6FIT Week 5-The 24-Hour Workout!

JUST KIDDING! But I got you to read on, didn't I?

I'm kidding about week 5, but not kidding about the 24-hour workout. The concept isn't mine, but I love it. The idea is to behave as if you're working out all of the time and it can really change everything from what you eat to how you carry yourself and even how you dress.

For example, you'd never eat a big fried meal before a workout, would you? No-you'd eat a healthy meal with lots of veggies and you'd never stuff yourself.
When you work out, you focus on your form, so why not stand up straight, hold in your middle and keep your chin up all day?
And if you're not going anywhere special, wear your cute kicks so you'll be ready if the opportunity arises for some active fun!

I'll admit, I can't remember to do it all the time, but when I do, I feel really great. I find myself doing calf-raises while I wait for my coffee to heat in the microwave, or putting away the laundry 1 pile at a time (bedrooms are on the 2nd and 3rd floors!) rather than stuffing as much as I can into 1 basket so I only have to climb the stairs once. Just standing up straight and holding in my stomach takes a lot of work, so I know I must be strengthening something, right? And when I feel strong, I'm much less likely to hit the baking cabinet and grab a handful of chocolate chips on my way by. Don't laugh-it's the only junk-food I have left in the house!

Give it a try. See if you can work "exercise" into the things you already do everyday. It won't replace a good workout but it will definitely help you make better choices and you'll feel great!


So how's everyone doing with Go Vegetarian week? Are you missing meat? Have you found that you aren't missing it much?

This is not a tough one for me because we don't eat much meat around here, but I'm hearing that lot's of people are struggling with this one. I used to cook some type of meat for my family at least 4 or 5 nights a week. Originally, we cut back in order to scale down our food budget. Then, the more I read, the more I became committed to buying only meat from animals that were raised humanely and fed well. Since that kind of meat is so expensive, we consider it a treat these days. We're not fanatics-I still eat whatever is served if I'm not at home, but I want to feel good about what I spend our money on when I have the choice.

Here's a really easy vegetarian recipe, especially for people who don't like tofu. I was never a tofu fan but I've found I love it when it's cooked right. Just try it-you might change your mind. Serve it with brown rice or quinoa and a steamed vegetable (green beans anyone?) for a complete meal.


 Seriously Delicious Baked Tofu:
1lb tofu sliced into 1/2in rectangles
1/4 cup tamari or soy sauce
1/4 cup rice wine (mirin)
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
2 Tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp minced fresh garlic

Preheat oven to 350.
Place tofu in a single layer on a lightly oiled casserole dish.
Whisk all other ingredients together and pour over tofu.
Bake until tofu is lightly browned and sauce has thickened.  (About an hour but watch it closely because it can be different depending on the variety of tofu.)

Okay, my 1/2 hour break is over (thank you Grandma and Grandad!) and the children are about to descend so it's back to school vacation week madness.

Enjoy the weather and don't forget to try something new today!

~Mari-Chris

Too much of a good thing is...

...still too much!

I was so excited when I finished laying out our SuperBowl spread yesterday. Veggies & white bean hummus, blue corn chips and homemade guacamole, apple slices and a few fancy-schmancy cheeses, homemade chicken fingers that William breaded himself, homemade baked fries and a truly delectable strawberry/cashew/cocoa gallete that Julia helped me make. It was gorgeous!
The thing is, by then end of that very stressful game, I had eaten too much. Not a guilt-inducing food coma or anything, it was just the first time since I started 6FIT that I went overboard. I guess having only healthy foods around doesn't eliminate the need to really pay attention when I eat. Too much of a good thing...

The same goes for exercise. I finished up cardio week without missing a day. I took my mandatory day off to do pilates instead so I got in 7 great workouts last week. Mostly I feel great about this, but my knees are really complaining now. I refuse to chalk it up to an aging body but I do need to pay more attention to the kinds of exercise I'm getting and make sure I support my knees better when I'm jumping around a lot. Again, too much of a good thing...

So on to Vegetarian Week and Attack Your Abs!

Some musings and thoughts for the week ahead:

On beets (1 of our foods of the week):

• If you haven't had fresh beets, you haven't really had beets. The canned ones just don't compare.
• Don't throw away the greens! The are delicious chopped and sauteed in a little olive oil.
• My favorite way to cook them is cubed and baked with a bit of olive oil, but sometimes I boil them. 
• Leftovers are great cold. Just toss them on your salad.
• We will probably all have red hands by the end of the week unless we wear gloves when we prepare them.
• BEET JUICE STAINS!!! EVERYTHING!!
• Beets are really good for your digestive system but beware, they often act as a mild laxative. 
• I repeat, beet juice stains everything, including your insides, so don't by surprised (panicked?) by unusual coloring as they make their way out of your system. Enough said.

On squash (Superfood #2 this week):

• Just try them all-you can't lose!
• You can eat spaghetti squash just like spaghetti. Cut it in half the long way, scoop out the seeds and bake it, cut side down in about 1/4 inch of water until it's soft, then scrape a fork down the insides and it will come out looking like spaghetti. 
• Don't toss the seeds. Roast them with a little salt or some tamari for a great salty snack. You can also roast them with brown sugar and cinnamon for a sweeter treat.
• Squash and apples are great complimentary flavors so try cooking them together.
• Pumpkin Bread! Skip the canned stuff and roast your own, then just mash it up and it's ready to go. You can use unsweetened applesauce instead of oil and it's a fairly healthy indulgence. I roast all of our uncarved pumpkins after halloween and freeze them in small batches for baking the rest of the year.

On attacking my abs:

• Let me find them and I'll get back to you.

On 6FIT:

We just passed the half-way mark and it's time to ramp up and find all of that great energy, motivation and commitment we were loving three weeks ago! Don't slump in solitude. Let your team members know what's going on so they can help get you back on track. My fellow 6Fitters were great last week when I needed a boost and I'm so grateful. And I love that the competition is heating up. Posting the standings as we headed into the weekend was a huge motivator! 

Thank you all so much for being with me for both the highs AND the lows.

Here's to everything in moderation--I'm feeling great and looking forward to another challenging week!

Who's with me?

~Mari-Chris