The Fit Skool | by Kelly

March 21, 2014
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
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Things I’m loving lately

Happy Friday!

I am so happy the weekend is finally here. It has been a fast but long week.. I don’t think that makes sense but the week somehow flew by, even though we have had some long nights with Ava! She has been sick with a cough that has been keeping us awake at night. We have been running low in the sleep department and I am looking forward to a weekend of rest!

Here are a few things I have been loving this week!

Apple with peanut butter.. it is refreshing and filling at the same time. I have eaten this almost every day this week as a snack. I have even used almond butter to change it up.

Protein/meal replacement shake yesterday pre & post workout I tried this bode shake. It was thick and filling, I had the vanilla flavor.. and I’m thinking the chocolate flavor will be better because I prefer chocolate any day over vanilla!

Veggie Chips.. When I am looking for a crunchy salty snack these hit the spot.

Coconut water… did you know coconut water is high in potassium? This container has 510 mg of potassium! It is great post workout and also for extra electrolytes throughout the day.

Cranberry trail mix.. I love the yellow raisins!

Last but not least.. this morning I had some green tea with lemon in my favorite mug from Ava!!

Have a great Friday!

March 20, 2014
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
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the importance of physical therapy

Yesterday I had physical therapy and I was thrilled that planks were one of my new exercises! I know I know, but it’s the small things guys…

It has been about 3-4 months since I last did a plank (seems like an eternity) and I was definitely not as strong as I used to be. It felt good to really feel my core working and also to have my arms shaking from fatigue at the end of my session.

Along with the planks I did rows using a resistance band, reverse shrugs using my body weight on a chair, and a lat exercise over head with a 3lb dumbbell. I will be practicing these exercises daily until my next PT visit on Monday.

Now onto the importance of Physical Therapy. Over the last few years I have had a couple of injuries and I have grown to LOVE PT. Of course I hate being injured but I have learned more about injury recovery through personal experience from my hip and shoulder. This has made me a better personal trainer. One of the main things I learned were The phases of recovery:

1. Rest 2.Range of Motion 3. Strength

Obviously the strength phase is the most fun and motivating but the first 2 are so IMPORTANT. If you do not rest and recover in phase 1 you can risk re-injury or delayed recovery. As part of the treatment the second phase is to restore range of motion. The 2nd Phase Range of motion is crucial so that the joint can move properly and in the future there is no injury because of a limited range of the joint. Phase 3 you get to exercise the shoulder either using bodyweight, bands, or weights! It’s the best part for me.

Although physical therapy can be painful because of massage and getting back the range of motion I know that as the weeks pass I am closer to having my strong shoulder back! It is awesome to see the progress. On my first PT session I could barely lift my arm up straight in front of me and now I can extend my arm fully over head using weights!

My advice for anyone that is going to physical therapy is be PATIENT. Recovery doesn’t happen over night but be diligent with the exercises you are given and you will see progress!

(this was Take 1 of my plank picture… as you can see Cooper was quite curious of the camera haha)

Happy First day of spring!!

March 18, 2014
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
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Slow & Steady

Yesterday was a busy day for me and I was happy that I got a chance to do a nice long workout. Man am I feeling it today and my arms are tired.

The title of this post is SLOW & STEADY something I am constantly reminding myself as I patiently recover my collar bone injury.

This constant reminder is no joke……. through my entire workout yesterday I literally had to tell myself over and over to take it easy. I don’t want any setbacks. During each one of my workouts I tell myself that I can do ANYTHING. This mental toughness is normally a great thing, except when you are recovering from an injury. Right now I cannot do everything I was doing before, especially not with the same weight, the same intensity, and the same duration. Physically this can’t and won’t happen right now, and I am definitely not chancing it!!

I practiced my group power workout yesterday and this workout is broken up into different body parts. Of course the leg tracks were easy for me to do and didn’t require modification. I was however very shocked that the triceps track was challenging. Holding my arms overhead for a Triceps Extension was killer… and umm I wasn’t even using weights! I guess moving your arms for 5 straight minutes really adds up!

