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[yoga sculpt] TT

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I’m alive, I’m alive! I think this is the longest I’ve gone without blogging. It feels good to be back! Anyways, remember back in June when I asked your advice on Yoga Sculpt Teacher Training vs. Personal Training? Well……What have I been up to the past few days? Yoga Sculpt Teacher Training!

I’ve mentioned this to you before, but I have been regularly taking a class called Yoga Sculpt for a few years now. Lately, I can’t seem to get enough. For a better idea of what Yoga Sculpt actually is:

“CorePower Yoga Sculpt is a total body workout designed to tone and sculpt every major muscle group. Dumbbells, body bars and free weights serve as your own personal adjuster as you move through sun salutations and other yoga postures, enabling extra length and depth in each pose. This intense, but easy to follow program compliments your regular yoga practice while pushing your strength and flexibility to new heights.” 

I like to think of Yoga Sculpt as a boot camp class infused with hot yoga. Yes, this workout is done in a 95 degree room! #hotandsweaty Anyways, this weekend I started my training. For the past 3 days (>20 hours worth), I have been a sponge learning Sanskrit, poses, flow, how to teach, what to say, what not to say, how to count, how to speak, etc. It’s been intense, but I am so glad I decided to go with Sculpt training vs. Personal training.

(On a completely random note: I decided that if I ever have three dogs their names will be Millet, Quinoa, and Chaturanga.) <—all you yogis out there will think that is clever, eh?

Anyways, here are a few other random things I’ve been up to/am excited about!

(1) Homemade Granola Bars. These were Cranberry Flax.

(2) Chunky Falls Salads

(3) My new Fall boots: They are Merrils and waterproof!

(4) Power Cookies: They are g/f, vegan, and fat free! Did I mention that they are packed with whole grains, chia seeds, and natural sugars? nom nom nom.

Namaste

What are you excited about lately?

Do you hypothetically name your future pets and/or children? If so, let’s hear em…

Guest Post: Bellaspire

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Hey Bloggies! I just walked in the door from the airport, but wanted to give a quick hello! Colorado was amazing and I can’t wait to give you a thorough recap. I have one more fabulous guest post for you while I catch up on life. Enjoy.

Hi Fit Foodie Finds Readers! My name is Miriam and I write over at Bellaspire, a healthy living blog that focuses on aspiring for beauty in all aspects of life. I’m so excited to be joining you all today on one of my favorite blogs! I’ve been reading Lee’s blog for about a year and truly enjoy her perspective.

Today I wanted to talk to you about abs and the elusive six pack! What is it exactly about this body part that brings so much joy, pain, excitement and sheer frustration? Having a six pack seems to be the holy grail of fitness, especially for ladies. Our hormones, workouts, diet, and genetics (especially the thickness of the cartilage) all play an integral role, some more so than others. No matter how many crunches, planks, or sit-ups we do, the most important indication for whether or not we’ll see the fruits of our labors is our body fat percentage.

Body fat is essential for survival. Men need about 3-5% body fat while women need 8-12%.  Women need more body fat to maintain their reproductive organs, which explains why they often lose their periods if they fall below that range. While each individual differs from another, most women will see a six pack at around 12% body fat.

If there’s one take home lesson that I can share with you today it would be this: “Abs are made in the kitchen”! A clean diet consisting of lean protein, veggies, and low glycemic carbohydrates is the number one way to a flat tummy. Here are my other top tips to getting that chizzled effect ;).

1) Food prep- Just to reiterate the point above, preparing clean meals to have on hand is incredibly important!

2) Sprints- Perhaps you’ve never considered this as an abdominal exercise. Not only does sprinting recruit all of the core muscles for all out exertion, but it also kicks off a hormonal cascade. That flight or fight response can have major fat burning effects which last for hours after you finish your workout. I like to do ten 100-meter sprints twice a week.

3) Traditional Exercises- Hanging kneeling cable crunches, in and outs, leg raises, etc. You’ve got to grow that muscle so that once you’ve leaned out there’s something to show ;). Often times people focus on this aspect alone. They’ve probably got some pretty chunky abs until a layer of fat.

