Working out...facts, fiction, and rules to follow

I am definitely a self proclaimed workout queen! I love working out. It is such a part of my life that there is a noticeable difference when I am not working out for any extended period of time (uh...grouchy and STRESSED much?!). I will be the first to admit that there was a time in my life when I worked out TOO MUCH. What is that you say? There is such a thing as working out too much? Oh yes my friends, this is very true. I have collected a few articles on the do's and don't's of working out and how to tell if you are working out too much.

The first article I came across talks about the do's and don't's of exercise from beginners to fitness freaks. I think that the most important thing that you can take away from this is that finding balance and listening to your body are vital to success when it comes to an injury free workout career.

The second article that I came across talks about the warning signs of overexercising. I think that EVERYONE from beginners to fitness fanatics (ESPECIALLY fitness fanatics) need to read this article. It's so easy to get caught up in workouts and not notice what your body is telling you.

This article is one of my favorite articles! I am definitely more prone to cardio. Getting into a strength routine is really tough for me. I have always had trouble with this aspect of fitness because I have this weird thought that if I am not sweating my butt off, it's not workin ha. This is a go to article for me to remind myself how important strength training really is.

Chocolate protein goo and new lunch recipe!

I attempted to make some homemade protein bars...I must say that the taste is delightful, but the texture...is goo. I am not sure why they came out so gooey and sticky. I will have to play around with the recipe next time. Instead of cutting these into bars, I rolled them into protein balls and rolled them around in a little flax to make them more manageable. :)

This is the Base Recipe that I used for the bars. I tweaked it a little by using chocolate protein powder, I left out the raisins and mashed up a banana. I wish I could say that is why it was gooey...but it was gooey before the banana. I added some oat bran in hopes it would absorb some of the moisture. No such luck. Maybe I should have added more protein!

I also made a new yummy lunch this afternoon! It's so simply, but man...it tasted really good! It could have been because I was STARVING! I heated up a whole wheat pita (from Trader Joe's) and topped it with 1/2 cup of lowfat cottage cheese, slices of avocado, pepper, and drizzled with EVOO. This was so good! Seriously! The pita was warm and had a little crunch, it just went really well together. I would encourage you to try! :)

Insanity...and new fitness finds

Insanity- doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Sigh. That definition strongly pertains to my continuous poor timing for hiking/trail running. I end up going at noon EVERY TIME! And every time I am out there in the 115 degree desert I tell myself that next time I will never do this again ha! Honestly I don't mind hiking in the heat. I don't mind hiking at noon at all, but it does take a toll and it is exhausting by the time I am done! To make myself feel better about my hiking habit I have decided that the reasons it's good to hike at noon is A) I am the only one on the trails...even the crowded trails. Unless of course you count the roadrunners and jackrabbits and large scary lizards. B) I am less jumpy at the prospect of snake attacks. It is miserably hot, they would definitely be too lazy and hot to strike, they most definitely are sleeping in a shady spot far away from me. I am not certain if this is true, but it does make me feel better. It's a good thing I drink like a camel because IT'S HOT out there.

On the topic of hiking and outdoor activity. I have to give a shout out to my FAVORITE shoes of all time, Brooks Cascadia 6. I love these shoes. I am all about the tread ( I am terribly clumsy so good tread is important to keep my from falling head first off a mountain) and these shoes have some mean tread on them. I am a big fan of Brooks as they give me lots of arch support and don't seem to aggravate my tendinitis as much as other shoes do. Check these shoes out! They really do rock!My most important outdoor fitness find is my new favorite sunscreen! I have interesting skin, it's super sensitive and acne prone. I also sweat, I don't glisten, I POUR sweat so it's important to me to not have a runny sunscreen that stings my eyes and that I can taste (EW!). I bought Neutrogena Ultimate Sport SPF 70. I was drawn to it because of the "won't cause breakout" claim on the side of the bottle. It's also water resistent, sweat proof and oil free. All very important to me in a sunscreen. I have been using it for about a month now and I am definitely a fan! My skin looks great, I feel protected and I have never had any burning eyes or gross taste in my mouth while I am out on the trails.

Eat clean item of the week!

I just wanted to share one of my recent Eat Clean finds!

My FAVE find right now is my Misto! I love it! Cooking spray always made me a little nervous so it is so nice to be able to fill up my misto with healthy olive oil and make my own spray!!!

Some new recipes!

Hey everyone! I know it's been a while but I have some new recipes to add. Nothing MAJOR but I promise to be better about blogging my clean creations.

Clean Cucumber Salad

I cucumber sliced up, sea salt and pepper to taste, 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar - mix it alllll together and enjoy

Banana Molasses Bran Muffins

• 1C wheat bran
• 1 1/2C whole wheat flour
• 1 1/4 C buttermilk
• 1/2 C Molasses (honey works and gives a milder flavor)
• 1/2tsp salt
• 1/2tsp baking powder
• 1tsp baking soda
• 1/8C vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 1 mashed banana
• eat clean cooking spray

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl (the orignial recipe calls to mix the dry first, then the wet ingredients and then mix all together...I never do this and it turns out fine). This makes about 12 muffins (spray muffin tin with cooking spray). Bake at 375 degrees for 18 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Clean Greek Salad

Spinach (washed and ready to go!)
Grape tomatoes (washed and cut in half)
1/2 cucumber sliced into thin slices
Kalamata olives (buy pitted olives to make it easier, you can add them whole or slice them into pieces)
Cheese (feta or parm would be good, I actually use cottage cheese)
Chicken breast or shrimp (optional)

Mix all salad ingredients together first and add cheese of your choice, in a small bowl mix balsamic vinegar and olive oil (depending on salad size usually I do twice as much balsamic as olive oil) and add fresh ground pepper to the top. ENJOY!

Another dressing option is to mix 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar with 1 tbsp deli mustard, mix together and pour over salad. This is especially good if the salad has chicken breast.