Starting the Week Off Right!

Today I made a trip to Whole Foods. I put together a very colorful, healthy salad. I recently started adding beets to my salad when I go to whole foods. They always have them right next to the radishes, which I love. They are really fun combination. The radish gives a little kick and the beet is just a little bit sweet.

Nutritional Benefits of the Beet:

• The pigment that gives the beet it's rich color is also a powerful cancer fighting agent.
• Helps lower cholesterol levels
• Beets contain betaine which helps lower inflammation. Chronic inflammation can be linked to heart disease, osteoporosis, cognitive decline and Alzheimer's, and type 2 diabetes.

How to Prepare Beets:

• Grate beets and serve in salad (that is how Whole Foods has them. Delicious!)
• Cut beets into chunks and add them to when roasting veggies in the oven.
  
• Marinate steamed beets with fresh lemon juice, olive oil and herbs.
  

I felt so great eating a big box full of colorful greens and veggies. Their roasted chicken is marvelous as well so it supplied some great protein. Of course a trip to Whole Foods isn't complete without stocking up on Larabars and almond butter. I think I'm good to go for at least a few days!

As most of you know from reading, I started giving myself a skill a month to work on leading up to regionals. I went through muscle ups, handstand push ups and double unders. All three things I improved on drastically by just concentrating on putting in a small amount of time most days of the week. Quality work pays off, even if it is a short amount of time! After watching the 2010 CrossFit Games this weekend I have decided on my next skill.

The Pistol.

What is a pistol you ask? A one legged squat. They are horrible and for some reason (aka lack of practice) I can't get the hang of them. I think my weekly yoga will help as my flexibility continues to increase. I'm committing to about 10 minutes of pistol practice at least five days a week for the next couple of weeks. I've already found some videos that go through some good progressions to help get the feel of it. I have to up my yoga to twice a week...

They threw pistols in at The Games. Watching the ladies bang those things out this weekend made me realize how far I really have to go in the next year if I want to make it in 2011. I knew I had a lot of work to do, but watching those ladies really impressed me. I have to kick it up about ten notches and then some.

What is your new goal for your nutrition or fitness?