Hungry Man Dinner in a Hurry

What do you do when you come home from a full day of work and you’ve just finished a Spinning class and you and your husband are famished and you don’t have enough leftovers in the fridge to make a full dinner? 

If you don’t mind eggs for dinner, then do what I did and whip up this quick and easy dinner in less than 15 minutes. We also heated up some frozen mixed veggies on the side.

Huevos Rancheros

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can Rotel, drained

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 medium onion, diced 

1/2 tsp cumin

1 tsp Olive oil

2 eggs

Salsa

Heat oil in sauté pan. Add onions and cook until softened. Add garlic and stir until fragrant, about a minute. add beans, Rotel, and cumin and heat through. Mash ingredients together to desired consistency. 

Fry eggs and serve atop mashed beans and top with salsa. 

Nutrition Facts

Serves 3

Amount per Serving

Calories 326

Calories from Fat 95.6

Total Fat 10.62g

Saturated Fat 3.22g

Cholesterol 430mg

Sodium 1216.97mg

Total Carbohydrate 33.63g

Dietary Fiber 11.17g

Sugars 5g

Protein 21.8g

Preparing for Sugar Free Challenge

In preparing for RunToTheFinish's Upcoming 10 Day Sugar Free Challenge, I've prepared a full day's menu to get us on the right track. The lunch menu may look complicated, but it's really not, and I've broken it down into parts. You can cook all your veggies at lunch (just double the recipe) and serve the other half at dinner.

My husband is working on the 4 Hour Body guidelines, so I've added black beans and lentils to the meals for sustenance. If you're not in need of that extra bit, cut out the lentils at dinner. But keep the beans in for lunch so you have something to keep you nice and full for the day!

I hope you'll join us in the challenge. Let me know what you think of the recipes. We had the lunch last night for dinner and ME gave me two thumbs up. :)

One Day's Full Menu

Breakfast

Scrambled Eggs with spinach and peppers

½ C. Egg Beaters

1 C. baby spinach

1 T. broth, chicken or vegetable (can be substituted with water)

1 bell pepper, chopped

Heat sauté pan over medium heat. Add spinach and broth or water and stir until spinach is wilted. Remove spinach from pan and set aside.

Spray pan lightly with cooking spray. Add eggs and then turn down heat to low. Scramble eggs until desired consistency. Add salt, pepper, and crushed red peppers to taste. Mix in spinach and chopped peppers and serve. Options, add a side of whole wheat toast.

Cinnamon Coffee

In lieu of sugar or stevia, add cinnamon to your coffee.

Lunch

Broiled Tilapia salad serves 2-4

Ingredients:

4 Tilapia filets

Cooking spray

Salt and pepper

2 cans black beans, drained rinsed

1 can Rotel tomatoes with lime and cilantro with juice

1/2 chopped onion

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 tsp cumin

1 T olive oil

Shredded lettuce

Diced bell peppers

Dressing:

2 T cider vinegar

1 T olive oil

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/8 tsp kosher salt

Few shakes tabasco sauce

Tilapia:

Turn on broiler. Place tilapia filets on rimmed baking sheet. Spray with cooking spray and add salt and pepper. Place under for broiler for 5-10 minutes until browned.

Black Beans:

Heat olive oil, over medium heat, in a medium sauce pan.  Add onion and sauté for approximately 5 minutes until glossy. Add garlic and cumin and stir a few seconds until fragrant. Add beans and Rotel with juice, salt and pepper to taste and heat through.

Salad Dressing: Whisk ingredients together until emulsified.

Steamed veggies

1 c frozen mixed veggies

2 T broth

1-3 tsp crushed red peppers to taste

Place veggies and broth in a large sauté pan over med- high heat. Cover and steam for 5-10 minutes until just heated through. Mix in chili garlic paste and salt and pepper to taste.

