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FitYaf's Post-Thanksgiving Fitness Friday Workout

11/28/2013

I hope everyone had a wonderful time spent with family and friends yesterday. Maybe you're shopping today, or maybe you're just lounging around, staying warm. Whatever you're doing today, I hope it's not stressing about the overeating yesterday - it's time to hit reset today! I can't think of a better way to do that than this post-Thanksgiving Fitness Friday Workout. Find what you ate yesterday and complete the exercise for each SERVING you had of each dish. Can't find what you ate? Just do the whole workout - I'm sure you'll feel better when you're done!

Notes about this workout:

Some of the moves in this workout are high-impact. Please feel free to modify the workout to make them low-impact if necessary.
Rest in between sets if needed, but no more than 1 minute!

Turkey - 20 minute run or 30 minute walk PER SERVING

Take these 20-30 minutes and give it your all. Challenge yourself with intervals if you wish, but I want you to work up a sweat and make this a great run. If you're walking on a treadmill, ramp up the incline!

Sweet Potato Casserole - 4 minute jump squat tabata

A tabata workout alternates periods of work with period of rest. When you're doing the 20 seconds of jump squats - give it everything you have, then enjoy your 10 seconds of rest.

Stuffing - 50 squats

FitYa'fs Post-Thanksgiving Fitness Friday Workout

Mashed Potatoes - 50 alternating forward lunges

25 forward lunges on each side

Cranberry Sauce - 25 push ups

On your knees or on your toes, but get 25 good ones in!

Green Bean Casserole - 1 minute plank

Pie - 25 burpees

25 burpees PER SLICE of pie! If you sampled them all, you've got a lot of burpees to do!

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Happy Thanksgiving!

11/28/2013

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I hope every has a great day ahead and is looking forward to friends, family and good food. I'm spending the day sleeping in, cooking/baking, working out, relaxing and heading off to my parents for my favorite holiday of the year! I put together a list of some good reading from my fellow bloggers to help you stay on track today and the rest of the holiday season - ENJOY!

Getting through the holiday season without gaining a pound

via Christine Ardigo

6 holiday eating rules to stay on track

via FitMama4Life

Black Friday for runners

via IRunonWater

Also, don't forget to take advantage of Beachbody's Holiday sale - some items have already sold out!

What will you be doing this Thanksgiving?

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Beachbody's Black Friday Sale - HUGE savings!

11/27/2013

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Today (November 27th), the Beachbody Holiday Sale begins. This year there are HUGE savings (up to 69%) on so many great products - P90x, Insanity the Asylum, Derm Exclusive skin care products, Beachbody exercise equipment, nutritional supplements and MORE! Click the image below to access the sale, but don't wait to order - many items sold out during last year's sale, be prepared to act fast!

Beachbody Holiday sale - starts @ 3pm EST TODAY (11/27)! Be prepared to act fast, items may sell out!

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Butternut squash casserole and other healthy Thanksgiving day recipes

11/25/2013

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I can't believe it's Thanksgiving week - lately the days and weeks just seem to fly by! I hope all of you are looking forward to an amazing feast this Thursday with family and loved ones. In general, most traditional Thanksgiving recipes aren't so bad when it comes to being healthy - it's usually the appetizers, sides and dessert where we tend to pack on the calories. It's unrealistic to expect that we won't splurge here and there (I LOVE my pumpkin pie), but that doesn't mean you need to eat everything in sight either! If you're hosting the Thanksgiving meal, or bringing a dish to the table, why not bring something healthy? For most holiday meals in my family (not just Thanksgiving), we'll have some sort of squash/sweet potato casserole, which is delicious, satisfying for people with a sweet tooth (that's me!) and filled with healthy fruits and vegetables. Check out my own version of this recipe below, as well as other recipe suggestions.

