The Fit Skool | by Kelly

May 28, 2014
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
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Memorial Day Weekend Recap & Blog Update

A late Happy Memorial Day to everyone! I am having some blog issues from my computer at home so that is why I am posting a few days late! Hoping to figure it out today.. is anyone good with blog issues through WordPress?

My weekend was great!! Saturday morning I woke up nice and early with Ava and then headed to Pure Barre for a quick workout with Mollie. Class was awesome, and I was so happy to feel my abs working really hard. I was really feeling them during that Barre workout and it was a nice change from my quads/glutes always being tired as I leave!

Since it was sunny out we took Cooper for a nice long walk to tire him out.

In the afternoon we headed to the Greenwich Town Party. As you can see it is a fairly large event.

There were tons of food trucks so we decided to have some lunch from the Melt Mobile. Marc and I split a Short Rib Melt that had beef, caramelized onions and a whole lotta cheese. It was NOT healthy by any means but a good cheat meal is allowed every once in a while right?

The GTP is great event for families and has tons of activities for kids. We walked around and listened to some of the bands they had playing.

I look forward to going back next year especially when Ava is able to participate in some of the activities.

The rest of the weekend flew by and Monday morning I headed to the Y to teach Group Power followed by some training. Holidays are not usually a day off for me unless I choose, because everyone likes to get a good morning workout in before they had to their parties.. I am all for it

Well.. time to work for me!

Check out that hair… Love it!

—

Kelly Garofalo

www.thefitskool.com

May 23, 2014
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
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A Toothbrush for Muscles!

I’m sure the title of the post caught your attention and it should have. “A toothbrush for muscles” is the slogan for THE STICK which is a great massage tool for muscles!!

The stick became my best friend 3 1/2 years ago after I had my hip surgery. I needed it to roll out my IT Band, my quadriceps muscles, and my hip adductors. I received The Stick as a gift from Marc because he knew that during my time at physical therapy it helped me tremendously with my recovery. I gained more flexibility and strength using the stick and it eased SO much of my tightness. Luckily Marc was there to help me out on most days during my surgery recovery when my movement was limited, but you can do it on your own! I would highly recommend this to anyone that works out on a regular basis.

This morning I spent close to 30 minutes rolling out my hip area including the quads, IT Band, Adductor (inner thigh area) etc. It was torturous while I did it, and you can feel all the knots in the muscles as you roll out your leg… but TRUST me you will feel 100 times better after.

I focused on my upper legs and rolled out the entire area. I even broke a sweat with all the rolling! I found that if one specific area is tight it helps to roll out all around that spot. My legs are feeling better and although I am a tiny bit sore from the roller, I don’t have the tightness in my hip/groin area that I had before!

How do you use it? Click on this link for instructional videos

Do you use a foam roller or “the stick” to optimize your performance?

HAPPY FRIDAY!

May 22, 2014
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
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Ying Yang at Pure Barre

This morning I took a class at Pure Barre with Gaby. I was sore going into my workout but was hoping that it would ease my soreness with the stretching and toning. Working out and getting blood flow to the muscles always seems to help me, and today it did. My hamstrings and quads are way less sore. I still have a little bit of tightness in my hip but I am sure it will be better after a rest day tomorrow!

Today in class I loved the thigh work. We pressed the ball with our thighs while on our tippy toes and lightly holding the bar. I felt a lot stronger doing this movement this week

Barre class has challenged my body in a totally different way and I like the results I am seeing. My core is tighter, my butt has a little more lift and my flexibility has improved! I love seeing improvement in my flexibility. I know that tight muscles don’t work to their full potential so stretching and having good flexibility is that much more important.

The challenge my muscles get from the Barre workout are more muscle endurance compared to muscle strength which I get from all of my other workouts. I push my body in a totally different way… “Go down an inch, up and inch” this is one of the instructors favorite phrases and that is how small the movements are… but believe me, that doesn’t mean it is easy. Try doing that for a minute straight and I’m sure your muscles will be screaming.

Pure Barre Greenwich is now offering a “Ying Yang” Package which allows people to take as many as 8 classes in a month for $110. It’s great for people who are busy during this time of year and people who love taking a variety of classes (crossfit, soul cycle, running). I dare you to try it!