Time Saver Note: double this recipe and use the other half for dinner

To plate: scatter chopped lettuce on plate with diced bell peppers. Drizzle with dressing. Add black beans on top and then add tilapia filets. Top with guacamole and sliced peppers.

Nutrition Value does not include the guac. You can find the recipe and nutrition facts here: Hungry Girl Holy Mole Guacamole

Nutrition Facts

Serves 4

Amount per Serving

Calories 284

Calories from Fat 72.3

Total Fat 8.03

Saturated Fat 2g

Cholesterol 0mg

Sodium 1224mg***

Total Carbohydrate 22.3g

Dietary Fiber 7.84g

Sugars 2.96g

Protein 29.32g

***I couldn’t get the sodium down in the calculations, due to the canned beans. If you rinse the beans thoroughly, you’ll drop a lot of that sodium. Or cook dried beans to control the sodium even more.

Dinner:

Chicken Stir Fry with Vegetables and Lentils

4-4oz chicken breasts

2 cups stir fry vegetables

¼ tsp salt

Cooking Spray

½ - 1 tsp Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle Seasoning Blend or Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

¼ cup Chicken broth

Directions:

Place chicken breasts in a baking dish. Lightly spray with cooking spray and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and crushed red peppers. Bake at 375 for 20-30 mins, until juices run clear.



Place frozen veggies and a few tablespoons of broth in a sauté pan over medium high heat. Cover and steam veggies until heated through. Remove lid and add Mrs. Dash or crushed red peppers, and salt to taste. 



Serve sliced chicken on top of veggies.

Nutrition Facts

Serves 4

Amount per Serving

Calories 167

Calories from Fat 18.5

Total Fat 2.06g

Saturated Fat 0.5g

Cholesterol 70mg

Sodium 295.63mg

Total Carbohydrate 7g

Dietary Fiber 3.25g

Sugars 3.25g***

Protein 26.69g

***Don’t let the sugar stat set you back. It’s just natural sugars from the vegetables.

Lentils

1 cup dry lentils

3-4 cups water

1 tsp salt

½ lemon, juiced

2 T Olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced

¼ cup parsley

Bring the lentils to a covered boil in salted water and then turn to low and simmer, with lid ajar for 20-30 mins, until tender. Drain and set aside.

In a separate bowl, mix a minced clove of garlic, juice of half a lemon, 1/2 tsp salt and a handful of minced parsley. Add cooked lentils and mix.

Nutrition Facts

Serves 4

Amount per Serving

Calories 132

Calories from Fat 63.4

Total Fat 7.04g

Saturated Fat 1.01g

Cholesterol 0mg

Sodium 744.75mg

Total Carbohydrate 19.47g

Dietary Fiber 9.14g

Sugars 0.04g

Protein 8.16g





Things For Which I’m Thankful:

Two for Tuesday classic rock

My husband’s laptop working J

Julia and Jacques

Spreading yourself thin...how thin is too thin?

So, recently I was feeling a bit run down and couldn't figure out why, I'm eating clean, I'm taking my vitamins, what could be the problem?  Then I started adding up all my weight training sessions, cardio sessions, hours teaching aerobics, hours training clients, hours at my regular job....YIKES, it added up to more then 24 hrs a day!  Ha! Not really, but it seems like it.  I've been shorting myself on sleep here and there so I can fit everything in.  Lack of sleep plays a huge role in everything, including your immune system, your energy levels, your mental state, your ability to lose (or gain) weight and your zest for life.  So, this week, I'll focus on getting into bed a little earlier. 
Sleep, however,  isn't the only downtime we need to recharge our batteries.  For maximum results in our fitness endeavours, we need enough physical recovery and enough mental recovery.

