Egg Muffin Goodness for your Mornings

 Good Afternoon Internet World

Sorry about the lack of blog action. Life has been very busy lately!

Today I’m going to give you a recipe I’m actually going to try today. I’ve heard it’s really good, and is great if you’re time crunched in the morning and want to get your protein in.

I’ll update this blog post once I try one/make them to let you know how it goes.

• 1 tablespoon of olive oil

• 1 large sweet onion finely chopped

• 1 green bell pepper chopped

• 1 red bell pepper chopped

• 1 jalapeno chopped (optional)

• 12 large eggs

• Salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Sautee onions and peppers until desired (I like them more cooked). Whisk eggs in a bowl then add onions and peppers after cooling them for a couple of minutes. Add salt and pepper (and any other spice you’d like). Coat a large muffin pan with oil. Add ¼ cup of the mixture to each muffin cup. Place in oven for 10-15 minutes and enjoy!!

There’s a nice and simple way to make sure you get breakfast and your protein all in one shot!

I’ll let you know how they turn out

*Update*

I cooked a batch up and large 12 eggs made about 13 muffins in a standard cupcake tray. Like my sister said in the comments below they take more like 20-30 minutes to bake. You'll know they're done when you can put a fork in it and nothing is on the fork when you take it out of the muffin!

Franks red hot goes really well with them <3

Here's some pictures....

Egg muffins ready for baking!

She's beautiful!

Yummy

Stay Strong

~Byn Training

October 2012 Challenge 100 Reps in 30 Days

October Challenge: 100 Reps a Day for 30 Days

Challenge: Complete 100 repetitions of an exercise every day for 30 days

Rules:

1. 100 repetitions of a single exercise must be completed within a single day to count as a Challenge Workout.
    
2. The 100 reps may be cumulative (e.g. 10 reps x 10 sets or 25 reps  x 4 sets) or a single set of 100. Adjust each day's Challenge training depending on your individual conditioning, exercise selection, and goals.
    
3. Exercise selection may vary from day to day (e.g. 100 Push-ups on Day 1, 100 Sit-ups on Day 2, 100 Squats on Day 3, etc.), but all 100 reps for each day's Challenge must be of a single exercise.
    
4. You can do 100 total reps of various types of the same exercise (e.g. 25 x Standard PU, 25 x Feet Elevated PU, 25 x Divebomber PU, 25 x Diamond PU), but NOT 100 total reps of different exercises (e.g. 50 Push-ups + 50 Sit-ups).
    
5. No days off are available for this Challenge. Since exercise selection can vary from day to day, tired bodyparts can be rested by choosing a different exercise, but 100 reps of some exercise must be performed for each day's Challenge to be completed.

Suggestions:

• Vary your exercise selection from day to day. Good Challenge options include: Push-ups, Sit-ups, Squats, Pull-ups, Swings, Squat Thrusts, Burpees, Flutter Kicks, etc. You can also try multiples of easier exercises, such as: 4-count Jumping Jacks or 4-count Rope Skipping.

• Post your daily workouts on The Daily Fitness Solution Facebook page or as a comment on this post. Even a simple “Day 15 – Done!” can be a powerful encouragement to others who need motivation to continue.

• Don’t despair or be discouraged if you miss a day, and don’t necessarily try to make-up lost days with extra training. Focus on the self-discipline and value of daily work, not arbitrary numbers. The person who completes 20 challenge workouts in 30 days accomplishes more than if he or she never started at all.

Note: Monthly challenges are designed to supplement the WODs, not substitute for them. The daily challenge reps in October can, however, substitute for the regularly scheduled calisthenics on days with similar training scheduled. -JME

Sunday 30 September 2012: REST

REST DAY

Last day of the September 2012 Challenge! Congratulations to everyone who completed 30 runs in 30 days.

Now time for an October Challenge!

Saturday 29 September 2012: RUN FOR DISTANCE

RUN FOR DISTANCE

Advanced:
Run for twenty minutes.

Intermediate :
Run-walk for twenty minutes.

