The Fit Skool | by Kelly

September 27, 2013
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
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My new fitness accessory

Over the past few months I have been super productive and very active. I have had great pregnancy energy and I really had no complaints up until this week. That brings me to my “new accessory” the walking boot.

Last Friday I had gone hiking and ever since then I had some pain in the top of my foot. It hurt when I was active and when I wasn’t it didn’t bother me as much. As the week went on it was bothering me more and I noticed it the most when walking bare foot around the house or just walking in general. At night I had some throbbing and pain so I decided I should be safe and get it checked out. I went to the orthopedic and they determined it is either a ligament strain or a stress fracture in one of my metatarsals. He refused to do an X-ray because I am pregnant and said it doesn’t matter if it’s a ligament strain or stress fracture the walking boot is the treatment either way.

I left feeling a little bummed and frustrated because everything was going so smoothly up until this point. The Dr did say that at this point in my pregnancy the hormones can really cause the ligaments and joints to loosen. He said that with my active job and the hormones relaxing my ligaments this probably caused part of the injury.

Cooper was bummed too but he let me kick up my feet to ice and napped next to me!

On a positive note, the boot makes my foot feel better because it doesn’t allow my toes to bend and keeps my foot straight. I am going to look at the boot as my healing tool!! I am confident that I will be better in no time.

can’t see the boot in this picture but you can see my rounder belly

the boot & belly

Have you ever had an injury to the lower body? What creative workouts did you do?

September 26, 2013
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
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Upper Body Arm-Toner

Here is a quick upper body circuit workout that you can do when you are short on time. All you need is a set of dumbbells or a weighted body bar.

Before beginning the upper body workout, warm-up for 5-10 minutes. If you do not have cardio equipment, try a combination of jogging in place, jumping rope, & jumping jacks

Perform 15 repetitions of each exercise, repeat for a total of 3-6 sets (choose a normal size weight that is also challenging)

PUSHUPS

these can be performed as knee pushups or in the full body position

BICEP CURL

Grab the bar so that your elbows are resting comfortably at your side, palms are facing out. Curl the bar all the way up to your shoulders

SHOULDER PRESS (CLOSE GRIP)

grap the bar with a close grip, palms facing away from your body, press the bar overhead until your arms are fully extended

Grab the bar with a close grip, palms facing away from your body, press the bar overhead until your arms are fully extended

TRICEP PUSH BACK

lean slightly forward and extend the bar back while flexing the triceps

BENT OVER ROWS

keep a flat back and pull the bar into your lower abdomen, keeping your elbows close to your side

Before beginning a new workout program you should always consult your physician first.

September 25, 2013
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
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10 Grab and Go Breakfast Ideas

Mornings can be quite the busy time! If you feel rushed and have to feed your kids, bring them to school, or if you are like me and have scheduled clients that you need to be on time for, you need quicker breakfast options.

I never skip breakfast; my body just won’t function without it so I always make time for it. If putting together a few things the night before is what it takes, I set aside the 10 minutes to prepare and I won’t lie, I am always thankful the next morning when everything is set to go.

Here are some quick breakfasts for those mornings that you really don’t have more then 5 minutes to get a healthy meal together!

10 On-The-Go Breakfast ideas

1. Whole-grain cereal in a baggie (Kashi go lean crunch has protein & fiber)

2. A couple hard-boiled eggs & string cheese

4. Low-fat yogurt mixed with granola & fruit (good source of carbs & protein)

5. Whole-grain English muffins with peanut butter or almond butter

6. 2 eggs and low fat cheese in a whole-wheat tortilla, a tortilla with turkey and low-fat cheese, scrambled eggs with diced peppers and onions in a tortilla

7. An egg and low fat cheese on a whole wheat English muffin

8. Low fat cottage cheese (mixed with berries or nuts)

9. Whole wheat waffle sandwich with a tbsp of peanut butter & sliced banana

10. Plain instant oatmeal with fresh berries & nuts

September 24, 2013
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
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28 Weeks.. Start of the 3rd trimester

I can’t believe I am in my 3rd and final trimester! Time is flying by and I feel like Baby G is going to be here before we know it. I am so excited

I had my glucose screening test this morning (for gestational diabetes), it was quite interesting. The woman handed me a cup of what looked like orange soda and said you can chug it or sip it but you have 5 minutes to drink it. My first thought was chug it, until I had the first sip. Wow was it sweet. It did take me a couple of minutes but I got it down. I then had to sit and wait for an hour without drinking, eating, or walking around.

