The Fit Skool | by Kelly

May 20, 2015
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
4 Comments

WIAW: Fueling all day

I am trying to keep up with these What I ate Wednesday posts because I have received a lot of positive feedback from them and it helps me to continue to eat healthy each day!

Sometimes its hard to track everything I put in my mouth but I try to take as many pictures as I can throughout the day!

Today I am linking up with Jenn to share my food journal from Monday.

I had an action packed day, but I still managed to choose some healthy simple foods to eat.

I woke up at 5:50am Monday and I was pretty hungry first thing. I chugged a tall glass of water and started sipping on some coffee as I got my breakfast prepared and got Ava her cup of milk. I made some delicious scrambled eggs with spinach & zucchini with 2 pieces of whole grain toast. (the veggies were leftover from the weekend)

I taught Group Power at 730am and I came home super sweaty after class. I refueled with a Chocolate Shakeology, a banana, & a large spoonful or 2 of Peanut butter. I love this snack. I didn’t combine them all in the blender because I ate the banana right away.. my hunger took over.

Shortly after I finished my snack I headed back to the YMCA to teach my second class of the day which was my senior class. It was a lot of fun and we had a big group of people as usual.

For lunch I chose some leftovers from Bella Nonna (which we had on the weekend) I had Chicken Marsala with mushrooms & cauliflower plus some roasted potatoes. There’s quite a few veggies missing from this picture… oops!

I also had a granny smith apple with it.

From 1230-2pm I did computer work while Ava napped. The time passed pretty quickly but I managed to get a lot done!

I wasn’t starving in the afternoon but I chose a small snack because I knew I wouldn’t make it until dinner. I had a lettuce wrap with turkey, tomato & avocado plus baby carrots on the side.

I ate a simple and light dinner, BBQ Pulled Chicken, green beans & a sweet potato with a little butter. I subbed a 630pm Group Power class so this was the perfect fuel before the workout.

After Group Power I was officially spent. I needed a shower badly. I didn’t have a huge appetite after class, but I decided I needed something small so I had a 1/2 of a Quest bar and a bowl of frozen raspberries plus a handful of plantain chips!

It was a delicious day of eats!

What is something yummy you ate yesterday?

Do you eat something rich in protein & carbs after your workouts?

May 19, 2015
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
0 comments

My workouts lately

Yesterday was all about teaching fitness classes for me and I’m paying for it today.

I taught a morning and an evening Group Power class that were almost about 12 hours apart. I thought I was going to be tired for the 2nd class, but I wasn’t! I had a ton of energy and was able to lift and push myself more then I thought.

It didn’t hit me until I got home and sat on the floor to do some stretching that I realized my quads and back were already tight!

I had a surprise guest in class last night. My mom wanted to come over to see Ava, so she offered to hang out with her so Marc could get a workout in. It was nice having Marc in my class, it’s been such a long time since he’s been to any of my classes because he’s usually home with Ava when I teach. I feel like having him there definitely made me push a little harder!

I wanted to talk to you all about my workouts over the past week so lets rewind a bit, here’s what they looked like last week:

Monday: 1 Hour Strength Training Group Power class, senior fitness class and 20 minutes of Insanity Max 30

Tuesday: 1 hour Boot camp Class, (2) 20 minute walks with Cooper

Wednesday: 1 Hour Strength Training Group Power class, (2) 20 minute walks with Cooper

Thursday: 1 hour Boot camp Class, Senior Fitness Class, (1) 20 minute walk with Cooper

Friday: REST DAY, Ava was sick and I had a sore throat so we watched movies and laid around all day.

Saturday: REST DAY I still didn’t feel well. I can’t say I was really really sick, but I was fighting whatever Ava was trying to give me!!

Sunday: REST DAY With all intentions of being active, I decided my body needed to rest more so I took Cooper for a 25 minute walk in the morning and then called it a day.

Monday: (2) 1 Hour Strength Training Group Power classes, Senior Fitness Class

While I love taking a rest day 1-2x a week, last week was a very rare occurrence of 3 rest days in a row. Yesterday my body was ready for exercise, I was SOOOO rested up that I think I had too much energy to let loose. It was great though and my body thanked me in the end.

I have been doing some thinking about my workouts and I decided I need to add in a little more cardio. Besides Boot Camp, Insanity workouts, and walking Cooper I don’t do PURE CARDIO! I know boot camp and insanity are cardio based, so yes I am getting in my cardio but I guess I’m looking for something different to mix in.