Basic:
Powerwalk for twenty minutes.

Friday 28 September 2012: 90/30 CALS

90/30 CALISTHENICS:
PUSH-UP, LEG LEVER, TUCK JUMP

Today's training session involves 90 seconds of continuous calisthenics alternated with 30 seconds of rest.

Perform ten circuits in twenty minutes.

Advanced:

• 30 seconds: Push-ups (go to your knees if necessary)
• 30 seconds: Leg Levers
  (Lie on your back with your legs straight and your hands under your hips to provide lower back support. Keeping your legs straight, raise them until your legs are at a 45 degree or greater angle. Lower them again but stop short of touching your feet to the floor. Repeat.)
• 30 seconds: Tuck Jumps
  (Perform a squat jump but in midair bring your knees to your chest.)
• 30 seconds: Rest

Intermediate:

• 30 seconds: Knee Push-ups
• 30 seconds: Reverse Crunches
  (Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Lift your feet and curl your knees toward your chest.)
• 30 seconds: Squat Jumps
• 30 seconds: Rest

Basic:

• 30 seconds: Countertop Push-ups
• 30 seconds: Reverse Crunches
  (Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Lift your feet and curl your knees toward your chest.)
• 30 seconds: Half Squats
• 30 seconds: Rest

Thursday 27 September 2012: 30/90 SPRINTS

The signature sprint workout...

30/90 SPRINTS

Advanced:

• Run 5 minutes
• Repeat five times:
  Sprint 30 seconds
  Recover 90 seconds
• Run 5 minutes

Intermediate:

• Run-walk 5 minutes
• Repeat five times:
  Sprint 20-30 seconds
  Recover 90-100 seconds
• Run-walk 5 minutes

Basic:

• Powerwalk 5 minutes
• Repeat five times:
  Sprint 15-20 seconds
  Recover 100-105 seconds
• Powerwalk 5 minutes

Wednesday 26 September 2012: PULL-PU O2M

PULL-UPS / PUSH-UPS EVERY SECOND MINUTE

 

Alternate sets of pull-ups and push-ups, performing one set at the beginning of every second minute. These sets should be close to muscle failure, stopping one or two reps short.

You will perform five sets of each exercise. Do a set of pull-ups on the 20th, 16th, 12th, 8th, and 4th minutes. Perform a set of push-ups on the 18th, 14th, 10th, 6th, and 2nd minutes.

Options

• Advanced Trainees:
  Pull-ups, Chin-ups, Rope Pull-ups, etc.Push-ups, Feet Elevated Push-ups, Dips, etc.
• Intermediate and Basic Trainees:
  Partial, Assisted, or Jumping Pull-ups or BodyRowsPush-ups, Knee Push-ups, Countertop Push-ups

Tuesday 25 September 2012: B-CIRCUITS

Today's workout was developed by Bryce Lane.

B-CIRCUITS

Complete as many circuits as possible in twenty minutes.

If you are not accustomed to plyometric training or are obese, perform the Basic WOD.

Advanced:

• 12 Short Range Squat Jumps(Half-Squat Jumps: Squat until your elbows touch your knees and thighs are parallel to ground and then jump for height or distance)
• 12 Full Range Squat Jumps(Deep Squat Jumps: Squat deep until your hands touch the ground and then jump for height or distance)
• 20 High Tension Bodyweight Squats(Squat while maintaining conscious tension of the leg mucles)

Intermediate:

• 6 Short Range Squat Jumps
• 6 Full Range Squat Jumps
• 10 High Tension Bodyweight Squats

Basic:

• 5 Half-Squat Jumps
• 10 Lunges (Each leg)
• 10 Calf Raise and Flex

Are you tempted to cheat on the jump as your legs become tired? Try Traveling B-Circuits by jumping for distance instead of height. Try to cover the same total distance on each circuit as the workout progresses to ensure that you are pushing yourself adequately.

