I got up at 4:30 today to go and work out…and although it was not difficult to do that at the time, it caught up with me later in the afternoon.The upside to getting up that early is that my workout was done and I had been to the grocery store by 7:15. I decided to make kale chips….my favorite ones, pizza kale chips. I also made more meatballs to use up my the rest of the liver puree.

I’ve made these before, and also for a health fair, and I swear there was not one single person who did not like them (although there were a couple people who wouldn’t even try them based on their appearance).

Here’s my recipe.

So…they aren’t pretty, but they’re awesome!

News/Notes: I’m busy, so I’ve got nothing interesting going on! I taught yoga last night to employees at a local winery, I’ve met with several clients this week, and I had a business meeting about a new project. Oh, and I updated my website.

I’m so sore from my Tuesday workout (mostly legs) and now from today’s workout (boxing). Boxing is so much fun—I love punching stuff, although I had a hard time not laughing based on my lack of coordination. So….I’m going to do it more and get better at it.

I am meeting Katelyn at hot yoga tomorrow morning in Pittsford, and then I am back on track with work. After I go in my sauna. Matthew’s coming over after his lacrosse tournament on Saturday, so I’m sure we’ll be on the go till he leaves on Sunday.

Have you made kale chips? Favorite flavor?

Have you ever boxed? Hot yoga? 

What’s in store for the weekend?

As a part of my quest to feed my mitochondria, I committed to adding beef liver to my diet. It definitely took me a while to make this happen, but I had ordered some from Tropical Traditions a few months ago and left it in my freezer for a day when I figured out what to do with it.

It’s important to buy good quality organic grass fed beef liver because although liver doesn’t store toxins, it does hang onto hormones and antibiotics (from factory farmed cattle).

Why liver?

Compared to apples and broccoli, beef liver is significantly higher in:

• Vitamin A (different forms to0)
• Vitamin B1
• Vitamin B2
• Vitamin B6
• Folate
• Niacin
• Pantothenic acid

• Vitamin C
• Magnesium (only slightly)

Of course, many sources warn that liver is high in cholesterol, but the funny thing is that our bodies produce significantly more cholesterol than what we ingest from food—generally, high cholesterol comes from the body not eliminating it effectively (to simplify: if you don’t eat enough healthy foods and fiber, cholesterol is not carried out of the body, and it recirculates in the blood).

That said, check with your doctor or a health professional who knows you and your health before you add something weird like liver to your diet (and pick a functional medicine doctor if you want someone who knows about food in relation to health!).

If you want the benefits of liver, about 4oz a week is sufficient. Let me tell you…this is a lot of liver. Liver smells funny. It’s a weird texture, and it tastes pretty yucky by itself. My Mom experimented recently with liver and onions, and not only was it gross, but the house smelled like liver for days. Blech.

I read somewhere that you could grate liver and add it to things like meatloaf and meatballs. I thought I’d try that…but I couldn’t find the grater attachment to my food processor, and I tried the hand grater but it didn’t work. So I threw the whole pound of liver in the food processor (it was semi-frozen)…and it ended up being pureed. I did not gag, but the texture was really awful.

This is what I made:

Meatballs {with beef liver puree}

1lb ground beef (grass fed organic, please)
1/4 cup pureed grassfed organic beef liver
1-2 tsp pizza seasoning
a few dashes of sea salt
a fea dashes of black pepper

Make meatballs! I sauted them in butter (Kerrygold is my brand of choice) and then baked them to finish cooking them through.

I ate two—and they were really awesome! Of course, I’ll have to eat a pound of meatballs to get that 1/4 cup of beef liver (which is definitely not even close to 4oz), but I have to start somewhere, and I figure it’s ok to take a few days to do it!

I know, they're ugly...but they're meatballs, so that's just a given. Besides, the lighting here is ridiculously bad in the evening. Take my word for it---they taste good

I'm just posting this for emphasis---because I wish I was still near the beach! I'll never criticize a pic for being too sunny!

News/Notes:

It’s a heavy work week—I have much to do, and enough time in which to do it. What a great thing!

I plan to work out several times, do yoga, and spend time in my sauna. We’ll see how all that plays out.

Have you ever tried beef liver or other organ meats? Would you?

I had a really busy weekend, and just have a couple things to share with you. I worked out several times, and am currently icing my achilles. I don’t know, maybe I jumped over/on too many tractor tires with my trainer this morning, but he didn’t seem to think so!

