The Fit Skool

by Kelly

June 30, 2014
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
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Weekend Recap & Food Prep Sunday

It’s Mondayyy! 

We are really lucking out with our weather on the weekends and we took advantage by leaving for Rhode Island early Friday morning. Marc’s family enjoyed seeing Ava and spending some quality time with her!
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The Baby Pool was a bit cold but I think she’s a water baby!
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Ava loved being outside
We came back a little early so that I could go to the CVS minute clinic to get some medicine.. turns out that I had a sinus/ear infection. Apparently I keep getting sick from Ava…. not to blame anyone :)
I got lots of rest Saturday night and then taught Group Power early Sunday morning
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… it was a great workout!
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I refueled with a Vanilla Protein Shake that had some PB2 in it… it was delicious!
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I spent the afternoon relaxing and Marc actually did some food prep and cooking for us!
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We love grilling season and we find it so easy to load up the grill with healthy food! Marc makes delicious BBQ chicken so I always request that. Then we tossed on some zucchini, squash, & mushrooms with olive oilI They are so simple but so tasty. Marc also made a delicious blackened salmon and veggies which is not pictured!
Now I am off to teach another Group Power class.. my morning is jam packed!

June 27, 2014
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
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Highlights of the week

Happy Friday!! How can I not start each Friday post with that? Aren’t we always happy it is Friday?

We have a nice 3 day weekend and are leaving for Rhode Island shortly. I am very excited and hoping to get to the beach by the  early afternoon. It will be Ava’s first RI Beach trip!

I think it is nice to look back at the week and highlight some of our favorite things!

First off, from SundayAva’s Baptism and party. I know I said I would post earlier this week, but we had a little camera dilemmna so that post will be coming SOON.

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Monday morning my highlight was my Group Power Class.. it was a sweaty fun workout with some great people!!

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My first Green Smoothie… you can’t hate it until you try it! :) I am having another one this morning!!

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Cooper’s 2nd birthday was Wednesday! I can’t get enough of him. His birthday treat was some vanilla ice cream that he inhaled in about 5 seconds!

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Thursday… Ava came to work with me in the morning! She got to visit my class and they were so excited to finally meet her.

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We are off the Rhode Island.. Have a great weekend!

June 26, 2014
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
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Healthy Tostones (Fried Green Plantains)

I have been on a huge Plantain kick lately and have been experimenting with different ways to cook them! We decided to make Tostones which are fried green plantains! To make them a little bit healthier we didn’t fry them the entire time and baked them to finish. With just 3 simple ingredients they make a delicious snack or side dish and are pretty easy to cook up.

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They are yummy!

TOSTONES  (Healthier Fried Green Plantains)

Ingredients:

2 large Green Plantains

Coconut Oil

Sea Salt

(Serves about 2 people)

Directions:

Cut the ends of the plantain and peal it open. Place wax paper over a cutting board.  Slice plantains in 1/2 chunks and put them on the wax paper.  In a large frying pan, turn the stove on to medium to high heat and coat the bottom with coconut oil. Add in the plantains and cook for approximately 2-3 minutes per side until golden brown. Remove from heat and place plantains on cutting board. Cover with wax paper.

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We used a rubber mallet to lightly smash or press the plantains into pancake like form.

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(As you can see in the image above some of plantains are smashed)

Place the plantains on a baking sheet. Bake in the oven on 375 degrees for about 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and place them on dish…. Sprinkle with sea salt and serve!

Enjoy :)

June 25, 2014
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
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What I Ate Wednesday! – WIAW


Today I am linking up with a WIAW (WHAT I ATE WEDNESDAY) blog post thanks to Peas and Crayons!
As a personal trainer and group instructor I am frequently asked what foods I eat on a regular basis. Some people say to me “I am sure you can eat whatever you want all the time,” but I don’t! Eating healthy is always my goal, but I am far from perfect and indulge on occasion!
Here is a sample of some of my daily eats! 
98% of the time my morning starts with some sort of Egg breakfast!! I am definitely an egg girl. I also had some strawberries on the side. 
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Here is my mid-morning snack.. a LARGE scoop of peanut butter and grapefruit
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Lunch was a big salad with some Chicken Cutlet tossed in the mix & a Sweet Potato… plus some grapes
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Afternoon Snack Cut up cucumbers & peppers, and I was craving something with chocolate so I ate a Kashi Oatmeal Dark Chocolate Cookie
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Dinner was leftover chicken marsala with a tossed salad drizzled with balsamic dressing
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Post Boot Camp Class Tostones in coconut oil (plantains) and not pictured some homemade popcorn, I ate it before I remembered to snap a pic!
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Well that was a lot of food to post! I hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday! Feel free to share your eats!

