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3-2-1 Strength, Cardio, Core Workout

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Hey everyone! Happy President’s Day! I didn’t have today off as a holiday, but I took it off because I was in dire need of a little break! Last week was killer so it’s nice to know this week will be a little easier:)

I wanted to share with you a workout that I taught a couple of times last week (don’t worry, at different gyms!).  Both times I taught it, I remembered why the workout is so killer: 2 min HIIT cardio drills in between strength and abs.  The glares I got were awesome. Athena, the format of this is similar to this workout that you posted a while ago.

I had my sister take photo’s of me doing the moves since some of them aren’t as common.  This workout is intense, so mind your body and take rests and modify when/if you need to.

3-2-1 Strength, Cardio, Core Workout

Each strength move is performed for 3 minutes (usually 1 minute on each side and then 1 minute of a combined move), cardio is performed for 2 minutes (2 exercises performed in 30 second increments) and the core workout is performed for 1 minute.  Choose weights and modifications as you see fit- I want you to challenge yourself, but I also want you to be safe and mindful of your body!

3-2-1 Strength, Cardio, Core workout

Let me know if you try this workout!

I am so happy I took today off because I would NOT have wanted to have driven back to MA yesterday in the weather we had.  I made a Butternut Squash, Kale and Goat Cheese lasagna and hope to post that recipe tonight so be on the lookout!

Question for you: What are your plans today? Favorite thing to make for dinner? Let me know if you try this workout!

A Super Saturday, Indeed!

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Ahhh, after a full week of work and teaching 7 fitness classes, THIS is just what I needed:

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I taught at 9 and 11 today (We killed it in my Dynamax class today- this group makes my whole week!!) and by noon time rolled around, I literally was beat!

Katharine and Macall cursing at me in Dynamax today!

Katharine and Macall cursing at me in Dynamax today!

Luckily, I was in Brighton and able to get lunch at Pizza Etc.. When I lived in Brighton, we used to order their salads (topped with the most amazing chicken- seriously, just ask Rachel) probably once a week, so whenever I am able to order them again, I always get excited. I mean, look at this thing:

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Lettuce and fresh veggies and feta topped with 4 chicken tenders! Don’t worry- it was just as good as I remembered it being:)

After I was fueled up, I hit the road and headed north. My sister went home yesterday and told me that I had to stop off in Kittery because the Gap and Banana Republic outlets were having crazy deals.  Twist my arm, will ya?  I figured that since I recently got a promotion at work, I deserved a little shopping spree.  Look at what I got!

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Banana Republic deals on the left (all of that for $62… no joke! That dress was on sale for $20!! and the other tops were all on mega sale too. I couldn’t believe it!) and Gap deals on the right (cardigan, long-sleeved top, silky work top and a nude belt- $30!). And, if that wasn’t good enough, I decided to stop by the Nike outlet, because really, as a fitness instructor, you can never have too many pairs of sneaks, right?!  SO happy I did because look at these deals:

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Yes, I bought hot pink sneakers (and lime green laces for them), but in my defense, they were $20!!!! And only the hot pink was that price so I couldn’t turn it down. The purple long-sleeved Nike top will be great for outdoor runs in the early spring and during warm up for my classes, and since my sister has been so diligent with working out (even while on the road), I got her that funky sports bra.

I would say the shopping spree was a success, right?! Hoping for a stop-off at Lululemon on my way back to MA on Monday!

I am not sure what is on the dinner agenda tonight, but tomorrow, as a congrats for my promotion, mom said we would make a “blog worthy” meal AND open her nice champagne… I can’t wait! I also plan to post a killer 3-2-1 workout tomorrow once my sister takes photo’s of me doing the moves…. I think you’re all going to like it:)

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Questions for you: Any good shopping deals lately? Anyone else enjoying the long weekend? I took Monday off and am SO happy about that decision!

What do you do when….