Monday 24 September 2012: 15 MINUTES

FIFTEEN MINUTES

The following circuit takes fifteen minutes to complete. Intermediate and Basic trainees should take short rests between exercises as necessary. Advanced trainees should move between exercises as quickly as possible.

You may want to spend a couple of minutes warming the body before the workout by performing jumping jacks and/or basic mobility exercises.

Advanced:

• 1 minute: Max Pull-ups
• 1 minute: Max Sit-ups
• 1 minute: Max Push-ups
• 2 minutes: Max Squats
• 10 minutes: High Intensity Cardio
  (E.g. Skip rope fast, Sprints, Running, Burpees, etc.)

Intermediate:

• 1 minute: Max Partial Pull-ups or Body Rows
• 1 minute: Max Sit-ups or Crunches
• 1 minute: Max Push-ups (go to your knees if necessary)
• 2 minutes: Max Squats or Half-Squats
• 10 minutes: Intense Cardio
  (E.g. Skip rope, Sprints, Jumping Jacks, Squat Thrusts, etc.)

Basic:

• 1 minute: Max Body Rows
• 1 minute: Max Crunches
• 1 minute: Max Knee Push-ups
• 2 minutes: Max Half-Squats
• 10 minutes: Cardio
  (E.g. Skip rope, Sprints, Jumping Jacks, etc.)

Sunday 23 September 2012: REST

REST DAY

Saturday 22 September 2012: RUN FOR DISTANCE

RUN FOR DISTANCE

Advanced:
Run for twenty minutes.

Intermediate :
Run-walk for twenty minutes.

Basic:
Powerwalk for twenty minutes.

Friday 21 September 2012: JR + PU/SQ

JUMP ROPE + PUSH-UPS/SQUATS

Jump/Skip rope in 30/30 intervals for twenty minutes performing quick sets of calisthenics during the rest intervals.

This is a challenging workout, but it is effective and very satisfying to complete. During the thirty seconds between sets of rope skipping you will complete a brief set of an additional exercise. Alternate sets of push-ups and squats so that you perform ten sets of each during the twenty minutes.

You do not have long to perform each set. You also will need extra time to transition from skipping to pushing or squatting and back again. Plan to keep the sets small (e.g. 5-20 reps) and allow ~5 seconds for the first transition and 5-10 seconds for the transition back to the rope. Start with sets of push-ups and squats smaller than you think you can handle. This is a conditioning drill, not a strength workout.

This does not have to be done at an all-out sprint. Find a rhythm and work from one exercise to the other.

 

Advanced
Complete ten sets of:

• 30/30 Skipping Rope or Jumping Jacks
• A set of Push-ups
• 30/30 Skipping Rope or Jumping Jacks
• A set of Squats (e.g. Deep Knee Bend, Hindu, Sumo, Lunge, etc.)

Intermediate - Basic
Complete ten sets of:

• 30/30 Skipping Rope or Jumping Jacks
• A set of Push-ups (go to your knees if necessary)
• 30/30 Skipping Rope or Jumping Jacks
• A set of Half Squats

30/30 Interval = 30 seconds work, 30 seconds rest

Thursday 20 September 2012: SPEEDPLAY

SPEEDPLAY (Fartlek)

Perform intermittent sprints of varying lengths and intensities during brisk walking and easy running (or jogging) for twenty minutes.

Today's workout involves random combinations of fast walking, easy running, and sprinting. After several minutes (~5 minutes) of powerwalking and/or easy running, begin performing intermittent sprints. Vary the length and intensity of each sprint (E.g. Sprint for twenty seconds, jog for 90 seconds, sprint hard for ten seconds, walk/jog for two minutes, etc.).

If you are unable to recover sufficiently by jogging, reduce your pace to a walk. Go slower at first than you think is necessary. It is easy to overdo it on this workout. Vary your pace every one to three minutes throughout the twenty minutes training session.

