Week In Review 1/5-1/10 + #No Excuses #Sweat Pink Challenge

Hello and happy Sunday!  Today is my rest day and I am so thankful because I am still so sore from my workouts this week.  I find that taking 2 rest days a week really helps to give me the recovery time I need in between workouts.  I had a really great week of workouts and loved incorporating my new battle ropes and more kettle bells, I challenged myself all week.  How did your week go?

I stuck with my schedule with one small adjustment, I switched Wednesday and Thursday.  I have also set a weekly goal to burn 3,500 calories, it pushes me to work harder in all my workouts!  Having goals is a great thing, even small attainable ones.  Try to set a weekly goal for yourself!

Here is what my week looked like:
Monday: Chest & Arms Circuits with Ropes and Kettle bells
Tuesday: Legs Circuits with Ropes and Kettle bells
Wednesday: Rest
Thursday: Back & Shoulders Circuits with Ropes and Boxing
Friday: Arms- Drop sets with Ropes and Kettle bells (I'll post this workout this week)
Saturday: Legs Circuits with Jump Ropes and Kettle Bells (I'll post this workout this week)
Sunday: Rest
My goal of 3,500 calories was reached!

This coming week will be the same schedule I have set up, but I will take Thursday and Sunday off.  You can see my workout schedule here.
Do you plan your weekly workouts in advance?

 
As you know I am a Sweat Pink Ambassador, it really is an awesome group of supportive fitness ladies, and Sweat Pink along with Augusta Active, Shower Pill, ActivMotion Bar, WIN Detergent and Beaming with Health have all joined in for a New Year, New You #NoExcuses Challenge.  I will be completing the daily challenges and posting on my Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. 

I hope that you will join in for a year of #NoExcuses.  All you have to do is snap and post a pic of you completing the daily task and use the #NoExcuses and #SweatPink in your post on any social media you choose.  You can also sign up to join the movement ($5) and you will get weekly e-mails and be included for giveaways from the sponsors of the challenge.  Here is the link if you want to join: https://sweat.formstack.com/forms/noexcuses.

Make sure to like my Facebook page and follow me on Instagram and Twitter so you don't miss out! #NoExcuses!  Let's make 2015 the best year yet!  

Week in Review 12/15-12/21

Happy Sunday!  I have decided to get back to my week in review posts.  It is such a great accountability tool for me.  I posted on my Facebook last week about the struggle I am facing right now with trying to work through my relationship with food.  For a large part of my life I have been on the restrict/binge pattern.  I also have a tendency to get really close to my goal then sabotage my progress.  I am working with Anna Lavonne Richardson to help me overcome these obstacles that are holding me back from getting to where I want to be with my health and fitness. It is a whole other post in itself, but I just wanted to share a bit of what I am going through right now.  I know I am not alone in the struggle.  Once I get farther along in my journey I will post an update.  I hope that one day I can post about how I was able to overcome this struggle and get to a good balanced place.  I have been there before and I know I can get there again and this time stay there for the rest of my life.  If this is something you are going through too, send me a message, we can do it together.  Having a support system is important, and knowing that you are not the only one and not alone helps so much too!  You are worth the time it takes to work on the person you want to become.  That is my goal for 2015, to over come this hard point in my life and move forward.  It comes down to the mental aspect of it all and having positive self talk.  It is all a work in progress.

Source

 Week In Review 12.15.14-12.21.14:
Monday- lifting: chest & arms, cardio: HIIT intervals on the treadmill 20 minutes
Tuesday- rest day
Wednesday- lifting: back & shoulders, cardio: tabata 20 minutes
Thursday- lifting: arms, cardio: HIIT treadmill intervals 30 minutes
Friday- lifting: legs, cardio: plyo intervals during my leg workout.
Saturday- rest day (I had planned on getting a workout in, however my little one cut her toe pretty deep and I had to take her to get it glued to stop the bleeding...stressful afternoon!  She is okay though, she didn't even cry once, she is a tough little girl.)
Sunday- rest day
Total calories burned according to my Polar Heart Rate Monitor- 2082

