NEW Challenge #3! Food!

The last 9 days I have been trying a food item each day that begins with the letter of the alphabet.  So day 1 was-A  day 2 was B---and so on. Thanks to my hubby for this challenge!  I think he picked a really good one!  I have enjoyed trying some new foods as well as eating some of my favorite ones to.  So I am going to do 3 posts this challenge all with 9 days worth of food, pictures and nutritional value of the food.
Thanks Dear for picking me this one for me!

Okay now for the food!

Day 1- Avocados

238 calories; 153 calories from fat; 18 g fat; 2 g saturated fat; 0 mg cholesterol; 252 mg sodium; 19 g; carbohydrates; 6 g fiber; 9 g sugars; 4 g protein.

some people think that avocodes are bad for you because of the fat content...but actually they are loaded with the "good" fat.  Your body needs fat...not the saturated or transfat though...avocados are all natural.

  I like avocados in guacomole, but by themselves requires some getting used to! They taste great but the thickness of it kinda made me gag....I would eat them again on salads or sandwhiches.

Day 2- Blueberry Pie

Homemade Blueberry pie from Mike's grandma!  Yeah as far is it being good for you...not so much...but at least your eating a fruit..lol  about 360 calories in a slice..homemade though is probably better for you then box...and it tastes better too.



It was soooo amazingly good...I did though only have one slice...might have to get the recipe though.

Day 3-Couscous and Carrot Cake

CousCous is a better alternative to pasta...it is much healthier for you.  Plus it tastes so good...I made it plan with a little bit of butter and ate the whole bowl...never had it before and now I am looking up recipes with it...Diz had it today and loved it!  About 176 calories per cup. 

MMMMM Carrot Cake...homemade by yours truely...Mike's favorite cake.  Healthy is not what I would use to describe this cake...actually it is one of the most unhealtiest cakes out there...just because it has a veggie in it does not mean it is good for you! 

Day 4- Dirty Rice from Bojangles

166 calories in this cup of Bojangles dirty rice...nice huh?



but it was sooo good!

Day 5- Eggplant

I have never had eggplant before...its scarey looking and smells bad.. but I wanted to try something different so I looked up some recipes and found one that I thought would be very good.  1 cup of eggplant is about 33 calories...but that is if you eat it by itself...not caked with mayo, lemon pepper seasoning and parm. cheese!  But it was soooo damn good!  I will be making this again as a side dish.

I ate it right out of the oven it was hot and tasty

Even Diz got in on the taste testing and he gives it a thumbs up...tnot only has this challenge been fun with all these different foods..but doing it with Diz has been great...he loves food just as much as I do!

Day 6- French Toast

French Toast is the Devil's breakfast...it is sooooooo GROSS....nutrition....dont eat not only does it taste nasty it is covered in powered sugar and syrup.....que picture of grossed out face...



I thought I was going to puke on the table...French Toast is GROSS

Day 7- Grapes

About 100 calories for 1 cup of grapes.  They are so good for you and are a good source of fiber!  In case you need help in the pooping area.

I heart grapes!

Day 8- Honeydew

Honeydew is 64 calories for 1 cup...they are the best summer time snack...get them real cold for a refreshing snack on hot days...super good for you and will crave your sweet tooth!

it was yummy!  I stole it from Diz....he was mad

Day 9- Ice Cream....actually Fried Ice Cream

It's a beauty!!!  For 1 once of fried ice cream there is 77 calories...now you can find ice cream that is healthy...bu this is not one of them....but it was sooo good!

Oh Yeah this makes me happy!!

So that is what I have tried these past 9 days!  Hope you get to try these foods also!

Ill be back in another 9 days!

ENJOY

-AMS

End of another Challenge...Beginning of a new one

Day 29- Sun Salutation Variation 1
Alot of these are repeats but thats good because you know you are hitting different areas will you work out...like I said before this is a great Yoga move that I enjoy doing in the morning!

Day 30- Hover Rotation
This is a great move for my arms...also working out your back and your tummy!! Could not hold it for 10 minutes...burnned to bad! :) 

I hope some of these work-outs work out for you ;)   There were some great ones here that I have already been doing but some that I will be adding to my routines!  Thank you again to Michelle for picking this awesome challenge!!

ENJOY

-AMS

Catch-up Arms

 Next set of works that I have been doing are ones for my arms...I found these work-outs the same place where I found the last ones...fitness.com!

Day 22- Dumbbell Curl
This work out works your biceps...Its a great work-out to build muscle...find the weight that is comfortable for you and then continue to add weight the stronger you get...do this in reps...not in time!

Day 23- The Plank---AGAIN
You know how I feel about this work-out...still hated it when I did it again...works out your arms and tones your belly!!

Day 24- Chair Dips
LOVE LOVE LOVE chair dips...they work out triceps...(bingo-flappers)  This is the one work-out that I do everyday!  You can do this at home or at the gym...it is a great work out to get rid of under arm flab!

Day 25- Balanced Core Strengthener



Again another move where you need good balance...this work out of hard for me at first because well I have no balance! But after awhile I got it down and could finally get a work out from it....I had a chair close by in case I needed to catch my balance..

Day 26- The Cobra

You have seen this work-out in the abs portion...like I said before it works-out your arms as well.. you are getting 2 work-outs in one...I like going from a Cobra to a Child's Poise it gives a great stretch in between!  Holding a Cobra for 10 minutes straight is not very easy!!

Day 27- Pullovers with Dumbbell

yeah this hurts...I have no and I mean NO upper body strenght  when I did this work out my arms started to shake and that is normal...its just that those muscles have not been worked out.  I started at a low weight because I didnt want to drop it on my head....works the triceps and shoulders.



