The Arm Challenge Completed
Post by Paula Jahn, Co-owner and Dietitian at Nourish Northwest
A little over a month ago, I embarked on a 30 Day Arm Challenge at the suggestion of one of my nutrition clients. I was looking for some structure with my exercise as well as the accountability provided with knowing I had to give a full report in this blog. Since I can only attend Nourish’s group fitness classes sporadically, I needed somewhere to start.
The photos below are of my first day.
And below, after a month of exercises.
Here are some of the things I learned from the 30 Day Arm Challenge:
- Starting a new routine is difficult. I thought of the many clients I have seen as a dietitian for nutrition counseling. I tried to take my own advice; when I got busy or simply forgot to complete the exercises one day, I didn’t let it derail my efforts. Sometimes I would double up the next day, sometimes I would forget again. The bottom line was that on a weekly basis, I was being more active than I had been before. I made a small, but significant change in my overall lifestyle.
- It’s good to have structure. The first few days of the challenge seemed silly. I wondered when it was going to ever feel like a workout. Right around day 10, my 20th tricep dip, 16th push up, and 30th mountain climber gave me that answer. I was so thankful for the structured plan to give me guidance and something to work toward. It felt like checking something off a list.
- I see and feel results. Though this challenge took very little time, it provided enough consistency that I am actually stronger and have more definition in my arms (not to mention stronger abs from the push ups and mountain climbers). I can now do more than 20 push ups in a row…not something I could have said a month ago!
- I want more. Just like good food choices tend to set off a cascade of more good choices, this simple fitness challenge ignited my craving for more physical activity. This is perhaps the best outcome of the challenge. This 30 days was a good reminder to just dive in and start to make steps toward health–one mountain climber at a time!
Recipe: Raw Nectarine Tart
Post by Olivia Martino, Registered Dietitian and Co-Owner, Nourish Northwest
Looking for an easy, impressive, delicious, and healthy dessert that you don’t even have to turn the oven on for? Look no further for this is my new favorite summer dessert recipe. Packed full of protein and low in sugar, this is one”pie” that is dietitian approved even as a breakfast option. It’s also gluten free, vegan and raw, so take this to your next summer gathering and everyone can taste a bite. Enjoy!
Raw Nectarine Tart
Serves: 12
INGREDIENTS
CRUST
- 1 cup dates, pitted
- 1 cups cashews
- 1 cup walnuts
- 1 cup almonds
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 Tbs. lemon zest
- ½ tsp. sea salt
FILLING
- 3 cups fresh nectarines, sliced
- 1 juice of lemon
- drizzle of honey
INSTRUCTIONS
CRUST
- Grind all nuts in food processor until finely chopped. Add all remaining crust ingredients and pulse until combined.
- Gently press the Nut/Date dough into a 10 inch pie or tart pan and up the sides. Press firmly until a crust is formed.
- Chill in the freezer at least 2 hours or refrigerator overnight.
- To make the filling, cut the nectarines in half, remove the pit. Thinly slice the nectarines and arrange in a circular pattern in the crust.
- Sprinkle with fresh squeezed lemon juice and drizzle with honey. Serve immediately or wrap tightly with clear wrap and keep in the refrigerator.
Berries, berries, berries! (And some peaches, too!)
Post by Olivia Martino, Registered Dietitian and Co-Owner, Nourish Northwest
Summer fruit is in full swing and we couldn’t be more excited here in the kitchen of Nourish Northwest. This is a time when the fruit is so sweet and flavorful that you really don’t need to do too much with it besides eat it. If you live in Portland, there’s a good chance that sometime this summer you might venture out to Sauvie Island to do some fruit picking. It’s such a beautiful way to spend the day and to stock up on a bunch of fruit for a great price. The only problem is, berries get moldy pretty quickly due to their high sugar content, so you have to act fast to either freeze them, make them into jam or incorporate them into some tasty dishes. Here are a few of my favorite ways that I used up my abundance of raspberries from a recent trip to the island. Enjoy!
Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup fresh raspberries
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup red-wine vinegar
- 1 small clove garlic, coarsely chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Directions:
- Puree raspberries, oil, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper in a blender until combined.
- Store in an airtight container and serve over any salad. My favorite is mixed greens with avocado and chopped hazelnuts.
