Feb212014

How to Survive the First Week of Having a Puppy

What a week it has been! If you didn’t know, we got a puppy last Friday. I feel like we’ve already had her for months. Our little Noke (noh-kay), a 3 month German Shepherd/Akita girl. We have officially survived the first week of having a puppy (where’s the wine)! I am personally exhausted by 9pm every night. It’s a lot of work. When Chris isn’t at home, I feel like a single mother with her (kind of joking…kind of). She’s a lot of work! But at the end of the day, it’s worth it.

A few behaviors have developed with her, more nipping, more decisive walking, and better potty habits. She has been super friendly and playful with other dogs and other people which makes me feel happy. She pretty much understands the command, “Go potty.” We are slowly starting to introduce her to the cats and vice versa, and it’s going okay. It’s been a wild journey so far, and here’s what I’ve learned:

1. Be patient. Be patient, be patient, be patient. Do not lose your temper. She’s only a baby, after all. This is the biggest lesson for me and the toughest. Puppies will nip and they will nip hard because that’s what they do with their litter mates. It hurts us and we think that’s what they’re trying to do but they’re not. They just want to play. Or when they refuse to budge on walks. Take a deep breath. Remember, she’s just a baby and it’s your job to nurture her into how she should be behaving.

My arm a few days ago after a rough afternoon

2. Learn the potty word fast. You don’t want to be standing outside with your fingers slowly turning to frostbite. Find a potty word (pee, papers, potty, etc.) and use it when he or she is on grass. When they do their business, give them lots of treats and say good potty. Trust me on this one!

3. Understand their mind. This connects back to #1–try to understand what they’re thinking. Although you may not be scared of the dark, your little pup could be terrified! Add strong wind and cars and she will be freaking out. Don’t yell at her if she’s jolting all over the place. Calmly take her where you know she is comfortable. After all, she is just a baby.

4. Use treats…lots of them. At this point in their life, you don’t need to be worrying about your little one getting fat. Especially not when you’re giving them plenty of play and exercise. I always have at least 5-10 treats in my pocket when we go for walks. Whenever she goes potty, she gets lots of praise and lots of treats. If she’s behaving nicely like chewing her bone or calmly relaxing, she gets treats. Sitting…treats. You get the picture.

5. Encourage more than you discourage. At their infantile stage (under 16 weeks), they aren’t going to understand “No” or strong discouragement. Instead, use lots of encouragement, like the previous point. Give tons of praise when she or he does things correctly. Don’t get upset if they mess up, simply redirect them to something else. If you raise your puppy in a positive environment, it will be a happy positive dog.

6. Take them out often. My rule is every two hours, when we can. Puppies can’t completely control their bladder muscles so when it’s coming, it’s coming. What goes in must come out. If she goes in your home, don’t scream at her. It’s your fault for not taking her out sooner. Take them out often as a precaution to fight against potty accidents.

7. Don’t yell. This again connects to point one and it’s tough. But don’t yell. It doesn’t help the situation. You yelling translates to barking for your little one. This will escalate the situation into the puppy becoming more excited or simply scared of you. You don’t want that. Stay calm. Redirect.

8. See #1. BE PATIENT. If you take one thing away from this post, make it this one. Just be patient, remain calm, take a break and just breathe. It’s really tough taking care of a baby dog, they need constant attention and TLC. And you’re their sole provider for that. Try to put all that love in your heart for each and every interaction.

She was great during our frisbee golf!

So if you’re preparing for a new puppy, you can do it! It takes lots of work, but if you can put the effort in, it will be worth it. My heart melts multiple times a day over our little Spirit Princess. I know that she will turn into a wonderful dog if we keep consistent positive training. BUT YAY WE SURVIVED!! Get a puppy to stay hungry and fit!

Feb202014

Top 5 Healthy Restaurants in Vegas

Guest post from Peter Wise

We all know how difficult it can be to stay healthy when you’re on holiday, surrounded by exotic cuisine and relying on fast food to keep you going. Just because Las Vegas is synonymous with long buffet lines of overweight Americans and hideous burger joints doesn’t mean you can’t find a sumptuous and healthy spread.

