The Fit Skool | by Kelly

August 27, 2014
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
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Intense workouts and nourishing my body

I have been working hard with my past 3 workouts and I can feel it all over! My body is a good sore. After my workouts this week my body needed some nourishment and I chose to re-fuel with some of these food & drink items:

Coconut Water it is low in calories, contains electrolytes like sodium, magnesium & potassium, and only has natural sugars

Bananas high in potassium

Whey Protein Shake (coffee flavor) high in fast-acting protein absorption

Apple & Peanut butter carbs, proteins, & healthy fats

Homemade Larabars healthy fats and carbs

Here are some other great options post-workout:

fruit, yogurt & granola,
turkey sandwich
cheese & whole grain crackers
protein shake with fruit and nut butter
low-fat chocolate milk
omelet with veggies

August 26, 2014
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
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Trainer Tip Tuesday #1: If you don’t like an exercise, start doing it!

Trainer Tip Tuesday:

IF YOU DON’T LIKE AN EXERCISE, START DOING IT!

My guess is if you don’t like an exercise you are weak at it, therefore you probably avoid it at all causes!

Here are the Top 3 exercises my clients TRY to avoid:

PULL-UPS
PUSHUPS
BURPEES

Do you notice anything about these exercises???

They are all body weight! These 3 exercises challenge your body by incorporating multiple muscle groups and WILL make you stronger the more you work at them. If you don’t know how to perform any of these exercises don’t hesitate to ask a trainer at your gym.

Step outside of your comfort zone!

August 25, 2014
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
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End of vacation & a little food prep

I love my job and I enjoy each day that I am teaching and training… but relaxing at the beach and having no set agenda was quite enjoyable. I am back from my mini YMCA vacation and it sure felt good to teach Group Power this morning after a week off. I was feeling strong and decided to lift heavier on some of the tracks. I am sure I will be sore tomorrow!

This weekend like all weekends flew by. We had several parties on Saturday… one was a 1 year old bday party and another was a party for my friend who got married back in June. Both were fun and the weather turned out great!

Sunday was a beach day for us…

We got up early, walked Cooper grabbed some coffees on our walk and then headed to the beach mid-morning. Ava loves it!

She was on the look out for seagulls. I am pretty sure she is the only person on the beach that likes them!

In the afternoon we did some stuff around the house and I completed a T-25 Cardio workout. T-25 has become my go to sunday afternoon workout. 25 minutes goes by so fast and I was dripping sweat! (I had to pause the dvd a few times because Ava was distracting me but it was still a great workout.)

We also did a little food prep. I had no game plan this weekend so I kinda just looked at what we had and starting cooking. Sometimes working on the fly is the best and I ended up getting a lot of veggie sides ready for my week ahead.

We made:

Grilled Zucchini (with olive oil)
Grilled potatoes
Steamed Green beans
Sauteed spinach
Chicken salad with celery, tomatoes, & avocado

We have a lot of healthy eats ready to go in the fridge, yum!

I am off to teach my senior fitness class.. have a great day!

How was your weekend? Did you do any food prep for the week?

August 22, 2014
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
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Are you open to trying new things?

The YMCA has been closed this week for its annual shutdown, so I was able to spend some quality time with my mom and Ava.

We went to the beaches in Greenwich and got to enjoy the lovely weather and had some fun in the water!

Ava already has a love for the water, just like me!

Yesterday we met up with Marc in Southport, CT to grab some lunch at an Indian Restaurant called Coromandel.

Marc goes to the lunch buffet at Coromandel frequently with his coworkers and he had been asking me to meet him for a while now. This was a perfect opportunity to go on my week off.

I was a little nervous to try new foods and flavors since I am a plain Jane, but I loved it. I had indian food once before and I thought it was just okay but this time I was blown away. The food was loaded with flavor and spices! I was surprised at how much I enjoyed my first experience.

Most of the food was new to me so I asked Marc lots of questions and he gave me recommendations.

