I love my boss…my Gymboss that is! My work boss isn’t so bad, either! [Insert brown nose here.]

The Gymboss I ordered arrived in the mail a few weeks ago and I’ve been using the sucker as a stop watch and as an interval timer ever since. Here’s what I love about my Gymboss:

• It’s pink. But, yes, it does come in other colors, too, like good ole black…

• It’s about the size of a pager and it can clip on your waistband, fasten it to the cover of your fitbook, or just let if hang out on the handlebars of your spinning bike.

• It has several features to help you time your workouts. For example, two days a week I have High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) in my program, so I set my Gymboss for  30 seconds of sprints and 30 second recovery for 15 minutes. At each interval my Gymboss either vibrates or beeps depending how it’s programmed so I know when to work and when to slow it down. The Gymboss is great for those cardio sessions like plyometrics, kettlebell  swings, jump roping, and outdoor sprints so you don’t have to pause to look at your watch, you just wait for the buzz from the Gymboss. I also use this timer as a stop watch on my home spinning bike that doesn’t have all of the electronic gadgets like gym equipment.

I’ll be honest, setting up my interval sessions the first time was a lot like setting the timer on my VCR (ok, DVD Player)…it was challenging. Maybe if I would have had someone else do it for me or read the instructions first, it would have gone a little smoother. But now that I have it set up, I’m good to go on and on like the energizer bunny.

Want to WIN a Gymboss? Enter the drawing by telling us all about what gets you through your heart-pumping workouts in the comments section. This contest will end on Sunday, March 14th and the winner will be announced on Monday.

Now I really must go lace up my shoes and show the gym who’s boss!

Sweating is sexy…in the movies. Sweating is not so sexy when:

• You left your sweat on the bench I was about to use at the gym
• You spent an hour in the steam room and then decided to join us in the gym to workout
• It turns the armpits of your wife-beater t-shirts yellow
• You stink

Solutions? Use a towel to clean up after yourself, then wash said towel and your gym clothes in a product like Tide with Febreze Sport. If you read fitness magazines, you might have noticed advertisements for new fangled Tide. So did I.

So, this weekend when I was fresh out of laundry detergent, I scooped up some of this new Tide. I have to say it smells as it should…good and clean! According to my label it has an Active Fresh Scent. I’ve never smelled Active Fresh Scent before so I’m going to take their word for this one.

Febreze also makes a spray for sprucing up all of the stanky stuff you can’t stuff in the washing machine like gym bags, gym shoes, and equipment. So, if you’ve ever left used gym socks in your gym bag overnight, this stuff just might be for you, smelly. Oh, and did I mention Febreeze Sport is an Official Locker Room Product of the NFL?  I wonder if the Tide sports collection is the Official Locker Room Product of the White Sox? (ba-doom-boom!)

Now I really must go put on my Active Fresh Scented gym clothes and do another load of…deadlifts.

Growing up it was tradition to go to our church soup kitchen on Friday’s during Lent. We’d feast on vegetarian soups and homemade bread, and I would flirt with boys visit with all of my friends.

When my niece Ali and I made this soup together last week, it totally reminded me of these gatherings. And, since the soup is vegetarian, it’s perfect for a healthy, Fitness & Spicy, Lenten meal. Ali found this recipe from Rachel Ray and we went to town, whipping up…

Indian Spiced Chickpea & Fire Roasted Tomato Soup

From the Kitchen of Rachel Ray

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), 2 turns of the pan
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 cans chickpeas, drained
• 1 small onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin, (2/3 palmful)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• Salt and pepper
• 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 can fire roasted tomatoes (28-ounces)
• 1 cup plain yogurt
• Warm pita, any flavor or variety, toasted

I’ve decided to put myself in obedience training this week.

I need to get some of my bad eating habits under control, STAT. I have a tendency to:

• Eat standing up
• Eat exceptionally fast
• Graze mindlessly throughout the day

I started reading The Beck Diet Solution by Judith Beck, Ph.D. over the weekend, a book all about techniques to get your head around sticking to a long-term healthy eating plan. It’s not a diet, in fact, Beck recommends you pick a healthy eating plan and use her techniques to help you stick with your selected program. Fair enough!

So, this week I’m going to put some of Beck’s techniques from the first 3 or 4 chapters into practice. Starting today, I’m going to train myself like I would a dog. Here’s how:

• SIT. I will sit down to eat. No more grabbing a handful of almonds out of the cabinet just because or drinking a protein shake standing by the blender. I have a table, it’s time to start using it every single time I eat. (By the way, this is Bella’s cousin, Charlie, demonstrating the art of sitting for us here.)
• STAY. I will stay focused on what I’m eating and slow the heck down. I have a tendency to multi-task when I eat, too. So I’m going to attempt to be a little less distracted.
• PRAISE. As silly as this sounds, I’m going to congratulate my bad self when I’m successful. A simple “good job” should do the trick. Last week I didn’t eat that extra handful of almonds and you would have thought I had a major breakthrough!

Now I really must go fetch myself a healthy meal and go sit at the table, otherwise I’ll end up in the dog house!

This week marks the end of Sunday School.

That’s right! This is the grand finale. The last episode. The final curtain call. The end.

I’ve decided, with Jodi’s help, that I need the weekends to unplug. Recover. Reboot. And while I love to blog on and on and on, I think Monday through Friday is like the candy…Good & Plenty! I certainly take a day or two off from the gym so why not take a day or two of rest off from writing?

