Wow. Remembered to try Cinnamon Spice in my Protein Shake. And, remembered to have Kevin video a couple of my Snatches Today at the Gym. Maybe my memory is not going after all……….

No Surprise Here.  I got up.  I mixed and slammed my normal protein mixture…..with a hint of Cinnamon Spice mixed in with it.  Wow.  Read my posting about the health benefits of Cinnamon.  I think you will be amazed by more than just the flavor……

After eating my protein shake, I headed for my morning’s exercise opportunity.  Monday mornings these days are typically going to mean a short trip to Skys the Limit CrossFit for a personal training session with Kevin Kelley.  And, this morning’s session started with about 20 minutes of “Snatching”….after our warm-up activites, of course.  In truth, we actually did 10 short “rounds”.  Each round started with two squats with 170 pounds on your back.  I think most of us know what “Back Squatting” with a Barbell on our back probably looks like.  But, after that, we immediately trotted over to another barbell that was loaded to 135 pounds and that was actually sitting on the floor…as compared to languishing in an elevated rack.  And, we “Snatched” that weight one time.  We did this little “round” ten times with about 45 seconds of rest in between each 3 repetition round.  For those of you that do not know what a “Snatch” is, I was lucky enough to get you a little video (for your review) of me doing exactly that activity.  And, here is what it is:

Snatching with Kevin Kelley

After this “Strength” component of my morning’s workout, we did some very short duration and very intense “metabolic conditioning” that involved climbing a rope to the ceiling 9 times and a lot of throwing a 20 pound ball up against the 12 foot high marker of one of the gym walls.  As you can imagine, my heart rate ended that little episode somewhere around 185 beats per minute….and, as usual, when I relayed to my mother the morning’s events….and, the video….she quickly assessed that “That is exercising too hard. It cannot be good for you!”  If that is YOUR answer after reading this excerpt and reviewing the video, you may want to start preparing YOURSELF for a permanent new address at “the Home” a little bit earlier in your late life than the point at which folks were ready for such admittances before we all got so used to (and dependent upon) getting our exercise from the somewhat rapid back and forth eye movements that one might associate with watching people moving about rapidly in the picture of your 52 inch living room big screen TV!…….Good gracious.  You must exercise vigorously a few times each week if you want to be have a belly like David does…..Plain and simple……….!

After exercising, I busted it on back home so I could take advantage of my body’s glycogenic window…see previous postings for this very important concept’s explanation….(glycogenic windows are very important in your nutritional and exercise plan)……. for best using protein and carbs.  As you know, this window lasts less than one hour.  So, let’s not run by the mall after your trip to the gym….unless you took your shaker cup and protein mix with you and drank it before heading that way.  In my case, I slammed down another one of my Protein Shakes and started washing some Organic berries to take up to my desk with me.  (As always, I first grabbed a glass of Unsweetened Organic Iced Tea to take up with me along with the berries.  And, the morning’s mid-morning snack was perfect and complete.  I may start taking some water up with me as well.  I am not someone that sits around and worries about how much water I drank in a day’s time….I know I am getting a ton of it in my food alone.  But, it does seem that sitting there sipping on just Iced Tea all morning starts to make my mouth actually seem dry!)

Well, lunch rolled around.  And, as you may have guessed, I headed for Grand Street Cafe.  I think you can see that the contents of my plate were absolutely perfect for a Low Glycemic lunch:  Sauteed Shrimp with Sauteed Veggies.  It doesn’t get much more perfect than that.  (Please also note that nothing approximating “bread” ever crossed my lips.  And, don’t hold your breath until the next time it does.  Remember, the glycemic index of a slice of any kind of bread…including “Whole Grain” bread….is about the same as a Snicker’s Bar.  In other words, don’t eat bread if you want to keep your blood insulin and glucose levels……and/or your belly………. looking anything close to flat!