My 3 favorite things I tried were, Murgh Shahjahani which is Chicken breast marinated with yogurt, white pepper & saffron, Subji Saag which is mixed veggies stir fried with ginger, garlic, & spices in a spinach gravy, and Goothi Vonkaya Koora which is baby eggplant and spices. They are super healthy and tasty!

Ask me to pronounce these 3 dishes… not gonna happen!

I left feeling overly stuffed and pretty much got all my veggie servings for the day in 1 sitting!

I can’t wait to go back for lunch again soon! Hopefully one day I can re-create one of the dishes that I tried.

Are you open to trying new foods and flavors? Have you ever cooked with Indian Spices?

August 21, 2014
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
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Tabata Thursday

Have you ever heard of Tabata Training before? it is a short series of High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) that lasts 4 minutes.

You perform 20 seconds of each exercise followed by 10 seconds rest. In this circuit you complete 2 rounds in 4 minutes. I know you are thinking 4 minutes “piece of cake!” Butttt if you are working hard you should be SPENT when your 4 minute timer goes off… and if you aren’t you should complete another circuit. Tabata’s are great cardiovascular training and you can finish your workout in no time.

SWEATY BODYWEIGHT TABATA

Warm up for 5 minutes before beginning the Tabata

How it works: complete as many reps as quickly as you can while maintaining good form

1. Pushups

2. Squat Jumps

3. Mountain Climbers

4. Jumping Jacks

Repeat 2x for a 4 minute workout. If you are up to a challenge repeat 2-3 more rounds.

For more information on Tabata’s or different variations of Tabata’s see the links below

How to burn Fat Fast

What there is to know about tabata

**Before participating in a new exercise program please consult with your Doctor or Physician**

August 20, 2014
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
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Motivational Workout Tops

Motivational workout gear is one of the new trends in fitness. I have been all about the tops and my collection is continuing to grow. Sometimes we all need a little IN YOUR FACE motivation!!

When I look into my drawer full of workout tops and I see one of these shirts, it definitely gets me excited to throw on a shirt and exercise.

“Love Fitness” When I look at this top I immediately think of my strong passion for fitness. You have to love the workout you are doing or else it is not fun. Choose exercises and classes that you love doing and you will enjoy fitness

“Sore Today Strong Tomorrow” I wrote a blog post on this inspirational phrase. When we are sore we are getting stronger so keep working hard!

“Strong Is Beautiful” This was my first motivational workout top. I bought it when I was pregnant because I wanted to be strong throughout my pregnancy. Working out made me feel good on the inside and kept me happy throughout my 9 month journey.

“I don’t Sweat I Sparkle” It is OKAY to sweat. In fact I love to sweat… I definitely don’t sparkle. I more or less look like I ran through a rain storm after I workout but hey it’s cute & girly and sometimes I need that.

Do you have any motivational workout tops? I know you all have the I HEART BURPEES T-shirt right?

Here are some new tops I would love to get, and if you find them feel free to buy me one:

Learn 2 Love the Burn
Don’t make excuses
Your Workout Is My Warm Up

August 19, 2014
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
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Almond Cookie LARABAR

Have you ever had a Larabar before?

If you haven’t they are quite delicious and they are super healthy… this bar only has 2 ingredients. Some of my favorite flavors of Larabars are Cashew Cookie, Peanut Butter Cookie, and Apple pie.

The first time I had them I was a little skeptical of the texture because is on the soft side and I am more of a crunchy person, but they grew on me! I was paying about $1 per bar (and that is when they were on sale) which isn’t too bad but I knew I could make them myself.

SO instead of being lazy, this past Sunday I gave them a go in my test kitchen! I decided to make an Almond Cookie Larabar because Almonds are packed with nutrients and high in protein.

You know they came out great when the husband approves

Almond Cookie Larabar

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup pitted soft whole dates

1 cup almonds

DIRECTIONS:

Take a 9 by 5 pan or 9 by 9 inch pan and line the pan with wax paper. Then spray it with nonstick cooking spray.

**If Dates are not soft** place dates with 1 cup warm water in a small bowl. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes and then remove and pat them dry. Place almonds in a food processor and process until finely chopped.

