2014 March Challenge!!!

I know I'm a slacker and it's already March 1st and I haven't posted March's challenge yet, so this post will be short and sweet. 

Seeing as we're (hopefully) going to be shedding those extra layers soon, and we all have the beach and bikinis in our minds....March's challenge is......

CRUNCHES!!!! 

Let's work on those abs so we're all ready to strap those bathing suits on in a few months. 

This doesn't have to be too strict, do your crunches however you'd like: full sit-ups, bicycle crunch, or any variation of crunch. Even better to switch it up and work all those muscles of the stomach because there are quite a few. Add some oblique work in as wel!! (If you need any ideas, of course just feel free to ask me! I'm happy to give ideas!!) As long as you're getting in the equivalent of 65 a day or 455 a week that's all that matters. 

One thing I of course have to mention is to remind you that "rock-hard-6-pack-abs" mean NOTHING without eating properly. You've probably heard the term "abs are made in the kitchen", well it's true. That also means to make sure you're eating healthy while we're working our abs. 

So March kind of entails 3 things, "spot training" on our abs, healthy eating, and then of course cardio, all three together are key to a fantastic bikini ready stomach! 

Happy crunching!!!!!

2014 February's Challenge!!

So, I've been doing this Commit 30 program with my Corefitness group, to get myself back where I know I can and should be. Healthy eating, intense workouts...all that fun stuff. I attempted the Whole 30 Challenge - it's a Paleo cooking/eating challenge for 30 days, and I'm 2 weeks in. To be honest, I have cheated. I'm not a fan of limiting anything from your diet, especially carbs and cheese from mine - I fully believe in 'everything in moderation'. So what I have been doing is SEVERLY limiting carbs and cheese, I eat them maybe once a week on a cheat day (a day I got a fantastic workout in, don't forget that!). Otherwise, everything I cook or eat is done Paleo. I've really developed a knack for cooking yummy dishes even though they are Paleo, just ask my fiancée!  It's also forced me to eat more of, and try new veggies! I've discovered I LOVE Brussels Sprouts! Who knew? I will be posting some of my favorite Paleo recipes I've done so far, Artichoke Pesto Chicken "Pasta", Turkey Meatballs and sauce (which my fiancée said was the best pasta and meatballs he's ever had, he's not following Paleo so he got to eat real pasta with it 😢) and many more.  

But anyway, onto why I'm really here!

We're almost to the end of January! How has everyone done with their jumping jacks? I have been doing them by the week, and I plan on doing all 488 today just to get them done so I'm ready to move on to February's challenge starting Saturday!

I hope you have all stayed motivated this month. It's probably the easiest month of the year to stay motivated with everyone and their "New Years resolutions". But don't quit once February comes! Stay on track, stay motivated, and most of all have fun, because that's what it's really all about. 

If you saw my teaser, February's challenge is some Glute fun! Hopefully by March, the weather will start getting nicer, and we'll all be out of our sweatpants and extra layers, so we need to make sure we have some rockin' butts to show off!

So for February, we're going to do donkey kicks! Below is a how-to video should anyone have any questions. But the basic breakdown per day, or per week is a little different than January since we have a couple less days. If you want to do them everyday, it comes out to 72 per day, or just make sure you get in 504 every week. (This is per leg! Not total! So yes, you will be doing 2,014 kicks on each leg by the end of the month!)

With donkey kicks, as you'll see in the video, I really like to stick to 50-100 at a time, so what I suggest is adding them into your regular workout routine. Pick a few of your favorite exercises, and do a few rounds, and add 50-100 donkey kicks (each leg, remember!) each round. You'll have done 2,014 in no time! 

As always, feel free to comment with any questions or issues. 

Happy kicking!

http://youtu.be/1C-yngZmRKA

2014 Monthly Challenge: January's Challenge - Jumping Jacks

Happy New Year all!!! Hope everyone had a safe and happy new year! I'm back with a new year and a new me!! I've received my personal trainer certification, but more on that later when I have more time.  Right now, being January 1st, I want to tell you about my new challenge; my 2014 monthly challenge. Each month, I will pick a different exercise in which we will do 2,014 reps.  1 exercise, 2,014 reps, 30 or 31 days, (and 28 in February!) Each exercise will average about 65-67 reps a day depending on the month, to equal 2,014 per month.  You can do them however you like, 100 a day, 500 a week, 130 a day with 2 days rest, etc.  It's up to you however you would like to get them in!!

