Month: April 2013

Sickness & Exercising- want your input!

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Happy, happy Friday, Burpees to Bubbly readers:) For the local Boston readers, how happy are you about the spring weather forecast for the next handful of days?! My birthday is a week from Sunday (eek! 28!) and I am praying that the weather holds up through then.

Ugh, so for those of you who have seen some tweets or Facebook posts, you’ll know I’ve been battling an awful cold this week. I don’t know what it is, but I can’t seem to catch a break with sicknesses this winter: Pneumonia, ear infection, stomach bug, and now this.

Let’s be honest, being sick is never fun, but in years past, it didn’t add as much stress as it does now that I have a teaching committment 5 times a week.  I hate having to get subs because I want my members to have consistency and keep coming back for that. As a former avid-class goer, I would seek out the best classes and hardest instructors, so when they were out, I was always skeptical of the subs. Granted, I was pleasantly surprised by some subs, but more often than not they were nothing in comparison to the actual instructor- anyone else feel this way?

uxf class

(UXF group- I’d be so sad to miss this!)

I know I talk to my mom about this all the time. She goes to a “Party Boot Camp” on Tuesdays and loves the instructor (Hi, Jackie!!), so when Jackie it out, my mom is always bummed because she goes to the class because she loves dance parties.

momdanceSo, what I am trying to say, is that even though I felt awful and could barely breathe while I was working out (and, had to cough and blow my nose throughout! sorry, everyone:( ), I pushed through it and taught. I am not saying that was the best idea, but since I felt ok physically (meaning, I wasn’t glued to the couch), I figured it’s better for me to be there then to not be there.

me after a double (Post double… totally beat!)

My question, though, is when is it too much? When is it better to rest rather than push through it and “sweat it out”? I am one to always push through things (I get this from my mom), but whenever I have a stomach issue, I generally take time off from the gym. With most sicknesses, my appetite usually remains unaffected (except for pneumonia… didn’t eat for days with that), but when I am sick to my stomach, I don’t eat, so therefore wouldn’t have the energy to work out.

With a cold, I usually suck it up and push through it as best as I can. Even though I didn’t have great energy as I was teaching (don’t worry, I was still able to yell! 😉 ), physically I felt ok enough to be there. I took it easy on myself and only did about 75% of the class, which was probably a good idea. Stuffy nose+cough+tight chest makes it hard to workout AND instruct.

I want to hear from you, though.  When you’re sick, do you push through it or do you take some time to rest?

[Dad’s] Pork Pie & [Mom’s] Tomato & Zucchini Casserole

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Hey everyone! How is your week going so far? Anyone else enjoying the #AprilArmsChallenge as much as I am so far? I am still battling a nasty head cold, but trying to push through it and sweat it out when I can!

Today was the first day in probably a month where I was able to come right home after work and I cannot tell you how nice that feeling was. The only problem with coming home early, though, is that I don’t know what to do with “extra” time and am horrible at relaxing.  What’s a girl to do besides pour a big glass of vino and think about what to do to fill the time (please tell me I am not the only one who suffers with relaxing and enjoying free time!)?

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(Recycled Photo, but you get the idea. Tonight was actually red wine. I heard it helps with congestion 😉 )

Dinner didn’t take me much longer than 20 minutes to prepare, but that is because the hard part of the meal was already done thanks to my dad! Both of my parents are 100% French Canadian, so having Tourtiere (aka Pork Pie for the non-Frenchie readers) around Christmas is a big tradition for us. According to every friend and family member who has tried dad’s Tourtiere can attest that he makes the absolute BEST around. Seriously. People pretty much place orders in November. Lucky for you (anyone who might be looking to indulge a little, but as dad said on the phone today “don’t drain the excess liquid. The saltines soak it up. Just have a smaller piece if you’re watching your waist”), he has agreed to share the recipe. It all sounded so familiar since Danielle and I spent a few hours with him right before Christmas making 9 (I think) of them!

pork pie

Dad’s Tourtiere

Note: it’s 1 pound of ground pork per 1/2 pound of onions and 1/2 pound of potatoes. Use this ratio if you plan to make a bigger batch than what is below. He said he usually makes a batch with 10-12 lbs. of pork.

  • 1 lb. ground pork
  • 1/2 lb. onions
  • 1/2 lb. potatoes
  • 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/4 tsp. Red Hot
  • 1 tsp. All Spice (this is key- you don’t want to add too much of this! A little goes a long way!)
  • 1/2 sleeve crushed Saltine crackers
  • Pie Crust

1. Place the pork and onions in a big pot. Add the Worcestershire and Red Hot and stew until onions are translucent and meat is fully cooked.

