Fer's Vacation 'Junkie' Workout

My husband and I had the opportunity to get away for a few days in Cancun! So fun...highly recommend it! I didn't want to ruin all of my hard work from the past months, so I found the workout center at the resort and burned some cals. I was there for 4 days, and I worked out twice. Here's the breakdown:

Workout #1: Elliptical, Ab Machine, and Treadmill = 45 minutes

1. Do the ellip for 20 minutes on a hard level...I did level 8.
2. 10 sets of 10 on the Ab Weight Machine for approx. 10 minutes...set it to 4 or 5 pounds.
3. Run for the last 15 minutes...comfortable speed for the first 5, faster for the last 10.
* I burned 501 cals!!!

Workout #2: Treadmill = 45 minutes

1. Start at a fast walk for 5 minutes to warm up.
2. Run fast for 5 minutes.
3. Slow down to a walk and increase your incline to 10 for 5 minutes.
4. Bring the incline back down and run for 10 minutes this time.
5. Repeat walk with incline for 10 minutes...this time incline at 12.
6. Run the last 10 minutes...first 5 minutes as fast as you can, last 5 minutes at comfortable speed.
* I burned 533 cals!!!

* Most hotels and resorts like this usually have some kind of workout facility to use, so take advantage of them. It's worth it! Don't blow all that hard work on vacation!

'Junkie' Monday Workout

Incline + Run=hard.
Lauren and I got up early Monday to get a little cardio in. To her dismay, I created an incline run workout that she {and myself} would have to endure. I thought you all might want to try it if you are a treadmill kinda person. I have a love hate relationship with Mr. Treadmill. I think he is great, but I tend to get bored with him. Plain ol' walking or running is not something I want to do everyday. I like to shake it up a bit. Hence, the incline run.

You need: a treadmill
**during the incline sprints, I run at a slower pace than on the 1.5 grade sprints**
Start out at a brisk 5 minute walk
Increase your incline to a 7 grade {again, you may have an older treadmill that does not have a steep incline, so you may have to start lower and work up in smaller increments--like 7, 8, 9, 10, 11...etc.} run for 2 min.
Decrease incline to a 1.5 and run a fast sprint for 2 minutes.
Increase incline to a 9--run 2 minutes
Decrease and fast sprint for 2 minutes
Increase to an 11--run 2 minutes....etc {increasing grade by 2 each time}.
Repeat, increasing the incline grade until it is at it's highest peak...then, run on a flat grade until you reach 30 minutes, or run that way as long as you desire.

Heart rate soars. Calories burn. Faces turn bright red. I wish we had pictures for you! Make sure that after you are done with the run, you walk on the treadmill for several minutes. Don't just stop dead in your tracks and hop off. You will get nauseated and feel faint. Let your HR climb down naturally and slowly. Hydrate too.

Try it out this week!

The Sloppy Joes, The Slop--Sloppy-Joes, Yeah!

Hope you all enjoyed my Adam Sandler reference in the title! I want to share a yummy recipe with ya! I am was NEVER a sloppy joe fan. Ick. The Manwich??? Terrible childhood food memory! However, I saw this recipe on Oprah last spring and it sounded so good to me! Must have been the breastfeeding hormones, but I am so glad I made them because they are a new family fave. Easy AND healthy!!!!! I wanted to post a picture, but no matter how you take a picture, sloppy joes just ain't pretty! So, just trust and taste!

Tyler Florence's Ultimate Sloppy Joes
Servings: Serves 4
Ingredients:

Extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion , diced
1 1/2 pounds lean ground turkey
Kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 cups ketchup
1/4 cup yellow mustard
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
5 whole wheat hamburger buns

Directions: Set a heavy-based pot over medium-high heat and add a 3-count of olive oil. Add onions and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes until translucent. Add ground turkey, season well with salt and pepper and brown well all over, breaking it up with a wooden spoon—about 7 to 10 minutes. Add ketchup, mustard, cayenne, brown sugar and tomato paste. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes. Finish with a splash of apple cider vinegar and season it once more before serving on toasted whole wheat hamburger buns.

I think homeade coleslaw or a crunchy noodle salad would be da bomb with this, but my kids would cringe, so I usually make a side veggie along with some veggie chips and bread and butter pickles! Yummmmmm....