My plan for this week is to get all my workouts in!  Life can definitely get in the way sometimes and Christmas is this week.  We don't have anything going on until the evening so I plan on getting all my workouts in.  I love to workout....if I had someone making all my meals for me life would be so much easier.  I do enjoy cooking, it's the cleanup I don't love!
Here is my plan for the week:
Monday: lifting: chest & arms, cardio: 20 minutes HIIT treadmill intervals
Tuesday: lifting: legs, cardio: 20 minutes tabata
Wednesday (Christmas Eve): lifting: back & shoulders, cardio: 20 minutes HIIT treadmill intervals
Thursday (Christmas): cardio- Jillian Michaels Kickboxing- arms & abs 40 total minutes, 30 Minutes of Jillian Michaels Yoga inferno
Friday: lifting: legs (no cardio)
Saturday: rest or steady state cardio in the morning
Sunday: cardio and yoga

I am hoping that having a plan will help me to stay on track.  Usually is does help to know what I am doing each week.  Do you plan your workouts in advance?

The other thing that helps is thinking about what I am going to make each day to have in my fridge.  My eating is so much better when I am prepared with healthy choices and I am not eating out so much.
Here is a quick peek of what my weekly dinners looks like:
Tonight: turkey burgers with zucchini pasta and a little tomato sauce
Monday: leftovers
Tuesday: pork chops and Brussels sprouts
Wednesday: Christmas Eve dinner with my in-laws
Thursday: Christmas dinner with my family
Friday: most likely Christmas dinner leftovers
Saturday: a dinner out at a restaurant
Sunday: back to Turkey burgers, this time I will do a salad with hummus on the side.
My breakfasts are always similar, eggs, either bacon or chicken sausage (Applegate Farms), and fruit.  Sometimes I make Kodiak Cakes protein pancakes, or a piece of Rudi's gluten free toast or hash browns. Lunch is always a post-workout protein shake.  Then I have an afternoon snack usually an apple and almond butter.  Having some structure helps during the week.  Sometimes I will have lunch out with my little one or friends during the week too.
What does your week look like?  Do you plan your meals in advance?

I also have some fun news! I am working with a few of my Sweat Pink Sisters, Amber of Bold Fit Mom and Upala from Pretty In Pink Fitness to create a weekly linkup!  I have been trying to get involved in more linkups.  It is a great way to meet new bloggers and find new blogs to read and be inspired from.  We are hoping to get launched after the first of the year.  Which will be great since this is when people start to pay more attention to their health and fitness!  Stay tuned for more details and the launch date! If you are a blogger we hope you join us!

Have a wonderful Holiday week with your families! Make some time for your fitness and remember that at most it is 2 meals that you have to indulge, its not a whole week!  You can stay on track to reaching your goals with a little planning.

Today I am linking up with Mommy Runs Fast and Jill Conyers for the Weekly Meal Planning Link up.  Check it out and find some other super cool blogs to follow!!

Week in review + Honey Crisp Apple Oatmeal Recipe

Happy Monday fitness friends!  I hope that you had a wonderful weekend. I went to a kickboxing class on Friday night, it was the first time I have worked out anywhere but home in over 2 years, that is hard to believe!  It was a great class and really challenging, I woke up sore in places I haven't been sore in for a while.  Then Saturday the hubby and I had a date night, which was nice and yesterday we had a family party for a few cousins of mine that were in town visiting.  What did you do over the weekend?  Do you stay active or take a few rest days? 

Like I mentioned over last week, I have finally gotten back into my weight lifting groove.  I got 6 days of workouts in and a day of rest.  I was also able to keep my eating on track, and I feel like I am eating more normal after the whole IIFYM debacle.  How was your week?  Are you working on achieving some goals or are you in a maintenance phase?

Here is my week in review:
Monday- Chest/arms
Tuesday- Kickboxing legs and abs
Wednesday- Back and shoulders and kickboxing legs
Thursday- kickboxing legs and yoga meltdown
Friday- Kickboxing class
Saturday: Legs and yoga meltdown
Sunday: Rest!