2. While pork and onions are stewing, boil your potatoes. When cooked, “smash” them, which means leave the skin on when you mash them. Mix the smashed potatoes into the pork/onion mixture and mix well. Add the All Spice.

3. Crush up 1/2 sleeve of saltine crackers (1/2 sleeve per pound of meat) and add to the meat/onion/potato “pudding” as dad called it (clearly we have different ideas of what “pudding” is). He said this is key to soaking up the excess liquid and helping to keep the pie filling together when slicing and serving.

4. Place the pie crust into a pie dish and spoon in the mixture. Bake at 400* for about 15 minutes (or until the pie crust has browned up).

011(my own mini pork pie that dad sent me home with!)

To accompany the pork pie that I thawed, I wanted to make my favorite veggie dish that my mom makes in the summer: Tomato and Zucchini Casserole.  This is SUPER easy and so tasty!

Tomato & Zucchini Casserole (small version)

  • 1 medium zucchini
  • 2 small tomatoes
  • herbs & seasoning of your choice
  • 1/4-1/2 cup of cheese (can be parmesan or Italian blend or whatever you have on hand

1. Slice up the zucchini and tomatoes.

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2. You’re going to layer these in a small casserole dish. In between each layer, sprinkle in some herbs/seasoning and a sprinkle of cheese. Repeat until you’ve used up all your veggies. Top with extra cheese and microwave for 4-5 minutes to speed up the cooking. Bake at 400* for about 10 minutes to brown everything up!

tomatozucccasserole

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This meal reminded me so much of a meal cooked at home with mom and dad and I loved it!

Questions for you: What meals remind you of home? Do you have any “traditional” meals that your family makes around the holidays?

Boot Camp and Supersets

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Where did the “warm” weather go?! I guess this is what comes with the spring season.

How about a little workout for you? I did this in my total body conditioning class last week and it was a good one. The workout starts with a boot camp style and moves to a supersets & cardio style at the end, which is a nice way to break up the class if you ask me!

Boot Camp and Super Set

Obviously this can be modified up or down as you wish. Here are some possible modifications:

1. Don’t use a weight for the squat w/OH extension OR use a heavier weight

2. Step forward into a squat rather than jumping OR jump higher/further

3. Push-ups can be done on your knees OR try lifting a leg

etc., etc. If you’re looking for a more specific modification, please shoot me an email (burpeestobubbly@gmail.com) or leave a note in the comments section! YouTube is also a great resource to get visuals for the moves (froggers or bunny hops, for instance).

For the supersets, try challenging yourself with the weights! If you usually curl 5’s or 8’s, try going to 8’s or 10’s or 12’s… It might feel tough at first, but you’ll be amazed how quickly your muscles grow stronger when you increase the weight you’re using (I promise, you don’t get bulky! But you will get more tone and definition:) )

Let me know if you try this!

Questions for you: Do you like circuit style workouts or do you prefer workouts where you don’t have to repeat anything? I know I do circuits often, but they aren’t my favorite! They are great for causing muscle fatigue, though:)

Weekly Workouts

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Happy Monday, April Fool’s Day AND the start of Birthday month for all my birthday month buddies (Jess, Rachel, Meredith and Ashley… just to name a very few!).

Let’s check in on last week’s workouts…

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  • Thursday- Taught TBC and Kickboxing. #sweatybeastmode

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  • Friday- Deck of Cards workout and taught UXF Burn

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  • Saturday- Taught Kickboxing (so much fun!!)
  • Sunday- rest day

This Week:

  • Monday- I’m battling a cold, but it’s so nice out that I want to try to get in a long walk or light jog before teaching Dynamax. I also have day one of Athena’s April Arm Challenge. I won’t always mention those as part of my workout, but just know that I will be diligently doing them:)
  • Tuesday- Rest day (except for walking in the city for my normal commute)
  • Wednesday- Cardio and teaching UXF Burn
  • Thursday- Teaching TBC and Kickboxing
  • Friday- teaching my LAST Friday night UXF Burn class:(
  • Saturday- teaching Kickboxing at the YMCA
  • Sunday- active rest? We will see how I am feeling

Also, pending on how I am feeling, these workouts could all change:( Hoping to kick this cold FAST!

Questions for you: How did you do with your workouts last week? What do your workouts look like this week? Are you participating the April Arm Challenge?