Red-Pepper & Garlic Shrimp Skewers recipe

This past weekend was all about my favourite snack in the world - SHRIMP.  I ran my furthest run of 12 miles and OH MY GOODNESS were my leg muscles tired.  In order to boost my recovery time, I had my fiance grill me up some.  While shrimp may be small in size, they are huge in terms of nutritional value and the health benefits they offer. 

• Reduce the risk of many types of cancer
• Boost your mood and decrease depression
• Help prevent anemia
• Reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, osteoporosis and Alzheimers disease
• Increase energy
• Promote healthy bones, teeth and gums
• Increase your HDL (good) cholesterol levels
• Boost your immune system
• Promote brain health 

2 pounds medium shrimp, deveined 
3 tablespoons olive oil 
4 garlic cloves, minced 
1 tablespoon minced flat-leafparsley 
2 teaspoons lemon zest 
¼ teaspoon crushed red-chili-pepper flakes 

In a large bowl, combine shrimp with all the ingredients, and toss to coat. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. While the shrimp is marinating, place wooden skewers in a bowl of water to soak. Preheat grill or a grill pan to medium-high heat. Thread a few shrimp onto each skewer. Cook about 3 minutes per side, until shrimp is cooked through.Serve these hot or cold.

Read more: Katie Lee Recipes - Cosmopolitan  

Nutritional Facts

Serving Size: 1 (60 g) Servings Per Recipe: 2 Amount Per Serving% Daily ValueCalories 152.3 Calories from Fat 12582%Total Fat 13.9 g21%Saturated Fat 1.9 g9%Cholesterol 45.3 mg15%Sodium 205.7 mg8%Total Carbohydrate 2.0 g0%Dietary Fiber 0.3 g1%Sugars 0.2 g0%Protein 5.2 g10%

Lunges, you know you love 'em!

"It burns so good!" I keep telling myself as I do these on my cross training days with the NTC APP. I used to dread doing them, but incorporating them w/my marathon training as helped a lot.  Lunges are a great way to boost your muscle and your speed.  The faster you run, the greater the range of motion in your stride, and the more you’ll rely on your glutes, hamstrings, and hip flexors.

Lunges are also practical because you can do them just about anywhere, and you can easily modify the lunge to suit your needs. You can add weights, perform more reps, increase the width of the lunge, or use a bench or declined surface to add variability to your practice.

Here are some lunge workouts that I do during my training.

Around The World Lunges

(love that it targets all key areas)

Alternating Forward Lunge to Shoulder Press

(def feel this one the next day ;) Gets quads toned and sculpts shoulders)

If you run, I highly encourage you to add lunges to your fitness routine. I would start with two sets of 10 lunges per leg. They are also a great conditioning exercise for downhill skiing, (ice/roller) skating and cross country. Yep, I think the everyone in the world could benefit from lunges!

First things first! It is always important to consult your physician before starting an exercise program. This is particularly true if any of the following apply to your current medical condition:

• chest pain or pain in the neck and/or arm
• shortness of breath
• a diagnosed heart condition
• joint and/or bone problems
• currently taking cardiac and/or blood pressure medications
• have not previously been physically active
• dizziness

If none of these apply to you, start gradually and sensibly. However, if you feel any of the physical symptoms listed above when you start your exercise program, contact your physician right away.

Where I'm at with 2 months to go...

I can't believe there is just 2 months to go until the Nike Women's Marathon! I will be among 25,000 participants ( the largest woman's marathon in the world).  From running on behalf of a loved one,  overcoming fears, taking on a new challenge or setting a new PR,  one thing we will all have in common is finding our own greatness and running for a great cause -  The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, funding blood cancer research education and patient services.

These past 2 weeks had me entering the double digit miles on my Saturday long runs.  Unfortunately though, the weather hasn't been so kind with on and off thunder storms, so I had to break up the 10 mile runs indoors on the treadmill - YUCK! Fortunately this Saturday looks promising with mild temps and clear skies :)

The long runs at first seemed daunting, but I've been able to break them up mentally ie) 1mi warm up, then two 4mi segments, then a 1mi cool down. 

