Back & Shoulder Basics

Can you really apply the scriptures to all aspects of your life?  Do the scriptures have anything to say about helping your body be more healthy and fit?  The ancient prophet Nephi says to "liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning"(1Nephi 19:23).  I will be bold in my attempt to liken the scriptures to health and fitness in this installment of:
Can Scripture Power Help Me Be Healthy?

I had a remarkable epiphany this summer and it all came about because of my shoulder injury.  Head-strong me, I separated my shoulder and bruised the heck out of my body on an ill-fated, death-defying zipline run.  After a month of ice and rest I could mostly move my arm around, but I still couldn't lift a gallon of milk.  It was time for physical therapy.

All the exercises at physical therapy focused on making sure I had good posture and that my back was strong.  My therapist taught me that when I engaged the muscles in my back (squeeze the shoulder blades down and together) it took all the pressure off the shoulder joint and gave my arms free range of motion. (I am happy to report that I can now do as many push-ups as I could before the injury:)

Check out how many muscles there are in your back.  We have a ton of muscle tissue to use to support our bodies.  The back muscles are larger and can be stronger than the arms muscles.  I know I fall into the trap in exercise  of focusing on arm work-- getting awesome guns for that amazing flex.  But biceps and triceps and (my) weak joint  can only do so much.  Our back muscles are designed to be strong to support our bodies and our limbs.



Now to the $64,000 question.  What do the scriptures say?  The Book of Mormon tells of a time when a group of people were captured by an enemy and forced into bondage.  In their labor and suffering they prayed to the Lord to deliver them.  The Lord in his wisdom did not immediately remove the burden, but strengthened the people that they could not feel the burdens on their backs.  "Yea the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease." (Mosiah 24:14-15)  I like easy work!

When we rely on the Lord he can strengthen us in ways we could never imagine.  When we rely on our "arm of flesh" to perform our labors (push-ups, pull-ups or any other exercise/work ) we increase our risk of injury and limit our potential.

God designed our bodies.  He knows how to best use them to accomplish his work.  So let the Lord strengthen your back, so your arms can do the work He has for you.

We want good posture for this exercise!

Need a ridiculous Back Exercise?

This exercise will encourage phenomenally good posture.  After mastering this simple exercise, apply the squeeze and push down principle to every activity you do.  You will be surprised how much more power and endurance you will have in your workouts, yard work or even house work.

Wax on!  Wax off

Wall of Hell: (it has this name for a reason)  Grab a towel or two and stand, with feet shoulder width apart, facing a wall.  Extend your arms so they are touching said wall at shoulder hight.  Lean slightly into your hands.  Squeeze your shoulder blades together and press them down your back.  Engage your abs and tuck your hips slightly forward. (This is my therapists definition of good posture.)

Circle the hands first clock wise for 30 seconds then counter clockwise for 30 seconds.  Connect with your inner Karate Kid-- wax on (30 seconds); wax off (30 seconds).
Start small and work up to 6 minutes of continuous circles.  Take a break when your form starts to deteriorate.  This exercise is all about developing good form.

Help Me Name a New Exercise

At our American Fork East Exercise Class we have some AMAZING instructors (I'm including me in that group:) Our Kick Boxing & Power Pump instructor, Adrienne, developed an awesome side plank exercise.  But it needs a name!



Here is how you do it:  Assume standard side plank position, by resting your forearm on the floor.  Using your core for support, lift your body off the floor.  Your spine should form a straight line from head to heels.

Good Plank Position

While holding a good plank position (don't let that hip sag),  bring your knee up towards your head and bring your elbow to meet the knee.  Crunch those ABS!  For a fun variation alternate bringing the elbow to the inside of the knee and then the outside.

Wow is that my six pack showing?  (Please say yes!?!)

What shall this move be called?  Plank Crunchers?  Plank with a side elbow twist?

What do you think?

Chocolate Zucchini Snack Cake

Is your garden (or kitchen counter) exploding with zucchini?  Mine's not.  Why?  I don't like zucchini.  I know, I know.  I live in Utah.  I have a garden.  How can I not LOVE all kinds of squash.  I don't.

Don't get me wrong-- in the right application zucchini is tolerable-- outright divine-- and I am on a quest to find AMAZING zucchini recipes.  If I like it.  The world ought to also.