I’m not a huge fan of elliptical or treadmill machines because I get bored easily so I am trying to think of extra cardio exercises I can do that are fun.

Maybe some jump rope circuits or agility ladder ciruits, what do you think? I am open to cardio suggestions!

Have a great day

May 18, 2015
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
0 comments

Showering Friends

We had tons of stuff going on this past weekend and the time flew by once again. Friday night was a quiet night in our house because Ava was still sick and I was kinda feeling sluggish so we decided to catch up on some TV shows and get to bed early.

I have been waking up at 5:45am every morning, almost on the dot it’s so weird. I had plans to sleep in a bit Saturday but that didn’t happen.

It was pouring out so I had to cancel Boot Camp class I ended up running some errands and then we headed to Berlin, CT for a friend’s Baby Shower BBQ. It was so nice to see some friends from College and let Ava run around. They had a Pizza Truck come to their house and make fresh pizzas. It was such a great idea. I enjoyed a slice of pesto pizza with peppers & tomatoes. It was quite delicious.

Ava and Chase (our friend’s son) had a blast playing in the bird fountain haha

We arrived home around 4pm and Marc’s brother came down to visit. So we hung out with him and ordered some take out food. Ava and I split Chicken Marsala with Veggies & Potatoes. Marc got some Chicken Scarpiello. It was so good.

We watched an episode of Scandal (we are an episode behind) but I was exhausted so we didn’t watch the last episode. I went to bed at 930. I’m such a loser!

Sunday was all about showering my best friend Megan. She will be getting married in 2 months.

(This was before Megan Arrived)

The theme of the Bridal shower was a Tea Party so we all wore fun hats.

It was quite fun to wear a hat! I don’t wear them that often but I do love them!

She got tons of great gifts and we enjoyed hanging out.

I loved the brunch choices at Fairways At The Griff Restaurant!

My plate was piled high with an omelet, potatoes, salad, fruit, ham & bacon!

Once I got home I pretty much wanted to relax and get things organized around the house. I have 3 classes to teach today so I needed to be rested!

How was your weekend?

Do you like wearing hats?

May 15, 2015
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
0 comments

3-Ingredient Banana Pancake Recipe

Happy Friday!!

I totally forgot to post yesterday and it wasn’t on purpose, I was just so busy! It wasn’t until after Boot Camp at around 8pm that I realized it too.

Anyways, It’s Friday and I couldn’t be happier that the weekend is here. I am supposed to have a BUSY weekend ahead but that could play out differently because Ava has a nasty cold and is still sick. I took her to the Doctor already this morning and I’m thankful there’s no infection, she just has to drink some warm water with honey for her sore throat and lots of fluids to get her cough better.

If the rain holds off, tomorrow morning I will be teaching outdoor Boot Camp and then heading to a Baby shower in the afternoon. (as long as Ava is showing some progress)

Then on Sunday we have my best friends Bridal Shower which will be a lot of fun. She will be getting married on August 1st and it’s going to be such a fun wedding.

NOW onto my 3-ingredient Banana Pancakes!! I’ve seen many recipes before with flourless pancakes and I have always wanted to try them. With Ava having an upset stomach and throwing up several times this week, the Doctor ordered bland foods. This morning she was showing a little spunk and energy so I decided it would be great to whip up these simple & healthy pancakes.

She loved them and it was the first thing she had eaten in 24 hours besides saltines. Marc and I also agreed that they were quite tasty!

3-INGREDIENT BANANA PANCAKES

Ingredients:

1 medium banana

2 eggs

cinnamon to taste

Directions:

Mash up the banana, mix in the eggs & cinnamon until batter is formed.

Heat a little oil or spray in a pancake pan on medium heat. Form 3 or 4 small pancakes, cook about 2 minutes on each side. Serve with fruit or syrup.

These come out rather thin and more crepe like, but they are super sweet and can even be used as an after dinner dessert!

We will be making these more often for sure, and maybe next time I’m going to try adding some chocolate chips on top!

What fun plans do you have this weekend?

Have you ever tried Banana Pancakes before?

May 13, 2015
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
4 Comments

WIAW: another crazy day

I got to sleep until 6am yesterday. Well actually I woke up at 5:50am on my own but Ava slept a little later for the first time in about 10 days! It felt nice.

