Erin’s Eggs in Purgatory
So one of my best friends EVER, Erin, posted a picture a while back of a DELICIOUS looking breakfast.
I asked her for the recipe and I have to share it now!
So thank you Erin for your wonderful take on Uova in Purgatorio or Eggs in Purgatory!
Eggs in Purgatory
Serves 2 (generously)
Ingredients
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1 tsp red pepper flakes
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh basil split
1 (28oz) can fire roasted diced tomatoes
1 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
4-6oz Farm sausage
4-5 eggs
Salt & pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 375. Heat oil in cast iron skillet over medium/high heat. Add onion, garlic and pepper sauté until onions are translucent about 5 min.
Add sausage and red pepper flakes and cook till sausage browns. Add diced tomatoes, salt, pepper and 1 1/2 tbsp of basil and simmer for 15 min.
When finished simmering use bottom of spoon and make little indents in sauce, crack eggs into the indents and top with some of the Parmesan cheese (save some to top finished eggs with).
Place in preheated oven for 10-15 min, this is just an estimate because I didn’t actually pay attention to time. Cook until egg whites are cooked though but yolks are still runny. It may actually be closer to 15-20 min.
Once finished take out of the oven and top with remaining basil, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Enjoy!!!!
ALSO, on a side note…I got nominated for Top 100 Health and Fitness Bloggers of 2013. Please go vote! And check out some of the other great blogs on there!
Are you mental?
Not only have I gotten stronger and fitter physically with a lot of my recent training, but I’ve also become mentally tougher.
And that mental toughness is honestly a HUGE part of why I’m stronger and fitter.
For one, that mental toughness means that I’m able to really explore how strong I am because my mind doesn’t tell me “I can’t” too soon.
Two, that mental toughness has made me feel even more capable and accomplished so that I feel driven to continue to push and work hard.
But more important than the fact that my new mental toughness has helped me become physically stronger is just the fact that I’m mentally tougher.
Which is why I’ve begun to realize that while the physical health benefits of working out are AMAZING, the mental health benefits are even better.
So how do you reap all the mental health benefits?
Do you go push yourself until you can’t move? Do you have to run a marathon or try to lift 100 more pounds than you’ve ever lifted before?
NOPE!
While pushing your physical limits can build mental toughness, you don’t need to push yourself to the point of complete failure (aka barfing, falling over, not being able to sit down to the toilet for weeks on end).
Mental toughness is built with small victories day in and day out. And the effects…well they go beyond the gym.
It can be as simple as you make it through the workout. Maybe you had to stop for a rest when others didn’t. Or maybe you couldn’t use as heavy a weight as your friend.
BUT YOU DID IT.
You didn’t give up.
And that small victory means everything.
Which got me again to thinking (and mind you this post was developed in my head at 4 in the morning so I apologize for all the changes in direction BUT….), is it more important to have absolutely perfect form or to prove to yourself that you CAN in fact do it?
This thought came up after a Saturday morning training session with another trainer at my gym. I HUGELY respect this trainer and he knows a ton about form, movement and imbalances so I usually am in complete agreement with what he says and even turn to him for some advice. (Just letting you know that I totally respect what he did in the situation I’m about to describe).
Anyway, we were doing box jumps. Form is very important to protect the knees but also to insure that someone doesn’t get injured jumping onto the box.
One of my clients was nervous about jumping onto one of the boxes even though she had done it the week before. Her form had been good aside from the fact that she occasionally got nervous about making it so landed a bit hard.
The other trainer made her use a very low box, which she easily did. She even easily did the box above it.
But then she faced the red box and she got nervous. She easily cleared it, but she landed a bit hard.
She could easily do it and with good form, but mentally she just didn’t have total faith that she would make it.
So he took her down to the lower box because she did land harder than she had on the lower box.
I, on the other hand, would have pushed her to keep trying the higher box.
Because she COULD do it. And I firmly believed that if she had the CONFIDENCE to do it, her landing would instantly have gotten softer.
