Sprint 2 the Table

Appetites and Adventures

Work It Out: FAQ

By

Does anyone ever look at the Fitness tab?

(Look up.  There.  On the menu bar.)

Recently I’ve had a few questions that I’ve addressed at one point or another.  While I would loooove to think everyone has my Fitness page memorized (I don’t even know what’s there), I realize that’s a lot to look at.

Today for Work It Out I thought I’d highlight a few of the posts that answer some frequently asked questions, and some of my favorites.

sprint2table-workitout

Click each title below to link to the detailed post…

1. The Ab Edition

So how do you get abs?  I hate to say it… it’s true what they say – abs are made in the kitchen.  This post has some specific diet tips to get your abs poppin’.

don't waste it with a bad diet

2. Top 5 Core Exercises

While abs ARE made in the kitchen, a strong core can make daily activities easier, reduces risk of injury, helps your posture, and protects your back.  This post has my top 5 favorite moves.

3. No Excuses NOT to Work It out

Think you don’t have time to workout?  Think again!  No one has time… you have to make time to workout.  This post includes ways around barriers, and a few workouts you can squeeze in quickly at home.

make time to workout

4. Tips for Improving Workout Focus

Eliminating wandering thoughts, gym distractions, and general rushing is important to getting the most out of your workout.  My tips for purposeful lifting.

5. Work It Out with Supplements

Supplements are an area of mystery for many people.  This post details the 5 supplements I take  to help keep up my energy, reach fitness goals (i.e. build muscle), and maintain a healthier lifestyle.

6. Healthy Eating on the Road

I travel a lot for my job.  This post is how I survived on the road 3 weeks out from my competition, eating 7 meals per day while navigating airport security, conference rooms, and clients.  It’s my Top 10 Survival Tips.

road survival

7. Attack of the Killer Sodium

This is a soap box for me.  Before I needed to start tracking my sodium pre-competition, I had NO idea how much sodium is added to foods – breads, protein powders… even spice blends!  A little education, and some idea for making your own spice blends for use on protein, veggies, and beans.

Attack of the killer sodium

8. Vegan Protein Sources

If you are new-ish to this blog, you may not know that I went vegetarian and then vegan for a hot minute.  It made me a lot more creative in the kitchen, and allowed me to answer the common question: “How do vegans get protein?”  (Click through for an awesome pin-able grocery guide.)

 

9. 15 Detox Foods

Many detox “diets” focus on elimination.  Rather cutting out foods, I decided to focus on what I needed to ADD to my diet to boost energy and help my body get back on track.  This post includes the foods I make sure to add to in when I need a reset.

Ultimate Detox Salad

10. The “No Shit” Diet

This is my favorite post ever.  My take on diet (hint: it’s about common sense), Diet 101, my weekly food buys (the most FAQ), flavors adds, and where I shop (you know you wan that peanut flour 😉 ).

No Shit Diet

***

This is one of those posts where I wonder if anyone will read it… those always feel like a little leap of faith.  Seems to be a common theme lately…

Do you have a Fitness question/area of interest?  I need post ideas!

What is your #1 fitness tip?  It can be about food, workouts, motivation… anything!

Work It Out: Is Fruit Bad?

By

Why do people become scared of certain foods?

 

Butter.  Carbs.  Egg yolks.  Milk.  Meat.

If you remember my No Shit Diet, you know I think these fads are… well, a load of shit. 😉

There are so many schools of thought, you really have to find something that works for you and your body.  Don’t be afraid to experiment.  Play with your food!  Create your own nutrition philosophy; one that makes you feel good.  And don’t ban foods for no reason.

Today’s Work It Out is about fruit.  One of the most asked questions I get about my figure competition prep is “why are you still eating fruit?!”

sprint2table-workitout

 

I’m still eating fruit because I like fruit.  Fruit is good for you.  Love your fruit.

Is fruit bad?  NO!  Fruit does have sugar.  This is why it often gets slammed by the fitness community.  Not all sugars are created equally!  Eating a piece of fruit is NOT the same as eating a bowl if ice cream.  Mmmm… ice cream...

