Follow My Fitsteps

Hi friends

I hope you had a lovely weekend.

Mine has been so busy!  Friday marked the launch of not only the new Les Mills choreography, but also one of my big projects of the last few months, grouPTraining45.  It’s a combination of small group personal training and group fitness, to give participants unique workout experience!  Pretty cool, eh?

Friday
I woke up bright and early and bundled up to take Zoey on a nice walk before heading to work.  I really wanted a smoothie for breakfast, but I was freezing, so ended up making oatmeal.  This tasted amazing…similar to apple crisp!

I chopped a small apple, combined it with about 1 tsp. of raw honey and 1/4 cup of water, and microwaved it for 2-minutes.  I added 1/2 cup of oats and about 1/2 cup of additional water, plus a hefty dose of cinnamon, and cooked it for another 3-minutes.  Topped with a sprinkling of sliced, toasted almonds.

***

I trained a client, did a bunch of work, then ran back home to eat lunch and go through BodyPump choreography.  Colin was asleep on the couch (he pulled an all-nighter on Thursday night), so I popped in my headphones and tried my best not to wake him as I practiced in the kitchen

I got changed then headed back to the gym to film some video of our first grouPTraining class demo and then teach class.  I had tracks 1 (warm-up), 4 (back), 7 (lunges), and 10 (cool-down) and they all seemed to go really well.  This release is a doozy!

I had another client after class, then headed home for dinner…pizza dinner, that is.

And not just any pizza.  This is socca pizza.  Basically, I halved the recipe linked here and reduced the oil to about 2 tsp.  I cooked it in a nonstick skillet for about 5-minutes then popped it under the broiler.  It made a delicious crust alternative and was loaded with protein and fiber!  When it was slightly cool, I topped it with sauce, mozzarella, and fresh basil and put it back under the broiler until the cheese melted.

Saturday

Yesterday I sat my alarm for 6am (ugh!) so I could be to the gym early and set up for my grouPTraining45 demo.

Breakfast:

[1 egg/2 whites scrambled with spinach and 2 slices of millet/chia bread with a smidge of organic butter]

I pulled out ropes, kettlebells, sandbags, and BOSUs and put my participants through a good, tough workout.  A few people commented when it was all over that “it was one of the best workouts I’ve ever done”.  I’ll take it!

After class I ended up taking pump, even though I did it the night before, because there were some open slots.  I also wanted all the practice I could get with this release because I need to learn a few more tracks down pat before I teach solo.  By the end, I had very tired muscles

***

In the afternoon Colin and I ventured out on a few errands, met up with some friends, then grabbed dinner and a movie to-go style.

Salmon salad!  This is my absolute favorite combo:  perfectly grilled salmon, roasted red peppers, black beans, pico, cilantro, and mixed greens.  With chipotle dressing on the side.  YUM!

Sunday

After a fantastic night sleep, I fixed some breakfast before heading to the gym for day 3 of launch.

Pancakes!

I tried a recipe using almond flour (tweaked a bit) and it turned out great!  I just did a google search on almond flour pancakes and an overwhelming amount came up…so I rolled with it.

Blueberry Almond Flour Pancakes
·1 egg
·1 egg white
·1/2 cup almond flour
·1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
·1 tsp. coconut oil
·2 tsp. raw honey
·1/4 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Combine all ingredients and mix well.  Let stand 10-minutes.  Preheat griddle to 350°.  Melt coconut oil.  Pour batter onto hot griddle and top with berries.  Cook 4-minutes, flip, and cook 3-4 additional.  Drizzle with honey.

***

I got to the gym in time to get my workout on before helping coach the last of our grouPTraining demos.  I hopped on a treadmill and pounded out a little under 7-miles in about an hour.  It felt fantastic!  The only thing missing was my running buddy who I’m sure was busy snuggling her new little one.

Our third and final demo went extremely well!  I sighed a huge sigh of relief then headed home to eat some lunch.