This week will look mostly like last week, except I will do my kickboxing class on Saturday morning and legs on Friday.  I am looking forward to another great week.  What do you have planned for your week in fitness?

My menu for this week is pretty simple, and since my hubby is doing a Biggest Loser competition at his gym, we will be making a lot of food so we have healthy eats on hand!
Menu:
Chicken and veggies, baked potatoes or sweet potatoes
Salmon and Brussels sprouts
Mexican night- black beans, brown rice and ground beef with a salad
We always make extra to have leftovers for lunch.
Breakfast is usually Ezekiel Sprouted grain toast, eggs and fruit or oatmeal and eggs.  I will probably make some peanut butter pancakes this week too.  What is on your menu?

 

This morning I made oatmeal with honey crisp apples and walnuts.  It was the perfect bowl of oatmeal for a chilly fall morning.  It was filling and tasty and will keep me full and ready for my morning workout.  I paired it with a ham (Applegate, nitrate free) and feta cheese omelet.  The perfect meal to start my day.  Here is the recipe for the oatmeal.  It is delicious!

Honey Crisp Apple Walnut Oatmeal

Ingredients:

1/2 fresh honey crisp apple

1/2 cup oatmeal, uncooked

1 cup water/milk or milk alternative

5 walnuts

cinnamon to taste

Instructions :

1. Boil water or milk add oatmeal and simmer until water is absorbed

2. While oats are cooking chop up apple to small pieces

3. Place cooked oatmeal in a bowl,  mix in apples, walnuts and cinnamon. Enjoy!

A few notes this week:  

-I have added a testimonial page from some clients I have worked with. 

-I have added a services page with some awesome online personal training packages.

Have a wonderful week!  As always I would love to hear from you.  If you have a topic you would like to read about or if you have any questions please email me at onfirefitnesspt@hotmail.com!

Week in Review + Clean Eating Chicken recipe

Good Monday Morning!  After a fun weekend in Chicago, post on that to follow, I am ready to get back to my workout and clean eating schedule.  I had a great week again, I took 2 rest days which felt awesome, and had a great workout on vacation.  My eating was actually not to bad over the weekend, but I am ready to get back to my usual clean eating ways.

Here is my week in review:
Monday: Chest & arms + cardio intervals
Tuesday: Jillian Michaels Extreme Shed & Shred 60 minute workout (killer workout)
Wednesday: Legs (my upper body was so sore, I decided to do legs instead of back & shoulders)
Thursday: Back & Shoulders + treadmill walk
Friday: Rest (left for Chicago.  We did a ton of walking though)
Saturday: Circuit workout in hotel gym see it here
Sunday: Rest (I got a massage at the hotel spa, it was awesome)
Total week calorie burn: 2338 in a total of 6 hours and 14 minutes of workouts

How was your week?  Did you get all your workouts in? What are your workout plans this week?

Original Recipe here

Here's whats on the menu for tonight's dinner!  I will add some quinoa and steamed broccoli too.
Thai Lime Chicken
Serves: 2
Hands-on time: 10 minutes
Total time: 35 minutes
INGREDIENTS:

• 1/3 cup unsalted dry-roasted peanuts
• 1 1/2 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 1/2 tsp ginger, ground
• 1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 1 lime

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. In a mini food processor, grind peanuts until fine, but not to paste.
3. In a small bowl, combine peanuts, garlic powder and ginger.
4. Place chicken on a cookie sheet and squeeze juice from lime over top. Then roll chicken in peanut mixture until well coated.
5. Bake chicken in oven for 25 minutes or until no longer pink in center.