This doesn’t mean it’s a free-for-all.  It does have fructose, a type of sugar that cannot be directly utilized by the muscles.  The liver must convert fructose into glycogen (carbs).  When the liver glycogen levels are full fructose gets converted to fat and that helps to increase the size of the fat cells.  Which is why fruit gets a bad rap.

You can’t know when the liver is full, but you can be smarter about your fruit.

________________________________________________________________________________________

1. Eat fruit in the morning

Because you’re fasting while you sleep, the liver burns all that glycogen.  When liver glycogen levels get low, your body begins breaking down muscle protein to convert amino acids into glucose for the brain.  All that means is that first thing in the morning your body is straight up burning muscle and you NEED to replenish some of that fructose.  At this point the fructose is used for good – restocking the liver glycogen levels and switching off the signal to burn muscle protein.

One of my favorites is this Blueberry-Basil Egg Bake.  Lots of protein a fruit to fuel your morning!

Blueberry-Basil Cottage Cheese Egg Bake

 

2. Fuel your workout with fruit

Eaten before a workout, the fructose helps to prevent muscle fatigue that usually comes on strong as muscle glycogen levels begin to fall.  Eaten after workout, fruit is used to replenish glycogen levels in your muscles and your liver.

 

3. Use fruit to your advantage

Fruits offer many health benefits beyond fuel.  Here are a few of my favorites:

Grapefruit – High in enzymes that burn fats and has high water, a combination that makes it a perfect food for increasing metabolism.  It also contains a dietary fiber called pectin, which is good for digestion.

Oranges – High in Vitamin C, oranges are a great pre- and post-workout snack because the vitamin C helps protect nitric oxide (NO) from being broken down by free radicals.

Apples – Polyphenols have been proven to increase strength and fat loss.

Cherries – Perfect for post-workout, as it reduces inflammation and enhances recovery (which is why I concocted this Cherry Ginger Protein Smoothie).

 

4. Know the GI score

The glycemic index (GI) ranks carbs based on their effect on blood sugar levels.  Those with a lower GI score, the more steadily its burned throughout the day giving you lasting energy.  Higher GI foods are more quickly transported to fat cells if you don’t burn them right away (these are the ones you may want to eat surrounding a workout).

Fruit GI Guide

***

I’m happy to see cherries are low GI and good for recovery.  They are my favorite!

Have you ever gotten “scared” of a certain food?

What is your favorite fruit?

 

Work It Out: Embrace Your Inner Puma

By

In my head, I look like a Puma when I workout.

In reality, notsomuch.

what-i-feel-like-when-i-run

No matter.  I workout hard and encourage my inner puma to shine.  One thing you learn early on in weight lifting is that half of it is mental.  There are many times when I am sure there is no way a weight was going to move, but I talk to myself.  I tell myself that I can do it, that its only 5 lbs more than what I just lifted, that I am strong.  And there are times that they guy next to me just did it and my ego won’t allow me to back down.

Since my surgery, I’ve had to dig deep to find my inner Puma.  It’s been hard working with new physical limitations and with the way my body as changed as a result.  I refuse to hold myself back though!  Today’s Work It Out is dedicated to working with limitations, reaching deep, and grabbing your inner Puma by the tail.

sprint2table-workitout

Lucky me, PUMA just so happened to challenge me to design a workout while trying out some of their new gear!  I knew immediately what I would do – legs!  It’s the area that I can really push myself on right now.

The awesome folks at PUMA sent over the ribbed performance tank, tech performance wear compression pants, and Formlite XT Ultra Shoes.

Puma gear

The tank is nice.  It’s clearly well-made and I like the breathable material.  It IS pretty long, so if you are a short-waisted person (like me) you might check out another style.

The Formlite Shoes rock!  They are super light and flexible.  They don’t quite provided the support I need for running, but they are great in the gym.  I also love the bright orange color.  Normally I’m opposed to bright color, but on my feet I like a little neon. 🙂

Puma formlite shoes

And now my favorite.  The Performance Bodywear Tech ACTV Long Tights SHOCKED me with their perfect fit and breathability.  Typically I only workout in shorts because I hate feeling over-heated, but these actually kept me cooler than my booty shorts during the leg workout below!

