The Fit Skool | by Kelly

October 11, 2013
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
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Healthy Pumpkin Bread

I have been on a pumpkin kick now for a while and I can’t seem to get enough! I tried out this recipe which is a combination of healthy bread recipes that I have made in the past but added in a couple of my own twists. It is low in fat but super tasty.

This bread is great topped with a little light butter or peanut butter to amp up the protein!

The flavor is light on the pumpkin spice so if you prefer it to have more of that pumpkin flavor add 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice instead of 1!

HEALTHY PUMPKIN BREAD

Ingredients:

3/4 cup pumpkin puree (about 1/2 can)

1 egg

2 tsp vegetable oil

¼ cup plain Greek yogurt

1/2 cup water

1-teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup sugar

1-cup whole-wheat flour

¾ cup white flour

1-teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

1-teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

½ teaspoon cinnamon (optional, I use it because I love cinnamon)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9X5 Loaf pan with baking spray. In medium bowl combine flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices and mix well.

In a large bowl mix eggs, oil, pumpkin, and vanilla. Add flour mixture and mix until combined.

All the ingredients combined together

Pour batter into the loaf pan and bake for 50-60 minutes.

Yes I added chocolate chips on top, doesn’t it look much prettier??!!!

Check with a toothpick before removing from the oven to make sure the middle is cooked.

Let cool for 10 minutes and Enjoy!

Serves 8: Per slice approximately 180 calories, 2g fat, 1.5g fiber, 4.3g protein

(The chocolate chips are not included in the nutrition facts)

October 10, 2013
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
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What I do for muscle soreness!

My hamstrings & inner thighs are sore!! The cause of my soreness is from choosing a slightly heavier weight and increasing my range of motion during squats, lunges, & deadlifts. Man am I feeling it today

It is quite normal to have muscle soreness after a workout. Here are some reasons you might get muscle soreness:

You started a new activity you’ve never done before (dancing, running long distance, circuit training, zumba, yoga, box jumps, etc.)
You increased the intensity level, the length of your workout, or maybe even the weight load of your exercises.
You worked the same body parts but did different exercises (for example you normally do squats but this time you did squat jump)

Sometimes I feel sore the day after a workout and sometimes I get “delayed onset muscle soreness” which is up to 48 hours later. This time it’s the day after soreness.

To prevent muscle soreness, I always try to ease into a workout (that doesn’t always happen) but you want to make sure to gradually build up strength and endurance. This can also prevent injury.

Post workout, I try to have some sort of protein and carbs to repair my muscles from any damage to muscle fibers/tissues. I will usually choose a protein shake, some yogurt (greek is higher in protein), or peanut butter and banana.

Bananas are a great source of potassium. Having enough potassium in your body is supposed to prevent or lessen the amount of muscle soreness.

I also make sure to drink tons of water during and after my workouts. Dehydration will make my muscles less protected and more vulnerable to sore muscles.

Now that my muscles are sore I am going to make sure to do some sort of light workout today followed by a lot of stretching. Warming up my muscles always seems to do the trick. They feel much loser after I move even though the first 5 minutes of the workout is always painful and tough. Time to get moving!!!

Do you have any tricks to prevent or heal muscle soreness from workouts?

October 9, 2013
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
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Running vs Walking

There are many reasons why we choose to run! Whether it’s to lose weight, to boost energy, or to stay trim. Is running really better then walking? It depends…

One of the perks to running is the calorie burn. For example: at my current weight if I ran 1 mile in 10 minutes I burn about 110 calories. If I walked 1 mile and it took me 15 minutes (4mph pace) I would burn about 82 calories.

Based on my weight:

30 minutes of running= 330 calories

30 minutes of walking= 246 calories

a difference of 84 calories

You definitely get more calorie bang for your buck with running but if you have the time to take a longer walk you can easily burn some serious calories walking at a brisk pace.

There are great health benefits to walking too. Not only is it better for your joints but you can still burn calories and get your heart rate up. For those of us with knee, hip, or joint issues its safer to say walking is a better option.

