Dragon Door – Episode #52 – Summit of Strength

Where Lifestyle Meets Hardstyle

“Stay tight and don’t get tired” Thanks Andrea DuCane for the great fit tip

A HUGE thanks and congrats to a well-deserving Dustin Rippetoe for Commrade of the Week (and Kenzie Rippetoe too!!)
Summit of Strength 2011 was another smashing succes. On the heels of passing my RKC II, Summit of Strength was the perfect dessert!

Become a Fan of Summit of Strength on Facebook NOW and miss out in 2012!

Be Well & Be Strong,
~HD

Quick & Easy Recipes and Tips

Whether your life has you chasing after kids, a job or just trying to keep it all together, can you really enjoy delicious healthy foods?

In short, YES!

Don’t be fooled, making a change to your eating habits is not like flipping light switch. Making positive healthy changes to your eating habits needs to be approached one step at a time. There is no magic formula for weight loss, bulking up, or toning up. We all differ genetically and need to learn how to listen to our bodies and how we respond to different foods. There is one secret that I will share with you though, that does work for everyone.

Eat Whole Food. Eat Plenty of Vegetables. Stay away from Processed Food and Sugar.

Here’s a Litmus Test: Take a look in your fridge and pantry and take inventory of ANYTHING, yes anything that is processed. If you are daring, throw it all out!

TIP #1
Make It Fun
1. Experiment with foods you may be unfamiliar, incorporate one new food into your diet each month. (I don’t mean try a new flavor pop tart for breakfast)
2. Take a trip to the Farmers market
3. Eat fruits and vegetables that are in season
4. Be Creative – with your grocery list

TIP #2
Plan Ahaed
1. Think about when you will be eating at home vs. when you will be eating out during the week. We all have obligations and even some of us have a social life:) so don’t deprive yourself, just plan for those moments when you may be challenged to eat healthy.
2. Buy whole fruits and vegetables each week and keep them in your fridge
3. Keep plenty of meats and vegetables in your freezer for back up
4. Pick one day to cook a couple of meats and have them available to take with you for lunch or pop in the microwave for dinner.
5. Cut up your vegetables have them ready to grab or cook up when you are hungry

Here is a sample grocery list for me each week:
- Fresh Broccoli
- Fresh Cauliflower
- 1 large bag of Carrots
- Lots of peppers all varieties
- Whole Onions, Green Onions
- (2) Whole Chickens – this should last me 1-2 weeks
- 4 lbs grassfed ground lamb or veal (again, this should last about 1-2 weeks)
- Farm Fresh Eggs
- Pastured Sausage
- A Big bag of Spinach or Mixed Greens for salads
- Hearts of Palm or Artichokes
- Olive Oil
- All Natural Peanut Butter
- 1 Gallon Raw Milk (If you are not drinking whole raw milk, I recommend almond milk or goat’s milk, more on this in a later blog post)
- All Natural Cottage Cheese
- Blueberries / Raspberries / Blackberries (or whatever is in season)
- Raw Almonds or Cashews or Walnuts
- Feta Cheese / Blue Cheese

Click Below for a copy of the Groumet Nutrition Cookbook (a must have for any kitchen)

Gourmet Nutrition
The Cookbook for the Fit Food Lover
Riced Cauliflower
We love this one! You can make a lot at once and eat on it all week. Plus it will give you the illusion of eating rice or coucous without adding up on the carbs.

1. Coarsely chop your cauliflower and place in a microwave safe dish cover and microwave for 1 minute or until cauliflower is a little soft. Not cooked just a little soft.
2. Place the cauliflower in a food processor with an S-blade until coarsely chopped in to little pellets (should look like couscous).
3. Set aside the cauliflower
4. Sauté onions, peppers and spices in the skillet with olive oil or butter
5. Slowly add in the cauliflower to the sautéed vegetables and cooked until heated thoroughly.
6. Optional add ins: Pine Nuts, Feta or Blue Cheese,