Something Different: Boot Camps

I had the privilege of having my college roomie and bestie, Coleen, come stay with us all weekend! She was an honorary "Junkie" for the day as she accompanied me to my Turbokick class and 1/3 of a Zumba class afterward! What a sport! She was super pumped about fitness because her Dallas company hired a Boot Camp instructor to work them out after hours at the office! She demonstrated a few moves with me on Friday night and it confirmed what I have always believed...heckuva workout! I LOVE Boot Camp format. You might like it too. It's not in a gym. Generally, weather permitting, the classes are held outdoors for one hour. I like the time options as well, they tend to be super early...think 5:15a.m. {yippee!}, mid-morning or after work hours around 5:30 p.m. So you have options. However, the BEST part of Boot Camp is what you do during the class. It is something new each time. It's not just push-ups {though they are a must}, its lots of running, hill climbing, squatting, lunging, tire pulling, sit-ups, tricep dips...sounds fun right? From what I hear, you hardly ever do the same thing! That is awesome in terms of keeping it interesting and preventing boredom. I also know it sounds only something a super duper fit person can do, but the challenge is to make you the best FIT that you can be! I think it is an awesome alternative if you can't get to a gym. There are a couple of things that might deter you. Cost. It varies, but it can seem a little pricey for the time frame. Time Frame? Generally 4-6 weeks/3 days a week. I think honestly, the cost is not that bad, but that means you HAVE to go if you sign up to really get all the bang for your buck. I looked up a few in the Texas area for you to sneak a peek at. Some of you may not be Texans, but google "Bootcamp fitness" and your city, state and you will get a load of listings. I was surprised at the number of them were available! They are a huge growing trend. Love. It. If any of you try it out, PLEASE email me and let me know! I would love to do a post from someone who has done one--pictures are great too! Here are a few near you...

The North Dallas Bootcamp {Coleen's trainer}

Jay Johnson Bootcamp Fitness {he trains the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders}

Texas Ultra Fit Bootcamp-Waco

Houston Adventure Bootcamp

San Antonio Adventure Bootcamp

Austin H.E.A.T Bootcamps

Austin Adventure Bootcamps

Coming up this week...

Pregnancy workouts

The "Junkie Loser Friday" Workouts

Fer's Vacation "Junkie" Workout {will you PLEASE write about this, Fer?}

Yummmmmmmmy Sloppy Joes

Leave It To Me!

To post the first recipe! That may be all I can contribute to this blog! The left overs from Creighton's plate! Sorry, I didn't think to take a picture before we started the meal!

I'm desperately trying to learn how to manage everything that comes along with adding a new baby {or a five month old} to our home. I consider working out early mornings every day, but somehow, functioning at six o'clock after being up at least three or four times a night doesn't seem bearable. And to top it off, my little Griffy doesn't take long naps either. Most weeknights, after I clean up our dinner and leave the boys with my hubby, you can find me at the Y for my hour cardio workout. {Any one else going that late??!!??}

Maybe some of you can relate, along with fitting in time to work out, my house is a mess, I don't have time or energy to prepare much of a meal, and needlesstosay, going to the grocery store is rare! However, I'm boycotting eating out and so, I've turned to my cookbooks for some new {healthier} menus.

Tonight, I made a simple, light, yummy dinner! One that was also easy to clean up!

Though, I simplified it, I thought some of you may want this recipe.

Country Pork and Corn on the Cob
6 (5 ounce) bone-in center-cut pork chops (I used 4 boneless butterfly pork chops.)
4 large garlic cloves, pressed
3 ears fresh (or frozen, thawed) corn, cut in half
1 (18 ounce) bottle honey smoke barbecue sauce
1 cup chicken broth

* Place pork chops in a lightly greased slow cooker. {There is a long process about browning the meat in a skillet beforehand, but I skip this stage. If you are interested, let me know!}
* Rub garlic evenly over corn. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper; add to slow cooker.
*Combine barbecue sauce and broth; add to slow cooker.
* Cover and cook on LOW 4 hours or until meat is tender.

I served it with wild rice, per request from one of my favorite eaters:
Hope your family enjoys as much as mine!

I don't have the calorie value on this, but after my one chop and one mini corn on the cob with a spoon of rice, I was still a bit hungry. Instead of munching more, I cleaned the kitchen and went to burn over 550 calories at the gym!

Homework!

I discovered through working out recently that I am a little bit of a weakling when it comes to upper body and core strength! I have the hardest time doing push-ups and planks, partly because I have weak shoulders and partly from my lack of core strength. I told Nicki I wanted to strengthen my shoulders, along with my core, which helps you in so many ways. Nicki assigned me some homework to do, and I thought I'd share with y'all! I am supposed to do 10 push-ups a night, and gradually increase as I can. I started last night, and it was fun! It quickly turned into a family activity as James jumped on Josh's back while he was doing his push-ups. :) James wanted to get in on the action and tried to do push-ups with us! I can already tell a difference since I started and I'm excited to see how many I can get to as I get stronger. Here are some pictures of our family push-up/plank workout session.

This is my push-up. It is REALLY hard to do 10, but I can do it now...and I'm sore!

(please excuse my dirty, 10 year old sweatshirt!)

My side-plank (is that what it's called?). These are harder than they look. I really am off of the ground, even though it's hard to see. :)

Josh doing them along with me for support.