Depending on your health status & workout goals they are both great options to improving your health. This is a great time of year to go out for a run or take a walk and enjoy the beautiful scenery with all the leaves changing colors.

I get questions all the time from clients and members at the gym asking Do you run a lot?? The answer is no. Yes, I love to run but the runs that I enjoy the most are under 3 miles. I really enjoy mixing cardio into my strength training workouts (or similar to how I run my boot camp classes)

On any given day (when I am not pregnant) I would rather run 100 sprints then go out for a 5 mile run. That’s just my style of training. As a former athlete sprinting and being fast was part of the competition. To me working hard and fast for a short period of time motivates me more then running miles and miles. Lets not forget about walking, I LOVE walking. I usually don’t walk by myself, I will walk with a friend, family member, or my dog. It’s a great way to catch up with someone while exercising at the same time.

We often set up dinner dates and social get togethers that involve food instead of exercise. Think about it for your next get together with friends. Why not meet at the beach and go for a walk instead of going to happy hour right after work!!

Do you prefer to run or walk? Are there reasons why you choose one over the other?

October 8, 2013
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
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30 Weeks Pregnant & the launch of Group Power

Yesterday we ran our first Group Power class for the staff. It went really well and everyone loved the workout! You know you did a hard workout when you walk down the stairs and your legs feel like Jell-O!

These are some of the modifications I had to make during Group Power workout:

1. Keeping my hips higher on pushups so my abdominal muscles weren’t fully engaged

2. I kept my step box at an incline for chest press & abs so that I was never lying completely flat

3. I limited my range of motion in squats & lunges so that I wasn’t too deep. I noticed that the ab exercises were extremely harder this time around and again I shortened my range of motion!

I have 10 weeks left to go with this pregnancy… woo!

I guess for me 30 weeks seems like we are nearing the end of the pregnancy & 70 days seems like nothing!!! Baby G will be here in no time and I honestly can’t wait for her arrival already.

Here’s what has been going on this past week……..

30 WEEKS

THE BABY IS close to 17 1/2 inches long the size of a large head of lettuc , Weighing about 3.2lbs

WEIGHT GAINED: no weight gain this week… still hanging at 17lbs the doctor said I will most likely gain another 8lbs before my due date!

GENDER: It’s a girl!!!

30 Weeks.. The belly is really popping!

WORKOUTS:

My workouts this week were slacking due to Mr. Cooper’s emergency Thursday & Friday. His health was more important then my workouts and I have a very BUSY work week and workout schedule this week so I took advantage of the rest days.

TUESDAY taught boot camp

WEDNESDAY 1 hour group power practice, taught boot camp

THURSDAY OFF

FRIDAY OFF

SATURDAY 25 minutes cardio (elliptical/bike combo)

SUNDAY OFF DAY (BABY SHOWER)

MONDAY Strength day 1 hour group power workout class for the YMCA staff, and taught senior fitness

FOOD AVERSIONS: I am still not liking the sound of mexican food.. salsa, cilantro, anything along those lines. As for vegetables… I ate much more of them this week, I definitely ate them whenever possible and didn’t seem to have an issue. Maybe I am turning a corner!

FOOD CRAVINGS: Carb are really appealing lately. Potatoes, multi-grain toast, dry cereal, etc. I definitely can’t live without my eggs in the morning and have been really liking yogurt with fruit and granola as a snack! Bring on the fruit, I love fruit.

SLEEP: I pass out at night especially after a long day at work, my body is ready for sleep. The past two nights I slept about 6-7 hours and I wake up earlier to check on Cooper. I get up once or twice in the middle of the night to pee so that’s not too bad either.

MATERNITY CLOTHES: I am officially stretching out all my regular workout clothes, but I do have a few maternity workout tops that will grow with me until the end. I need to buy some new workout pants/capris. The one’s i have been wearing are just way too tight and irritate me around my belly button.

STRETCH MARKS: None, yet.. lets keep it that way!

DO I MISS ANYTHING: I miss walking Cooper, I always looked forward to getting outside and walking him for 20 minutes every day and he is in recovery mode so we won’t be able to get a good walk in for another week. This weather has been great too, what a tease. I also miss being more active in my classes, its extremely difficult to not demonstrate jump squats, x-jumps, etc. The walking boot has really limited me but I am focusing on getting my foot better, my exercise can be done differently the next 2 weeks.

