Check them out here.
This blog might be getting retired. Maintaining two blogs has kind of made my head hurt. I would update your bookmarks to: http://karmaproject.typepad.com/
Happy reading!
Monday, February 28, 2011
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Post Workout Snack
I have been struggling to find a good snack after my workouts.
Immediately following my newfound insanity, I need to shove something into my mouth immediately. The type of hunger I get following these workouts is unlike anything I have experienced with anything else. I think the combination of super intense, short bursts of cardio with throwing around some seriously heavy weights makes my stomach feel like it's running on empty by the end of the hour.
Here's what I am looking for in a post workout snack:
- Portability - it has to be something that I can throw in my car
- Ability to sit - it has to be able to sit in my car for an hour or longer in any temperature without spoiling
- Has to be eaten with one hand - I want to eat as I drive home from work - it's gotta be a one handed snack
- It has to be healthy - no explanation necessary
- It has to be inexpensive - again, no explanation necessary
- It can't be proccessed - not a fan of overpriced, super processed protein bars - those are out.
Enter banana bread muffins.
As I was rummaging through my fridge today, I noticed three bananas that were starting to freckle pretty badly. Let me let you in on a little secret, I don't like bananas much - it's the texture. I buy them strictly for Green Monster protein shakes. Are these the healthiest snack in the world? No. But, they are healthy enough and will give me a combination of carbs, fruit and a little sugar pick-me-up after my workout - which is desperately needed. Considering they are made in a muffin tin, they are already portion controlled and the perfect size.
This recipe is super versatile - add chocolate chips, dried fruit and/or nuts. Top with peanut butter frosting or cream cheese frosting for a super decadent dessert.
Side note: I didn't follow any sort of recipe when I made these. A first for me and baking! I rarely follow recipes when I cook, but I always follow recipes when I bake. I have to admit, I was pretty proud of myself that these turned out so well.
Banana Almond Butter Muffins
Makes about 15 muffins
3/4 cup Canola Oil
1/2 - 1 cup Sugar (I used 1 cup, but they are a little too sweet for my taste. I'm going to start with a 1/2 cup next time and add more as needed)
1/4 cup Almond Butter
3 Mashed Bananas (the more ripe, the better)
1/4 cup Unsweetened Almond Milk
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 cup Flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use an electric mixer to mix the oil and sugar together. Add the almond butter and bananas - continue to mix to combine. Add almond milk, vanilla extract, flour and baking powder. Beat until smooth.
Divide batter into a greased or floured muffin tin and bake for 20-25 minutes.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Movie Monday
I saw a lot of movies this week, you guys. And all were fantastic, so I don't want to leave any out.
The first one I watched was Catfish, I had been dying to see it for some time and it really didn't disappoint. Do not read anything about this movie before you watch it - don't Google it or try to find reviews. Seriously. Just had to get that warning out of the way - it's a great documentary and it's a really interesting and smart commentary on the world of social media.
I know I'm late to this party, but I finally saw The Black Swan. And it's fucked up and twisted and gave me serious PTSD, but it's damn good. Natalie Portman is as good as you have heard and Mila Kunis was beyond impressive as well. Everything about this movie is heavy and beautiful and horrible and I can't wait to see it again. There is volumes more to be said about The Black Swan, but I feel like my brain is still digesting it.
When The Kids Are All Right first came out, I was dying to see it. And then I read some reviews and the reviews pissed me off. I thought it was going to fall into typical rom-com territory where the lesbian suddenly realized she was straight once she meets the right penis. Ugh. No thanks. But, when it was nominated for Best Picture, I decided maybe I should Netflix it. I braced myself for the worst and it was good. It focused more on marriage and relationships and how hard they are. Nobody suddenly switched teams and it didn't fall into any sort of typical rom-com box. I'm glad I watched it and I hope Hollywood takes note and starts making more movies about less traditional families.
The first one I watched was Catfish, I had been dying to see it for some time and it really didn't disappoint. Do not read anything about this movie before you watch it - don't Google it or try to find reviews. Seriously. Just had to get that warning out of the way - it's a great documentary and it's a really interesting and smart commentary on the world of social media.
