Insanity moves: Modified for pregnancy!

 

24.5 week belly :)

There are three moves in Insanity (and T25 and Insanity Max...) that I can't personally do without hurting my uterus. Some people are able to, but with me carrying my baby low, it just doesn't work out so I don't feel comfortable trying.

However, I hate missing out on these power moves! They are awesome cardio moves that really challenge me, and the offered modifications aren't quite enough for me to feel like I tried. So, here are three moves that I have modified to still challenge myself, but be safe for my bump!



1. Burpee


The modification of this is shown somewhat in the picture above. First, grab 1-2 pound dumbbells. Bring them up by your shoulders, and keep your core tight, squat down, step one leg back while bring both arms forward, come back to squat, and stand up. Repeat on both sides.

Stand, squat, reach out, squat, stand. Maintaining a tight core is KEY! The added dumbbells work your arms and shoulders, the way a normal burpee would, while engaging your core.


2. Tuck  jumps

If you've done Insanity, you know how grueling these are! They are one of the highest impact exercises in Insanity, though. So, to still feel the burn and get your heart rate up, switch out with normal/lower impact jump squats.

Legs should be in a hip width stance, maybe slightly wider. Squat down and touch the floor, keeping your chest up, and jump up off your toes reaching to the sky. For lower impact, squat down, touch ground, and come up onto your toes reaching towards the ceiling.


3.  Squat jacks

I love them squat jacks! I can actually do this most days, but some days when I'm extra crampy I just modify them.

In a normal squat jack, it's like a reverse jumping jack. Starting in a standing position, reach your arms above your head. Jump down into a squat, bringing your arms by your sides, and jump back up with hands reaching towards the ceiling.

To modify, step out into a deep squat bringing your arms down, and step back to center. Alternate sides!

Lemon Garlic Green Beans

When we were dating, my husband informed me that green beans were pretty much his favorite food. However, he liked them totally sautéed and fried in butter. Delicious? Absolutely. Was I going to make that often in my home? Probably not.

When at the store, I switch up my vegetables based on what is seasonal or on sale, just to make sure my family is getting rounded nutrition. Yesterday was green beans. I want really flavorful green beans that don't make me feel gross after eating them, so I came up with a flavor blend to perfectly suit our tastes here at home!

What you need:

Large skillet or pan

Fresh green beans

Lemon juice

Himalayan salt

Olive oil

Garlic (powder or fresh)

Regardless of whether or not the green beans are pre-washed, wash them anyways. Don't shake off the excess water and transfer them into a skillet drizzled in olive oil. Drizzle lemon juice over the top, cover, and let steam for a few minutes on high. 

Turn down to medium/high and add garlic and salt, drizzling a little more oil and lemon juice on top. Cover and let steam for a few more minutes. 

Turn back on high and drizzle yet some MORE lemon juice over the top, frying and flipping the beans over the high hight. Add garlic and salt and continue to "fry" them.



Once you start to see a few of the beans turn brown or crispy, they should be done! Eat one just to make sure :)

The goal is to get a crunchy bite, not soft and soggy.



Enjoy!

Pina Colada Shakeology

A day in the life of my kids' lunchboxes

Here at home, I do everything routinely. It makes life SO...MUCH... EASIER. My kids know routine, and they thrive off of it. It also equips them to take responsibility for themselves, because they have learned things in an organized fashion, they now know exactly what they need to do in the day and therefore can handle the few days we aren't so organized and still be responsible for themselves. It's almost like learning the ABC's in order, we would probably never remember if it was scrambled everytime we heard it, and therefore would forget SOME letter at some point. I have lunch in the exact same place in the fridge always made and ready the night before. I have their homework on the table so they can put it in their bags. I even usually have breakfast out on the table before they get up so I can hop back in bed until it's time to leave. Having a schedule or organized routine helps them make a list in their mind of the things they need:

Teeth brushed.
Hair brushed.
Lunch put in backpack.
Homework put in backpack.
Socks on.
Coat and shoes on with backpack ready to go.


But they have also learned to not EXPECT routine. This equips them to handle change very well. It's a win-win.


But the routine I haven't ever strayed from is what they get for lunch. So here's a look at the lunch of a Nash kid (this was last night's):

Every lunch has a: piece of fruit, string cheese, vegetable (usually carrots), dried fruit (raisins or prune), crackers (usually Annie's), and main course (usually a sandwich made with Dave's bread). 

Packing the same things for my kids' lunches makes my shopping routine incredibly easy. I never browse to see what I want to get them for lunches, I stick with the same things. They get leftovers (as you can see above) if I have a lot of food left from dinner, or else a sandwich. I switch up their veggies and fruits to give them rounded nutrition, as well as some of the ingredients I put into the sandwiches. For our little man, he gets smaller portions or sometimes I eliminate the crackers, but as for older brother, he just might eat me out of house and home! He never has any food left in his lunch and comes home starving every day!

