This Week in Workouts: Goal!!!!

This week has been both an incredibly accomplishing week, and, at the same time, a pretty slow week for workouts. First off, Wednesday was, hands down, the most traffic P+K has ever gotten! It was great; every hour was nearly twice as many views than we usually get in one day, and it never seemed to end. I have no idea why Wednesday was so incredible, but it was awesome.

This week has also been pretty great on the yoga front. I completed two hot power flows with my new favorite yoga instructor, Angela Mynatt, at Body Heat Yoga. She is awesome. These were great and my arms are soooo sore. But, the handstand now has a check-mark next to it and so does this pose. Awesome. And sore. So sore.

Oh, and I also found this show by Tara Stiles. It is so fun and I must try her vegan mac and cheese recipe. Like right now.

Today we are also going to see the Ski-a-rees here in Sarasota with my Dad and step-mom and grabbing some lunch before-hand. The weather has been perfect and I have been wanting to see these awesome performers since I learned they were here (and have been for like 30-years). Tonight will also be the return of Once Upon and Time and I am soo excited!!! Anyone else on team Hook? I totally am. But now, to the workouts! And some lazy kittehs....

Workouts

Sunday: Rest day :)

Monday: 2-mile interval workout followed by a 10-minute Ballet Yoga fusion arm workout that I will be adding soon!

Tuesday: Hot Power Flow that was perfect! Also mastered this pose that day :D

Wednesday: Rest day :)

Thursday: This 30-minute advanced yoga flow that was a great home flow for those wanting to push themselves.

Friday: A quick 10-minute Ballet Yoga fusion for arms and this Ballet Workout for The Bum. That night we also went to the book launch party of our friend's new book Epic of Haven: The Great Darkening. It is an epic book and I am just so happy that we have been able to be a part of it!! Also, you can download it here for freeee! But also buy the hardcover, it is worth it.

Saturday: 90-minute hot power flow that was the best thing ever. I then went home, ate lunch, and took a nap. Yea, Saturday was pretty great!

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4 Health and Fitness Books I Will be Reading

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There are plenty of health and fitness books out there, some great, some not-so-much. So far, I have pretty much lucked out on reading the good ones and steering clear of the crazies. In the past few months this has mainly occurred through only reading fictional books about love during the Regency era and a few in our post-apocalyptic future. To get back on track and feel less like a time-waster reading books that I love but are not increasing my knowledge base much,  have decided to read some very highly reviewed and very much anticipated books from the health and fitness world. Which ones, you ask? Great question! Let's get into four that have caught my eye and I cannot wait to read! 

The Big Picture by Tony Horton

We all know and love him from his insane P90X workouts, one of which I will be doing today! But, did you know that he is also an inspirational author? True! The Big Picture is Horton's first book that is no fitness related, but does still talk on health.

I have heard tons of fantastic things about this book and cannot wait to read it for myself. Horton talks all about how to achieve life goals and set a purpose for your life in 11-steps that will also help you attain optimal health. I have heard that this is a really great outline for things we may already know to do, but have not started for whatever reason.

If you are interested in Tony's other book, Bring It!, you can find it here.

Yoga Anatomy 2nd Edition by Leslie Kaminoff and Amy Matthews

This may not be for everyone, but I have been seriously wondering about how to really make sure all the right muscle groups are feeling what they should be feeling during each pose. It is so ridiculously easy to be just a little bit off in a pose and think we are doing it right. Goodness, I am guilty of this so often. This book even goes into the psychology of flows and breathing. 

Leslie Kaminoff, is pretty well known in both the yoga community and health and fitness world. He is a world renown yoga instructor who, if you ever read Yoga Journal, you have probably already learned something from. The book is separated into pose types such as sitting, standing, and inversions. Oh boy, I cannot wait to get my hands on this goodie!

Note: I say, "get my hands on" because I have read many kindle reviewers complain that the picture size is too small. Paperback seems to be the way to go for this guy.

Also, these cards may be a bit better for those who feel a book of yoga anatomy is a bit intense. Besides, they look super fun :)

Eat to Run: My Unlikely Journey to Ultramarathon Greatness by Scott Jurek

I first hear about this book at least a year ago when Scott Jurek was being interviewed on a popular running blog. Although I do not remember which running blog it was, I do remember being enthralled by his story. He is an ultramarathoner, a record breaker, an extreme high performance athlete, and a vegan. If that last one surprised you like it did me, get ready for what I think will be a mind blowing reading experience. A high performance athlete who does not eat meat or any animal by-product- whhhaaatt?!

Jurek also adds in some inspiration to help us overcome the mental barriers as well as the physical. It has surprised me how many people talk about this book in relation to philosophy as much as fitness. It also surprises me that I have not read it yet. Let's just stop the embarrassment and read it now, ok?