What did Angie have for lunch?  She did not come with me to Grand Street Cafe.  Instead, she made something that she has been eating a fair amount of lately.  And, it looked very good.  She is grabbing a can of Albacore Tuna from Door-to-Door Organics and mixing it up with a healthy tuna salad mixture of her own design.  As you can see, she is taking  a big clump of that mixture and depositing it in the middle of her oversized Lettuce Wrap (from door-to-door organics as well) and eating that as her “Tuna Salad Sandwich”.  Now, that is “Low Glycemic”.  And, a ton of very healthy protein coming out of that albacore tuna and the hard boiled eggs that she tossed into that mixing bowl.  Get as much fresh stuff in there as you can imagine with your whole concoction.  And, you have a real lunch winner for next to nothing out of your wallet!  How does that sound for you?

After lunch, I spent a few hours on the phone in my office before realizing that this morning’s exercise had really eaten up a few more calories than my norm.  And, as a result, my belly was starting to make odd noises of complaint.  I texted my good friend, Nicole.  And, within minutes, the problem was solved with the arrival of some Organic Pink Lady Apple Slices and a monstrous helping of Raw Organic Artisana Almond butter….(their Almond Butter is my preference for dipping apples.  It will be yours too.)

That bit of calories should really have been enough to get me through to dinner.  But, Angie was running a little behind on its preparation ….thanks to her trying to figure out what the triplets might actually be willing to eat that wasn’t likely to spike THEIR blood sugar levels through our roof.  So, I had to tide myself over with some Raw Organic Almonds…about a handful or so.  And, I was right as rain.  Remember, almonds are an excellent source of Omega 3 fats….and, a little bit of protein too.  Even so, let’s not start grazing on them all day long.  Moderation is the key on these little magic nuts.  Too many will wreck your fat loss goals and/or dramatically slow them.  (And, quite frankly, slowing them is not really the goal here……not many of us do well with slow results when trying to “eat right”.  This world is a “What have you done for me right now” kind of place when it comes to trying to fix your nutritional woes.  (Dare I say “Dieting”?)     And, I honestly believe in rushing as quickly as you can safely do (without loss of muscle mass) to your lean body goals and then working out what works for you for maintaining that lean body once you actually have it.)

Time for Dinner!  And, tonight, we were slated to dine on some Free Range Prime Beef and Sirloin cuts fashioned into the equivalent of “Hamburger” by the good folks at Grassy Pants Farms in Miller, Missouri.  If you are not eating Hamburgers these days, I suggest you re-think that decision.  I don’t know the last time my wife and I thought to cook hamburgers at home…until we first tried the burgers that are a result of starting with the Beef from the folks at Grassy Pants.  If you have been reading my blog, you know that I think it is the best stuff in the world.  So does my wife.  And, as a result, you are going to see it showing up on my evening meals quite a bit for the next 40 or 50 years.  Just like last time, I loaded my over-sized burger up with everything that came to my imagination:  Colby Jack Organic Cheese, Free Range Bacon, a little bit of Hellman’s Real Mayo, a big piece of Door to Door Organics Lettuce (to wrap around it as the “bun”), ……and, finally, ….Yes.  You guessed it.  Some fairly warm and melted Organic Peanut Butter over everything!  I just don’t know if there is anything better than the hamburger that went into my mouth.  And, no glycemic spike…….(read that:  nothing that will ever have a chance of making me fat)……in that burger’s contents!  Mmmmm.

I did have a very small bite of 70% Dark Chocolate just after dinner.  I don’t normally do that.  But, I wanted it.  And, when I want a “sweet bite”, I have dark chocolate.  There is not other health conscious option.  Let’s stick with 70% Dark Chocolate or higher.  Anything lower than that really isn’t doing much in the way of AntiOxidation…..and, without that health benefit, why are you eating that Chocolate in the first place?!

As you can see, I also had a bit of Smoked Salmon before heading for bed….and, a bite of Uncle Keith’s (my brother in law) Wild Venison Summer Sausage.  I wasn’t really dying for either thing.  But, I love them both.  And, I know that ingesting either one did nothing to change the angle of my belly to the floor.  If YOU are gonna feel the need to snack after dinner…….which I really don’t recommend…..let’s make sure those snacks are High Protein/Low Carb options such as the ones that I chose for my rare aberration of behavior tonight!

Off to Bed.  Another day of Eating What I Eat down the chute…………Over and Out!