Hello and happy Tuesday. I am excited that you liked the side crow video tutorial. They’re fun for me to do and I’m glad they’re actually beneficial to you. I’ll keep doing these pose breakdowns. It won’t be all arm balances and inversions…I will cover some of the more mainstream poses and variations for those as well. So much fun!

I have really been enjoying the variety of topics that I’ve been blogging about lately and it’s been so nice to see all of you receptive to all different types of posts. Thank you for that. With that said, today’s post is going to be a little all over the place so here we go!

FOOD

After a long winter hiatus, I am loving salads again (which I’m sure you’ve noticed). I always try to do green + fruit + nut + cheese + protein and then whatever veggies I’m feeling. This salad is one of my favorite combos with chickpeas and hardboiled egg (protein), glazed pecans (nut), dried cranberries and mandrain oranges (fruit), feta (cheese) and then beets and artichokes for my extra veggies. Balsamic is always my go-to dressing.

I decided that I needed a little variety from chicken breasts so I bought a pork tenderloin at Trader Joe’s yesterday. I can’t even remember the last time I had it…it used to be a pretty regular dinner choice. The pork was marinaded with peppercorns and garlic. I browned it on all sides in the skillet and then finished it in the oven. On the side I served shredded balsamic brussels sprouts and mashed sweet potatoes.

Several of you asked for the brussels sprouts recipe on Instagram. I didn’t really use a recipe but here is how I prepped them. I used a bag of shredded brussels sprouts from Trader Joe’s. I’ve shredded them before on my own by just cutting off stems and removing outer leaves and then chopping the sprouts. I added the shredded brussels sprouts to the pan that I seared the pork tenderloin in so they would have a little seasoning (this isn’t required obviously). I sauteed them in a little olive oil for about 5-8 minutes before adding about 1/2 cup chicken broth and covering them to continue cooking for about 10 minutes. Once they were soft I uncovered them and stirred in some balsamic vinegar and salt to taste. They were so good. I think I ate 3/4 of the bag on my own.

FUN

I got a special treat in the mail last week. Erin from Erin McDermott Jewelry (I have blogged about her fabulousness so many times – read her story here.) offered to send me her Luxe Box. It’s a one-year subscription where she sends you a new piece of jewelry each month. She asked whether I wanted to come to her studio to select my first piece or have her surprise me…I said surprise me!

I was thrilled to open my box and see this beautiful necklace. How perfect will this be for summer outfits? She includes a little inspirational quote with each box. Mine said, “Kiss your life. Accept it. Just as it is. Today. Now. So that those moments of happiness you’re waiting for don’t pass you by.” 

Erin’s jewelry was featured in the May 2013 issue of Real Simple. She is so creative and truly has a gift. Erin custom-made my “Om Nama Shivaya” disc necklace that I am wearing in the photo above and I get asked about it all the time.  And I gave my grandmother an “I love you to the moon” disc necklace for Christmas.

Can’t wait to get my May box! If you have a mom who loves jewelry I think this would be a great gift idea.

RUNNING

Praise god. Running is finally starting to feel good again and I’m 100% certain that’s a direct correlation to getting back on my mat.

I have had quite a few people ask my opinion on a blog post that is circulating titled, “Why Women Shouldn’t Run.” I am not even about to dissect this article piece by piece but let me give you my two cents on it. I would never make a blanket statement like women shouldn’t run. There are some great points in this post but I am not a fan of totally eliminating anything from your life – ever. I am the first to tell any client – male or female – that running and cardio alone is NOT going to change the shape of your body. It pains me to see girls get on the elliptical for an hour every day and then leave the gym and go home. That is not going to change the way you look. If you really want to see results you must add in some strength training and training in different cardio zones. This is where adding in some high intensity intervals can come into play.

Think about your average crowd at a marathon or half-marathon. Some of these runners are “skinny fat.” I know that sounds a little mean but it’s true. Now, think about the body of a distance runner versus a sprinter. Different, right? Sprinters are usually much leaner and much more muscular than marathoners. This is due to the fact that they do more interval training at high intensity levels (because that’s their sport) and they do more strength work to build the explosive power and speed their sport requires.

I’m not telling anyone not to run long distances or not to run at all. I’m just planting the seed that it takes more than running and cardio to see results. A clean diet, strength training and some high intensity work will get you a lot farther than logging millions of hours on the elliptical or miles on the road.

And with that I’m off to workout. I think I’ll throw some 400 meter runs in there! 😉