MOVEMENT: Baby G is getting stronger, and I feel her movements all day long. I even feel her when I am teaching classes and working out myself. Apparently she’s trying to get her workout on too.

BABY ITEMS PURCHASED: We got a ton of baby presents at our shower this weekend. I am so thankful for all my Rhode Island friends and family that came to celebrate. Some big items were our stroller & car seat which I LOVE, our pack n play, playmat, and tons of cute little baby girl clothes that I couldn’t wait to hang in her closet.

WEDDING RINGS ON or OFF: ON

BELLY BUTTON IN or OUT: looking more flat these days… but not popping yet!

SYMPTOMS: I feel pretty great.. I have noticed that after being on my feet for 2-3 hours straight I am finding I need a few minutes to sit down and relax my feet for a bit. I’m not as tough as I was in the beginning! I’m always drinking water, which makes me have to pee all day long.

LABOR SIGNS: I had some Braxton Hicks contractions on Sunday night.. I wasn’t sure what was going on!!! They were coming and going for about 1/2 hour or so. It helped to get up and walk around.

I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO: Launching our Group Power class Wednesday!! After having the staff class it got me really excited for the members to try it out. I can’t wait to hear member feedback. It will be fun. I am also looking forward to a relaxing Columbus day weekend since we don’t have plans

October 7, 2013
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
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Rhode Island Baby Shower!

Yesterday we had a small baby shower in Rhode Island with Marc’s family and some of our friends. The shower was held at Bridge in Westerly, RI. It was such a cute little restaurant right on the water.

The room was perfect size and the food was amazing. We had a breakfast menu and I chose the Western Omelet with whole wheat toast, potatoes & a fruit cup. I loved the food but it seems like these days I fill up super quickly and get full off less food. It’s not a bad thing except that I am hungry again two hours later.

Cards to fill out to guess the baby’s due date!!

As you can see the boot made it to the shower! oh well!! Pictured from left to right is my mom, me, my sister in law Melanie, and my mother in law Cathy.

Melanie asked everyone to bring a book instead of a card which was such a great idea!! We decided that we are going to mount some bookshelves on the wall in the nursery to display all the great books we received from the shower.

After we finished eating I opened gifts! We got a pack n play, a swing, car seat accessories, baby clothes, baby blankets and toys. It was such a fun day and I really enjoyed spending time with everyone.

Pack N’ Play

Cooper made his way into this picture

The shower was such a great ending to the weekend, and I am looking forward to celebrating with my family and friends in Greenwich in a couple of weeks!

October 5, 2013
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
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The adventures of Mr. Cooper

As I mentioned Thursday morning Cooper was not feeling well. Unfortunately his throwing up and lethargy continued throughout the entire day until I finally called the vet again to try and squeeze in an appointment.

By this time it was 4:15 and she asked how soon I could get him there. We arrived at 4:30pm and the Dr immediately took Cooper and did some testing and x-rays. When he walked back into the room he said I have bad news, Cooper swallowed a rock. The 3.5cm rock was not small enough to pass through his system and was stuck in his intestines. The Dr said if he was my dog I would not wait and have the surgery immediately before it caused more damage.

The Dr said it would be a minimum of 45-minute surgery and Cooper would have to spend the night to be monitored. I asked if I could call my husband and he said of course. With no hesitation we both decided we didn’t want to wait and they took Cooper right away into surgery.

It was the longest 45 minutes I have experienced in a long time and I had a pit in my stomach not knowing what the outcome would be. Worse case scenario there was tissue damage to his intestines and bowels and he would have digestive complications later in life. Best case scenario we caught it early and he has a 10-day recovery, soon to feel like nothing ever happened. With all these thoughts running through my head I had a flood of emotions, I hadn’t been this worried or upset in quite some time.

Thankfully we got the best case scenario!! Little Mr. Cooper’s surgery went very well. He is on medicine for the next week or so and back home to rest and recover.

(you can see his shaved belly and paw, but I spared you the image of the scar!)