On Friday night, I met the other Lisa B at Microclimate (a wine bar) in Geneva. It just opened last week, and we wanted to see what it was all about. It was trendy and city-like on the inside, and we tasted a flight called “Other Whites.” And then we may have had another glass. It was fun! If you’re near Geneva….check it out! They had bread there, but are apparently working on having other things like cheese plates.

My Mom and Fred had a yard sale on Saturday morning, so after the gym, I ran home and pulled out some junk to sell…as I was bringing it across the street, a woman was practically buying it out of my hands and kept asking me what else I had. So I walked through my apartment to see if there was anything else I was sick of…

I may have sold my dining room table and a lamp (I’m sitting in the dark right now). Maybe I got carried away, but whatever…it’s time for new stuff!

I re-fueled with my favorite new protein shake.

I try to drink a protein shake 30 minutes after my workout. Generally, I use a high quality whey protein (Jay Robb), but I ran out and have egg white protein that I accidentally ordered. I have also been using goat milk protein powder–the benefit is that it has whey and casein proteins in it, so it not only preserves muscle and prevents it from being broken down, but it also promotes muscle building. I’ll be honest, it tastes a little like goat milk…but that’s why I came up with the combo shake.

Chocolate Vanilla Post-Workout Shake

Blend:

8oz water
6 ice cubes
1 scoop vanilla egg white or whey protein powder (Jay Robb is my fave)
1 scoop Mt Capra chocolate goat milk protein powder

I had my mom taste it, and she was impressed—she said it tasted like a milkshake (but if you’re into McD’s shakes or something, you probably won’t feel that way!).

Last, I made a batch of coconut flour flatbread about 30 minutes after that for fancy grilled cheese (to replace the carbs I used in my workout).

Goat cheese, avocado, and spinach....plus some Frontier Pizza Seasoning (my magic ingredient in...everything)

I had a business meeting this morning, and I even cleaned up some of my office…um, because I also sold a bookcase in the yard sale and dumped everything on the floor.

Since it was Mother’s Day…I spent time with my Mom. But that’s not really any different than any other day, I just know that Mother’s Day is mostly sad for her nowadays. Since she lives across the street, we have easy access for quick walks (or long ones), coffee dates, and porch-sitting… and so we just did a little of all of those today.

Do you drink protein shakes? Any favorites?

Yard sales or no (buy and/or sell)? 

Did you celebrate mother’s day?

I mentioned it before, but I really didn’t eat anything out of the ordinary while I was in Cali. I was really impressed by the healthy choices that were available…everywhere. I didn’t, however, stick to the Feed My Mitochondria plan (I mean, I could have had some seaweed but I’m not so sure it would have been easy to access liver–besides, I didn’t want to look totally crazy!).

Since I’ve been back, I’ve been eating things like eggs and coconut flour flatbread grilled cheese, and I’m just waiting for my most recent shipment of avocados to get ripe!

Egg, spinach, goat cheese, and pizza seasoning...

Coconut flour flatbread grilled cheese with spinach

Peanut Butter Mousse

I know I’ve made peanut butter mousse before, but I didn’t go back and look at how I did it. I just made a new version.

Peanut Butter Mousse

8oz coconut cream (refrigerated)
4 Tbsp natural peanut butter
1/2 tsp vanilla stevia (start with 1/4 tsp and add more if needed)

With a hand mixer, blend all of those things together. The mousse is great just like this. Or if you want to use the mousse as frosting, you can melt 2 Tbsp coconut oil and drizzle it in as you mix the mousse on high speed (this will make it more firm once refrigerated). Make sure to melt the coconut oil and drizzle it in slowly, or it will solidify and you’ll have chunks!

For the next week, I’m focusing on work, working out, catching up on sleep, and seeing some friends. My plan is to follow a combination of the Mitochondria Diet and Dr. Hyman’s Ultrasimple Diet. Don’t be mistaken—these aren’t really “diets” in a restriction sense (especially for me—I already eat like this), they’re just plans for adding value and taking out junk. I just need to focus more on portion sizes, eating meals instead of snacking all day, and getting enough veggies during the day. Oh, and not just eating peanut butter straight out of the jar when I need a snack or feel stressed out.

Did you focus on Feeding Your Mitochondria when I posted about it before? If so, how did it go? 

Will you join me again? I’ll post some of my ideas for how to fit everything in!

I’m almost at a loss for something to post today. I’m trying to get back into the swing of things (and am almost caught up now). I went to work out with my new trainer today—it was hard, but satisfying.