We're going to start simple, and progress through the year, with each month becoming more challenging, mixing in cardio, arms, abs, etc.  For January, we're going to start with jumping jacks.  Just a simple jumping jack, low impact if you need, and it averages out to 65 a day....65 jumping jacks a day is nothing! It's less than 2 minutes out of your day! You can totally do that!!

So let's get started! Each month I will post a video of the exercise (I'll try to post a few days before the end of the month) so you know what to expect! Below is the jumping jack video, check it out, and always feel free to contact me with any questions, problems, or modifications.

Have fun, good luck, and happy jacking!!

Phitness Phoodie, AKA Lindsey

http://youtu.be/PVntzWEwXyw

Jillian Michaels 25 Minute Body Shred

If you follow me on instagram, you may have seen a Jillian Michaels workout that I posted a few weeks ago.  I said I was going to do an in-depth blog post on the workout, and I’m finally doing it.

For those of you who know Jillian Michaels, you know she doesn’t mess around.  For those who don’t, I highly suggest getting to know her; she will kick your butt so hard without even having to leave your house.  Her workouts are good for when you’re short on time and/or can’t leave your house.  This is a workout I saw in a magazine that is a quick 25 minute, high intensity, all over body workout.  It follows her other workouts in the circuit sense.  Except it's only 3 circuits, repeated 3 times.  I’ve actually added a little more to this, because for some reason I thought it could use a little extra!

I use my Gym Boss app for this that I’ve talked about before (my new HIIT app for those who have Droids. – Side note, I think HIIT is available on iPhone now, but I already have everything saved in Gym Boss so I don’t want to switch back – they’re both great though.) This workout is broken down into 3 circuits, the first circuit, Strength, is 3 minutes; the second, Cardio, is 2 minutes; and the third, Core, is 1 minute.  Although I added an extra minute of core in, cause I feel like you never work your core too much.  One round is only 7 minutes!  C’mon, everyone has time for that!  Do it 3 times through, and it only takes 25 minutes (I put 10 second breaks in between so I can grab dumbbells, get set etc.)

The first circuit, Strength, uses dumbbells.  If you’ve done a JM video, some of these moves will be familiar to you.  This circuit is going to be 3 moves, 30 seconds each, repeated twice. 
The first move is a Dumbbell Row in Crescent position.  She does this pose in her No More Trouble Zones video.  It’s a very deep lunge, keeping your back leg straight and locked.  Front leg bent at a 90° angle.  Hinge your torso forward slightly from your hips.  The starting position will be holding your arms straight down in front of you by your knee, then drive them up towards your ribs, palms in, squeezing your shoulder blades.  Maintain your lunge position with the dumbbell rows for the full 30 seconds.  Switch legs on the 2^nd time through.
The second move is and Alternating Side Lunge with reverse fly.  This is just exactly what it sounds like.  Start with legs together, arms in front of your body, palms facing each other.  Lunge to one side, hinging your body forward so your back is parallel to the ground, arms directly below chest.  (It is very important that you keep good form here, do not rush through it.)  Extend your arms out to the side at shoulder height.  Return to start position and switch sides.  Just go back and forth for 30 seconds.
The third move is a Dive Bomber.  Put your dumbbells down for this move.  This move is kind of like downward dog, a plank and a pushup all thrown together.  Start on your mat in a plank position.  Lift up into a downward dog position.  (For those who aren’t familiar, you want to lift your hips so your body forms an inverted V and your feet are as flat on the ground as you can get them.)  Slowly bend your elbows and lower your chest towards the floor.  In one fluid movement, push onto your palms as you thrust your chest forward, then upward as you lower your hips to the floor, straightening your arms and balancing on the balls of your fit.  You don’t want to be lying on the ground.  Reverse back to start position and that is one rep.
Now repeat that circuit one more time for a total of 3 minutes and move onto the next circuit!

The next circuit is cardio.  Only 2 minutes of this, but since it’s quick, the moves are more intense. You’re going to do 2 moves, for 30 seconds each, repeated twice.
The first move is single leg mountain climbers.  You’re going to start like you would with normal mountain climbers.  Plant position, body straight.  Pull one knee in to your chest and keep your other leg straight back.  Hop your straight leg back and forth like you would with normal mountain climbers, keeping your other leg bent into your chest.  Repeat with other leg bent 2^nd time through.
The second move is a jump squat jumping jack.  Start with your feet together, jump out into a deep squat, touch the floor with one hand, keeping the other arm above your head.  Jump back to start position and repeat switching arms.
Repeat those 2 moves each twice for 30 seconds each for 2 minutes total.