Here is my current favorite:  Chocolate Zucchini Snack Cake-- Mine doesn't look quite so good.  I found the recipe in Healthy Homestyle desserts.  The author cut down the sugar, chocolate, oil and nuts to make it a healthier (from 500 calories per serving to 300)-- AND it is still DIVINE!

2 1/4 cups flour
1 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup buttermilk (or 1 tbsp vinegar enough milk to make 3/4 cup)
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 Tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 egg whites
2 cups grated zucchini
2/3 cup MINI chocolate chips (more bang for your calorie buck)-- divided
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (my family isn't huge on nuts so we leave them out sometimes)

Pre-heat the oven to 325.  Lightly coat a 9x13 pan in non-stick spray.

In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.

In a medium bowl combine buttermilk, applesauce, oil and vanilla.

Healthy Homestyle Desserts

In another large bowl (I know tons of dishes, but worth it!!!!)  Beat egg whites on high for one minute.  Add buttermilk mixture and beat until blended.

Combine egg white mixture with flour mixture and mix until just blended.  Stir in zucchini and 1/3 cup chocolate chips.  Pour batter into prepared 9x13.  Sprinkle remaining chocolate chips and nuts on the top.

Bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

Makes 12 GENEROUS servings.

Don't be afraid to double the recipe and freeze a couple batches.  It is great heated up in the dead of winter.

Happy Eating!

CTR for LIFE

In LDS culture, we teach our kids to CTR (Choose the Right) at a young age.  By 4 most kids have their first CTR ring, have colored a CTR coloring page and even sung a CTR song.  In teenage years we learn to poke fun at the seemingly cliche phrase saying "Choose the Rich"  or "Choose the Red (UTAH)" 

A couple years ago we wanted the Young Women (ages 12-18) to become more physically fit.  We challenged some 16 year olds to create a logo and theme to help motivate the girls.  Their theme astonished me: CTR!  Choose-- Train-- Run.  I have thought of this theme many times since they introduced it, and want to modify/elaborate on their brilliance.

When we have worthy goals in life we need to Commit-- Train-- and Race.  CTR!

Commit-   Making the decision to change can be the hardest part of the process.  Recognizing weaknesses and flaws can be brutal to one's self esteem.  I think the only constant in life is the need to improve-- to discard the habits that leave us (or those around us) miserable in favor of harder paths that lead to the joy of accomplishment.  Make the decision to trust, to change, to live a fuller life.

Train- Non-elite Ironman competitors spend 20+ hours per week for 3 or more months training for a one-time event that they hope to complete in 16 hours or less.  These competitors work HARD to prepare for the race.  Is training for life any less grueling?  Should we expect it to be?  Training for the virtue of patience will require a minimum of 20+ hours of patience exercises per week with intense sessions that push us to the limit.  We will fail in training-- but in failing we grow, improve and recognize our limitations.  Training is essential if we wish to run the race of life.

Race--  Our lives really do represent the agony, joy, exhilaration and eventual triumph of an Iron competition.  The race is long; fraught with unforeseen obstacles.  Flat tires hold us up; discouragement  dampens our mood; injury slows us down or forces us to abandon the race prematurely.  But conquer we do.  Even the attempt is glorious.




Have you noticed that most CTRs are mounted on a shield.  I like to think that the Lord carries a shield and has my back during the whole life/race process.  He wathces over us, guides us and gives us the mentors we need to succeed.  Our ultimate triumph will come as we return to Him and he welcomes us back with as much love and celebration as He can give.  No matter what slows us down in the race of life, He loves us!  And He cheers for us and is excited to see our progress and ultimate triumph.








I love to Choose the Right-- and I am excited to continue on my race.

Giving the Gift of SIX

As my exercise peeps will tell you, I am obsessed with flat abs.  I have been dreaming of regaining my six pack flat abs ever since baby #1 blessed my life.  A six pack hasn't magically appeared, but my stomach is flatter than it has been in years.

While I was hanging out at the Dr.'s office I read Healthy Utah magizine and tripped over an article called "the perfect ABS workout"  300 crunches every other day for smoking strong abs.  COUNT ME IN!

