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Fitfluential Plank Challenge: #FFAprilAbs

04.02.2014

Hi there!

If you follow my Facebook or Instagram you may have heard, but I am so happy to announce that I am a new member of Fitfluential. Fitfluential is an amazing group of people who share a large passion for health and fitness. With that said, I have a lot of fun things coming up in the near future!

So what about a plank challenge for April?!

Fitfluential is teaming up with Puma for an April Abs challenge to plank each day this month. To join the challenge, just use the hashtag: #FFAprilAbs. Make sure you post daily on Instagram and Twitter to be entered to win one of two sets of PUMA Soundchuck Portable Speakers*.

Planks are the perfect way to end a workout! I love that extra ab push once finished with training whatever muscle group I’m working on that day. So who’s ready to to PLANK?!

For official rules and downloadable calendar, visit the Fitfluential blog: here

Also, don’t forget to enter the Designer Whey Giveaway!

Now I’m off to Paris to run the Marathon de Paris…EEK! So nervous and excited. I’ll be instagraming a whole lot while I’m there, so be sure to follow me: @fitnessandthecity. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all of your encouragement and well wishes. 🙂

Counting Macros

01.27.2014

Counting macros. Who does it? Who is against it? Who has no idea what that is?

I have officially gone crazy and am on my first week of counting macros. Macros including how many grams of proteins, carbs, and fats my meals consist of. Wow, this is harder than I thought, requires a lot of brain power and prep time! I just purchased my first food scale and have officially gone off the deep end. 😉 Just kidding, but seriously wondering if any of you count protein, carbs, fats etc? It is not an easy task, but so far so good. This is my first week testing the waters, and I’m not 100% sure I’m doing it right, but I’m sure it will get easier with time. Hopefully in no time, I can just know exactly what to eat and when without having to think about it.

I’m not competing, nor am I obsessing, I’ve just been very curious and want to see how my body reacts. I love the whole learning process of it all, and actually paying detailed attention to what I eat. The prep time is more tedious, but if we want the body of our dreams, we have to work for it! Not only am I wanting to see what physical changes I see, but also how this affects my training runs for the marathon. Food is power, and so far I feel like it may be the key to getting me through grueling 15/20 mile runs. I’m in the muscle growing stages, and to gain muscle I eat, eat, eat. (Turns out this isnt so bad after all) 😉

I’ve been following a truly inspiring instagram account called “Passion2befit”. Ashley (passion2befit) and I have been emailing back and forth and I’ve grown to get to know her through social media. She is an amazing athlete who shares her bodybuilding life through pictures and sets out to help as many people as possible. (I am very excited to have her featured on the blog soon!) Ashley created a meal plan for me, taking in about 1900 calories/day. Here are some pictures that capture my meals (a few snacks not pictured):

(4 eggs white with spinach; oatmeal with cinnamon; non fat greek yogurt; chicken, broccoli and quinoa; stuffed pepper from Trader Joes with salad; rice cake with cake batter protein powder and blueberries)

I’m sure some of you are thinking, why the heck is she doing that? My intention is to take a peek into a life of a competitor/athlete and learn how to nourish my body, get to know my needs and watch the positive changes that may occur. This is all a learning process for me and so far, I’m loving the journey! Really excited to update you guys on my progress.

Don’t forget to enter the Michelle Bridges program giveaway. (She doesn’t count macros, but gets you on track with a delicious meal plan!)

Fall Inspired Cuteness

10.14.2013

We are full swing into Fall around my house! Besides running 9 miles, I spent my Sunday getting in the Halloween spirit and baking these delicious pumpkin muffins. Skinnytaste.com has been my go-to for healthy recipes and I can’t get enough of their “Skinny Pumpkin Madness“. And yes, I even brought out the skeleton plates. 🙂

Click here for the recipe.

Going to a Halloween party or need a cute idea for a Halloween lunch in the office? Ok, I wish I can say I thought of this, but leave it to good ol’ Pinterest. Such cute, healthy ideas, definitely planning to make these soon. (I don’t know who made these, sorry for not having a reference.)

Are you excited for Halloween and getting in the spirit?

How to Structure Your Workout & Avoid Plateaus

10.11.2013

Hitting the gym day after day can get monotonous especially if you are going through the same routines over and over again. But I’ve noticed that I get comfortable with the same machines and exercises and keep going back for more because that’s what I know. Recently I’ve hit my plateau which has got me thinking it’s time to switch things up. My regular routine consists of the following:

Leg day
Biceps and back
Triceps and cardio
Full cardio day
And just a smidge of chest exercises here and there
And most recently a lot of glute exercises!
(no shoulders- but they are still hit with other exercises)

To be completely honest this does get a little boring, but not only that, my body has gotten used to these exercises and knows what to expect. We want to make sure to keep our bodies guessing. It is important to constantly change your routine, work new muscle groups and get your heart rate up with different forms of cardio. There are SO many different ways to switch up your routine. Here are a few to try:

Get out of your comfort zone! Try yoga, take a kick boxing class at your gym, get outside for a run or an outdoor bootcamp or circuit training, whatever is most foreign to you! Ive recently fallen in love with Nike Training Club and Burn Pilates.
Include supersets or dropsets. A superset is two exercised back to back with no rest in between. A dropset is when you perform your exercise and immediately drop the weight and continue with more repetitions.
Increase the weight and decrease repetitions. Make your workout challenging, don’t just go through the motions. Focus and increase difficulty levels! (Pre workout helps here of course. I love Optimum Platinum PRE)
Add in or swap for new exercises- there are tons out there peeps! Don’t be afraid to try something new.
Incorporate HIIT (high intensity interval training). You will burn FAR more calories and a shorter amount of time. Make use of your precious time and burn as many calories as possible!!
Reverse the structure of your workout… —->