Physical recovery -  This means you really need to plan out your workouts smartly!  No, you can't train legs two days in a row and no your can't run 15 miles Monday afternoon and lift legs Tuesday morning.  You get the picture.  Aim for around 48 hrs of physical rest for each body part after you train. 
Mental recovery - You can't be 100% focused, Eyes on the prize, 100% percent of the time.  You need to have some time where you can totally unwind. This means time where you are not thinking about work, kids, workouts, diets etc.  You have to find what works for you, is it a hot bath? a few hours of mindless TV? meditation? a massage? shopping?  Find what works for you and actually schedule that downtime in your weekly activity.  You'll find that your head is fresh and clear and you'll be more ready to give 100% to those other tasks! 

What do you do for downtime?  Are you scheduling enough recovery (both types) into your week?  Let me know, I could use a few suggestions!!!

Beginner SMART Couponing

Beginner EXTREME SMART Couponing

Okay, before you stop reading because this isn't worth your time...IT IS WORTH YOUR TIME. Who doesn't want free groceries and sundry items?! And you don't have to be extreme to save your family money. I’m going to call this SMART couponing.

I've been using coupons for a few years and the only time you could title me EXTREME was when I'd apply a coupon to a BOGO deal at Publix. I've been proud of my savings every time I shop, but I've known that I could do better. I just didn't take the time to learn. The other day, I found Extreme Couponing on TLC and watched an episode. I then went to sleep thinking...I have GOT to learn how to do better or I’m throwing away my money! Over the last few days, I started researching. These are the sites I've found helpful if you are a beginner like me:

http://www.blogger.com/www.couponmom.com (videos on how to use the circulars and the site to max savings at YOUR local store each week)

http://www.blogger.com/www.livingrichwithcoupons.com (blogs on how to start out as a beginner - not all the links work, but when they do, they provide helpful info)

These two should get you started: I don't want you to feel overwhelmed like I was at first.

Once you learn the basics of following the couponmom.com site and learning when to find your strike point on HOT deals, then you can begin to collect the coupon circulars (from both your weekly Sunday paper and online - or, if you're like me, in Miami, we get the Red Plum circular in the mail each week - SCORE!)

Here is my current Organization Strategy and my helper.

Okay, now it's time to save. Once you've read through those two websites, and you have questions, post them here and I'll answer as best as I can. And of course, feel free to share any tricks you've learned while practicing SMART couponing!

Tomorrow, I will post my first two trips using the couponing tips I learned at the above sites...Trust me, you will want to see this AND try it for yourself!

Time Crunch: 2 Hours spent researching couponing methods, 1 hour spent organinzing my coupons and making my first shopping list. (I think this will speed up in the future!)

My First SMART Couponing Trip

As promised, here are the results of my first trip, which included two stores; CVS and Publix.

BLUF:

Using Smart Couponing: Spent $32 out of pocket (OOP), $34+ saved  

Using my old style Lazy Couponing (just using BOGOs, store weekly sales, no coupons): Spent $49 OOP, $21.79 saved

Daily total saved: just over $55 with $7 CVS Extra Bucks earned for future savings. :)

When I sent these results to Kelly, she replied, "WHAT???? HOW DID YOU DO THIS?” I suppose you might be saying that too!

So, here I will break one of these purchases down for you and maybe this will help make sense out of the proces. 

Steps

1. Go to www.couponmom.com, click on Grocery Deals by State. If you haven't already subscribed to the site, you will be prompted to do so here. Otherwise, login with your email/pw. (you can also do this on your phone and I actually find it a little easier)

2. Here you should see a list of stores on the right, which you can use, or use the dropdown menu and pick your state and grocery store. (note: if you didn't read yesterdays post which encouraged you to watch couponmom's instructional videos, you'll probably want to do so to learn how to decipher the lists I will be mentioning next - otherwise, it will be Greek to you - unless you are Greek, then perhaps it will be Aramaic)

3. Click on the store you want and a new window will pop up with that store's list. I will pick one item from Publix that I used today from here on.

4. When you get to your grocery store's list, you will see all of the items on sale at your store and what coupons from which circulars will give you the best deals that week. We're going to work with the Suave Bath Soap.