Spago – 3500 S. Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89109

Wolfgang Puck’s “Seasonal American” restaurant was at the forefront of cuisine in Las Vegas, and has been a success since its opening in 1992. The Californian cuisine style menu boasts organic produce with daily changes to the offerings, depending on current organic produce. In terms of health food, the Spago has a vegetarian tasting menu and many seafood options for a healthier alternative to a high-class meal, easily located outside of the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace.

(http://www.bestofvegas.com/Restaurants/Canyon-Ranch-Cafe-Venetian-Las-Vegas-SpaClub/)

Canyon Ranch Cafe – 3355 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89109

Between 7am and 6pm daily, the cafe in the Canyon Ranch Spa serves a host of healthy foods at comparatively moderate prices, for the Strip. They have smoothies, healthy teas, organic produce and healthy alternatives to main meals like turkey meatloaf, although they do have some awfully tempting-looking Mexican food, wraps and burgers. It’s an excellent opportunity to get away from the neon lights and crowds for a little while.

Go Raw Cafe – 2381 East Windmill Lane #18, Las Vegas, NV 89123 or 2910 Lake East Drive, Las Vegas, NV 89117

If only vegetarian and vegan will do, try out one of the locations of Go Raw, either on the East of the city at the Smiths Shopping Centre, or out West at the Lakes Centre, where the cafe overlooks Lake Sahara. The salad bar looks incredible and they always have fresh and organic fruit; the main downside is that it’s a little further out of the Strip, so it might be an idea to visit an online casino on your phone while out there soaking up some sunlight and sipping tasty veggie juices and healthy smoothies.

(http://raw-radiance.blogspot.co.uk/2009/09/go-raw-cafe-las-vegas.html)

Cypress Street Marketplace – Caesars Palace Dr, Las Vegas, NV 89109

A remarkable adaptation of a food court, casual dining takes place here underneath the cypress trees inside Caesars Palace, and is based on the theme of a “picnic in the park”. As you might expect there is a huge range of speciality food cuisines, all of which are value-oriented, but the most healthy options include the much loved Romaine Course which allows you to build your own vegetarian garden salad and Ah So, which sells healthy noodle soups, sushi and wok dishes.

(http://www.caesarspalace.com/restaurants/cypress-street-market-place.html#.UwNbQ4XKg7A)

B&B Ristorante – 3355 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89109

An authentic experience, the B&B Ristorante is owned by the renowned celebrity chef Mario Batalio and imports its organic items from Italy – whether that’s a good or a bad thing is up to you. There are plenty of healthy meat and seafood dishes on the menu, as well as a few options for a salad if you treated yourself to a fast food burger earlier on.

It’s very rare nowadays to find a restaurant that doesn’t at least have a vegetarian option, which is always a handy fail-safe if you want to eat healthily. But the next time you’re in Las Vegas, try out one of these options for a guaranteed delicious experience that won’t send you to the gym out of guilt.

Feb192014

A Review of Neila Ray Workouts

Now this may be a review and critique of Neila Ray’s workouts, but I want to in no way de-value her workouts. I think what she is doing is great. She is a graphic designer that puts workouts into a friendly and accessible way. I love when people get other people to workout. The action to help other strive for health should always be appreciated. That being said, I wanted to give you how I felt about eight of her workouts, how they treated me, and just a basic review.

Neila Ray likes to put workouts into themes. The ones that my friend, Jamie, sent me are pretty much Superhero workouts with the exception of Jedi and Stormtrooper. I did these eight workouts as a workout challenge, doing one after the other. I didn’t exactly see how the exercises related to their respective superheroes, but I was game to try it. All of them did not require weights which is great for people who don’t have a gym or home gym. Again, I never want to diminish people trying workouts, I am simply giving my own take.

Day 1: Flash

I have no knowledge about the superhero, Flash, so I cannot comment on how the exercises relate to him. But I am assuming it has something to do with speed. This was surprisingly one of the toughest workouts of all eight. The high knees with the other exercises was a difficult combination and definitely left me gasping for more air and sweating. For me, un-weighted squats almost have no effect on me since I’m used to squatting 95lbs or so. A little repetitive with pushup/plank position.