4) Avoid soda and limit salt- Last but not least, consider the effects that these vices may have. Bloating can add yet another layer of puffiness that can cancel out your efforts. Aim to drink green tea rather than soda and drink around 3 liters of water a day to avoid fluid retention.

For more inspiration, recipes, workouts, and more friend us on Facebook, tweet us on Twitter, pin our pins and swing on by the blog to say hello! (Whew! Lots of social media there!). Thanks for reading and let me know how it goes!

Booty Burner Workout

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HAPPY WORKOUT THURSDAY!

I absolutely love writing these posts. If you know me in real life, you know that fitness is HUGE part of my life…maybe even bigger than food (wha whattt?!). I teach yoga sculpt twice a week and in general love to sweat. I love to sweat so much, that I even make time for it while traveling…even ask Blake!

This Booty Burner Workout is great because it doesn’t require any equipment and can be done anywhere! A lot of these moves I do in my yoga sculpt class…in case you were wondering :D

Okay so- this is a circuit. There are 9 45-second rounds. Meaning that each of the 9 exercises should be completed for 45 seconds with a 15 second rest. You can do the circuit as many times as you’d like…I did it 3 times through! PS: to warm up, I did my 20’s Cardio Warm-Up (no equipment needed for that either)! 

Booty Burner Workout - no equipment required! #workout #fitness

 *Note for the exercise that has 2 rounds involved, do one side for 45 seconds and then the other side for 45 seconds.

I learned how to make GIFs this week using Gimme Some Oven’s tutorial so I thought I would incorporate some in the description of each exercise. ENJOY!

Lunge with Leg Lift- Begin in a split stance. Lower down into a 90/90 lunge, making sure to keep your front knee above your ankle and chest lifted. As you exhale to stand, place the weight into your front foot and send left your back leg into airplane pose. Repeat on the same leg.

Booty Burner Workout - no equipment required! #workout #fitness

Squat with Twist (Alternating)– Start with feet hip-width distance apart. As you inhale, lower down, keeping the weight in your heels and chest lifted. As you exhale to stand up, bring opposite elbow to opposite knee creating a twist. Alternate sides.

Booty Burner Workout - no equipment required! #workout #fitness

Airplane to Front Rase– Begin standing on one leg. Hinge chest towards the ground, keeping your back flat and shoulders parallel to the ground. Extend your leg behind you. As you exhale hinge back up, sending your chest upright and your foot in front of you. Repeat on the same leg.

airplane-square

In-and-Out Squats (Plyo Squats)– Begin with feet hip-width distance apart. As you inhale, lower down keeping the weight in your heels and chest lifted. As you exhale, explode of the ground landing with your feet together. Jump to explode again back into your squat.

Booty Burner Workout - no equipment required! #workout #fitness

Glute Leg Lifts– Start in a table-top position with your shoulders stacked over your wrists and hips over knees. Bend one leg at a 90 degree angle. Inhale and extend the leg up and exhale bring it back down. Repeat on the same leg.

Booty Burner Workout - no equipment required! #workout #fitness

Squat Pulses– Start with feet hip-width distance apart. As you inhale, lower down, keeping the weight in your heels and chest lifted. Pulse your squat up and down (micro movement!), staying relatively low in your stance.

Booty Burner Workout - no equipment required! #workout #fitness

What is the minimum AND maximum time you would spend on a workout?

How many days per week do you workout?

Propel Photo Shoot Recap

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This post is sponsred by FitFluential on behalf of Propel. I was compensated and all opinions are 100% my own.

Where to even begin. The Propel Photo Shoot I was part of 2 weekends ago was an incredible experience that I will never forget. Can I just say that I have so much respect for anyone who is ever involved in an ad campaign from the photographers to the art directors to the models to the crew on set making sure no one loses their mind. There was at least 30 people on set each day and even more that were part of the production that I never even saw!

photo1-recap

There is so much for me to share about my 4 days in LA, so I am going to break it up into 2 posts. This one will be an overview of all of the awesomeness. Then- I will go into the specifics later, sharing more photos and video from the entire experience!