Our instructions are to keep him from climbing stairs and limit his activity to the house until his follow up appointment. I don’t think they understand what type of energy Cooper has on a regular basis…. this might be an issue in a few days when he’s feeling good as new!

Cooper’s still a little lethargic, but he did pose for this picture!

I hope everyone is having a great weekend!

October 3, 2013
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
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Is this Fall weather?

It sure doesn’t feel like fall weather these last couple of days but I will take it!! It looks like it’s going to stay warm through the weekend so I am going to get outside as much as possible to enjoy the weather, and be active outside. Don’t let these nice days slip by you!!

Here are some easy ways to take your workout outside:

Grab a friend and a tennis racket, play a few matches for fun
Take your dog for a walk/jog, or to the park and throw a Frisbee
Try out one of the local state parks and go for a hike
Take your kids or ask a friend to go for a bike ride
Go for a run at the beach or along the water
Head to a local park and use some staple boot camp moves to create your own workout: run, climb stairs, use the bench for lunges/dips/pushups.
If you are an athlete or sports fan, find an outside basketball court or go to a field and hit some baseballs, or throw a football!

Whatever you choose make it fun; exercise doesn’t always have to be performed in the gym!

Here’s a look at my eventful morning before heading to work:

I woke up this morning to a barking dog and a growling stomach and the combination was making me nauseous hahah!

I practically ran downstairs and Marc popped a piece of multi-grain toast while I made myself a couple of eggs and added another piece of toast.

I also poured myself a 1/2 cup of homemade pumpkin coffee (it was delicious but I literally had 2 sips of coffee) I really wasn’t feeling it today!

Maybe my coffee appetite came to a halt because of Cooper… we had to tend to our little doggie who seems to have a stomach ache and spent a big portion of the morning getting sick. Poor little guy!

Now it’s off to work.. to train some clients and teach senior fitness! I hope everyone enjoys this lovely day.

October 2, 2013
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
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Healthy Chicken Soup!

I woke up this past Sunday morning with a little bit of a head cold or allergies I am not sure which one, but I was craving some soup this week. I looked in my fridge and I had all the ingredients to whip up a healthy batch of chicken soup!

If you don’t have any of the vegetables that are listed in your fridge you can always substitute! This is a simple recipe that makes a ton and can feed a whole family or makes great leftovers for the week.

Healthy Chicken & Veggie Soup

Ingredients:

3 Chicken breasts (about 1.25lb)

1 cup chopped carrots

1 cup chopped celery

2 cups chopped kale

1 medium onion chopped

1 cup organic low-sodium chicken broth

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

3 tablespoons any jarred marinara sauce

salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Fill a large pot with about 6-8 cups of water, place chicken breasts in the pot and boil for 30 minutes. Scoop out any chicken fat from the top of the pot. Add in remaining ingredients (veggies & seasonings). Boil for 30 minutes and then remove chicken breasts and shred with a fork. Return chicken to the pot and continue cooking on medium heat for 30 minutes. Serve hot in a bowl and sprinkle with some parmesan cheese!

Serves 6, per serving approximately 195 calories, 4g fat, 8g carb, 2.2g fiber, 32g protein

Optional: Cook up and type of small pasta or noodles and cook separately. Serve the soup over the noodles.

October 1, 2013
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
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29 Weeks

HAPPY OCTOBER!

We have 11 weeks left and I am definitely counting down!! I can honestly say that I am getting so excited and anxious for the baby to arrive. I feel like time is going by fast but I wouldn’t mind speeding up a bit more!

I had a Dr’s appointment this morning, everything looks great and is measuring right on track!! I have been feeling pretty good (minus the foot set back) and I am looking forward to the weeks to come!

Here’s what’s been going onnnnn:

29 WEEKS

THE BABY IS close to 17 inches long the size of a butternut squash, Weighing about 3.1 lbs

WEIGHT GAINED: gained 0.5lb up to about 17lbs

GENDER: It’s a girl!!!

