Caridad Pineiro® Romance Author
NY Times & USA Today Bestselling Romance Author
Every week I scour the Internet for Man Candy worthy candidates. It’s a tough job, but someone has to do it! Today’s choice is Joe Wicks also known as The Body Coach. Joe is regular presenter on TV and an author of several cooking and fitness books. Joe preaches lean eating and HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) workouts. You can check him out on his website at https://www.thebodycoach.com/. Thanks to Joe’s Instagram for this post!
My goal for the last year or more has been not only to lose weight, but to get more physically fit so that as I get older, I’ll be healthier. With that in mind I started eating healthier and being more active. That’s proven successful for me and I feel so much better and stronger. So today I’m sharing some of the things I’ve done that I think have help me get more fit.
2. Try to do at least 10,000 steps a day of walking. I stay true to that thanks to my Fitbit. Disclosure I own some stock for it, but I bought the stock because I loved the product. If you want to join me on Fitbit, you can find me here: https://www.fitbit.com/user/3GZT48. I’m friends with several people and we often challenge each other to a Workweek Hustle or Weekend Warrior challenge to inspire us to be more active.
3. Find an exercise/walk buddy. If you’ve got a partner to do it with, you help each other stick to it. Hubby and I hit the Y together almost every day and then do walks/workouts together on the weekend.
4. Find something you like to do. I like to walk and lift weights. Also like the elliptical and biking. My sis loves yoga. If you stay active with something you like instead of something you have to do, you’re more likely to keep it up.
5. Develop a habit of being more active. Whether it’s going to the Y or for a walk around the neighborhood, make it part of your daily schedule.
I hope these tips help you too to become more fit!
It’s not unusual for hubby and me to have a meatless meal during the week. We’ve always found it filling to load up on a lot of veggies, usually over pasta. We still do that fairly regularly, but try to make the pasta healthier by using whole grain versions of buckwheat soba noodles instead of traditional pasta. Another thing that we do when time allows is to use spaghetti squash instead of pasta or as a side dish instead of a carb like rice or potatoes.
Spaghetti squash is packed with folic acid, potassium, carotene, vitamin A, and fiber and is only 42 calories per 1 cup serving (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaghetti_squash).
I usually start off my spaghetti squash by nuking it in the microwave and then roasting it in the oven. Once it’s cooked, you remove the seeds, shred the insides and top it with spaghetti sauce, pesto, or any other kind of sauce that you like! You can even be decadent and make a nice cheese or alfredo sauce since you are saving some calories by using the squash.
Here are some cooking suggestions and recipes for you to try:
Besides the shower, I get some of my best ideas while walking and on top of that, walking is a great way to stay fit and lose weight. I shoot for at least 12K steps a day, but usually average more like 17K. If you want to join me on my walking journey, be my friend on Fitbit: http://fitbit.link/2wdmwL9.
Here are some good articles for you about how to use walking to improve your overall well-being:
Hope you all have a fabulous weekend! I’m hopefully off for a stroll along the boardwalk if the weather holds up!
A few weeks ago I posted about falling back and gaining weight. It’s been a tough thing to work so hard to lose 40 pounds and gain it and some more back. It made me uncomfortable and created worry about the health consequences of it. Things like stroke, cancer, heart disease and diabetes.
Because of that, I went back to work on a lifestyle change, trying to take small steps in order to get back on the right path to being healthier. I set a reasonable goal: 10 pounds lost by the RWA Conference in Orlando. Why only 10? Well, 10 seems more doable than 40 or even my ultimate goal 75 pounds. Setting a seemingly unattainable goal would only make it that much harder to commit to change.
So here I am, a week away from RWA and guess what: 10 pounds lighter since June 27 when I posted about my yo-yo weight gain.
How did I do it? Small steps. Upped my cardio exercise by 10 minutes. Walked faster on my way to work. Cut down on carbs. You’ll see that I didn’t say eliminated them because that seems to not work since the moment I have any carbs, I yo-yo and go on a carb binge. So an occasional roll, piece of bread, rice or even pasta mixed in seems to work.
I increased fruits and vegetables. Perfect in summer when we’ve got luscious peaches, plums and nectarines available. Mangoes also. Love them!
What’s the next small step? Another 10 pounds by Labor Day. I’ll keep you posted on how it’s going!
My hubby and I love root vegetables, especially carrots, beets and turnips. It’s great to be able to go to the farm market near my office and pick up some locally grown veggies and the one vendor actually has them for really reasonable prices. Here’s a photo of what the green market looks like on a regular day!
Last weekend I picked up some lovely turnips whose greens were still fresh and vibrant. Perfect for making what I call Turnip Redux which was inspired by a recipe from A Chef’s Life on PBS. This recipe uses both the turnip and the greens hence the redux.
For those of you who have not tried turnips, please give them a shot. They are cruciferous veggies that have lots of health benefits. Cancer-fighting, bone and lung health, cardiovascular and digestive aid thanks to Vitamin K and fiber in the greens. Plus, low in calories!
2 pounds turnips, peeled and cubed
Turnip greens, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 onion, chopped
Olive oil
2 tbsp butter (optional)
2 slices bacon chopped (optional)
Cook the turnips in salted boiling water until tender. Drain and coarsely mash.
Heat the olive oil in a pan and add the bacon (optional). Once the bacon is close to crispy, remove from the oil and add the chopped onion. Sweat it out until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for a minute of two. Add the greens and cook until almost soft. Add the mashed turnips to the greens and cook for another five minutes or so. Add the butter and toss. Garnish with the crispy bacon. The last two steps, butter and bacon are optional.
That’s it! This makes a great side dish for any grilled meat and again, HEALTHY! Enjoy.
I have to confess to not being a big fan of green tea, but during a visit to a coffee shop with my daughter, I ended up trying matcha made with almond milk. Yummy!
What is matcha? Matcha is a Japanese green tea powder. It has more health benefits than regular green tea because you are eating the whole leaf and it hasn’t been processed so it contains more catechins and polyphenols than regular green tea. Also lots and lots of anti-oxidants according to a Wall Street Journal article.
You’d have to drink a lot more green tea to compensate for all the benefits in matcha. But matcha can be pricey. I found that a trip to my local Asian market yielded a very large bag for a fraction of the cost than in other stores.
So what benefits can you get from green tea and/or matcha? How about improved blood flow, lower blood pressure and lower cholesterol? Not enough benefits yet? How about cancer fighting properties, some help with weight loss, reduced risk of stroke, memory improvement, tooth decay, and anti-aging?
Sounds too good to be true, right? But if one little cup of day can help, I’m all for it. Just a word of caution: Check with your doctor about drinking green tea, especially if you have glaucoma like I do. Lots of mixed news about whether green tea and/or matcha are good for you or whether they increase intraocular pressure.
For more info, check out these articles:
WebMD: Green Tea Benefits
Medical News Today: Green Tea: Health Benefits
Match Source: Matcha Health Benefits