Butternut Squash Casserole

Ingredients

1 butternut squash
2 apples
2 sweet potatoes
1/4 cup cranberries
1/4 cups raisins
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
2 tbsp honey
1/4 cup orange juice

Directions:

Preheat over to 350°F
Peel and cube sweet potatoes and butternut squash
Cube apples (peel if you prefer to not use the skin)
Mix together squash, apples, sweet potatoes, cranberries and raisins in a large bowl
Toss with pumpkin pie spice
Transfer mixture to a casserole dish
Drizzle with honey
Pour orange juice into casserole dish
Cover dish with aluminum foil
Bake about an hour (until squash is soft)

Appetizers

Apple salad with figs and almonds

Cauliflower "Caviar" with Frizzled Prosciutto

Side Dishes

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Quinoa With Garlic, Pine Nuts and Raisins

Cauliflower mashed 'potatoes'

Wild Rice (or quinoa) stuffing

Desserts

Pumpkin Rice Pudding

Mini Sweet Potato Meringue Pies

Cranberry Swirl Cheesecake Squares

What's your favorite Thanksgiving day dish?

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Learning to improvise (and laugh a little too)

11/22/2013

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Do you get nightmares? As a group fitness instructor, my nightmares are usually along the lines of showing up late for a class, not having the right equipment or music, or showing up without knowing what I'm going to do for a workout. Well yesterday, one of those nightmares unfortunately came true! As I was climbing up the four flights of steps to get to the group fitness room for my step aerobics class, I realized I left my iPod charging on my desk at work. That desk is about a 15 minute walk from the gym, so going back and getting it was not an option.

Learning to improvise (and laugh a little too)

After about 5 seconds of panic, I thought there HAS to be some music with a constant beat somewhere in this building. I called down to the group fitness director and she said she'd send some music up. Great, crisis averted. Or, so I thought.

The first fifteen minutes of class is for first time steppers, where I just go over some basic moves before the class gets going. We don't use music for this, so everything is good. As everyone is arriving and setting up their benches, I couldn't get the CDs to play! It wasn't that long ago when I made the switch from CDs to iPod, but I couldn't figure it out. At this point, we're about two minutes into class, and everyone is just standing around. My last resort?

Me: "Does anyone have an iPod with music on it?"

Participant: "Can we play Pandora?"

Me: "Sure, fine, anything!"

I had to get these people MOVING! So, we put on the pop station, and I start the warm-up. Only the music is pretty slow. Rihanna, I love your beats, but they're just not for my step class. Good enough for the warm-up, but it wasn't going to cut it. "Okay, what else do we have?" A participant reluctantly volunteered her iPod with her running playlist. She was afraid to be judged by her music - isn't it funny how personal our running playlists can be? We got started, and the second song that came on was the perfect speed - Can't Hold Us, by Macklemore. We're flying through the workout, my heart rate is climbing and I'm starting to sweat. Step class has been saved! I was planning on just playing Can't Hold Us on repeat - I didn't want to risk a slower song coming on, but the next song was Pump It, by Black Eyes Peas - even faster! I'm now confident that the workout is going to be okay, and I started to relax. We used those two songs for the rest of class (sorry to my class if you guys are now going to dream about them), and we managed to still get through three combos! At the end of class, one of my regulars said, "I think that wound up being harder than a normal class!" Mission accomplished? I think so! The joint was fizzlin' & we put our hands up!

Would I plan for a class to go this way? Absolutely not! But sometimes, you just have to improvise and "roll with the punches". I'm so thankful that my participants were patient with me and were able to laugh with me about the mistake. I apologize for forgetting my music, but please don't forget - we're human too! Thank you steppers! I'll be thinking of you as we stuff our faces with turkey next Thursday! I'll see you in December.

Have you ever had a fitness nightmare come true?

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Your Bulu Box is waiting for you!

