Tricep/Bicep WORKOUT

Ready to get some nice, shapely arms?!  Here is a great workout for your biceps and triceps.  I used to not care too much about tricep or back exercises, but they are necessary to achieve that sculpted looked I'm going for.  

I've got a pretty good bicep coming along- it doesn't look that pumped unless I'm flexing though.  

This workout incorporates "dips" and "pushups" which you can do at home too.

SEATED TRICEP PRESS

Image via Katsized

DIPS (triceps)
I put my feet out farther than pictured below, it's more difficult that way.

Image via Women's Health

PUSHDOWNS (triceps)

Image via Nathalie Holmstroms 

Image via

Don't be intimidated by the machines.  Ask a trainer how to use them if you are unsure.  But, they usually have a modular that shows the body part the machine is intended for (blackened out or colored orange) and an illustrated drawing of how to do the exercise.

Some of the machines come with different attachments and you may need to switch them out to get the one you are looking for. At my gym, extra handles/attachments are kept in a specific spot, but sometimes I have to take one off of one machine and move it to the one I'm working on.  If I can't reach it, I'll just ask someone for help.  Also, I'm careful not to take a weight/attachment that someone is using- just ask first!  

They all "clip" on.  So, for instance, for TRICEP PUSHDOWNS, if you didn't want to do them with a rope (like the guy is doing in the second photo above) you can unclip it and replace it with a straight bar like in the photo of the woman. 

Also, most machines have plates that are weighted 1= 10 pounds, 2=20 pounds, 3=30 pounds, etc.  If you need 15 or 25 or 35 pounds, you can add a 5 pound plate.  Sometimes I have to look around to find a 5 pound plate- but they are usually hanging on the side of a machine.

NARROW PUSHUPS (triceps)

Image via Gorecess

INCLINE DUMBBELL CURLS (biceps)

Image via Bodybuilding.com

Image via EliteFTS

ALTERNATING DUMBBELL CURLS  (biceps)

Image via Women's Fitness UK

BARBELL CURLS "21"  (biceps)
These are my favorite!  Use a barbell and follow the guide below.

Image credit unknown

You can see my SHOULDER & BACK workouts too.

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Operation Get Lean // Week 5 Recap

One more week will be 6 weeks of clean eating and training 5 days a week (heavy weights) and at least 4 days of cardio (20 minutes).  I'm confident that you can make BIG progress and changes to your body and health in that relatively short amount of time.  I have "only" dropped about 3 pound (112 to 109), but I have gained muscle, which is my goal anyway.  I haven't tested my body fat, so I'm not really sure about the number, however, my jeans fit perfectly again so I know I'm making progress (they were getting difficult to button!).  

I post progress pictures on my Instagram (@honeywerehome) and use #honeywerehealthy if you want to follow along.

THE WORKOUTS

5 minute treadmill warmup (speed at 4.0), then go directly to planks.  I really don't do any other abdominal exercises, but my stomach is definitely getting leaner and more toned. 

Monday - Shoulders, 3 planks (2 1/2 min each), Cardio- 20 minute treadmill sprints at 7.5 mph

Tuesday - Off (my son's birthday!)

Wednesday - Back, 2 planks (2 1/2 min each), Cardio- 20 minutes on stair mill at Level 60

Thursday - Biceps/Triceps, 3 planks (3 min, 3 min!!, 2 1/2 min)  Cardio- 20 minute treadmill sprints at 7.5 mph

Friday - Legs, Cardio- 20 minutes on stair mill at Level 60

Saturday - Off 

Sunday - Off

You can see my BACK WORKOUT HERE and my SHOULDER WORKOUT HERE.

THE MEALS

I'm still on THIS MEAL PLAN.  I am not hungry and my energy levels stay constant throughout the day.  I'm not normally very good about eating vegetables, but have had them consistently for the last two weeks.  It feels good knowing I'm fueling my body with whole, non-processed food.

