Monday Workout: Ab!

This week’s workout incorporates some ab work even in the cardio portions.  Woodchoppers, plank jacks, and mountain climbers all require us to use abs for stability.  I love getting bonus points!  Three rounds,

woodchoppers	30
ball slams	20
rescues	10
plank jacks	30
squats	20
Arnold press	10
mountain climbers	30
kickbacks	20
brains	10

Friday Reading Report: The DASH Diet Younger You

As I have written many times before, I am not a fan of diets or diet books.  I believe in eating food, in appropriate amounts, with lots of vegetables and fruits.  That said, Marla Heller’s book The DASH Diet Younger You is worth reading (although the author has a distressing addiction to exclamation points).

Heller is a registered dietician, which means that she has the nutrition expertise to design a diet that is healthful and nutritionally adequate.  The DASH diet, on which this book is based, was originally designed to help combat hypertension, but it has proved to be generally good for people.  Heller’s schtick is that the DASH way of eating can help delay or reverse the effects of aging when combined with healthy lifestyle behaviors (our friends exercise, stress management, and sleep).

I have not yet tried any of the numerous recipes in the book, but many of them seem promising.  I’ll be experimenting next week.  There is a detailed eating plan for two or more weeks, depending on whether a person wants to include more meats or not.  Dedicated carnivores might have some adjusting to do because this eating plan puts the plant foods first, but vegetarians can get down to business.

Anyone who wants guidance toward healthier eating would do just fine following the advice in this book.

Like other mantras aren't just as weird...

I love rubrics.  They’re a little more flexible than rules, but they help me figure out how to get where I’m going without obsessing about perfection.  One of my favorite rubrics is:  keep taking out the garbage.  (Yes, recycling and green can stuff, too.)  (It’s literal AND a metaphor.  Keep reading.)

On the literal level, life is better when the smelly, dirty, messy stuff is not cluttering up the space.  When we sort out and dispose of the used tissues, empty envelopes, banana peels, holey socks (if we have holy socks, we probably should keep them), and the like, we have more space for the good stuff.

On the (more) figurative level, it works pretty well for fitness and nutrition.  Getting off my butt to take out the garbage gets me active.  Removing the junk food from my lunch allows me to fuel myself with better things.

And when I get really metaphorical, I can purge out the ideas that hold me back, the thought patterns that tell me I can’t do things or that I’m not good (or thin, or smart, or strong) enough for something.

What’s your garbage?  How are you going to take it out?