Pilates For Runners, The Shoulder Bridge

This is part two of the Pilates for runners. I hate getting sidelined by a stinking injury so I try to do exercises to keep my quardriceps, hamstrings, glutes/piriformis and calves strong. Strength in these areas will help decrease my chance of knee injuries and instability.

This exercise is called The Shoulder Bridge which strengthens the areas mentioned above. I was reading a great article at www.ideafit.com about this exercise. I do it often so I thought it would be a good one to share. First, I come into supine position walking my feet close to my butt and I try to align my heels with my knees and my arms and shoulders are by my side.  As I inhale I lift my back off the floor one vertebrae at a time until my hips are as high as possible. I exhale. I then support my hips with my hands, engaging my glutes as I inhale the bridge a little higher. If I need to modify, I just stay in the first bridge position with the arms and shoulders by my side inhaling and exhaling as I lower and lift 6-8 times. If I want to progress further, I add the single leg lifts. I inhale one leg up and exhale back down to be parallel with the other thigh. I do each side about 6-8 times before slowly lowering the bridge down to the floor. I transition slow and controlled and I always focus on maintaining length in my spine throughout the movement. I engage my inner thighs to make sure my knees do not open.  I finish by bringing my knees to chest to relax.

Beginning/Modification:

Shoulder Bridge with single leg lifts/advanced:

I will continue this series of Pilates for runners later this week, so be sure if you are interested to check in again. I know there are a lot of fun races going on this time of year, so these might be exercises you may want to try. Always check with your own physician if you are starting any new exercise program. I do recommend if you have never done Pilates that you find a qualified teacher to get you started.

Hey runners, what do you think of color runs? I am thinking of doing one.

Pilates For Runners, The Hip Circle

Hello all of you runners in the world. As a runner, I know that a strong core is essential for good running form. With all of the races going on this time of year, I thought I would share a couple of moves this week that may inspire you to give Pilates a try. Pilates, when done correctly, and progressed with proper form is great for strengthening and gaining power in the core. This is one of my favorite moves which strengthens the core. The hip circle. I start in supine position and lean back to my elbows, keeping my back straight, shoulders rolled down and back, I keep my chest lifted. I scoop through my belly as my legs are extended in “pilates stance”. I circle both legs clockwise 3 times and then counterclockwise 3 times and repeat. I am inhaling through my nose and exhaling through my mouth throughout the exercise. I usually do this 8-10 times. Below is a photo of the hip circles.

Check back this week for more Pilates for runners. Hey runners, have you tried Pilates? If so, how did you like it?

Sweet Protein Redheads

Wow! These little nuggets turned out better than I thought they would. I call them,  protein pumpkin redheads. I know there are brownies, blondies, and now there are redheads. The original recipe came from IG account @dallassrae. I changed a few ingredients and came up with my own version. We do not do peanut butter as the recipe called for, so I substituted almond butter. I used pumpkin puree instead of the pumpkin powder you mix with water. I also doubled my recipe because I am an extra hungry girl 🙂 This is the recipe I did and boy were these a hit with the husband.

In one bowl mix:

2 cups whole oats

2 scoops vanilla whey protein

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

In a separate bowl mix:

1/2 cup almond butter

1/2 cup agave nectar

1 15 oz can pumpkin puree

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

Now combine dry ingredients into wet ingredients. Mix well and spread into lightly greased baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes. Tip: I like lots of oats so feel free to add more if you do too.

Redheads like it wild so don’t be afraid to throw a few dark chocolate morsels in.  I did on one side. I love the combo of flavors!

Hey, go check out @Dallasrae on IG. She is a figure competitor and has great recipe ideas for eating clean. What do you do with pumpkin puree this time of year?

First Time Meal Prepper!