Puma describes them and “next-to-skin” and they aren’t exaggerating!  The really cool part is that they’re compression tights lined with a sort of athletic tape that works to enable energy supply to muscles and maximize performance.  Basically, it feels like an extra boost during a bangin’ leg day!

Puma Performance Bodywear Tech ACTV Long Tights

Rock out with your Puma out!

 

I wore my tights for a killer leg day.  This Puma-like leg workout left me sore for a solid 3 days, which is hard for me to do on my own.  When I have leg day with my trainer I am guaranteed to be using the handi stall, but without a sport I find it hard to go as heavy.  These pants were like a mini-spot.*

*I swear I’m not exaggerating.

Puma Workout

Click the links below for an explanation of each move:

This post was sponsored by FitFluential LLC on behalf of Puma. As always, all opinions are 100% my own!

***

Speaking of leg day… yesterday I did a leg workout with my trainer in my fancy tights.  I’m sore, but I do think they helped a bit with recovery!

What makes you feel like a Puma?

Do you struggle to push your weight or pace as hard when you workout alone?

Work It Out On Vacation

By

Vacation is a time for relaxation.

 

I would say rest and relaxation, but I’m not good at being still.

Taking a break from your exercise routine doesn’t have to mean being sedentary.  Being active away from home is one of the best ways to explore a city!  Today’s Work It Out is dedicated to a few of the ways Lisa, Heather, and I stayed active in Napa* last week.

*Raising a wine glass doesn’t count as lifting.  But not for lack for trying.

sprint2table-workitout

________________________________________________________________________________________

The cottage we stayed in had bicycles available to guests, so on day 1 of our trip Lisa and I decided to cycle from winery to winery.  There was plenty of entertainment, as neither of us bicycle.  As we were pulling out of the cottage area, a couple stopped to tell us we needed to take a few practice laps before we got on the road.  Haha!

It was a blast – we went up and down some hilly roads on the cruiser bikes (read: no gears or handle breaks).  Talk about a killer quad workout!  The unexpected value add was that it kept us from buying too much wine – you can buy more than you can fit in the basket on the front of the bike!  That is, until we discovered a winery that offered to deliver to our cottages.  Tee hee.

Bicycles

Photo courtesy Lisa

 

On day 2 we’d planned to take a break from wine gluttony enjoy the town.  We set out on a 7 mile hike up Oat Hill Mine Trail.  The trail was filled with flora and fauna I’d never seen before.

This tree’s red bark fascinated me:

Calistoga hike

 

We were rewarded for our hard work up the winding trial with a stunning view:

Oat Hill hike in Calistoga

 

Then we were rewarded again with a mud bath that afternoon.  No pics of that (it was a nude area), but it was certainly a fun experience (if not a teensy claustrophobic).

 

Heather arrived the next day.  She is doing the Live Fit program right now and needed to run 30 mins of sprints.  I tagged along and pointed us down the Silverado Trail.  I hadn’t been in that direction on the bike, and it was fun to watch the fog lift from the valley in the cool morning air.

I don’t normally run with other people, so it was also a nice change to have Heather there.  I definitely wouldn’t have done 30 sprints without her encouragement!

Photo courtesy Heather

Photo courtesy Heather

 

Added bonus: after being so fit you can feel good about flexing in front of a giant bottle of wine from Del Dotto Vineyards called “The Beast.”

Nevermind the fact that the winery owner was looking at me like I was nuts. #shameless

Del Dotto Beast

 

Finally, we took one long, long walk to dinner.  I thought we could cut down a side street to get to dinner… it ended up making a 3/4 mile walk more like a 3 mile walk.  I don’t recommend this method of exercise unless you have very patient friends.

The upside was seeing a gorgeous sunset over the vineyards.

Calistoga sunset

The downside was walking the last mile in the dark… rockstar Heather ran the last mile to get them to hold our reservations.

***

Exercising without knowing you’re exercising is a blast.  So is getting home and back to a routine… vacation wears me out!

How do you stay active on vacation?

Have you ever taken the long way on accident?  I’ve gotten lost on runs more times than I would like to admit.

 

Work It Out: Booty Building

By

When one door closes, another opens.