I know I'm late to this party, but I finally saw The Black Swan. And it's fucked up and twisted and gave me serious PTSD, but it's damn good. Natalie Portman is as good as you have heard and Mila Kunis was beyond impressive as well. Everything about this movie is heavy and beautiful and horrible and I can't wait to see it again. There is volumes more to be said about The Black Swan, but I feel like my brain is still digesting it.
When The Kids Are All Right first came out, I was dying to see it. And then I read some reviews and the reviews pissed me off. I thought it was going to fall into typical rom-com territory where the lesbian suddenly realized she was straight once she meets the right penis. Ugh. No thanks. But, when it was nominated for Best Picture, I decided maybe I should Netflix it. I braced myself for the worst and it was good. It focused more on marriage and relationships and how hard they are. Nobody suddenly switched teams and it didn't fall into any sort of typical rom-com box. I'm glad I watched it and I hope Hollywood takes note and starts making more movies about less traditional families.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Unexpected Athletes
As somebody who has jumped rope many times - particularly as a training technique when I played tennis - I can attest to the fact that it's HARD. I can get a pretty decent rhythm going, but I get winded faster than I would like to admit. When I stumbled on this video this morning, my jaw dropped.
Taking Risks
Good lord. Where do I start? It's been an insanely busy couple of weeks, which is saying something, considering I'm unemployed.
The last couple of weeks have been a whirlwind as I made some big decisions about my life and about my health.
I've been missing my really strong and athletic body for awhile now. Yeah, I know I could get super skinny by just cutting calories, but that's not what I'm aiming for. I want to do pull-ups, run marathons and push my body to countless things that I didn't think I could do anymore.
I scoured Yelp and Google for personal training information and within minutes I confirmed what I already knew, personal training was far too expensive of a route for me to take. I went to the gym, frustrated and pushed myself on the treadmill as hard as I could until I called it quits. Feeling defeated and knowing that it would be nearly impossible to get myself back into the shape I want to be in without help from a professional showing me proper form and pushing me to do things that are uncomfortable, I remembered a little gym I heard about a long time ago called Crossfit.
I instantly brushed that thought off. I looked into Crossfit before and it seemed completely insane. A bare bones gym full of heavy weights, rowing machines and pull up bars? No thanks. Plus, I may not be overweight, but I'm not in any sort of shape to be throwing heavy weights around. And the intensity of the crazy workout of the days seemed a bit unsafe to me.
I went to bed that night banishing Crossfit from my mind, but still frustrated with my current exercise situation.
I woke up the next morning from an email from a good friend of mine, with some recent photos from her beach vacation attached. I actually gasped when I saw her pictures - not only were she and her fiance in a gorgeous setting - but she looked fabulous. She's always been a knockout, but her body looked like something out of a movie - strong, sculpted, toned...basically the metamorphosis I've been hoping my body undergoes after logging too many hours inside of a gym. I immediately emailed her back to tell her that she looks incredible and to ask her what she's been doing. She replied quickly and told me simply that Crossfit had changed her life.
Without even thinking, I fired off an email to the local Crossfit gym and by the next day I was signed up for three introductory classes.
I arrived at the gym the next day completely terrified. I was nervous. I'm out of shape. My cute workout clothes were dirty - so I was stuck wearing sweats and a huge t-shirt with holes in it. I wanted to get back into my car and drive back home and inhale a massive bowl of popcorn in front of my television. I walked into the gym feeling totally out of place and really regretting my decision. And then the workout started.
We all introduced ourselves and did some quick warm-up stretches. Lots of squats were involved, I grimaced - I've always been bad at squatting, even in my best shape. We paired up and started the weight lifting part of the workout. I was paired with a sweet girl named Aurora, she made me feel completely at home and took away all of my nerves. One of the coaches came around and instructed me to squat without the weight because my form wasn't all that good (I told you, squatting will be the death of me). We then did pull-ups - I'm at level 1 - which basically means hanging from the pull-up bar for 30 seconds at a time. This sounds totally easy, but it's not for a girl with no upper body strength like myself. Not to mention, the bar is higher than anything I have ever done a pull-up on before (which I swear adds to the difficulty) and my hands start to hurt about 10 seconds in. Then we did this funky pull up type thing on rings - which wasn't too bad. The entire time the coach watched our form and made helpful suggestions and modifications. It was a really friendly, nurturing environment and not militaristic at all.