Feb172014

Weekly #Workout Plan

As you may or may not know, we just got a puppy, so it’s going to make our workout lives a little different. One of us should be with Noke as much as possible as she really shouldn’t be left alone for more than 2-3 hours, so that means we split up more. Which means we don’t get to go to the gym together (womp womp) and we have to take turns! This went okay over the weekend, but now comes the work week and I’m not exactly sure how it’s going to pan out. All in all, we just have a lot less time and flexibility to workout. But here is our plan…

Hungry

Monday: Legs, get some power and explosiveness back, hit the jump rope and box jumps hard
Tuesday: Core, focusing on strengthening my lower abs, which have always been weak
Wednesday: Back and biceps, trying to peak out my biceps and strengthen the lower back
Thursday: Shoulders, packing some strength and size onto my front delts, side delts, and traps
Friday: Chest and triceps, building that inner chest from top to bottom, thickening the triceps
Saturday: Legs, getting some size and strength back, balancing the hamstrings and quads
Sunday: Core, focusing on full core exercises such as planks and hanging medleys

Fit

Monday: Core and Elliptical
Tuesday: Circuit Training and Run
Wednesday: Yoga and Swim
Thursday: Chest and Run
Friday: Legs and Elliptical
Saturday: Back and Swim
Sunday: Arms/Shoulders and HIIT

And all those days will be supplemented with additional walking with the new pup. Who knows if we will hit every workout. I’m sure there will be days where we just want to flop down because of puppy exhaustion, but I believe it is very important to make a plan! Create a workout schedule to stay hungry and fit!

Question of the Day: What’s your ideal time to workout?

BONUS PUPPY PIC

Feb152014

Welcome to the Family: Noke! (Puppy Spotlight)

A 3-month old female Akita, Shepherd mix with lots of energy and love. “Noke” (no-kay), her short name, comes from the movie titled “Princess Mononoke,” a Miyazaki favorite of ours. The name means “Spirit Princess” which we think is pretty fitting so far. We’ve been planning on getting a puppy for a while now, and set an easy date for Valentine’s Day because it’s roughly a month or so since we’ve been back from New Zealand. We know it’s going to be a lot of work, but it will be worth it. We’ve arranged our schedules to make it possible (also helps that Chris works 2 minutes away from home). We got her from the Humane Society of Boulder Valley (which is an amazing place that we love to support and got our kittens from there). We almost weren’t able to get her, but with some secretive work from Chris the day before, he managed to put her on hold and surprised me with the fact. Awesomesauce.

First few moments having her, she did great in the car!

Ready to be ours!

Noke is very curious and wants to know everything about anything. She likes to know what’s happening at all times whether it be in the kitchen or on a walk (which make them a little longer than usual). We got her yesterday and she’s already fit in at home. Right now, she’s passed out on the carpet after a walk and lots of play. She likes to stay close to us, which is nice on walks because she never really pulls. For the first few months of her life she had parvo (basically the flu for dogs–vomiting and pooping) and mites (making the poor girl itch!). This means she was in quarantine and very sickly for a while. Both fore-paws are shaved as IVs were necessary to provide fluids. She is now healthy and is just a little itchy from the dead mites. Since she was in quarantine for a while, so many things are new to her. She likes to stop in her tracks and stare at new things. If things are scary, she just walks a little closer to me, but doesn’t cry or cower.

A night time walk…she is such a pleasure to walk! No pulling!

Her paw print next to Chris’

She has a very sweet nature except for the occasional nip which you find in all puppies. She loves to play, chew, and run around as fast as she can. And so far she’s a big fan of sleeping (yay)! We are crate-training her and she slept through the entire night (almost 8 hours). I was ecstatic. We are so excited to see her personality and body develop. She has small paws, but a big head so we aren’t sure how big this girl is going to get. Basically from the neck down she looks like a German Shepherd and her head and face looks Akita–pretty darn cute. She’s a great listener and already knows the command “Sit” so that’s a nice plus! We’ve researched lots and have a few tricks up our sleeves to turn her into a well-mannered dog. She even got a bath (she smelled awful) and handled it great! No tantrums!