While his reaction to her attempt at the red box were correct did that benefit her as much as it would have to DO the red box?
Her form wasn’t at all dangerous…just not perfect. So he had her do the low box to really ingrain the form. Which is great…
But lacked the added benefit of building mental toughness through accomplishment.
So what should you do?
In this case, I would have had her do the red box. Because it would have built her confidence and helped her continue to push hard day in and day out. Because she COULD do it…She just needed to believe a bit more in herself!
In this case, I would have had her do the high, intimidating box because she is FEMALE.
Yep…that’s right…I’m discriminating based on her gender!
There is a strength and sense of accomplishment that you get from pushing yourself in the gym – from doing something new or better than you did the day before.
This is definitely sexist, but I honestly feel that more often than not, women don’t push themselves in the gym. (And because society really doesn’t expect them to).
But the strength and empowerment that women can get out of working out….well I think that is irreplaceable.
So above all in the gym, I work to help women feel a sense of accomplishment because the strength they gain from that spills over into other aspect of their life.
It makes them more empowered individuals.
Anyway, after all of these ramblings, what do you think? Have you found that working out has made you mentally tougher and given you the strength to attempt things in day-to-day life that you haven’t before!?!
Get in shape for your wedding
So yesterday we went to a Bridal Expo to promote our gym and our Bridal Transformation Workbook, which is a year-long guide (workouts, diet tips, recipes and meal plans) to help brides look sexy on their big day.
I’m taking a picture like this in my dress.
We were at our little booth and were trying to get people to sign up for the free workbook when one of the trainers asks a group of girls, “Want to get in shape for your wedding?”
The bride of the group awkwardly laughed and made some comment about liking the way she looked.
Her response was definitely one of “well I’m thin so I’m fine!” It also maybe also had a hint of being offended that someone hinted that she would need to “get in shape.” (Even though he wasn’t hinting that at all.)
Another woman we approached responded “Well…round is a shape.” She too was saying, “I’m fine as I am and how dare you hint otherwise.”
The trainer meant no offense. He wasn’t saying the women were “out of shape.” But that is how they took it.
Which got me to thinking….Do many people not even start working toward being “in shape” or “healthier” because by working toward something like that they are hinting they aren’t already “perfect?” Are we scared to admit to ourselves that we have flaws?
Or are we scared to admit to ourselves that others may not think of us as perfect?
No one wants someone else to think that they need improvement even if we, ourselves, think we need improvement.
So someone telling saying to you, “Do you want to get in shape for your wedding” isn’t something we want to hear EVEN if we were planning on starting a program to look even better for our wedding!
Anyway, so then toward the end of the expo, I had a woman walk up to the table to look at the workbook.
She said, “Oh this is awesome!”
I said thank you.
And then she uttered something that made my jaw LITERALLY drop open…
She said,”This is for all those fat brides that want to fit into a smaller dress…huh?”
As I said…My jaw dropped open.
I laughed super awkwardly and said,”Well anyone can use it….I live by the tips in there.”
She gave me a slightly surprised look and gave me the once over.
And then I got mad.
That attitude is EXACTLY why many women were afraid to admit they were interested in the workbook.
I then said to the woman, “So don’t you want to look PERFECT on your wedding day? Don’t you want to look your best!?”
And she said, “Yes of course.”
So I said, “Then you want this workbook because it will give you a few tips to make you look your best! If you are spending time on the perfect dress, makeup and hair, why wouldn’t you make sure you do everything you can to look the best with all of the stuff you picked out!?! (I said this all very nicely even though I was slightly pissed off)
She then signed for the workbook.
I mean really…I just don’t get it. We will comment/criticize our arms or legs or butt or whatever, but then when we are faced with an opportunity to face it and change it, we shy away.
We spend time picking out the perfect dress, the perfect hairstyle, the perfect makeup because we want to LOOK PERFECT on our big day, but run as far away as we can from one of the BEST ways to make us look spectacular AND FEEL CONFIDENT in how we look!