For more information email greenwich@purebarre.com

May 21, 2014
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
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Hungry all day long!

Today has been one of those days when I am hungry all day long! I have been on the go today and it seems like all my food choices are not satisfying my hunger.

Even a couple large spoonfuls of peanut butter didn’t do the trick!!

Have you ever had one of those days?? I blame it on the fact that I literally didn’t have a chance to sit down for a big meal. It seems that a little food here and there doesn’t work for me.

My morning was pretty busy and it seemed like whenever I had a break I was popping something into my mouth… eggs, toast, banana, chicken sandwich, baked potato, yogurt, apple, peanut butter, kind bar, string cheese… the list goes on.

Well, this post was a lot of rambling about food but I am hoping my dinner satisfies my hunger before a sweaty Group Power workout tonight!

See ya tomorrow!

May 20, 2014
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
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PB & J Protein Smoothie

Today I made a protein smoothie version of the traditional PB & J sandwich! Marc gave me the idea to make a protein shake so I figured why not. It was quite tasty and I will definitely make it again!! I used strawberry protein powder which was great, but next time I am going to try vanilla since I prefer vanilla flavor over strawberry

This was TOO easy to make and if you are in a rush in the morning this would be a great on the go quick breakfast. You can also very the smoothie by choosing different nut butters or flavors of protein powder.

PB & J PROTEIN SMOOTHIE

Ingredients:

1 scoop vanilla or strawberry Protein Powder (I used Gold Standard 100% Whey Strawberry)
1 cup skim milk (or almond milk)
1 tbsp peanut butter
1/2 cup frozen raspberries or strawberries (I did 1/4 cup of each but use whatever you have on hand)
1/2 ice cubes

Directions:

Blend all ingredients together in a blender and enjoy!!

YUM!

May 19, 2014
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
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Outdoor Boot Camp Workout

Saturday was a great day! My morning started off teaching an outdoor Boot Camp class. It was sweaty but fun!

We had a small area to work with from all the rain the night before but it worked out perfect.

Here is a sample from our workout:

TABATA 20 seconds on & 10 seconds rest (3 rounds of each exercise)

BURPEE

TOE TOUCH CRUNCH

PUSH UP

QUICK FEET (using the stairs)

I love Tabata’s and there are so many different variations that you can create! They get your heart pumping in a short amount of time. So we were definitely huffing and puffing at the end of them.

Ava had her own fun on the swing with Grandpa while we worked out.

Saturday afternoon flew by as we got ready for the wedding we had Saturday night at the beautiful Black Rock Yacht Club. It was such a perfect day for a wedding on the water, it was beautiful!

We had a lovely time catching up with friends and enjoying the weather outside during cocktail hour.

After getting to bed around 12:30 it was so hard to get going when Miss Ava decided to wake up at 5am.. I’m not going to lie, I wasn’t happy! When I finally woke up I was okay… but I was dragging at some points during the day. After breakfast we took a nice long walk with Cooper and I attended another Barre class at Pure Barre in the afternoon. Man my butt was on fire, and when I left the class my legs were yelling at me as I slowly stepped down each of the stairs in my house haha.

Well now it is Monday and we are back to work, I’m sure it will be an early night for me especially having taught 2 classes already this morning! I hope you all had a great weekend.

May 16, 2014
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
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Things I am loving lately

This week has flown by for me, but I am excited that its Friday. I have a fun weekend ahead of me with Outdoor Boot Camp class Saturday morning and a friend’s wedding on Saturday night!

Today is a rest day for me… After 8 classes in 4 days I am happy to say there are no workouts on my agenda today.

Now onto my FAVORITE things this week:

Pure Barre.. I am really starting to get the hang of the workout and my workout yesterday with Mollie was great. As usual I learned some new moves and she was great at explaining each exercise. I really enjoyed having her as an instructor!

Eggplant Stack... This recipe I posted yesterday was seriously so good, I was craving italian cuisine this week and it totally hit the spot

Udi’s Chocolate Chia Muffin Tops.. I was craving something chocolatey so I gave these a try, they are pretty good and definitely hit the spot! They also have 6g fiber, 4g protein!

