Photos and More Gardening

I've needed new professional and blog photos for a long time.  My friend Adam Roe was in town recently, and he happens to be professional photographer, so he graciously offered to snap a few shots.  Despite less than ideal conditions, he did an outstanding job.  Here's a larger version of the photo on my profile (which Blogger shrinks down to a tiny thumbnail):

To see more of Adam's work, head over to his Facebook page, and don't forget to 'like' and share it if you enjoy it.  Adam is currently based in Berlin.

Gardening Update

Here's a photo of today's harvest (taken by me, not Adam; you can tell by the poor focus and primitive lighting):

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Chocolate Protein Brownies

I made these "brownies" over the weekend for the first time, and could not believe how good they are!  The consistency is actually more like a cake, but you don't have to feel guilty about eating this cake.  The recipe comes from Jamie Eason and I put in italics how I tweaked it.  I think the next time I bake them I'll leave out the sugar and see how that tastes. (*update, I left out the sugar completely and added a 1/4 - 1/2 cup of dark chocolate chips and it's even better!)

Ingredients

• 1 cup Oat Flour (I ground oats finely in a food processor)
• 2 scoops Vanilla Whey Protein Powder (I used chocolate protein powder)
• ½ tsp Baking Soda
• ¼ tsp Salt
• 3 tbsp Baking Cocoa 
• 4 Egg Whites
• ½ cup Splenda (I used 1/4 cup real sugar)
• 8oz Berry flavored Baby Food (I used 8oz applesauce)
• 4oz Water

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Mix dry ingredients (oat flour, vanilla whey protein, baking soda, salt, baking cocoa) together in a large bowl.
• Mix wet ingredients (egg whites, Splenda, berry flavored baby food, water) together in a medium sized bowl.
• Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix together.
• Spray cooking dish (I used an 8x8 glass pan) with a non stick butter spray or olive oil spray and add batter to dish.
• Bake for 20-30 minutes (mine cooked for closer to 30 minutes)

Nutrition

2 Bars = Calories 96;  Fat 1.4 g; Carbs 12 g;  Protein 10 g

Jamie Eason Live Fit (Phase 2)

I explained yesterday that I am currently doing Jamie Eason's Live Fit 12-week program, and I'm on Week 5.  This phase of the plan focuses on building more muscle and adding in cardio at the end of your weight lifting workout so that you start to burn fat and lean out.  These workouts take me a little over one hour.  On Monday, I did the chest, abs, and cardio workout and can you believe, I left my little printout of what exercises I was supposed to do at home? Ug!  But that's how it goes sometimes and I did my best to remember what I was supposed to do.  Also, my wrist was bothering me, so I didn't do the pushups, exchanging it for another exercise.

My point is- your plans don't always workout, but you just have to adjust and move on!  

Phase 2 is explained below and I took much of the language straight from the program, since I think it's informative and straight forward.

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Training: Week 5 & 6

Moving into Phase Two, the focus continues to be building muscle, courtesy of a 6-day workout split. The repetitions in this phase fall between 8 and 10, with the exception of certain exercises, where really taxing the muscle requires more volume.

Work at 85% of your maximum effort, which means your last rep in each set should be a struggle but still doable. Don't sacrifice form for strength, and ask for a spot as you progressively lift heavier weight. Safety is key!

Lifting heavier means you'll need longer rest periods between sets. For some exercises, you'll feel ready to continue after one minute; other exercises might require two. Regardless, the rest period should be long enough to allow you to tackle each set with as much exertion as possible.

The one exception is when you encounter exercises grouped as a superset. This means performing an exercise set immediately after a different exercise set with nearly no rest taken between exercises (sets) -- only enough to position yourself for the second exercise.

While we're on the topic of definitions, you'll also need to know what "lifting to failure" means: On your last set of an exercise, instead of lifting to a set number (rep), continuing to lift until the muscle is fatigued and another full rep can't be performed.

Though lifting heavier will increase your heart rate, at this point in the program, we will begin to incorporate 4 days of medium-intensity cardio, done in 30-minute increments. Forgoing the cardio in the first phase allowed your body to use all of the "clean" calories it consumed for everyday activities and building muscle. By introducing medium-intensity cardio in Phase Two, we'll begin to facilitate fat burning, while minimizing the risk of losing any hard-earned muscle.