Ideas to incorporate in your workout:

• High intensity sprints of 8-15 seconds
• Medium intensity sprints of 15-30 seconds
• High/medium intensity running for 1-3 minutes
• Sets of Jumping Jacks, Burpees, Mountain Climbers, or Jump Squats
• Sets of Squats, Lunges, or Pushups
• Bear Crawling or Crab Crawling

Wednesday 19 September 2012: DIPS + CHINS

The tried and true bodybuilder...

DIPS + CHIN-UPS SUPERSETS

Perform sets of Dips and Chin-ups back to back for twenty minutes. Rest between supersets as necessary (e.g. set of dips, set of chins, rest, repeat).

Options for performing dips include parallel bars, positioning the hands on the backs of two chairs, or using the corner of a countertop.

Intermediate and Basic trainees should substitute chair dips, push-ups, or knee push-ups as necessary.

Tuesday 18 September 2012: ANIMAL CONDITIONING

ANIMAL CONDITIONING

Today's workout mimics various animal movements to facilitate cardio-strength conditioning.

• 30/30's - 30 seconds work, 30 seconds rest, repeat
• 15/45's - 15 seconds work, 45 seconds rest, repeat

Advanced:

• 5 x 30/30 Tiger Prowl (3x forward, 2x backward)
  (Bend forward to walk on your hands and feet as in a Bear Crawl. Bend your arms to ninety degrees and lower your body so that it hovers 3-6 inches above the ground. Walk in this position keeping your body low.)
• 5 x 30/30 Crab Crawl (3x forward, 2x backward)
  (Sit on the ground with your feet on the ground, knees bent, and your palms on the ground resting slightly behind your hips. Lift your pelvis so that your bodyweight is supported on your hands and feet. Walk on your hands and feet with your stomach pointed toward the sky.)
• 5 x 30/30 Kangaroo Jumps
  (Perform a Half-Squat. From the crounched position, swing your arms and leap forward with both feet. Continue for reps.)
• 5 x 15/45 Sprints
  (Okay, so this isn't exactly an animal movement. Pretend like you're sprinting for your life away from the Tigers, Bears, Crabs, and Kangaroos you have been imitating.)

Intermediate and Basic:

• 5 x 30/30 Bear Crawl (3x forward, 2x backward)
  (Bend forward and walk on your hands and feet.)
• 5 x 30/30 Crab Crawl (3x forward, 2x backward)
  (Sit on the ground with your feet on the ground, knees bent, and your palms on the ground resting slightly behind your hips. Lift your pelvis so that your bodyweight is supported on your hands and feet. Walk on your hands and feet with your stomach pointed toward the sky.)
• 5 x 30/30 Kangaroo Jumps
  (Perform a Half-Squat. From the crounched position, swing your arms and leap forward with both feet. Continue for reps.)
• 5 x 15/45 Sprints
  (Okay, so this isn't exactly an animal movement. Pretend like you're sprinting for your life away from the Tigers, Bears, Crabs, and Kangaroos you have been imitating.)

Monday 17 September 2012: 5BX

FIVE BASIC EXERCISES

This circuit can be performed virtually anywhere. It requires very little room to complete. When time crunched, try performing a single circuit (10 minutes) for a quick physical and mental boost.

Complete two of the following circuits in twenty minutes.

• 2 minutes - Sun Salutations
• 1 minute - Squats
• 1 minute - Push-ups
• 1 minute - Sit-ups or Leg Raises
• 5 minutes - Jump Rope, Jumping Jacks, or Run in Place

Modifications for Intermediate and Basic trainees

• Perform Half-Squats instead of Squats
• Perform Knee Push-ups instead of Push-ups
• Perform Crunches instead of Sit-ups
• Perform Cardio Exercise 30/30 style (30 sec. work, 30 sec. rest)

Sunday 16 September 2012: REST

REST DAY

Saturday 15 September 2012: RUN FOR DISTANCE

RUN FOR DISTANCE

Advanced:
Run for twenty minutes.

Intermediate :
Run-walk for twenty minutes.

Basic:
Powerwalk for twenty minutes.

We are half-way through our September Challenge!
Why not do the next fifteen days with us?