I've also been running on various types of terrain from trails, sand and side-streets.  My cross training days have helped out a lot as well, lots of pulsing lunges and core workouts, making my body more efficient and stronger at running.

Here is a link of the route for the 1/2 marathon: Nike Women's half marathon map

The race will kick off in downtown San Francisco at Union Square and head through the financial district past the famous TransAmerica Building. It will then proceed along San Francisco Bay past Fisherman's Wharf, Aquatic Park, Ghirardelli Square, Fort Mason, and Marina Green while revealing breathtaking views of Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge. (def taking pictures :P)  The course then weaves through the Presidio and Sea Cliffs districts out to the Great Highway, through Golden Gate Park, and south toward Lake Merced, finishing just north of the Great Highway along the Pacific Ocean.

Just 2 months and I'll see 13.1, miles of beautiful San Francisco scenery flashing by, awesome spectators cheering for us at every mile, the famous chocolate mile where Ghiradelli chocolate is given freely to all runners, and that iconic little blue Tiffany's box containing the  finishers necklace handed to us on a silver platter by tuxedo clad firemen at the finish line.  And of course finally meeting the  #sistersinnike whom I've been training with via twitter  (residing from Alberta, Montana and California)  - we've been keeping each other in check over the past few months.  

This will def go down in my books as one of the most rewarding experience of my 20's!

Greatness Is Ours - Aug 12 make it your most active day EVER!

The Nike+ digital social media has over 8.5 million members around the world, and Nike has created a series of digital missions through Nike+ to motivate people, including a “Greatness is Ours” mission that aims to make August 12 the most active recorded day ever through Nike+.

Even if you don't have a Nike+ product this is a great opportunity to dust off your runners, get off that couch and get moving! Do anything from adding 10 extra reps to your workout, go out for a jog, Frisbee in the park or dancing the night away, whatever you do just give it your all. Know that you will be not be alone.  You can view the stats as we log in our NikeFuel and see what ppl all over the world are doing. #GAMEONWORLD GREATNESS IS OURS

Aug 12 is my rest day, but I'll be sure to participate and get moving by playing Dance Central on XBOX Kinect - I'll be sure to rack up some high numbers with my NikeFuel band. 

If you want to get in on the action and want to know more about what NikeFuel is check out this video:
What is NikeFuel? Join the game anytime you want and find your greatness!

NTC:Nike Training Club

I've been receiving lots of questions on what exactly is NTC is and how it works.  First things first, you'll need to own an iPhone/iTouch to download this amazing app. Nike has offered up NTC (Nike Training Club) as a free, ad-free, no excuses solution for newbies and fitness addicts alike.

Background of how it was created:

Marie Purvis is the mastermind (and body) behind the awesome NTC . She is an international trainer-of-trainers who has custom-built all of NTC’s full-body and targeted workouts. She has a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Physiology, with personal trainer certification, and a roster of clients that includes professional athletes and non-athletes of all ages.

It will be honour to run with and meet her at the NWM2012.

HOW IT WORKS: Select your goal and level, then choose from a list of workouts that meet your criteria.

 

 

Now it’s time for your workout! The exercises are listed out for you. If you don’t know what something is, you can click on it and it will take you through some photos or you can watch a video of how to perform the exercise.

This is a great feature. There’s basically no way you can not understand what an exercise is which is so helpful. 

The more workouts you do, the more rewards you get. Enough rewards unlock new workouts, or trainer advice, or smoothie recipes.  While you’re doing your workout, you can also pick music that you may have stored on your iPhone to be played while you’re exercising.

NTC is extremely intuitive, and I honestly still (after years of using) cannot believe this app cost me nothing. No workout video or application has ever held me so accountable for my own fitness level. NTC doesn’t let you make excuses. NTC doesn’t let you fudge your workout. It keeps your workouts, tracks  progress, and is your own personal cheerleader. I cannot say enough good things about this app.

If you have an iPhone or an iTouch and you’re wanting to get fitter without having to go to a gym, find and download the NTC app on iTunes and get exercising!