11/21/2013

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It seems you can buy a monthly subscription to anything these days - cookies, wine, shoes, etc. Well if you're a health and fitness nerd like me, you've been waiting for a subscription club JUST FOR YOU! Well, wait no longer - the Bulu Box is here! If you don’t already know, Bulu Box is a health, nutrition, and weight loss company that is designed to help make being healthy and feeling your absolute best easy for you. Every month, you get a custom box filled with the latest and greatest goodies from top health brands for you to try! It is an amazing way to learn about and sample the best new products out there for health and fitness. Once you have sampled a product that you like, you can purchase it through them at a discounted price. The best part? As a FitYaf reader, you can get this amazingly awesome deal at 50% off! Treat yourself or send a gift, and buy a Bulu Box today!

How the Bulu Box works

Sign Up: Choose between Bulu Box or Bulu Box Weight Loss and then select either a monthly, 3, 6 or 12 month plan. USE THE COUPON CODE BULUGAN547 for your 50% off deal!
Sample: Each monthly box contains 4-5 health, nutrition and/or weight loss samples to try from these popular brands and more.
Earn Reward Points: Earn 50 points ($5) or more each month for completing sample surveys, sharing and subscribing. The more points you get, the more products you can buy for free! When you find a sample you can't live without there is no hassle trying to find the best deal. The Bulu Shop carries all full size products!
Save: Use your Reward Points to purchase your favorite products!

How much does a Bulu Box subscription cost?

Bulu Box memberships are $5/month with my discount code BULUGAN547. You can opt for a 3-month, 6-month, or 12-month subscription. If you sign up for a 12-month subscription you can save yourself a little cash by getting one month free. Shipping is always free!!

When will I receive my first Bulu Box? And when can I expect each box after that?

All Bulu Box orders are shipped around the 15th of the month. If you placed your order before the 5th of the month you’ll receive that month’s box. Any orders placed after the 5th of the month will receive the following month’s box. Your box should arrive 5 to 7 days after the ship date.

Bulu Box offers subscribers more than just great product samples.

They also offer a supportive and informative social media community of Bulugans, a blog with excellent free resources and articles, and reward system where subscribers earn points on purchases, for taking brief surveys, for getting involved in the community, and for sharing Bulu Box. Points can be used to purchase full-sized versions of any of the sample products from the Bulu Box online store.

Have more questions? Please visit the Bulu Box FAQ page!

Have you ordered your Bulu Box yet? What are you waiting for?!

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Observations made while running in marathons

11/20/2013

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As I mentioned in my Philadelphia Half Marathon race recap, I never really felt like I could get to my max pace. Luckily, this allowed me to take in some of the scenes that I normally would have missed. Wow, do you see some weird things while running a marathon?! I'll spare you the details of some of those things, but below I share with you some observations I've made while running in marathons. I'm sure you have some of your own, so be sure to comment below!

Observations made while running in marathons

People love running in costume

When I run, it's all about comfort. I don't like things bouncing, rubbing, etc. But for some reason, people love to run in costume. I don't think I could ever do it, but never say never, right? Either way, it's very entertaining to watch!

Philadelphia Marathon

London Marathon

My friend Emily & her brother

Tokyo Marathon

There is no gold standard for a "funny" marathon sign

I get it - it's the "worst parade ever". I want to see a sign that I haven't seen before - bonus points if there is some pop culture reference! I'm a sucker for a good race sign, but clearly there are different kinds of "funny".

Marathon spectating can be almost as exhausting as running the race

Marathon spectating is no joke. I don't know from experience, but from what my friends tell me, it can be exhausting! You trek around town, hold up signs, run with your friends - you deserve a recovery massage too!

Downhill can be more painful that uphill

Running hills is challenging, there's no denying that. But once you've reached double digits in the miles, downhill can actually be more painful than uphill. Your quads might even feel like they're on fire!! Also, a "hill" is a relative term - it also depends on how you train!

Men run faster marathons because they don't have to stop at the port-a-potties

How many places can a women pee on a marathon route? Probably about 10, and there is usually a line. How many places can a man pee? The options are endless. This is why men have faster marathon times than women, right?

