wrapper of the Nature’s Valley Oats & Honey granola bars.  Who cares that they were crumbly as all get out and made a mess?  They were an integral part of my school lunch throughout my childhood.

But in my quest to limit processed foods, I wanted to come up with an alternative for my kids.  I doubled the recipe on the site linked above and put it into my jelly roll pan.  The cost-benefit analysis of this recipe indicates is a huge win.  Although I wasn’t able to cut my pan into the tidy little bars that the original poster did, I have a lot of sizable granola chunks that are still quite delicious.  My boys were thrilled to pack them in their lunchboxes this morning.

The best part about each of these recipes is that they are all made from real food.  The other best part (yes, I can have more than one) is that they are all short prep but big payoff kinds of recipes.  I’m all about working once and eating for a while.

There you go– if you’re still on the fence regarding whether you should dive into  Pinterest, I urge you to go take a look.  I have pinned each of these recipes to my Healthy Recipes board so you can repin them easily.  If you’re not a Pinterest user and have no plans to become one (boooo!  hissssss!), the links above will take you directly to the original posting for each of the recipes.

What’s your best Pinterest find for healthy recipes?

Monotasking

If that feeling of being frazzled all the time has you feeling flustered, confused, and just plain tired of trying, I have an idea for you: stop doing everything all at once.

As hard as it is to draw boundaries around different aspects of my life, I find myself most relaxed and—dare I say it—happiest when I am doing one thing at a time.  The concept of monotasking is not well received in our Do It All And Do It All Right Now society, but I’m working to change that.

I am at my best when I am doing one thing at a time.  I can pay attention.  I can get things finished.  Heck, I can even get things finished with excellent quality when I just sit down and do them.  Isn’t that a great goal to have?

Monotasking is especially difficult to live in practice for people who work at home.  We are constantly being pulled to do one more thing, check our email really quickly, or jot something down.  Then there’s the laundry that could be folded, the food for dinner that could be prepped, or the thing your kid left at home that you could just run up to the school really quickly.

Blocking my time—much like calendaring my workouts—has become the core of my work-at-home mom practice.  I have set times of day that I do specific business tasks, a set time of day when I do not work at all, and a little bit of catch-all time.  There are also clear blocks of time for rest—I nap with my two year old four days each week—and exercise time for physical and mental rejuvenation each day.

As with most things in life, having clear boundaries makes me comfortable and confident in what I am doing.  The best part about monotasking is that I am fully present with whatever or whomever I’m working.  This is not only important for increasing productivity with my work, but I am a more present and quality parent to my kids as well.   Work time is work time and mom time is mom time.   It’s not what most people think of when they say work-life balance– that’s a juggler, right?–but it is really working for me.

I am in the midst of a growth period for Balance Personal Fitness Training (details soon, I promise!), and I simply would not be able to juggle my regular clients, my two new big projects, and my family life if I were doing it all at once.  Sure, all of these parts of my work and life are always all on my mind, but when I monotask with my full attention, my productivity is greater—and more authentic.

If I haven’t convinced you to give monotasking a try, check out what the Harvard Business Review has to say about focus and productivity.

Good health and great happiness to you.

Tuesday Timesaver

Like most people, I have a lot to do.  And while I am fortunate to enjoy exercise, there are plenty of days where I have to work to squeeze it into my schedule.  Both my personal training clients and regular readers of onbalance know I advocate creating a workout calendar.  But there are some days when life just happens, and the workout I have planned doesn’t jive with my reality.  What to do then?

Be efficient.   

This morning, I had 30 minutes in which I wanted to accomplish three things: 1) tidy up my family room, 2) feed my daughter her breakfast, and 3) get in a short weight workout.

If you have a two year old or have ever been around a two year old, you know that containment was key to my success.  I put my daughter into her highchair and gave her the breakfast I so lovingly put together.  (Okay, so it wasn’t too hard to peel an already hard-boiled egg, put some already cut fruit on to the plate, and fill up her sippy cup with milk.)  I was then able to put away the toys and books strewn about my family room and give it a quick sweep.   I asked my daughter to help by pointing to where each of the items belonged.  Furthermore, I paid attention to how my body was moving when I was cleaning up.  By focusing on bending and lifting with good mechanics and sweeping with low shoulders and a tight core, I was using this task as the warm-up for my workout.

Once I got the room to a more tolerable state, I was ready to lift some weights.  I won’t bore you with what the actual workout was, but as I lifted I talked to my daughter about why I was doing it.  We talked about the importance of being strong and healthy.  We talked about different body parts and how muscles work.  We talked about the foods that she was eating and how they help nourish her body.  By engaging her in conversation during my workout, she ate happily and was content to stay in her highchair (for which I am grateful).

This type of multi-tasking is the norm of my life.  I’m sure you have your own ways of getting everything done—I’d love to hear them!