I Can Barrely Stand It!

Sorry,
Firstly I'm sorry for the delay in posting and secondly I'm sorry that today's post isn't a review of Insanity.  I'm working on it, but I've quite a bit to say about the program that totally changed my attitude about fitness.

Instead, I'd like to write (briefly) about Barre, which I experienced today for the first time.
Macon has its very own Pure Barre studio, and for the low (not at all low) price of $20 you can sign up for a one hour class.  They also let you get your first month of unlimited classes for $99 ($200 for each following month).

So why did I drop $20 on a singe class?  Because a couple of my fellow med school gals said it was the best workout they'd tried...and for my first experience with Barre, I wanted the eyes of a professional on my form.

Am I glad I gave it a try? You bet ya.
Am I going to pay for the unlimited option? Heck no.

I had a really good time at the class, and I'm glad I got to see the moves in person.  Now I know I have a foundation for trying out (free) online Barre workouts to add some variety to my routine.  I just can't justify spending that much every month when I enjoy so many other kinds of exercise.

If you're interested in attending a class at Pure Barre (it's on Forsyth Rd near Fabrik), here a breakdown of the hour:
- Quick warm-up with 2 lb weights and stretch
- Floor, seated, thigh work
- Standing glute/hamstring work
- Seated hip work
- Abs, seated then floor
- Stretch

The class moves along pretty quickly and the instructor was good about keeping an eye on everyone and providing feedback.  The music was current.  The location is very clean and beautifully decorated.
As for the intensity?  My legs have never been so wobbly - something about the combo of balancing on your toes and isometric squat holds just sets your legs aflame.

All that being said - I've found (and tried) another FREE Fitness Blender workout for you to try!  You don't need to know much about barre, because these folks do their usual magic of showing you the moves upfront.  This is definitely a great starter workout.  Zero impact.  Combo strength and stretch.  Using large muscle groups gets the heart rate up.


I hope you attempt this style workout - and I look forward to bringing you more like it in the future!

Until next time,
bgt

Obsessed with Brussels Sprouts

Bonjour!

I've been gorging of brussels sprouts for the past three days - can't get enough!  Today I thought it would be nice to give 'em a nice pan sauté with a bit of fish.  It turned out to be a delicious and quick lunch, so I thought I'd share the recipe.

What you need:
- Handful of fresh sprouts (8-10)
- High heat oil of choice (I used Walnut, but safflower or grape seed will work - just don't use EVOO)
- Fresh or frozen fish filet (I used Swai, very similar to tilapia)
- Dried herbs of choice (parsley and oregano for me)
- Chicken or vegetable stock (or dry white cooking wine if you're fancy)
- Salt and Pepper

I also served it with a handful of Kashi Toasted Asiago Crackers and Sabra Pine Nut Hummus.

What to do:
- Thaw fish if necessary
- Heat oil in skillet over medium-high
- Wash sprouts, trim stems and cut in half
- Place sprouts, cut side down, around the edge of the skillet
- Mix your herbs with some salt and pepper in a shallow dish or plate
- Coat both sides of fish in herb mix then add to center of skillet
- Don't touch for 2-4 minutes (depending on thickness of fish)
- Flip over fish and all the sprout halves (the bottoms should be a nice dark gold to brown)
- Don't touch for another 2-4 minutes
- Remove fish and wrap in foil to keep warm
- Add chicken stock (about 1/4 cup) to skillet and toss the sprouts around a bit for 5 minutes, adding more stock until they begin to soften then letting remaining stock cook off
- Plate sprouts and fish with crackers and hummus

I made little sandwiches, layering the crackers with a bit of hummus and a bite of fish.
The sprouts were like candy - YUM!

Nutrition:

Cals - 457

Carbs - 37 g

Fat - 28 g

Protein - 25 g

Fiber - 9 g

Chol - 45 mg

Bon Appétit!

bgt

Post-Call Stretch and Strength

Mondays...

Or even worse, Post-Call Mondays...

15 hours at the hospital yesterday - about 70% of that time was spent rounding on patients and the other 30% was spent hunched over a laptop, writing a reflective essay in one of the tiny call rooms.  Overall, a stupendously horrible day for my spine.

Seriously, I intended on writing a post on Do Anywhere, No Sweat moves, but there just wasn't a spare second in the day.  Reality: we all have days that go too long to even think about exercise.  What matters is how well you take care of yourself every other day of the week.

My solution for a spine compressed by a day on the wards?  A nice lower back stretch before bed and some post-call weight room work!

I'll include the stretching video and my weights routine below, but I guess my primary message is one of balance.  Long days deserve a reward at the end - and stretching fatigued muscles is a great way to thank your body for carrying you through a tough day.  Lifting weights is a great outlet for stress and when you include moves that lengthen your spine it can be a great way to decompress (literally).

Evening Stretch (Free from Fitness Blender):



Gym Routine: (I'll come back and edit with corresponding moves you can do at home)
- 10 minute cardio warm-up
- Combine the moves below into pairs and alternate sets before moving on to the next pair of moves.
- Move as quickly as possible to each new exercise, resting when needed
- Use enough weight to keep it challenging.
1a) Bent Over Rows - 10 Reps x 3 Sets       1b) One Legged Squat - 10 Reps each leg x 3 Sets

                   

2a) Assisted Pull-Up - 10 Reps x 3 Sets         2b) Assisted Triceps Dip - 10 Reps x 3 Sets

3a) Weighted Lunge - 12 Reps each Leg x 3 Sets            3b) Single-Leg Dead Lift

                                 

4a) Hanging Abs - 3 sets of front and oblique tuck-ins to failure   4b) Back Extension - 3 Sets to failure

                   

You really want to do a cool down and stretch after a routine like this - otherwise you'll be tight and miserable the next day.  The whole shebang took me an hour - only because my cool-down was 20 minutes on the stationary bike.