After the weight portion of the workout, we moved on to the rowing machines. This was a breeze for me compared to all the strength training stuff. Again, the coach watched over us with some form instruction and plenty of encouragement.
Before I knew it, the hour was up and I was excited to come back to class on Friday. I encountered the same type of encouraging behavior on Friday evening with the added benefit of grabbing dinner and wine afterwords with one of the coaches and a couple of ladies in the class.
I made a six month commitment to attend Crossfit three times per week. My body aches from Friday's workout, yet I wasn't gasping for air the entire time and a chunk of that hour class was instruction. Also, I scraped my knee doing burpees, which makes me feel hard core and athletic (and maybe a little clumsy too). I'm still planning on getting some serious mileage in on my non-Crossfit days because I like my running goals for this year, but I can't wait to see what Crossfit does for my body and for my mental health.
The last couple of weeks have been a whirlwind as I made some big decisions about my life and about my health.
I've been missing my really strong and athletic body for awhile now. Yeah, I know I could get super skinny by just cutting calories, but that's not what I'm aiming for. I want to do pull-ups, run marathons and push my body to countless things that I didn't think I could do anymore.
I scoured Yelp and Google for personal training information and within minutes I confirmed what I already knew, personal training was far too expensive of a route for me to take. I went to the gym, frustrated and pushed myself on the treadmill as hard as I could until I called it quits. Feeling defeated and knowing that it would be nearly impossible to get myself back into the shape I want to be in without help from a professional showing me proper form and pushing me to do things that are uncomfortable, I remembered a little gym I heard about a long time ago called Crossfit.
I instantly brushed that thought off. I looked into Crossfit before and it seemed completely insane. A bare bones gym full of heavy weights, rowing machines and pull up bars? No thanks. Plus, I may not be overweight, but I'm not in any sort of shape to be throwing heavy weights around. And the intensity of the crazy workout of the days seemed a bit unsafe to me.
I went to bed that night banishing Crossfit from my mind, but still frustrated with my current exercise situation.
I woke up the next morning from an email from a good friend of mine, with some recent photos from her beach vacation attached. I actually gasped when I saw her pictures - not only were she and her fiance in a gorgeous setting - but she looked fabulous. She's always been a knockout, but her body looked like something out of a movie - strong, sculpted, toned...basically the metamorphosis I've been hoping my body undergoes after logging too many hours inside of a gym. I immediately emailed her back to tell her that she looks incredible and to ask her what she's been doing. She replied quickly and told me simply that Crossfit had changed her life.
Without even thinking, I fired off an email to the local Crossfit gym and by the next day I was signed up for three introductory classes.
I arrived at the gym the next day completely terrified. I was nervous. I'm out of shape. My cute workout clothes were dirty - so I was stuck wearing sweats and a huge t-shirt with holes in it. I wanted to get back into my car and drive back home and inhale a massive bowl of popcorn in front of my television. I walked into the gym feeling totally out of place and really regretting my decision. And then the workout started.
We all introduced ourselves and did some quick warm-up stretches. Lots of squats were involved, I grimaced - I've always been bad at squatting, even in my best shape. We paired up and started the weight lifting part of the workout. I was paired with a sweet girl named Aurora, she made me feel completely at home and took away all of my nerves. One of the coaches came around and instructed me to squat without the weight because my form wasn't all that good (I told you, squatting will be the death of me). We then did pull-ups - I'm at level 1 - which basically means hanging from the pull-up bar for 30 seconds at a time. This sounds totally easy, but it's not for a girl with no upper body strength like myself. Not to mention, the bar is higher than anything I have ever done a pull-up on before (which I swear adds to the difficulty) and my hands start to hurt about 10 seconds in. Then we did this funky pull up type thing on rings - which wasn't too bad. The entire time the coach watched our form and made helpful suggestions and modifications. It was a really friendly, nurturing environment and not militaristic at all.