7:00 a.m.  oatmeal, coffee with creamer

9:30 a.m.  protein shake (lately 1 scoop of protein powder with 8 oz 1% milk)

11:00 p.m.  lean protein and veggies

3:00 p.m.  lean protein and veggies or greek yogurt 

6:00 p.m. lean protein and veggies 

8:30-9  egg white omelet or greek yogurt 

I snacked on cashews and celery with natural peanut butter. 

For Greek yogurt, I mix about 1/2 cup of Fage Total 0% with Stonyfield Caramel.  I love the caramel flavor but it's a little sweet on it's own, plus the nutrition on the Fage is great.

I just started eating egg whites and cooked a dozen in the oven at 350 for 30 minutes- perfect!  I'm aiming to eat 4 a day.  

For something new with my veggies, I improvised a "confetti salad" to pair with my protein, but then I found I like to just mix it all together.  The salad is a combination of the following ingredients:

• Tomatoes 
• Cucumber
• Edamame (steamed)
• Corn (steamed)
• Sliced Olives
• Red Onion
• Feta 
• Olive Oil
• Lemon Juice 

I just diced up the tomatoes, cucumber and onion and combined it with steamed edamame and corn (off the cob), added the feta, olive oil and lemon juice.  

I often eat at least one meal per day in the car- usually the 3:00 meal when I'm in the carpool line picking up my son from school, so lumping it all in together works perfectly. 

"Cheat" meals this week included: 

Monday- dark chocolate owl (melted chocolate poured into a mold) and dipped in a tablespoon of natural peanut butter 

Wednesday- tasting menu at a restaurant with my friend (tiny portions though and skipping dessert) with about 2 glasses of wine.

Thursday- a piece of lasagna and angle food cake (I made this meal for new parents to a beautiful baby girl and ate with them at the hospital) and 1 Ghiradehli carmel chocolate. 

Friday- Starbuck's iced tall 2-pump mocha, no whip (2 pumps is one less pump of chocolate than they normally put, I just like it better that way). 

Saturday- mimosa at brunch 

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Sesame, Rice Cereal and Nut Butter Bars (Dairy and Gluten Free with Refined Sugar Free Option)

We are preparing to go on a trip and have a very early morning flight to start off.  I figured I would make some bars that can be taken along to help us start our day.  I like adding sesame seeds as they give calcium and zinc.  The coconut and coconut oil is another favourite as is it a great support on our gut systems.  The rice cereal just adds a nice crunch;) These are quite tasty, I hope we have some left before we go.

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup sesame seeds
• 1/2 cup melted coconut oil
• 1/2 cup nut butter (peanut, almond, cashew etc.)
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 teaspoon gluten free vanilla
• 2 cups rice cereal
• 1/4 cup chia seeds
• 1/3 cup shredded coconut
• 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips (optional)

Directions

1. Grease a 9 x 9 dish and set aside
2. In a small pan lightly toast sesame seeds by heating them and stirring frequently for 3-4 minutes.
3. Combine, oil, nut butter, honey and vanilla.
4. In a large bowl combine sesame seeds, rice cereal, coconut and chia seeds.
5. Pour oil mixture over cereal mixture and stir to fully coat and combine.
6. Pour into prepared dish and set in fridge for a couple hours until firm.
7. Cut into bars and store in a sealed container in the fridge.  They will melt if kept in warm air too long.

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Back Workout

I'm glad to hear you liked the Shoulder Workout post- thank you for letting me know!  Today, I'm sharing the back workout I just did and then I'll add the legs/glutes and back/bicep workouts.  As always, I warm up for about 5 minutes on the treadmill at 4.0, then do three planks (held each one for 2 1/2 minutes this time- which is freaking hard and I'm always shaking at the end). 

I'm listing the weight/reps/sets I do, but obviously adjust according to your ability and goals.  If I was a beginner, I might do 3 sets of 12-15 reps with a light weight.  For years, I did the below exercises at about 30 pounds (and no weight on hyper extensions) but I found that if I tried to go a little heavier each time, my strength grew pretty quickly.  And I take these vitamins and supplements. 

You always want to be careful when lifting weights that you don't injure yourself, so err on the lighter side at first.  Also, it's a good idea to use a spotter. 