The third circuit is Core.  You will need your dumbbells for one of these moves, so keep them on the floor by your side.
The first move is a chest fly in a Hollow Man position.  For the hollow man position, lie on your back and bring your shoulders and legs off the ground at about a 45° angle.  Hold that position.  Take a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing up, and bring them together straight above your chest.  Slowly lower down until they’re almost touching the floor.  Repeat that motion.
The second move is a windshield wiper.  This is one of my favorite ab moves, targeting abs and obliques.  In the same position lying on your back, raise your legs straight up, arms out straight at your shoulders.  Keeping your body as still as possible while dropping your legs to the right as close to the floor as possible.  Come back to start position and lower to the left.  Repeat.
I repeat that circuit twice because a little extra core never hurt anyone. 

 Now if you do that workout with no rest in between, you will feel it.  It gets your heart rate up, combines strength, cardio and core for an allover workout; and it takes less than a half hour!  I like to put about 10 seconds in between the moves, just so I have time to switch to the next one, for example grabbing  the dumbbells and lying down on the mat.  I like to time myself like that so I don’t take longer breaks than needed; because the quicker you get through it (with correct form!) the better it works.  I’ll attach a picture of my app so you know what I mean.

 

Ok, so you now have no excuse not to work out, so get moving!

If you need any clarifications or modifications or have any questions please ask!

Also, here is a picture of the workout for further clarification.

(Please excuse the format, I had to convert it from a PDF, but it goes in order.  Top left is the first 2 moves of the first circuit, top right is the Dive Bomber, and the bottom is the cardio and core moves)

Cod Filet over Mushroom Risotto topped with Kale Pesto

Ok, so if you follow me on Instagram you probably saw my dinner the other night – cod fillet with mushroom risotto and a kale pesto.  And if you don’t follow me on instagram then what are you waiting for! Follow me @PhitnessPhoodie!

For those that didn’t see, here’s a picture.

 

MMM MMM look at that deliciousness. 

So this recipe came to me for a few reasons.  My fiancée loves mushrooms, and I do not.  I don’t mind the flavor, I just don’t like eating actual mushrooms.  So I decided to make a mushroom risotto.  I sautéed the mushrooms then removed most of them from the pan (I left in a few for him since he loves them) and pureed them up to add to the risotto so I would get that mushroom flavor (and the health benefits) but not have to actually eat whole mushrooms.

Then I was thinking I wanted to do something with kale.  Kale is a super food in case you didn’t know.  Amazing health benefits, lots of vitamins, low in calories, high in protein etc.  I have been trying to eat more kale but have yet to find a recipe I like, so I thought I’d make a pesto with it.  Pesto is always good; and let’s face it, if you add garlic and parmesan cheese to just about anything it will taste good.

And for those wondering, the meal was only about 350-400 calories!!  (All depending on size of the piece of cod you have.)  Another thing that’s great too is the cod has about 30+ grams of protein!  That will keep you full all night so you’re not reaching for the ice cream! 

Ok, Ok, I know, you’re just drooling now wondering how to make it…well, its super easy, and I’ll tell you how!

For those who haven’t made risotto before, it seems like it would be hard, but it’s really not AT ALL.  It’s super easy; it just takes time and a little patience.  I like to make it as I’m cooking and prepping other things so I don’t feel like I’m just waiting for it.

Here’s what you will need:

Risotto:

Mushrooms chopped

1 small onion (or more if you like, I do!) diced

2-4 cloves of garlic (depending on your garlic preference, I like a lot!)

1 cup of Arborio rice

3-3 ½ cups of broth – you’re choice here; you can use veggie and make the risotto completely vegetarian, or use chicken or beef too.  You can also use half water, half stock if you want to make the stock go a little further

½ cup Dry white wine 

Kale Pesto:

Kale – I didn’t need to make too much, so I used about 5 stalks (tough stems removed!) and I have extra pesto

Toasted pine nuts and/or pepita seed (pumpkin seeds) – I had pumpkin seeds left over from another recipe so I used them!  Toast them up a little before putting in the food processor

2 garlic cloves

Parmesan cheese – about ¼ cup or so….just eyeball what looks good

Olive oil

Salt and pepper 

Cod:

Cod fillets

Salt and pepper 

Ok, so to start you need to put the stock on the burner and keep it warm.  Don’t bring it to a boil; just keep it on low to stay warm. 

