Soup weather

Its raining and pouring outside, and we totally overdid the food last week for Thanksgiving. Those factors combined mean it's soup weather at our house. Last night I tried out a new recipe (which is always risky with opinionated elementary age kids in the house) and surprise it was a success!

Not only did everyone eat, but the recipe was simple and on the table in about 30 minutes. It's an egg drop soup with chicken. We also had steamed rice and edamame....have to have our veggies! It also gave me an excuse to use up some chicken & veggie broth from last week. One of the easiest crock pot recipes ever..that'll have to be the next food post.

Egg Drop soup with chicken

Ingredients

·                     4  cups low-sodium chicken broth

·                     3  tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

·                     3   garlic cloves, smashed

·                     1- 1/2  teaspoons ground ginger

·                     4  ounces wide rice noodles or pad thai noodles, broken into 3-inch pieces ( or substitute a handful of regular egg noddles)

·                     2  tablespoons cornstarch

·                     2   eggs, lightly beaten

·                     1- 1/2  cups cooked, shredded chicken

Directions

1. Bring the broth, 1-1/2 cups water, soy sauce, garlic and ginger to a boil over medium-high heat in a medium-size saucepan. Reduce heat to medium and cook broth mixture for 10 minutes.

2. Remove the garlic cloves with a slotted spoon and add noodles to pot; cook for 4 minutes or until tender.

3. Meanwhile, stir together the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water in a small bowl; whisk into broth and cook for 1 minute or until thickened.

4. Stir the soup so it is moving in a circular direction. Pour in the beaten eggs in a slow, steady stream. Stir in chicken. Serve immediately. Original recipe from recipe.com

Enjoy! What's your favorite soup recipe???...the simpler the better.

Mission statement

You know how businesses, organizations and college teachers like business statements? Maybe as people, we should also have a mission statement for our lives. I was at a moms time out get together yesterday, and the suggestion was to go back to our roots, our lord, or our parents to remember what we are all about before saying something or making a decision.

The topic reminded me again that we must always remember who we are when we make decisions. As small as how we answer our 9 year olds' question about a pocket knife, to how we decide to accept a job offer. Each of these makes a huge impression on how we show ourselves to the world, and how we feel about ourselves each day.

My reaction to this was to think for a minute about what I do and why I do it. Just to be sure I'm thinking of my roots and what my parents taught me. This of course resulted in a blog...for you to read. =)

6 years ago, I was an at home mom of 2, teaching childbirth education for the local hospital. I truly enjoyed the work, not so much working for someone else, and reality was telling me that my family needed more income. When I decided to buy a fitness franchise, and convinced my husband it was worth the significant financial investment, I had no idea the impact it would have on my family.

Ever since, I’ve been teaching fitness, leading teams, and helping the mamas of Elk Grove to be stronger, fitter, healthier, more confident and great role models for their families. There is no “J-O-B” in the world I’d rather have. Showing up to a workout knowing exactly what each other woman there went through, arranged, negotiated, promised or set up to be there is huge motivation to offer the best fitness program possible. AND the accomplishment and pride I feel when a mom shares her successes with me and with others is priceless.

As the owner of Moms in Motion Elk Grove, I lead the Run/Walk Team and the Core Strength Team, and assist triathlon coach, Rachelle Hightower, with the Triathlon team. What makes Moms in Motion unique is the combination of Fitness, Fun and Philanthropy we bring to ALL levels, ages and abilities of local moms.

This dedication to health and wellness made me stop and pay attention when I heard about a product called Juice Plus+. It simply made perfect sense to me as the perfect addition to my tireless efforts to keep my family active, feed them real food and help them thrive. We add the 17 fruits, veggies and whole grains in Juice Plus+ to our diets each day, and I can't help tell others about it as well. This lead me to become a distributor and open the door to sharing this discovery with more families.

When it comes down to the basics of who I am, this is it folks. Every job I have ever had, from customer service, print sales person, mom, wife, tire delivery person (great story!),project manager, to fitness professional, has been about helping others to succeed. That's what I love, that's what I hope to do for the rest of my days.

