Walking Through a Sun Salutation

Lately I've been trying to get in the habit of doing a few sun salutations when I first wake up in the morning. The orderly sequence of the movements is both relaxing and a good way to stretch out my muscles after they've laid in the same position all night. If you're just getting into yoga or are unfamiliar with sun salutations I'm going to walk you through the basics of this soothing stretch sequence. All you need is a yoga mat or soft surface to practice on.

1. Start with your feet together and hands at your side at the top of your mat. This is called mountain pose.
2. Bring you arms up your sides and stretch them above your head and slightly behind, reaching toward the wall behind you.
3. Sweep your arms back to your sides as your bend forward keeping a flat back. As you bend further allow a curve to your spine and reach your hands to your toes. This is often referred to as a swan dive.
4. From here you will come back up to a flat back. From your completely curved positions straighten your spine and arms and bring yourself briefly back to a flat back position, the same as the midpoint of your swan dive from the last step. After you hold this for a breath, come back down to your curved position.
5. Place both of your hands on the ground, and either jump your feet back into a plank position or step one foot back at a time. Your hands should be directly beneath your shoulders.
6. You will now lower yourself into a chaturanga by keeping your hands directly beneath your shoulders and your elbows tucked in at your sides. You will lower your body slowly to the ground almost like a pushup, but keeping the arms tucked.
7. Once you've rested your body on the ground you will come into an upward dog position. Keeping your hands underneath your shoulders, extend the arms straight and stretch your torso up toward the sky, keeping your neck relaxed.
8. From here you will go into downward dog position. Bring your head forward and lift your legs straight behind you, keeping your arms straight. The goal of downward dog is to work your heels into the ground, but only push the stretch as far as is comfortable in the beginning.
9. From here you will return to mountain pose by stepping your feet individually to your hands, or taking a small jump forward.
10. When your feet are at your hands, sweep your arms up above your head and behind you one last time before relaxing your hands at your sides.

Sun salutations are a very simple way to get just a little bit of yoga in to your routine every day. You can modify the sequence to your ability by stepping instead of jumping, or decreasing your range of motion in the stretch. You can also make it more difficult by hovering in chaturanga for a beat or pushing your stretches further.

How do you modify your sun salutations?

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I'm at McDonald's, What Should I Never Order?

In my ideal world, you would never end up at Mcdonald's at the end of a long day. However, I understand that it happens and that we all get busy and exhaust all our other options from time to time. Yesterday, I did a post on some decent options that Mcdonald's does offer. Today I'm going to do a quick write up on a few items you should never, ever even consider ordering from the menu.

1. Chicken Selects, 5 pieces. When I did my post on decent Mcdonald's items I was surprised to choose Chicken Mcnuggets as a pretty good option. You would think these, advertised as a higher quality item on the menu would have made the list. Instead, you get one less piece of chicken and an additional 300 calories when you order these instead of traditional Mcnuggets.
2. Chocolate Shakes. With as much sodium as a hamburger, a shake at Mcdonald's is a health disaster. A large has over 100g of sugar in it. Stick to homemade shakes when you need a treat.
3. Mcdouble. This dollar menu item has nearly 1,000mg of sodium and 390 calories. In a sandwich that would probably take you just a couple minutes to consume. Does it really seem worth it?
4. Grilled Chicken Club Sandwich. This is another item I bet many people think of as being a somewhat decent option. However it has 1,720mg of sodium, that is more then most people are supposed to have on a daily basis. It is also nearly 600 calories for the pretty average sized sandwich.
5. Double Quarter-Pounder with Cheese. Again the sodium here is astronomical, but this sandwich also packs an astounding amount of fat. With 19g of saturated to go with it. 

What are your must avoid menu items?

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I'm at McDonald's, What Do I Order?

So you were short on time and you had to stop somewhere for food. Mcdonald's has to have something on the menu that is relatively healthy right? Although stopping at Mcdonald's is not at all ideal, sometimes we find ourselves at the drive through even when we had not planned for it. Having a few items in mind that you know you can safely order will help make your next busy day a little less stressful when you have to stop for food. Here are some pretty decent Mcdonald's menu item choices.

1. Plain Hamburger.  A plain hamburger at Mcdonald's is actually one of the best menu options they currently have. It comes in at a reasonable 250 calories and only about 500mg of sodium. Skip the cheese and stick with a plain burger.
2. Chicken Mcnuggets, 6 pieces. Another surprisingly light in sodium option, at only 600mg. These are actually a better option then the other fried chicken on the menu. And although the meat is of pretty much zero quality, they're not going to destroy your diet for the day at only 280 calories.
3. Fruit and Yogurt Parfait. If you just need a little something to get you through until your next meal this little dollar menu item is a good one. Without granola it is only 140 calories and the granola only adds an extra 20. The protein in the yogurt should keep you full until your next meal.
4. Southwest Salad with Grilled Chicken. Without the provided dressing the salad is only 320 calories, which is pretty good for a meal. If you want to use the dressing, the entire packet is 100 calories. I'd recommend keeping it on the side and just dipping your bites into the dressing, you'd be amazed at how much you save!
5. Grilled Ranch Snack Wrap. This little wrap does have a pretty high sodium of about 800mg, but compared to many other options it does pretty well. It does only clock in at about 270 calories.

What are your go-to Mcdonald's options?

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Choose Your Indoor Cardio

Even when the weather is generally nicer, there are days when you cannot get outside for your cardio workout. Instead, try these indoor cardio moves to maximize your burn! These calculations are all based on a 130 pound woman, so it will vary slightly depending on your weight. 

