Social Workout

Workout

I made it.

Despite having very little sleep, a long day at work including overtime and the "all I want to do is be cozy on my couch with my kitties" kind of weather - I made it to the gym. I also had some organic raisins as a snack before my workout, which includes exercises for my deltoids.

About 25 minutes - Weights, Sept. 09 Workout on Personal Trainer app. on iPhone

SW-e-AT

Food-Ex Pairing: Pectoralis Black Beanie

We're going totally primal on you mid-week: Black beans, black as mud, rich in protein, the staple of the Americas. Frijoles Negros, muchachos. That's your food, and your mission is to pair those beans up with your pecs, the bench press muscles, the parts that stretch the t-shirt, the ones that give you your push-up, and your cleavage. Yesterday was somewhat delicate. Today is earthy. It's mammarian.

Even as you're reading this, people over at thekitchn.com are already gossiping about the ways they like to eat black beans. They're talking black bean omelettes, and Cuban black bean soup. They're not yet talking Black Bean Brownies, but, well, we got the jump on them on that....  The geeks at WHFoods say that black beans are high in protein and fiber, packed with anti-oxidents, and good for your heart, your glucose levels, and they might also help fight off cancer. Eat them!

And then find a way to work your pectoralises, both major and minor. This should be easy -- push ups are always available -- and so we encourage exiting your "comfort zone." Yogis, why not try a few sets on the bench press? Walk barefoot into that dark night, and ask a large man to spot you. The bench press is the mother of all lifts. The bonding rack of a million high school football players. The staple of suburban yard sale items.... (If you're wondering just how much some worship the bench, please check out the video after the jump.) Now then, free weights types, how about you knock off a half dozen sun salutations? Just a suggestion. You can all, of course, do whatever exercise you like. Just be sure to send word....

Organic Raisins and Delts

yup...organic raisins and delts...done and done...a perfect combination...may there be more small snacked size healthiness and single muscle combinations forthcoming...exactly 8 more to be exact! I can just imagine myself on the 30th having to cook some bizarre healthy concoction while doing push-ups to complete this challenge

New York

Workout

Why does saying I want to lose weight make me feel like an asshole?

Maybe it's because I know I'm not overweight? I swear I just want to tone up and lose a few pounds so I can look better in a cocktail dress I'm about to don in t-minus 96 hours and counting.

SW-e-AT

Food-Ex Pairing: Organic Raisins and Deltoids

Welcome back to SW-e-AT, where we pick the ingredient and body part, and you must consume the first and exercise the second. Today, is one part easy (that would be the raisins), and one part tough, i.e. your deltoids. Let's save the sweets for last....

Does the phrase "broad shoulders" hold any allure for you? Would you like to be able to fill out that '80s coat even without the padded shoulders? Hello deltoids, otherwise known as your shoulder muscles. (Deltoid, from the Greed "delta" for triangle, which is the shape you can see in the pink shade part at left.) Certain muscles are tougher to exercise, and more susceptible to injury. Must be careful with your shoulders, but strenthening them can pay big dividends for your tennis game, yoga practice, and/or when lifting luggage onto overhead racks.

Now then, if you're a free weights kind of person, you can work your delts with dumbbell "flys" or military presses, as per the pictures here. (You could also skip the little stuff and dive into these two "Deltoid Supersets," courtesy of the cracked-out-but-smart weightlifters at T-Nation.com.) If none of that's for you, you could try a lateral pulley exercise on your favorite circuit machine, but avoid being like the woman in the video at all costs. Yogis, you've got many ways to work the delts in your vinyasas (leaping into chataranga), as well as handstand (got any handstand push ups in you?)  Whatever you choose, though, must do my favorite:  The old overhead belt trick. Excruciating. The world is your oyster, put your shoulder into it. 

And, when you're done, go snarf down some organic raisins. Why? They taste good, are low calorie, and they also happen to be a great source of the trace element Boron. Thekitchn.com breaks it all down for you, as usual, including how you might plump those babies up in alcohol. I'm just saying. Assuming you're not doing the On the Wagon feat, that is....

Happy Tuesday.

Workout

a mistake?

The minute I started warming up for today's workout I knew it was a mistake. Still fatigued from weekend bicycling, I don't think I made it through a set of anything. But I've become so dependent on this class, this love-hate relationship, this Mr. Good Guy/Mr. Bad Guy rolled into one instructor, that I couldn't bring myself to not show up.

PERSONAL CHEF 6/10

Workout

Holiday starting a healthy week

Today began my attempt to complete all of the one-week feats in a single week. After looking them over, so many of the items to eliminate from my diet were interlocked in my mind. Coffee needs cream, bread contains sugar, etc. One doesn't work without the other, so I'll just go without them all. And to keep track I'll be writing it all down for Flog.

Kale Chips and Eye Stretches

Aye! This was a good one. Not only did I have a bunch of kale from last week's farm share waiting to be eaten, I've also had very fatigued eyes recently. I was thinking I needed glasses, but my sister said I've always wanted them so that wasn't it, that it was probably allergies.

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Carpe Feedum

Has anyone actually had a flesh-eating fish manicure?

For health reasons, a NY state senator wants to ban the practice of allowing flesh eating mini-carp to nibble dead skin off of feet at nail salons.

Oh but why?

New York

T. G. I. (last) F.

PERSONAL CHEF 4/10
Lunch for 2 totally taken from liz's post of leftover Garlicky Broccoli mixed with Peanut Sesame Noodles. Yum!

SWeAT 7/10
Hot Raw Cocoa w/ Local Honey & not-so-local Mini Marshmallows & Skim Milk + 25 biceps curls w/ pair of 10 lbs. weights (token, I know)

SMOOTHIE FEST 9/10

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