Sundried Tomato Artichoke Marinara

Tonight I decided to play around with my marinara recipe for our chicken pasta. It...was... DELISH. This recipe feeds four and I had leftovers for the boys' lunches.

21 day fix:

1/2 red

2 green

2 tsp

2 yellow 

1 orange

Ingredients:

2 boxes gluten free penne

1 can tomato sauce

1 can diced tomatoes

3-4 sundried tomatoes diced

Half of small jar of artichokes diced

Italian seasoning

Garlic powder

Chopped onion (dried or fresh)

Himalayan salt

Black pepper

Olive oil

1 large chicken breast

Cube and fry chicken in olive oil, black pepper, and salt. 

Add diced tomatoes, sundried tomatoes, and artichokes (use some of the oil from sundried tomatoes and artichokes for flavor). Let flavor soak for a minute or so.

Add can of tomato sauce.

Add garlic powder, onion, and italian seasoning to taste.

Ready to go on some gluten free noodles! Have with a side salad :)

Quiche Bake

Every now and then I run out of ideas of how to fit protein in with dinner. Chicken salad and meat and salad gets boring over time, so I do a quiche bake! This recipe serves 4 and we had it along with a salad. Sometimes I will make more and use them for breakfast sandwiches! They make great leftovers. I will also provide the DAIRY FREE version!

What you need:
 Pyrex pan
Oil spray

 12 eggs
1/2 cup shredded cheese
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tsp Italian seasoning 

Whisk together, spray glass pyrex pan, pour in, bake at 400 degrees F for 15-20 minutes, or until edges are golden brown and the middle is firm. If you are using portion control containers (get yours HERE ), depending on how you divide, one serving will be 1-2 red and 1 blue!


DAIRY FREE VERSION:

12 eggs
3/4 cup mozz. daiya cheese
1 tbsp almond or cashew milk
1 tsp each of pepper, salt, and It. seasoning :)

Up to week 24

This momma has had a rough summer! As commerical fishermen, we don't really know what our summer schedule will be like EXACTLY. Last year we were on call mid-June through the end of July, and only fished 12 days. We worked another 10 on top of that around our site. This year, we fished almost every day mid-June through August! It was crazy, and since my husband banned me from being on a boat, I was stuck in the kitchen as the camp cook. You know what this means for me? Constant eating. Let's face it. I gave up completely my normal eating routine. I was eating bread, and lots of it, on top of candy and all those baked goods I made for crew motivation. This is my struggle. I am not a person who can handle being around a kitchen and not constantly snacking. It was rough, and it really changed my eating habits for the bad. So I have gained an extra 5 fat lbs on top of the mid-range healthy pregnancy weight gain. YIKES! I am trying to get back on track by eating healthy and consistently, eliminating those extra carbs and sugars I ate. No, I wasn't eating out of pregnancy cravings or nutritional need. I was eating out of my bad binging and emotional habits, eating foods I actually wasn't craving at all but were just lying around. This is a problem. When people say "oh, it's for the baby!", I get mad. First of all, I know myself, and this is not healthy eating. It's a trap of going back to where I was before; an emotional binge eater. Secondly, if it IS for the baby, I sure as heck better stop feeding her candy! OH, did I mention she's a girl? :) So, I've started up with T25 and finished week one last week. I modified a lot of the moves and because of that I have also added the weight circuit from "How to Exercise When You're Expecting" by Lindsey Brin on Mon, Wed, and Sat. That brings three of my workouts to 50 minutes instead of 25, which is still not a whole lot of time to give! This week, I am adding in portion control containers (get yours here). My calorie intake will be 1800-2099 and I am ALSO going to allow myself a yellow container with whatever I want... you know, since I'm pregnant. That will be an extra 100-250 calories. Which is still within an appropriate amount for someone pregnant. Plus, this is a TRANSITION for me to get back to normal so I don't want to make the process extra hard. Portion control isn't dieting, I will be eating my normal healthy things (along with Shakeology! Getting everything momma and baby needs!), but I will just be reminded of how much is a good amount. I am just going to be doing it for the 21 days, hoping that this will reset me into my normal eating again. It's a very hard adjustment from letting yourself eat WHATEVER and HOWEVER much you want to trying to get back to normal. It's easier to never let yourself get to that point! I found myself very unhappy and self-conscious this summer, because I knew what I was doing to my body. I knew I was making bad choices, and those choices were not making me happy. This directly affected my relationship with those around me! I was not content in who I was and I was projecting that on to others. I want to be happy, healthy, and content for my baby! SO here it is... some photos that show that weight gain. Again, I realize this isn't an out of control weight gain, but I was NOT healthy and if I hadn't stopped myself sooner I would end up somewhere far worse. But those pants I wearing were loose around my thighs and butt during my first trimester...

All in all, I'm not worried about it. I AM going to do something about it, but most of that is going to be post-pregnancy. Right now, I just don't want to lose my eating habits and want to keep healthy for baby and me :)