I'll be back later this week with my first Fitness Program Review - I'll highlight my experience with Insanity and share advice for including some less-intimidating plyometric HIIT into your fitness routine.

Sweat on,
bgt

550 Rep Fat Massacre - from Zuzana at BodyRock.tv

Happy Saturday!  I hope the weather where you are is as gorgeous as it is here...
Today's workout is outdoor friendly!

I've got another free workout for you today - this one from the crazy shredded lady at bodyrock.tv.
Click here for the original post on that page.  I've reproduced most of it below - I also embedded the instructional video.

What you need: About 30 minutes, music, watch/timer, water, towel and some True Grit
What you get: Fast, effective, low-impact cardio and strength

The Workout:  Complete the following in as little time as possible, but watch your form!
- Backward Lunge Kick Up (25 reps each leg)
      Step back with right leg into deep lunge.  As you come up, bring the right leg forward into a high kick and reach for your toe with your left arm.  Repeat x 25 then switch sides.
- Walk Over Push Ups (50 reps)
      Start in plank with feet together and hands under shoulders.  Step right foot out and left arm in so feet are apart and hands are together.  Step left foot to right foot and move right arm out to return to plank.  Do a push up.  Reverse directions.  Each push up counts as a rep.
      Make it easier: Keep feet apart for push up or do knee push ups.
      Make it harder: Keep one foot off the floor during the push up
- Mountain Climber (50 reps)
      In plank, step right foot forward then switch legs fast.  I count on the same leg each time (100 switches for 50 reps).
- Sumo Squats Knee Up (50 reps)
      Drop deeply into a wide squat.  As you come up, bring right knee to chest, turning torso slightly to the right.  Repeat x 50, alternating legs.
- One Leg Bridge with Leg Raise (25 reps each leg)
      Lie on floor with knees bent and feet close to buttocks.  Lift hips into air, keeping core tight.  Straighten out right leg and raise foot to ceiling and back down, keeping hips off the ground.  Repeat x 25 and switch sides.
- Side-to-Side Squat with Leg Lift (50 reps)
      Lower into squat and shift weight to right heel.  Kick left foot out to side as high as possible, keeping knee straight and toes pointing forward.  Stay as low as possible during kick and then lower left leg, returning to centered squat.  Repeat x 50, alternating sides.
- One Arm Triceps Push Ups (25 reps each arm)
      Lie on left side with left hand gripping right shoulder.  With right hand a few inches in front of left shoulder, push up, concentrating on triceps and right chest.  Repeat x 25 then switch sides.
- Star Crunch (50 reps)
      Lie on back with feet straight up in the air and reach arms back behind head.  Crunch up, opening legs to sides and reaching hands between your thighs.  Return to start.  Repeat x 50
- Diagonal Touch Down (25 reps each side)
     Stand with feet shoulder's width apart. Squat down, reaching over to left foot.  Try to touch the ground a couple inches outside your foot.  Stand up quickly, reaching up and to the right, twisting torso and focusing on obliques.  Repeat x 25 and then switch sides.
- Side Plank Lift (25 reps each side)
      Raise up into side plank with free hand on hip or behind your head.  Drop hips slowly and then lift back up - do not touch the floor.  Repeat x 25 then switch sides.
      Make it easier: Low side plank on elbow, top foot slightly in front of bottom foot
      Make it harder: High side plank on hand, feet stacked
      Make it brutal: As you bring hips up, lift top foot into air
      Make it deadly:  Keep top foot in air throughout move
- One Leg Wall Sit (25 reps each leg)
      With back flush against wall, lower into seated position, knees bent 90 degrees.  Lift right foot off the floor.  With knee straight, lift and lower right leg x 25, then switch sides.

My time: 19:45
Calorie Burn: 200

I added a 5 minute warm-up: jumping jacks, jog-in-place, bounce-to-music, dynamic stretching
I also added a 5 min cool-down: same as above
Total calorie burn: 300 for just over 30 minutes.

Strengths: Burns as many calories as a plyometrics workout without any actual jumping.  No equipment necessary.  Hits all the major muscle groups.  Appropriate for most intermediate/advanced fitness levels.  Most people should be able to finish within 30 minutes.

Weaknesses: Having to check the list between each move.  No description of form - must watch video to see moves.  Feeling inadequate compared to her utter shreddedness.  Should probably add your own warm-up and stretch.  Starts with lunges -_-

That's it for today!  Happy sweating!
bgt

Fitness Blender - 84 Minute, 1000 Calorie (?) Burner

Hello friends!

For my inaugural post, I thought I'd start with a real calorie torching workout available for FREE on youtube, fitnessblender.com, or just click play below.

What you need: Almost 1.5 hrs, music, dumbbells (I used 8 lbs), and a mat if you have a hard floor
What you get: A free, total body, Cardio+Strength+Core workout

Strengths: The moves are not vanilla - they did a good job including HIIT-style moves that are compound.  The time went by pretty fast, because there is very little redundancy.  They show a preview of each upcoming move and give you some prep time to practice it.  It hits all the major muscle groups.  Good stretch at the end if you tend to skip the stretch when it isn't included in the video.  This girl's body is pretty inspirational...

Weaknesses: There is no music.  The bland instructional voiceover and background don't keep you engaged, so playing your own music is a must.  You probably need a light AND heavy set of dumbbells - I used a 50 lb plate for dead lifts and weighted squats, but my 8 lb hand weights were okay for all the other moves.  Did not burn 1,000 calories (probably somewhere around 600) and isn't the best "burn for your buck" in terms of calories per hour.

Bottom Line:  Great, free Total Body Burner for a day when you've got a solid chunk of time to spend on your workout.

Lifting buns and flexing guns,
BGT