Good Morning Stair Circuits!

Yesterday in between my AM Physics class and PM Math class, I completed my first stair circuit. I got the work out from May 2012 Oxygen Magazine. I did one complete circuit on the top 55 steps. I was breathing very hard, and I felt the burn. The total workout was about 40 minutes, including the 1 mile run uphill to get there the shortcut way, and 1 mile run it took to get home (downhill).

                                   

After my PM class, I went to the pool and did a 40 minutes of swimming circuit, made up by me!

Swim Circuit

Warm Up!

100m breast stroke, 50m backstroke, & 50m freestyle

Circuit Time!

100m freestyle swim

Get out of the pool, and on a towel or blanket do 20 Push ups, 25 Crunches, 20 Seated bicycles, 25 Toe touches, 25 Flutter kicks, 50 Russian twists, Plank 30 seconds.

1 minute break

Do this circuit 5X

Cool down!

50m freestyle, 50m backstroke, 100m breast stroke

Total Time: ~45 minutes

Total Distance Swam: 900 meters, which is a little over 1/2 mile

Today..

Early this morning I took the normal route to the stairs, which is a 1.5 mile run from my house, so total of 3 miles there and back! 

I'm now addicted to the stairs workout and its only day 2! I completed all 120 stairs through 1 complete circuit. It was hard, but doable and I could tell this was a great high intensity workout for me that was completely FREE! Combined with the 3 mile run and the 30-40 minute stair circuit, I would say I am definitely getting in a solid workout.

I'll post what the stair circuit includes later tonight!

Post Workout Mini Shake directly after my workout:

1 Cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk

1 Tsp Powdered Greens

1 Tbsp Vanilla Protein Powder

Combine ingredients into a shaker cup, and shake until fully combined. Enjoy!

Breakfast Time!

For breakfast, I made an egg white frittata (1 large egg, 2 egg whites) with 1 large kale leaf chopped and vein removed, 1/4 cup chopped onion, 1/4 cup chopped zucchini and 1/2 cup cooked ground turkey breast. I topped it with 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, 1/4 of a mashed avocado and 1 tablespoon chopped fresh green onions.

As a side to my frittata, I cut up half of a pear and half of a banana with 2 tablespoons raw crunchy almond butter.

It was such a beautiful morning I enjoyed breakfast on my back patio with 1 cup of Unsweetened Coconut Milk.

All around, I would say this was a successful breakfast! It is high in protein, low in fat with vegetables, fruit, and healthy fats from the avocado and almond butter.

Back to the Tropics!

I actually got up this morning before 8AM work and did a 2 mile walk with my dog. I was impressed with myself. Work today is short luckily so I will be able to do some legs and a light run after work!

I made a tropic breakfast shake this morning!

1 small banana
1 container Trader Joe's nonfat mango Greek yogurt
1 cup pineapple chunks
1 small orange, peel removed
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1/2-3/4 cup water
Ice!

Blend until smooth, you can change up the water and ice amounts depending on how thick you prefer your shakes!

Pineapple Tofu Shake

This morning  I had a completely new experience for both making and drinking a pre/post workout shake. It involved my first time working with tofu! I have had tofu in a vegan pasta dish once but I have never myself worked with it. Not going to lie, I was a bit scared of what to expect!

I used chocolate whey protein powder in this shake but next time I may use my vanilla one instead. If you're vegan or trying to make this recipe vegan, using rice or hemp protein would work too!

This shake has about 300 calories with 33 grams of protein, and 4 grams of fiber!

1 cup chopped pineapple
1/2 medium banana
1/4 cup firm tofu
1 scoop whey protein powder
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup ice
-->Blend until smooth

Why is this shake beneficial?
•Pineapple contains manganese, thiamine which will give you energy and bromelain which aids in muscle repair and recovery.
•Bananas give you sustained energy that will fuel you through your workout.
•Tofu contains high quality proteins as well as antioxidants that repair damage from free radical build up during workout.
•Whey protein gives your muscles energy and builds an repairs these muscles after your workout.
(info and recipe idea from April 2012 Oxygen Magazine)

Whey protein! In double dutch chocolate flavor

I have extra tofu, so I will either make another shake tomorrow or I got an idea from @sprinkledwlove on instagram for a salad with tofu. The salad has spinach, roasted cauliflower, tofu, cucumber, and hummus.

New Shake!

After a good 3 1/2 mile walk to Starbucks with my pup jack to get a black coffee, I decided to experiment a little with this mornings shake...

I have been seeing people adding oats, ground flaxseed and chia seeds to shakes, and I have wanted to try it. Since I had ground flax and dry oats already in my kitchen I used these two to start with. It turned out so good!

I put 1/4 cup dry old fashion oats, 2 Tbsp ground flaxseed, 1 container Trader Joes nonfat honey Greek yogurt, 1 frozen banana sliced, a handful of fresh spinach & fresh blueberries, 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk, 1 cup water, and ice; blended until smooth.

It turned out to be the perfect amount to fit in my large shaker cup and so I brought it to class!