Or maybe another butts in?  Hee hee…

I’ve written multiple Work It Out posts about the booty.  My mission is to get one.  Last season I made some great progress, but there’s a lot of room to grow.  Since I am limited on my upper body, I’ve been really focusing on my butt.

sprint2table-workitout

I knew I was in trouble when I told my trainer that my new additions made my arms look smaller and he replied “I bet they make your butt look smaller too.”

He was right.  Doh.

Squats

After speaking to Lisa (who competed in Bikini at the last show I did), I took her advice and put together my own booty building program.  I am now training glutes 3 times a week!  Before you tell me that’s too frequent, know that I’m still not able to go heavy so a 2-3 day cycle works. 😉

I shake things up each time, but this has been my favorite ass-kicking workout to date:

Booty Builder

Click the names for explanations:

***

Thank you all SO much for all the birthday love yesterday.  It make the day that much more special.  ♥♥♥

How deep do you squat?  Try going ass-to-the-grass.  The soreness level of effectiveness is glorious.

What is your favorite booty-builder?

Work It Out: Post-Augmentation Exercises

By

Resting makes me restless.

I tried to be good.  Really.

After my surgery I was forced to rest.  I knew it was good for me as my body healed, but as my energy returned I got anxious.  Today’s Work It Out is dedicated to easing back post-surgery.  Patiently.

These tips may be applied to other types of recovery as well.  Use at your discretion. 🙂

sprint2table-workitout

Disclaimer: I am NOT a doctor.  Don’t do any of this without asking a doctor. Don’t sue me if you hurt yourself.  This plan is mine and mine alone.  What works for you will vary by your fitness level and how your body heals.

 

The main concern with working out after a breast augmentation is overusing the pectoral muscles – particularly with those who have implants are underneath the muscle.  The actual muscle needs time to heal.  After surgery there is a capsule that forms in the pocket holding the implant.  Think of it as the body’s way of protecting against a foreign object (this could be any implant).  Doing too much too soon can cause the capsule to become hard.  The goal is to allow the capsule to form in such a way that it is undetectable.

Breast-Implant-Capsular-Contracture-Dr-Barry-Eppley-Indianapolis

If the capsule thickens too much, is causes capsular contracture.  This is what makes the implant feel like a rock and can make the shape look wonky.  Bottom line: Avoid overuse of the pectoral muscles.

Below is a summary of what I’ve been able to do at different points post-augmentation.  Again, consult a doctor before you do ANYTHING!  Be sure to wear a super supportive sports bra when doing any activity.  For the first time in my life I am actually wearing 2 bras at once!

Post-Augmentation Exercise

First 4-5 days 1: Rest  (seriously).  It’s good to move around a little to keep blood flowing, but I’m talking walking from the couch to the kitchen.  Even that will probably wear you out on days 2 and 3.

Next 5-10 days: I started light cardio in the form of walking.  I probably went further than they would have liked, but I wasn’t moving to fast and I kept it to the cooler times of day.  You don’t want to get hot or elevate the heart rate to avoid infection and swelling (which increases risk of contracture).  The girls need to settle!

Week 3-4: After you regain energy, work with a doctor and – if available – a knowledgable trainer to outline an exercise regimen for you and your specific needs.  This is my plan:

  • Low-impact cardio is ok here.  My doctor said I could run as long as it was cool and I kept it to 50-70% of maximum effort.  There is no sprinting anywhere.  The elliptical (without arms) and stationary bike are also good choices.
  • I was released to do leg work.  We have to start slow with mostly body weight.  Barbell squats are a no-no.
  • SOME isolated upper body weight lifting – I was warned that it must be light weight and limited to isolated biceps and triceps.
  • Lower abs are free and clear!

 

So with all those limitations what do I do?!  Since the exercises I can do are limited, I keep the reps varied.  You can go one day for strength (8 to 10 reps) and one day for endurance (15 to 20 reps).

