High Low High 19 + Last Week’s (Meh) Workouts

Hey, hey! Happy Monday, friends!

How was your weekend? Ours was really nice. It was fairly low-key, but we had plenty of fun too. Here’s a recap of our weekend via High Low High, which also includes my less-than-stellar workouts from last week. More on that in a minute. Ok, here we go with High Low High!

HIGH: I did CrossFit Open WOD 17.2 on Friday morning and linked together 15 T2B, which is a PR for me. Woohoo! I could barely do 2-3 linked during last year’s Open, so they’ve come a long way!

LOW: Having 7 minutes left of the 12-minute workout to get, oooooh, zero Bar Muscle-Ups. ZERO!?! It was so disappointing. I got 3 BMUs in last year’s Open, so I figured I’d at least get a few, but it just wasn’t my day. Boo. Although, I’m not super surprised either since I hadn’t done a single one since last’s year Open. I didn’t even practice before 17.2, which was a dumb move for sure. Oh, well… onto 17.3!

HIGH: Sharing a donut with Qman after CrossFit. He picked a “chocolate donut,” and I made the executive decision to get one with sprinkles! #donutfriday

HIGH: Going to bed at 8:45 PM on Friday night. Yeehaw.

HIGH: Feeling totally fine after 17.2 (not crushed like 17.1) and doing a fun workout at Salt Shack the next morning.

HIGH: Getting our grocery shopping done on Saturday, which (usually) helps me make healthier food choices throughout the weekend.

HIGH: Finding Siete grain free tortilla chips at Whole Foods. I had heard such great things about them, so I was really excited to try them. And they definitely lived up to their hype! DELICIOUS!! Mal even said they were one of the best tortilla chips he’s ever tasted, and I absolutely agree.

LOW: Not buying a second bag of Siete chips. We ended up using a mix of Siete and regular tortilla chips for Nacho Night, which turned out fine (hello, nachos), but the Siete ones were so frickin’ good, I wish we had more!

HIGH: Brunch with friends at Trident on Sunday morning!

The food and drinks were soooooo good! Oh my gosh, I love this place so much!!

LOW: Overindulging at brunch and feeling kind of blah about myself afterward. (I honestly don’t think I would have felt this way if I had actually worked out last week!)

HIGH: Deciding to hit the gym for a workout and feeling so much better! Here’s the running + kettlebell workout that I did.

Last Week’s Workouts

Guys, I dunno what happened last week. Well, I do… it was a busy week, my motivation was low, and I had a million excuses for why I couldn’t squeeze in a workout. UGH, I hate when I’m “Excuse Girl.” She’s the worst. But, I guess it happens to the best of us at some point or another, right? And there’s no point in dwelling on the past, so I’m 100% back on track this week!

• SUNDAY: Off
• MONDAY: At-home dumbbell workout
• TUESDAY: Off
• WEDNESDAY: Off, but I met Greg Glassman (CrossFit founder)!
• THURSDAY: Off
• FRIDAY: Open WOD 17.2
• SATURDAY: Salt Shack CrossFit

10 rounds:

10 Cal Row

8 Wall Balls

6 Man Makers #25

Question of the Day

When you fall off the exercise wagon, what ultimately gets you back on track? 

 

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To Boost Your Health, Spice Up Your Life

When we season our foods with spices, we tend to have flavor in mind. But herbs and spices have myriad health benefits. They can help us to cut down on salt and — since they are plant-based — spices may pack an impressive phytonutrient punch, with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory or even anti-cancer potential.

In fact, registered dietitian nutritionist Carrie Dennett recently compared your spice cabinet to “a natural pharmacy in your kitchen.”

So are some herbs and spices more potent than others? Yes, actually.

“Generally the brighter or darker in color, the higher the antioxidant content,” says registered dietitian nutritionist Serena Ball, MS, RD, who writes about food and nutrition at Teaspoon of Spice, as well as for Healthy Eats. “Think turmeric.” 

Ball advises health-minded cooks to keep spices such as cinnamon, cayenne and cumin on hand, as well.

“Several teaspoons of cinnamon a day could help increase insulin sensitivity in people who have diabetes,” she says.

Cayenne is a wonderful source of vitamin A (1 tablespoon provides 44% the recommended daily amount), and may even decrease your appetite and boost your metabolism, Ball says. But, she warns, if the pepper does help you burn calories, the effect is “probably minimal.”