Yesterday was a full day in the kitchen. I felt like I was cooking Thanksgiving dinner for the Duggar family. Keep in mind it is only 3 of us in this house. Two humans and the dog will be enjoying every bit of this organized chaos I have created. Well, it is not chaos anymore, but if you could have seen me yesterday, I was a hot mess.

I decided to try my hand at meal preparation for the week to make the week a little less “in a hurry to get something or get somewhere fast”. Lately I seem to be in a hurry the majority of the time. I feel so unorganized to the point that it is giving me anxiety and making me nuts. So food prep began. Oh wait, first the day started at Wal-Mart, one of my favorite places (inserts sarcasm), then home to put away the perishables. Now on to Costco. I actually had to stop buying stuff because the buggy was hard to push, which by the way, one of my goals right now is to work on more strength training. Next, back to the house to begin prepping.

As usual I got side tracked by looking for something to eat, since the shopping took so long, it was past lunch when I got home. After I gobbled some food down, all of the madness began. I prepared my easy Chicken taco chili, salmon, roasted asparagus and brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, boiled eggs for snacks, baked chicken, steel-cut oatmeal, and a new recipe I will share this week which I will call my protein pumpkin redheads 🙂 I also washed and cut lettuce for chicken taco salads, bagged washed spinach in individual servings for my protein smoothies every morning. Whew, I am stuffed just writing this. Here is the product.

Everything is not pictured. I was exhausted so I give applause to all you out there who have this prep thing down to a science. I am going to practice and I think if I stick with it, I will become more efficient.

I can’t wait to share with you what I have coming up this week at work. My LeanBody 30 Day Challenge I held at work last month was such a huge success, now we will begin LeanBody Challenge Part 2 tomorrow. Details are coming.

How do you feel about Meal Prepping? Thumbs up or down?

Easy Pasta Salad and Easy Herb Chicken and Vegetables

Dinner last night was prepared in 5 minutes. I mixed 1/3 cup of water with a packet of Grill Mates Zesty Herb seasonings (you could use italian seasonings) with 2 tbsp olive oil and 2 tbsp of apple cider vinegar. I place chicken breasts in a pan and snuggled some asparagus and carrots around the edges. I then drizzled the herb mixture on top of the whole dish. Ready to go into a 375 degree oven for about 30 minutes or until chicken is done. Quick and healthy 🙂

This pasta salad has to be one of the best tasting salads I have ever had. The best part, it is simple. These are the ingredients I used.

Of course boil your pasta. I was looking to find brown rice penne but the store I went to does not have it, so I used whole wheat penne. Place arugula, chopped onion, feta, a jar of marinated artichokes drained, and a jar of sun-dried tomatoes in oil drained in a large bowl. I did not measure ingredients I just eyeballed how much I wanted. I made a large bowl of salad because I want leftovers. It is best when all the ingredients marry each other if you know what I mean 🙂 Add cooked pasta and drizzle with a little olive oil, sea salt and pepper to taste and it is done. So flavorful!!!

What is on your plate today?

Planks and Gluten Free Pizza Crust

One of my favorite exercises ever is any form of a plank. Planks work the entire body when done correctly. This exercise is plank diagonal knee which engages the core, strengthens the arms and shoulders, and keeps the heart rate up. I start in high plank position and then bring one knee toward the opposite arm and then alternate. I focus on a steady pace, good control and alignment. I usually do 2-3 sets of 20 within my workouts.

It was just one of those nights when I wanted pizza. I worked so hard on my planks this week, so I thought I would splurge.  I came so close to ordering Mellow Mushroom but I decided to create my own. Earlier in the week I bought the gluten-free crusts. I have never tried it with pizza so this was a first. I found turkey pepperoni, sweet baby bell peppers, onion, mozzarella and fresh basil for the toppings. This was so easy to put together, I just sliced and diced it all and baked for about 15-20 minutes. I enjoyed the crust. It was thin and crispy just like I love.

Would you plank for pizza? Show me your most creative plank and tag me on twitter or Instagram at @nthefitzone.