This was a piece of cake in the beginning, I was feeling super energized from all the sugar! After about 20 minutes I got hit with a wave of intense nausea and I thought I was going to throw up. I knew that if I did it would mess up the test so I distracted myself with my phone and anything I could go through in my purse. Once the hour was up they took my blood and I was done. I asked the lab tech how much sugar there was in the drink… and he said 100 grams!! That’s about 6 1/2 tablespoons of sugar.. or about 2 cans of soda & close to 400 calories (in just 4-5 oz). For someone that doesn’t drink soda or sugary drinks my body was definitely in shock!! I’m glad that’s over with.

Sooo.. at 28 weeks here is what has been going on since last week!

28 WEEKS

THE BABY IS close to 16 inches long, Weighing about 2.25- 2.5lbs

WEIGHT GAINED: No weight gain this week which is weird because my belly looks drastically bigger from last week, still up 16lbs

GENDER: It’s a girl!!!

WORKOUTS:

TUESDAY 30 minute walk, taught 1 hour boot camp class

WEDNESDAY Strength day 1 hour group power practice, taught 1 hour boot camp class

THURSDAY taught 1 hour boot camp class and taught senior fitness

FRIDAY 1 hour hike with Marc!

SATURDAY 20 minute elliptical interval workout & 20 minute upper body workout

SUNDAY REST DAY… some yoga stretching and a leisurely stroll with Cooper

MONDAY 15 minute warm-up on the bike and 1 hour group power practice

FOOD AVERSIONS: I am still having a hard time eating plain vegetables. I love veggies scrambled in my eggs, or in salads, or on sandwiches but plain cooked veggies doesn’t cut it!! I’m also still not liking the sound or look of mexican food!

FOOD CRAVINGS: I know I’m not exciting, but there was really nothing I wanted this week. Meals were pretty blah for the most part. I did eat a decent amount of sweet potatoes and regular potatoes so I guess I like my carbs! I love fruit.. no surprise there. I think I ate 5 apples this weekend after we went apple picking!

SLEEP: Sleep has been pretty solid, about 7 hrs per night give or take. Wednesday night I woke up once to pee in the middle of the night. Is it bad that I am not waking up more in the middle of the night??

MATERNITY CLOTHES: I did just get a shipment from Old Navy Maternity.. and by shipment I mean I ordered them and they got shipped to my house I bought 2 tank tops, a long sleeve plain black shirt, a pair of low-rise leggings, and some workout capris that look like they are too small.. might have to hang on to them until post-pregnancy.

STRETCH MARKS: None, I am trying to remind myself to use cocoa butter and lotion but I haven’t been consistent.

DO I MISS ANYTHING: I reallly miss laying on my stomach. I can get away with a few minutes but it gets uncomfortable. I miss jump rope, and just realized this in boot camp class the other night. I also miss running. I jog a little with Cooper here and there but it really isn’t fun or comfortable so it usually lasts a whole 20 seconds.

MOVEMENT: lots and lots of kicks punches, flips and I think maybe even some hiccups!

BABY ITEMS PURCHASED: Nothing new this week. I am trying to hold off as long as possible.

WEDDING RINGS ON or OFF: ON

BELLY BUTTON IN or OUT: still in… but looks like its changing a bit on me. It actually might almost be flat which is very weird to me

I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO: My doctors appointment next week. I am meeting with a new Dr in the practice.. I have officially started making my rounds to meet all the other doctors. I am also looking forward to the launch of GROUP POWER class at the Y.. we don’t launch for another 2 weeks but I am still anxious for it.