Day 28--Push Up on Ball

LOL--so I did this one today...very entertaining.....i think I feel off the ball more in these 10 minutes then I did a push up.....push ups are great arm work outs...add the ball and you get a 10x better work out...you are not only getting your arms but your shoulders and back as well as your tummy...just try to stay on the ball!

Hope you have enjoyed these!

Ill have the last 3 work outs on the last day!

ENJOY

AMS



Catch-up- Abs

Now on to the Abs work-outs that I did and found online...again I just googled best work-outs for abs and fitness.com came up with another top 10 ab work-outs...these were my favorites!

Day 12- Abdominal Hold
Another ungraceful move for me!  Again did this at home in the dining room.  I looked like and idiot but my abs were hurting afterwords! 

Day 13 The Side Crunch

Hope you are good at balancing!  Not only did I feel this in my abs but my arms also because you have to hold yourself up.  I like these kinds of ab work-outs because I hate doing crunchs and these work-outs get you off the floor.

Day 14- The Hundred

ummmm this was wierd...lol   never seen this before...it is a Pilates move..I tried pilates once...never did it again.  It hurt...but I didn't really like this work-out.



Day 15- Opposite Arm and Leg Raise

I have done these before...many times in Susan's class...(Susan is a trainer and instuctor at the gym that I go to.)  Again it also works out your arms and legs because you are holding this postions for awhile..tighting those muscles.  I just dont like having my butt in the air--lol

Day 16- The Prone Plank
uggghhhh!  The dreaded Plank...I HATE THE PLANK...I have a friend that makes the plank look soooo simple---ITS NOT..it sucks..I have no more to say about this move or about how I couldn't even hold it for a minute! Enjoy that one!  (but it really does work your abs)

Day 17- Squat Thrust with Twist
Another move that made me look like an idiot and where my butt was sticking out.  This one took some time for me to get because I had to get my back right...I have a natural arch and some of the work-outs that I do need to be practiced to get my back right to get the most out of the work-out...I liked this work-out but I would save it for a work-out at the house.

Day 18- The Climb Up



Even though this is a lying down ab work-out...the climb up is better because it takes the strain off your neck.  Its hard but it is one of those work-outs that you can better improve that is why I like it and am adding it to my workout routine!

Day 19- Ballet Twist
I would recommend doing this with a friend...the lady who wrote these work-outs up said to and I had Ayden help me with my feet as suggested  but doing it with an adult would probably be better!  Like in a twist move from Yoga helps tighten the sides of your abs as well as help get rid of toxins...its a great move for your sides!

Day 20- The single leg stretch
Another one of my favs!  You get a great stretch through your legs as well as working your upper abs...be prepared to be sore after this...

Day 21-  The Cobra
Another Yoga poise, another great ab work-out.  Make sure you hold this poise to get the best results...its like a plank where you are tighting your ab muscles but your arms are helping you be more stable.  After holding for awhile you will also feel it in your arms!

All of these ab work-outs with detail instructions can also be found on fitness.com  here is the link:
http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/workout/abs/exercises/top-10-abs-exercises/?page=1

ENJOY!
AMS

Catch-Up--Legs/Thighs

For the past couple of weeks I have been doing various 10 minute excercises each....unfortunately I have not posted them every day....they would have been short little posts so here is all  of them in one big post!!

Day 5--still keeping up with leg/thigh workouts--
The Single Leg Circle
This work out can burn after awhile and I can tell it would give you great results if you continue to do it...I am not very graceful so I looked like an idiot swinging my leg around.  This move isn't very hard but I feel like it would give great results!

Day 6 Lunges with Dumbells
I LOVE THIS WORKOUT!  I do it all the time...it really works your legs and your bum bum...if you are begining use lighter weights and the stronger you get just increase them.  It BURNS...but it WORKS...these are hard and you have to make sure you do the correct form or else you can really hurt your knees

 

Day 7 Top Squat with an overhead reach
This move is like a Tree stance in yoga...it works your balance as well as your legs...great simple move (unless you are uncoordinated)  that gets firm legs.  Yoga is a great workout for toning! After about 2 minutes of doing this my legs were starting to hurt...so it was good to take a break and try it again.

Day 8- Sun Salutation
I was really excited when I seen this on the top 10 work-outs for legs....last semester I had to take a PE class, I decided on Yoga....we had the Sun Salutation drilled into our heads...I think I go do it in my sleep.  This is a great way to start your day and to get a great stretch.  I did not know that it helped your legs...our instructor did not tell us that.  I would do this just to wake me up in the morning!

Day 9- Plie
Its like a squat but your form is different.  It works out your bum bum and the back of your thighs.  This was more of a difficult one for me because my knees are really weak.  I have to always be careful with squats and lunges because I can damage my knees even worse. This one is a hard one!

Day 10- Pick Up Squat
You will need weights for this move...again another squat you cant go wrong...in my opinion squats and lunges are going to be your best way to get firm tight legs and bums.  The weights depends on your own fitness level...but start small if you are new.  Another difficult one for me because my knees again, but the more I do these the easier they are getting!

Day 11- Outter and Inner Thigh Kick Stretch
the title says it all...it works your inner and outter thighs...a great stretch that you can do anywhere! I did it in the kitchen while I was cooking!!



All of these workouts can be found on fitness.com---here is the link to it
http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/workout/thighs/exercises/top-thigh-exercises/?page=1

I plan on keeping some of these moves and incoorporating them into my daily work-outs and the gym...I did most of these at home...so if you dont have a gym memebership these are great to do in your livingroom!!

ENJOY!
AMS