Trainer Workout and Never Fail Recipe

I recently joined the Boston Sports Club, and tonight I had my fitness consultation with a trainer, Jenna. It wasn’t the fitness consultation I expected (with weighing in and measuring body fat, etc.) but Jenna was great at showing me some new exercises. My gym routine is verrrry simple. I run on the treadmill, I do bicep curls with 5 lb weights, and I do crunches. Not only has the routine gotten boring, but I feel like I am not getting in shape like I should. Jenna showed me some new arm exercises (the plank, chest pressed on a big ball, and shoulder presses while stepping up onto a tall step, to name a few). She also showed me how to do crunches on a workout ball; I never realized how much harder they are than normal crunches! It was great to be with someone who could show me some new tricks.

I have never been great at setting myself fitness goals (besides weight loss) so this year I have decided that I really want to get into shape. I’ve never been good at pushing myself, and now I want to learn how. My first goal: run 3 miles straight. The most I’ve ever run at once is a little over 2 miles, and I would really like to be able to run 3 and compete in a 5k either this spring or next fall. I feel like this goal will push me to really train and get in shape, and not just go to the gym just to, well, “go to the gym”. I will work on setting up a way to track my progress, so you all can see how I’m doing. Do you have any fitness goals for 2010?

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Tonight, amidst my spontaneous decision to paint our bedroom (with a chocolate brown accent wall), I had to make dinner!  I have only two or three never-fail recipes, which can also please a hungry man’s stomach. When I lived alone I ate much more simply (and much less meat!) but now that I live with Z I find myself making much more elaborate dinners every night, in conjunction with three times as much food! Does anyone else find that, living with a significant other, you have to buy not just double, but three times as many groceries? Today I made a recipe that would normally last me 3 – 4 days, and it barely lasted one! This is always a crowd pleaser, and so simple even I can’t mess it up 🙂

Spicy Turkey Burgers (adapted from 30 Minute Meals, though not the Rachel Ray one!)

Mix 1 lb ground turkey with 1 finely chopped onion, 4 T cilantro, 1/4 t cayanne pepper, salt, pepper, and one egg. Mush together into pattys and put in the fridge for 20 minutes to set.

Fry them in a frying pan or on a George Forman until they are cooked through. Serve with whatever you like! Tonight we ate them with sliced tomatos, avocado, and I made a mixture of ketchup and tobasco sauce that was a great yumventure. When in doubt, add something spicy!! Mexican flavors go well with cilantro.

I served mine on a piece of GF bread and some beans and baby carrots on the side. I love the fresh, clean flavors, and the low fat content in the ground turkey. Z ate 2 of them, and could have had a 3rd! He had a grapefruit instead 🙂

P.S. I must learn to take prettier pictures. This tasted better than it looks!