Kathy Freston Talks Healthy Eating

Kathy Freston Talks Healthy Eating

What's Your Secret Agent Name?

That's today's burning question from Danielle LaPorte.

David filmed me on Friday night doing my Bond-girl dance in front of the red glow of Netflix reflecting off the window. He says my name should be Silky Galore, which auto-corrected just now on his text message to Silly Galore. They both work.

Money Penny could be good cuz Lord knows we need it right now to put Tyler through school; maybe find a cure to Asperger's Syndrome while we're at it. But that's a fix to a problem and not a good way to approach the assignment.

I want my Agent name to convey:
- power
- ease
- courage
- a little danger, baby
- possibility
- positivity
- humor
- glam and fashion

OK, Julia Silka. Let's not over-think this. It's all right there.

and yet, still soy light and funny.

Agent Silk it is.

Cue Bond music.

Smoothie for a Happy St. Patrick's Day!

St. Paddy’s Chocolate Mint Smoothie  by Maureen Shannon Who needs green beer when you can drink this cheer in glass? Bring out your inner leprechaun with this festive St. Paddy’s day smoothie. Let the magical powers of this delicious drink dance in your belly and make you smile with delight. Cheers! Makes 16 - 18 oz. -1 frozen banana -11⁄2 cups non-dairy milk (almond, hemp or rice) -1 tablespoon ground hemp seeds -1⁄4 cup soaked cashews (soaked in water for 4 hours; drained and rinsed well) -Handful of fresh mint (leaves only) -Big handful of spinach leaves -1⁄4 teaspoon peppermint extract (optional) -1 tablespoon cacao nibs Prep and wash all produce. Blend ingredients and garnish with a few more cacao nibs and a mint leaf. Serve.

Peaceful Warrior

I'm still not drinking and haven't wanted (or thankfully needed!) it at all this week. The cleanse really helped me break that habit. I just have to be careful not to pick it up again. Weekends, Julia. Or socially during the week, but try not to go out with husband because he's a faucet.

I checked out Pilates/Yoga fusion class today. It's cool that my friend/teacher is always snapping pictures of us and posting them on her site. My butt looks really weird in a few of them so I'm not going to upload here, but I like this one. I'm on the green mat closest to camera. Look at the teacher in front of room! Bend that Peaceful Warrior! More yoga and healthy eating tomorrow.

My longer-term plan is to find a half marathon to train for/PR in within next 3-4 months and then train for fall marathon (New York or Chicago probably; maybe Toronto or West Haven, CT). Hip still ailing. Not sure there's much I can do about it other than take it slow: keep up with the yoga. Add some swimming and weight training. Probably a good idea to mix it up, anyway.

Fitness Magazine: Love Your Legs Workout

Fitness Magazine 

Love Your Legs Workout

They say it's important to mix it up. I should'a, would'a, didn't do this workout today. Instead, I ran 1.5 miles in quarter-mile sprints at 6.5, 7.0, 7.5, 7.5, 7.5, 7.5. That's 9:14, 8:34 and the last mile at an 8 minute pace. I didn't know I could run that fast (even at .25 miles at a time). Not sure how long my breaks are supposed to be between the miles. I probably took too long, but I just listened to my body, hip still hurts a pinch. I finished the workout with half-assed biceps and triceps. At least I feel like I got back in the game. I'll get more serious about it tomorrow. 

Do the routine three times a week on nonconsecutive days, resting for around 30 seconds between sets. All you'll need is a chair, a 5-pound dumbbell, and a towel.

Split Squat

Targets butt and quads

• Stand with back facing a chair (about 2 feet away), hands on hips, and bend left leg behind you to place top of foot on chair seat.
• Squat, bending right leg 90 degrees with knee over ankle. Make it harder: After each full squat, do a half squat, bending just 45 degrees.
• Do 15 to 20 reps. Switch legs and repeat. Do 2 to 3 sets.

Sissy Squat

Targets quads, hamstrings, and calves

• Stand with feet hip-width apart with right side next to a chair, right hand holding seat back.
• Rise up onto toes (heels off floor) and bend knees 90 degrees as you lean torso back 45 degrees (so that body forms a straight line from knees to shoulders, abs tight.)
• Return to standing on toes. Do 2 to 3 sets of 15 to 20 reps

Pistol Squat

Targets butt and quads

• Stand with feet hip-width apart, fists in front of chest with elbows bent; lift right foot forward a few inches off floor, foot flexed.
• Squat, bending left knee 90 degrees, as you lift right leg to hip level in front of you. Make it easier: Let right heel hover close to floor.
• Do 15 to 20 reps, then switch sides and repeat. Do 2 to 3 sets.

Goblet Squat

Targets butt, quads, inner thighs, and hamstrings

• Stand with feet wider than shoulder-width apart, toes turned out, holding handle of a single dumbbell vertically with both hands in front of chest (like a goblet), elbows bent out to sides.
• Squat, bending knees 90 degrees. Make it harder: Holding weight in place, jump up slightly as you rise out of squat, landing with knees soft.
• Do 2 to 3 sets of 15 to 20 reps.