Thursday…

was mostly a travel day for me. My flight from Minneapolis was about 3 and a half hours long getting me into LA at around 1. Jon and I flew in at the same time and were picked up by a driver (Darrell- one of the most interesting people I met the entire trip), who brought us to “The Propel Crib” in Beverly Hills! We were instantly greeted with a camera crew as we made our way down the steps into the house. HONEY I’M HOME! Presley was already there waiting for us with a giant smile on her face. Presley and Angi (or house mom as we called her), gave us a tour of the place. I still can’t believe we were nestled on top of Beverly Hills with the most beautiful view of the valley below. #IsThisRealLife

thecrib

While we waited for Dai and Theodora who flew in 2 hours later, we snacked….a lot…and did some practice interviews to get comfortable in front of the camera. Yeesh. Me + Camera = Awkward Turtle.

practicing-interviews

Once the whole Propel Ambassador Team was there, we had a quick meeting with Team Fathom and Team Propel about how the weekend would go. We had gotten an agenda before the trip and I was feeling a little overwhelmed with the amount of things that had to get done and anxious because I have never been part of a full blow photo shoot, let alone the model in the photos. This meeting was a really good thing because we broke down the weekend and got to meet faces I had only met in emails. 

We also got to meet Beth and David, the other two peas in our pod. They had modeled to the previous 2 Propel Shoots and came back for a 3rd. They fit right in to our quirkiness. I actually want Beth’s abs. Here’s all 7 of us :D

IMG_8815

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday…

are all kind of a blur, and I mean that in the best way possible! We were up by 5 each morning and up until 11 or 12 each night. These three days were dedicated to getting the shots we needed for the Propel 2014 Ad Campaign as well as getting video footage for the Propel Social Media Campaign. We shot about 10 different fitness scenes for the ad campaign and in each shot one of the ambassadors was the main focal point. Sometimes there was just one ambassador in the shot and others, there were 2-5 people as extras in the background. I had 2 scenes….the very first and the very last…They also happened to be the 2 longest. The venues varied from a gym, to a country club, to outside, to an actual studio.

gym-studio

I am not able to share what my scenes were just yet…but they were definitely ME. What I mean by that, is Propel and Fathom worked together to choose specific scenes that were tailored to each of the ambassador’s personalities. If you know what kind of workouts I’ve been into lately…you could probably guess which two scenes I was chosen for. So, the swim and zumba? LOL. Same with our hair, makeup and wardrobe. On set we were asked how would you wear your hair if you were doing X. What kind of clothes would you be comfortable in doing X. Pretty cool if you ask me. And real too.

hair-and-makeup

The Set

Being on set of a real live photo shoot was an eye opening experience. Like I said, there were anywhere from 30-40 people on set at all times. Right when we got to the set each morning, we went right into hair, makeup, and wardrobe. To be honest, they didn’t LOAD us up with a ton of make, but we did wear it. The whole premise of the campaign is “Real People, Real Workouts.” Propel isn’t going to be going back and photoshopping our bodies, they are using US just how we are. I really did enjoy hair and makeup. However, I clearly need to work on my eyebrow plucking and hair doing :D 

While the ambassadors were getting ready, the crew was working hard setting up the set, which could take anywhere from 20 minutes to 2 hours. Then it was time to Pose. Sprinkler to the right. Smile with your eyes. Move an inch to the right. Step back. Change shirts. Tilt your head to the left. Turn the bottle. My first shoot took around 3 hours and same with the second one. I was an exhausted and hungry…but the outcome was so worth it!

I seriously can’t wait to show you how they turned out :D

Downtime

Like I said, not all of us were in every single shot, so there was a lot of downtime, which was probably my least favorite part. Sitting for long periods of time is not my kind of thing, but I totally understand why we had to stay on set. You never know if a certain photo will look better with someone in the background!  I’m sure you are wondering what the heck I was doing if I was not in a certain shoot. Like Saturday for example…I pretty much wasn’t needed until 2Pm. So we took lots of selfies, stretched, did lots of push ups (thanks Dai), ate lots of snacks, did some squats, ate more snacks, laughed, chatted, etc.

