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Making it Fit - March: Spring into Fitness!

Spring has almost sprung! Well, maybe for those farther south than Maine! It feels funny to say that spring is near when we still have snow on the ground and freezing wind whipping around. It may stay cold in your neighborhood right on through March, but there will be a few nice days that jump up out of the blue and you should try to use those to stretch your legs and breathe in some fresh air. I know that here in Maine we are out in flip-flops the first chance that we get, but you don’t have to go to extremes - just get out there (well-dressed) and enjoy those first milder days!

This month’s theme is getting started into fitness, and getting everyone mooooooooving! I hope the tips help! Check out the websites mentioned - Self.com has many alerts that can be sent to you weekly to help motivate you and remind you to get out there and get fitness into your daily life.

Exercise

Oh the weather outside is…still not delightful! It is March and I challenge you to get out there and get marching! It may be cold, but throw on those layers and be brave about it. The cold will wake you up and might help you get through another 20 pages of that psych of nursing reading that you have to get done this afternoon. So get out there and walk for 20 minutes! I know you are busy, you may find that you have more energy to do what is on your plate after a brisk outing.

My other exercise challenge this month is for you to try some cardio kickboxing for toning and cardio all wrapped into one. You can search for a class in your geographic area or if it is easier to get it all done on your own then try this workout from Self.com: "Kick into Gear: Burn 175 Calories in 15 minutes." I know you have 15 minutes! Do you think you could cardio kickbox all the way to class? I can see it now…

Put a spring in your kickboxing or walking routine with these tunes:

*Always consult with a physician or other health professional before starting a fitness program.

Eating

Looking to have a night in with healthy eating and then some popcorn for your movie watching? How about grabbing the recent Oscar Best Picture movie "No Country for Old Men" or if you are looking for some lighter fare you might throw the Oscar Best Animated Feature Film of the year, "Ratatouille" into your DVD player for some giggles. In case spring isn’t warming up fast enough, try this spicy stir-fry and some popcorn with some h-h-h-heat!

Spicy Shrimp and Vegetable Stir-fry

The spice in this dish from Jennifer Maeng, executive chef at Korean Temple Cuisine in New York City, adds more than taste. A compound found in red-hot pepper may also rev up your metabolism. Wok star! (Serves 4)

• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 cup sake
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp dark (toasted) sesame oil
• 1 tbsp chopped garlic
• 1 tbsp finely chopped or grated ginger
• 1 cup large-diced red bell pepper
• 1 cup large-diced green bell pepper
• 1 cup large-diced onion
• 1 cup cubed cabbage
• 1 cup sliced carrot
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 24 large shrimp, shelled and deveined

Combine first 6 ingredients in a bowl. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add soy sauce mixture; cook until lightly thickened, about 1 minute. Add vegetables and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring constantly, until vegetables are soft, about 1 minute. Add shrimp and 1/4 cup water. Cook, stirring often, until shrimp are just cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes more. Divide among 4 bowls; serve immediately.

The skinny 301 calories per serving, 6.6 g fat (1 g saturated), 23.6 g carbs, 3.3 g fiber, 32 g protein

(Recipe from: www.self.com/health/recipes/2007/04/0423spicy_shrimp)

Spiced Popcorn

Piquant and crunchy, this won’t bore you even if you eat it all. Luckily you can eat a lot of popcorn without guilt. Leftovers, if there are any, will keep for a week when stored airtight at room temperature. A resealable plastic freezer bag works well.

Addictive Spiced Popcorn

PREP TIME: 10 minutes, SERVINGS: 4

• 1 ½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• ¼ teaspoon coarse sea salt or kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
• Tiny pinch cayenne
• ½ cup popcorn kernels

1. In a large pot over medium-high heat combine oil, paprika, salt, cumin, cayenne, and popcorn. Stir well, coating the popcorn kernels evenly with the oil and spices.

2. Cover the pot and shake back and forth over the burner until most of the kernels have popped (the popping should slow down to one pop every 2 seconds), 3 to 5 minutes.

3. Transfer the popcorn immediately to a serving bowl. Taste; adjust the seasoning, if necessary.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION: Per serving: 123 calories, 2g protein, 16g carbohydrates, 6g fat (1g saturated), 3g fiber

(Recipe from: http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/fitness/story.jhtml)

Links and Helpful Websites

Here are some highlights to check out at the websites:

www.fitnessmagazine.com

• Great feature in which you can create your own workout video. The site puts it together for you after you share what areas of the body you want to work out, how much time you have and what equipment you have available to work with, too cool!
• Pick a certain breakfast, lunch, or dinner menu of your choosing. All of the options are good for your nutrition and good for your weight. The site provides a grocery list of what you will need to make the menu happen. That makes life sooo much easier!

www.self.com

• Want to try yoga? There is a great quiz on how to choose a yoga class. There are so many different types of yoga that it can be dizzying to choose one, so read up before you jump in!
• Self.com is all about challenges. You can join a challenge to try and get fit, and get weekly advice on all sorts of things, including fitness tips and new recipes! Sign up for one, or sign up for them all!

Inspiration and Relaxation

Here’s some advice on reducing stress this month:

1. Get out there and enjoy the outdoors. Are you feeling low and tired? Well, get outside and take 10 deep breaths of the air, and if the sun is out then feel that lovely warmth on your cheeks.
2. Don’t forget to ask for help. Whether it means delegating something in your job or your organization or asking a family member for a little help with something during your most stressful week, don’t fear asking others to help out. Even the strongest leaders have people around to help when the going is tough and not only will the extra hands help, but the extra energy will perk up your spirits.
3. Clean up one of your spaces. You have been spending a lot of time indoors, it’s cold, there is nasty weather and that means that you have probably also accumulated a lot of clutter. You don’t need to do a spring cleaning quite yet, but maybe clean up one of your spaces so that at least you have a calm in the storm some of the time. Maybe choose your desk and make it look perfect, or maybe your car – I know we all feel like we live in our cars sometimes!!!

Inspirational quote to end it on…

"Nothing’s better than the wind to your back, the sun in front of you,
and your friends beside you."

- Aaron Douglas Trimble