sweetsarahjane’s BodyBlog

Well, I am fired up for this week. Had a good weekend and ready to tackle this week! I realized that I needed to get back to my indoor rock climbing as a regular part of my workout routine. So, I decided to write a few words about rock climbing. I have been rock climbing indoors for several years and it is a blast! I have never climbed outside yet, but I want to build my endurance enough to climb a pitch or two on Devil’s Tower, maybe all the way to the top some time. Rock climbing, whether indoor or out, is a fantastic workout that gets your heart pumping and your muscles burning! One hour of continuous rock climbing burns over 500 calories, depending on your weight and the intensity of the climb. Climbing builds lean muscle in all parts of your body, particularly your palms, forearms, biceps, upper back, and calves, including all the small stabilizing muscles surrounding the major muscles. Crack climbing (the type of climbing on Devil’s Tower) definitely improves tone and flexibility in your legs. Rock climbing improves balance, flexibility, coordination, self-confidence, functional strength, helps people to overcome their fear of heights, and can actually be a great cardio workout (when you are climbing a difficult route, you really get your heart rate up!). Indoor climbing walls are great for first timers, and some gyms that have rock walls also have climbing classes. That’s how I got started, and I got hooked. And don’t worry about ever getting bored - there are lots of different techniques to try and there are indoor and outdoor climbing contests and races. You can learn to climb blindfolded (fun!), perfect your climbing technique, do endurance laps up and down the wall, learn to belay others and use the auto-belay or learn to self-belay, and tons of other skills. And if you do get tired of climbing indoors, there is literally a world of climbing opportunities waiting outside. Bouldering is a great option where you climb boulders without ropes and with the help of friends and a thick landing pad. Rock climbing is a great all around workout that I highly recommend for people who want to shake up their workouts and try something new. The shoes and harness are not to expensive - they can run about $60 to $100 for each, and some gyms with climbing classes provide the gear for first-timers. Give it a try sometime; you won’t be disapointed! Let me know what you think

I went to the gym on Wednesday and that was it. I have no energy this week and still feel like I have not recovered from being sick on Tuesday. My husband is getting over being sick and now my 4 year old is sick. We keep passing it around to each other I guess. I am going to drink more water, get my eating back to normal, and try to get back on the wagon tomorrow. I will definitely be set back in my workouts, though. I have been in a bit of a workout rut, lately, and need to re-assess my goals and change up my routine. I will try to add more cardio and more functional body weight training, plyos, running (I don’t like running), and some other things to switch it up a bit. I need to find ways to get my energy up, because I feel like I am drained all the time, even though I have not made it to the gym. I will write out an action plan for myself to see if I can come up with some good ways to boost my energy levels. If anyone has any input that would be great.

So much for being motivated to get in gear this week; I am sick today and this will probably set me back until Thursday for my next gym session. Oh well, you got to roll with the punches and keep moving froward. Just hope I am back to 100% by Thursday.

Here is a recipe for some yummy, healthy cookies (these are crispier - not very soft). This recipe comes courtesy of Clean Eating Magazine. Enjoy!

Chocolate-Spiked Oatmeal Cookies             Makes 16 cookies

1-1/4 cup quick-cook old-fashioned oats

1/2 cup whole-wheat pastry flour

2 teaspoons flaxseed meal

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup honey (or agave nectar)

1 large egg white

2 teaspoons almond butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup dark bittersweet chocolate chips (mini chips work best)

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and lightly spray 2 cookie sheets with cooking spray.

2) In a large mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients except chocolate chips. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together wet ingredients.

3) Add egg mixture to dry ingredients all at once and combine. Stir in chocolate chips.

4) Divide batter equally into 16 mounds (about 1 rounded tablespoon in size) and arrange evenly on baking sheets. Using the back of a slightly dampened spoon, flatten each mound into 2-1/2 inch circles. Bake 9 to 10 minutes, until golden. Cool on sheets for an additional 10 minutes before transferring to racks to cool completely. Stored in an airtight container, cookies will keep fresh for 2 to 3 days.

Nutrients:

90 calories, 1.5 g fat, 0.75 g saturated fat, 1 g fiber, 9.5 g sugar, 2 g protein

You can cut calories by using only 1/3 cup of honey, using soy-nut butter, and cutting back the chocolate chips to 2 tablespoons. This will bring the nutrient profile to the following:

71 calories, 1 g fat, 0.5 g saturated fat, 1 g fiber, 5 g sugar, and 2 g protein

I have to admit, I have not been in the gym very much over the last three weeks due to traveling and low energy levels. I can’t get in the gym today because it is closed, but I will try to do something else. I would love to get outside but we will see what the weather does. I am going to try and get my energy and motivation levels up this next week so I can change up my workout routine a bit. I have hit a wall lately and need to shake things up a bit. I am determined to get back to the gym this week!

Well, I finally uploaded some pics for my profile. They are a few years old, but they are the best I have right now. None of my newer photos look that great. But, I will get some good ones soon hopefully!

This is one of my favorite healthy muffin recipes. I don’t have the nutrition facts for this recipe, but you can figure them out on your own easily. Find the nutrient profiles of each ingredient, adding them together on paper. Then divide by the number of servings (this takes some time and math skills).

Nutritious Muffins

3/4 cup whole-wheat flour

3/4 cup oat bran

1/2 cup brown sugar (I use about 1/3 c. honey instead)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/3 cup banana, mashed (about 1 large banana)

1/2 cup plain non-fat yogurt (you can use skim milk instead)

1 whole egg, or 2 egg whites

2 tablespoons cooking oil

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup carrots, shredded

1/2 cup dates, chopped (can use any chopped dried fruit, but dates lend moistness)

1/2 cup walnuts chopped (optional; I usually skip this)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Mix together dry ingredients. Mix liquid ingredients in a separate bowl. Combine dry and moist mixes together and stir until moistened. Fold in carrot, dates, and walnuts. Lightly grease muffin tin or line with paper cups. Fill 2/3 full. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes (do not over-bake). These freeze well. Enjoy!

Trying to scrape myself together after a week full of too little gym, not enough water, and way too much junk food. Had a really good/bad weekend, all at the same time, and really struggling to pull myself together for the week ahead. I am so emotionally and physically exhausted and my stomach is in knots, but I am determined to eat better this week and get to the gym no matter what. Getting to the gym should help lower my stress levels, but I have to be careful that I do not overeat, because I tend to do that when I am feeling emotionally drained. Hope this week is better.

Got back last night from an amazing weekend with our church youth group! I helped chaperon our youth group on a trip to Acquire the Fire conference and it was awesome! The music was incredible and the teaching was great. I enjoyed taking time out to help our church and be a role model. It was really good for me to stop focusing so much on myself and give my time to helping others. I definitely want to go next year!

Well, I have not been doing very well clean eating-wise the past two days. I will be traveling over the weekend as a chaperon on a youth group trip, so I do not expect to eat very clean for the next three days. I will try to still eat healthy, though. I am going to pack some trail mix and protein bars to avoid eating candy on the road trip. I won’t be able to drink as much water as I would like, but I will still bring a water bottle. We will see how well I eat this weekend. I am definitely going to miss my morning egg whites