So here goes: 

via

I made a blank one for you too so you can print it out and fill in your specific workout.  You can copy and paste it into a Word document and then print it. I added a blank sheet on the shoulder workout post too.  I used to use my laminated workout sheets all the time, now I put it into my phone because they weight is always increasing.

HYPER EXTENSIONS
These are great for your lower back.  You can do this exercise without any weight (just your body bending down and coming back up).  I hold a 25 pound plate at my chest.

Image via 

BARBELL DEAD LIFT
These are also good for your hamstrings.

Image via Fitbie.com

T-BAR ROW

At my gym, I'm too short for this machine (can't really reach the bars) so I use a barbell instead (like the second picture- but with a barbell instead of dumbbells like the model).  Also, I couldn't find this machine at my gym so I asked one of the trainers to show me where it is.  Don't be shy about asking for help!  When we realized I was too short for it, she showed me the alternative exercise.  

Image via Irongasta.com

Image via Build Some Muscle

WIDE GRIP LATERAL PULLDOWN
For years, I did 30 pounds, I guess out of habit/routine, now I'm at 50.

Image via Workout Routines for Home

SEATED CABLE ROW
This is a great exercise too- watch your posture during the exercise.

Image via Total Fitness

STRAIGHT ARM PULLDOWNS
This is one of my favorite exercises right now.  A lot of back exercises also work your biceps and this is one of them.

Image via Gym Heroines

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Shoulder Workout

Some people have asked for a breakdown of my current workouts and I'm happy to share!  I have basically been doing a few of the workouts from the Live Fit program, just lifting heavier than I did last year.  I break out my workouts into legs, shoulders, back, biceps and triceps.

I always warm up with a 5 minute walk on the treadmill at about 4.0, no incline.  Then, I do my 3 planks and onto my weight workout.  On Monday, I lifted shoulders and did the workout below with the weights indicated.  Those weights are heavy for me, I'm struggling to lift the last two, but I can do it without a spotter with good form.  I'm trying to grow my muscle, which is why I'm lifting heavier with lower repetitions or "reps".  The picture below was snapped mid-workout, when my shoulders were getting pumped up.   The 40 pound EZ-curl bar is what I was using for Upright Rows. 

I wanted to include a photo of the exercise in case you aren't familiar with it by name.  I'm not always familiar with the names either, so sometimes when I'm at the gym, I'll just google the exercise on my phone to find out what it is.  I especially like to search for a "video" that way I can see exactly how the exercise is done.  

Arnold Dumbbell Press 

I hold 17.5 pound dumbbells in each hand (as opposed to two weights that total 17.5) 

Image via Bodybuilding.com

SUPERSET- means to go from one exercise to the next without resting.  Then, you rest after you complete the superset.

Superset Front Dumbbell Raise & Side Lateral Raise

I hold 10 pound dumbbells in each hand for these.  

Image Via Lean It Up

Upright Rows

I use a 40 pound barbell instead of a band, as pictured below, but the movement is the same.

Image via Forever Asleep

Alternating Single Arm Dumbbell Press

I hold a 15 pound dumbbell in each hand for this exercise. 

Image via Muscle and Performance

Reverse Fly

I do these on a machine like pictured below.  

Image Via cutandjacked

After my shoulder workout, I did 20 minutes of treadmill sprint intervals at 7.5.

Does this help?  I hope so!  

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AllWhites® Egg Whites for Lean Protein & $100 Visa Gift Card GIVEAWAY

I'm a big fan of AllWhites® egg whites (100% egg whites that come in a carton) and use them in my protein pancakes and meals all the time.  If you came to my house and peeked into my fridge, you'd always see at least one container of AllWhites.  If you follow my blog, you know I'm working on getting lean and gaining muscle, which requires eating about 5 small meals a day, each with about 20 grams of protein.  AllWhites helps me get that protein in!

Each serving of AllWhites has 5 grams of lean protein and 25 calories without fat or cholesterol or shells!  If you are on Weight Watchers, they give AllWhites 0 PointsPlus value per serving (PointsPlus value takes into account the food’s protein, carbohydrates, fat and fiber).  You can use AllWhites in any recipe that calls for eggs.  The convenience of simply pouring the AllWhites into your recipe as opposed to having to crack and separate your eggs yolks from the whites is genius!  

