Her Wednesday Workout Tips: Got Coffee?

So last night was wonderful. My BFF from the 7th grade and I had a much needed dinner at her place. She did a great job with dinner, I wish I could have taken pictures but still no camera. She made Tilapia for me, because the hubby dosen’t eat fish so I rarely make it! I forgot how much I LOVE fish! This wasn’t just wany tilapia, this was Parmesan Crusted Tilapia. I must share the recipe with you all because it was just that good, and super easy!

Parmesan Crusted Tilapia

Ingredients

• 3-4 tilapia fillets, depending on size
• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs or crushed Ritz cracker
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• salt
• pepper
• garlic powder
• olive oil

Directions

1. Thaw and wash tilapia fillets if frozen. Pat dry on paper towels.
2. Combine crumbs, parmesan, Italian seasoning and garlic powder on a plate, mixing well. On a different plate, pour 1 tbsp lemon juice.
3. Working 1 at a time, place a fillet on the plate in the lemon juice, sprinkle with desired amount of kosher salt (be careful about how much salt is in your parmesan, crumbs, and other seasonings), black pepper, and garlic powder. Turn the fillet over in the lemon juice and sprinkle seasoning on the other side.
4. Dredge fillet in the parmesan mixture patting it all over to coat.
5. Place in an oiled baking dish, repeat with remaining fillets.
6. Sprinkle a little lemon juice over fillets and drizzle or spray them lightly with olive oil.
7. Bake at 425ºF for about 20 minutes or until they easily flake with a fork and edges are browning (you can sprinkle some more parmesan on top if desired). You can also bake these faster at 450ºF.

She also had some brown rice on the side, with a large fresh salad. We needed this time together so badly. We call ourselves best friends but rarely make time to see each other. Last night we came to the conclusion that we need to honor the BFF title, and I am going to my best to be a better best friend, because I cherish our friendship so very much! THANKS D!

MORNING RUN

Needless to say I got home at 11pm so getting up this morning was a killer! I am drinking my coffee right now and getting pumped for my morning run! I am doing a 6 minute test today. I have to run before and after of course to warm up and cool down, but I have to run as fast as I can for 6 minutes this is going to be very interesting.

Edited to add: just ran my 6 minute test at an average 6:26. How do the Olympians run that for 26.2 miles!!!!!   

I am getting excited about the Virtual 7 on  Feb 7, it kinda messes with my training plan a bit, because that day is supposed to be a rest day. I am going to run it like a race but not kill myself because I have a 14 mile run on Sunday, I am even questioning if I shoud do it at all? The last thing I need is an injury. What do you think, if I run a 7 mile race and then run 14 miles the next day???? I need some advice peeps!

HER WORKOUT TIPS

I am a big believer in having coffee 40-45 minutes before a run. Not only does it wake me up, but it get other things moving as well. I believe it’s a good idea to have some type of caffeine minutes prior to your workout. As long as you don’t go over 200 mg of caffeine a day, it can actually help you stabilize blood sugar, mobilize fat stores and heat up your metabolism. I know how it effects me, but here is what the doctor’s say:

Tips for athletes using caffeine

“For the most part many doctors do not support the use of caffeine in athletics. For those athletes who believe that caffeine can enhance their performance, there are a few tips that may prove useful maximizing their full potential. It is important that the athlete refrains from caffeine use 3-4 days before their competition. This allows for the tolerance levels of caffeine to decrease, thus making the body susceptible to caffeine when consumed. Also it is important for athletes to understand their caffeine limits. If you have never used caffeine for sporting enhancement, then you are unfamiliar with caffeine's affects on your body. Make sure that you have used caffeine in a variety of training conditions to understand your limitations. Also it is advantageous to ingest caffeine 2-3 hours before competition to ensure a peak of performance. Studies have shown that it takes several hours for caffeine to enter the body and exploit the use of fat, thus storing glycogen for endurance. All of these tips are essential in making the most of caffeine’s benefits in athletics.”(http://www.rice.edu/~jenky/sports/caffeine.html)

“A study involving 9 trained athletes set out to provide proof of caffeine's ability to work as an ergogenic aid before and during the workout. In this study involving a 2 hour cycle endurance test, Ivey et al. (1979) found that 250mg of caffeine 1hour before the test and another 250mg total divided in doses every 15 minutes during the test led to higher work output throughout the test(Dews, p.89) This study resulted in a 7 percent average increase in total output among the athletes. By consuming caffeine during high endurance activities, it is possible to increase the total output. “

Do any of you guys drink a bit of caffeine before a work out, what are you thoughts on this?

P.S. CONTEST REMINDER!!! If you haven’t already make sure to visit this post and leave a comment , to win a free Camelbak water bottle. Contest ends on TODAY February 4th at midnight pacific time!!!! ( and another contest is right around the corner!)