Every runner running in sandals has a friend running in sandals

You see all kinds of footwear in races, from full support shoes to barefoot running, but those who choose to run in sandals always have friends with them. I've yet to see a sandal-runner running solo!

Everyone is fighting their own battle

If you take time to look around during a marathon, you see all sorts of inspirational messages and motivation phrases - on t-shirts, on signs, on stickers, on the ground - everywhere! When you take the time to read them, you realize that everyone has their own race to run. We all run for different reasons, but we're following the same path.

There is a new level of acceptance when it comes to social habits

Marathon runners will spit, blow their nose, run into people, pee in public (see above) and a whole slew of things that would otherwise seem unacceptable. Going for a stroll in the park? You would never even consider doing any of these things (I hope). But, if you're running in a race, it's totally okay!

Running makes people happy

If you take a look around at people's faces, you'll see some people struggling for sure, but you'll see a lot of happy faces. And I mean A LOT. It's not the just the runners, but the spectators too. Happiness comes when passing another mile marker, when seeing your friends and family or when seeing complete strangers holding up awesome signs. As Elle Woods taught us - exercise releases endorphins and endorphins make you happy.

coachjoeenglish.wordpess.com

infobarrel.com

What are some observations you've made while running in races?

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The 2013 Philadelphia Half Marathon

11/18/2013

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Yesterday, I ran my first half marathon - the 2013 Philadelphia Half Marathon! I got into this whole racing world in a weird order, having already run two full marathons, so while I'm "on a break" from full marathons, I decided to give the half marathon distance a try. Training for the half marathon distance gave me the opportunity to really focus on speed. To prepare myself for the half marathon, I did a speed workout or a 30-minute training run three times each week, with a long run on the weekend. The long run would range between 6 and 13.1 miles, depending on how I was feeling that week. My training wasn't very structured, but I could tell I was getting faster, which was the end goal (since I already knew I was capable of running the distance). I had a great training with two 13.1 runs below the goal time (1:55) I set for myself at the start of training.

Heading into marathon week, I was feeling prepared and ready. Then, on Thursday morning, my little pinky toe got caught on the suitcase I left out because I had gotten home late from a work trip the night before. It was one of those moments where the pain was terrible, and you were just waiting for it to pass. But it never did. By then end of the day, my toe was swollen and sore. Over the next few days, I was convinced the toe was broken - I iced it and buddy wrapped it, but I honestly didn't know if I would be able to run. On Saturday, it felt slightly better, so I decided just to go for it. And it's a good thing I did! By Sunday morning, the pain wasn't as bad (maybe it was a sprain and not a break afterall), and I was going to run this race!

The race itself was great - it was about 55 degrees (close to perfect running weather), and the energy was HUGE! It was the 20th anniversary of the Philadelphia Marathon with 30,000 runners. Also, my husband was running the race with me (his first race since cross country team in high school), and although we didn't plan it, it was also the 13th anniversary of when we started dating! The first words out of his mouth when the alarm went off at 4:15am were, "this seems like a bad idea," but I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate 13 years than with 13 miles! We lined up at the start line, took in the scene, and before we knew it - we were high-fiving Mayor Nutter! I was in the 2 hour corral, so I knew I was going to have to get my way to the front to maintain a pace somewhere around 8:35. What I was unprepared for was how long this would take and how many people there actually were! It was about 3 miles before I really could settle into my pace, and since I already felt "behind", I was going about 8:20 to catch up. It felt good, so I went with it. I was able to hold the pace on and off for a few miles, but then I got stuck behind a pacer group.

For the rest of the race, I just didn't feel like I could get up to pace. I was weaving a lot, when I could, but I was also getting stuck behind people (which I embraced through the hills). This really stressed to me the importance of starting in the correct corral. In the end, I had a really great race - maybe I could have done a little better, but I felt great and there will always be more races.