Today, I'm sharing a healthy recipe using AllWhites and GIVING AWAY a $100 Visa gift card to one lucky reader (courtesy of AllWhites)!

Egg Scramble

I call this dish "egg scramble" because I like to simply dump all the ingredients into a hot skillet and "scramble" them around until they are all cooked.  I usually eat this on a weekend for breakfast, or at night for my last meal.  

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• AllWhites® egg whites - about 3/4 cup
• Onion- 1/4 cup chopped or less 
• Turkey ham - 1 slice, chopped
• Cherry tomatoes- 5 or as many as you like
• Spinach- large handful
• Low fat cheese- 1 slice
• Mushrooms - 1/2 cup (optional)

Directions

Spray cooking spray in a skillet over medium-high heat, add a small chopped slice of turkey ham, bit of diced onion, a few cherry tomatoes, and a bunch of spinach.  After the spinach cooks down a little, and the rest of the ingredients are browned, I add about 3/4 cup of AllWhites (depending on how hungry I am).  I just keep stirring until it's all cooked, then, turn off the heat and add some low fat cheese.  Mushrooms would be good in this too.  

For recipe purposes:

3 tbsp. of AllWhites = Approx. 1 large egg
1/3 cup of AllWhites = Approx. 2 large eggs

3/4 cup of AllWhites = Approx. 4 large eggs

AllWhites are sold in regular grocery stores, right next to the eggs.  The cartons look like the photo below if you aren't familiar.  They last a while in the fridge.

AllWhites Website 

AllWhites Twitter 

AllWhites Facebook 

GIVEAWAY

AllWhites is giving away a $100 Visa gift card to one Honey We're Healthy reader. To enter, leave a comment with your answer to the question:  How do you fuel the way to a healthier you?

Good luck!  

Sweepstakes Rules: 
No duplicate comments.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

1. Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
2. Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: “#SweepstakesEntry”; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
3. Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
4. For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. The notification email will come directly from BlogHer via the sweeps@blogher email address. You will have 72 hours to respond, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available here.
This sweepstakes runs from 3/3/2014-3/31/2014.
Be sure to visit the AllWhites® egg whites brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ posts!

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Operation Get Lean // Week 4 Recap

Last week was pretty busy preparing for my son's 4th birthday party and also not feeling so hot (mildly under the weather), but I'm still seeing progress so that keeps me motivated.   I'm still about the same weight (111 pounds at about 5'1"). I post progress pictures on my Instagram (@honeywerehome) and use #honeywerehealthy if you want to follow along.

THE WORKOUTS

5 minute treadmill warmup (speed at 4.0), then go directly to planks.  I'm getting stronger at planks, I think I started out holding the plank position for 45 seconds, and this week I'm up to 2 minutes, 30 seconds!  Booyah!  They are freaking hard, so I'm proud of my improvement. 

Monday - Legs, 3 planks (1 min, 30 seconds)

Tuesday - Shoulders, 2 planks (2 minutes), 10 minutes cardio (sprints at 7.0)

Wednesday - Back, 3 planks (2 minutes)

Thursday - Biceps, Triceps, 3 planks (2, 2, 2 min 30 sec)

Friday - Off

Saturday - Legs (3 planks, 2 min 30 sec, 2 min 30 sec, 2 min) 20 min cardio (stairmaster - 4 min at 80, 14 min at 60- skipping a step) 

Sunday - off

THE MEALS

I'm still on THIS MEAL PLAN.   

7:00 a.m.  I always eat oatmeal with coffee for breakfast (but I plan to add 3 boiled egg whites this week because I couldn't get into eating sausage first thing in the morning).  

9:30 a.m.  protein shake (lately 1 scoop of protein powder with 8 oz 1% milk)

11:00 p.m.  lean protein and veggies

3:00 p.m.  lean protein and veggies or greek yogurt 

6:00 p.m. lean protein and veggies 

8:30-9  egg white omelet or greek yogurt 

I haven't been eating veggies, so I incorporated them this week.  I wanted to include pics, but only have iPhone photos- sorry for the poor quality!

