Pat on the back

Tonight we give ourselves a pat on the back. Back on March 2nd I wrote about how 4 of us completed our first week of "Insanity." Well, the 60 days have come and gone and we did it. We got up early 6 mornings a week and worked out HARD together, every morning for 60 days. At the beginning of this journey we all had different reasons for committing to this challenge. But we all had the same thought: "this will be more than tough but we can do anything for 60 days" Well guess what? We all aren't stopping now and that is what finding a workout program that works is all about. 3 out of the 4 of us have realized waking up and working out at 5am is the best fit for us so we are continuing to meet 5 days a week together. The other is going to continue exercising, but at a slightly later morning time that works better for her and joining us when she can. But the point is, we all feel so great, have seen some great results so far and want to keep the train going. 

For me, I know in order to get off the remainder of my baby weight I need to workout at a high level, at least 5 days a week. I also know I need to eat clean. Simple science really. Work out consistently and eat well. The past 2 months I never deprived myself, never counted calories or skipped meals. I stuck to what I believe in and what I preach to my own clients. "Eat and workout how you plan to for the rest of your life." 

In the past 60 days I have gained muscle, lost 10 pounds, lost a total of 6 inches from my body and greatly increased my muscles endurance and strength along with my cardiovascular efficiency. 

But here is how I look at it: Great start. It took me nearly 2 years since Parker was born, she'll be 2 in June, for me to get the ball rolling in the right direction. It's finally moving and it's going in the right direction but there's no stopping me now, I have much more to achieve. 

I'm proud of myself but I'm most proud of us: the 3 girlfriends who I've had the privilege of go along this journey with. We've inspired and supported each other, complained about lack of sleep to each other but most importantly sweated our tails off together and got fit together. We most definitely passed the sweat check every morning we met. 

For tonight, we get out of our workout clothes, put some make up on, wear something cute and celebrate over and a few drinks and laughs. I'm so proud of you girls!

What's for Dinner?

Spaghetti with Wilted Greens and 

Walnut-Parsley Pesto

YUM! I've made this many times before so I thought it was time to share after filling my belly with this goodness tonight. I love what this meal has-a great mix of whole grains and protein. You also know what that makes for? An excellent post-workout fuel! Added bonus about this dish is that you get plenty of antioxidants from the veggies, the herbs and the walnuts. BONUS, as I like to call it, this meal only takes about 5, well-10 minutes to make the pesto and enough time to boil the noodles. So an easy, nutritious dinner for you and your family.

Here are the goods: 

-1 pound or box of whole wheat spaghetti or I used 1/2 brown rice noodles and 1/2 whole wheat because that is what I had

-1 pound swiss chard, chopped

-1 cup packed fresh flat-leaf parsley

-1/2 cup packed fresh baby spinach

-1/4 cup walnuts

-1 small (or I like big because I like garlic) peeled and chopped garlic

-2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons olive oil

-1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest (this is key! I love the freshness of the lemon)

-1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

-1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

6 large eggs 

1. So you bring a pot of water to boil. Cook the pasta and after 5 minutes of cooking add the chopped chard and return cooking. Drain pasta and chard when done and return to pot.

2. While pasta is cooking, combine parsley, spinach, walnuts, garlic, 2 tablespoons oil, lemon zest, 1 tablespoon water, and salt and pepper into food processor, pulse until chunky.

3. Fry up your eggs w/ the remaining olive oil-make them over easy

4. Add pesto to noodles, might need to add a little water or olive oil to your desired consistency and for it all to mix together. 

5. Top bowls of green goodness with a fried over easy egg. 

*I made the whole recipe tonight, serves 6 but after Kadin, myself and the kids had some the leftovers makes for an easy lunch for tomorrow. 

GREAT meal. Hope you enjoy. 

Green Magic

Green smoothies aren't just for celebrating St. Patty's day! We have green smoothies almost every day. We love them! Not only are they yummy and satisfying but they are very nutritious. 

Here's our little Parker Lou excited for the blender to be turned on. When her big brother presses the start button she squeals and gets so excited! 

All done! Enough for her, mommy and daddy to have a glass. Price loves to make them but still won't drink them:) Picky eater stage....oh well, one day! 

This morning's smoothie was dedicated to the desire for a sunny morning! Seems like most mornings these days start with clouds and rain but this smoothie makes me think I'm on the beach in Mexico. It's our Tropical Smoothie:

-About 2-21/2 cups of Almond milk (or any milk)

-handful of unsweetened coconut flakes

-1 banana

-handful of frozen mango

-handful of frozen pineapple

-2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed (good way to get a little omega 3 fatty acids into your diet)

-2 handfuls of Spinach 

And there you go! I just use a standard Kitchenaide blender-we don't really mind the little bits of coconut but if you want your smoothie truly smoothie you might need to invest in a fancy machine:) 

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Strength in Numbers

I just finished my first week of Insanity, a workout program that is 60 days long, 6 days a week and is just basically insane. So I guess that is why it's called Insanity. Since August I've really been trying to exercise close to every day, early in the morning before my day starts being a mom. But this program is different. It's really challenging for me and it reminds me of how I feel after a good, hard run. After these workouts you feel the exercise "high" for sure and it's really pretty awesome. But here is the key. I could not do this program, for 60 days, if it wasn't for my workout support group: my fellow Insanity exercisers. 4 of us have dedicated our 5-6 am time slot, 5 mornings a week, to meet together to do this workout. This week we even decided to meet on Saturday together at 5:30-that was pretty impressive:)

If I didn't have these other ladies showing up, pushing themselves (therefore pushing me) I would not workout as hard as I do. The key component in this program, and any other workout program one chooses is truly Strength in numbers. 