Moves that are easy on the chest:

Leg Extensions seated

Legs:

Single Arm Preacher Curl

Upper Body:

Note: Chest, overhead, and any jumping around (high impact) exercises should be avoided like the plague!  Damn – no burpees for me.

pulse ups

Abs:

Weeks 5-6: TBD!  I go back to the Dr and should be cleared for a little more. 🙂

To give you an idea of how I’m using these moves, here’s a workout I did last Friday.

From the above menu of options, I choose 5 leg/butt moves, 2 biceps, 2 triceps, and a series of abs.  I adjust the amount of abs based on how I’m feeling at the end of each workout, but 3 ab exercises seems to be a good number for me so far.

Looking for a workout that's a little less stressful on your chest after an augmentation or injury? Try this routine!

INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE?

I offer personalized online training and nutrition programs!  Check out my philosophy here and fill out the from for more info.

Don’t miss my free Macro Calculator, which helps time your meals to get the most out of your workouts.

***

I wrote this with the “twins” in mind, but this workout is good for anyone – especially those who’ve had upper body injuries.

Do you have any moves to add to the list?  Isolated triceps are not easy to do!

What is the exercise you’re most excited to get back to after a forced rest?

125 Reasons Why Clean Eating Isn’t Boring

By

No Shit.

 

I’m going to start calling this blog the “No Shit Zone”

Today’s Work It Out is a guest post from Amanda the Amazing.  She is a great runner with an inspiring story about coming to healthy living.  It has led her to a healthy, balanced lifestyle – the kind we all aspire to!

sprint2table-workitout

 

Her post is about keeping clean eating interesting.  I think it play right into my two favorite topics: Strange But Good foods and the No Shit Diet.  When many people first approach a lifestyle change they have this idea that they need to follow some sort of diet trend or that being healthy means boring foods.  Not so!

A diet isn’t a lifestyle change.  That’s why they don’t work.  You have to experiment with food and find the path that is right for YOU.  For me, that has boiled down to a lot of strange (but good) concoctions to keep food interesting, and to sticking to a basic idea: keep it balanced and include variety.  Seems obvious, right?  Did you just read that and think “No shit, Sherlock”?

No Shit Diet

Amanda has started a clean eating project that incorporate this mindset.  It’s a brilliant way to clean up your eating without getting bored or feeling deprived… and she’s even offering support!

Read on for her fabulous perspective, and a great list of foods to get you started!

________________________________________________________________________________________

125 Reasons Why Clean Eating Isn’t Boring

I love reading magazines…actually I might have a bit of an over subscription issue (Editor’s note: Same.  We need 12 steps…).

They provide me with new workout ideas, meals and general motivation to stay focused on enjoying my active life.  But sometimes it’s abundantly clear that even though they focus on health, they have bills to pay and maybe their info is a little skewed.  Have you seen any of the covers that rave about “125 Power Foods” then you flip it open to find the list doesn’t contain a single vegetable and only one fruit called the “grapple” (Editor’s note: I hate to admit I sampled one… it’s tastes as creepy as it sounds) which I think we can probably agree is not local or non-modified.

Just because a label says fortified or enriched or whole grain or even natural, doesn’t mean it is actually natural and good for you.  Can you remember ever seeing maldexitrin for sale?  Do you realize how much salt they add to keep products “shelf stable”?  That sodium bloats us and causes all kinds of other health problems that I will leave to doctors to tell you about.  (Editor’s note: So true.  Salt hangovers exist.  More on sodium here.)

Clean-And-Lean-Project

The Clean and Lean Project (along with super studs like Laura) have gotten me refocused on choosing foods that are going to serve not only my physical goals, but my performance, my health, my skin…my life!  I think this kind of diligence for the most part is a really great thing, as long as it’s also tempered with not becoming overly worried about every morsel we eat, sometimes chocolate is exactly what the body needs (Editor’s note: AMEN!)!

 

That being said, one of the biggest questions I get after mentioning clean eating is “WHAT WILL I EAT?!” or clean eating is so BORING.  To anyone who says clean eating is boring or bland, I first say have you seen any of Laura’s posts on strange, but good?

After that I think it’s time to bust out my list of 125 power foods…tell me you can’t find delicious, exciting and filling on this list!

125 Whole Foods

HAHA!!  125 foods that are non-processed and I didn’t even need to include bland icky iceberg lettuce.  (Editor’s note: Cheers to THAT!)