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You forget an essential item for the gym? Think: sports bra, good socks, hair elastic, headphones, etc… I know I am not alone when I say that this has happened to me more times than I would like to admit. You would think that I would always have these items packed up and ready since I am at the gym more often than I would like to admit, but just recently I forgot an elastic for a class AND another time when I was running a 5K.

Last night, though, it wasn’t me that forgot something, but luckily I could help.  It just meant that I had to teach like this:

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Yup. I let a member (don’t worry, she wasn’t a random member… we are Facebook friends so that makes us pretty much besties, right?!) borrow my sneakers.  It was our midway benchmark workout for Dynamax Boot Camp and I was not about to let her miss out on that just because she forgot her sneakers! Luckily we were the same size and luckily I had already gotten really sweaty:

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[Yes, my shirt says “No one has ever drowned in their own sweat”… although yesterday, I think I almost did. The best part about this shirt is it has a message on the back that is only revealed when you sweat a lot. I love it. Check out this site for more awesome shirts like this! http://www.viewsport.us/]

Anyway, she was able to workout and I was still able to do a lot… I call that a win-win!

Question for you: What is the worst gym essential that you have forgotten?

Chicken Parmesan… with a healthy twist!

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Hey there! Happy Sunday! Hope everyone has survived Nemo. I went out with some friends last night to celebrate surviving the storm (how dramatic, right?) and therefore had a liiitle bit of a slow start today.  Finally, after some quality couch time, I did get motivated to go for a snow shoe – 40 minutes and 1.5 miles later, I felt like a new person!

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One of my favorite things about Sundays is meal planning and grocery shopping (I know, it’s weird- we all love grocery shopping in our family.).  I always try to plan a healthy meal to make on Sundays so I can finish the weekend on a good note and also have leftovers for the week.  I teach classes after work on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays and often do not get home until 8:30, so having healthy meals readily available to quickly reheat when I get home is key for me.

Chicken Parmesan is always a go-to favorite in our house.  Our mom makes the BEST chicken parm, but I have to say that this healthier variation that I made tonight is a close runner-up!

Healthier Chicken Parmesan

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Ingredients:

  • Boneless chicken breasts
  • Panko
  • 2-3 eggs
  • Flour
  • Italian herbs and seasoning
  • Olive oil
  • 1 medium spaghetti squash
  • Pasta sauce
  • Provolone cheese

Directions

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350* and bring a big pot of water to a boil- the pot needs to be big enough to fit the spaghetti squash. Cut open the spaghetti squash and clean out the seeds.  Place both halves of the spaghetti squash into the water and boil until the squash is soft (Usually about 20 mins).

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2. While the squash is cooking, set up your dipping stations: 1 bowl for flour, 1 bowl for eggs and 1 bowl for the Panko. Tip from mom: add in some Italian herbs and seasonings to the Panko. This gives the chicken a little extra flavor. Take each chicken breast and coat with flour, then egg and then Panko.

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3. Heat a pan with a little olive oil. Once pan is warm, transfer the coated chicken breasts to the pan and sear each side for 3-4 minutes. After both sides have been browned, move them to a cookie sheet or baking stone, coat with a layer of sauce and a piece of cheese and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked.

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4. At this point, the spaghetti squash should be ready to remove from the water. Let the squash cool for a little bit until you are able to hold it without burning your fingers off!  Use a fork and run it lengthwise down the inside of each side of the squash to make the “spaghetti”. Keep this in a bowl until it’s time to take the chicken out of the oven.

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5. Top a bowl of spaghetti squash with chicken and extra sauce, if desired. I also ended up making some asparagus I just coated them with a little EVOO, salt, pepper and garlic nuggets and baked for about 30 mins.  Totally a great addition to the meal!

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Using spaghetti squash instead of regular spaghetti is a nice, healthy change-up in this meal and everything re-heats really well; I can’t wait for left overs! Hope you enjoy this as much as we did!