Zzz

Our little babushka

Our kitties haven’t met her yet. We are keeping them in separate rooms for now until Noke gets her last medication for the mites. They aren’t too upset about it, they get the bedroom with the sheepskin in it, so they are having hardcore nap time. I predict Nymeria will get along with the pup and Sajah will be terrified and avoid it all costs, which is why we will always have escape routes and high places for our babies. I’m excited to bring the household all together.

Love this picture

So that’s Noke, she’s here and ready to live! We are beyond excited, thrilled, and ready to take on this little monster. Can you say best Valentine’s Day ever? And as always…stay hungry and fit!

Feb142014

Homemade Scones and Cream Recipe

This recipe is perfect for Valentine’s Day if you want to create a treat for the special day! Some of my favorite Valentine’s Day memories involve my dad putting those little candy hearts allll over the house and me getting to look and find them. Onto the yummy stuff. I have watched my mum make her scones year after year growing up throughout my childhood, but I never actually made them myself. Sure, I helped her put on the jam or whip the cream, but I was just helping, not creating. I was thinking of what I wanted to bring to work for Valentine’s Day (I’m not a huge proponent of this day because it’s normally too gushy, but I always like an excuse to make something yummy), and then it came to me! Mum’s scones! Simple, delicious, and not too sweet. Looking back, I have to laugh, because when I asked mum for the recipe, and then when we were FaceTiming while I was making it at 6:30am (5:30am her time–sorry, Mum!), the way she actually did it was completely different. Here is a family recipe, rooting back in New Zealand that promises to not be too heavy or sweet but a definite crowd-pleaser.

The finished product

Scones

Prep Time: 10-15 minutes
Baking Time: 10 minutes
Makes: 20 scones (40 halves)

Ingredients

3 cups unbleached white flour
1/4 tsp salt
5 level tsp baking powder
1/2 stick butter
1 1/4 cup milk

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 450 degree F
Mix the flour, salt, and baking powder in a big bowl
Heat the butter in the microwave for 5 seconds and then chop up into itty bitty pieces. Throw those pieces into the flour mixture and start rubbing it in until it gets gritty similar to bread crumbs

Pre-rubbed

Now slowly pour the milk in, mixing as you pour. It should end in a dough-like consistency

Put a dusting of flour on a large cutting board and knead it out, but not a lot. You want them an inch, inch and a half thick

Now cut them all at once, vertical lines and then horizontal lines into two inch pieces. Place on the baking sheet, no greasing needed

Check on it after 8 minutes and until 10 minutes. Check the bottom of them, don’t let them burn. After you take them out of the oven, they should cool for at least 10 minutes before you put the toppings on them

All cooked!

Okay, so while they are cooling….let’s make some cream! Super easy.

Cream

Creation Time: …1 minute

Ingredients

1 pint heavy whipping cream
1/4 tsp vanilla
1 tsp sugar

Directions

Put ingredients into bowl and beat them until it turns into the whipped cream you know and love

NOW to put it all together! This is what you’re going to need to finish these puppies up…

jam (any kind you like)
chocolate

Directions

Cut open the scones into halves and lay them out
Spread jam on each one (yes, takes some time)
Dollop the cream on each one (you can make it pretty by spreading it out, I didn’t)

Use a grater that can grate super finely and grate chocolate over the scones. I added some red sprinkles to make it more Valentine-y

And you’re done. I know this was a long post, but it actually doesn’t take that long and is worth it ten times over. These were a HUGE hit at work and they don’t leave you feeling guilty because they are certainly not heavy nor are they too sweet. That’s why Americans sometimes don’t like these kind! I am very proud to have successfully produced these, they taste very close to my mum’s. Whip these up for this lovey-dovey weekend and make people happy! You can thank my mum, not me! And as always…stay hungry and fit!