He had me do:

jump rope

box step-ups (with knee up)

beat the tractor tire with a baseball bat

push-ups (all the way down, 3/4 way up)

medicine ball arm exercises

agility drills

It’s all stuff I could do on my own, but I definitely work harder when he’s pushing me! It reminds me, too, that I love working out with someone else (even though my trainer doesn’t work out with me). There’s just something about being “in it together” that is motivating to me.

I also did my corporate wellness coaching today, and for some reason I ended up talking to about 10 people more than I usually do in one day. It was great to have check-ins with so many people (40!).

Two people thanked me for all the help I’ve given them, and they told me how much of an impact my assistance has had on them. It made me feel really good. Of course, I was probably a little awkward accepting the praise, but I just thanked them and reinforced that although I assisted, they have done all the work!

It made me start to think about how often we thank people for things that matter. Of course it’s polite to tack a “thank you” onto many sentences. But, it can be very meaningful to let someone know how and why you appreciate them. We all get boosted by feeling that we make a difference in someone’s life (and personally, it reinforces my motivation to keep doing what I’m doing).

I want to make a point of telling people thank you for things they’ve done for me that have impacted my life. So I must go and make my list!

Hopefully tomorrow I’ll be back on top of things and post something useful!

I’m excited to try out a new wine bar in Geneva with the other Lisa B tomorrow, and I also have some not so exciting plans to catch up on work and clean my house!

Do you tell people thank you when they’ve had a positive impact on your life?

Has someone thanked you for something meaningful in their lives?

I’m on my way back to NY, so the weekend of fun in Cali has come to an end! I’m trying to talk myself into grading final exams for three classes and doing discussion posts in two others. I should do it—I’m captive on this plane for a few more hours!

It’s always an interesting thing for me to travel and stay with people—I have to work really hard at making sure I get what I need while I’m there. I don’t like to inconvenience anyone, and I’m pretty bad at sticking up for myself. I am doing better though, and really, I was staying with my cousin, so if I can’t be demanding around her there’s just no hope!

I did not really go outside of my “normal” eating at all while I was in Cali—I did have a chocolate milkshake at Planet Raw, but honestly, I only ordered it because the lady recommended it. It was sweetened with honey, which is not something I eat (ever), but I just went with it (and lightning did not strike!). I also had one bite of chocolate at one point, and decided it was not worth it. Yuck (I like the crazy dark stuff).

For the first day and a half, I didn’t exercise, beyond some walking around. My cousin was super sore from a boot camp class she took on Friday evening, so we were walking pretty slowly!

On Monday and today, I walked for two hours (each day) on the beach. I made sure to go in the really deep soft sand, so I’d get an extra leg workout. Then last night, I went with a friend of Kristen’s to “do the stairs.” Have you heard of the Santa Monica stairs? It’s pretty interesting—just two sets of stairs in the middle of a neighborhood, and people run and walk up and down them. That workout is No Joke.

We rode bikes to the stairs, and then did 5 sets down and up, with push-ups (sets of 20) in between each one. It was so inspiring for me to be there, and even anywhere in Santa Monica, because there are so many active people! At all times of day, people are outside being active. The stairs were pretty busy (we were there at after-work time), and it was all types of people. I’ve heard that some famous people go there, but we only brushed elbows with other common folk. one girl had a dog with her, which seemed pretty dangerous, and a couple people were talking on cell phones. Everyone else just seemed to be in their zone. I think if I lived there, I’d have to do it everyday. Or at least a few times a week!

(Source)

I think I’ll start using the stepmill again when I get home…I know I’ll go back to Santa Monica, and I will definitely be returning to the stairs to see if I can do it better.

Check out my guest post over at Lisa and Maria’s blog!

Ok, I suppose I’ll do some work. I can get used to this traveling thing…my next trip is to Marco Island on June 6th!

Do you ever run stairs or use anything on the landscape to work out?

Have you run the Santa Monica stairs?

When’s your next vacation?

Every time I’ve visited my relatives in California, I leave planning to figure out my life so I can move here. I considered going to college out here too, but somehow my plan has never happened. Now, although I can easily be re-swept away by “the feeling” (as my mom and I call it when you step out of the airport into a place that’s warm and has palm trees), I can say I’m probably not moving here anytime soon.

It’s a shame, because the people here are so darn nice and happy. I can see why—I mean, look at the view from my cousin’s apartment!

