The Fit Skool | by Kelly

April 20, 2015
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
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Packaged Food Talk

The other day I went to go buy a can of corn to use in a veggie chili. I spent about 5 minutes searching for a can that just contained corn and water or corn/water/salt. Most of the canned veggies contained sugars and other ingredients. All I wanted was corn!!! Finally I found one and I had to pay 20 cents extra for it.. go figure! It got me thinking about how hard I work to eat clean.

Over the past few years I have really focused on eating clean and nutritious foods. I try to stay away from packaged foods and I buy minimally processed foods.

There was a time where I made excuses why granola bars were easier, why I needed crunchy foods (pretzels, crackers, chips) in my life, and why these foods were all convenient for me. While they did make my life easier because I just had to purchase them, I didn’t like how bloated I felt, I had less energy and how I could never seem stay full and satisfied.

Once I started experimenting with simple and easy whole food recipes I decided I felt better when I ate cleaner. It took a while to fully transition but now its routine for me to prepare healthy snacks and meals.

Although I have always been a healthy eater, my snack choices in the past weren’t the wisest and I believe that has to do with the fact that I wasn’t as educated about nutrition as I am today!!

I had no idea granola bars were bad for me until I started decoding food labels to find that some ingredients were chemicals, there were added sugars and ingredients I have never heard of. Now I look at all nutrition labels and ingredients before I buy anything in a package.

Of course there are still some foods that I buy in boxes or cans, but I make sure to read the labels to make sure I’m buying the best product.

My Package Food Checklist

Can you pronounce all the ingredients?
Are there any added sugars?
Does it contain artificial sweeteners?

If I don’t know what the ingredients are I don’t buy it, If I can’t pronounce it, it stays on the shelf, and if it has added sugars/sweeteners its out.

I hope this post makes you think the next time you go buy something at the grocery store. Even a simple jar of BBQ sauce can have a list of ingredients that you don’t want to put in your body so take the time to check it out and find some healthier options!

Have you ever taken the time to read food labels?

Are you a healthy eater or do you find its something you need to work on?

April 17, 2015
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
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Healthy Travel Snacks

I was up bright and early this morning, and immediately started getting everything organized for our trip to Florida. I think we are all set and I couldn’t be more excited!

Our Flight leaves New York at 11:36am which puts us in air during lunch time. I had a fun time putting together some snacks last night with Marc.

Ava was my first priority so all our food/snacks were based around what she likes to eat! Of course these snacks are healthy & nutritious

HEALTHY TRAVEL SNACKS

I love that Stop & Shop has put together their own line of food because some of their stuff is better and cheaper then well known brands. These raisins contain “only raisins” and they were $2.39 for a box of 6. I thought these would be a good snack for Ava as we take off. The chewing will help with her ears popping!

I have tried so many different brands of string cheese but believe it or not TARGET is my favorite. The mozzarella is so tasty and it pulls apart nicely. haha

Airplane snacks don’t need to be unhealthy. Fresh fruit is always a great option. I washed some grapes last night and we also packed some bananas.

Packing a protein based snack or meal can be tough if you are on the go, so Quest bars were a great option for me. I contemplated making chicken salad but that just seemed to messy. So I threw a bunch of these in my bag just in case.

Mixed nuts are great and Marc loves them so that’s why I added them to the carry-on.

Ava has been loving pouches lately so I picked a few that she loves like these Apples & Cinnamon pouches. They are even a good snack for adults!

Baby carrots are great because they hold up well when you are traveling and luckily we had a huge bag at home that needed to be finished.

I love Chia & Larabars because they provide some healthy fats and they are super satisfying!

Last but not least the star of the show (that is because I love Peanut butter) is PB & J Sandwiches using fresh strawberries.

We even wrote are names on them.. Ava’s wasn’t as loaded up as ours so we decided to label them!

Apparently I should’ve written Mom on mine.

We have plenty of snacks for our flight and this list could go on and on, but these are foods we had in our house and items that I knew we will enjoy on our trip to Florida!

I hope you all have a lovely weekend

What are some of your go to travel snacks?

Are you a big snacker?

April 16, 2015
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
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Your body can only handle so much

I love when I wake up and the sun is shining, it always makes the day better am I right?

Yesterday was a complete day of rest for me. It was about time that my overloaded schedule caught up to me. I don’t have time to be sick anymore, we leave for Florida tomorrow morning and this cold just needs to end!

I was on the couch for most of the day yesterday and I stepped outside to get fresh air when I could.