Extra lean beef with mushrooms - sautéed onion and garlic in a skilled with some low sodium soy sauce, about a tablespoon of ketchup and Worcestershire sauce, mushrooms, cooked the beef (2 pounds) until browned. (This was really tasty but had to eat it with a spoon, will make it "chunkier" next time.) 

Asparagus and broccoli- put in a pot with about an inch of boiling water and put the lid on to steam for a couple minutes. 

Roasted brussel sprouts- cut them in half, add a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar and roast at 400 for about 20 minutes, flipping once.  p.s. warning- these stink up your kitchen.  

Zucchini and squash- add olive oil and roast at 350 for about 10 minutes, flipping once.

Fish (it's vacuum sealed and frozen)- I just added olive oil and old bay and cooked in a skillet on the stovetop over medium high heat until done, flipping once.  

Chicken salad with arugula, butter lettuce, cashews, carrots and clementine.  I buy thin slicked skinless, boneless chicken breast and cook in in the oven at 350 for 15 minutes with a tiny bit of olive oil and Tony Chachere salt-free seasoning. 

My "cheats" this week were:

Friday: a Starbucks iced, tall, 2-pump mocha

Saturday: tastes (couple bites can often satisfy) of appetizers at a restaurant on Saturday night, half of a decadent dessert, and a glass of wine.  I'm the one at a restaurant more interested in the desserts.  

Sunday: One mimosa, piece of pepperoni pizza, and chocolate owl (pic on Instagram).  

And I had sushi (mmmmm!) with my friends and cousin on Wednesday night.  I had tuna and salmon sashimi (no rice) and a tiger eye roll. 

I'm ready to kick ass in Week 5 too!  Hope you have a great week!

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Natural Food Colouring or Dyes That Won't Harm Your Body

This weekend we celebrated our youngest's 4th birthday.  She is a big fan of the Despicable Me movies and in particular the Minions.  Who doesn't love these adorable little yellow guys?  My husband and I had fun decorating the house and coming up with fun activities for the day.  I love and yet always struggle with the idea of the cake.  I want to make something that other children will like but without using the harmful ingredients.  For this year's cake, we decided on my Grain Free Chocolate Cupcakes.  The icing became the next challenge. How to make yellow and blue icing without using harmful food colours/dyes?

Warning!
Food dyes have been linked to everything from bladder cancer, brain tumors, attention deficits, bed wetting, migraines etc. Most artificial food dyes are petroleum based, yes the same stuff used to make fuel for your car.  According to Dr. Mercola, artificial dyes have the same effect on your child as lead. Yikes!  Why is this stuff even aloud.
I took the girls to the dentist a few weeks ago and was completely appalled that they handed the girls toothpaste and a mouthwash filled with blue dyes and not to mention fake sugars. Yuck! Sure, according to the food industry, there is so little added to your favourite pastas, chips, drinks, pickles etc. there isn't enough to cause an effect.  That doesn't work for me.  A little is still too much. Thankfully there are a few other countries who have already banned unnatural food dyes.

At home we try to completely avoid artificial food colouring.  We have managed to make birthday cakes by using natural foods to make our coloured icing. Here are a few ways we have created coloured frostings/icing.

Yellow
-Turmeric spice works awesome.  A little goes a long way so start slowly.  If you add too much you make alter the taste.  I love this spice but not in my dessert.

Purple
-Strained blue berries work wonderfully

Blue
-Strained blueberry juice with a pink of baking soda.  It will cause a chemical reaction and make a blue

Green
-I have not yet tried this one but apparently juiced spinach works really well and doesn't not give a spinach taste

Pink
-Juiced or boiled beets, a little juice goes a long way and not it doesn't taste like beets.
-Strained raspberries or berry jam also make beautiful pink colours

If you are not up for making your own colours I have heard good things about this natural food colouring India Tree Natural Food Colouring.


Here are a few pictures of the rest of our party, I figured my family may want to see these.

Happy Birthday Beautiful!

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