Coconut, Cranberry, Granola! Enough said.. I’ve probably posted this before on a Friday butttttt I’ve eaten some almost every day this week so it’s definitely on my favorite list.

Plantain Chips from Trader Joe’s.. I LOVE these when I am looking for a salty snack. With just 3 ingredients you can’t go wrong. I might be borderline obsessed but at least I’m admitting it! You should probably go buy them

Ava pictures.. this picture with Ava & Marc makes me smile. I could post a million pictures of her but I won’t..

well just one more of the two of us! Happy Friday!!

May 15, 2014
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
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Eggplant Stack with Chicken Cutlet

Last night I was looking through my fridge to decide what I could quickly whip up for dinner before I taught my Group Power class.

I had chicken, ricotta, and grilled eggplant so I came up with a somewhat easy recipe that literally takes NO skill but tastes great. I will definitely be making it again because Marc and I devoured our plates.

The directions may look complicated but it really isn’t hard! I had some leftover grilled eggplant so that is what I used but the directions call for baking the eggplant in the oven.

You can barely see the chicken because it is smothered in creamy saucy ricotta goodness

EGGPLANT STACK WITH CHICKEN CUTLET

Ingredients:

1 medium eggplant

1 1/2 lbs of chicken breast

1 container of Part Skim Ricotta cheese

1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce

3/4 cup of bread crumbs (I use 4 seasons)

1/2 cup egg whites

olive oil

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Cut eggplant into slices and chicken breasts into medium size chunks. Place sliced eggplant on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Stick the eggplant in the oven for about 20 minutes flipping half way.

In a large pan add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil and turn the heat to medium-high. Place chicken on a dish, add egg whites to a medium size bowl, and breadcrumbs onto a separate dish. Take chicken and dunk into the egg whites and then into the breadcrumbs & add to the frying pan. Repeat until all chicken is coated and frying in the olive oil.

Once chicken is golden brown on each side (about 4 mins per side) place them on a baking sheet and stick them in the oven for another 10 minutes until eggplant is done cooking. Heat up sauce in a small sauce pan.

Finally, once everything is done you will start to layer it all together on a dish. Chicken, a little sauce, ricotta, eggplant, then sauce, then a little more ricotta, eggplant and top with sauce!!

We enjoyed this meal with a side of whole grain pasta! YUM.

May 14, 2014
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
5 Comments

Deep muscle burn at Pure Barre

Yesterday I went to Pure Barre for a morning workout with Ashley. This was my 3rd class but my first class with the instructor Ashley.

If you are looking for a deep muscle burn, her class will smoke your legs and keep them shaking throughout the 55-minute workout. I loved her style of teaching. Not only was her enthusiasm motivating me to dig deeper, but her constant encouragement during the workout kept me pushing my body to the limits. I learned more on technique during this class and I think my hip”TUCK” is finally improving. I can feel such a difference in my core strength in just 1 week of taking these classes.

I am still struggling a bit with my quads/hip flexors. They are extremely tight and I know it is from teaching tons of classes on top of taking Pure Barre. My rest days are seeming more and more important this week. So I have scheduled 2 off days from lifting/toning and I will be focusing on stretching and long walks on those 2 days off.

The variety of exercises in the classes are great, I really enjoy learning something new each time. Even the exercises that look easy or start off easy quickly change and I find myself questioning when it will be over! The burn is unlike a burn you get from lifting dumbbells… you will have to try it out to see what I’m talking about!!

My favorite exercise during Ashley’s class involved the tube band, you are lying face down on your stomach with the band around your ankles. We were working the glutes by extending the leg up and pulsing.. my butt cheeks were on fire and I actually walked out of there feeling a little more lift!

As I continue to take the Barre classes I am finding myself more and more focused on my form and posture. The class flies by because my mind if focusing on so many things at once…… keeping my back straight and removing the arch, tucking my hips, pressing my arms into the bar, keeping my neck straight, breathing, keeping my shoulders down, toes pointed, feet flexed… as you can see each movement requires perfection and I am definitely striving for perfection. It seems nearly impossible at times but I am doing my best!!

Barre class is so different then the workouts I normally do, it adds a great balance and compliments my training!