Now I really must go shut off my computer and then make like a Kit Kat bar and split!

I am a big believer in the buddy system. In fact, it’s one of the ways I stay on track in a number of areas of my life from business to healthy-living. Angela, God bless her, wears both hats when it comes to keeping me on track to achieving my goals.

Each Sunday Angela and I email each other our goals for the week and then we talk, Twitter, and email each other throughout the week to make sure we’re staying on track. And, it works. If you don’t have someone like this in your life, FIND ONE. I’d suggest finding someone that has a similar (or better) training style and work ethic that you do, that way you can help one another set and achieve realistic, yet challenging goals.

Week 4 of the BetterU program focuses on the importance of creating social support…the two legged or the four legged kind. In fact, in our lesson this week they reminded us that:

Research shows that dog owners who walk their dogs are more active and have a lower Body Mass Index (healthy weight for height) than people who don’t own or walk their dogs.

I have to say, I’m pretty lucky to have Ang and my dog, Bella, in my life to keep me on the fast track to a BetterMe!

Now I really must go take Bella for a walk and call Angela for a pep talk!

Last night was date night. And by date night I mean my 16 year old niece, Ali, and I made homemade Larabars…with dates.

When I read the ingredients list for a Larabar Cashew Cookie bar, I was pleasantly surprised to read they contained: Cashews and dates. That’s it! Real food. And then I thought, surely I can make them since I had the recipe. And I was right. So Ali and I decided to go nuts and go on a…

Double Date

• 2/3 cup Dates
• 1/3 cup Cashews
• 2 T Chocolate Chips
• 1 T Vanilla Extract
• 1 tsp Cinnamon

Place dates and cashews in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Remove mixture from the food processor, place into a small mixing bowl and add remaining ingredients. With your clean hands form the mixture into a ball and then place between two pieces of plastic wrap. Press mixture into a rectangular shape. Enjoy!

We had so much fun making the first batch of bars so we decided to go…

Nuts About Chocolate

• 1/3 cup Dates
• 1/4 cup Natural Almonds
• 1/4 cup Cocoa Almonds
• 2 T Chocolate Chips
• 2 T Chocolate Protein Powder
• 2 T Water
• 1 T Vanilla Extract
• 1 tsp Cinnamon

Place dates and almonds in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Remove mixture from the food processor, place into a small mixing bowl and stir in vanilla and cinnamon. In a separate bowl combine protein powder and water and then add to the date/nut mixture. With your clean hands form the mixture into a ball and then place between two pieces of plastic wrap. Press mixture into a rectangular shape. Enjoy!

Ali and I were quite pleased with the results of our homemade snack bars. Not only were they easy to make they tasted fresh and fabulous, too.

Now we really must go grab another snack bar and find another recipe to bring up-to-date.

I think I will feel better if I get this off my chest:

JUST BECAUSE YOU WENT TO THE GYM DOES NOT MEAN YOU WORKED OUT!

Going to the gym is one thing. Actually working out is another. Am I right or am I right?

Sure, I get that some days you’re just not going to be into your workout, but when you’re consistently slacking off and you are constantly complaining about your lack of progress, that’s another story. Here are 6 signs you probably could have worked out a little harder when you went to the gym. For example…

You might not have worked out if…

• Your jaw moved more than your body
• You spent more time in the locker room or shower than in the gym
• You spent more time watching me workout than working out yourself
• You read a book while you worked out. I’m going easy on all of you who can read magazines because SOME of you look like you’re actually getting a workout…I’m just jealous because I simply cannot multi-task when I do cardio
• You talked on your cell phone while lifting weights
• Your legs were moving on the elliptical machine but you didn’t even turn the sucker on

I like to give people the benefit of the doubt when I see them doing anything on this list, because I’m nice like that. For instance, I sometimes think positive things like:

• “Good for them for just being here!”
• “Maybe they’re recovering from an injury and they’re just getting back into the swing of things!”
• “Maybe they ran a marathon yesterday and they are taking a break from their training!”

And other times I think, “Save your money, you can take up space at home!”

End rant.

Now I really must go get off my soap box and go WORKOUT!

Yesterday was a balmy 35 degrees.

The sun was shining, the sky was blue, and I actually left my car window down after I ran through the Starbucks drive-thru while visions of swim suit season (GASP!) and really cute sandals danced in my head. I could almost taste Spring yesterday…in fact, I did! I made…

Protein Freeze Fudgsicles

1/3 cup Protein Freeze

1/3 – 1/2 cup Water

Blend. Pour into really cute popsicle molds (I found mine at Sur La Table). Freeze.

This tasty, guilt-free treat satisfied my sweet tooth, the kid in me, and gave me a healthy dose of protein.

Now I really must go alert the media, I found the cure for Spring Fever!

Have you ever had a fat day? Those kind of days are far worse than a bad hair day…you can fix a bad hair day.

I had a fat week last week.

I went all out and called myself Fatty McFatterson when I was checking myself out in the mirror during workouts (at least) two days last week. Did name calling motivate me to work harder? Nope. It just made me really, really cranky.

So this week I’m going to toss out the negative self talk and replace it with some good old fashioned tough love! What are you going to replace this week?

Now I really must stop talking and get Leana McLeanerson to the gym!