I think that is one of the main reasons my class draws the interest it does. It's a small group of 8 ladies who come together, to share in this family of exercise, 3 mornings a week. They sweat together, talk together, whine together, share together. It's pretty amazing. 

I'm thankful for my fellow workout partners and I'm thankful for my workout clients who I know appreciate the strength in numbers and all that it entails. 

Pasta with Asparagus and Herbs

Yum, Yum, Yummmm is all I have to say. If you like Pasta and you like Asparagus, this dish is for you. Just a nice, fresh, healthy and easy recipe to make for a weekly dinner. We had it last night for dinner and I just had the leftovers for lunch. We all loved it. Hope you enjoy!

1 pound pasta

1 pound asparagus cut into 2-3 inch pieces

Juice of 1 or 2 lemons, depending how lemony you like it

2 teaspoons of lemon zest

1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs (basil, thyme, oregano)

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

1/2 cup crumbled feta

Cook pasta in boiling salted water. Add asparagus for the last 2 minutes and boil until asparagus is crisp-tender and pasta is al dente. Drain asparagus and pasta, reserving 1 cup cooking water. 

Mix lemon juice, zest and herbs together in bowl. While whisking, drizzle oil until mixture emulsifies, then season with salt and pepper. Toss the pasta and asparagus with sauce. Crumble feta throughout and then eat it up! 

Pesto make-over

I was talking to one of my friends, who also happens to be a mom of a toddler herself, and she asked, "do your kids eat what you and Kadin eat for dinner each night?" I wanted the answer to be yes, and sometimes it is, but most of the time it's not. But I did tell her about a staple that I turn to when I know they won't eat what we are having but it still makes me happy. My Pesto makeover dish. So easy and nutritious and they eat it! How bout that. 

I buy whole wheat noodles of some type or Brown rice noodles, both you can get at Trader Joes for cheap. I also buy the already prepared Pesto in the jar from TJ's. (now you could easily make your own pesto but whatever, this is supposed to be easy so I won't go there). But what I do before I just spoon out some pesto from the jar to the noodles.....I throw in some frozen peas that I've thawed, with some baby spinach, about a handful, into the food processor and puree those both. Then I add that mixture to just a spoonful or two of the pesto and then add my new Pesto, the made over version, to the noodles. I actually like the taste of this version better. The peas add a nice sweetness, the spinach is really invisible in taste but adds more nutrition then just the basil from the pesto. And the only thing I don't love about the jarred pesto from TJ's is that it's very salty so using less, and more of the puree, it lessens the salt intake.

The daily test for tonight, is whether or not they'll eat my Pasta with Asparagus and Herbs that I'm making for the "family" but it just may be for Kadin and I. I'll let you know how it goes....

"It just never gets easy..."

We were doing a lot of core intensive exercises in class this morning. We were using the big stability ball for some of them. One of my clients said, "gosh, this never easier for me." I overheard her and responded. "Good, that's the idea!" "It's like using the balance disc. If that ever became easy, and didn't challenge your balance, we wouldn't use it and I'd have you stand on the floor." 

It got me thinking and validated what I'm doing and how I'm working with my clients. I'm always shaking it up, always challenging them to do new and exciting things with their bodies. One of my missions as a trainer is to develop workouts that are different each and every time. I have been teaching my Sweat Check Boot Camp class at least 3 mornings a week since Februarty of 2007. That's over 6 years of never doing the same workout twice. My clients never know what to expect. Therefore, their bodies never know what to expect. 

I remember when I started my class, my idea was that clients would sign up for a series of classes, like I still do now, that last approximately 2 months or 7 to 8 weeks. I thought someone would sign up, kick start their workout routine, and go workout on their own. I actually don't think that has happened once. My business has purely been successful because of my loyal, dedicated and hard working clients. My clientele are not people who want a quick jump start, they want a lifestyle. Most of my clients have been with me for months if not years. Amazingly, if someone needs to take a break for any reason, or I have a baby, they usually come back! I think why this happens is that besides the program working, they establish a routine that not only is challenging for their body where plateauing never occurs, but they don't get bored. Boredom is one of the reasons people stop an exercise routine. 

So getting back to the comment that was overheard this morning. I'm glad it never gets easy, and I'm glad my clients are continually challenged and pushed to perform. It's my job to ensure they work within their limits and to do exercises that are challenging, yet do-able. I say that all the time in class. "Is that weight challeging for you, yet do-able?" If their form is on point but they can't answer me, the answer is usually yes. If they respond with an "ummmm...."the answer is usually no and they magically receive an extension to that exercise or a heavier weight set before they can even blink.