I am linking up with the What I ate Wednesday Crew via Jenn to share my food journal with you from Yesterday.

For some reason I felt a little rushed yesterday morning but I still managed to whip up a couple eggs with some sauteed spinach in olive oil. I also had a couple slices of toast.

Shortly after I headed to the YMCA to train some clients. After a few sessions my hunger struck again. I had a banana and a Chocolate Quest bar.

My lunch sounded good in my head but it was just okay. I had leftover Al Fresco Spinach & Feta Chicken Sausage with potatoes and a side of kale with tomato sauce.

and a golden delicious apple!

My afternoon was pretty rough I’m not gonna lie. Ava wasn’t feeling well and she was very fussy. She only wanted to be held but that was fine with me because I’m totally cool with baby cuddles I had to let her fall asleep on my chest because the poor girl had so much snot she couldn’t breathe when she was laying flat. The second I went to put her on the bed she freaked out and then threw up ALL over me and all over my bed. Not to make your stomach churn or anything but there was a big pile of grossness in my lap and all over my chest. I can’t believe I didn’t get sick myself. It was beyond disgusting and I will be taking my comforter to the cleaners at some point today or tonight.

SOO clearly Ava and I both needed a shower/bath and I also did some laundry because I had no choice everything was covered in throw up. I can’t say I was at all excited about any of it and it threw my day for a LOOP. I didn’t get anything done that I was supposed to, but I guess it happens right?

After consoling Ava for a bit she finally calmed down, she was able to watch a little TV and snap a quick pic with me. She stuck her tongue out at the last minute, that little stinker.

I finally got a little appetite after all the chaos and I quickly threw together some yogurt, strawberries & granola

I also had a few nuts with it.

Ava fell asleep and I finally got some computer work done!! This ended up taking me longer then I planned because I couldn’t focus.

Shortly after I finished, it was time for dinner. Luckily we had food that was already made in the fridge. I had leftover Chicken Cutlets, grilled zucchini and a sweet potato with a little butter. It was probably my favorite meal of the day! My mom makes the best chicken cutlets and I’m so thankful she gave me the leftovers There’s only one chicken cutlet in this pic but I had 2!

I had a lot of energy for my Boot Camp class (maybe it was pent up from my hectic day taking care of Ava) and I worked the group pretty darn hard. After class I refueled with a Vanilla Shakeology and some strawberries!

I also took Cooper for a quick walk. I am loving this warmer weather and there was such a nice breeze as we strolled down the street!

Okay, time to teach Group Power, have a great day!

What is something yummy you ate from yesterday? My dinner was my favorite meal.. chicken cutlets!

Gross topic, but has someone ever thrown up on you? I can honestly say Ava is the only one that has ever thrown up on me, and it is the nastiest thing EVER.

May 12, 2015
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
0 comments

The Sunshine Vitamin

I’m sure there are a lot of other people out there, just like me that are thankful for the warmer temperatures and seeing the sun shine on a regular basis. During those long, cold winter months my body starts craving sunshine. Is it just a mental thing or does my body really need it?

I think the answer is both. In January we were hit with some frigid temps and the snow kept piling up, the more I thought about sunshine the more I craved it. Ever since I was about 7 years old we went on a family vacation during the winter and it was the break I needed during those cold winter months. Each time I returned from vacation I felt energized and I’m pretty sure thats from the The Sunshine Vitamin!!

During some of my studies as a personal trainer/fitness nutrition specialist I have learned a ton about vitamins, minerals, & healthy foods.

I’m sure you are all familiar with Vitamin D but here are some quick facts:

Vitamin D is needed to maintain strong bones
Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium (from food/supplements)
Vitamin D helps the immune system needs fight of bacteria & viruses
Vitamin D helps our muscles function
and the sun is our major Vitamin D source

There are a few sources of food that contain Vitamin D: fish liver oils, sardines, mackerel, herring, salmon, and also a small amount in milk, eggs, meat, butter.

One of the easiest ways to get Vitamin D is from the sun. “Some vitamin D researchers suggest that approximately 5–30 minutes of sun exposure between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. at least twice a week to the face, arms, legs, or back without sunscreen usually leads to sufficient vitamin D synthesis” (NASM http://blog.nasm.org/nutrition/vitamin-d-the-sunshine-vitamin/)

“Individuals with limited sun exposure need to include good sources of vitamin D in their diets or consider supplements to achieve recommended intake levels.” (NASM)

Sometimes I am probably in the sun longer then necessary especially when I am vacationing at the beach, but I have learned to take breaks from the sun so that I can protect my skin from sun damage!