Cumin, meanwhile, is a serious powerhouse: You can get 22% of the daily recommended amount of iron from a single tablespoon of cumin, Ball notes, adding that the spice “also has potential anti-inflammatory effects” and may even help the body battle bacteria, control blood sugar and stave off cancer.

To get the most health bang for your spice buck and preserve the “volatile” compounds in your spices, Ball recommends grinding your own or buying small amounts of pre-ground, jarred spices and using them quickly, since they oxidize rapidly.

She suggests looking for recipes online, and especially experimenting with Indian cuisine, which traditionally include cayenne, turmeric and cumin (a triple spice whammy). But feel free to branch out and add spices to all sorts of dishes, she urges.

“People think they have to follow a recipe. Nope!” Ball says. “You can almost always add more herbs or spices than the recipe-called-for amount to get more of the benefits.”

In other words, why not vary your routine? Spice of life and all …

 

Amy Reiter is a writer and editor based in New York. A regular contributor to The Los Angeles Times, she has also written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, Glamour, Marie Claire, The Daily Beast and Wine Spectator, among others, as well as for Salon, where she was a longtime editor and senior writer. In addition to contributing to Healthy Eats, she blogs for Food Network’s FN Dish.

*This article was written and/or reviewed by an independent registered dietitian nutritionist.

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Weekend Link Love – Edition 442

RESEARCH OF THE WEEK

Your back really could be killing you.

Anti-smoking ads that use nostalgia are more effective than ads that use shame.

For people with the rarest and most severe form of epilepsy, keto might be the best option.

Fasting regenerates the pancreas in diabetic mice.

Pregnant women should avoid licorice.

Lullaby as the first salvo in the great child-parent war.

Your testes didn’t borrow much from the Neanderthals.

Diverse gut microbiomes improve cancer immunotherapy efficacy.

Auditory and visual distractions make runners hit the ground with more force.

Prebiotics improve sleep, especially after stressful periods.

NEW PRIMAL BLUEPRINT PODCASTS

Episode 158: Cindy Lu and Earl Martin: Host Elle Russ chats with the husband and wife duo who founded Malibu Essential Oils and provide the most honest, actionable aromatherapy advice around.

INTERESTING BLOG POSTS

Terry Crews does IF.

If you’re not cleaning your hands with a zebra’s stomach contents and eating baboon colon sashimi, your gut health is garbage.

MEDIA, SCHMEDIA

Consumer demand for organic food rises.

Porn kills.

EVERYTHING ELSE

I made the Greatist’s top 100 most influential people in health and fitness.

Someone’s made a video game based on Thoreau’s Walden.

A new documentary on the psychiatric effects of psilocybin.

“Yeah, but have you ever worked out… on weed?”

Pools have a lot of pee. Hot tubs have even more.

THINGS I’M UP TO AND INTERESTED IN

Deal you shouldn’t miss: Buy a Whole 30 Primal Kitchen kit between now and March 8, noon PST (use coupon code FREERANCH17 at checkout) to get a free bottle of PRIMAL KITCHEN® Ranch.

Public appearance I’m making: If you’re going to ExpoWest next weekend, come by the PRIMAL KITCHEN® booth (H1013) at noon on 3/11 to chat with me and Melissa Hartwig of Whole30® fame.

ICYMI: In case you missed my Facebook Live chat last week, here’s the video.

Image that made me chuckle: This one (yes, plants are still important).

No pressure: New smart condom that tracks your performance.

RECIPE CORNER

• Sometimes you just want some classic chicken salad.
• Pickled carrot soup with bacon is an unconventional three-way marriage between salty, sweet, and acidic.

TIME CAPSULE

One year ago (Mar 5– Mar 11)

• Minimalist Living: Is It Primal? – Do the two lifestyles coalesce?
• Should You Be Getting More B Vitamins? – How to tell if you need more of the essential nutrients.

COMMENT OF THE WEEK

“My favorite birthday was my 70th one. I always thought 70 was old. I was elated to find out that wasn’t even close to being true. At almost 73, I’m still wondering when or if I will ‘get old’. Right now it looks a long way off.”

– Beautiful, Penny.

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Clean Eating Thai Peanut Chicken Recipe

I’ve really been into Thai flavors lately. I go through phases quite often when all I want for an entire week or two is a particular type of food. I’m not sure why, but as long as I keep it clean,… Read more →

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