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I am still trying to figure out my posting schedule during the week, but I hope to pop in at least a few times to fill you in on my week and classes and workouts. Here is a glimpse of this week:

Monday- Work, then heading to the Oak Square YMCA where I’ll have time to get in the first part of my workout (usually some machine cardio followed by some lifting) before teaching Dynamax Boot Camp- my FAVORITE class of the week!

Tuesday- This is the only day during the week that I don’t teach so it ends up being my rest day AND a day where I get home before 8pm and it makes me so happy!

Wednesday- Work, then I head over to the Central Square BSC (Boston Sports Club) to teach UXF Burn (I’ll post more on that later!).  I usually have time to fit in some cardio before teaching, too.

Thursday- Work, then I head over to the Central Square BSC again where I teach Cardio Kickboxing.

Friday- TGIF! I work from home on Fridays since I teach over at the Allston BSC at 5:30pm.  It’s the nicest feeling to wake up and know I can just head downstairs to work instead of making the trek into the city! I teach UXF Burn at night.

Saturday- Until March, I teach a Total Body Conditioning class at the Allston BSC.  Once March arrives, I will be teaching Cardio Kickboxing over at the Oak Square YMCA every other Saturday instead of TBC at Allston. I am really looking forward to this change!

Phew! If you made it to this part of the post, nice work and thanks for sticking with me:)

Questions for you! What do your Sunday’s look like? Do you prep meals for the week? What are your workouts going to be this week?

A Brewin’ Blizzard

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I don’t think I have seen snow like this since my senior year in college. I remember it was Valentine’s Day and for the first time in over 30 years, St. Mike’s was cancelling all classes from noon on. We were ecstatic!  My friend and I got in a HARD 2 mile snow shoe (we accumulated over a foot of snow in like 2 hours!) and then joined the rest of the crew for multiple rounds of drinking games.  I played “dad” of the house and tended to the shoveling and “mom” of the house by replenishing the snacks and drinks. The next morning we woke up and literally could not see any part of our cars.  Hands down, that day will always be one of my best college memories.

Anyway… I found myself thinking back to that day today as I sat at my desk and “worked” from home.  We went out early and stocked up on the necessities: wine, beer, bubbly, and snacks.

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I wrote a comment on Facebook around 8am, maybe, asking if it was too early to start drinking wine. Judging by the many comments and “likes” I received, I quickly realized everyone was supporting my early drinking urge.

However, I was able to control myself and didn’t crack anything open until after 4pm… that is totally acceptable, right?

In order to hold off from drinking the day away (not that there is anything wrong with that!), I decided to get an at-home workout in.  It was relatively short (about 30 mins including a warm up), but WOW, I was sweating and huffing and puffing!  I find it only fitting that my first workout featured on Burpees to Bubbly includes, you guessed it, burpees!!

Blizzard Workout

The goal of this workout is to get to 100 reps of each exercise as quickly as possible, while maintaining good form.

Perform move A until fatigue and then do the same for move B, and then alternate between A and B until you reach 100 reps of each. (Personally, I did 25 of each and repeated 4 times, but some people did 20 reps or 50 reps or 10 reps)

Set 1:

A. Squats with weighted overhead extension (hold 1 weight, when you squat down, try to touch the weight to the ground and then when you extend up, press the weight over your head- you can do this without weights, too!)

B. Push-ups- can be done on your knees or feet, maybe one-legged or tricep push-ups- challenge yourself!

Set 2:

A. Burpees (check these out on YouTube if you need clarification or modifications!)

B. Superman’s

Set 3:

A. Squat Jumps

B. Weighted Russian Twists

Big thanks to Athena who blogs over at  http://fitnessandfeta.com.   I saw her post about an “endurance” workout and loved the idea.  I am totally sore today… always a sign of a good workout:)

I hope everyone has stayed safe and warm in this crazy blizzard! I can’t wait to slap on my snow shoes and go check out the effects of the storm!