We definitely have had our share of fun over the past few days. There was only one situation that was not ideal for me with food–late night drinks at a place that couldn’t serve any food (we tried to order a cheese plate) except desserts. I just drank water, and it was no big deal.

I’ve noticed a few things—people here care about what they look like, and I don’t mean just clothes. There seems to be a culture of desiring to be fit, and healthy food has been a topic several times with people I’ve met (once they find out what I do). The sun shines, and people just seem happier—there must be a connection!

We spent yesterday shopping and getting mani/pedis. Kristen needed to buy some things for her apartment so I was more than happy to help her splurge on new dishes and a lamp in anthropologie. I bought a few things at Hardtail (love love love that store!!!), and a pair of pants at Armani Exchange.

We spent the evening chatting till really late, and I was still able to get up and be at Starbucks to work at 6am! Kristen had to work today, so I walked on the beach (in the soft sand so I could get an extra leg workout), and then I went to the Flor store (where I verified which rug patterns I want and got a quote), and then went to Planet Raw for lunch.

I have more pics, but I’m posting this from my phone, so I’m not sure how to insert them in the middle–it just keeps tacking them onto the end. I’m sure you don’t mind.

I’ll be heading home tomorrow. I hope the sun is starting to make more regular appearances in NY now–I know we all have responsibility to make ourselves happy, but it sure does seem like the sun helps people’s moods! I know the connections between vitamin D and mood and all that, but it seems like there’s something more too!

One last thing. I love going on vacations and trips, and the last two have been especially good—it’s great to visit someone who can show you around, and give you a more “lifestyle” experience to the area rather than just the touristy experience.

I’ve also cemented that I need to move near the beach!

Where was the last place you traveled to?

Do you like the beach?

Do you live in the place that is ideal for you? If not, why not?

Happy Saturday! I hope your weekend is going well so far—I know mine will be (I mean, it already is, considering my flights have been on time and I’m currently typing this from somewhere between Atlanta and LA). Kristen (my cousin that I’m visiting) is moving into her new apartment today…at the beach, with a view of the ocean and the Santa Monica Pier. She has lived in Santa Monica for a few years, but after spending the winter in Vancouver while they shot the second season of The Killing, she decided to upgrade and move couple blocks west.

She’s already informed me that we’ll be having margaritas on the Pier to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. Honestly, I’ll have one (and leave the sugar intake to that—I’m more of a grey goose and club soda person these days. It’s predictable, un-hangover-ish, and although I’m toxifying myself with alcohol by drinking it, I’m leaving out the sugar…). Full disclosure: I think I’ve had two glasses of wine in the past 30 days. No wait, I had a few while I was Charleston a couple weeks ago—Jena and I walked the beach at sunset and drank wine out of plastic cups. #classy

I’m working on a project while up here in the air–a new webinar series that will become available to you soon (we’re shooting for June). Laury and I are putting together a free course that will include a couple topics that we think are really important—how your endocrine system is affected by stress, sugar, and toxins…and how that impacts your metabolism. It’s sort of complicated, but it is the topic of my life and work lately—next time you see me, let’s chat about it (but only if you have all day…). It’s a big web of connections between lifestyle, environmental exposure, and your health/metabolism/weight. Laury’s pretty busy today with her little one’s first birthday celebration (she’s making my pb cups for the party!). But we’re working on our videos and presentations throughout this month, and we’ll both keep you posted as things progress!

I’m also working a new business venture with a friend (former corporate client) that is going to be more focused on fitness. We’re going to do a lot of face-to-face work for this adventure, but will also be creating an online presence—I just registered the domain name, and also registered logins for twitter, facebook, and pinterest… Look for more details on this during the summer and fall! It’s going to be several months till we get started for real, but we’re working on the process now.

My third project is with my dear friend Jena (said like: Gina). We’re working on recipe testing all summer and putting together resources, so we can self-publish a recipe and resource book on the topic of feeding children. So far it’s going really great! I’ve posted a couple of my experiments here, and Jena is in full swing down in SC too. In June, we’re going to have a two-day meeting in the car together—I’m driving to SC and then driving with her and two daughters back to NY (so she doesn’t have to do it alone with the kids–her hubby can’t get as much time off work so he’s going to meet them in NY later). I suppose we should have a section on how to feed your children while traveling!!

So, there you have it. That’s what I’m working on. I hope you’ll come along for the ride, and put up with all of my tweets from various Rochester area Starbucks over the next year. Most of what I need to do is in Rochester (and of course, I’ve recently moved 35 minutes from there). A prediction: we’ll move back to Rochester in a year or so, and then escape south in 4 years or so.