Thank goodness I have family in town that loves to spend time with Ava.

My mom helped me a ton! It’s a good thing she likes Cooper because he loves hanging around too!

So as much as I preach as a trainer/instructor to “listen to your body” I have realized that as a Mom you sometimes that doesn’t happen.

I had to put my game face on and change diapers, feed Ava and keep her occupied all while trying to get myself better. I didn’t have time to kick my feet up and take a nap or close my eyes.. I’m sure all you moms out there know what I’m talking about! Taking care of a sick baby is hard, but getting yourself better while taking care of kids is even harder.

Last week I pushed my body a little too much. It wasn’t with exercise it was with studying for my CPR course and staying up super late night after night, spending time with my family after my grandma passed away, I did extra coaching last week, and did an extra 2 fitness classes on the weekend. Eventually my body said enough is enough and I took a seat on the couch.

I’ve been loading up on fruits & veggies though and it seemed to help a bit.

So while I had all the warning signs of being fatigued and run down I still pushed to get things done because I had no choice.

I ended up having to find subs for a handful of my classes this week because I had no voice. That was so hard for me to do, but I needed to get healthy for myself and for my family.

On a positive note.. I am feeling 50% better! I’m almost there and that makes me feel soo good.

This time tomorrow I will be in Sunny Florida and I’m sure that will make everything better

I hope you all have a great day!

If you have kids, how do you get yourself better when you are sick?

Do you ever know when you are pushing your body too hard but you don’t back off?

April 15, 2015
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
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WIAW: Trying to cure my cold

HAPPY Hump day. In 2 days I will be vacationing in sunny Florida! I don’t mean to rub it in, but its been a while since we went away and I couldn’t be more excited, It couldn’t have come at a better time!

I am linking up with Jenn for another WIAW post to share my food journal with you from yesterday!

As always I strived to eat clean & healthy but yesterday I was home sick, so I made a conscious effort to load up on nutritious foods.

I went to the doctor on Monday evening because I had been coughing up a storm and I lost most of my voice. At first the Doctor told me there wasn’t much I could do and it could be the flu but he said if I do start producing colored mucus (gross) then its an infection and to start taking the amoxicillin. Sure enough I woke up yesterday with colored phlegm and I could barely talk. I had no choice but to start my morning off with antibiotics and some tea with lemon!

I went back and forth about taking the ammoxicilin. If it’s an infection I need it but for some reason I was hesitant. Lets just say I’m glad I took it.

Marc was so kind and made me breakfast, 2 eggs, spinach & toast. It was delicious. I also had some cantaloupe with Ava.

About 930/10am I was really craving a cold smoothie for my second breakfast! So I whipped up a Chocolate Shakeology with 1 tbsp pb2, 1/2 banana & spinach. I was in heaven and it made my throat feel so good.

As fatigued and tired as I was, I managed to throw together a big salad. I had Grilled Herbed Chicken over rommaine with tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, celery, avocado, plus olive oil & balsamic dressing. We have so much food in our fridge that needs to get eaten before our trip and I wasn’t about to waste any of it.

Clearly I only wanted cold food yesterday! My afternoon snack was greek yogurt with 1/2 cup berries & some granola. I needed probiotics to take with my amoxicillin.

Before Boot Camp I took the easy road once again, I opened the fridge and Marc had grilled BBQ Chicken the other night so I steamed up some broccoli and baked some sweet potatoes and bam, that’s our dinner!

I was so thankful I had Marc to help me out yesterday. He taught my boot camp class for me since my voice was non-exisitant. Even though I didn’t workout in class I still wanted some fuel. I had a Chocolate Quest bar and some strawberries/grapes. I haven’t had a Quest bar in a while and I thoroughly enjoyed every bite!

What’s something yummy you ate yesterday?

Do you ever have days where you just want cold foods?

April 14, 2015
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
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4 Ingredient Veggie Frittata Recipe

As you all know, breakfast is my favorite meal! Every morning as I sit down to breakfast, I think to myself why is this my favorite meal? I can’t tell you why I love breakast as much as I do, but I literally savor every bite. Maybe it has to do with the simple delicious flavors that eggs, veggies, bacon, sausage all bring to the table

About a month ago my mom hosted a brunch and she made a breakfast Frittata that wowed me. It even passed on the nutritious part. My mom used tons of veggies and when I asked her if there was milk, butter or cheese, she said no and I was shocked. There was so much flavor and it came from healthy ingredients.