Then chop up the mushrooms.  You’re going to puree them so the size doesn’t matter too much, if you want to leave them whole in the risotto then I’d cut them into bit size pieces.

Sautee those with a little olive oil until brown and starting to get caramelized.  Here’s where I pulled most of them out and only left a few in.  Do whatever you’d like here.  The ones you pull out put in the food processor. 

Add a little more olive oil to the pan and the diced onions.  Let them sweat out a little, maybe about 5-10 minutes, and add the garlic.  When the garlic is fragrant, add the rice to toast for a minute or 2.  Deglaze the pan with the wine.

Now the secret to risotto is you kind of have to be stirring constantly, or at least keeping an eye on it so that the liquid doesn’t get completely absorbed and the rice sticking to the pan.  So, when you see that the wine liquid is mostly gone, you can start adding your stock.  Use a ladle and add between 1-3 ladle-fulls at a time to the risotto.  Stirring frequently, let that reduce down until the liquid is absorbed (should take about 4-7 minutes).  Keep doing that until you’re stock is gone – it will probably take you 3-4 times of adding the stock.

Now like I said the great thing about this is you can do other things!  Puree your mushrooms, season your filet, and make your pesto. And it doesn’t matter what order you do this in.  Your cod filet will only take about 4 minutes on each side, so I would make sure you’re putting that in the pan when you add the last of the liquid to the risotto.

So with the mushrooms, I put in a little olive oil to help them mix up, just a little splash, and puree!  Reserve in a bowl.  Now on the kale!

This is very simple too.  Toast up your pine nuts/pepita seeds a little.  Add all your ingredients into the food processor, and voilà, that’s it!  Little side note: I always start with less olive oil because you can always add more, but you can’t take it out.  Same with salt and pepper.   It doesn’t need to be super smooth, it will have a little texture to it from the cheese and the seeds, but make sure it’s a paste – do a little quality control test (taste test) and adjust as needed!  What I also did was put it in a small pan to heat a little – on low, (while your fish is cooking.)

Look how awesome of a cook you are!

When you’re ready to drop the cod – make sure you have seasoned both sides with salt and pepper, and a little olive oil – use a not stick pan and sear!  Cod is very flaky, so don’t worry if it’s falling apart a little bit (you honestly should have seen mine), but it will still taste delicious!

When you’re finished, plate the risotto.  Place the cod on top, and top it with your pesto…..

AND ENJOY!!

How easy was that?  Super simple, super healthy, and SUPER delicious.

I hope you try it and enjoy it.  If you have any questions or comments please let me know!

Happy Cooking!

Stay away from "traditional cardio"

OK, so I've been busy and I know I haven't been posting that much, but I promise that will change.
I am starting a month long "shred" to get ready for my cruise in June.  I plan to do some posts on that, what my daily meals/calories look like, some recipes for healthy delicious dinners (think cod filet's with a mushroom risotto...yummm) but for now onto this post.

I always say to stay away from traditional cardio - meaning the treadmills, stationary bikes and ellipticals.  Unless you want to be a runner, running for an extended period of time is not the best exercise for fat loss.  Adding in some spurts of sprints, or adding 10-20 minutes in addition to your workout will help, but whatever you do, do not spend an hour on those machines, you're just wasting your time.

That's all I' m going to say on that topic, and I will point you in the direction of some more in depth information on why, and other workouts that are better from Mike Geary.  Plus, you can check out some of the previous workouts I have posted on here for some better ideas too.

Check out this article:
The #1 worst workout

Here is the post word for word, but I suggest clicking the link for some extra info.

Work hard and keep moving people!

The worst workout of the year?

What is the #1 worst workout if you want fat loss results?

...CARDIO!

That's right, long boring cardio is officially the WORST workout of the year.

Why?

Well first, it's boring. I mean, who actually enjoys sitting on an exercise bike or running on a treadmill for 45 minutes? Not many people.

But much more important than that, it fails to produce fat loss RESULTS. Are there health benefits? Sure. But you can get those same health benefits (and more) with much shorter, much more exciting, and invigorating workouts. More on that in a minute...