29 Weeks

29 weeks

WORKOUTS:

My workouts this past week were not really existent compared to the week before. Since injuring my foot and being put in a walking boot I haven’t been doing too much and trying to rest as much as possible. I am okay on the bike for cardio but that is it for now. Upper body strength workouts are going to be on the schedule for next week!

TUESDAY 20 minutes bike, 10 minutes elliptical

WEDNESDAY DR’S and found out I need the walking boot. Taught boot camp class in the evening

THURSDAY taught 1 hour boot camp class and taught senior fitness

FRIDAY 20 minutes light cardio on stationary bike

SATURDAY 20 minute bike interval

SUNDAY practice 1 hour group power session (light weights)

MONDAY REST DAY

FOOD AVERSIONS:

FOOD CRAVINGS: I really wanted pumpkin this weekend so I made a batch of Pumpkin bran muffins they were pretty good, I still LOVE fruit and strawberries have been tastier to me, pumpkin coffee is my go to in the morning even though I only have 1/2 cup, I can’t live without eggs they fuel me up for my day, & on Friday night I craved a can of tuna so that was my dinner and it was quite satisfying.

SLEEP: Sleep has been great, I have only woken up a couple times here or there to pee in the middle of the night. Last night I had a hard time falling asleep due to a stuffy nose. I am not sure if it is the weather or allergies?

MATERNITY CLOTHES: I got to wear some of my new clothes from old navy and the leggings fit great. They are low rise and very comfortable.

STRETCH MARKS: None, yet!

DO I MISS ANYTHING: I am not going to lie, this weekend when everyone was drinking pumpkin & october fest beers it made me feel left out. Water just didn’t seem like a fun drink! On Sunday I was practicing a workout and went to go try out an ab exercise and it just wasn’t working. The baby’s position took over and I wasn’t able to do it!! very frustrating but expected at this point. I know there’s not much room in my belly!

MOVEMENT: she’s a mover as we already know. This weekend I had a few crazy moments where my belly looked like it was shaking from side to side. Either she was dancing or kickboxing but it was quite funny and creepy at the same time.

These pictures were taken just shy of 29 weeks (over the weekend)

BABY ITEMS PURCHASED: nothing purchased

WEDDING RINGS ON or OFF: ON

BELLY BUTTON IN or OUT: still in… but definitely making its way to flat or popping out!

I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO: My Rhode Island baby shower this weekend with Marc’s family. It will be so nice to see his family and some of our friends.

September 30, 2013
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
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How can busy moms fit in 30 minutes of exercise?

I had one of my clients ask me, how can I fit in 30 minutes of exercise as a busy mom??

There are many solutions! Yes, moms are so busy that sometimes it seems nearly impossible for them to squeeze in 10 minutes let alone 30 minutes of exercise each day. The good thing is that you don’t need to be in the gym for an hour to get a good workout.

My first rule is to Schedule it!!! This is not just for moms but anyone that wants to increase the amount of exercise they log per week even if your schedule is jam packed. You schedule play dates, happy hour with friends, dance class, baseball practice, BBQ’s etc. so now make a commitment for yourself. If you write it down in your planner or mark it on your calendar with a specific date and time you are more likely to complete the task.

Get your kids to join in! make it a competition. Who isn’t up for a challenge Ask them how many sit ups they can do in a minute? Record their results. Your turn! Keep track and choose different exercises: pushups, planks, jumping jacks, bear crawl, skaters, etc. It may not be your ideal workout but it could be fun for your kids to sweat too.

Ask for some help! Can your husband watch the kids for 30 minutes. Go out for a run or pop in a workout dvd in the other room. Maybe your friend is going to the gym and their husband/wife wouldn’t mind watching your kids for 30 minutes.

Here are 3 examples of 20-30 minute workouts you can do at home: Warm up before completing any workout

Workout #1 30 minute power walk with intervals (alternating speed walking with normal pace)

Workout #2 complete the following circuit performing as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes: 10 pushups, 10 sit-ups, 10 squats, 10 lunges (each leg), 10 burpees, 10 mountain climbers and again complete as many rounds as possible in 10 minutes.

Workout #3 pop in your favorite work out dvd or select a workout video on demand and try something new!

Once you are finished, cool down with some stretching!