I would love to see my miles splits, but my Nike+ app didn't upload my run - how rude! I do have this nice official race time of 1:53:25 - I'll take it! The highlight of the race was our personal cheering squad - Kerry and Jackie. They are both runners themselves, but are new to spectating. I think they did a great job - don't you think? Kerry even pulled out my full nickname for the occasion!

My next race? The Philly Love Run - a brand new spring half marathon in Philadelphia. I'm looking forward to keeping up with my training and running with friends!

Where was your first half marathon?

8 Comments

The treadmill chronicles

11/15/2013

3 Comments

This morning I completed my last run before the Philadelphia Half Marathon this Sunday. Just like when I was training for both marathons, I did most of my training for this race on the treadmill. I know there are some runners out there who would never be caught dead on a treadmill and will tell you why running on a treadmill isn't really running, but it works for me. Especially this time of year, daylight hours are limited, and sometimes 5:00am is the only time I can get in a solid run. I love doing intervals and speed work on the treadmill, and I truly believe that treadmill running has contributed to my ability to run at an even pace.

While I mostly run on the treadmill at my apartment complex, I sometimes run other places, and I've noticed that each treadmill feels different and contributes the overall feel of my run - have you ever noticed this? I realize some of this must be mental, but I'm also wondering if there's some scientific explanation to it also. I've put together this list of things I've noticed that affect my treadmill running.

Treadmill quality

Call me crazy (you wouldn't be the first one), but even though I can set a cheap treadmill and a super nice gym-quality treadmill to the same speed, running always feel more pleasant and "easier" on the nicer treadmill. The better quality treadmill is smoother and it just feels like I don't have to put in as much effort to hit the same speed.

runningtherealworld.wordpress.com

Size of the room

I've run in treadmills in all kinds of rooms (even on a cruise ship, which is a completely different experience), and the size of the room and the placement of the treadmill can make a huge impact on my run. If I'm in a small room, and the treadmill is up against a wall or in the corner, mentally, the run feels tougher. When I'm in a huge gym with tons of treadmills, it doesn't even matter how close together the treadmills are, but the air flow is better, it doesn't get as stuffy and I just feel better while running.

Ability to watch TV

Although I typically run with music while running outside, I can also run with no music or while talking to a friend. When I'm inside on a treadmill, the ability to watch TV can make or break my run. It doesn't need to be something super interesting (at 5:00am, it's a recap of last night's shootings/robberies, the weather and the traffic, or that time when a women was rescued from in between bleachers at Wilmington University), but it's just something to take my focus away from running.

happyorhungry.com

Time of day

Hands down, the time of day makes the most impact on my treadmill running. When I get up at 5:00am to run, my joints may be a little stuff, and I'm just plain tired. No matter where I'm running, it can feel like a struggle. Treadmill running at 5:00pm? It's a completely different type of exercise.

What do you prefer while running on a treadmill?

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Friends of FitYaf - Ashley sneaks in exercise while spending time with her kids

11/11/2013

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Ashley grew up across the street from my best friend Stephanie. We would always pair up at Stephanie's birthday parties because we didn't know anyone else (neither of us went to Stephanie's school). At one particular birthday party, there was a talent show - Ashley and I danced to Ace of Base "The Sign". It's strange the things you remember from your childhood. Later, after our college years, Ashley started dating another good friend of mine Jon, and now they are married with two beautiful girls.

Friends of FitYaf - Ashley sneaks in exercise while spending time with her kids

As a working mother, she struggles to find time for her daughters, her husband and herself (Ace of Base was right - life IS demanding), so in an effort to keep both herself and her family active, she comes up with ways to sneak in exercise while spending time with her kids.

Ashley also blogs for Kveller.com - click here to check her out!

8 ways to sneak in movement & exercise with your kids

1. Dance Off

Who can dance the longest without stopping. This is easy and inexpensive. Most cable providers have a music channel you can use: toddler songs, classical songs, princess, rock songs, etc. We just switch channels and act like we are doing corresponding dances. For added exercise, I pick up my youngest daughter (age 10 months weighing in at a whopping 24lbs or so) and it is now a weight & aerobic exercise.