5. I had 2 coupons from the circulars noted in the left hand column that made them Buy One Get One Free (BOGO),  2 additonal coupons for Suave products for $1, and Publix had a $.55 off coupon in its weekly circular (I took two). So I purchased four bottles.

v      4x Suave body wash - Free!!: I actually made $.10 towards my bill when each BOGO coupon rang up for $.75 more than I paid and so saved $9.10

If that doesn’t catch your interest, here my other SCORES:

Publix:

v      2x Calcium and Vit D, 90 softgels - Spent $2 OOP (saved $7)

  CVS:
v 2x Right Guard deodorant- Spent $.99 OOP (saved $6.60)
v 4x L'Oreal Hair color products - $24 OOP, but earned $5 in Extra Bucks towards my next CVS purchase (overall saved $12)

Lesson learned. I planned to earn $3 Extra Bucks on the gum purchase, but I messed it up when each pack rang up for less than it was marked, so I didn't meet the minimum purchase to earn my additional $3 back. Drat! So, now I've dowloaded the CVS app on my phone and, in the future, I will access this while in store, as well as watch the prices as they ring up so I can catch that and grab another pack to make the minimum.

BLDB (Bottom Line Down Bottom): 4 Body Washes for Free and 4 Hair Color Products for what I'll call a $400 savings as, instead of paying my hairdresser four times (approx $300-$400 total), I have spent $24 for four total hair treatments. :) Sweet! (I even tried one out Friday I am a successful hair color expert! haha!)

As always, feel free to ask some questions or post your own successes!

Keys that I've taken away so far:
1. Only purchase when the strike price is HOT. When it is, purchase multiples. (this is where finding multiple copies of circulars and saving them comes in)

2. Not every sale every week is going to be a worthy deal and some of your coupons will expire. Don't fret. the deal will come. You can also donate those to Military members overseas who ca still use expired coupons!

3. You have to be willing to try new brands of items that you already use

4. Download your store apps on your phone for access while shopping.

5. Go out and get your local paper today - you have to continually build your coupon stockpile with the weekly circulars to make this work. Multiples make it even better. So, ask friends for their circulars or buy multiple papers. :) 

magazine crazy

I'll admit it, Sam and I are magazine crazy!  We love looking at magazines.  My favorite time to catch up on all the home organization and fitness magazines out there is either at the airport, at the pool or when doing long cardio sessions in the gym.  I always keep the latest one  with me so I can pull it out and flip through a few pages while waiting....anywhere:) 

So, I have a tip for you guys, instead of throwing away all your magazines as soon as your read them or letting them pile up for ages and ages because you swear you are going back to look at article or recipe.  Try what I'm doing.  I have a large binder divided in three sections (or I suppose you could get three binders)  whenever I see exercises I like or want to remember, I clip out that page and put it in the binder. Now I have volumes and volumes of workout idea's!  Use the other sections for recipe idea's and decorating ideas.  I'll be honest that I never get around to decorating, but I do try the recipe's and I consult the exercise portion all the time!  Let me know what you think, would something like this be useful to you?  Does anyone else out there even still read magazines?

Get your Greens Here!

Collard Green Chips

1 Bunch Collard Greens, stems removed, sliced/torn into 2-3 inch pieces

Cooking Spray

Kosher Salt

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Lightly spray a cooking sheet with cooking spray. Lay greens pieces in a single layer. Spray greens with spray, sprinkle with salt. Bake for 30 minutes until sides just begin to crisp.

Variations: Kale and spice it up with crushed red peppers or Sriracha hot sauce.

See what to do with those greens stems next…

Light Super Greens Juice #1

½ cucumber

1 lime, peel and pith removed

6-8 collard greens stems

1 inch peeled fresh ginger

3 sticks of mint leaves

1 pear, sliced

Directions: Juice together in a juicer, pour over ice and drink immediately.