I don’t get it. Do we not like admitting our flaws? Is it that working out is just too “HARD” compared to the other fixes?
I mean really! Working out and eating well isn’t something you do just if you are “overweight!” It is something you do to FEEL GREAT, LOOK GREAT and BE HEALTHY!
Anyway, has anyone been offended by someone selling something by saying “get in shape?” Or have you offended someone by saying this?
Barf
The easiest thing ever is to kill someone with a workout and make them have to barf.
Yep it’s easy.
Make them do hard exercises as fast as they can. BINGO!
AHHHHHH!
But seriously what does that accomplish!?! So you FEEL like you got a great workout…But what does it really improve!?!
Is it really making you lose weight? Or are you just getting worn out?
Is it really making you perform better? Or do you just feel rundown?
I mean stringing a buttload of tough exercises together and making someone do them super quick may be difficult but the workout is totally bogus and TOTALLY LACKS DIRECTION!
But trainers continue to do it and clients continue to want it. I’ve even had friends who will go do cardio after a weight training workout just because they felt like they hadn’t sweated enough and weren’t totally exhausted.
While I understand WHY people like killer workouts that doesn’t mean they are always right.
Or good for you.
Honestly, I prefer to work below the barf line. Heck I even like not necessarily being sore the next day.
Honestly. I just want a well thought out workout which doesn’t necessarily mean a killer workout each and every time!
A killer workout each and every time leads to overtraining, which leads to injury which means forced time off.
I don’t have time for that!
I don’t feel like being sidelined with an injury!
So I plan and progress my workouts. I do stabilization days, which include lots of isometric holds. I do strength days, which can mean slow, heavy lifts that don’t even make me break a sweat.
And yes…occasionally this progression does mean workouts that absolutely destroy me.
BUT THEY ARE WELL THOUGHT OUT…Not just freaking hard exercises done as quickly as possible without rest.
Actually most of the “killer workouts” I do aren’t at all like most people do to create killer workouts.
But I was very very very close to barfing. Only of course because I worked as hard as I could.
So what are the killer workouts that I accept?
300 ft in one minute on the VersaClimber.
Or like today…
VersaClimber 30 seconds on 1 min 30 seconds off for 5 rounds
REST
Tsunamis 25 on about 2 minutes off for 5 rounds
REST
5 rounds with over 2 minutes rest in between each round:
Sled pushes 100 ft
20 Sidewinders
5 Squat Thrusts
Doesn’t seem like much right? It isn’t the hardest exercises EVER with no rest. But guess what!?! It made me feel more destroyed than almost any other workout I’ve done.
And I didn’t have to do it super quickly to feel destroyed.
It was a well thought out program with movements to help me progress toward competing well at the Kettlebell Competition.
And I probably won’t be doing another workout like it for a little while.
Because…For one, I don’t need to. There is no point. It wouldn’t get me closer to my goals. And two, it would only make me risk injury!
And when I say that workouts like this put you at risk for injury, I mean that workouts like this put a ton of strain on the body and usually only serve to perpetuate bad movement patterns.
If you want the most out of your workouts, even the killer ones, you need to do some non-killer workouts to improve your movements so you actually get the most out of everything that you do.
Stop wasting your time on killer workouts and really start working toward your goal.
So mix things up and try this stabilization workout!
Workout:
5 rounds of 1 minute holds on each exercise. Try not to rest between exercises, but take a short rest between rounds.
Toes (literally just balance up on your toes as high as you can. Don’t rock to the outside toes either, really use the big toe!)
Squat hold (squat at lowest to 90 degrees or to right above where compensation occurs. Keep the chest up!)
Bat Wings (AKA scapular hold. Pinch your shoulder blades back and lean against a wall only your elbows touching.)
Push up Hold (So set up at the top of a push up and try to hold from your hands and toes. Keep everything in one straight line without sagging!)
