Archive for September, 2009

This recipe I’ll admit takes a little more time to prep than some of the others, but it’s worth it!

One of the things that you need to be careful of with many soups is the amount of sodium it contains. Not so with this recipe! Lower sodium is helps your body all across the board, and your body will retain less water too!

Japanese Onion Soup

• ½ stalk celery, chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• ½ carrot, chopped
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root
• ¼ teaspoon minced fresh garlic
• 2 tablespoons chicken stock
• 3 teaspoons beef bouillon granules
• 1 cup chopped fresh shiitake mushrooms
• 2 quarts water1 cup baby Portobello mushrooms, sliced
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh chives

In a large saucepan or stockpot, combine the celery, onion, carrot, ginger, garlic, and a few of the mushrooms. Add chicken stock, beef bouillon, and water. Place the pot over high heat, and bring to a rolling boil. When the mixture reaches boiling, cover, reduce heat to medium, and cook for 45 minutes.

Place all of the remaining mushrooms into a separate pot. When the boiling mixture is done, place a strainer over the pot with the mushrooms in it. Strain the cooked soup into the pot with the mushrooms. Discard strained materials.

Serve the broth with mushrooms and sprinkle fresh chives over the top.

6 servings

35 calories/serving.

Staying properly hydrated is a favorite topic of mine, just ask my wife. Any aliment, no matter how slight, my first reaction is to ask “How much water are you drinking?” It’s not that I enjoy sounding like a broken record; it’s that people are consistently underestimating the importance of staying hydrated.

Water (aside from oxygen) is the most important nutrient your body requires. Without it you’re dead inside of a few days, a whole order of magnitude faster than without anything else.

What water does for you?

• Eliminates wastes and toxins
• Lubricates joints
• Firms and tightens skin
• Aides digestion
• Regulates body temperature
• Carries nutrients to your cells
• Helps moderate hunger

Yes, you read that last one right, staying hydrate will make you less hungry. Most people are chronically dehydrated; often the signs that the body gives off when it’s dehydrated are mistaken for hunger. Next time you feel the need for a snack try drinking a glass of water and in a few minutes you’ll find the urge to snack has disappeared!

How can you lose weight with water?

When it comes to working out and losing weight, water is critical.

• A dehydrated body will decrease its energy output and slow its metabolism, effectively handicapping your workout!
• Dehydration reduces blood volume, limiting the oxygen and other muscle growth hormones getting to your muscles.
• Reduced blood volume also prevents your cells from getting rid of lactic acid which is part of the reason you’re sore the next day
• Muscle is 80% water. Fat is 20% water. Dehydration impacts your calorie burning muscles more than your calorie storing fat cells.

One common myth is that drinking too much water will make you bloated and actually increase your weight. Your body carefully regulates how much water it takes in and won’t let you over drink in all but the rarest cases. The old adage of using your urine to tell how hydrated you are, is true. You want your urine to be either clear or only slightly yellow tinged.

So how much water should you be drinking?

• Start your day with 2 cups, since you tend to be dehydrated after sleeping
• The rule of thumb is to drink 8, 8oz glasses throughout the day, or half your body weight in ounces (180lbs = 90oz), whichever is more
• 8oz 20-30 minutes before working out
• Continually sip throughout your workout
• 8oz within 30 minutes of working out

I’ve mentioned before, that soda/pop is not an acceptable replacement for water and in fact should be limited or eliminated. Studies show that many athletes are over hydrated, mostly from chugging sports drinks. Sports drinks as well should be limited, as they only provide nutrients needed after 60-90 minutes of sustained exercise. Sticking with water will give you exactly what your body needs without the additional calories, sugars, and loads of sodium. If you can’t bear the taste of plain water, try adding some sliced fruit or cucumber to freshen the taste!

One of my goals while going to CrossFit Ogden has been to do a muscle up.

(A muscle up is basically a pull-up on some rings which then turns into a dip on the rings, ideally in a single smooth movement)

I’ve just gotten to the point that I can do one if I jump from the ground to get started.

Another guy there saw me do it and thinking that it looked fun decided to try. After a few shaky tries I was astonished to see him do one almost effortlessly! After doing a few more he smiled and went home for the day.

My trainer seeing my shocked and dismayed look tried to comfort me “It’s ok he’s a police officer and does judo too.”

All I could do is shake my head and say “I hate working out with cops.”

The boys (and girl) in blue

Easily half the people at my gym are either a police officer or sheriff’s deputy. All of them are great to work out with. They are a fun group, supportive, easy going, and are in great shape.

Let me emphasize their great shape.

Forget the stereotypical donut munching overweight cop, even the one female officer who is about to have her first grand kid can kick my but in nearly every workout we do! Half of them have a serious beer gut going on, but they still manage to squat more and turn in faster mile times!

Why do I suck?

CrossFit has a competitive streak a mile wide, it’s one of the reasons I like it. Even if you can’t compete with those around you, CrossFit is styled so you can compete with yourself. In the few months I’ve been there, I’ve seen some large gains in strength, and I’m happy for it.

But is it so wrong to want to beat a few of my fellow gym members once in a while?

Without a doubt there will always be someone better than you at something. In fact, having someone better than you nearby can help you push yourself in an attempt to catch up to them. But what do you do when you’re dead last?

Of course quitting isn’t the answer, my only real option is to press on. But I need to get in a more constructive state of mind. Let’s share ideas on keeping a positive mental attitude when your at the back of the pack. Comment below and let’s discuss.

So it’s been a little while since I lasted posted a workout, so I figured it was high time I put out another one!

A pretty typical format for working out is to go 4 times a week. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Firdays give you body plenty of work and enough rest to rebuild your muscles. In fact if you are serious about getting results from your workout, the 4x a week is a must!

Here is a good starting working for your 4x schedule.

If you are just starting out you may want to spend a few weeks with either some circuit training or some light interval work, and work your way up to this workout.

Again, Here is athe 4x schedule.