This may sound bizarre, but I look forward to using hotel gyms.
They provide a good change of pace to a workout routine – the good ones have different machines and the bad ones force creativity. The one I visited this week was one of the good ones.
The Weight Room
I did a 1 mile warm up jog on the treadmill before heading to the weight room for a 50 minute bicep/back workout. All of this was rounded out with a quick core workout:
- 100 sit-ups on the ball
- 30 v-ups
- 60 baby crunches
- 60 toe touchers
- 60 second plank
- 60 second side plank on each side
Thanks to the cardio at the beginning, my heart rate stayed up the entire time and made the workout a bit more intense
Following the advice of the nutritionist I saw, I followed up my workout with a grilled chicken salad. Apparently you need at least 20g of protein within 30mins of completing a workout. Who knew? It is amazing what happens when you add more protein to your diet – in just a couple of weeks of aiming for 80-100g a day I have noticed a change in muscle.
First thing’s last: the fuel. I made my own version of Lara Bars. Lara Bars are date and nut bars that typically include some sort of fruit (creating flavors like “Apple Pie” and “Peanut Butter & Jelly”). They are yummy, but expensive. Half of one works well as a pre-workout pick-me-up. Why not make my own? They give you the ingredients on the package: dates and nuts. I already have basically the same name. Behold, Laura Bites. (Yes, I am that creative corny.)
It is that easy. You can play with the flavors – add some dry fruit, different nut varieties, coconut… anything you have in your pantry. Just be sure not to over-mix the nuts, as it will make the “batter” too greasy. These are approx. 100 calories per serving.
Almond Cocoa Laura Bites
- 2/3 C Dates
- 1/4 C Almonds
- 2 tsp Cocoa
- Cinnamon (optional)
Place dates in food processor and blend until chopped.
Add nuts and cocoa and blend until mixed. It will look like a gooey ball – don’t worry.
Using your (clean) hands, form into 4 “bites.” I sprinkled my formed bites with cinnamon.
Cover tightly and store in cool place.
Makes 4 bites.
