Tag Archives: Tough Mudder

WT Hope

13 Aug
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At all stages of life, we have goals and dreams and desires.  But not everyone has Hope.  Some people have it and then lose it.  And sometimes, just when you think you’ve lost Hope, there she is, the top of her head cresting over the horizon and she comes into view again, determined, placing one foot in front of the other and pushing forward to reach new limits she never thought possible.

Sometimes, it’s not Hope alone that can get you to where you want to be, sometimes it takes a village or a team to help push you and motivate you and give you something to strive for.

And when Hope transforms into a tangible and successful outcome, you can look back on the experience and realize that without Hope, you may not have seen things so clearly or even pushed yourself as hard as you did just because Hope was by your side.

This weekend, I had the support of an amazing team and that team had Hope.  We worked together, pushed each other mentally and physically and psyched each other up to get to the end of our 10 mile journey together.  It was an amazing ride but not a minute of it would have been the same if it weren’t for Hope.  I feel privileged and so very thankful to have you in my life.

WTHayley
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WT High Altitude

31 Jul

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Less than two weeks to go until Tough Mudder New England.  I kicked my training up a notch this weekend with some ‘high altitude’ workouts in the Colorado Rockies with a fellow TM Teammate.

I talked a big game before the weekend telling him that I’m excited for hiking and work outs galore while I’m in town.  In hindsight, training at higher altitudes is a huge advantage over my sea level lungs.  Although I was sucking wind and hugging trees on the way up the Ute Trail, I still managed to make the trek up to the top of Aspen Mtn in just over 2 hours.  Thankfully the Gondola was still running to take us back down to the bottom (during each I booked my deep tissue massage for the very next day).  Shockingly, I wasn’t as sore as I though I’d be and attribute it to the massive amounts of Stair Treadmill hours that I log each week at the gym.   The following day prior to the massage, I climbed the stairs for 20, ran at intervals for 20, lifted and did 100 crunches.  My last day we hiked the Ute trail again shaving at least 5 minutes off our time from the hike two days earlier.  It was still an ass-kicker but felt great.  (Pic is of me at the top…. still smiling)
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The weekend wasn’t all about working out though.  As you’re probably aware from previous posts, I’ve been on quite the health kick the last few months.   I haven’t had a piece of meat or chicken in 4 weeks, pretty much stopped having dairy (an occasional pat of butter or weekend cone at Marvel but whose counting) and have been pounding veggies and fruits along with fish, good carbs and natural fats.  However, I am not one to deprive myself and if you know me, you know that 5pm on weekends (7pm on some week nights) is cocktail time and if it’s chocolate and in my face, chances are I’m gonna eat it.   This weekend was filled with lots of naughty pleasures – i’ll just fill you in on the oral pleasures (actually that doesn’t sound right either) – wine, mojitos, squid ink pasta, fried calamari, rock shrimp tempura, a nutella and banana crepe, a hot dog (I only took a tiny bite) and certainly one of my favorites…. BACON (which in my humble opinion should be its own special food group).   And I enjoyed every moment of my gluttonous indulgences.   From now until the big day, I’ll be cutting back (notice I didn’t say ‘out’) on the bad stuff and pushing the limits on my workouts.

So while some of you may think I’ve lost my mind and transformed into a health freak, my philosophy is this….. If your foundation is rooted in a healthy lifestyle of eating right and exercising, then go ahead and indulge when that sweet treat or sugary cocktail calls your name and by all means….. enjoy it…. you deserve it.

WTHayley

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WTHealthy Hump Day Recipe

11 Jul

I realize it’s the day after hump day but my hump day sucked.  So here it is the day after.

Today’s recipe:
Lotta Legs Coconut Mango Shrimp over Quinoa served with lightly cooked veggie

Serving size per person:
6 shrimp (45 calories)
1/2 cup cooked quinoa (111 calories)
2 cups of veggies (109 calories/broccoli)
1/2 mango (62 calories)
1 tblsp Coconut oil (120 calories)
(Personal Pref: Add a few sprigs of Cilantro for that clean yummy taste)

I only had time for a quick workout tonight but needed to get in a few extra leg exercises (Lots of hill to conquer at Mt. Snow in exactly 30 days) today so I mixed in my workout while prepping and cooking my dinner.

Buy the frozen shrimp at the supermarket that are already cleaned, deveined and shelled… that means they have no shell on (in case this is confusing to some of you). However you may want to make sure your shrimp are from a good source.  I attached a video to the end of this post which is sure to freak you out about things you eat.

Defrost shrimp under cold running water for 10 min.  I realize this is a waste of water but this is a healthy blog, not an environmental one.  In the spirit of my tree hugging friends, please be sure to recycle, reuse and reduce. :). If you have an hour before you cook, take a whole lemon and squeeze over defrosted shrimp and place in the fridge for an hour.  If you don’t have the hour to let them sit, you can squeeze the lemon over the shrimp while cooking.