BONUS KITTY PIC

Sleeepy baby

Feb122014

What’s in Your Gym Bag? Part 1

This is labeled “Part 1” because you will get Fit’s gym bag in a few posts later! There is no definitive answer to this one since I have so many gym bags for different gyms and types of workouts. I stock different bags depending on what and where I plan on working out. We have a huge amount of our own workout equipment and once again, depending on my goals and plans, this can change greatly. I will, however, say what I always have in my gym bag… 90% of the time.

Creepy picture of my gym bag!

Tiger Balm. A lot of it. Ultra Strength tins and Muscle Rub tubes. Whenever I am sore or stiff, I like to apply some muscle rub to my muscles and/or ultra strength to my joints. I have a pocket that holds about two of each.

The other side pocket has a few locks. I usually keep a combination lock and a key lock, with the key in it. I workout at a few facilities and most of them provide lockers but no locks. I don’t typically bring a wallet to the gym and I keep my phone on me for music and recording my workouts but I would rather someone not steal my clothes while I am swimming so I have to drive home in my towel.

The front section, in my normal gym bag that I have been using lately (one of Alana’s old soccer bags), holds my staple swimming gear for my post-workout recovery swims. I have my towel from Korea, a size 30 Dolfin ugliezzzzz drag suit, Speedo contoured paddles, and prescription Speedo vanquishers with a bungee.

In the big section, I usually keep my Flexsports elastic wrist straps, an old leather belt, a heavy resistance band, two utility jump-ropes, a clean gym towel, my Big & Little’s snapback/trucker hat, some knee wraps, two Captains of Crush (right now a Trainer and Level 1), a Lacrosse ball, ProGryp circle grips, 3B Kinesio tape, an Aylio heavy hand extensor band, and a pair of Madgrip utility gloves.

Those are the staples. Clothes change, supplements change, footwear changes, and additional gear changes, again, depending on the workout. I might bring a weight vest, ankle weights, wrist weights, different grips, fins… who knows… we have a lot of stuff.

I didn’t include all the details such as color, brands, sizes, etc but there is a lot of information here. I usually try to workout with as little equipment as possible, but it is nice having it available if I decide to use it. So there you have it, that is my current staple gym bag.

If you are looking for something specific but you are unsure, feel free to ask and we can point you in the right direction! Remember any additional equipment should be used a tool but never a crutch! Use it to improve but use it in moderation and don’t let it use you! And as always…stay hungry and fit!

Question of the Day: What do you have in your gym bag?

BONUS KITTY PIC

Feb112014

New Zealand Candy Deliciousness

I’ve been aware of the unique flavors that New Zealand candy brings to the table since I’ve been getting them from my Kiwi relatives since I was little. Many of them you will find in the UK as New Zealand is still part of the Commonwealth, but all the same, it’s just darn tasty. If you ever get the chance to try Kiwi candy, don’t pass it up! And if you’re worried about calories, it’s all in kilojewels, so it doesn’t count right?! (Wrong…but we don’t have to think about that) Let’s list some favorites.

“Perky Nana”…one I haven’t tried before but it’s my nickname!

Chokito

This is Chris’ personal favorite along with one of my aunts, Raewyn’s. I must admit that it’s pretty delicious. I only discovered them during this trip and I’m glad I did! It’s like a softer chewier 100 Grand bar…yeah it’s that good. Chocolate-y goodness!

(Image source)

Pineapple Lumps

Now these are my favorite, perhaps of all Kiwi candy. It’s pineapple-flavored chewy piece covered in chocolate. I will literally eat an entire bag and look for another. I think this one is a love or hate type of deal. They make me happy

Crunchie Bar

Now this goes across all the Commonwealth, but for me, it’s a Kiwi candy. Oh, the crunchie bar. Growing up, this was probably my favorite candy from NZ. It’s basically like honeycomb covered in chocolate. This one is really hard to hate. Delicious crunch followed by that sweet chocolate melting in your mouth…well now I’m drooling.

Image source

Moro

Ooh, another favorite of mine. This is kind of like a crunchier milky way bar. You get that decadence of the chocolate and caramel on the inside but also a little crunch of the bits. We bought a huge mini bag of these for our drive from Auckland to Wellington and they didn’t last long.