Benefits:

Lime: weight loss and digestive aid

Cucumber: Diuretic, and all sorts of healthy minerals, such as potassium

Collard Greens: Calcium that’s absorbed by the body almost as well as by dairy products, and antioxidant

Ginger: alleviates gastrointestinal distress, holds anti-inflammatory properties

Mint: rich in vitamins A and C

Pears: high in the antioxidants vitamin C and copper

This juice is light and refreshing. Perfect for summer. You can even make a spritzer, by adding club soda. I’ve turned to adding club soda to my water to help in curbing my craving for soda!

To Observe and Learn

As you know, Kelly and I love to teach group fitness classes. At my gym, the instructors have been tasked to observe other instructors classes for two reasons; to provide constructive criticism on their class, and to maybe learn some teaching ideas from other instructors. So, I took the liberty of taking our local master Spin instructor’s class this morning between my BodyPump and yoga classes. It was such a great experience. He gave me some great music ideas and awesome new ideas on working with that music. After class, he gave me some additional suggestions about taking the class through all of the resistance levels during warm up to, in a sense, calibrate the bikes for the ride. About a month ago, I learned that something like this was needed, as I had a student come up to me after class wondering why she wasn’t getting a workout in class. She looked around the class and saw everyone sweating, only to be barely huffing herself. We determined, that her bike had been so loose that, even though she thought she’d cranked up the resistance, she didn’t have any through the whole class. I think little insights like this can only help to improve my teaching ability. I took many things from his class today and I intend to attend again in order to glean even more.

Do you find it helpful in your profession to take some time out to observe your peers? What have you learned from observing your peers?

Things for which I’m thankful:

~ Drop top weather

~ Amazing ways to prepare vegetables

~ Surprise Discounts

~ Free MLB.com game of the week – even though my team lost!

Samara's Black Bean Chicken Casserole

• 1 can Frijoles Negros Black Beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can Fire Roasted Tomatoes
• 3 cans Chicken Breast In Water (canned), drained
• 1 can Chick Peas, drained and rinsed
• 1 tbsp Olive Oil
• ¼ - ½  cup Chicken Broth
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper
• Crushed red pepper flakes
• Salt

Directions
Heat oil in a saucepan and add garlic and stir until aromatic. Then add beans/peas. Heat through, then add tomatoes with juice. Blend or mash together until smooth. Add broth until desired consistency. Add cumin, chili powder, cayenne, and crushed red pepper flakes and salt to taste.

Stir in shredded chicken. When heated through, serve with a dollop of Greek yogurt or Guac.
**You can also make this ahead of time, put into a casserole, and reheat in a 375 oven for 20-25 minutes, or until bubbling.

Serving Size: 1/6 casserole

Amount per Serving

Calories 272

Calories from Fat 34.8

Total Fat 3.87g

Saturated Fat 0.33g

Cholesterol 52.5mg

Sodium 806.67mg

Total Carbohydrate 25.96g
Dietary Fiber 8.75g

Sugars 2.33g

Protein 30.71g

Shots, Shots, Shots!!

No, not that kind. J I was recently diagnosed with a form of thrombophilia called Factor V Leiden (FVL). I had never heard of this before, however, it is a genetic condition that increases the tendency of blood clotting. Don’t we want our blood to clot? Yes, but, with this gene, our blood has the risk to develop abnormal clots that could become life-threatening. While most people with this gene will be fine, those with high risk factors, will be prescribed blood thinning medication by their doctors. Which is where I find myself now. I have been trying to get pregnant, which puts me in a high-risk category and my doctor has put me on Heparin, which is a shot I have to inject into my stomach twice a day. While it started out not fun, it’s even more not fun now as I still have no idea why some days I bruise and other days I just have a little red spot at the injection site. What I do know is that I don’t look forward to it every day, but I know it’s for a good purpose. J

 What I’ve learned in researching FVL is that it can be one of many contributing risk factors that cause miscarriage. While my three sisters and mother have not been tested for FVL, I do know that out of the five of us, we have had a combined 13 successful pregnancies and 8 miscarriages. That’s over 60% miscarriage rate, whereas the average rate is 10-25% (http://www.americanpregnancyassociation.org/). I’m not a doctor, and I can’t say these two are related, but it is an interesting note to consider.