Raspberry Glazed Peaches
Ingredients:
- 6 firm, ripe medium peaches, peeled and halved
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1 pint raspberries
- ¼ cup raspberry preserves
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 425°. Butter a large glass or ceramic baking dish. In a bowl, toss the peaches with the butter and sugar. Arrange the peaches in the dish, cut sides down, and bake in the upper third of the oven for 15 minutes, turning once, until just tender.
- Meanwhile, in a saucepan, bring the raspberries, preserves and 2 tablespoons of water to a boil. Strain the glaze into a small bowl.
- Spoon the glaze over the peaches and bake for 15 minutes longer, turning once and basting, until tender. Spoon the juices on top and serve.
Functional Fitness
Post by Olivia Martino, Certified Personal Trainer, Nourish Northwest
Have you heard the phrase functional fitness before and wondered what it meant? Let me explain it this way: You spend hours in the gym working on the weight machines, doing exercises like isolated bicep curls and using the adductor machine in hope of toning your thighs. You are burning calories, maintaining a good lean muscle mass and are feeling fit and healthy. But when you go to pick your child out of the car seat, you throw your back out. You thought you were fit, healthy and in perfect shape, so why did a simple move like this lead to such a horrible injury?
This is where functional fitness comes into play. Traditionally, personal trainers have approached weight training by isolating specific muscle groups. The same thing is accomplished by all of those weight training machines at the gym. They are only allowing you to work one muscle while stabilizing the others. An advantage to this type of training is that it can be safer by preventing injury from instability or poor form. It does allow you to build muscle and burn calories in a protective way. But the major problem is that this doesn’t translate into the outside world and mimic the kind of movements that you do to do on the daily basis.
The primary movements that we do on a daily basis to accomplish everyday tasks are bending, pushing, pulling and rotating. In a move like picking your child out of the car seat, you are using many of these movements almost simultaneously. We use these movement patterns may times throughout the day, when we are lifting a grocery bag off the ground, grabbing something from the cupboard or walking up the stairs.
When we use a combination of these movements, as we often do, our body requires integration of several muscle groups, as well as balance and coordination. Again, a disadvantage of a weight machine is that it does not teach either of these things.
So how do you take your typical exercises and make them more functional? Check out these short videos to find out!
Instead of a seated bicep curl, take it to the wall and perform a squat as you flex your elbows in and out:
Or preform alternating forward lunges as your do your bicep curls:
Instead of working your quads on a leg extension machine, perform a squat with an overhead press:
More functional exercises that work multiple muscle groups:
Perform a diagonal weighted reach to alternating sides with a squat in the middle:
Perform a knee lift with lateral arm raises:
Torso rotation with weight:
If you need more guidance and tips for functional exercises, you can always ask any of our wonderful trainers, here at Nourish Northwest during your weekly classes or feel free to contact me to set up a personal training session at olivia@nourishnorthwest.com.
A Recipe for Summer’s Bounty–Part 2
Post by Paula Jahn, Co-owner and Registered Dietitian at Nourish Northwest
This recipe is a combination of everything good about summer. Last summer, I wrote a recipe post on how to use up all that extra zucchini and summer squash. This time, I decided to focus on a few other quintessential summer vegetables. The main ingredients in this summery salad can be found at the farmers’ market now through the end of summer.
This salad meets the criteria for our Substantial Salads cooking class–It is full of protein, vegetables, seasonal ingredients, and is sturdy enough to make in bulk and eat on all week!
The dressing is just a splash of fresh lemon juice and salt to brighten up the flavors. As always, add another squeeze of lemon juice and a pinch of salt if it gets dull after a few days.
Summer Succotash Salad
Serves 6
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large sweet onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 1/2 cups frozen edamame, thawed
Kernels from 6 ears of corn (about 5 cups)
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled (optional)
1/4 cup basil, sliced in chiffonade
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Preparation:
Heat the olive oil in a medium sauté pan over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and a small pinch of salt and cook, stirring, over medium heat until translucent and tender, about 5 minutes. Lower the heat, add the edamame and corn and stir over medium-low heat for about 1 minute, until tender but still crisp.
Transfer cooked ingredients to a large bowl and toss with the tomatoes and lemon juice. Top with the feta, if using, basil, and black pepper.