After the weight portion of the workout, we moved on to the rowing machines. This was a breeze for me compared to all the strength training stuff. Again, the coach watched over us with some form instruction and plenty of encouragement.
Before I knew it, the hour was up and I was excited to come back to class on Friday. I encountered the same type of encouraging behavior on Friday evening with the added benefit of grabbing dinner and wine afterwords with one of the coaches and a couple of ladies in the class.
I made a six month commitment to attend Crossfit three times per week. My body aches from Friday's workout, yet I wasn't gasping for air the entire time and a chunk of that hour class was instruction. Also, I scraped my knee doing burpees, which makes me feel hard core and athletic (and maybe a little clumsy too). I'm still planning on getting some serious mileage in on my non-Crossfit days because I like my running goals for this year, but I can't wait to see what Crossfit does for my body and for my mental health.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Green Eyes
Recently, I have been a bit jealous. And I hate it.
Everybody gets jealous from time-to-time, I know that it's natural. But, I feel like a little jealous monster tiptoeing is tiptoeing around my brain.
Most of my envy comes from fear - I see my friends and family doing these really fabulous things - losing a ton of weight, taking career risks, trying new hobbies and just living crazy happy exciting lives.
And while I'm thrilled for them - the little voice in the back of my head is questioning why am I not doing these things with my life.
I have some lofty life and career goals. Sometimes they are so lofty, that I don't even know where to start with them. I get overwhelmed by the possibility of failure that I just don't try. And then I don't get anywhere.
Over the next couple of weeks, I am going to be sharing some career goals and steps I am going to be taking to get there over on my more personal blog, I would love your feedback on these posts.
Everybody gets jealous from time-to-time, I know that it's natural. But, I feel like a little jealous monster tiptoeing is tiptoeing around my brain.
Most of my envy comes from fear - I see my friends and family doing these really fabulous things - losing a ton of weight, taking career risks, trying new hobbies and just living crazy happy exciting lives.
And while I'm thrilled for them - the little voice in the back of my head is questioning why am I not doing these things with my life.
I have some lofty life and career goals. Sometimes they are so lofty, that I don't even know where to start with them. I get overwhelmed by the possibility of failure that I just don't try. And then I don't get anywhere.
Over the next couple of weeks, I am going to be sharing some career goals and steps I am going to be taking to get there over on my more personal blog, I would love your feedback on these posts.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Movie Monday (A Little Late)
Sorry for the late post, guys. Today got away from me quickly.
I've been on a documentary kick recently and I watched The Lottery on Netflix Instant Streaming (ugh, love this feature so much - I need to invest in a Roku box so I'm not yoked to my laptop though).
This movie it the brainchild of 27-year-old Madeleine Sackler, a former freelance editor turned documentarian, who, after watching news footage about an overcrowded elementary school lottery in Harlem, decided to make a film about it.
The Lottery, a feature-length documentary, follows four families as they go about attempting to secure a coveted spot in a choice school.
The interesting thing about this documentary is they are trying to secure a spot in a public school, not a private one.
This movie is inspiring for so many reasons - families that just want the very best for their kids, kids growing up in tough neighborhoods and situations and watching an education system both thrive and fail.
I'm also in awe of Madeleine Sackler, as somebody trying to make a career out of following my passion, she gives me hope. I mean, 27 and creating this movie? Rad.
I've been on a documentary kick recently and I watched The Lottery on Netflix Instant Streaming (ugh, love this feature so much - I need to invest in a Roku box so I'm not yoked to my laptop though).
The Lottery, a feature-length documentary, follows four families as they go about attempting to secure a coveted spot in a choice school.
The interesting thing about this documentary is they are trying to secure a spot in a public school, not a private one.
This movie is inspiring for so many reasons - families that just want the very best for their kids, kids growing up in tough neighborhoods and situations and watching an education system both thrive and fail.
I'm also in awe of Madeleine Sackler, as somebody trying to make a career out of following my passion, she gives me hope. I mean, 27 and creating this movie? Rad.
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