 Two years ago, while training for a half marathon, I noticed recurring heart palpitations after training without proper hydration. When the palpitations continued after a week of rest, I went to the doctor. After wearing a heart monitor for 24 hours that confirmed the palpitation, the doctor put me on the blood pressure medication, Atenelol. Again, I don’t know for a fact that this is related to the FVL, but once Kelly reminded me of the link (I tend to block these things out of my memory), I will be mentioning this to the doctor to see his thoughts.

I share this with you to inform you and to see if any of you have found yourselves in a similar situation. At the least, you’ll now recognize it when House or his staff throw it out as a diagnosis, which I heard last week!

Links for more information on FVL:

www.fvleiden.org

http://mayoclinic.com/health/factor-v-leiden/DS01083

Things to be thankful for:

~ Days of rest

~ New exciting recipes to try

~ Beach Days

~ Pizza on Cheat Day

Who We Strive to Be

Who do you strive to be when you grow older? A few weeks ago, Kelly and I took a weekend trip to visit her aunt and uncle. They have always been so generous to us and took us under their wings in our lowest of times. Yet again, they shared their generosity by taking us out for a birthday celebration weekend on their new yacht…yes, you heard me correctly, yacht. We docked the boat at a beautiful resort on the Rappahannock River, called The Tides Inn. (If you ever find yourself in the area, plan a night there to pamper yourself…perhaps we’ll review the property and amenities later…) We woke up early the morning we stayed there to workout. We found our way to the fitness center, a small house overlooking an inlet. It had a decent line-up of equipment; enough to tide you over on a short weekend.

But we weren’t there to use the equipment; Kelly was finally going to give me a BodyAttack class. So, we moved aside some equipment and made some room for some serious business! We cranked up the music and proceeded to Attack over the next 45 minutes. It was an awesome, butt-kicking workout, but the best part was that mid-way through the first track, an older woman came into the gym. We think she was about 85 or so, and as soon as she saw what we were doing, she came over and jumped right in. And I mean JUMP! She did so great. She was jumping, stepping, kicking and knocking out push ups…actually better than I was! We were genuinely impressed with our new friend! When we finished, we briefly chatted with her and then she proceeded to take her printed workout over to the gym equipment and do the daily workout that she’d planned to do when she came in. Impressive! She looked great. Her physical ability was spectacular and she was full of energy!

Who will you be when you’re 85! I hope we are just like her! Living and Loving Life and Remaining Healthy and Fit!  

Do you have any role models who you use as motivation for your life?

Sugar Free Challenge - Sign up!!

My Friend Amanda, over at http://www.runtothefinish.com/ is taking a 28 day sugarfree challenge.  She wrote a nice post about why we should commit to this challenge with her.  Check it out and sign up today!!!

Healthy Fitness Edge: Magnets - is this for real??

Healthy Fitness Edge: Magnets - is this for real??: "OK, I may be crazy, but I put magnets in my shoes and my feet are feeling better?!?! What's causing this? Is it all in my head? Let me back..."

Magnets - is this for real??