June 24, 2014
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
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Exercising around an injury

Do you have an injury but want to stay in shape? Don’t take a seat on the sidelines just yet, there are ways to work around most injuries!

Here are some quick rules to follow when attempting exercise with an injury:

  1. First and foremost, make sure to get clearance from your doctor and follow his or her guidelines for exercise. They know what is best for you and can give you a plan of action!
  2. Don’t do any exercise that will involve the injured body part. For example if you have a hand injury, do not perform any upper body exercises unless advised from your Doctor or Physical Therapist.
  3. If your activity hurts your injury, DON’T DO IT! Listen to your body. The “No pain no gain” saying should not apply to injuries!!!!
  4. Read up on your injury and how you can treat/prevent it. I love to educate myself about my injuries that way I know what to avoid and what stretches & exercises I can do to strengthen myself.

Growing up I played tons of sports, and every once in a while I would run into a minor set back from an injury. My senior year of high school I was playing in a big playoff softball game and took a huge lead from third base… I had to dive back and ended up fracturing a bone in my hand. (Yes I was safe in case you were wondering)

I was extremely bummed and thought my season was over, but I realized that they could still use me on the bases to run! I couldn’t hit or field but I still contributed on the bases. As you can see an upper body injury does not limit you from using your lower half. I just had to be aware of my injury and if anything irritated it then I didn’t continue!

As far as a lower body injury…. you may be a little more limited but you can still exercise! Depending on the injury the stationary bike may be an option or even the elliptical and light resistance settings. All seated upper body exercises should be okay too! When I had hip surgery a couple years ago, I took the time to strengthen my arms with light weights while doing my PT exercises for my hip!

Although injuries are mentally challenging, through my own experience I know that overcoming an injury is so rewarding!

Do you or have you had an injury before? Were you able to exercise around it??

 

***Always consult your Doctor or Physician before beginning any exercise program***

June 23, 2014
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
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Ultimate Warrior Green Smoothie

Happy Monday!

This weekend was gorgeous and the weather couldn’t have been more perfect for Ava’s Baptism… I have a post coming about her Christening & the party tomorrow.

My Mondays are usually GO GO GO and time flies. Starting my day with Group Power is always invigorating and gets me pumped up for my day ahead.

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(I used light weights, and still burned a ton of calories)

After my workout I had quick protein bar and then trained 2 clients before teaching Fit For Life. I was so excited and I am so thankful for one of my clients bringing me The Ultimate Green Smoothie from Green & Tonic! This was officially my first green smoothie.

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If you are skeptical about them, you need to give it a try because it is quite tasty.

The ingredients are:

  • Kale
  • Spinach
  • Bananas
  • Chia Seed
  • Coconut Water
  • Whey Protein

I usually prefer my veggies in full form, but this was so convenient!

At work it is hard for me to get sneak in my veggies… seriously who wants to walk around the gym crunching on carrots! I don’t have time to sit down and eat a salad either, so this was perfect!

I am hooked and will definitely be getting this more often ;) I may even attempt to make it myself!

Have you ever had a green smoothie?? Do you like them?

June 22, 2014
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
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Thank you to Pure Barre!

First off I would like to give a big THANK YOU to Pure Barre and all the wonderful instructors I had the privilege of training with.

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As most of you know, last month I added in some Barre classes to my workout schedule. It was a completely different workout than my body was used to and I really enjoyed the change of pace.

There is a mind & body focus about the barre workout that connects you to each muscle you are working on. I could really feel my strength improving with each class that I took just from focusing on different muscles at a time.