Cook one cup of quinoa according to packaging. (Do 3 sets of 10 lunges on each leg while standing at the stove) *FunFact: Quinoa has the perfect balance of all nine amino acids essential for human nutrition.  This type of complete protein is usually found in meats (so skip the meat and eat this treat instead).  It also offers a good dose of fiber and iron.

Cut up one whole mango.  If you are only cooking for yourself, you should only eat half the mango.  (Do 2 sets of 20 squats between slicing)
*FunFact:   Fresh fruit offers so much more than the natural sugar it contains – including water, vitamins, minerals, fiber and phytonutrients (those naturally-occurring plant compounds that have wide ranging beneficial effects on the body).
I found an amazing sauce that I love which has a ‘B’ rating on the Fooducate App. HH561399-2

Take one tablespoon of coconut oil and melt in a frying pan. (10 squats while melting) Toss in the shrimp and turn to coat with oil.  (Do 10 lunges on each side while browning) Flip when slightly brown and do the same on the other side.  *FunFacts: Coconut Oil is a short and medium chain fatty acid which have many health benefits and also help in taking off excessive weight, since they are easily digested and sent right to the liver for instant energy production(increases your metabolism)  You know that extra weight around your midsection??? Coconut oil helps get rid of that.  Coconut Oil has tons of other benefits:  Skin Care, Weight Loss, Immunity, Digestion, Healing and Infections.  

When shrimp are almost done, toss in the mango and squeeze lemon juice over the pan or pour in juice they were marinating in. (10 squats)

Great veggie to eat on the side: Bok Choy, shelled edamame, broccoli, Sugar Snap Peas.  Any can be lightly steamed or very lightly sautéed in half a tablespoon of a high heat oil such as sunflower or grapeseed.  Keep veggies bright green to maintain highest levels of nutrients. Lightly salt and pepper.  I don’t add salt unless its sea salt – Himalayan from Trader Joes is awesome. (10 squats and 10 lunges on each leg while veggies are cooking)  *FunFact: The more nutrient-dense food you consume(aka VEGGIES), the more you will be satisfied with fewer calories, and the less you will crave fat and high-calorie foods. 

Add veggie and shrimp and serve over quinoa. Pour one tablespoon of Mango sauce on top or use on the side for dipping sauce for shrimp.

Prep: 10-15 min
Cooking time: 10-15 min.

Lunges: 50
Squats: 50

Calories Consumed (who cares, you’ve earned it)

Stretch Your Legs and Enjoy.

— WTHayley

 

Here’s the video I mentioned…. GROSS.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXJSmxi2buc

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WTHealthy

8 Jul

So, I’m on a major health/workout kick with one month to go until this summers Tough Mudder on August 10th.  Aside from having to get into shape that so I don’t die during the event, I was also inspired by my brother…a real life case study to curing a health problem just by eating better.

Case Study:  Back in May, my brother went to the doctor and discovered that for the first time in his life, at 43 years old, he had high blood pressure (155/85).  Growing up with a British mother, meat and potatoes were a staple at our dinner table and no meal was complete without finishing off with something sweet.  Rather than going on some blood pressure medicine, he decided to take the natural approach to finding a cure.  He went to a holistic doctor who recommended a few vitamins and supplements along with recommending ‘Eat to Live’ by Dr. Joel Fuhrman and the must-see documentary ‘Fork Over Knives’.  Along with intense exercise (Beachbody’s Insanity workout with Sean T) and a completely new outlook on food and consumption, over a 5-8 week period, he brought his blood pressure down to 120/70 and dropped about 16 pounds. (I’d post the before and after pics but he’d never speak to me ever again – however, I can be bought for the right price :-)).

Along with my brother, I too read the book and watched the movie and it has changed my life, for the better.  Our nation is literally killing itself, along with our children.  Our food pyramid couldn’t be more f’ed up.  Both the movie and the book is not meant to brainwash you but to help you understand that our own government (basically the FDA) has fooled us into the way so many of us think about the food we eat.   Over the last few weeks, I have been posting on my FB page, excerpts from the book that I find to be mind blowing and decided that I should just use my blog for the benefit of my friends and fans.    So if you follow along, I’ll be educating and sharing some amazing healthy and delicious recipes that you are sure to love.

Fascinating Fact from Eat to Live:
“Converting food fat into body fat is easy; the process doesn’t even modify the molecules. Research scientists can actually take fat biopsies off your hips or waist and tell you where it came from—pig fat, dairy fat, chicken fat, or olive oil. The fat is still the same as it was on your plate, but now it is under your skin. The saying “from your lips to your hips” is literally true.” 

Black Bean, Mango, Corn, Avocado Salad

  • 2 ripe but firm avocados, halved, peeled and cubed
  • 3 tablespoons lime juice, divided
  • 2 ripe but firm mangoes, peeled and cubed
  • 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 (15 ounce) can no-salt-added Organic black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 Stalk of Corn – Roast on the grill or Microwave and remove from stalk (or don’t use corn at all)

Add it all together in a bowl and mix.  This recipe is amazing over grilled shrimp or any kind of fish.  Want a kick?  Add a diced Jalapeno.

*Photo courtesy of WholeFoods

avomangobb-salad 

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