OK, I may be crazy, but I put magnets in my shoes and my feet are feeling better?!?! What's causing this? Is it all in my head?  Let me back up a bit.  I've always struggled with shin splints and tight calves. Then about a year ago, I started incorporating Vibram Five Fingers into my workouts and my shins feel great!  I don't used the Five Fingers for distance, just occasional short runs, sprints and some workouts in the gym.  Samara was using them for the same types of workouts.  Then, In Jan., she was derailed! She started complaining about foot pain and the Dr. suggested Plantar Fac.  Was/Is that the problem, I don't know, but she's been in a bit of pain and rarely running since. Then, about a month ago, the inside of my calves and my feet start killing me!  I tried stretching, soaking, strengthening, buying new shoes for teaching class; everything!  As a last straw, JB bought both Samara and I a pair of those magnet soles to put in our shoes....yeah we giggled behind our backs at him.  Sometimes I label him "the witch dr" because he always comes up with these unorthodox solutions for all my ailments.  However, this time, I was convinced that his "solution" wouldn't fix my feet problems.  Well, Lo and Behold, I started wearing them around the house and my feet immediately felt better! I still didn't believe it so I tried wearing them for a walk/jog....no pain.  Ok, the real test will be if I wear them for Body Jam and to teach Body Attack.  NO PAIN!  Granted, my feet were a bit sore and tight that night after class, but during class, I felt none of that calf pain or stabbing foot pain.  How can this be?  Did the Voodoo Dr. put a spell on those soles?  Do magnets really work?  Is it a placebo effect thing going on?  I asked Mr. Google for some answers and I couldn't find any conclusive research to say whether magnets work or not?? What do you think?  Am I cured....or crazy?? ha! Either way, I'm looking forward to some pain free cardio today at lunch and again tonight! 

My good friend over at http://www.runtothefinish.com/ always finishes her posts with a gratitude log, I love this idea and am going to steal it:) Thanks Amanda!  What are you grateful for today?  Let me know!!

Things I'm grateful for right now

Chocolate Banana Almond butter smoothies

Light Traffic on the way into work

Perfect Texas Sunshine

Healthy Fitness Edge: Heart rates and Hotels - why is it so hard to exer...

Healthy Fitness Edge: Heart rates and Hotels - why is it so hard to exer...: "I Just got back from 10 days of traveling for work, the majority of it was spend in dreary Buffalo Ny. I'm sure Buffalo is beautiful someti..."

Heart rates and Hotels - why is it so hard to exercise while traveling?

I Just got back from 10 days of traveling for work, the majority of it was spend in dreary Buffalo Ny.  I'm sure Buffalo is beautiful sometimes, but it was in the 40's and raining for my whole trip...so yes, dreary is the right description.  When I packed my suitcase, I had every intention of working out every day...maybe even twice a day!!  I packed sneakers, workout clothes my travel set of bands and jumprope and my TRX.  I also always have music on my ipod if I want to run through an areobics class or go for a run. I boarded the plane with high hopes!  However, it was a completely different story when I landed in Buffalo that evening.  I was dehydrated, exhuasted, grumpy and had a headache.  Needless to say I went straight to bed.  The next day I was in a conference all day and was so mentally out of it after a long day that I again went straight to bed.... Well, Weds. morning I woke up and said enough is enough, I was going to workout no matter what!  I reminded myself all day through meetings and phone calls that I could not back out of it tonight, I was going to work out.  I can't honestly say that I was looking forward too it..... So, around 6 pm, I forced myself to change into workout clothes, take my equipment to the hotel "gym" and see what sort of workout I could piece together. To my pleasant surprise they had a complete gym that actually sold memberships to the public so it was full of people from the surrounding neighborhood enjoying their workouts.  I was able to get a great weight/TRX workout in and then jumped in a Zumba class! How fun! and what a great surprise! I had expected to end up in one of those storage closets with one broken treadmill and a swiss ball that most hotels pass off as a gym and I found a fitness lover's paradise!  haha!  The point of the story is, I know it's super tough to find the energy and motivation to workout while you are traveling. Trust me, I know you're tired, disoriented by the time zone change, dehydrated, off your schedule, off your regular diet and probably stressed by all the work you are doing.  However, if you can find the discipline to force yourself to just lace up the sneakers and start, you'll probably feel a whole lot better and you'll be surprised at what a great workout you can really have while on the road!  So, next time you are traveling, take heart! It's do-able! traveling doesn't have to mean that we lose ground on our never ending journey to fitness:)  How do you all workout when you are traveling? any tips and tricks? I'd love to hear them!!!