Unfortunately I had to finish my 1 month of classes a week early due to a minor injury with my hip, but I was able to experience a lot!

With just recently having a baby, my core was definitely an area that needed to be strengthened. Each movement in the barre workout is based around your core and I loved that. It really helped me to tighten my lower abdominal region.

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If you have never taken a Barre class before, here are a few things to help you get started:

Arrive to your first class a few minutes early… introduce yourself to the instructor and they can show you what equipment you will need. You can also let them know if you have any injuries so they can help you to modify movements.

Hydrate before class.. also bring a water! I am always thirsty and it helped to keep one handy.

Ease into your first workout… if you have never done a Barre, Pilates, or Ballet class before make sure to ease into the exercises and not to over stretch your muscles.

No sneakers & shoes allowed… you just wear your socks! I loved this, it is so fun to workout in your socks.

Get familiar with the moves & listen to the instructors tips.. I learned something new from each instructor that helped me improve all of my movements. Sure at first I was intimidated by some of the exercises, but as I gained strength and learned what I was doing it got easier!

Lastly, enjoy your workout… the music is always up beat and remember exercise is fun!!!

For more information check out the Pure Barre website!

June 19, 2014
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
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Organic Peanut Butter & Jam Tartine

OMG, we all know how much I love peanut butter but this Tartine I tried the other day took my love for PB to a whole different level.

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Marc and I decided to get Le Pain Quotidien on Greenwich Ave for breakfast. After looking over the menu, the Organic Peanut Butter & Jam Tartine jumped out at us. We had to try it and I am SOO glad we did.

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The bread had a thin layer of peanut butter topped with sliced banana a little strawberry jam and it was sprinkled with organic granola that had oats, sunflower seeds, and coconut shavings. It was super filling & satisfying!

My taste buds were literally going nuts :)

To balance out this carb rich breakfast, we also split a veggie frittata! It was quite tasty.

I have never had peas with my breakfast but now I can officially say that I loved PEAS in my Fritatta!!

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I plan to recreate the Peanut Butter & Jam recipe at home because it was crazy good. I am up for the recipe challenge and I think it is definitely something easy to whip together!

Have you ever tried Le Pain Quotidien? You should definitely go, it is delicious!

June 18, 2014
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
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My favorite Lower Body Stretches

Stretching is such a huge component of fitness. Stretching may increase your flexibility and improve the range of motion in your joints. To keep my muscles limber I try to stretch daily.  We all have time to stretch, so don’t give me any excuses  ;)

If you are watching TV try stretching at commercials, take 5 minutes at work to get up from your chair and so some stretches (you can even stretch seated), teach your kids some of the stretches you know and have them join you.

Here are some of the stretches that I have been loving over the past few weeks: 

Downward Facing Dog this stretch is great for improving flexibility in the calves, hamstrings, & shoulders. I even feel some lower back relief if my back is tight.

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Straddle Stretch targets the back, legs, & thighs. If I have tight inner thighs I love to do this stretch.

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FIgure 4 hips, glutes, & piriformis muscles (There are many variations of this stretch, you can do this lying flat, standing, or seated in a chair)

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Hamstring stretch (lying flat) targets the hamstrings, this stretch may even help or alleviate some sciatica pain

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What are your favorite stretches??

 

**Before beginning a new stretching routine consult your Doctor first**

June 17, 2014
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
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Quick Pushup & Plank Workout

Yesterday I completed a quick 15 minute workout in between clients. I really wanted to do some arm work but I didn’t have a lot of time… Don’t you agree that sometimes its hard to find that full 45-60 minutes to spend in the gym??

Before starting, I did a quick 3-5 minute warm-up to get the blood pumping.

PUSHUP & PLANK WORKOUT

PERFORM EACH EXERCISE FOR 30 SECONDS, COMPLETE AS MANY ROUNDS AS POSSIBLE IN 10 MINUTES!

PUSHUPS 

PLANKS

(make sure to rest as needed)

By the end of this short workout my arms were definitely shaky and tired!

As an added bonus, you can even do this workout at home or outside if you don’t have time to hit the gym!

 

***Always consult a Doctor or Physician before beginning a new exercise program***