I had no issue with the biceps track and was extremely happy that I was making progress. Some of the shoulder movements weren’t so bad either but any exercise that required overhead movement or exercises that extended my arms backwards were a little uncomfortable. If I felt any discomfort I made sure to skip over the exercise.

With physical therapy tomorrow I am super anxious to see how far I have progressed and what new fun exercises I can add to my list! My approach with this injury is slow & steady. You really can’t rush an injury recovery and for that reason I am once again patiently waiting for having all my strength back!

Have you had an injury before? How was your recovery both mentally & physically?

March 14, 2014
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
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Building lean muscle and gaining strength

As a personal trainer I work with people that are trying to get fit and get healthy. Most people want to lose weight but building muscle and gaining strength is a huge component.

A lot of my female clients are hesitant to lift heavy because they are afraid of “getting big and bulky.” But lifting weights is how you build beautiful muscle. I lift heavy during several of my strength training workouts and I do not have thick/bulky muscle!

One thing I notice is that females tend to overkill the cardio. Yes cardio is great for improving cardiovascular fitness and is heart healthy. BUT cardio does not build muscle.

Here are some tips I use for building lean muscle:

Hit the WEIGHTS
Lift heavy- increase the weight if it’s too easy, aim for a challenging weight
perform 6-10 reps of each exercise, with a higher # of sets
refuel post-workout to rebuild muscle
eat clean- veggies, fruits, lean protein, & healthy fats

Don’t forget to stretch to elongate the muscles and stay hydrated!

March 13, 2014
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
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Postpartum & Baby: 3 month Update

This post is a bit late because we were in Florida when Ava hit the 3-month mark. Time is flying as usual and Ava is growing each day. As the time passes I can’t imagine that being a mom gets better but it really does. I enjoy all the changes she goes through and it really is fun to wake up to her smiling face each morning, it will never get old!

AVA UPDATE:

Ava weighs 12lb 11oz at 3 months. I don’t have an update on her length, but she is getting looong. She is currently in 3 month clothing but I have a feeling it won’t be much longer until she moves into the 6 months because of her length!

SLEEP

Ava has been sleeping through the night for the past few weeks. Occasionally she will wake up hungry in the middle of the night but for the most part she will sleep a solid 8-9 hours! I thought this day would never come but we were so fortunate that at a little over 2 months she slept through the night.

Her naps are pretty good too. I am starting to see some patterns… in the morning she gives us a big long nap for 1.5-2hrs in the afternoon we get another 1-1.5hrs and then she takes a cat nap in the early evening a little before bed time!

EAT

I am happy to say her feedings are so easy. She’s a great eater! About every 3-3.5hrs she will be hungry and we feed her 6-7 times a day, not bad! Her last feeding is at 9pm and the first one has been about 5:45/6am. I have no problem with this at all

PLAY

Playtime is my favorite. Her laugh and smile make my day. It doesn’t matter what mood I am in….. when she smiles, I am always going to smile.

Ava loves the bright colors in her books, on her stuffed animals, or even the clothes I’m wearing. She loves her toys and her play mat. Too much playtime has happened, and I can tell when all the action over stimulates her because she starts to get a bit fussy. I usually just pick her up, and that easily distracts her.

MY UPDATE:

I have no weight change from my 2-month mark. I wasn’t looking to lose any weight but my goal was to increase lean muscle. With my shoulder injury I am not quite sure I reached my goal on increasing muscle/strength. My body still feels the same for the most part. My legs feel a little stronger but they aren’t nearly as strong as they were before I got pregnant. I would still like to gain strength in my arms and core. This goal will have to continue through this next month and I’m hoping to see some results in the next 4-5 weeks.

I had my 6-week doctor check up on my collarbone and I am cleared to begin normal arm exercises. I have to EASE back into it and that is the hardest part. It would be awesome to just jump right back into the intense workouts I was doing before with burpees and pushups and plank exercises, but that would be too easy right? I guess I am up for the mental challenge and a slow/steady recovery.

I will keep you updated on my road to getting stronger!

March 11, 2014
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
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Florida vacation recap

Hellloo there! It has been a while and I have for sure been MIA from the blog since last week.