September 23, 2013
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
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15 minute Pan Fried Pork Loin Chops w/ Honey Dijon Sauce

If you are looking for a tasty dinner that doesn’t take a long time to prepare and cook, this recipe can be whipped up in no time.

The roasted potato pictured above was simple as well, and I will post the recipe for that this week.

15 minute Pan Fried Pork Loin Chops w/ Honey Dijon Sauce

Ingredients:

3 boneless pork loin chops

1/2 cup chicken broth (or vegetable broth)

1 tbsp honey

2 tsp cider vinegar

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

salt and pepper to taste

simple ingredients for the sauce!

Directions:

Spray a non stick skillet, and turn on stove to medium high heat. Add pork chops and cook until browned on one side, about 3 minutes then flip and repeat. Remove pork from skillet and set aside on a plate.

whisk together the ingredients and slightly boil

sauce is thickening

Pour broth, dijon mustard, honey, vinegar, salt and pepper into skillet. Whisk until combined and bring sauce to a slight boil. Reduce heat to medium low, and let cook until sauce slightly thickens, about 2-4 minutes. Turn stove off.

I added the pork chops back to the skillet and flipped them in the sauce. Serve with remaining sauce!

I served the pork chops with mashed cauliflower and my fun red SPIRAL baked potatoes! yummmm

September 22, 2013
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
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FALL KICK-OFF

This weekend was full of fun fall activities. On Friday Marc and I drove up to Osbornedale State Park Derby, CT to go hiking. It was perfect weather about 75 degrees and sunny.

Some of the hills were pretty steep and I could tell that I was breathing heavy at some points! Man I was really feeling the extra weight I am carrying around. We hiked for about 45 minutes which was plenty of time, my legs were tired!

This was one of the nice views we had, it was very peaceful and quiet at the park! After our hike we headed back to our hotel to shower and go to dinner.

On Saturday I woke up at 5:30am and decided to let Marc sleep in a bit. Our hotel had a Dunkin Donuts not too far away so I walked over and grabbed this coffee!!

: Pumpkin Spiced coffee!!

I indulged in a little pumpkin spiced coffee (I got one pump of the pumpkin spice since the syrup can be overly sweet) After Marc woke up we got breakfast and headed to the hotel gym!! It was basically like a private small gym and we got in a good workout. I did a 20-minute Elliptical Interval and then 20 minutes Upper Body Strength Workout for Triceps, Back, and Chest!

This workout was performed as supersets: meaning I performed the exercises for each muscle group back to back with no rest in between. I did however rest in between body parts.

Triceps- Overhead Extensions & Tricep Dips, Back- One arm rows & reverse flies, Chest- Pushups and Incline Chest press, I did 2 rounds of each of these exercises, and I even threw in a set of bicep curls at the end!

APPLE PICKING… was next on the list of things to do for our Fall weekend

Beardsley’s Orchard in Shelton, CT

We arrived at Beardsley’s Cider Mill & Orchard in Shelton, CT around 10am when they opened. We decided to head there early because the weather wasn’t looking promising and we wanted to make sure to pick some apples before it rained! As you can see it was cloudy!

There were 5 different kinds of apples available to pick: Liberty, Macoun, Cortland, Junagold, & Gala

We sampled a few (shhhh) My favorite was the Macoun but they were all quite tasty. My least favorite was the Junagold, it was a little too dry and not as fruity/sweet as the others. We ended up buying close to 13 lbs of apples which we shared with my family. I am looking forward to making a new apple dessert this week! Overall it was a great weekend.

HAPPY FALL!

September 20, 2013
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
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Don’t let the weekend get the best of you!

Are you going to let all your healthy eating slip up right when Friday night rolls around?