Thai Ground Beef (you can sub chicken)
1 lb extra lean ground beef (96%) – we also substitute ground lamb, ground veal or shredded chicken – all are great options
1/3 head cabbage; shredded (about 3 cups)
1 carrot; sliced
1 medium green pepper; cut into 1 inch cubes
1 small onion; cut into 1 inch cubes
2 tbsp peanut sauce
salt, pepper, and chili powder (to taste)
Fry ground beef in skillet with olive oil cooking spray over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until browned. Add the cabbage, carrot, green pepper, and oinion and cook for another 5 mintues, stirring frequently. After vegetables have browned add the peanut sauce and spices. Serve Warm.
HINT: This calls for 1 lb of ground beef, if you cook it using 2 lbs of ground beef and double the rest of the ingredients, you can put in tupperware and save for meals during the week. REALLY YOU CAN DO THIS WITH ALL THE RECEIPES

Peanut Butter and Jelly Cheesecake
- ½ cup of all Natual Cottage Cheese
- 1 T of All Natural Peanut Butter
- ½ cup of blueberries, raspberries or blackberries (fresh peaches can work too)
- Optional: Add a little Cinnamon
Mix together and it tastes like a peanut butter and Jelly cheesecake!

Keep your portions reasonable, enjoy whole, fresh foods, eat often throughout the day.
To learn more healthy habits, go to Precision Nutrition
Enjoy!

Press Release: Tennessee Kettlebell Wraps Up Summer Challenge 2011

Putting its own spin on the popular fitness challenge, Tennessee Kettlebell hosted their first ever Body Transformation Challenge starting on June 20th

Hosted by TENNESSEE KETTLEBELL, the SUMMER CHALLENGE 2011 gave our clients and challenge participants a competitive atmosphere to get healthy for the summer.

The SUMMER CHALLENGE 2011 began on June 20th and concluded on July 16th. We opened up the challenge to non-members for a nominal fee to participate for a duration of 5 weeks. In the challenge we incorporated challenging workouts and guided participants to develop positive nutrition habits.

“Developing a habit takes about 21 days, and during the length of the challenge we hoped to impact the way our participants think about not only exercising but their food choices as well to make positive changes in their lifestyle, long-term.” says Kristen McBryde of Tennessee Kettlebell

“The Summer Challenge at TNKB was motivating, effective and most importantly, fun! Kristen and Matt have a lovely way of pushing you beyond what you feel are your limits, resulting in increased confidence and motivation. The key learning for me during the challenge was the importance of nutrition, which TNKB is highly focused on” stated Nan Belote of Nashville, TN.

Geoff Skene, the onsite massage therapist of GS Massage participated in the challenge states “It really is simple, just buy foods that are compliant and eat from your own fridge” Geoff lost a total of 7 inches during the challenge.

By paying to enter the challenge the participants received 2-4 group exercise classes a week, take home or travel workout routines and 5 daily nutrition habits to follow. Teams were formed to help keep our participants accountable to achieving their goals. “By providing our knowledge of program design and a team to provide accountability, we saw this as a winning combination.” says Kristen McBryde. They tracked their nutrition compliance and workouts on a weekly basis. Measurements were taken at week 1, week 3 and week 5. Our total challenge measurement change from week 1 to week 5 was a total of 67 inches among 24 participants. That’s over 2 inches per person!

Tennessee Kettlebell will follow up the Summer Challenge 2011 with our first ever Body Balance Transformation this fall.

ABOUT TENNESSEE KETTLEBELL
Tennessee Kettlebell is a fitness studio located in Brentwood, TN whose mission is to help their clients move better, feel better and look better with the improvement of mobility, stability and strength. Tennessee Kettlebell provides group classes and personal training using the kettlebell as a tool to improve movement quality for their clients. The facility is the largest indoor and outdoor Kettlebell training location in Middle Tennessee. The instructors are certified from the RKC, the leading certification for kettlebell instruction in the United States. They also hold CK-FMS certifications as Functional Movement Specialists. Their specialty is providing the leading program design, accountability and support systems proven to help any client reach any goal.