Three-Way Lunge

Targets butt, quads, inner thighs, andhamstrings

• Stand with feet hip-width apart, hands clasped in front of chest. Lungeforward with left leg (knees bent 90 degrees); return to start.
• Lunge left leg out to left, toes facing forward, and bend left knee 90 degrees. Return to start.
• Lunge backward with left leg to complete 1 rep. Repeat sequence with right leg.
• Do 2 to 3 sets of 15 to 20 reps, alternating sides.

Good Morning

Targets abs, butt, and hamstrings

• Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, holding ends of a single dumbbell in each hand; bend elbows by sides to bring weight under chin.
• Keeping legs straight and maintaining arm position, press butt backward as you hinge forward at hips until back is near parallel to floor.
• Return to standing. Do 2 to 3 sets of 15 to 20 reps.

Single-Leg Dead Lift

Targets butt and hamstrings

• Stand with feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing front of thighs.
• Hinge forward at hips 90 degrees as you lift extended left leg behind you so that body is parallel to floor from head to left heel, arms hanging down.
• Return to start. Do 15 to 20 reps. Switch sides and repeat. Do 2 to 3 sets.

Hamstring Curl

Targets butt and hamstrings

• Lie faceup on floor, arms by sides, legs extended with heels pressing into a folded towel on floor.
• Slowly pull heels toward butt as you lift hips off floor until knees are bent 90 degrees and body forms a straight line from shoulders to knees.
• Slide legs forward to return to start.
• Do 2 to 3 sets of 15 to 20 reps.

Calf Raise Three Ways

Targets calves

• Stand with balls of feet on bottom step of a staircase, heels hanging over edge, hands on hips.
• Turn toes inward. Lift heels high, then lower them slightly below level of step. Do 15 to 20 reps.
• Next, turn toes out 45 degrees; repeat.
• With toes forward, stand on left leg only, bending right leg behind you; repeat lifts. Do 15 to 20 reps. Switch legs; repeat. Do 2 to 3 sets of series.

Reckless Weekend

I broke my no-alcohol cleanse (technically, it had already ended) last Friday night with two glasses of wine when I arrived home in NYC. Something about my place, the weekend and the man I married makes me pour a lot of wine. I have to remind myself that the goal here is not to become a nun. I don't want to practice deprivation. Discipline, yes. Not that I did much of that this weekend.

Saturday started out OK. I went to Gretchen's babyshower. So happy to be part of girl energy! But I'm out of practice. Hold your tongue and say this in a loud monotone voice, "Wow. You have a job?!" That's how I sounded.

Oddly stressful. I had two Bloody Mary's to help me out, plus I just like Bloody Mary's. I ordered the spinach salad because it was the only vegan option they had. It was great and they even accommodated me with a tasty side of dry wheat toast. Doesn't sound tasty, but it was. Everyone commented that it's the entree they should've gotten, as they wiped maple syrup off their chins.

Shower ended at 1:30. I told David I was on my way back and he suggested I meet him at Doc Watson's. Me and David hanging in a bar on a Saturday is not a good thing. The wine kept pouring and the onion rings kept coming until dinner time.

I was a bit headachy and sluggish on Sunday. David and I ran an errand to our storage locker to throw out some wrecked mattresses courtesy of Hurricane Irene (I've been gone that long!). I caught a cab from there to the airport to travel back to Myrtle Beach. I really want to keep Sunday as my 'fast' day, which is partly why I allowed myself two batches of onion rings on Saturday.

Thing about juicing and travel and coming home to an empty fridge is you really can't do it without some planning and I really wanted hangover food so discipline was especially tough. Instead, I did a soup fast. I found a vegan soup at au bon pan at the airport which was really nice. I had potato leek soup at home that I made just before I left. And I opened a box of Thai sweet potato soup-in-a-box, which sucked. Still, I made it through. We'll see if I can go a little easier on the hooch this coming weekend.

When one thing is off, everything goes.

Traveling this weekend, I also let myself out of my meditation and workouts. I could've gone to yoga yesterday but it was windy and I didn't want to ride my bike. That's four days now. I felt skinny on Saturday morning and by Monday morning I felt fat. And now, after only four days, I don't feel like I'm working a program or striving toward a goal. Good thing to see it now and put in the correction before it gets away from me.

Still Cleansing + Chocolate

The cleanse is over, but I haven't stopped with the exception of a little dark chocolate last night and tonight. I'm so full. Look at my dinner. Hard to feel guilty about this:

I'm off to NYC for a few days for Gretchen's baby shower and to help pack up bed out of storage to move to CT for Tyler. There may be wine in my immediate future, but it will be social wine and I'm a-okay with that, provided I'm not the only one drinking in front of people.