Vacation was amazing and I really wish I could’ve stayed longer, but it’s back to the grind!

Here is a photo recap of our vacation!

First Plane ride… she was a saint!

Ava Slept the whole plane ride down

This was our first day by the pool, and Ava was soaking in the beautiful surroundings!

Cooper was not on vacation with us, my mom took care of him and he even got to play at doggy daycare with some other dogs one of the days!

I somehow took a picture of the place we got “Local” cuban food from but failed to take a picture of the food, think I was hungry??

Pictures outside by the lake

Ava getting her feet wet.. she didn’t go swimming, but next time I bet she will!

Family shot

All smiles

Tummy time on daddy

Lots of playtime

Ava’s first pair of sunglasses

Happy Birthday to me! what a nice gift to spend vacation away with the family!

March 4, 2014
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
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Travel Workout

I leave bright and early tomorrow morning for Florida and I could not be more excited!!

This will be Ava’s first plane ride and our first vacation as a family. I am super pumped. I hate to leave behind Cooper and if he could sit on my lap he would be coming with us! Luckily my parents love him just as much and are taking good care of him while we are away.

On vacation I find it way easier to workout, and I never use “vacation” as a reason to sit on my bum all day! There is a lot more free time and being active outside is so easy!

I love travel workouts, for the main reason that you can do them anywhere… your house, a hotel room, outside, etc. The perk to this workout is that the only thing you need is YOU and of course a small area to perform the exercises.

Travel Workout

Warm-up 5-8 minutes jog in place, jumping jacks, fake jump rope

10 excercises 30 repetitions each

power lunges (or regular lunges each leg)

walking planks

squat jumps

pushups

butterfly situps

split jack lunges

plank jacks

skier jog

sumo squats

burpees

Complete as many rounds of this circuit as you can!

**Always consult your doctor or physician before starting a new workout program**

March 3, 2014
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
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Weekend Highlights

Before I talk about my weekend… Lets talk about my morning! I was up bright and early to get Ava ready for daycare and get myself out the door to the Y for training.

I went to warm up my car and it was FREEZING out so I thought it would be best to bundle Ava up. As you can see she was all geared up for the cold temps.

I dropped her off and headed to the Y. I even hopped on an elliptical to do some cardio for myself! It felt great to sweat after a weekend of no exercise.

Now about my weekend… lets just say, it flew by!

Saturday we had some family over and ran a bunch of errands for our upcoming trip to Florida! I can’t tell you how pumped I am to head down south for some warm weather. Sunshine, the beach, and relaxation bring it on!

On Sunday we made a trip to see some of our close friends who just recently had a baby. We couldn’t wait to get the babies together it was a great time.

How cute are they in their little ECSU outfits???

Ryan and Marc played college baseball together (we all went to the same school) so the onesies were very appropriate for there first meeting! Future all stars for sure

Ava was also obsessed with the balloon.. not that it said Seahawks on it because we know she’s a Patriots fan, but she loved that it was moving around above her!

With only a couple days until Vacay.. I gotta get packed. I have never packed for someone else before so I’m sure I will forget something. Who would’ve thought such a little person requires SOOO much stuff. I am more concerned about making sure she has everything she needs then about myself.

isn’t she cute? I just love cuddling with her when she’s sleeping.

Does anyone have trips about traveling with a baby?! I would love to hear. I am not really that nervous about traveling with her because Ava is a great baby, but I am always looking for tips and advice!

February 28, 2014
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
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Post workout snacks!

Before a workout I always need a quick bite or small meal to get me going. I am not one of those people that functions and performs on an empty stomach! Food gives me the energy and stamina I need to complete my workout!

Through my training and personal experience I have learned the importance of a post-workout snack! Feeding your body after a workout helps repair the muscle tissues and replenishes your glycogen which gets depleted during intense workout sessions. It doesn’t matter where I am after a workout I always have something to re-fuel my body. Here are some of my go to post-workout snacks or snacks that I recommend:

1. Cookie Dough Protein Bites a good source of protein & fat