Here's the workout and some abs for inspiration:

30 Crunches
20 Bicycle Crunches
30 Toe Touches
20 Reverse Crunches

AB Inspiration

15 Side-Plank Hip lifts (r)
30 Crunches
15 Side-Plank Hip lifts (l)
40 Russian Twists


30 Bicycle Crunches
15 Oblique V-Ups (r)
20 Reverse Crunches
15 Oblique V-Ups (l)
10 Leg Lifts

Obviously, for this to work it must be in conjunction with healthy diet and balanced strength training and cardio work.  A great tan might help make things look better too.

Erica's Goal:  I want to give myself the gift of awesome abs (dreaming of Six) for Christmas.  We'll see how close I get.  Stay tuned.  In September, I'll show you my progress.

Finally -- Orange Chicken Mastered

Do you ever eat out and love a dinner and try to duplicate it at home.  Only to fail, and fail and FAIL AGAIN-- Sometimes in disasterous fashion.  Orange Chicken has been my nemesis for ages.  I love it in a restaurant, but every recipe I have tried from online just isn't right.

I am proud to say that FINALLY, I have mastered Orange Chicken-- and made it a smidge healthier in the process.  I reduced the sugar as much as possible, and I developed a technique that adds a tempoura dipped and fried feeling to baked chicken.  Over all YUMMY!

Erica's Orange Chicken
Marinate 1 lb chicken breast (cut into 1 inch cubes) in:
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sesame oil
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp sugar

For Tempura:
1/4 cup flour
1 egg white

3-5 cups cut veggies for stir fry (I do 4 ribs celery, 2 bell peppers, 4 green onion)
1 small can water chestnuts

Sauce:
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup orange juice (fresh is best)
2 Tbsp vinegar (I used cider vinegar)
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 cup chicken broth
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
ginger (my family hates ginger so we didn't have it in ours)
1 1/2 tsp orange zest

Marinate chicken for 30 minutes while you chop veggies and pre-heat the oven to 400.    Set aside veggies.  Drain marinade off chicken.  In a small bowl or zip bag, combine egg white and flour.   Add chicken and mix to coat evenly.  Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray.  Seperate chicken pieces and arrange on cookie sheet.  Bake chicken for 8-10 minutes until cooked through and golden brown.

Combine ingredients for sauce (reserve orange zest for the end)  in a seperate bowl mixing well to dissolve the cornstarch.  While chicken is baking, pull out your trusty wok and heat it to medium-high heat.  Add veggies and stir fry.  When veggies are crisp tender pour the sauce into the wok.  Add the cooked chicken.  Stir together; allow to cook over medium heat until sauce is thick and shiny.  Add Orange Zest NOW!   Serve over rice.

Feeds my family of 6 picky eaters

FYI:  My kids hate spice, so I put the pepper flakes on the table to add as desired to the meal.  Bill and I eat them. Kids forgo the pleasure.

Make ahead strategies:  You can marinate and cook the chicken ahead of time.  Chill the meat then freeze until the day you want to eat it.  The sauce can be made ahead of time and chilled or frozen.

Tough Mudder Fun

 Try this Tough Mudder workout.  Cardio Weight Intervals at 2:1.  Enjoy a 1 minute break after 9 minutes work.
RUN 2minutes

Spider Push-Up

Start in a high plank position and descend into a push-up. As you lower, bring your right knee to your right elbow. Return to high plank and repeat on the left side. Alternate sides and work up to mountain climbing speed. 1 minute

Jumping Jacks

Just like you did in elementary school. Only this time, only bring your arms down to your shoulders (not your hips) and all the way back up. We want to see your hands graze each other when they go up. 2 minutes

Tough Squat + Press

Holding a weight to your chest, stand with feet hip- distance apart with your toes, knees and hips in a straight line. Pull your belly button toward your spine and contract your abdominal muscles. Slowly lower your body, as though you are sitting in a chair (knees at 90-degree angles). Make sure your knees are BEHIND your toes. As you return to standing, press the weight over your head and return to starting position. 
Jump Rope

Start with single jumps and work up to Double Jumps 2 minutes

Slippery Mountain Climbers

Place your feet on two washcloths or a folded hand towel. Assume a high-plank position. Keeping your upper body still, pull BOTH legs in toward your chest at the same time and then push them back out to resume the plank position. Repeat these in-and-outs. 1 minute

A.F. East Olympic Workout

In honor of the Olympics, we did this crazy fun workout this week.  The goal is to max out your arms, legs, lungs and abs.  I didn't think I would be sore, but I was.  The best part was that we were done in 30 minutes or less.