Glute Bridge Hold (Lay on your back and push up, driving through your heels and upper back. Once a minute becomes easy, do a single leg bridge)
Pull up hold (Do a chin up and hold at the top with legs straight for as long as possible. If you need to, straighten your arms and hang at the bottom until the minute is up)
Not a long workout. A great stability/recovery day so you can get everything working properly! TRY IT!
P.S. Going back to my whole New Year’s Resolution theme of the last couple of days….Not doing killer workouts, especially at the beginning is super important. For one, your body isn’t ready to handle workouts like that and you risk injury. And two, you risk making yourself so sore that you can’t workout for days, which won’t help you get into the habit of working out consistently, which in turn will only make it harder for you to get on track to reach your goal!
What can you accomplish in 21 days?
So yesterday I talked about shrinking your goals – taking one step at a time and overcoming small obstacles.
But then another question arises, “Where the heck do you even begin!?!?!”
NOOOOOOO
A few of my co-workers and I started discussing this topic when we thought about all of the new people who would be coming into the gym this new year.
We came to the conclusion that there are two big things that keep people from even getting started on their health and fitness New Year’s Resolutions:
1. Their goals overwhelm them and they feel too stressed to even get started
AND
2. People honestly don’t even know where to begin!
I mean where do you really start if you want to lose weight or get healthier? With diet? Or with exercise? Or do you need both?
And then what kind of program even works??!
So while I preach that you have to do some self-experimentation to really find out what will work best FOR YOU, I do think there are certain programs out there that can get you started.
And most of those programs aren’t a year long…Most are really only 1 month “jump-starts.”
While for some people it works best to make small changes slowly, it can also really work to make a change “cold turkey.” (Only you can know which works for you!)
Programs like the Primal Blueprint 21-day Transformation or Whole 30 are meant to help you dive right into a healthy lifestyle.
And while I can help clients that I see and talk to on a daily or weekly basis make slow steady changes, I can’t very easily create a program for the masses that does that.
So a group of us at Innovative Results put together our own “21-day Jump Start!”
We make getting started easy – we take out the guess-work.
But to have success, you do have to go all in.
Do our workouts and follow our diet program and you will get started moving toward your goals. You might not get there in just 21 days, but you will have gotten the momentum going!
I’ve included the link above if anyone is interested in checking out the program. If you do get it, make sure to email me (manbiceps@gmail.com) so I can help guide you through it! I can help you make adaptations so that the program will work well for you!
So don’t keep putting your resolution off! Start today and get the momentum going!!!
Long-term…BLEH
So I always try to set a long-term goal, but sometimes it is really REALLY hard to start initiating changes when your goal seems so far away.
It is hard to get started when you goal seems COMPLETELY OVERWHELMING.
Sometimes it can seem so challenging that you don’t even want to get started – you’d rather just go sit on the couch, open up a bag of potato chips and watch some movies.
I know…I almost always feel that way each and every New Year.
A new set of challenges. A round of potential “failures.”
It can be extremely daunting.
But that doesn’t mean you should just give up or not even get started!
You need to break down that big, overwhelming long-term goal into smaller short-term goals.
And when I say “small short-term goals,” I mean SMALL. Like something you almost already do small.
Yes, month-long and week-long goals are important and great, but you need to set even smaller, easy to accomplish goals.
You need goals that you can easily accomplish so you stay motivated and constantly feel like you are moving forward.
Accomplishments and successes, no matter how small, motivate us. They really REALLY do.
And yes, there will still be set backs, but the more you can constantly feel like you are progressing, the easier it will be to stick to your goal and accomplish something that at once seemed overwhelming and completely undoable!
It’s amazing how something that once seemed undoable becomes so easily within reach when we just shrink the goal and make ourselves realize that we don’t need to be perfect to achieve it!
That’s right….We don’t need to be perfect. We just need to overcome little day-by-day challenges and we will get there.
Small steps. Small success are really what matter.
And those small success, over time, will add up to one big success, which may be even more than you were originally shooting for!