What are your thoughts about the sunshine vitamin?

Do you feel deprived in the winter months?

May 11, 2015
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
2 Comments

Mother’s Day Weekend

I hope you all had a great weekend celebrating with the important women in your lives. We had a fun and relaxing weekend with both Marc’s Family on Saturday and my family on Sunday.

Our Mother’s Day celebrations were so laid back and stress free which is exactly what I wanted.

Early Saturday morning we headed up to Rhode Island. Our drive was a breeze and we were there in no time. We spent the day hanging out at Marc’s parents house and we also got to see Marc’s sister, her husband and our niece Natalie.

Ava and Natalie played for hours and hung out. It’s so cute watching them follow each other and chase each other around. Ava passed out and was asleep by 7:15pm.

She woke us up rather early Sunday morning with her new wake up time of 5:15am. (can’t say I am a fan of that early time on weekends!) I woke up to a lovely breakfast made by Marc.

A delicious Fritatta with spinach, mushrooms & tomato. He clearly knows I love breakfast, and it was a lovely surprise to wake up to.

Shortly after we headed back to Greenwich to spend the day BBQ’n and hanging out with my family.

We sat on the deck and ate some more delicious food.

I made a corn & bean salad, my mom made some eggplant dip and we also had some hummus and crackers.

I think I ate too much of the appetizers because I wasn’t hungry for the grilled food.

I had a small piece of BBQ Grilled Chicken and a scoop of potato salad.

We spent the rest of the afternoon/evening just hanging out. I took Ava for a long walk and we soaked up some sun on my parents deck! It was overall a lovely weekend.

This is a flashback picture from this time last year on Mother’s Day. Can you believe how small Ava was??

What did you do for Mother’s Day?

Do you use your grill a lot this time of year?

May 8, 2015
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
2 Comments

Things I’m Loving

This week has flown by and I feel like this whole month is going to pass with the blink of an eye because we have so many plans, parties and celebrations going on!

I figured today is a great day to share some of the things that I have been loving this week.

On Wednesday night Marc and I went to Harvest Wine Bar & Restaurant on Greenwich Avenue to celebrate our 4th Wedding Anniversary.

We decided to share a bunch of small plates and everything was amazing. Especially this Brussel Sprout salad

and the grilled calamari with jalapeños and guacamole!

Marc got me beautiful Red Roses for our anniversary and I love that Ava knows how to smell them with her nose. It’s too cute.

Speaking of Ava, her favorite animal right now is ducks and she loves to look at them swim in the brook behind our house. We have been feeding them and they keep coming back. So every day she wants to go out and see them.

The weather has been pretty amazing here lately, I have no complaints about high 70 temps and being able to hang out and play outside with Ava and Cooper.

I am a big popcorn girl, and on the weekends a glass of wine with some healthy homemade popcorn is right up my alley. I stumbled across a bag of this Fit Popcorn when I was shopping the other day so I figured I would give it a try because the ingredients were simple and it was made with Olive Oil. That was very intriguing to me so we tried them the other night and I loved the flavor. It was different but addicting

Now that the temperatures are warmer, I find myself digging into more fruit. We have been eating watermelon almost every day and I am also loving fresh cold apples!! They are so juicy.

I got in some awesome workouts this week and I have been sore in my upper back, glutes and inner thighs. I’d be lying if I said it feels great, because every time I go to squat I feel like I can’t get back up!! I have been loving my Boot Campers as always, but this week we had some fun and we sweat a ton together!

This weekend is Mother’s Day and I can’t wait to celebrate with my family. We will be heading to Rhode Island Saturday morning to spend the day and night with Marc’s Mom and driving home Sunday morning to spend the day BBQ’n and hanging out with my Mom.

I hope you all have a great weekend

What are you doing for Mother’s Day weekend?

What things have you been loving lately?

May 7, 2015
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
4 Comments

My Fear & Low Blood Pressure

Some of you may not know but I’ve had low blood pressure for as long as i can remember. Although it’s considered a good thing, I don’t exactly like having to deal with it.

Because of my low blood pressure I have fainted, gotten light-headed, dizzy, nauseous and extremely bad headaches/migraines.