Friday 14 September 2012: POWER CIRCUITS

STRENGTH, CONDITIONING & POWER CIRCUITS

Complete as many rounds as possible in twenty minutes. Rest as necessary between rounds.

• A set of Push-ups
  (Intermediate and Basic substitute Knee Push-ups as necessary.)
• 30 seconds - Power Skip
  (Skip like a girl but pump your arms and thrust your knees high. Focus on power.)
• A set of Squats
  (Intermediate and Basic substitute Half-Squats as necessary.)
• 30 seconds Bear Crawl (or crawl back to start)(Bend forward and crawl on your hands and feet. Keep your knees and body off the ground.)

Thursday 13 September 2012: SPRINT + JUMP

SPRINT + JUMP

Complete ten circuits of the following in twenty minutes.

Advanced:

• Sprint: 15 seconds
• Tuck Jumps: 5 seconds
  (Perform a squat jump but in midair bring your knees to your chest.)
• Rest: 100 seconds

Intermediate:

• Sprint: 15 seconds
• Squat Jumps: 5 seconds
  (Squat until your thighs are parallel to the ground, then jump into the air. Land softly.)
• Rest: 100 seconds

Basic:

• Sprint: 10-15 seconds
• Half-Squat: 10 seconds
  (Squat until your thighs are almost parallel to the ground.)
• Rest: 95-100 seconds

Wednesday 12 September 2012: PU OTM

PUSH-UPS ON THE MINUTE

Perform a set of push-ups at the top of every minute for twenty minutes.

Intermediate and Basic trainees should substitute knee push-ups as necessary.

Tuesday 11 September 2012: CONDITIONING

CONDITIONING INTERVALS

Today's workout uses 30/30 intervals (30 seconds work, 30 seconds rest, repeat for time allotted).

Advanced:

• 5 x 30/30 Jumping Jacks or Jump Rope
• 5 x 30/30 Burpees
• 5 x 30/30 Mountain Climbers
• 5 x 30/30 Squats

Intermediate:

• 5 x 30/30 Jumping Jacks or Jump Rope
• 5 x 30/30 Squat Thrusts (add push-up if possible)
• 5 x 30/30 Mountain Climbers
• 5 x 30/30 Squats

Basic:

• 5 x 30/30 Jumping Jacks or Jump Rope
• 5 x 30/30 Half-Squats or Squat Thrusts
• 5 x 30/30 Mountain Climbers
• 5 x 30/30 Half Squats

Eating Yourself Happy and Bean Salad Recipe for Lunch!

 Good Monday to you Interwebs!

Sorry for the hiatus on blog posts. I was away getting married and honeymooning! 

This week’s blog post is going to be on a topic that has been of great interest to me in the last month or so. Today we are going to talk about how to eat yourself happy. This post may not apply to some of you, but if you are like me, your moods depend greatly on what and when you eat. A lot of people don’t even realize how much their nutritional habits affect their moods. Take this quick survey to see if this is something you may want to keep closer attention too….

1. Do you get grumpy/angry if you go more than 3 hours without eating (or a lot if you don't keep track of when you eat)?

2. Do you get headaches after consuming or NOT consuming high sugar foods or caffeine?

3. Do you have trouble sleeping?

4. Do you often not have enough energy for your workouts?

5. Do you feel like you are going to fall asleep or have trouble concentrating around 2pm in the day?

If you answered yes to 2 or more of these questions, I guarantee your diet greatly contributes to these problems. 

I know this to be true because this is something that I personally struggle with. I need to eat and drink a certain way or I get all 5 of those symptoms (poor Scott). So do a lot of other people. So how can we improve our diet and make our days go from “Blah” to “awesome super excited happynesss”? Well here a few things I have learned over the years. 

To help you even more, at the end of this blog post is a bean salad recipe with a home made dressing I made last week which is super yummy, low calorie, and wont leave you grumpy!

*Note: Although I am focusing mainly on how eating this way makes one feel, eating this way will also help you lose weight!

