Category: Food and Drink
We are 5 weeks (a little more) into the new year… do you know where your goals are? We got in touch with the FitLifeSF Challenge contestants to find out how they were doing, and here is a little bit of an update.
We had a week of tasty, P90X-friendly meals at FitLifeSF Headquarters this week– a few simple favorites, and a few recipes worth sharing:
It’s about time someone did this! Thanks to The Daily Beast for compiling the latest data on which diets actually work based on weight lost at 6 and 12 months, as well as attrition rate (after all, no diet works if you can’t stick to it!)
The winner, Volumetrics, is an approach I highly recommend for many folks, and, of the top 5, all but Atkins are what I consider to be reasonable, balanced, SUSTAINABLE ways of eating for life. (Maybe it’s because I’m more of an endurance athlete, but, I’m just pretty anti-Atkins. I do agree , however, that lowering carbs for a week or two is one way to lose some of the water weight that is stored with glycogen and slim down for a near-term event.)
I am feeling pretty good, but it is VERY humbling. Sunday at Sambo, my butt was pretty kicked after working out hard for 1.5 hrs. (I can usually kick ass for at least 2 hrs or so) The last 3 days have been pretty telling too. Sure I am not in terrible shape, but great conditioning goes away pretty quickly. (If you call 45 days pretty quickly) Everything I am doing seems to be sub par. My stamina is shot!
So. I have to focus on the important things. Getting back into the groove. Getting my body used to working out consistently again. And most importantly, fueling my body the right way. (healthy eats, and getting enough rest)
We all struggle with this, and the only way to get better is to strengthen my resolve, not make excuses, and keep doing what needs to be done. I have to keep pushing play (Or getting my workouts in), I have to not let life get in the way (Make time for the important things), and not beat myself up for slipping. (It is human)
I get to see how my conditioning is improving. Sambo tomorrow night at 7PM, but before that, a bit of Yoga.
-Rob
This is not a classic “health” post, but it is near and dear to my heart. The people over at Nervous Dog Coffee do it right. From the great (and healthy) bagel sandwiches to best damn Mocha I have gotten in the city, you need to try Nervous Dog! Stop in and say hi to Joe and team.
http://www.nervousdogcoffee.com/
3438 Mission Street
San Francisco CA
I’ll admit, this first week of the P90X Cycle, it’s not the workouts that have been eating up the time, it’s the mealprep and planning. We’ll cover the workouts we did this past week in another post, but I figured I couldn’t be the only one struggling with meal ideas on this plan- especially since we didn’t want to follow the “menu plan” included in the Nutrition Guide and opted instead for the portion approach.
Ps. I’ve been Twittering the food photos as-they-happen on my @smurfcore account and, whenever I get around to it, on @FitLifeSF as well. Please, do follow us and tell a friend! (Also, this is why the photos are more utilitarian than food porn.)
Rob requested spicy soup last night. I was going to do a nice, spicy Thai style soup, but instead got a hankering for Tortilla Soup (plus, I was incredibly tired after my 7 mile run and knew I could cheat a little if I stuck with more traditional flavors.)
Here’s how it went down:
Last night, I made a favorite meal of mine. I was completely beat after 5 miles of treadmill speedwork and a core session and had a hankering for something substantial. Healthy Chicken Parm to the rescue!
Here’s how it went down:
Last night’s dinner was a tasty one for a nice, rainy evening. Homemade Minestrone Soup (using up what was left of the roasted poulet rouge that we had on Monday.) What goes in it? Chicken stock, chicken parts, bundle of herbs (oregano, thyme, rosemary) and several cloves of garlic. Cooked down for a bit, then remove the chicken parts and strip the meat. Add to the stock: some water (about doubling the volume), the rind from a wedge of parmesano reggiano (I keep these in the freezer for just such an occasion) once can of diced tomatoes, onions, carrots, celery, zucchini, cauliflower, salt, lots of pepper. Let it cook for a while. Add the chicken meat back in (not traditional, I know.) Add a can of cannellini beans. Add some lemon juice/lemon zest to taste. (This means you, Hizzle! 
) Serve topped with more parm, if you prefer.
For the sandwiches, I took some lovely day-old Acme Herb Slab, doused it with a wee bit of Bariani Olive Oil and some red wine vinegar (wish I had balsamic, but we are out. The horror!) Added Herb Roasted Sliced Turkey, tomatoes, fresh mozz (just a bit!) and basil leaves, then sprayed the outside of the bread with a spritz of Spectrum Spray Olive Oil and put it in a hot pan with another pan and a bottle of sparking blueberry juice (that nobody seems interested in drinking and I’m not sure where it came from) on top to weigh it down. Toast, flip, repeat, enjoy! I added some baby spinach leaves to my sarnie after it came off the heat.