Jumping Rope (1/2 hr)                    238 Calories Burned

Calisthenics (1 hr)                            374 Calories Burned

Treadmill Running 6mph (1 hr)      593 Calories Burned

Treadmill Running 5mph (1hr)       499 Calories Burned

Aerobics (1 hr)                                   386 Calories Burned

Stairclimber (1 hr)                             420 Calories Burned

Indoor Cycling (1 hr)                        413 Calories Burned

Dance Class (1 hr)                            351 Calories Burned

Elliptical Trainer (1 hr)                     500 Calories Burned

What are your favorite forms of indoor cardio?

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Review: Jillian Michaels Kickbox Fastfix

Kickbox Fastfix is the most recent exercise DVD release from Jillian Michaels. I have previously reviewed her Killer Buns & Thighs DVD and was hoping this one would measure up to the quality and efficiency I've come to expect from her workouts. Sadly, this workout does not measure up as one of her better efforts. Although it can be modified and worked with to make a really great workout, the basic materials provided in the DVD do not on their own create that great of a workout.


The DVD consists of three different workouts and a tutorial on the different kickboxing moves. The first workout focuses on the upper body, the second on the lower, and the third is supposed to target the core. Each workout is only twenty minutes long and consists of four circuits of different cardio and kickboxing moves. There is a short cooldown at the end of each workout, and the warmup is incorporated as the first circuit of the workout.


The first time I did the DVD, I did all three workouts together and felt pretty good by the end of it. Although each individual workout will definitely get your heart rate up and get you working, it just seems like twenty minutes is not quite enough to really get a workout in. However, I can see how this DVD would be great for a day when you are really pressed for time, because I you'll still feel that you at least got something in, and the twenty minutes will definitely get you sweating.


A major complaint shared by many about this DVD is that she does not alternate sides of your body when repeating the different circuits. I agree that this is a major detriment to the workouts. When I do the DVD, I alternate to a different side on my own in order to work out my body evenly, but this can be confusing and slow down the flow of the workout. Also, even with the tutorial some of the moves are progressed through very quickly so it will take a little bit of time to catch on. I feel that she does a pretty good job of explaining each move quickly before jumping into it. But you will definitely need a minute or two to catch on to the flow of the workouts and kickboxing style.


A problem I experience with a few of the moves, particularly in workout two which is focused on the lower body, is that my carpeted floors don't really allow me to do some of the spinning around that she demonstrates in the DVD. This is definitely something to consider as I found myself having to modify the move because I was unable to get any momentum going because of the carpet in my apartment. 


Overall I think this is a pretty good cardio workout if you're willing to modify a few things and make them your own. It is definitely not Jillian's best DVD and not the first one I would recommend to someone who was asking. However it still gets your heart rate going in a short amount of time, and if you are a Jillian Michaels fan you'll definitely still get something out of it.


Just for reference, I'll give you how many calories I burned per workout.
I'm about 5'3" and I weight about 115 pounds.
Workout 1 - 190 calories burned in 20 min
Workout 2 - 188 calories burned in 20 min
Workout 3 - 180 calories burned in 20 min

An image from the tutorial at the beginning of the DVD.

This image is from workout one, this is the only workout that uses weights on the DVD.

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All about Protein

I've been writing a once a week post on a health topic that is often misunderstood or is currently popular and being discussed often online and in the media. Thus far I've written about sodium, calories, trans fat, the macronutrient fat, ghrelin and leptin, stretching, DOMS, and carbohydrates.


This week my focus wil be on protein. Since I have already written on both fat and carbohydrates, it makes sense to round out the three major players and finish up with protein. 


The nutrients that make up protein are referred to as amino acids, which are small molecules made up of various are elements. Proteins have many different functions in our bodies, but first and foremost is the rebuilding, growth, and maintenance of cells and the structures those cells make up such as muscles, hair, and skin. Proteins are also the essential nutrient in producing several different hormones that help regulate your body and maintain your weight, including thyroid hormones, estrogen and testosterone. 


We get our protein from two different sources, animal based proteins and plant based proteins. Animal based protein is the only complete protein, or one that contains all essential amino acids for the body. This is an argument that is often used against a vegetarian diet. However, it is possible to get complete proteins through different combinations of plant based protein, it just takes a little bit of research and education on the topic before jumping in to a vegetarian diet.


Getting the right amount of protein is something that many Americans struggle with. Many people get insufficient or nutrient deficient sources of protein from processed and fast foods. Focusing on clean sources of animal and plant based proteins is the best way to ensure that you are giving your body what it needs in order to optimally rebuild and function.


The FDA recommendation for protein is 50 grams a day on a 2000 calorie a day diet. Many studies have shown that this is a very low recommendation, especially for someone who is trying to lose weight. A better way to go about calculating how much protein your body needs is to figure a number based on your weight. A good target is to get a minimum of 3/4 of your ideal body weight in grams of protein each day. For example, if I weight 200 pounds but I wanted to weight 150, I would want to get about 100-112 grams of protein in my diet. 


Protein is digested more slowly then carbohydrates, so allocating more of your calorie allowance to protein will keep you fuller longer and help with weight loss.

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Choose Your Outdoor Cardio

Now that the weather is getting nicer, more and more people are going to want to get out of the cramped fluorescent gym and get outside to get their cardio in. Here is a compilation of some of the best outdoor cardio exercises, and how many calories you'll burn doing an hour of each. These calculations are all based on a 130 pound woman, so it will vary slightly depending on your weight. 

Running at 5mph               499 calories burned

Running at 6mph               593 calories burned

Walking at 4mph               304 calories burned

Hiking                                  351 calories burned

Pickup Basketball            484 calories burned

Baseball                             296 calories burned

City Bicycling                    515 calories burned

Light Canoeing                 265 calories burned

What are your favorite outdoor cardio activities?

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