What do you do?

times are a changing

This has been one of the stranger months of my life. Just in an unsettled, change brewing, new schedule kind of way. I recently sold my StrollerFit business of 5 years off to two wonderful local women. Although I'm excited about the prospect of what they will be able to do for local moms with little ones it's left me adjusting to a totally new schedule. No morning classes to teach, I've actually been able to take a few at the gym.
That has lead me to discover that I'm a horrible participant in fitness classes now. Always critiquing the instructor, she didn't warm us up much, or hey lady why aren't you walking around cueing and correcting form, and my pet peeve, 2 stretches...really an hour of strength exercise and we only need 2 stretches?!
The wonderful part about the change is that I really do feel I'm able to put my full effort, focus and best into one fitness avenue rather than balancing two businesses. I now have time to add speed workouts the more experienced members need to get to the next level, I'm able to offer strength/core classes that are so important in preventing injury for runners and walkers and I'm able to start thinking of some fun ways to connect the families of this wonderful group of women.
I have also discovered that my Juice Plus+ business is much more than I originally expected. It turns out, I love teaching people about nutrition too! since May, I have learned so much from others at wellness presentations, listening to the great line of Juice Plus+ educational DVD's and great conference calls. I've discovered that this is another avenue that allows me to directly help others, but simply sharing what I've learned and have a passion for.
It truly doesn't get much better than that....so I guess I better get back to work before the kids get our of school. =)

I look forward to talking to YOU soon about Juice Plus+, Moms in Motion or all the crazy things our kids do.

In health,
Wendy Hoag

This morning, myself and some mamas from StrollerFit headed over to our local hospital for a Breakfast, Nutrition talk and playdate. It was not only fun to see mamas outside of classes, but the information presented was wonderful. Real world stuff, with time for discussion about how we might actually do these things.

I love that our local hospital does this type of community outreach! Informative, educational, and healthy. Already thinking of other topics for future events. Have ideas? Send them my way! We have access to their full range of dietitians, doctors and specialists. Yippee!

Here are a few of the survival tips that Yau Ming Ng, MS, RD presented to us:

RDs Weigh In
10 Tips for Healthy Holiday Survival
(Holiday Nutrition) Permanent link

With Halloween candy still lingering around the house or office, the recent Thanksgiving feast and multiple social occasions to celebrate the entire holiday season, this can be a very challenging time of year to stay on track with health goals. Contrary to popular belief, the average holiday weight gain is about 1-2 lbs, but we tend to keep it on and accumulate more with each passing year. It’s really not that hard to do when you consider that it only takes an extra 250 calories/day to lead to a ½ pound gain by the end of the week. You’ve worked so hard this year to get healthy and lose or maintain your weight so let’s keep it up this holiday season- here’s how:

1. Never arrive to your social function with a big appetite. Have a small snack ahead of time to take off the edge. Don’t skip a meal or save up your calories- this will encourage over eating. Healthy snacks to have on hand: raw veggies, low fat yogurts, low fat cheese, whole grain crackers…

2. Incorporate daily moderate physical activity. Even doing 2 -15 minute walks each day can make a difference by burning about 200 calories total. This is especially easy to do when holiday shopping! If you can’t get to a gym, try a pedometer and gradually increase your steps each day- 10,000 steps/day = 5 miles

3. Factor in Alcohol. A martini contains about 275 calories, and 1 glass of wine has about 150 calories. Also watch out for all of the calories you might consume while you drink. Try substituting with a glass of sparkling water in between. Moderation for men is no more than 2 drinks per day and no more than 1 drink per day for women (wine: 5 oz, beer: 12 oz, liquor: 1.5 oz)

Read the other 7 online at: http://eatright.org/Media/Blog.aspx?id=4294967371&blogid=269

Nutrition speaker

This is one of those great opportunities I don't think anyone should miss. Please come if you can, it's sure to be fun, tasty and educational.

Nutrition Speaker and Breakfast
Thurs Dec 10th 9:30a
Methodist hospital
Family Birth Center
Enjoy some breakfast while we listen to a speaker educate us on surviving the holiday eating season. Kids and guests welcome!

RSVP ASAP
http://sahm.meetup.com/1562
916-690-7624
momsinmotioneg@gmail.com

2 more reasons you are NOT too busy to exercise

Anyone feeling a teeny bit prone to flu, colds, or other germmies? How about stress after the Thanksgiving holiday with family...do you have any stress? Ha! The answer to both is exercise! Read on

2) Increased immune function – cardio vascular conditioning makes your immune cells function better every day due to increased oxygen uptake

3) Cortisol flusher! Moderate exercise is a great way to flush coritsol (stress hormone) which can make us crabby, tired and hungry for sugar!

More tips to come from now till the end of the year. Just don't stop moving.

Live a little longer..why not!

These are some simple, real life changes we can make! It's from Mens Health, but I'm willing to gamble they'll work for women too.

5 Steps Could Add 22 Years to Your Life
Easy little fixes that will keep you from checking out early.
By Alison Granell, Men's Health
Link

1. Next time you're asked, "Soup or salad?" order the salad. +2 years

Italian researchers found that eating as little as 1 cup of raw vegetables daily can add two years to your life. Why raw? Cooking can deplete up to 30 percent of the antioxidants in vegetables. To eat your quota, fill a plastic sandwich bag with chopped red and green peppers, broccoli and carrots. Toss the bag into your briefcase, along with a packet of dressing—the fat will boost your body's absorption of certain nutrients. Learn 13 more tasty ways to maximize your food's health powers.

