Whole Grain Pasta

I always thought that whole wheat pasta was a food for health food fanatics. I mean what is the point, right? Well, since BFL requires me to have whole grain carbohydrates, I decided to give whole grain pasta a try and it was surprisingly good. I tried a couple different brands and thought they were delicious. I do not see the point in actually going back to processed flour pasta since the whole grain is so much better for me. I made angel hair pasta with a sauce of Roma tomatoes and fresh basil that I ate with a chicken breast.

Tomorrow I am going to have a frittata for breakfast to use up the rest of the pasta. Get this, two ounces of the Barilla multi-grain pasta has seventeen grams of protein. Amazing! Give it a try and you will love it.

Day 11 -- BFL -- I Miss Muscle Media Magazine

What happened to Muscle Media magazine?!! During my last two challenges, I could look to Muscle Media to new ideas, recipes and ways to mix up my work out. One of my favorite articles was ab boot camp. The ab work out in BLF training program really doesn't work for me. I do not know why I would do decsending reps of 12 through 6 for my abs work out. But check out this article from Muscle Media http://musclemedia.com/training/BootCamp.asp!!! The work out in there is not for beginners. I have not sarted it yet, but when I am ready -- BAM! -- this abs boot camp work out is the ticket. It worked beauifully for me before, and I guarantee it will work for you. But seriously, wait until simple exercises like 75 floor crunches and 50 bent-knee leg raises just aren't doing it for you any more. The last thing you want is an injury so early in you Body-for-LIFE transformation. The Muscle Media website has no search engine, so to find articles you must search in Google for the term "muscle media" and then insert the topic you are looking for. Kind of a pain, but the search is worh it if you find an old article like abs boot camp.

Day 3 -- Body-for-Life -- Eating-for-LIFE at O'Faolain's

All four of my kids were gone today. My two oldest girls at camp and Jonathan and Ellie went to Aunt Stephanie's for what will no doubt be an XBox extravaganza. So tonight was Shelley-and-Marc night out. We decided to go to an Irish restaurant called O'Faolain's that was featured in Northern Virginia magazine. It was awesome! We started out with steamed mussels in a white wine sauce with garlic and chili flecks. The sauce had not been simply pour over boiled mussels. You know what I mean? Instead, you could taste that the mussels had really simmered in the sauce and were permiated with flavor. The dish was so good that I asked the waiter for the receipe. Unfortunately the chef said it was a secret. I'm glad today wasn't cheat day, or I would have selected the baked brie in a berry Guinness sauce for an appetizer, and entirely missed out on the mussels. I was tempted by many BFL non-compliant entrees, such as the chicken pot pie and the beer-battered fish & chips. The Shepard's pie might have been okay, but I played it safe and ordered the corn beef and cabbage with parsley boiled potatoes. I had a "hankering" for good corn beef for a while now and this dish had the perfect portions of protein, carbohydrates and even my second serving of vegetables. Perfect! What made the corn beef and cabbage particularly good was the selection of imported mustards from Ireland. I can't recall the names on the lables, but one was an extra sharp mustard and the other, which was seriously "to die for" good, contained whole mustard seeds in a whiskey sauce. I still have trouble sticking to my BFL schedules. My morning work out was three hours off schedule, which also caused me to miss my 10 am scheduled meal. I am proud though that I had the flexibility and commitment to reschedule and complete my exercise.

Day 2 -- Body for Life -- Beginning Statistics

Because I am now 40 years old now, I need a transformation of not just my looks but of some important vital statistics also. I have recently read "You, the Owner's Manual" and its recommendations for "The Live Younger Action Plan." The book explains each system of our body and what we need to do to keep our systems young and healthy. The health of most of these systems are measured by our vital statistics and blood tests. My current vital statistics are basically a "needs improvement" list. Vital Statistic Current Level Live Younger Action Plan Blood Pressure 133/84 115/76 Weight 185 lbs 135 lbs Body Fat % 35% N/A Body Mass Index 29 21.8 I will also be tracking my statistics to see how my real health is improving. I think on Body-for-Life my weight will actually be a little higher because BFL emphasizes weight-training and muscle building much more than the Owner's Manual plan. The Owner's Manual plan has alternating cardio and strength training, but recommends 20 minutes of cardio and only 10 minutes of strength training. The Owners Manual also recommends 5 minutes of yoga for flexibility, which I am incorporating into my work out program because I need the flexibility.