James was all over this. He was very excited to "essersize" with us.

I'll report back how many I can do sometime soon!

Health{ier} Foods

I would be lying thru my teeth if I told you nutrition was my "thing". Ladies, that is precisely one of the reasons WHY I work out! I have a candy-sweet tooth that would make all dentists cringe if they saw me get ahold of some Hot Tamales. Still, I do follow a couple of simple rules for myself and my family when it comes to eating meals and snacking. Eat in moderation and eat as organically as possible. A HUGE thing I have changed about our family meals that I would love to share with you all is switching from ground beef to ground turkey. I know, you are thinking your husband is already "bleching" at the switch. It is so much leaner and the white meat is better cholesterol wise. Actually, men should be jumping at the switch! Truth be told turkey burger is not a good ol' juicy burger. THAT you can tell a difference in. However, casseroles, tacos, soups, pasta...honestly, once the seasoning is on it, it is hardly a difference. Try it this week. See what you think! Someone commented a question asking what I ate in a typical day. Besides all the cereal and goldfish my kids drop on the floor, I am guessing is what you want to know. In that case, I usually start out my day with either cereal or oatmeal. Cereal: Cheerios, Oatmeal Squares, Kashi, Raisin Bran. If I eat oatmeal, it is laced with blueberries or bananas or craisins, a little milk and brown sugar {I am sorry, but I have to a little!}. Lunch. Oh lunch. I loathe lunch. I don't know why. I am ok with it if I am eating out, but I really don't like it at home. I am not much for sandwiches, so I most often opt for deli-sliced turkey {by itself--rolled up} and a string cheese. Probably a few Central Market veggie chips and I always have to have something sweet...piece of fruit, a few choco chips...just a little something to satisfy. Dinner is always different. I make a lot of different stuff. Soft tacos, soups, salmon, talapia, casseroles. I make it all. I always try to have a veggie in there too. Sometimes fresh, sometimes frozen or canned. But let me be frank, my kids do not eat everything on their plate!

A few of you guys wanted to know what snacks I recommend. And GOD BLESS you nursing moms. Man alive, I remember how hungry I was! You can double your portions!!!
I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE grapes. Our house is always stocked with them and they are always out on the counter for all to enjoy. I usually have to buy them twice a week. Also, blueberries. We snack on grapes though all the time.

Also, if you can stomach it, cottage cheese {Me likey a lot}. I love to put applesauce in it as a snack. Or sometimes for lunch I will make a big bowl of it with grapes, apples, bananas cut up in it. I love it though. You can't really make yourself like it if you don't. Also, in the summer with watermelon...HEAVEN to my tasties.

Almonds. But hear me. The plain kind. No salt. No sugar. And a handful is all ya need. Put some raisins in it or a few craisins and put it in a baggie when you are headed out the door and you have a pretty sustaining snack!

Ok, Kashi. I heart everything Kashi. I like it all and I recommend it all. BUT these are great for the itties and for you! I always have one in my purse, I have low blood sugar and get pre-tty cranky if I don't get somethin' in me! I also always eat one on the way to the gym for the wee-hour workouts. They are yummy and natural. Better than Nutrigrain.

Lastly, love love love. I love organic yogurt. The Yoplait is yummy, but it does not have all the "goods". The probiotics. Me and the kids eat these all the time. Good for them and me. Also, I will throw some cereal in there or make a parfait and the kids are so excited to have a treat! I am excited it is healthy. Those are just a few. I would love to hear feedback on anything you try!!!

Junkie Confessions: How We Spent New Year's Night

Maybe this will discredit us. Oh well. It is truth! Though we work super hard to stay in shape, some days we are just plain ol' stressed out, hormonal women. Who need ice cream. So the minute the husbands give us clearance to go "have fun" on our own, we do what most well-intended women do...eat. And go to a separate locale for dessert. BUT don't you worry, the next day, Fer and I burned up mucho calories in Turbokick. So, I think OCCASIONALLY you can indulge. Key word: Occasionally. Did you hear it? OCCASIONALLY!!

So, there it is. The first naughty confession from 3/4 of the group. Coming up in the next posts:

healthy snacks and meals {seems to be a sought after subject!} so stay tuned! And how are your workouts coming along?!?!?!??! Do tell!

Fer's 'Junkie' Workouts {Sunday and Monday}

First, I want to share pictures of disappointment. This was the Y this Monday {January 4}: DEAD! Desolate! No white sneakers! No new shorts with the MMMMMM sticker down the leg. They must have read the blog and knew I would be watching out for them! Where are ya morning peeps????