But first, here's what research has to say about cardio:

Utter AC, et al. Influence of diet and/or exercise on body composition and cardiorespiratory fitness in obese women. Int J Sport Nutr. 1998 Sep;8(3):213-22.

-In this 3 month study, women did 45 minutes of cardio a day, 5 days a week, and lost no more weight than those who dieted alone! Seems like a royal waste of time to me!

But perhaps this one study was a fluke? Nope!

Redman et al. Effect of calorie restriction with or without exercise on body composition and fat distribution. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2007 Jan 2.

-In this study, subjects did 50 minutes of cardio, 5 days a week, and once again lost no more weight than those who dieted alone!

Well, maybe if they increase it to a full HOUR of cardio a day, SIX days a week, then cardio will actual product substantial results? No again!

McTiernan et al. Exercise Effect on Weight and Body Fat in Men and Women. Obesity 2007 June - 15:1496-1512.

-Over the course of this one year study, subjects performed aerobic exercise for 60 minutes a day, 6 whopping days a week (who even has TIME for that?) and lost only 3.5 pounds on average in an entire YEAR!

3.5 pounds of fatloss after an HOUR of exercise, nearly every day, for an ENTIRE year. Man, oh man, cardio really is the worst workout ever!

But as mentioned, there is a much better alternative, and that alternative lies in short, intense bouts of exercise.

In fact, a recent study published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology found that 15 minutes of a circuit-style resistance training workout elevated metabolism for a full THREE days! And that's only from 15 minutes!

Other studies have found similar results with interval style workouts as short as 4 minutes producing dramatically more fat loss than long, extended bouts of cardio.

Here's an example bodyweight, short-burst exercise routine that you can try today to boost your metabolism and your fat loss results:

30 seconds of bodyweight squats
30 seconds of push ups
30 seconds jumping jacks

Repeat 4 times.

That workout right there only takes SIX minutes and you'll burn way more fat than you will with those long, drawn out, boring cardio sessions.

But here's the real secret...

NO workout will ever help you lose fat unless you get your nutrition in order. Unfortunately, nutrition is an area where most people really struggle, and sticking to a "diet" long term can be near impossible.

I'm still here....and done my burpee challenge!

I know I haven’t written a blog post in a while, but I’m still here.

I started a new job a few weeks ago, and have just been busy with getting accustomed to working again...I was laid off for almost a year!  It is definitely hard getting back into a normal routine.  I’ve been going to bed earlier, sleeping longer, but am more tired than I used to be!  I will admit I started slacking a little.  I in no way stopped working out completely, but I’ve been doing just enough to get by, and I am sad to say I am not where I was over a summer, and especially where I was a year ago today.  That doesn’t mean I’m giving up.  Getting into this new daily routine and getting back to the normalcy of 9-5 days just means I have to push myself even harder.  Especially because I have a wedding in less than a month, and a cruise vacation 2!!

So, since I’ve written last, I completed my 100 Day Burpee Challenge!  And I can’t tell you how excited I am, haha.  Honestly, by the end I was getting so bored of burpees.  I mean, I spent a third of my year doing burpees!   The easiest way to do 90 burpees a day was to make them my workout, with some other cardio and strength training moves, and it got boring fast. 

First, I do have to thank some people.  I’ll give a shout out to the trainers at Core Fitness (check them out online http://www.core-fit.com/ or Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/CoreFitness.Smarter Living/) Cindy, Gina and Lauren.  They are an amazing group of trainers, and definitely helped me getting my burpees in, and especially Cindy who did a 100 Burpee Workout on my last day.  I do also have to thank (and apologize to) all the other Core-Fitters who got stuck doing my burpees with me!  Core Fitness is definitely a great group of people to work with, if you’re in the Philadelphia area, I highly suggest checking them out.

I will say though, sticking with it and finishing it made me feel AMAZING at the end.  If you’re looking for something to challenge you, something to motivate you, something to discipline you, I highly suggest doing the challenge.  Now that I’m done, everyone kept asking me what I was going to do, to which I would reply, “the 100 day NO burpee challenge.”  I am actually happy to say I failed at that after about 15 days haha.  If you’re someone who likes to be pushed, and doesn’t mind doing burpees for 2/3 of your year, someone mentioned to me that I should start counting back down after I reach day 100….yea, I don’t think so.

All in all, it was an experience, to say the least, once that I don’t think I will ever do again.  That doesn’t mean I’m not open to other challenges though, let’s see what I can come up with next.