In January 2014, Marc and I received some terrible family news and because of it we had no appetite for dinner. In the middle of the night, Ava was screaming/crying this was very unusual because she never cried! I jumped up out of bed so quick to see what was the matter. All of a sudden I felt dizzy and faint, so I sat down on my bed and literally passed out and fell, which resulted in a broken collarbone. I hadn’t eaten in a while and my blood sugar was low so clearly that’s what caused it. It’s an embarrassing story but if you knew the details behind it, it was terrible.

and it resulted in a sling and me not being able to work. Although I’m smiling it was not fun!

(this picture is from January 2014 so don’t be alarmed)

Since then I have a fear of fainting. If you have fainted before it’s scary, and you want to make sure it never happens again. I know there are other people out there with the same issue.

I’ve learned that my body cannot go more than 3 hours without eating. Sometimes I’m not hungry but I force myself to eat something small or something with sugar/salt to keep my sugar and blood pressure normal.

I literally salt everything. I salt my breakfast, I salt my yogurt, I salt my protein shake, I salt my cucumbers and carrots, you name it I salt it haha.

My blood pressure seems to be a lot lower when I first wake up, when I get to that 3 hour mark in between meals, and about 30 minutes after intense exercise.

Sometimes its embarrassing to whip out a snack out of know where or to tell my in laws that I need food when its not dinner time… but Ive gotten used to it. Low blood pressure runs in my family and my mom is the same way. I’ve had SO many tests done to make sure everything was okay with my heart and the blood flow to my brain, and the doctor says I am super healthy and everything is excellent.

I still question why I have this issue? I’ve tried doing research on how to treat it, but eating extra salt doesn’t fix it, being IN-active makes it worse, so I guess I have to keep doing what i’m doing. Eat frequently, never skip a meal, and salt whenever I need it!

Does anyone else out there have similar issues with low blood pressure?

May 6, 2015
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
2 Comments

WIAW- Happy Anniversary

Today is a very special day, but before I talk about that it’s time to share a sneak peak at my food journal from yesterday. I am linking up with Jenn and the What I Ate Wednesday crew to share most of my “eats” from yesterday.

Yesterday morning I got a 5am wake up call from Ava after barely sleeping all night because Cooper was up coughing with his doggy bronchitis. The first thing I did when I walked downstairs was get Ava some milk and heat myself a cup of coffee. I figured I had some time extra time so I sautéed some spinach & mushrooms in olive oil & made some hash browns plus 2 eggs. I am so glad I made this because it was super tasty and we all enjoyed it!

Shortly after breakfast I headed to the YMCA. I had 3 clients in a row and then immediately after I had to take Cooper to the vet so I’m glad I my snack was portable. I ate 2 shakeology Fudge balls in the car and a banana!

The vet took a little longer then expected and my dad had offered to pick me up a salad from Cosi (no refusal there!) I had a salad with pistachios, roasted red peppers, cucumbers, grapes & Sherry Shallot Vinigarette dressing. It also came with some delicious whole grain bread. YUMMMM.

Some baby carrots made there way in to my day too.

For an afternoon snack I wanted something refreshing and satisfying so I quickly made a kid friendly Yogurt smoothie that Ava and I split. It was Dannon plain yogurt, almond milk, pineapple & a handful of spinach.

She clearly stole it from me. I also snacked on an apple & string cheese.

I have been on a sausage kick lately and Al Fresco Chicken sausages are packed with flavor and super simple to whip up. I decided to just chop everything up and throw it on one plate with some eggplant, red peppers & sweet potatoes. This was a perfect meal to have before boot camp because it wasn’t too heavy.

Post Boot camp I had a Chocolate Protein Shake (shakeology) plus some strawberries & watermelon on the side!

I had bought a big watermelon at the store the other day and I’m guessing it will be gone tomorrow the 3 of us can’t stop eating it!

Before I end this post, I wanted to say Happy 4 year Anniversary to my husband Marc. I could have written a whole separate post about our anniversary but I’ll keep it short and simple.

Marc, time with you is my most precious resource. Our anniversaries remind me to be grateful about our past and hopeful for what we have in store for our future! I love you!

If someone could make your meals for you would you eat healthy? I would absolutely eat healthy and having someone choose what I ate would be even better!

What’s one food or meal you have been loving lately? Clearly we have been loving sausage of any kind!