Ok, moving on to my friend Jennifer {I call her "Fer" or "Fer Fer"...a misfortune for most of my friends is that they all get a catchy nickname}. Fer oh Fer. She is a trainers dream. She comes whenever I tell her to. I sometimes want to skip, but I know Fer is going to be there waiting. She is diligent to say the least. And a people pleaser. She does what I tell her to without complaining. I sometimes feel bad telling her to keep going when I know she is completely spun. Just a sweet heart thru and thru {actually, ALL of the 'Junkies' are super duper sweet and quiet by nature--except for me!} . Fer has some baby weight to lose. Her weight was the opposite of mine, she put her's on after she quit breastfeeding--mine always goes the opposite, my body holds on tight until I drop a feeding or two. We had been doing about 30 minutes of cardio along with body shaping 2 days a week along with 1 turbokick class and another 45 minute workout on an extra day. When she reported to me that her scale was not budging--which is expected for a time since she is building muscle, but it is time her body starts letting it go! I had to rethink my new year's plan for Fer! I knew I needed to make her cardio workouts longer and more challenging, maximizing her calorie burn. Here's what we did the past 2 days. Maybe you can try it for yourself:

Sunday:

You will need: a treadmill

1. start out at a quick walk to warm up {5 min.}

2. run a as fast as you can {3 min.}

3. pull back and run a comfortable pace {2 min.}

4. repeat steps 2 & 3-- 3 times-- increasing the speed of each the run by a couple notches--you will really have to push yourself to run as fast as you can.

5. at his point, you should be at 20 minutes--jog at a comfortable pace {10 minutes}

6. walk on an incline of 11 {2 min.}, 13 {3 min.}, 15 {3 min}, 18 {2 min.}--at a slower walk--trying not to hold onto the handle.

7. repeat steps 2&3 {15 minutes}

8. repeat step 5 {10 minutes}

9. Run the final 5 minutes at a comfortable pace.

**note: your treadmill may not have as high of an incline. If not, start the walk section on whatever number is the half-way point on your treadmill's incline**

________________________________________

total time: 60 minutes

Next, you will need: set of dumbells {we used 8 lbs.}

Lunges up and back across the room with weights down by your side

Lunges up and back across the room holding weights straight overhead

Lunges up and back across the room doing a bicep curl while lunging

________________________________________

Total time: 75 minutes

Fer's total calories burned: 862 {when left the gym}, 1014 {30 minutes after workout, before eating dinner}

Monday

You will need: Elliptical {cardio}, set of weights, a mat {or you can do it on carpet}

Started out on the elliptical for 30 minutes on a pre-set sport interval *take advantage of the pre-set workouts on the elliptical--make sure you up your workload too*

Push ups using the weights, 3 sets of 10--make sure when you do any push up that you keep your booty tucked! Also, bring the chest towards the ground...don't cheat!

Tricep dips on the weights, 3 sets of 10 and 3 sets of a double count down--make sure your lift and lower yourself with your TRICEPS--they should be nice and tucked beside you--elbows facing the back, not out to the side! That is a HUGE mistake people make and it drives me bonkers!

Seated angle ab contractions with a bicep curl. Start sitting on floor, lean back until your upper body is at an angle, hard enought for you to feel your abs work, but you should still be able to hold yourself where you an curl a dumbell...*this is a pretty advanced move.*

Hold yourself steady and curl up single, then double count, then hold at a pulse, hold weights at your side and pulse for an 8-count, bring the right leg in, then left {alternating}, repeat {3 sets}

Total time: 45 minutes

Fer's total calories burned: 452 {when left the gym}, 574 {after returning home}.

Listen Up!!!

Hello everyone! Just wanted to tell ya that there is MUSIC on the blog now! My goal is to provide you new music each week that maybe you want to check out or download--all of it is music that the 'Junkies' work out to! What I would REALLY like is for YOU ALL to leave suggestions under comments on what songs you move and groove to! It can be anything--country, oldies, christian--whatever works for you! You will probably always be able to distinguish my faves from the other 'Junkies', because I love hip-hop, rap and techno!! If you hate it, please bear with us because it will always change!!!

Also, we want to know who is reading! I have had multiple facebook messages, emails and comments from people who are reading, but not all of those people comment! PLEASE leave us a comment if you are reading!! You can leave it 'anonymous' and not create a blogger account--we just really want to know who is out there! Don't be shy or embarrassed if you are a "blog stalker"--actually, this blog is meant to be stalked, but in order for this type of blog to "work" we need to have a lot of readers and followers. One of my big dreams is to have monthly 'give-a-ways', but we may be a ways off from that unless you join the followers list!!!

SO SPEAK UP! Here is a challenge--LEAVE A COMMENT and suggest things you want us to write about OR what your favorite workout of all time is! This is just a test!

XOXO, The Junkies

PS...be on the look out for pictures of how we spent New Years Night, pics of us working out this week {this is a surprise to the other 'junkies'! haha!}, and some polls we are going to be taking!