My mom quickly told me the ingredients without having to look at her recipe. It was easy to remember and I couldn’t wait to make it! I love using recipes that involve minimal ingredients and I was excited to share it with you guys.

SO last week I whipped up her frittata, but I made a few small changes due to limited ingredients in my fridge (I secretly had to make this recipe my own!)

My Mom’s 4-ingredient Veggie Frittata

INGREDIENTS:

9 Eggs + 1/4 cup egg whites (or 10 eggs)

1/2 bag of fresh Spinach (chopped)

7-8 button mushrooms (chopped)

1 small red bell pepper (diced)

DIRECTIONS:

In a medium size mixing bowl, mix eggs thoroughly. Chop all the veggies. Spray a 13X9 baking dish and add in the chopped veggies.

Pour the egg mixture over the veggies and use a spoon to make sure all the veggies are evenly covered. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-22 minutes or until eggs are cooked through.

Cut into giant squares, sprinkle with salt & pepper, and Enjoy!

The funny thing about this recipe is that it satisfied people of all ages (Ava loved it, Marc loved it, and my dad was a fan), it can feed 4 people for breakfast, and it only costs about $5 to make! WiN!!

Are you a minimalist chef?

What meal is your favorite?

April 13, 2015
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
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Productive Weekend Recap

Good morning!!

Wasn’t it nice to see the sun shining this weekend??? All I wanted to do was be outside and it got me so excited for our family trip to Florida this Friday. I am overly excited for some sunshine!

Well lets back up a bit so I can recap my productive weekend for you. Friday I passed my CPR for the Professional Rescuer & First Aid course. We had our hands on CPR training using dummies and the time flew by.

In the afternoon I had time to practice our Group Power workout that I will be launching today at 730am! Shortly after I practiced, I whipped up a quick Upside down Shepherd’s Pie for dinner.

The picture looks kinda messy but let me tell you this meal tasted AMAZING. We typically don’t cook on Friday nights but this was a nice change:)

The rest of our evening was pretty low key because Marc and I were both exhausted and feeling a little under the weather.

Saturday morning I woke up and I still wasn’t feeling great. I had a little sore throat and cough, but I felt short of breath. I have had sinus infections plenty of times before and this kinda felt like another one coming so I took some Mucinex and kept drinking airborne and lots of fluid.

At around 830am my friends came over and we headed to Greenwich Avenue to grab coffee at Starbucks together and go for a walk with our kids. It was such a nice idea, and a great morning to be outside! We took advantage of the 50 degree weather.

Ava had fun playing around and letting her friend chase her.

I think my friends and I enjoyed hanging out and chatting all morning

In the afternoon I headed back to the Avenue to Lululemon because I was doing a demo Bosu Ball class in the store window!

It was fun and man was I exhausted at the end of the hour.

Can you see me in the window? I didn’t count how many pushups, quick feet, side shuffles, mountain climbers, squats & lunges that I did, but my butt was sore on Sunday!!!!

The rest of Saturday was spent outside at the dog park and hanging out on our porch until my family came over for dinner. It was another relaxing evening over here!!

Sunday morning I headed to the YMCA to support my co-worker as she taught her first class of the new Group Power APRIL release.

It’s so fun to take a class that you normally teach. It was actually easier for me to do the workout since I wasn’t yelling and instructing and you only have to focus on the exercises!

The last part of my weekend was spent at my cousins son’s Christening at Pelicci’s Restaurant in Stamford, CT.

I wasn’t feeling great and Ava was tired so we ended up heading home a little earlier to get some rest.

So this weekend was jam packed with tons of different stuff going on but it was fun!! Now I get to go workout and teach the New Group Power workout. I’m not gonna lie, I’m nervous and I hope I don’t mess up

What did you do this weekend?

Do you ever get nervous before you teach?

April 10, 2015
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
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Friday 15 Minute Full Body Workout!

I am so relieved it’s Friday. This week flew by but has been so jam packed for me that I’m happy to know the weekend is finally here.

Today I have the 2nd half of my CPR course at the YMCA. We will be completing the hands on training session. You get to use dummies and real life scenarios to practice CPR & First aid.

I will be happy once the training is over! Tomorrow I will be heading to Lululemon to demonstrate a Bosu Ball workout and give trainer tips to customers from 12-1pm so if you are in the Greenwich area pop in and say hi

Last night in Boot Camp one of our 3 circuits was a Body Weight Workout that you can do anywhere. I figured I would share it with you. This Full Body circuit will touch all the big muscle groups in a short amount of time and it will leave you feeling energized!