2. Learn the Law of Lard: The fat you carry today could kill you tomorrow. +3 years

University of Alabama researchers discovered that maintaining a body mass index of 25 to 35 can shorten your life by up to three years. (Excess body fat raises your risk of diabetes, heart disease, stroke and colon cancer.) If you're allergic to exercise, sweat with your significant other. A Duke University study shows that sedentary men are 50 percent more likely to work out three times a week if their partners participate.

3. Crack open a fresh can of nuts and extend your expiration date. +3 years

When Loma Linda University researchers tracked the lifestyle habits of 34,000 Seventh Day Adventists—a population famous for its longevity—they discovered that those who munched nuts five days a week, earned an extra 2.9 years on the planet. Pick up the Planters NUT-rition Heart Healthy Mix, which made our list of the 125 healthiest supermarket foods. The blend contains all five key nuts, including walnuts, which are usually left out of nut mixes. Aim to eat 2 ounces a day.

4. Never forget that your buddies have your back—even when it's hunched over from osteoporosis. +7 years

In a study of seventysomethings, Australian researchers found that those with the largest network of friends had the longest lease on life. For the average guy, this could add up to seven additional years of existence. Yes, some buddies may encourage risky behavior from time to time, but friendship ultimately provides more protection than peril. So try to learn a few new faces at work, trade lifting tips at the gym or simply say "hey" to that neighbor you've never met. You can all thank each other later.

5. Repeat after us: "There is life after retirement." +7 ½ years

Or at least that's what you'd better believe if you want to live that long. In a Yale University study of older adults, people with a positive outlook on the aging process lived more than seven years longer than those who felt doomed to deteriorating mental and physical health. Already envisioning decades of decrepitude? Volunteer for a cause you're passionate about: Selfless actions can put a positive spin on life and distract from unhealthy obsessing, reports a study in Psychosomatic Medicine. And try these 18 mood boosters to feel better in less than five minutes.

what an informative article

Just a teeny bit excited today...we had a reporter from the Elk Grove Citizen come to restore the core last week. Katie Freeman, a very nice, thorough reporter who asked lots of questions. She really was sure to get facts right and did a great job with this one.

The article is in the Elk Grove Citizen today, see it online at : Elk Grove Citizen

She's also included some comical notes in her blog at: http://katie-scoopegcitizen.blogspot.com/

Here's a preview:

mommymuscle
"Restore the Core" class fits moms' needs
By Katie Freeman

Every workout tool in Wendy Hoag’s “Restore the Core” abdominal fitness class for pregnant women and moms has a cute name with the word “mommy” in its title. But don’t let that fool you into thinking this class is all fuss, no muss. You’ll be sorely surprised.......

Biggest loser and the Fitness & Nutrition challenge

In my nearly four years teaching fitness for moms, if there is one thing I've learned it's that the word "challenge" really gets those mama moving! It's really close to giving my brother a double dog dare when we were kids. A 3 minute cardio challenge (watch those ladies move), hot mama fitness challenge ( we're signing up!), Try this move to make those squats a little more challenging (whew, at least half the group will give it a whirl)....so with that being said here comes the Fitness & Nutrition Challenge for Spring!

Accept the 6 week Fitness & Nutrition challenge!

Set a weight loss & nutrition goal
Journal fitness & nutrition efforts in your own log book
Attend any mommymuscle classes
Receive helpful nutrition tips
Participate in fitness challenges in class
Receive a BabyTalk magazine & goodie bag
Consult w/a personal nutritionist ($40 per session)
Try new BabyTalk moves in classes
Log onto BabyTalk website for even more!

Participation is FREE when you enroll by April 4th!

Current members pay just $5 (or it's free when you upgrade equipment, buy product or schedule a nutrition consultation)

BIGGEST LOSER
· TRACK YOUR WEIGHT LOSS DURING OUR ‘POUND FOR POUND’ CHALLENGE
· ENTER YOUR RESULTS IN THE ‘BIGGEST LOSER’ CONTEST
· RAISE FUNDS FOR Feeding America™
· (10¢ donated for every pound lost to local food banks)

www.strollerfit.com/elkgrove 690-7624

Can't wait to see the results from this CHALLENGE!!!

Go mama!

Just heard from Denise about some GREAT success she's having! Denise starting coming to classes late last year. A month or so in, I remember her coming to me and saying "I haven't lost a pound, what do I do?" We had a great conversation about challenging yourself in class, committing to regular exercise and how important it was to keep on track with nutrition. Denise started a food log...and then took another step to join Weight Watchers. She's a regular in StrollerFit classes and improving her nutrition, and has now lost over 20 pounds!!! All that mommymuscle must be helping. YEAH mama!

We're all so proud of her and know she'll keep going.