Nutrients per serving (4-oz lime chicken): Calories: 360, Total Fat: 16 g, Sat. Fat: 3 g, Carbs: 11 g, Fiber: 3 g, Sugars: 3 g, Protein: 42 g, Sodium: 85 mg, Cholesterol: 95 mg

Week in Review + Summer Salad Recipe

Week 4 is in the books!  I feel like I had another great week and I am looking forward to starting week 5.  I will post my next 4 weeks of workouts tomorrow, so stop back for those workouts.  I am getting into a groove and a routine with my workouts.  At first it was hard to get out of bed at 6:30, but now it is habit and I love having my workouts done before my day starts.
Here is what my week looked like:
Monday- Chest, arms and interval cardio on treadmill
Tuesday- Jillian Michaels Kickboxing- 40 minutes
Wednesday- Back, shoulders and cardio
Thursday- My HIIT Workout
Friday- Legs
Saturday- Jillian Michaels Kickboxing- 40 minutes
Sunday- REST

 My eating was pretty spot on all week too.  I am not tracking because I am only eating real whole foods.  I did enjoy my cheat meal on Friday night and it was awesome!  But I got back into the clean groove on Saturday morning with a workout.
How did your week go?  Did you get your workouts in?

I am excited for this week to come, I am trying Aerial yoga on Tuesday and will make sure to post pictures and a post all about it!

Original recipe here

In honor of Labor Day tomorrow and all the parties that will be going on, I wanted to share a simple summer salad that is light and refreshing.  Take it to any party to share and make extra to have on hand for the week.

Tomato, Basil and Feta Salad

6 Roma Tomatoes Sliced

1 cucumber chopped

3 green onions chopped

1.4 cup fresh basil leaves, cut into thin strips

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

3 tablespoons feta cheese

salt and pepper to taste

In a large bowl toss together all ingredients, season to taste with salt and pepper.

Enjoy!

Have a safe and happy holiday weekend!  

Thanks for stopping by!

Week 3-Workout week in review + Sweet Potato Cookie Recipe

Good Morning!  I woke up so sore this morning, and I don't know about you but I LOVE it!  I know that I worked hard and its a good reminder to keep my eating on track.  Do you love being sore?

So, I am at the end of week 3 and I am noticing a change in how strong I feel during my workouts, I did burpees twice this week and didn't want to pass out!  I see a burpee challenge coming soon!

Here is my week 3 in review-
Monday- Chest and arms circuits + treadmill intervals 2 mins at 3.5 mph, 1 min at 6.0 mph- repeated for 30 minutes. 
Tuesday- Jillian Michaels Kickboxing workout 20 minutes and treadmill intervals same as Monday's

Wednesday- I tried out a Baby Boot Camp class (day one of burpees).  You can read more about my experience here.  It was a great workout, and got me thinking about starting my own Stroller Fitness Class for mommies and their babies.

Thursday- Day off.  I had my second Bowenwork session.  Bowenwork is a kind of massage that works to correct muscle imbalances.

Friday- Legs with treadmill sprints circuits- This workout kicked my butt and I loved every minute of it!

Saturday- Jillian Michaels Extreme Shed & Shred (day two of burpees)- 30 minutes and Jillian Michaels Kickboing abs workout.  I was a sweaty mess, but felt so good after my workout!  You can't tell in the photo but I am dripping sweat and my hair is a mess...sign of a great workout!

Working on my fitness!

Saturday's sweat session burn!

My weekly totals! 5 hours and 20 minutes- 2,400 calories!

Sunday- REST

As far as my eating for the week, I started off really strong with meals and snacks prepared.  I had a cheat meal on Thursday night (pizza) and a few pieces of Dove Dark chocolate, until then I had no sugar.  I planned on making dinner Friday night, but my little one wasn't feeling well so I sat with her instead.  We ended up making Friday nights dinner on Saturday, grilled chicken and scallops and those yummy zucchini fries.  All in all I would say a good week.  I have learned not to beat myself up over a few slip ups, no guilt, and to move on with the next meal or snack as a fresh start.  You have to go with the flow, life isn't perfect and neither are we, so we have to do the best we can and know that it is enough.  No negative self talk here!

*You can get all my workouts here.  I will be posting my next 4 weeks soon, so come back for those!
How did your week go?  Did you get all your workouts in? 

