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The 20-Minute, Glute-Sculpting Treadmill Routine

posted in: Fitness Tips, Training - 1 Comment

7:12 PM 7:12 PM

I found this fantastic, butt-burner on fitnessmagazine.com and have since shared with two friends, who agree it’s a calorie-burning success. In just 20 minutes, you can burn 150 calories while WALKING (crazy, right?). I usually don’t opt for workouts that have walking, but for someone who isn’t a runner, I thought I would try it out…and I like it!

For the first 5 minutes you start out at a speed of 4 at a 3-3.5 incline; follow the chart below and adjust the incline to best fit your level. Beginners should start with a speed of 3 or 3.5 mph; advanced treadmill users can go up to 5.

Minutes Speed (mph) Incline (%)
0:00-5:00 4 3-3.5
5:00-7:00 4 8-10
7:00-8:00 4 4-6
8:00-10:00 4 10
10:00-11:00 4 5-7
11:00-13:00 4 12
13:00-14:00 4 10
14:00-15:00 4 12
15:00-20:00 4 2-4

Warm Chicken Salad with Dijon Dressing

posted in: Core Recipe, Recipes & Eats - No Comments

4:09 PM 4:09 PM

If you don’t have a go-to dinner salad, I highly suggest you bring this one into your rotation – it’s such a hit! My friend introduced me to this about three months ago, and it’s now known as “our salad” because it’s just so dang delish! If you are cooking dinner for your significant other or friends, this salad is quick, easy and satisfying.

As per the name, the main ingredient here is chicken, but if you don’t eat meat you can always substitute another protein, e.g., salmon or beans. Whichever protein you use or other ingredients you add, I promise, you will love it – it’s all about the dressing! Yummy.

spinachIngredients (4 servings)
1 1/2 pounds chicken breast tenders (make sure to purchase free range!)
2 T balsamic vinegar, enough to just coat the breast slices
3 T extra-virgin olive oil, or just eyeball it
Sea salt and cracked black pepper, to taste
2 T 4 stems fresh rosemary, leaves stripped and finely chopped

Salad
2 bags fresh spinach or arugula leaves
8 white mushrooms, sliced to your liking
8 cherry tomatoes
4 scallions, thinly sliced on an angle
1 small avocado, sliced thinly
2 T goat cheese

Dressing
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, eyeball the amount, plus 1 tablespoon
1 large shallot, minced
3 rounded spoonfuls Dijon mustard
3 T balsamic vinegar

Coat chicken with balsamic, oil, seasoning and rosemary and set aside.

Put greens in a large salad bowl. Top with mushrooms, tomatoes, and scallions. Season the salad with salt and pepper. Then lightly coat saucepan with one tablespoon olive oil and sauté your minced shallots on medium low for three minutes. Remove oil and shallots from heat.

In a small bowl, combine mustard and balsamic vinegar. Stream in 2/3 cup oil slowly while whisking the dressing to emulsify it. Add warm shallots to the dressing and mix together.

Go to your salad bowl and add avocado and goat cheese. Toss together with the dressing to coat the ingredients evenly.

Preheat a nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Cook chicken, four minutes on each side, in a single layer. Once cooked, slice breasts at an angle on your cutting board. Pile salad on to dinner plates. Top each salad with two sliced chicken tender pieces.

Bosu Squats

posted in: Core Recipe, Fitness Tips, Training (Tags: , , ) - No Comments

5:09 PM 5:09 PM

bosu1

Bosu. What the heck is that? It’s that blue half-ball thingy that you see at the gym and don’t really know what its purpose is. Guess what? It’s got a lot going on! Today I’m going to discuss all the fun you can have using it to do squats. Bosu means Both Sides Up or Both Sides Utilized. Today, we’re talking about the round, bubble side, not the black, flat side with the handles (if you remember a while back, I talked about how to do a push-up on this side: click to see). Fun stuff!

For beginners, first try doing regular squats on the Bosu. Stand in front of a mirror so that you can get the positioning down, and if you’re up to it, grab yourself some light weights (5-10 for beginners). Squats by themselves are a great workout, so don’t be discouraged if you start out weightless or with 3-pounders – your legs will be sore either way. ☺

I was working out with my friend Jodi and was forced to use 17.5-pound weights, but if you’re balance-challenged or just starting out with the Bosu, go weightless and move up as you begin to feel more comfortable. (I would have been happy with some 10-pound weights, and my legs not shaking like an earthquake the whole time, but anyway.)

The Squat
Step on the bubble side of the Bosu with feet shoulder width apart, toes slightly pointed outward. You can use wall/mirror to stable yourself or if you’re with a friend grab onto their arm. Contract your core to stabilize the body. While keeping your body weight centered on the Bosu, slowly lower your bottom to the Bosu by bending the knees just like a regular squat. Don’t let your knees go beyond your toes while squatting and push through your heels to isolate the glute. Without pausing, slowly exhale as you raise your body by straightening the legs – don’t spend more than 2 seconds at the top or bottom of your squat. Do this exercise with a fluid movement and try to keep the top of the Bosu stable, which will also work your core. Do three sets of 10-20 reps and move the weight and reps up as you master this move.

Muscles Worked

leg-calf-hamstring-quadricep-muscle-anatomy2I usually do this routine with some lunges or step-ups (just step up and down on a bench, switching legs) and you’ve got yourself a nice little leg workout! Don’t mind the creepy photos below – I needed to find two that matched and this was the best Google could do for me. ☺

Step-up

Step-up

Lunge

Lunge