Training: Week 7 & 8

These are your last two weeks to achieve as much muscle gain as possible. So work it! These workouts are intense - you should use as much weight as you can safely muster. Instead of consisting of 3 sets, many of these exercises will increase to 4, albeit with fewer repetitions (e.g., 4 sets of 8 reps). As during the last few weeks, you'll be incorporating supersets and taking your sets to failure. With maximum exertion required, you might need to rest longer between sets. Two or three minutes should suffice for most of you.

Your workouts for these weeks might take longer to execute with the increased volume and rest time. If you feel like you need to, reduce the outlined 4 days of 30-minute-cardio sessions to just three. Once we move into the final and third stage, the workouts will shift from an emphasis on weight training to a greater emphasis on fat burning and cardio. 

You will still eat every 2-3 hours, focusing on healthy, non-processed food.  During Phase 2, you also reduce your carbohydrates, since the goal is to lean out. Jamie says, "The best way to taper down is to begin eating fewer carbs later in the day, or at least exchanging starchy carbs like potatoes and grains for vegetable carbs like broccoli."  

"Your total calorie intake during Phase 2 actually won't change a whole lot from Phase 1, even as we remove some of those starchy carbs from your diet. Your macronutrient mix will change a bit, as those carbs are replaced with a bit more protein. You're starting to add the cardio, which we didn't have before, so you're naturally going to be burning more calories. I don't want you changing things drastically. You still need to support your muscle, and that's going to be key going all the way to that last phase."

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Any of you on board with this?  Are you interested in these kinds of workouts? I'll wait to post about Phase 3 until I get there.

Tomorrow I've got a healthy version of chocolate brownies to share with you- YUMMY!

            

My Current Workout Routine (The Live Fit Program) Overview & Phase 1

I hope you had a great weekend and are ready for a productive week ahead.  I like Mondays because they are the start of a fresh week, a chance for a new beginning!  

Today, I want to answer your questions about my workout.  Right now, I work out 5 times a week (lifting weights and adding 20-30 minutes of cardio at the end).  I love how lifting weights sculpts and shapes the body.  I like a more muscular and lean look on my frame, but am not concerned about getting "too big" because I don't think that's possible with my workouts and the way I eat.  Also, I don't take any kind of body building steroid.

I'm lucky that my gym has a daycare where my son loves to play, so we can go as a family. I keep my headphones on the whole time and don't chat.

I am currently doing Jamie Eason's Live Fit 12-Week Trainer.  I came across it one night when looking for new workout routines and found it on Bodybuilding.com.  The program is free, you just have to register.  (I'm not a spokesperson or affiliate for the program).

If you are just starting a workout routine or have never worked out, I recommend you try it.  The program does require a gym, but gives you lots of information regarding food and specific workouts for each week, with links to a video on how to perform the exercises.  I think it's so helpful if you aren't familiar with the names of the exercises or how to perform them.  I still have to check sometimes too!

The program is broken into 3 Phases (12 Weeks).   I'll give you an overview of the program and an introduction into Phase 1 so you can see if it's something you might be interested in.  Later this week, I'll introduce Phases 2 and 3.

I just started Phase 2 and can already tell a big difference in the shape of my body.  I'm following the workouts exactly, and the food probably 80%.  My arms are getting leaner, which is something I could never quite achieve in the past.  Also, that unwanted post-pregnancy belly fat that I figured was just here to stay is actually diminishing!  I'll keep you posted with my progress as I continue.  I still have 8 weeks to go!  (The photo above will be my "BEFORE" and I'll post an "AFTER" in two months, when I finish the program).  

In Phase 1, you spend the first two weeks focusing on muscle endurance.  The goal is to prepare your muscles for a strength-training program that will also promote muscle growth. Not bodybuilder-quantity muscle, but leaned, toned muscle that'll give your body the "lines" you've always wanted. 

You also begin eating small, nutrition-packed meals every 2-3 hours.  Jamie says that, "Eating this way will supply your body with a steady flow of nutrients, boosting your metabolism too. Your body will begin to release its stored body fat as fuel. The net result will be sustainable weight loss!" 

There is a list of recommended foods on the website, too many to list here, but a sample day is included below:

Additional directives include:

*Eat your first meal within one hour of waking.

*Plan a food preparation day in advance.

*Measure and weigh food when possible.

*Eat every 3 hours (5-6 times a day, depending on when you wake up/go to bed).

*Drink lots of water.