The Body Book by Cameron Diaz

I recently hear Cameron Diaz talking about her new book on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and though, "yep, that is something I want to read." To be completely honest, I have always though of Cameron Diaz as a super fit and fantastic looking girl, but never really considered her to know a whole ton about nutrition. Seems like that thought would be wrong and her book would be crazy interesting to anyone who enjoys knowing the interactions of chemicals on a cellular level. Yes, yes that interests me a lot.

This book looks great for learning easy recipes and quick tips, but it also seems to be full of health information we all have wondered at some point bet never known the answer to. I also very much enjoy what Cameron said about healthy people not dieting and that those who are the most healthy eat a lot; they just eat a lot of really great things. Nothing speaks to this food-loving girl more than throwing those constrictive diets to the wind and deciding to eat lots of yummy, healthy things!

Matcha, The Benefits, and How to Use It

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Matcha green tee powder is getting a lot of buzz in the health and fitness world right now. This powder, as it's name implies, is a ground green tea powder from a special green tea growth and harvest process. Because of this special process both before and after the tea is harvested, matcha has extremely high levels of chlorophyll and amino acids. In fact, matcha green tea has over 20 times more amino acids than it's super food counterparts such as blueberries, pomegranates, spinach, dark chocolate or orange juice. And, as much as 127 times the antioxidants of green tea. This greater antioxidant level is mainly because you are ingesting the entire green tea leaf rather than the steeped form found in green tea.

5 Benefits of Matcha

• Reduces the Risks of Cancer: This high concentration of antioxidants, specifically the antioxidant EGCG, has health benefits that go beyond your usual pot of green tea. EGCG is considered an anti-carcinogen that may help reduce our risks of cancer.
• Anti-Anxiety: Matcha is also high in the amino acid L-theanine that is required for healthy brain function. L-theanine is known to help reduce anxiety in the brain by increasing alpha wave activity. Researchers have found this to help calm the mind and bring mental clarity.
• Detoxifies the Body: Matcha is high in chlorophyll. Chlorophyll increases oxygen levels and binds with toxins to help remove them from the body. It has also been found to reduce the risk of cancer and the effects of radiation.
• Anti-Aging: Like anything with extremely high levels of antioxidants, matcha helps reduce aging by fighting free radicals. Free radicals are one of the main causes of aging and high levels of antioxidants reduce them in our body.
• Helps with Weight Loss: Green tea helps increase thermogenesis, thus helping us burn more calories. A recent study has also shown that drinking matcha before a workout could burn up to 25% more fat while exercising.

How to Use It

Matcha powder can be purchased at almost any health food store, or ordered through Amazon Prime. Since I am on the steady road to becoming a hermit, Amazon Prime is my prefered method. Once you get your matcha, you can use it in quite a few ways and may be eating it already without knowing it. Although matcha was created in China, it is now commonly used in Japanese cuisine for soba noodles, green tea ice cream, and mochi. Here are a few other ways I will be using it this month.

Teas

Of course, you can make matcha into a green tea. For this, just boil some water and add it to a cup with one tablespoon of matcha green tea. Wisk, and add any other flavorings you wish. Here is a great matcha and ginger tea recipe!

Smoothies

Matcha can be added to any smoothie for an extra bit of antioxidants, amino acids, and protein. Here are five great smoothie recipes that uses matcha, along with some of delicious things!

Baked Goods

Matcha can be added to, what seems like, any baked good there is. Pancakes, yes. tiramisu, you got it. But what is really interesting me is this rice krispie matcha recipe. Yes, please!

Snapguide, Contests, and Tea

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Snapguide has recently released a new maker contest in affiliation with DAVIDsTEA. If you do not know, Snapguide is a user submitted app and website where we can create and look at guides on cooking, DIY projects, workouts (cough, cough, I'm here), and a bit more as well. DAVIDsTEAS is also a pretty fantastic site for all your tea loving needs. This has actually worked out quite splendidly for me since I am currently trying to kick the coffee and add more tea to my life.

Contest winners can win anything from $850 to $250 worth of DAVIDsTEAS products. Best part, there are going to be six winners in this contest! If you are feeling extra creative and super tea loving, enter here. All you need to do is create a guide that uses tea in a not-so-traditional way by March 19th, just in time for my birthday!

Check out How to Make Matcha Facial Mask for Sensitive Skin! by Ruth O. on Snapguide.

Check out How to Cook Whiskey Infused Pu'er Poached Pears by Karen Hoefener on Snapguide.

Although I am not quite sure what my addition will be just yet, I am loving some of the other entries. These are a few of my hands down favorites that I cannot wait to make. Really, who thought of making a green tea whiskey infused poached pear? Kuddos to anyone who has considered that before, it sounds incredible and I want to eat it now.

Check out How to Make Tea Encrusted Scallops by Lisa Marie Ritchat on Snapguide.

Check out How to Make Chocolate Chocolate Rocket Chia Seed Pudding by Sherrie Gao on Snapguide.