Add the dates and process the ingredients until finely blended and starts to stick together (about 2 minutes)

Transfer the mixture to the pan and flatten the mixture evenly. Leave the wax paper in place. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or freeze for 15 minutes. Using the wax paper, lift the bar mixture from the pan and transfer it to a cutting board.

Cut into 6 bars.

Wrap each bar in plastic wrap.

I keep these bars in the fridge so they last longer, Enjoy!

Each Bar has approximately 175 calories, 8g fat, 25g carbs, 4g fiber, 4g protein

August 18, 2014
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
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Food Prep… Healthy Sides & Snacks

I love seeing a stocked fridge, it makes my life so much easier during the week! Don’t you agree?

There are plenty of times I forget to prep food on Sundays and my food choices aren’t as good as I would like them to be and my meals or snacks aren’t as tasty!

Here is our FOOD PREP:

Egg Squares (eggs, mushrooms, & turkey bacon) These are perfect for a mid-morning snack

Roasted Veggies & Potatoes (broccoli, zucchini, red onions, & potatoes) I am a huge fan of roasted ANYTHING.. and I will be eating this as a side to my lunches this week.

Almond Cookie Larabar (recipe to come) This is another great mid morning or afternoon snack with only 2 ingredients.

Fresh Fruit (Canteloupe & Watermelon) Fresh fruit never lasts in our house, especially when it is cut up. Maybe 2 days?

Grilled BBQ Chicken and Chicken Drumsticks This is a staple for food prep. It is simple and we love grilled chicken for lunches.

We also made grilled blackened salmon last night so we have some leftovers to make a sandwich!

What did you prep this weekend?

August 15, 2014
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
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Cardio Quickie

It seems like all the weeks keep flying by and I have no complaints once Friday rolls around!

Last night I had a surprise guest come visit my Boot Camp class. Any guesses? or does the picture immediately give it away?

Miss ava! Apparently she wanted to get a glimpse of her future workouts and decided it would be nice to let Daddy workout for a bit.

At the YMCA this morning I was able to hop on an elliptical before my client. I rarely do cardio on equipment anymore, I usually prefer to do my cardio through Boot Camp circuits or outside (walking/jogging)

This brings me to the workout of the day.

CARDIO QUICKIE

You can do this workout at home, outside, or at the gym… so there are no excuses why you can’t try it!

Warm up for 5 minutes doing light jogging in place, high knees, & butt kicks

JUMPING JACKS

FRONT KICKS

BURPEES

SQUAT JUMPS

STEP UPS

Perform each exercise for 1 minute and repeat for 3-4 rounds

Here is some inspiration to workout today! Have a great day.

***Please consult your Doctor or Physician before beginning any new exercise or fitness program***

August 14, 2014
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
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My Top 5 Healthy food picks from Trader Joe’s!

I have grown to love Trader Joe’s, and if there were one closer I would be there all the time to shop for my groceries! When I do get the opportunity to go, I load up on healthy food. I am always surprised at how reasonable the prices are. Double win

Of course fruits, veggies, healthy fats, and lean meats are always my first choice when it comes to shopping but here are some of my packaged product picks.

My Top 5 Healthy Food Picks from Trader Joe’s:

1. Coconut Cranberry Granola… this out based cereal is great as a snack or yogurt topping. An added bonus is the healthy fats from the Coconut oil. Just looking at the picture of this granola is making me crave some!

2. Trader Joe’s Peanut Butter… this peanut butter has 2 ingredients.. peanuts & salt! Enough said.

3. Trader Joe’s 96% Lean Beef… if you need a red meat fix this beef is extra lean and costs around $5.

4. Trader Joe’s Hummus.. I have tried most of the flavors and my 2 favorite are the edamame and chipotle hummus. YUM.

5. Plantain Chips.. most of you know that I have been on a huge plantain kick over the last year. Whether they are baked, pan fried, or in chip form they are delicious. These are hands down my favorite brand of plantain chips! One bag just isn’t enough!

What are your favorite Trader Joe food items??