Jamie recommends taking a daily multivitamin, and possibly an additional calcium supplement when weight lifting.  She also suggests one tablespoon of Flaxseed or Fish Oil daily (which aid in weight loss and encourages healthy bowel movements).   

The first two weeks, you lift weights 4 days a week (with specific exercises for each day).  You do 3 sets of 12 repetitions (3 X 12) per exercise, resting 60 seconds (give or take) in between each set.  

You should be lifting a weight that, on the last repetition, is heavy enough to be challenging, but not so difficult that you can't complete the set.  She says to lift at about 60% of your maximum ability in the first two weeks.  You don't want to get hurt, be TOO sore, or overtrain. 

You don't do any cardio for the first month. 

Here is an example workout for the 1st day (Chest & Triceps).  It also comes with a printable (see below for a portion of it), that I take to the gym with me so I don't have to memorize the workout.  When you're in the program on the Bodybuilding.com website, you can click on the name of the exercise to see a video of how it's supposed to be performed.  I watch them because I'm not familiar with all of the exercises or I might just need a refresher regarding proper form.

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Week 3 starts the muscle building phase, which lasts 6 weeks. The schedule looks like below and continues with 3 sets of 10 repetitions (3 X 10) per exercise, resting 60 seconds (give or take) in between each set.

You'll be lifting a weight that's about 80% of your maximum ability now, also accounting for the fact that you might be stronger, able to lift a little heavier now.  Still, you should be lifting a weight that, on the last repetition, is heavy enough to be challenging, but not so difficult that you can't complete the set. 

Assuming you followed the food schedule and did the workouts for 4 weeks, your body should already be showing some results!  That's awesome!  In just 4 weeks, you will be on your way to transforming your body!  

This is a lot of information to take in, but you can do it.  Once you get into the routine of it, it's not so overwhelming.  You just have to start.  

Any of you familiar with the program?  What do you think?

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The anatomy of a VAP test report

The vertical auto profile (VAP) test is an enhanced lipid profile test. It has been proposed, chiefly by the company Atherotech (), as a more complete test that relies on direct measurement of previously calculated lipid measures. The VAP test is particularly known for providing direct measurements of LDL cholesterol, instead of calculating them through equations ().

At the time of this writing, a typical VAP test report would provide direct measures of the cholesterol content of LDL, Lp(a), IDL, HDL, and VLDL particles. It would also provide additional measures referred to as secondary risk factors, notably particle density patterns and apolipoprotein concentrations. Finally, it would provide a customized risk summary and some basic recommendations for treatment. Below is the top part of a typical VAP test report (from Atherotech), showing measures of the cholesterol content of various particles. LDL cholesterol is combined for four particle subtypes, the small-dense subtypes 4 and 3, and the large-buoyant subtypes 2 and 1. A breakdown by LDL particle subtype is provided later in the VAP report.

In the table above, HDL cholesterol is categorized in two subtypes, the small-dense subtype 2, and the large-buoyant subtype 3. Interestingly, most of the HDL cholesterol in the table is supposedly of the least protective subtype, which seems to be a common finding in the general population. VLDL cholesterol is categorized in a similar way. IDL stands for intermediate-density lipoprotein; this is essentially a VLDL particle that has given off some of its content, particularly its triglyceride (or fat) cargo, but still remains in circulation.

Lp(a) is a special subtype of the LDL particle that is purported to be associated with markedly atherogenic factors. Mainstream medicine generally considers Lp(a) particles themselves to be atherogenic, which is highly debatable. Among other things, cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk and Lp(a) concentration follow a J-curve pattern, and Lp(a)’s range of variation in humans is very large. A blog post by Peter (Hyperlipid) has a figure right at the top that illustrates the former J-curve assertion (). The latter fact, related to range of variation, generally leads to a rather wide normal distribution of Lp(a) concentrations in most populations; meaning that a large number of individuals tend to fall outside Lp(a)’s optimal range and still have a low risk of developing CVD.

Below is the middle part of a typical VAP report, showing secondary risk factors, such as particle density patterns and apolipoprotein concentrations. LDL particle pattern A is considered to be the most protective, supposedly because large-buoyant LDL particles are less likely to penetrate the endothelial gaps, which are about 25 nm in diameter. Apolipoproteins are proteins that bind to fats for their transport in lipoproteins, to be used by various tissues for energy; free fatty acids also need to bind to proteins, notably albumin, to be transported to tissues for use as energy. Redundant particles and processes are everywhere in the human body!