down-time

Free Time

Most of the free time that we had was early in the morning and late at night. I LOVE LOVE LOVED getting to know each of the ambassadors. Jon is from Colorado and is one of the nicest guys I have ever met. He has a hilarious sense of humor and can just tell he’s super genuine. Presley is actually one of a kind. Every word that comes out of her mouth is in a southern drawl and will make you laugh. She is an incredible storyteller, witty, and would be my best friend if I lived in South Carolina. Theodora is an East Coaster with the cutest laugh you will ever here. She inspires me like no other with her marathon running and I envy her fierceness for living in downtown NYC. You can pretty much just think of Theodora, Presley, and I as Moe, Larry, and Curly. Dai pretty much seems like the best Dad ever. Like Jon, he is super genuine and such a great example of healthy living. As a young entrepreneur, Dai inspires the crap out of me with how he manages his work-life-balance. David is a trainer from Orlando and I love his passion for healthy and fitness. He’s got a baby blog too and can’t wait to see where he takes it! I feel like Beth and I could be sisters. She is super chill and all around a really nice person. She also lives in Orlando and has abs of steel <—like an 8 pack, I’m not kidding!

free-time

We also got some free time Friday morning to lounge by the pool …and a chance to run at some really cool trails near the house. 

Here is a photo of the gang with Gunnar Peterson on the last day of shooting. 

the-gang

PS: I know I didn’t talk much about food yet, and that’s because I’m saving the best part for post #2. Propel gave us our own personal chef for the entire week. Not any kind a chef- but a farm to table chef. That post is going to be insane…because the food was actually insanely amazing and fresh and full of flavor. So inspiring! 

Gunnar, Running in Beverly Hills, and FOOD!

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This post is sponsored by FitFluential on behalf of Propel. I was compensated and all opinions are 100% my own.

I’m back for a second post on the Propel Ambassador Photo Shoot I was part of back in mid-March! I wanted to dig a little bit deeper into a few of the things that I will always remember from this experience. Enjoy!

WORKOUT WITH GUNNAR

While on set the last day, I had the privilege of working out with famous Beverly Hills trainer, Gunnar Peterson. I mentioned in my first post that the shots needed for the campaign are positioned so that the model looks like they just finished a killer workout and are quenching for some liquid. Turns out- we really were quenching for some Propel and that’s not a joke!

Gunnar trains both celebrities and professional athletes (and everyday people), so it was a really cool opportunity to get to sweat with him. It took him about 2 seconds to think of quick workout because he said this is what he recommends to his clients when they travel and don’t have access to a gym! I’m calling it…Gunnar’s Hotel Workout.

10 push ups. 10 sit-ups. 10 squats. 10 times.

The goal is to do it as fast as you can. There is no jumping involved, but I GUARANTEE your heart rate will get up there and you WILL sweat…and quench with Propel at the end 😉

gunnar2

All of this was caught on video, too. Don’t look at my form please 😀 I was exhausted by day 3 and should have been modifying these on my knees!

gunnar3

Unfortunately I didn’t get a solo selfie with Gunnar himself…but we did get a great group shot with all of the ambassadors and David and Beth, too (Jon, where’s your blue shirt?!).

gunnar

While I was shooting for the campaign, the other ambassadors got to interview him. Check out Dai’s post to read his interview!

MORNING RUN IN BEVERLY HILLS

The first morning we were all together, we woke up for an early morning run through the hills of Beverly Hills. It was probably one of the most beautiful runs I’ve ever been on. There is a park that weaves through the hillside with the most spectacular views. Not to mention, the weather was PERFECT.

Not only was the scenery beautiful, but it was just really fun. When you get this certain group of people together, it’s non-stop laughter and smiles. Until….. we realized that this run wasn’t a circle and that we had been going downhill for a good mile and a half. Hill workout it is!

morning-run

Noting extraordinary happened during this workout, I just really enjoyed the environment I was in and the people I was with. I’d do it every single day if I could!

FOOD

Last, but not least, I wanted to share some photos of the AMAZING food we got to eat while in LA. I mentioned in my last post that we had a chef make breakfast and dinner for us in the Propel Crib and on-site of the photo shoot, we had catered lunch and snacks. Uhmmmm all I can say is I’m moving to Los Angeles because they know how to eat! The food was farm to table and had such amazing flavor and color. I can’t wait to attempt to remake everything in my kitchen!