Okay, on to the yummy stuff!  I was poking around on Pinterest, as I usually do, looking for healthy cookie recipes for my little one and happened upon these sweet potato cookies!  The recipe is from Kitchen Queen Eats Clean. 
I am going to make these soon and I will let you know how they are.  Let me know if you make them too!  I love trying new recipes...here it is:

 

Here is the recipe rundown-

You will need: baking pan, parchment paper, large bowl, food processor, medium pot, mixing spoon. 

Recipe adapted from : The Betty Rocker 
 
2 cups pureed sweet potato (about 2 medium sweet potatoes)
1/2 cup oat flour (can be sub. w/ another kind of flour)
1/2 cup nut butter
2 eggs
3 T maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla

Spices:
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp La Boite Yemen #10 (a blend of ginger, cinnamon, and clove- sub with 1/2 tsp ginger, 1/4 tsp clove, and additional 1/4 tsp cinnamon)
1 tsp cacao powder
1/4 tsp allspice
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1. Boil a medium pot of water. Peel and dice sweet potatoes, add to water. Cook till they can be easily forked. Once they are done add to the food processor and pulse till smooth. Let cool.

2. Mix dry ingredients- oat flour, spices, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the nut butter with a fork or a pastry cutter if you have one. I ended up using my hands.

3. Add eggs, maple syrup, and vanilla. Mix in sweet potato and then chocolate chips.

4. Scoop onto parchment paper or foil lined baking sheet- I used a mini ice cream scooper. Then press down with a fork.

5. Bake for 15-17 minutes.

Please feel free to share your week in review, I would love to hear from you!

Thanks for stopping by!

My Successful Week in Review!

I want to take a minute and share my week in review with you.  Since I shared my plan with you I think that it is only fair that I tell you how I am doing with that plan.  I am at the end of two weeks in and I am feeling really motivated.  The first week I was only able to get 4 days in and didn't make it to yoga, but on the plus side I was sore after my workouts, which makes me more conscious of my eating, I don't want to ruin all that hard work with poor food choices.  This week was very successful!  I worked out 5 days and plan to do yoga tomorrow.  Here is my week in review:
Monday- Legs and cardio in the morning, logged my food in my fitness pal app
Tuesday-Chest circuits, logged my food
Wednesday- Day of rest.  I also had some Bowen work done on my shoulder so I wanted to give my body a rest before I had my session.  If you are not familiar with Bowen work, it is a type of trigger point therapy that works to correct muscle imbalances.  I have to say after just one session I was feeling much better.  I plan to go back weekly until my shoulder (a chronic injury that is aggravated from carrying my daughter around) is fixed.
Thursday-Interval Cardio on the treadmill in the morning
Friday- Back circuits
Saturday- Leg circuits from a fellow blogger at Peanut Butter Fingers and Jillian Michaels Kickboxing cardio workout
Sunday- Asthanga Yoga
*I wasn't as good about logging my food toward the end of the week, but I was eating clean.  Also, my days aren't exactly as in my plan, but I got all my workouts in and that's what matters!  Flexibility is important in your fitness journey, just because you don't get a workout in on a planned day does not mean you have to wait another week to start.  Start today with where you are and with what you can fit into your day, you will be happy that you did!

Today after my workout I made a yummy post-workout/meal replacement shake.  Since my hubby and I are getting a night out, thanks to my wonderful mom, I made this shake to be more of a meal replacement as well as post-workout, double duty is always good!  I will be more full at dinner and will make good meal choices because it is important for me to stay on track.  If you are heading out this weekend make sure to plan your meals out so you can stay on track too!  

Here is the recipe for my shake:  I hope you enjoy it!
2 scoops Sun Warrior Vegan Blend Protein (I'm not vegan, I just can't process whey protein)
2 tbsp. organic ground flax
1 tbsp. Trader Joe's Cocoa Powder
1 tbsp homemade peanut butter (this one is from our local specialty grocery store)
1 tbsp organic coconut oil
1 frozen banana
1 & 1/2 cup water and some ice
Blend well and enjoy!

I would love to hear from you on your week in review or if you have any awesome, yummy protein shake recipes!

Thanks for stopping by!