Depending on who you ask, each will tell you a different theory behind how to structure your workouts. A routine that works for some may not work for others. We are all different, it’s just a matter of finding what works for you. I have found best for me to train a focused body part first then finish with cardio because I want all my energy focused on a specific muscle group and I am most focused when I first arrive to the gym. I usually start with a couple of core exercises to get warmed up, then move on to compound exercises. A compound exercise is a multi-joint movement that works more than one muscle group. Compound exercises typically use more energy to perform and don’t isolate one muscle group. For example, I like to start with push ups, tricep dips or pull ups on arm day and lunges or squats on leg day. After compound exercises I then prefer to go into the more isolated exercises. Isolated exercise means you are focused on a specific muscle with one single joint movement. Lastly, cardio if there is any energy left to spare. 😉

My point here? Get creative! Try new things, change the structure of your routine and constantly keep that body of yours guessing. I know a lot of you here are beginners, so why not find a gym in your city that can help you achieve your goals? If you are in the Sacramento area, find a Gym in Sacramento. I can also give you some suggestions of gyms, training, different classes and boot camps here in San Francisco. Start today, so you can look back a year from now and see how far you’ve come.

What is your favorite way to bust out of a plateau?

*I was financially compensated for this post. The opinions are completely my own, based on my experience.

Meet Lisa Corsello of Burn / Top 5 Reasons to Circuit Train

10.07.2013

Hey everyone! I was recently invited to attend a Burn pilates class here in San Francisco, and LOVED it! It’s not your ordinary pilates class, but super high intensity circuit training involving both strength training, cardio and much more. This class kicked my butt (in a good way) and I cant wait to go back! So excited to introduce you all to Lisa who is the owner AND founder of Burn. This woman does it all and is such an inspiration to me. She will also give us the top 5 reasons why circuit training is so important to include in your workout regime. Here she is:

Top 5 Reasons to Circuit Train

By Lisa Corsello, owner and found of Burn

Circuit training, put very simply, is all about doing a variety of exercises with a relatively short amount of time in between each set. Circuits can be done just about anywhere, with just about any combo of exercises. Not sold yet? Read on for the Top 5 Reasons To Circuit Train. I guarantee once you try it you’ll agree. . . . .

1. Efficiency: If you’re looking to get the most out of your workout time, circuit training is the best example of quality over quantity. Moving from one circuit to another keeps the heart rate up and helps increase endurance due to the lack of rest time and the different challenges presented by each exercise.

2. Work Harder: Because each exercise in a circuit is performed for a relatively short amount of time, it’s harder to get bored. Think about it- if you know you’ll be on a spin bike for an hour, how likely are you to challenge yourself the entire time? If you know you’ll be on the spin bike for 3 minutes and then onto something totally different, you are more likely to push harder on the bike.

3. Reduce chance of injury: Because circuits are designed to incorporate many different exercise techniques, the body becomes not only stronger, but better able to take on stress. By training the entire body in many different ways, circuits help create a better overall fitness foundation and level of body awareness that can help reduce injuries in and out of the gym.

4. Burn more calories: Circuits work the entire body, which results in more calorie burn during and after the workout. The after– burn differs, depending on the person, but studies show that the resting metabolic rate remains elevated after a workout and long-term as more lean body mass is achieved. In other words, you keep burning calories, even after your workout.

5. Break through plateaus: Plateaus can be caused by the body’s adaptation to a workout. What was once challenging gets easier over time, if done consistently. Circuit training, therefore, helps keep plateaus at bay by offering a variety of different movements to keep the body focused and working.

Google top circuit workouts and follow the high-intensity exercises,without pausing, three times through, at least three days a week, and you’ll be showing off a sleeker body by the end of the month.

If you are in the Bay Area and prefer group circuit exercise, come to one of my classes at Burn in San Francisco and torch a few calories. See schedule at www.burnsf.com

About Lisa Corsello
Lisa is an ACE Certified Personal Trainer, nutrition consultant and group fitness instructor who works with clients to create customized, goal-oriented exercise and nutrition plans. Using her extensive training and fitness background, Lisa has developed a popular new fitness technique called Burn. The 55-minute workout brings the benefits of dynamic individualized workouts to groups using a method that draws upon the best of Pilates, strength and core training for optimal results. Her programs emphasize constant movement using circuits to challenge and improve endurance, agility, balance and strength, with appropriate focus on stressing proper form and method. Each workout incorporates dynamic strength and cardiovascular training with active recovery techniques targeting all major muscle groups. Sessions are intended to be learning experiences that constantly evolve, keeping each one challenging and fresh.

She has successfully adapted and applied her methods to clients with a wide range of abilities and capabilities; absolute beginners needing basic knowledge, enthusiasts who want to increase lean body mass and reduce body fat, people recovering from sports injuries or serious illness, and professional athletes in training. Lisa, a Lululemon Athletica Ambassador, has been a featured fitness expert on WebMDas well as inMy Family Doctor Magazine, LowCarb Magazine, Current Health Magazine, and Cornell University’s Food & Fitness Advisor newsletter. In fact, Lisa is a regularly featured fitness expert on the KPIX Weekend Morning Show. Lisa is currently a contributing fitness expert on SingleMindedWomen.com.

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Thanks again for having us and teaching us your ways Lisa!!

WE HEART BURN!!!

Connect with Burn: Website / Facebook / Twitter / You Tube

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