1. Protein 3 times a day… ESPECIALLY breakfast

This is not just something I made up but has also been studied (specifically by Dr. DesMaisons of radiant recovery). It is very important for your overall functioning and mood to consume protein 3 times a day, especially breakfast. Why? Because it keeps your blood sugar stable. Without going into great detail on how blood sugar regulation and neural cell metabolism works, the more you keep your blood sugar stable (rather than fluctuating up and down all day) the more stable your moods will be. Some excellent options for protein are…

• Nuts: e.g., almonds, walnuts (unsalted and only a handful at a time)
•   Eggs
•  Beans
• Meat: Lean unprocessed meat (e.g., notlunch meat, store bought ground beef, hot dogs)

2 Poached Eggs, Rye Bread and Avocado for Breakfast=Happyness

  

2. Do not go more than 3 hours without eating

The longer you go without eating something the more likely you will become hypoglycemic (low blood sugar), which will leave your brain without any (good) fuel, which ultimately will lead  to a change in mood. The body does not like to be hungry and acidic. That being said, you shouldn’t be eating a cheeseburger every 3 hours. You want to be eating small (250calories ish) snacks every 2-3 hours that consist of complex carbs (e.g., fruits and veggies) and preferably protein. 

3. Stay away from high sugar and processed garbage food

Want an excellent way to feel like crap…eat a bag of Skittles and O’Henry bar then down a diet coke. Sure you’ll feel good for a little bit, but soon enough you’ll be swearing at yourself (or someone around you) when you accidentally drop your pen/eyeliner/purse. Again, this goes back to keeping your blood sugar regulated. If you pack your body with processed high sugar junk it basically goes “what the hell is this stuff”, which makes it very hard to stay homeostatic/in balance. Eating high sugar high processed stuff is just asking for trouble.

4. Stay Hydrated

Please don’t go from consuming no water to 7 bottles a day, because that also isn’t good for your system. What I mean by staying hydrated is increasing your water intake and decreasing your liquid crap intake (pop, coffee with crème and sugar, juice, energy drinks). So say if you drink 5 pops a day and no water, try 1 bottle of water and 4 pops a day for a week, then 2 bottles of water and 3 pops a day the next week until you slowly wean yourself off the sugary stuff. Why……. I know I sound like a broken record, but it’s so your blood sugar doesn’t bounce all over the place.

Byn’s Tip for the Week: Do You Hate Water? I used to as well! Try mixing half water half orange juice and slowly decrease the amount of orange juice over time. This can also be done with other beverages like ice tea and crystal light but those are often high in chemicals and sugar so I don't recommend them.

So there you go... 4 tips to help you not be such a grumpy pants and just generally feel better! I don’t recommend trying all 4 at once starting tomorrow if you live off fast food and pop. This is because if that is the way you roll at the moment, your body is used to having sugar and caffeine pumped into it all day. Taking it away all at once will send it into shock making you feel much much worse, not better. Refer to tip #4 on how to introduce things slowly. 

Now for my Bean and corn salad recipe

This took me exactly 17 minutes to make enough for lunch Tuesday-Friday last week. It has it’s own homemade dressing, has protein, good fats, no preservatives, and is vegetarian (I’m pretty sure it’s vegan too)

Ingredients

Byn's Black Been and Corn Salad! Yum!

• 1/3 cup fresh lime juice

• 1/2 cup olive oil

• 1 clove garlic, minced

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

• 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained

• 1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels

• 1 avocado - peeled, pitted and diced

• 1 red bell pepper, chopped

• 2 tomatoes, chopped

• 6 green onions, thinly sliced

• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Directions

1. Place lime juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, and cayenne pepper in a small jar. Cover with lid, and shake until ingredients are well mixed.
2. In a salad bowl, combine beans, corn, avocado, bell pepper, tomatoes, green onions, and cilantro. Shake lime dressing, and pour it over the salad. Stir salad to coat vegetables and beans with dressing, and serve. 

 

Delicious!

As always, questions and comments are greatly appreciated!

Stay Strong

~Byn