So take a deep breath, step back and shrink that long-term goal into small, DOABLE mini goals!
Then take small steps each and every day. And before you know it…YOU WILL BE THERE!
Happy New Year to the New You!
So…What’s Next?
You know…the clock is counting down and I still haven’t yet decided what my New Year’s resolution is going to be.
I do know however that Zaggora HotPants will not be part of my New Year. $112 for pants that will supposedly help you lose weight….BOGUS! Please PLEASE don’t fall for scams like this!
Make it your New Year’s resolution NOT to waste money…especially on bogus stuff like Zaggora HotPants!
Happy New Year Man Bicepers! I wish you all the best in this New Year!
P.S. Random fact but 2013 is the first year since 1987 that has four different numbers in it!
The Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Sunday
So today was just one of those days.
I got frustrated doing work. I couldn’t find what I was looking for.
I’m sick (and I haven’t been sick in about a year).
And I’m just plain old grouchy.
BUT then Ryan and I decided to go grocery shopping.
Who gets cheered up by the idea of going grocery shopping!?!
I DO!
ESPECIALLY when it is a special trip to The Meat House.
We haven’t been to The Meat House since leaving Boston since we’ve mainly consumed a diet of fish (LOVE YOU CALI!).
But when Ryan got a gift card for a wonderful friend (THANK YOU JUDY!), we decided it was time to make a special trip.
And I was excited to see what The Meat House had to offer since I’ve loved everything about Cali since we got here. I thought my day was turning around!
But it didn’t….there is one thing about Cali now that I don’t like…THE MEAT HOUSE.
I LOVED our Meat House in Boston. And this one in Cali was nothing like it.
My no good, very bad day turned into a TERRIBLE, no good, very bad day.
The people behind the counter didn’t seem to know anything about the meat. We waited for like 10 minutes for the girl who helped us to find someone who could butcher the piece of meat we wanted.
Why was she behind the counter if she didn’t know how to butcher the meat!?!
AND the only grass-fed meat they had was from Uraguay! It sat in the counter in plastic wrap!!!!!
Nothing seemed to be local!!!!! Which was super disappointing since Ryan and I have been basically ONLY eating local foods (produce, fruit, fish, eggs, EVERYTHING!).
Plus they didn’t seem to have any in-home made sausages like our one in Boston.
AH!
SUPER DISAPPOINTING!
I used to not mind paying a little bit more to get meat from The Meat House instead of just getting the grass-fed, natural meat at Trader Joe’s. I liked supporting our local shop since they were knowledgable and had a great selection. They were welcoming and seemed to really have a passion for what they did!
The Meat House in Boston is AWESOME!
But The Meat House here…well they need to step up their game.
Another New Year’s Resolution?
I’ve started to hate New Year’s Resolutions time.
It usually means a ton of people come into the gym and sign up BUT NEVER SHOW UP AGAIN. While of course that helps our business, it annoys the crap out of me!
I HATE WHEN PEOPLE SET GOALS AND HAVE NO INTENTION OF ACTUALLY ACCOMPLISHING THEM.
I mean why even set a New Year’s resolution if you don’t honestly have any intention of actually doing it!?!
So this year…DON’T BE ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE!
Set out that resolution and make it specific. Make it measurable. Make it something truly attainable and realistic. And make it time-based. (Ever heard of SMART goals!?!).
The resolution “I’m going to get in shape this year” doesn’t cut it!
What does in shape MEAN? Does it mean losing 5, 10 or 20 pounds? Does it mean running faster? Lifting more?
DEFINE vague goals and make them specific!
And part of that definition should include a way to measure them. If you want to run faster, what time are you shooting for? How much faster? Or how much more do you want to lift?
Make your goal something that you can easily track so you can gain momentum with your progress or make changes if you aren’t moving forward.
Then think about how long you are willing to work toward this goal. Will you dedicate 3 months? Six months? A whole year?