The weekends are filled with temptation, get togethers, parties, weddings, showers, birthdays, dinner parties, etc. Don’t use the 3 nights this weekend as an excuse to eat whatever you want or as an excuse not to exercise. Even if you add in a short 20-25 minute walk on Saturday and Sunday, that could turn into an extra 200 calories burned. Instead of splurging all weekend long choose something that’s 200 calories and indulge with less guilt. 200 calories could be a small slice of veggie pizza, a glass of wine, or a scoop of your favorite ice cream!

If you are heading out for the night, try and eat a small 100-150 calorie snack before hand to help curb your hunger before happy hour at the bar, or a dinner party at your friends house. You will munch less at your party. Examples of snacks: veggies & hummus, a small apple with string cheese, yogurt, fruit, a small serving of almonds or pistachios, etc.

We all know what can happen when we are running on empty… we make poor decisions and we take in more calories!

On a different note.. I am loving the weather lately. Marc took today off, and after I finish up my morning clients we are driving to the middle of CT to go hiking!! I am very excited to do something different and also to exercise in a setting outside of the gym!

Here is a random picture from this week that made me laugh. Take a look at Cooper and his buddy trying to pull a branch off a tree. They attempted this for about 10 minutes with no success but it was fun to watch Great teamwork.

Quick belly shot picture at work (27 weeks + a few days) getting bigger

September 19, 2013
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
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Baked Sweet Potato French Fries

Baked Sweet Potato French fries are a great low calorie healthy salty side dish.

Instead of frying them in oil I baked them! Sweet potatoes are so nutritious.. they are high in Vitamin A and Vitamin C and they are a great pre-workout carbohydrate!

Sweet Potato French Fries

Ingredients:

1 extra large sweet potato (or 2 medium)

1 tablespoon canola oil

salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400F and grease a baking sheet. Cut the potatoes into fry shapes (thick or thin), then soak them in water for around 45 minutes. This is the important step to make them crispy! Drain, and pat dry. Toss the fries with the oil in a large bowl. Spread the fries on the baking sheet and add salt & pepper. Bake 25-30 minutes, turning halfway through. For even crispier fries, feel free to leave them in longer or broil for the last 1-2 minutes. (I like mine crispy and you can see some burnt ones in the picture!)

Serves 2: about 165 calories, 7g fat, 3.8g fiber!

September 18, 2013
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
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Super cheap dinner… Whole Wheat Pizza

On a trip to Trader Joe’s I picked up some of their whole wheat pizza dough and sauce to make some homemade pizza for dinner. Trader Joe’s has tons of great HEALTHY deals and I wish there were one closer to my house that I could shop at on a weekly basis.

This is a guilt free pizza recipe that you can whip up in no time. It actually turns into a fun dinner if you like rolling out the dough and adding toppings to the pizza. You will save a lot of calories when you make pizza at home especially if you choose healthy toppings and portion out the cheese. The vegetables add a ton of flavor and the fiber fills you up fast so it’s a perfect healthy meal!

veggie pizza!

Next time we make these pizzas I am going to buy some gourmet toppings. I am thinking pesto and fresh tomato, and trying a fig, gorgonzola and balsamic glaze! Yum. The possibilities are endless

Healthy Whole Wheat Pizza

Ingredients:

1 package whole wheat pizza dough (trader joe’s)

1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup trader joe’s tomato basil sauce

toppings of choice (we used peppers, mushrooms, chicken, spinach, and a little goat cheese)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees, spray 2 baking sheets with canola oil spray. Cut down into 2 or 3 pieces and shape into pizza. I used a little flour to help stretch out the dough. Once the pizzas are ready place them on the baking sheets and bake for 4-5 minutes per side. Once finished take them out of the oven and place sauce and toppings on the dough, cover them evenly with cheese and pop them back in the oven for 4-5 minutes until the cheese melts.

spinach, chicken, peppers & goat cheese! yum

Pizza dough $1.29, mozzarella cheese $2.50, sauce $1.50, toppings about $2.00= Total $7.29 dinner for two