2. The Animal Game

This game started when I was teaching my daughter the alphabet and how to read. We take each letter of the alphabet and pick out a corresponding animal. A for Ant - crawl around the floor. B for Butterfly - run around flapping your hands as wings in the air, etc. It is amazing how many animals help different muscles.

3. A nature hunt

Another favorite game of ours is to pick leaves and glue them on paper or any art project. In the Fall we use leaves, in the winter, we use pine cones, etc. We just go on an adventure walk.

4. Obstacle course

For days when you can't get outside, setup an obstacle course inside. All you need are the obstacles, which you can get from things you probably already have in the house: pillow, hula hoop, tape or ribbon, soccer ball anything you can think of to incorporate. You can have them jump over the pillow, run in the hula hoop, walk a straight line to kick the ball. When they are old enough, make it a two-story course that involves the steps! You can time each other for a race - of course let your kids win!! My 11 month old think it's hilarious and has a good time watching. Sometimes I carry her for the extra effort!

5. The Alphabet Game

Another Fun game! I laminated capital letters and toss them throughout the house. I give my daughter an animal or object and she runs to stand on the corresponding letter. This is great aerobic exercise, especially if you put some upstairs and some downstairs. I even act like I am timing her so she gets to the letters faster. I run behind her and we're both moving!

6. A simple walk

Of course we always love to go for walks. For me it's an added benefit because my youngest cannot walk. So we all walk, and I push the stroller. Even if it is for 30 minutes it is still something that gets us moving.

7. Playground fun

I once saw a mom pushing the swing with one arm. I thought it was strange, but she eventually switched to the other arm. I suddenly realized she was working out. She even did squats while her daughter was playing in the gazebo. Take the kids to the playground, push them on the swing for 10-15 minutes. Use only one arm for about 5 minutes, then switch. You can also jog while your kid is on the slide. My daughter loves to play monster, where they are the beautiful princesses and I am the evil monster/step mother - I run around the playground and chase her and her friends. Just another way to get moving.

8. At home workouts

Worst case scenario - just get on the treadmill during naps, or if your children don't nap anymore, have them play around you. I noticed that my oldest daughter, who is now 4, is capable of playing for 45-60 minutes near me while I am on the treadmill. She even likes to try and participate in Yoga videos. Sometimes I get interrupted but I think it's a positive thing to show her that mommy wants to be healthy.

What creative way do you sneak in exercise while spending time with your kids?

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<<Previous

Turkey - 20 minute run or 30 minute walk PER SERVING

Sweet Potato Casserole - 4 minute jump squat tabata

Stuffing - 50 squats

Mashed Potatoes - 50 alternating forward lunges

Cranberry Sauce - 25 push ups

Green Bean Casserole - 1 minute plank

Pie - 25 burpees

Butternut Squash Casserole

Appetizers

Side Dishes

Desserts

How the Bulu Box works

How much does a Bulu Box subscription cost?

When will I receive my first Bulu Box? And when can I expect each box after that?

Bulu Box offers subscribers more than just great product samples.

People love running in costume

There is no gold standard for a "funny" marathon sign

Marathon spectating can be almost as exhausting as running the race

Downhill can be more painful that uphill

Men run faster marathons because they don't have to stop at the port-a-potties

Every runner running in sandals has a friend running in sandals

Everyone is fighting their own battle

There is a new level of acceptance when it comes to social habits

Running makes people happy

Treadmill quality

Size of the room

Ability to watch TV

Time of day

8 ways to sneak in movement & exercise with your kids

1. Dance Off

2. The Animal Game

3. A nature hunt

4. Obstacle course

5. The Alphabet Game

6. A simple walk

7. Playground fun

8. At home workouts

Jillian [FitYaf]

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