Below is the bottom part of a typical VAP report, providing a risk summary and some basic recommendations. One of the recommendations is “to lower” the LDL target from 130mg/dL to 100mg/dL due to the presence of the checked emerging risk factors on the right, under “Considerations”. What that usually means in practice is a recommendation to take drugs, especially statins, to reduce LDL cholesterol levels. A recent post here and the discussion under it suggest that this would be a highly questionable recommendation in the vast majority of cases ().

What do I think about VAP tests? I think that they are useful in that they provide a lot more information about one’s lipids than standard lipid profiles, and more information is better than less. On the other hand, I think that people should be very careful about what they do with that information. There are even more direct tests that I would recommend before a decision to take drugs is made (, ), if that decision is ever made at all.

Thank You!

Good morning Sunshine!  I hope you all woke up to a beautiful Saturday!  I decided last night that we are working out at 9:00 a.m. today to get it over and done with for the day. My Saturday workout is going to be a ten minute warm up on the treadmill, lift weights for back and biceps, and finish with 200 abs.  Then get on with my day feeling GOOD.  I'm planning to cook turkey chili and then I'll be taking 100 photos, trying to get a few properly exposed and focused shots that I can share with you next week:)

Most importantly, I want to give y'all a big ole hug for reading, commenting, following, and subscribing to my new blog.  The first day the blog went live, it had nearly 40,000 page views!  That is BANANAS!  It's because YOU read multiple posts while you were here.  Thank you.  I'm humbled and thrilled.

Many of you are helping spread the word and I really appreciate it.  If you have blogged about Honey We're Healthy or added my button to your blog, please let me know and I will give you a shout out in a future post with your blog header and a link to your blog.  I think it's so important to support each other and I'm happy to return the

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5 Healthy Snacks

Ever get so busy with your day that you "forget to eat?"  Then you are STARVING for dinner?  Yeah, I've done that too, but I really try to be conscious of eating every three to four hours now.  I do get hungry that often, so having healthy snacks in my fridge, at work, or in the car are essential.  Here are five of my favorites.  I'd like to hear what your favorite snacks are too.

I like most varieties of applies.  The one pictured above is a Honey Crisp- so pretty and crunchy!  I'm trying to get in the habit of washing my apples when I bring them home from the grocery store so they are ready to slice and eat.  I pair them with natural peanut butter for a satisfying treat.  I always bring apples to work and my own jar of peanut butter for snack time. 

Nutrition:  Natural Peanut Butter (2 tbsp): Cal 200; Fat 16g; Sat fat 1.5g; Protein 8g; Carb 6g; Sodium 90g.

Apple (1 medium):  Cal 100; Fat 0; Protein 0; Carb 25g.

Carrots are another wash, peel, and slice item I like to keep in my fridge.  (You can buy them that way for convenience if you prefer).  I buy the giant tubs of hummus since my whole family (including my son) eat it.  This is most likely the snack you'll find us eating while dinner is being prepared if we're too hungry to wait.  Pictured above is two carrots, but I probably would only eat one large carrot.

Nutrition 1 Carrot: Cal 30; Fat 0g; Protein 1g; Carb 7g.

Hummus (2 Tbsp): Cal 80; Fat 7g; Sat Fat 1g; Cart 4g; Protein 2g; Sodium 125g.

Nuts (preferably unsalted), the ones pictured above are a combination of unsalted and lightly salted.  I find that my body really bloats up if I eat too much sodium, so I eat unsalted.  I keep these in my car for "emergencies" since they travel so well.  

Nutrition 1/4 cup:  Cal 170; Fat 16g; Sat Fat 1g; Carb 6g; Protein 5g; Sodium 0g.

I love Edamame.  I actually enjoy the process of popping the peas out of their little shell with my teeth.    It took me too long to realize I didn't have to go to a sushi restaurant to enjoy edamame, you can buy it frozen at the grocery store.  I sprinkle it with a teeny amount of salt.  

Nutrition (1 cup unshelled/ 1/2 cup shelled): Calories 110; Fat 3.5g; Sat Fat 0g; Sodium 0g; Carb 12g; Protein 9g.

These little pre-packaged bundles of cheese are high on my list of grab and go.  I buy the "light" and eat two at a time.  The sodium isn't great, but the protein is. 

Nutrition (2 pieces): Cal 100; Fat 5g; Sat Fat 3g; Sodium 400g; Carb 2g; Protein 14g.

What snacks do you like?  

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