Thanksgiving is just a few days away. For me and my family the Turkey dinner comes second, after a hectic morning at my Church. America's Thanksgiving Day Parade in Detroit passes in front of our Church and we serve a Pancake breakfast from 6:30 to 9:30am in the basement, and hot chocolate/coffee and donuts out the front door to parade goers, and of course enjoy the festivities ourselves. But it is a hectic morning prepping the kitchen and then I walk the parade viewing area for a few blocks up and down from the Church promoting the breakfast and the enticing 'warm bathrooms'. Hundreds of people eat breakfast or donuts, and even more stop in to warm up and see our amazing church building .
Since I am a lower carb guy I will be avoiding the pancakes and will instead slip in a few eggs for breakfast before the crowds show up. After the parade and clean up (about 11:30) we will head across state 2.5 hours for the turkey dinner with all the fixings at my in-law's house.
But the holiday can be a land-mine if one is not careful about what one puts on their plate and in their mouths! For those who are already fit Thanksgiving can be a splurge day. Good for you. I am not there yet. I have made avoiding desserts (other than fresh fruit) a good habit. But the rest of the thanksgiving meal can be a real hazard.
Turkey- yum... Will eat in moderation of course.
Potatoes - white starch with little redeeming nutritional value. Mashed adds fats. (but sweet potatoes have nutritious value)
Stuffing - white starch with even less redeeming value.
Gravy - starch, fat....
Rolls - white starch.
Salad - good (with a small amount of dressing)
Cranberries - if the real thing this is a good thing. Canned? blah.
Veggies - Yum.
So you see what my plate will primarily consist of - turkey, veggies, cranberries, and salad. But hey, love all those things!
Most importantly Thanksgiving is about giving thanks for all God's blessings. And increasing health and fitness is a blessing to me!
Enjoy your family, enjoy your meal. But there is no need to be a glutton about it. Be smart and even if you fail at that, start again at eating right!
And of course, through it all, keep working out!!!!
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Change of scenery
This morning I just didn't want to work out. I know that getting the workout done first thing in the morning is so much better for me. Not only do I personally feel I am most effective at that hour, but I am more likely to get it done if I do it right away. On days that I don't work out right away I spend all day trying to figure out when to fit it in, and sometimes the day just gets away from me.
With Jennifer also doing a beachbody workout (Insanity again) it means I either have to get up earlier to workout in the basement and be done before she gets up, or we work out on different floors. Working out at the same time is easy enough if I am doing Plyometrics, Yoga, or even Chest & Back or Legs & Back. I put the DVD in the computer in the kitchen eating area and either get to work in the kitchen or family room. Other routines, requiring weights, are not as convenient to drag all the dumbbells up the stairs (the pull up bar is at the bottom of the basement stairs and I can dash up and down to use it during the workout).
This morning I just didn't want to drag the weights upstairs since Jennifer got a head start and was downstairs. But I packed my gym bag and after the 12:15 Mass, on my 'lunch break", I dashed over the my local "athletic club" with the Back and Biceps worksheet I had printed off the Team Beachbody website.
Doing it at the gym gave me two advantages today. One, I worked out with someone, an acquaintance from the club I know. He was there and we were able to push each other a bit. But also being there I was able to push up my weights and do fewer reps but with more poundage, and that felt really great! I really need to get sets of 30 and 35 pound dumbbells.
So today's change of scenery was a good thing for me. Sore in newer ways, including some sore hands because the chin-up bar is not padded! But for the most part I hope to stick with workout out in the morning so I am not taking time away from other things during the day.
With Jennifer also doing a beachbody workout (Insanity again) it means I either have to get up earlier to workout in the basement and be done before she gets up, or we work out on different floors. Working out at the same time is easy enough if I am doing Plyometrics, Yoga, or even Chest & Back or Legs & Back. I put the DVD in the computer in the kitchen eating area and either get to work in the kitchen or family room. Other routines, requiring weights, are not as convenient to drag all the dumbbells up the stairs (the pull up bar is at the bottom of the basement stairs and I can dash up and down to use it during the workout).
This morning I just didn't want to drag the weights upstairs since Jennifer got a head start and was downstairs. But I packed my gym bag and after the 12:15 Mass, on my 'lunch break", I dashed over the my local "athletic club" with the Back and Biceps worksheet I had printed off the Team Beachbody website.
Doing it at the gym gave me two advantages today. One, I worked out with someone, an acquaintance from the club I know. He was there and we were able to push each other a bit. But also being there I was able to push up my weights and do fewer reps but with more poundage, and that felt really great! I really need to get sets of 30 and 35 pound dumbbells.
So today's change of scenery was a good thing for me. Sore in newer ways, including some sore hands because the chin-up bar is not padded! But for the most part I hope to stick with workout out in the morning so I am not taking time away from other things during the day.
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