Two last things:

1. I have almost enough things gathered to do a My Favorite Things giveaway (it’s taking a while, I know!).

2. Please consider buying an Every Mother Counts cd the next time you’re in Starbucks. Christy Turlington Burns teamed with Starbucks to put together an amazing cd to raise money and awareness for the organization, Every Mother Counts. I’ll post pics of the details below. (I’m going to include one in my giveaway). I’m actually listening to the cd right now. What if you bought a cd, and your $8 helped to fund services, supplies, or research that helped even just one woman survive childbirth? What if this initiative had happened 10 years ago, and that money could have contributed to preventing my sister’s death?  I guess I often feel helpless when it comes to the medical system (I’m not a very good participant/recipient of it), and I don’t have a lot of money to donate. But I have to think that donations, much like social change, really do work — many hands make light work, and many small donations make a big difference. Your vote counts, and so does your $8 (the cd costs more than that, but $8 of each purchase is used directly by the EMC organization). If this cause doesn’t resonate with you, then that’s ok too—we should all pick which ones mean the most to us. The important part is picking one, and helping out.

Do you have any new or big projects or plans on the horizon? 

Do you have a specific cause or organization that you like to support?

Are you going to celebrate Cinco de Mayo with a margarita?!

Currently, I’m sitting in Starbucks in Greece (NY), and it’s in the middle of their half priced frappuccino happy hour deal… I’m drinking iced green tea, thankyouverymuch. But I can’t help but wonder if all these people slugging down the frapps are going to then go eat dinner too? Doesn’t a frappuccino have something like a day’s worth of calories in it? If every Starbucks is doing this promotion…how long will it take for the average weight of Americans to go up?

I suppose I’ll keep my mouth shut at the moment, but I’d like to offer a blood pressure check to some of these (probably wonderful) people.

*Steps off soapbox*

I’m going to share a couple random things.

1. A line from Dr. Junger’s Clean book (one of my faves): “Taking a pharmaceutical probiotic while continuing to drink coffee and eat doughnuts is like throwing a Tic Tac at a charging elephant.”

Interpretation: All those dumb products in the store promoting belly health and probiotics in yogurt are not going to help you. They are full of sugar, and you have to change a lot more than just adding a little good bacteria to the junk.

2. A lot of what Americans eat today is not food—it is substances produced with technology, made to look like food. Don’t be fooled—eat whole foods. Invest the money and time, and make your own chicken nuggets, if you must have them. Joel Salatin, who wrote the book Folks, This Ain’t Normal (and also was in the movie Food, Inc.), states (paraphrased) that if you kill a chicken, you will nowhere find parts called “nuggets.” They are not food.

3. Whenever you have a symptom, trace it back at least several steps upstream and find the root cause. If you put bandaids on symptoms with medications, you are not fixing anything, and you’re probably causing other issues.

4. Food, Exercise, and Stress Management are all the Real Medicines. (and this is why I will always have a job)

5. Your wellness should be at least a part-time job. Invest now, or pay later in low quality of life and healthcare bills. Of course there are no guarantees, but there’s probability. Hedge your bets and take responsibility!

Ok, that’s all I have for today. I hope your weekend is amazing. I’ll probably post tomorrow from the air, and possibly throughout the weekend too. My cousin is moving tomorrow morning, so I’m not sure what the Internet situation is–I have to work, so I’ll need to scope it out somewhere (I’m thinking juice bars and/or Planet Raw with a goji maca cocktail)

I’m so glad I set this three-day challenge for myself. It’s so easy on my brain—generally when I set challenges, they’re complicated or they take a lot of thought and very specific effort (like schedules of what to eat when, etc.). This simple plan to nourish my mitochondria is specific regarding amounts of certain foods per day, and for some reason it’s just easier for me to implement it (and stick to it, and not use willpower—which, by the way, I am NOT a fan of using).

Yesterday, I ate Chicken and veggies for breakfast. I know, it’s weird, but it was already in the fridge and I needed to get to work.

Side note: I occasionally buy the kosher rotisserie chickens at Wegmans in Pittsford (I can’t find them anywhere else)—they are not organic certified, but they have no antibiotics, hormones, etc., and they are free range. I usually eat some of the chicken for one meal (Joe won’t eat it—he doesn’t like chicken), and then I turn the rest of it into chicken salad (usually with just grapeseed vegenaise–because I hate the texture of regular mayo when I scoop it–and pesto). So I had that and some cold asparagus for breakfast. I could do worse, that’s for sure!