There were always multiple options, with lots of color. Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day and they didn’t let me down. The most delicious little asparagus quiche, homemade muesli, buckwheat pancakes….ohhhhhhh heavens.

grub

It was cool to watch the chefs prepare all the food. I get so mesmerized watching other people cook; it inspires me.

PROPEL TWITTER CHAT

One last thing 😀 Propel and FitFluential are hosting a Twitter chat THIS Thursday at 9PM EST to introduce all of the ambassadors. Joins us! The hashtag is #propelambassadors.

8-Minute No Crunch Ab Burner

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I’m glad you like when I post workouts as much a I do. At least according to Pinterest you do! It sure is a nice break from brownies, nut butter, and balls.

8 Minute No Crunch Ab Burner via FitFoodieFinds.com #workout #fitness

But seriously, when I first started FFF 4 years ago, my blog content was very different. I talked a lot about lifestyle, fashion, shared a lot of my workouts, and also incorporated recipes. It feels good to bring back some of the FIT in Fit Foodie Finds.

I thought I would create a shorter workout that hits all areas of the core. This is something that I would typically incorporate after doing cardio, HIIT, or even lifting. It’s only 8 minutes long and can be done anywhere. The best part is, there are no classic crunches involved!

This 8 minute ab burner is a perfect way to end a workout without doing the classic crunch. Plus, it’s more effective! 

8 Minute No Crunch Ab Burner via FitFoodieFinds.com #workout #fitness

Alternating Side Planks: Start in high plank. Then, roll into left side plank, stacking your feet on top of one another. Reach your right arm high and don’t forget to lift your hips. Come back to high plank and repeat on the other side.

Tuck Jumps: Start standing with your feet hip-width apart. Jump up and tuck your knees into your chest. Repeat.

Inverse Plank: Start laying on the ground with your elbow and forearm connected to the ground. Lift your butt and hips up towards the sky and engage your core. Keep your back flat, refraining from hyperextending and protect your neck by looking up.

Frog to Plank: Start in frog pose (yogi squat). Make sure your weight is in your HEELS. Place your hands on the ground and jump back into high plank pose. Return to frog pose by jumping forward. Repeat.

Side-to-Side Hops:  Start in a downward facing dog-like position. Bend your legs to build momentum, and then spring them up landing to the right side. Bend your legs again and spring them up landing on the left side. Keep alternating. *If you do insanity, this is the same as SS Hops.

Alternating Oblique Dips: Start standing on your knees. Keeping a tight core and lower body, dip down so that your fingers touch the ground. Alternate sides.

Inch Worm (no push-up unless you insist!): Start standing, feet hip-width distance apart. Then, bend down and make contact with the ground as close to your feet as possible. Walk your hands out into a plank and then walk them back into your feet and return to standing.

Alternating Donkey Kicks: Start in a downward facing dog-like position. Kick one leg up like you are going to do a handstand and let the other one follow. Land with the leg you kicked up. Alternate. You can refer to this insta video I took a few months ago.

I am so very lucky to have a talented friend, Brooke, to take these photos for me! She just upgraded her camera body and lenses (go for her…great for me!!!). We really have so much fun doing these shoots. This past time around she got some really attractive ones of me…completely biffing the Frog-to-Plank exercise. AKA I ate shit. Literally.

biffingit

It was actually hilarious.

And I may have peed a little I laughed so hard.

A few questions for you:

  1. How long are your workouts typically? Short and intense or long and steady?
  2. Do you mostly do full-body workouts or split them up?
  3. Do you prefer pinnable photo workouts or video?
  4. Do you prefer equipment workouts or a mixture of both?
  5. Cardio vs. strength training. What kinds of workouts are you searching for?

Disclaimer: Although I am a certified ACE Group Fitness Instructor and Yoga Sculpt Instructor, please please please consult with your doctor before beginning a new fitness regimen. The workouts that I share on Fit Foodie Finds are what I DO and should simply be used as ideas for your own workouts, where you can modify with progressions and regressions.

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