[black beans, quinoa, salsa + an unpictured pear]

I spent the afternoon doing some work, cooking, and homework.  I suppose it’s homework time

Have a great night!

*TIP TIME*
If your gym offers free programs or classes, sign up!  Instructors and trainers LOVE having full classes and a chance to connect with new people.

Question:  What was the highlight of your weekend?

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Hi!

Sorry for the lack of posting last night, but I was running around like a chicken with it’s head cut off.  In fact, I was in quite the tizzy all day because early in the morning I found out that Lauren was in labor!  That’s right, she had her (perfect) baby boy nearly 10-days early.

Backing up a bit…

In the morning I had a great workout, followed by a full day of work, and three training appointments.  It was a looooong day!

For the workout portion, I met Elisa for a good, sweaty strength session.

Here’s what we did:

Full-Body Superset Circuit
1a.  15 Incline Chest Fly w/ 15# dumbbells
1b.  15 BOSU Pushups (blue side down)

2a.  25 TRX Jumping Squats
2b.  15 Kettlebell Squat Overs

3a.  15 TRX Rows
3b.  15 Reverse Flyes w/ 15# dumbbells

4a.  12 Walking Lunges (each leg) w/ 10# dumbbells overhead
4b.  15 Curtsey Lunges (each leg) w/ 15# dumbbells

5a.  15 Hammer Curls on BOSU w/ 12.5# dumbbells
5b.  12 Low Cable Curls on 25# setting

6a.  12 Side Lunges and Knee Lift (each leg) w/ 35# bar
6b.  25 Lateral Band Walks

7a.  15 TRX Tricep Extensions
7b.  10 Tricep Dips (each way) w/ leg elevated

8a.  15 TRX “Ys”
8b.  10 Plank Ups (each arm)

I finished with a brisk 15-minute walk on the treadmill and called it good.

Lunch:

So simple, yet so delicious and satisfying!

Over lunch I had a great conversation with a fellow trainer, Lisa, about simplicity of food.  We were actually talking about the Paleo diet and that we both like the concept (if you’re not familiar, it’s all about eating real food as our ancestors did) but agreed that the rigidity associated with eliminating specific food groups (no grains, legumes, dairy) is a recipe to be unsuccessful in the long-term.

I started thinking about my food and how I feel the most balanced and healthy when I’m eating foods with few ingredients.

For example:

Ingredients:  pear.

Ingredients:  steel cut oatmeal.

Ingredients:  Eggs.

Okay…enough of that

***

This morning I headed to the gym bright and early to train my small group.  I planned the time right after to workout, but I was NOT feeling motivated at all.  I told myself “just do 30-minutes”, and hopped on a treadmill.  Of course, that’s the oldest trick in the book…I always end up doing more once I’m in motion!

I had an awesome run.

30-60-90 Revamped

2 min walk @ 4.5 mph
2 min jog @ 6.0 mph
6 min run @ 6.7 mph
30-sec run @ 9.0 mph
30-sec jog @ 6.5 mph
60-sec run @ 8.2 mph
60-sec jog @ 6.5 mph
90-sec run @ 7.5 mph
90-sec jog @ 6.5 mph
repeat bold intervals 7 times
2-min jog @ 6.0 mph
1-min walk @ 4.5 mph

I listened to my BodyPump music the whole time and it actually went really fast (considering I was sans running partner!).  Tomorrow night I am launching the new pump choreography with my team and I’m getting nervous excited…I hope it all goes well!

I ran home to clean up, get some work done, head to a meeting, then snuggle the baby, and finally to class.

Lauren asked me to bring her a smoothie, so I packed up a classic for the two of them, and enjoyed a smoothie snack of my own:

***

Class #2 (health behavior modification) seems good, though I think it will be a LOT of work.  We have quite a few readings and two big papers on the syllabus!  Luckily it’s in an area I kinda like

Okay, I’m off to give my pup some attention and tuck in early.  I’m tired!

*TIP TIME*
Try to eat a good portion of foods with only one ingredient.  This will ensure you are eating plenty of quality, healthy food!

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