 

Amanda of RunToTheFinish.com is a Certified Personal Trainer and Fitness Nutrition Specialist with a true passion for running.  If you are looking for more tools to help you make Clean Eating a lifestyle, checkout the Clean and Lean Project, which teaches participants how to create new habits and kick the sugar cravings.

***

Don’t forget to click here to enter and win one of 6 canisters of Designer Whey Sustained Energy!  Staying satisfied is a great way to keep the  munchies at bay.  And it’s fun to rhyme.

What is your favorite clean food/dish?  Feel free to link up recipes!

Does anyone legit love iceberg lettuce?  Aside from when it’s covered in blue cheese and bacon. 😉

 

Work It Out: Fueling with FRS

By

Mornings are not my thing.

This may be the understatement of the year.

I try my best not to work out first thing in the morning.  I need time to wake up!  When you have a full-time job and play on sports teams, compromise is sometimes necessary.  Today’s Work It Out is dedicated to one of my favorite ways to give my body a jump-start when I need to get moving early in the day.

And there’s a giveaway. 😉

sprint2table-workitout

_______________________________________________________________________________________

In addition to lifting, I also play softball.  It was my first athletic love, and I aim to play for the rest of my life.  The team I play on now, Laidback, plays on Sunday mornings.  Early.

Ninja socks are necessary at 8am.

We are an all women’s team, but play in a men’s league.  And we beat all the men.  The man-beating requires wakefulness.  We’ve discussed my lack of enthusiasm for coffee before; you know I was THRILLED to find an energy alternative in FRS.

I drug my tired self to the field, armed with my ninja socks, gloves, and my favorite FRS flavor.

FRS peach mango low cal

 I’ve actually be drinking the  Healthy ENERGY drink for awhile (proof), but as a Fitfluential Ambassador, I given the opportunity to try out the entire FRS Healthy Energy line.

My favorite flavor of the canned drinks remains the Peach Mango.  The low-cal drinks are my preference because they are low in sugar – just 2g!

frs

FRS is full of vitamins and green tea extracts, but FRS also contains something special: quercetin.  Quercetin is a powerful antioxidant which is found in the skins of blueberries, apples and grapes and has been shown in clinical trials to provide sustained energy, increased endurance and immune system support.

One of the coolest things about FRS is the reason it was developed.  It’s original intent was to provide energy to chemotherapy patients while supporting their immune systems.  Natural, healthy, sustained energy without the crash (sorry coffee lovers) is also important to athletes, so this line is great for the fit-minded crowd.

FRS chews

I love this quote.

The chews were a new product to me.  I loved them!  I ate mine before a run on a morning when I was particularly dragging and I ended up doing 6 solid miles with a smile on my face.  2 chews are around 40 calories and 6 grams of sugar, and PACKED with nutrients.

Last was the powdered drink mix.  I love the portable packs it comes it.  They were easy to grab when I was running out the door late for work.  It may not be the intended use, but I drank one to fuel my work day!  It gave me a kick and helped me stay awake and focused through an all day meeting.

FRS line

 FRS is available at GNC, Vitamin Shoppe, Kroger, Walgreens, Harris Teeter.  You can also order at a free 10 day supply at FRS.com!  Make sure to download a coupon for $1 off 2 cans or bottles of FRS.

Or you can win it!

Giveaway

I’m giving away a FRS trial pack (retail value of $30)! Just visit FRS.com and leave a comment telling me in which product/flavor you want to try.  I’ll randomly select a winner on Thursday, June 27th.

***

Disclaimer: I was compensated for this review but I assure you my opinions and MINE.

How do you like to fuel workouts?  What about work days?

Which product and flavor do you want to try?

Follow Me!

instagram_b facebook_b twitter_bpinterest_b
rss_a email_ayoutube_b googlep_b

Popular Posts

Home | About Me | Privacy Policy | Fitness | Recipes | Training & Nutrition

Affiliate Links: This site is monetized through the use of affiliate links. This means that if you were to make a purchase through one of these links, Sprint 2 the Table would receive a small percentage of the sale price. Thanks for your support!