Complete the following.  Allow heart rate to return to normal between events.

400 meter walk/run:

Push up (# completed in 1 minute)

Stair run (# completed in 1 minute)

Pull up (# completed in 1 minute)

Stair/Box Jump (# completed in 1 minute)

Sit ups (# completed in 2 minutes)

We recorded our time or how many reps we completed.  In a few weeks we will see how much we improved. 

For Crazy Tough People:  Complete the circuit 2-3 times.

(FYI my results 2:09,20real-15girl, 6, 10, 20, 53)

A.F. East Exercise Class Schedule

	Focus Area	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
July 23-27 Green	Recovery	Circuit Training Green	Zumba Yellow	Jazzercise Green	Power Pump- Adrienne	Zumba Yellow
July 30- August 3	Weight Base	Circuit Training Orange	Zumba Lime	Kick Boxing- Red	Power Pump- Erica Yellow-Orange	Zumba Yellow
August 6-10	Aerobic Base	Circuit Training Yellow	Zumba Orange	Jazzercise- Green	Power Pump- Camyll- Orange	Zumba Yellow
August 13-17	Weight Base	Circuit Training Orange	Zumba Green	Kick Boxing Yellow	Power Pump-Adrienne Orange	Zumba Green
August 20-24	Aerobic Base	Circuit Training Yellow	Zumba Orange	Jazzercise Yellow	Power Pump-Camyll Red	Zumba Yellow
August 27-31	Recovery	Circuit Training Lime	Zumba Yellow	Jazzercise Green	Power Pump-Adrienne Yellow	Zumba Lime
September 3-7	Endurance	Circuit Training Orange	Zumba Yellow-Orange	Kick Boxing Red	Power Pump-Camyll Orange	Zumba Yellow
September 10-14	Endurance	Circuit Training Red	Zumba Orange	Jazzercise Yellow	Power Pump-Adrienne Red	Zumba Yellow-Orange
September 17-21	Active Recovery	Circuit Training	Zumba	Kick Boxing	Power Pump Camyll	Zumba
September 24-28	Competitive	Circuit Training Red	Zumba Yellow-Orange	Jazzercise Yellow	Power Pump-Adrienne Red	Zumba Orange
October 1-5	Competitive	Circuit Training Orange	Zumba Red	Kick Boxing Orange	Power Pump-Camyll Red	Zumba Orange
October 8-12	Erica's Race TAPER!!!	Circuit Training green	Zumba Yellow	Kick Boxing Lime	Power Pump-Adrienne Lime	?????

Suggested Workout Intensity. LISTEN TO YOUR BODY!!! DO WHAT IS BEST FOR YOU!!!

Red- Very High Intensity- As hard as you can go as long as you can. Maximum Effort

Orange- High Intensity- Working Hard-- (Can't Talk Now)

Yellow- Aerobic Level – Heart rate is up, breathing fast, Short Sentences

Lime- Easy Work, Starting to sweat, Short Conversations

Green-- Very Light Work, Warm up, Cool Down Full Conversations

Exercise Class Reminders

Thanks for making our Stake Exercise Class a huge success. It is so much fun to teach an enthusiastic group. I hope you are having as much fun as I am. With the ever-increasing number of ladies coming to class I want to remind everyone of our governing values.

Respect-- Please help your children learn respect for the people exercising, the facilities we use and each other. Help them be aware of how their actions impact others. Throwing toys damages the facility, can hurt a child and injure an exerciser. Help your children show respect by cleaning up after themselves. The nurseries allow us to use their toys-- How Kind! Please be considerate-- let's limit the spread of disease as much as possible.

Accountability-- be responsible for your children. Watch over your kids; let them know when they are not showing respect for the people around them and not being safe. You need to know where your kids are and what they are doing always. Help them learn to be accountable for their actions.

Safety-- To help keep the women and kids safe (last Tuesday we had 30+ women exercising) we need to have NO kids running/walking across/around the gym. Children must stay in the overflow area. I would be heartbroken if a child was lost or stolen while wandering the halls (we have had a couple lost kids already this year) Absolutely no children are allowed on the stage during exercise class. Help your children remember to keep toys in the overflow area.

We are so lucky to have a Stake that allows us to have an exercise class. We need your help to keep it going! You guys rock my world!

Erica Miller