Make sure to take 5-10 minutes to warm-up properly: jog in place, ride a bike, go for a walk, jump rope, etc.

FULL BODY 15 MINUTE WORKOUT

10 Hand-Release Pushups

20 Front Lunges or Reverse lunges if you have knee issues

30 Mountain Climbers

40 Squats

50 Jumping Jacks

Set a timer for 10 or 15 minutes and Complete as many rounds as possible! (Rest as needed)

Here are demonstrations of a few of the exercises:

HAND RELEASE PUSHUPS

FORWARD LUNGES

SQUATS

To make this workout harder, add in weights for the lunges & squats or extend the amount of time!

HAPPY FRIDAY!

Are you doing anything fun this weekend?

Whats your favorite bodyweight exercise? mine is either pushups or burpees!

**Make sure to contact your Doctor or Physician before beginning a new workout program**

April 9, 2015
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
2 Comments

Remembering a special lady

Last weekend my grandmother passed away. She lived a long life until the age of 95 and we were truly blessed to have her around.

Although we were prepared for her passing it still wasn’t easy. I am now at ease knowing she’s in a better place.

On a positive note, I learned many things from my grandma. She taught me how to cook some of her amazing recipes including her Italian Chicken Soup and her beef meatballs, she taught me how to be tough and stand up for myself with my brothers, but the biggest thing she taught me was to smile. She always smiled when she was around her grandkids and that’s something that I will always remember.

To know that we could always put a smile on her face makes me very happy inside..

so smile today, you never know who’s watching!

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

WIAW: Extra veggies

I can’t believe its already Wednesday. This week has been crazy busy for me and I have lots of stuff going on which is making the week fly by. I have literally no time to sit!

I am linking up with Jenn for another WIAW post to share my food journal with you from yesterday!

My morning started off at 6am, I chugged lots of water for some reason I was very thirsty. Then I had about 1/2 cup of coffee. I followed that with 2 eggs, spinach, toast & bacon! Yum. We have been on a bacon kick all week. Ava is loving itttt.

My mid morning snack came after my 3 clients. I had oatmeal with peanut butter

and a banana on the side!

Thank goodness for leftovers. I had a big salad with Blackened salmon, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, red peppers, asparagus and balsamic dressing.

This salad was LARGE, but this picture doesn’t capture the size. I was stuffed after.

I had originally planned to have a smoothie as a snack, but with a time constraint and my tastebuds craving something different I ended up having a string cheese and a granny Smith apple. It did the trick.

Before Boot Camp class I opted for a simple meal. We had leftover Turkey, Mashed Sweet Potatoes, mushrooms & green beans.

After boot camp class I new my body needed some protein recovery so I had a Shakeology Protein shake and some strawberries on the side!

I’m so tired today guys and I’m off to teach Group Power. I’m very thankful for coffee this morning. I’ve been non-stop all week and I’m already looking forward to the weekend even though that’s looking pretty busy too. Ahh.

Do you eat all your leftovers? We don’t waste any food in our house!

What is your favorite salad dressing? mine is balsamic & olive oil

April 7, 2015
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
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CPR Course & Chicken Stir Fry

I have been certified in CPR for 15 years now.

CPR can save lives and although I hope I never have to perform CPR it feels great to know that I have the knowledge to do so.

The closest I have ever been to saving someone’s life was when I was a lifeguard. I had to jump in and pull out a boy from the deep end after he hit his head on the diving board.

Last night I spent 2 hours doing an online portion of my CPR certification. This is a new learning course the Red Cross has started and I’m a huge fan of it.

Sometimes in group settings I get distracted but by doing the course at home I could go at my own pace and I felt 100% focused. The new online program has tons of great videos with real life situations that make it easy to follow and refresh my learning!

While studying I snacked on a couple Fudgy Chocolate Protein Bites!

I passed the online portion of my test, and I finish the rest of my course with hands on training at the YMCA this Friday!

On a different note, I ate a really delicious dinner last night before I started studying. We had Chicken Stir Fry with Brown Rice.

I quickly made this meal with 1 package of chicken breast, 1 bag of trader joe’s stir fry mix, and 1/2 bag of stop and shop asian stir fry blend, plus 1 cup chicken broth, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp teriyaki and 1/4 cup of fresh pineapple. (add more soy/teriyaki to taste)

It was pretty simple & delicious!

Do you know CPR? If so, how long have you been certified?

Are you a fan of stir-fry?