You need to figure out how big your goal is and how long you have to attain it. Then you have to decide…”Is that a realistic goal for the time that I have?”
If you want to lose 20 pounds and are only willing to dedicate one month, don’t even bother wasting your time setting that resolution. THAT ISN’T REALISTIC!
On the other hand, if you are willing to dedicate for or five months to your 20 pound weight loss goal, you are WAY more likely to achieve it because your expectations are REALISTIC!
Ok…so if you’ve followed the guidelines above, you should now have a SMART resolution that is specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-based.
So now what?
COME UP WITH A PLAN!
While it is great to outline exactly what you are going to do everyday until the day you complete your goal, that isn’t realistic.
Life happens and tends to get in the way.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t be prepared for all the random crap that will happen.
So how do you prepare for the unexpected?
Think about all of the habits you have now. What habits are keeping you from reaching your goal? What habits are helping you reach your goal?
Make some lists. Make a TO DO list and a STOP DOING list. Pay attention to not only the negatives but also the positives! Maybe you love to cook…That is a positive! Maybe you work long hours…that may be a negative since you might think you don’t have time to workout.
Then make a list of things that tend to sidetrack you. What has made you fall off the wagon in the past? Are you an emotional eater? Do you get stressed and eat? Do you skip workouts if you’ve had a long day? Do you not plan out your workouts ahead of time so feel like you waste a lot of time at the gym? Do you get bored easily but not change things up?
Do you do too much too fast?!?!
Once you have these lists, hang them someplace where you can see them everyday. Every day try to do the good things and avoid all of the pitfalls.
But also know that one “mistake” doesn’t mean you should just give up. Don’t let one slip up derail your whole program!
Remember that life will get in the way. You don’t need to be perfect because perfection is unattainable.
Shoot for progress – try to make each and every day better than the last.
Try to create new healthy habits and just remember that you may have bumps along the way, but that those bumps don’t matter as long as you get right back on track the next day.
Stop setting resolutions that you never keep. Don’t be one of those people who sign up for the gym and never come!
Don’t waste your time. Set a goal and reach it this year!!!
Cookies, Cookies, Cookies
Yes to the dress…just maybe not this one…
Around the holidays, I kind of feel like Cookie Monster – I see cookies and I want to stuff them all in my face as fast as possible.
And may times, I give in.
However, the last two holidays, I’ve actually had to keep my diet fairly clean in the weeks before the holidays (when it seems that almost everyone is bringing in junk food!).
Last year, I had to make weight for the powerlifting competition and this year, I had to look good for wedding dress shopping.
Two very different motivations…both equally compelling.
This year, I knew we would be looking at dresses when my Mom and sister came out to visit, which meant that I needed to feel confident and good about how I looked. I didn’t want to be bloated and full of cookies and burritos and other indulgences.
But it wasn’t easy to turn down all of the cookies.
I think that is what motivated me to try the potato diet experiment. I was motivated to stick to it because I wanted to see how it worked. (Interestingly enough that diet actually hindered my weight loss. I finally dropped all of the weight from my vacation binge once I went back to my low-carb, high protein and fat diet.)
However, the clean diet before the holidays was worth it.
I looked great AND I found the perfect dress! YAY!
Actually getting the weight off made dress shopping easy AND fun because I felt like I looked good in almost everything I tried on.
If I’d been up and bloated from a ton of bad food, I wouldn’t have felt as confident which would have probably made me feel more down about how everything looked.
Let’s face it – how you feel you look DOES influence how you feel things look on you!
So I avoided the sweets and felt good.
However, that doesn’t mean I’m going to totally deprive myself!
The holidays are a time to indulge and enjoy. BUT that doesn’t mean you have to binge eat for weeks!
My point is that you can plan ahead, look great for any events by eating super clean BEFORE the holidays and still get to indulge in plenty of cookies during the holidays before returning to your clean eating program!
So if you have a wedding coming up or are doing some major dress shopping this January, don’t let the holidays derail your progress! Plan ahead!
Man Bicep 