I won’t give you a boring play-by-play of my food—let’s just say I ate everything I was supposed to eat on a daily basis, but I haven’t had seaweed or liver  yet (tomorrow, I guess. I have some seaweed I can incorporate into a salad, but I’m still scared of the liver).

At one point, I steamed cauli and put pizza seasoning on it—it smelled great, but tasted so meh. So I added butter and cheese, and then it was fabulous! No pics of that. It sure was ugly—and the lighting here in the evenings is just ridiculously bad.

The high points were two fabulous chopped salads (I use a mezzaluna to chop them–in a glass bowl, then it doesn’t make a mess), and the low point was the plain cauli. Oh, and full disclosure, my breakfast today consisted of coffee and about 3 Tbsp of peanut butter. I know, it’s weird, but it was already in the fridge and I needed to get to work. (ha)

Chopped: 4 cups mixed greens, 5 mushrooms, 1 red pepper, 1 oz goat cheese, 1 cup chicken/pesto salad...with a macadamia oil + pesto dressing (2Tbsp pesto, 1-2 Tbsp mac nut oil). Add everything but the dressing to a glass bowl, chop with a mezzaluna (or chop everything on a board and dump in a bowl). Then add dressing. Awesome! Also, I ate like 4 times this much.

Chopped (the best way to eat salad!): 4 cups mixed greens, 1 cup leftover steamed (cold) cauli, 2 oz cheddar cheese, 5 mushrooms, 3 Tbsp pistachio nuts, 1/4 cup raw sauerkraut, and macadamia/pesto dressing. I was a little worried about this one as I threw things in...but it turned out to be amazing! I love macadamia nut oil, and the pistachios added just a little sweetness (raw, unsalted). I realize it's not pretty---but chopped salads generally aren't!

I worked, did a HIIT workout that I made up with the Ugi Ball and The Equalizer for 30min, and then cleaned the house (mostly. I left the bathroom for Joe–that’s his self-proclaimed chore, and I am so fine with that). I also went on a 6.5 mile walk today.

I like this mitochondria-focus I have going. It feels productive and manageable. On Saturday, however, I’ll be flying to Cali, and all bets are off for a few days. Not really—in Santa Monica, there are tons of healthy restaurants and juice bars and stuff. Kristen and I both have a pact not to repeat what we did for her 30th birthday weekend. Sleep a little. Eat a little. Drink a lot…Repeat…for 36 hours, and then fly home. I feel queasy just thinking about it. But hey, you only turn 30 once (or maybe twice, because I was 31 when we did that!).

Notes on my mitochondria: I know that what I’m doing is feeding them well, and I enjoy having that visualization to encourage me to keep emphasizing the importance of keeping these things in my diet regularly. I also realize that eating this way does much more than feed my mitochondria—there is a lot of fiber, healthy fat, protein, and just loads of micronutrients. Many of the things I stand tall for in life, really.

Notes on my HIIT workouts: I didn’t include the one I did today–I wrote it on scrap paper about 5 minutes before I did it, trying to take into account all the principles I’ve learned about opposing muscles groups, high and low impact, and effective exercise pairing. I think I did a good job—I didn’t budget in any transition time between intervals (I just alternated harder and easier exercises), and I like it that way—then I can’t stop and think about how difficult the workout is! I want to make one point about HIIT—it sounds intense, and it is. But High Intensity Interval Training can still be Low Impact! I have a few HI(LI)IT that I’ve made up–I have them because when I have worked out in apartments and places where I can’t jump around and be loud, I still want the intense workout. So for people with joint issues, the low impact workouts can be great–and you don’t have to feel left out of the HIIT craze (which is not really a craze—research is showing it as the number one way to burn fat).

Random: I was going to get so much done tonight, but I ran over to my Mom’s house (across the street) and it was so nice out that we sat on her porch and drank wine. I do not take one single day of living near my Mom for granted. I know it’s not going to last much longer (a year, maybe?)… so I’m soaking it all up.

 Did you try the Feed Your Mitochondria Plan? How did it go?

How do you kick up your metabolism? 

Do you do HIIT workouts? With or without equipment? My Gymboss interval timer is dead–totally. New batteries didn’t revive it. But I downloaded an app, and now I just have to decide whether that’s sufficient or if I want to spend $20 on another Gymboss. Would you?