Image source

Licorice Allsorts

Ohhhh, allsorts. They have gotten so much worse over the years, but we still know where to find them. Of course, licorice allsorts aren’t exclusively Kiwi, but they are for me! If you don’t like black licorice, it’d be a good thing to stay away from them. But since I’m a weird American with a Kiwi mother, I love them! It’s basically black licorice compiled with different flavors like chocolate, fruity, and vanilla. They are divine. Especially beside a glass of milk.

Image source

Jaffas

These are basically thumb-nail sized chocolate balls covered in an orange coating. These are so so good. Perfect alongside a cup of tea. If you serve them to others, they won’t last long. It has that wonderful crunch of the coating and then the creaminess of the milk chocolate inside.

Image source

Minties

These are what they sound like…mint-flavored chewies. Kind of like a minty taffy. Lovely to chew on and enjoy, especially after a meal or after other sweets!

Image source

Milkybar

I nearly forgot this one because I didn’t eat it on our last trip there. It’s basically just delicious white chocolate. I know some people aren’t white chocolate fans, but my mum and I sure am. We love this bar. Wishing I had one next to me right now!

Image source

Flake

I usually get these in the form of minis, but you can get them in chocolate-bar-size as well too. They are basically little bits of chocolate stuck together, creating a “flake”-like texture once you bite into it. It all falls apart in your mouth. It’s super good chocolate because it’s Cadbury and we all know they make the best. Great to crumble over ice cream!

Image source

I obviously can go on and on, but I will stop. I found a great website that lists all the NZ candy (or lollies, I should have been saying this whole time) here. Check it out if you want to find out more about Kiwi candy. It really is the best! Make sure you pick up and try each one of these when you visit New Zealand! Any of my Kiwi relatives can totally send me some right now!! And as always…stay hungry and fit!

Question of the Day: Do you have a favorite international candy?

Feb102014

Monday Meditation

I teach a Meditation every Monday and I believe it’s a good way to set up and shape the week ahead. I can’t think of a better thing to do on a Monday, before the madness and stress of the week totally grabs you. You can either let the week rule you, or you take control of the week. It’s the difference between stress and happiness. And it can only take 5 minutes. When I wake up to face the day, I either go for a morning walk or I do three sun salutations and meditate for a few minutes. It leaves me refreshed, calm, and ready to take on the week with a smile. Here’s the meditation I did today, very simple:

Beautiful nature always helps for meditation!

Start by sitting upright in a comfortable position
Then begin your active breathing…using the counting method, inhale for four counts, hold at the top for four counts, and exhale for four counts. Do this for a few minutes until your mind and body calms down
To move to the focus of this meditation, I want you to think of kindness and inhale the kindness, and exhale entitlement. Inhale kindness, exhale entitlement. Do this for a few minutes until you have a smile on your face.
Finish with three big stress relief breaths. Use your body and raise your shoulders as you inhale, and exhale with a loud breath (as if sighing), slumping forward. Do this three times.

And that’s it. Only takes a few minutes and really sets a beautiful tone for the day. I focused on breathing in kindness (because we all need more of that) and exhaling entitlement because I believe entitlement always leads to other problems like greed, anger, frustration, and so forth. I hope you do this meditation sometime this week! I promise it will be worth it. And as always…stay hungry and fit!

Feb072014

Maple Orange Butter Recipe

If you’re looking for a super simple, delicious recipe, then you’ve come to the right place! This post directly follows yesterday’s post as the two go together perfectly! This maple orange butter goes great on tons of things: muffins, pancakes, toast, waffles, scones–you name it! I took this right out of the Cuisinart mixer cookbook and it was so good, I wanted to share. Easy as 1-2-3!

Creation Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter
2 tbsp maple syrup
zest of 1 orange (I did two clementines)

Directions

1. Beat the butter in a bowl until nice and light

2. Grate the orange into zest and mix that in along with the maple syrup

3. Refrigerate until ready to serve

Yeah, I was serious…1-2-3! Whip this up in five minutes to make another baked product have some shazaam! It’s easy, it’s delicious, it’s butter! Use this recipe to stay hungry and fit!