Fitness

Happy 4th of July, everyone!! Sun

I hope everyone has a great day celebrating our country’s independence with your family and friends!!

But for now, it’s Wednesday again, and that means …

… WIAW, hosted by Miss Jenn! Smile

This month, we’re doing something a little different. Not only are we sharing our eats, but we’re also sharing our recent workouts! Love this idea!

Breakfast:

Thomas’ English Muffins were on sale at the grocery store this week. And after hearing Courtney talk about their corn English muffins, I knew I had to try them. I added my normal peanut butter and banana, and I loved every bite! These English muffins are a bit sweeter than the normal, which is always good in my book!

Lunch:

Pretty boring … turkey, spinach, and honey mustard on whole-wheat bread. I added a little ranch to the veggies after taking this picture. I can eat carrots plain, but I just can’t stomach raw broccoli without a little dressing!

Snack:

Green smoothie made with: 1/2 frozen banana, a few frozen strawberries, ice cubes, 1/2 cup milk, few spoonfuls of vanilla yogurt, tablespoon dark chocolate peanut butter, 2 handfuls of spinach, and 1/2 tsp. chia seeds. Yum!

Dinner:

Salad, drizzled with BBQ sauce and ranch dressing (the ranch came after I took the picture … it doesn’t look quite as pretty. Winking smile )

Spicy shrimp and penne pasta!

I actually shared this recipe almost a year ago on Janae’s blog, but it’s been so long, that I thought I’d share it again. See the recipe below!

Dessert:

We tried yet another frozen yogurt shop. So far, I’ve had: Yoforia, Menchies, Yogli Mogli, and Froyolo. This time, we tried Peachwave. I had a combination of red velvet cake and cupcake frozen yogurt, topped with cheesecake pieces, brownie, and a little whipped cream. I really liked it, but Brandon says he prefers Yogli Mogli. He always gets Oreo on top of his frozen yogurt, but he prefers the Oreo crumbles at Yogli Mogli to the Oreo chunks at Peachwave.

I wish I was kidding.

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Now, let’s talk fitness!

You may have noticed that I haven’t written about running lately. Well, that’s because I haven’t been running as much as normal. Since my half-marathon at the end of April, I’ve been taking a bit of a break from running. I’m still running at least once a week, but it’s usually just 3 or 4 miles. Lifetime Fitness offers a Run Club to their members, and I’ve been meeting up with other runners every Tuesday for a 3 mile run. Running with other people helps me stay motivated and keeps me from taking the easier route of walking when I get too hot or uncomfortable. Winking smile

Aside from running, I’ve been taking advantage of the awesome fitness classes Lifetime offers. I used to seriously dislike fitness classes, but recently I’ve been loving them. I don’t know why I’ve had the change of heart … maybe because the instructors are so amazing. Or maybe because I’ve finally realized that someone pushing me to work harder is a good thing! Thumbs up

Here are some of the classes I’ve taken in the last few weeks:

- Cardio Kickboxing/STRIKE: The instructor for this class is pretty much the coolest person ever. I want to be her when I grow up. So I follow her around like a puppy dog to each of the classes she teaches. And she kicks my butt every single time. I love her classes because she teaches real boxing moves, rather than the watered down version you often get in a cardio class!

- Cardio Beats: This class was so cool. The room is set up with large exercise balls that have sand in them, so that they’ll stay in place. Each person is given a set of drum sticks. Throughout the entire class, you’re bending, stretching, and squatting while you beat on the different exercise balls with your drum sticks. It was the most unique class I’ve ever taken, and I was surprised at what a good workout it was!

- Barbell Strength: Um yeah. I think my instructor for this class used to be in the military or something. Because she was a complete drill sergeant … in the best possible way! Every part of my body was literally shaking while I tried to complete this class. It was awesome!

- Studio Cycle: Prior to Lifetime, I had never taken a spin class in my life. I’ve now taken 3 or 4 classes, and I think I might be hooked. The first couple classes, my butt was super sore from the seat. But I think my body has adapted, and now I can just focus on working up a good sweat. And I’ve realized that a good spin class is all about the music. If you like the music the instructor chooses, you’ll love the class!

So the moral of the story? Don’t count out all fitness classes, if you’ve had one or two bad experiences! Keep trying different classes and different instructors until you find one that works for you! Smile

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And finally let’s share that recipe. The original recipe called for linguine, but I just subbed out penne when I made it the other day. Either way is equally delicious!

Spicy Shrimp and Linguine

(Adapted from this recipe)

*This recipe serves 2, but could easily be doubled.

Ingredients

2 servings whole-wheat linguine
Several broccoli florets
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
½ cup diced onion (about ¼ of a medium-sized onion)
1 tbsp minced garlic
½ tsp red pepper flake (Note: This makes it pretty spicy. Adjust to your liking.)
½ can diced tomatoes (I use Del Monte diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano)
2 servings of large shrimp (I use about 16 shrimp)
Salt to taste

Directions

Start out doing the prep work. Chop your onions, and get your ingredients together.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, add your pasta and cook for about 5-6 minutes (it will not be completely cooked). Add the broccoli in the last minute of cooking. Drain pasta and broccoli.
In the meantime, heat your olive oil on medium-high heat in a large skillet. After the oil is hot, add your onion and let it cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Next, add your garlic and continue stirring. After about 30 seconds, add your red pepper flakes and continue to stir for another minute.
Now add your diced tomatoes. Reduce the heat to medium and let the mixture simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. If you want, you can use the back of your spoon to crush some of the tomato pieces and make it more “saucy.”
After those 5 minutes, add your shrimp and continue stirring until the shrimp are pink (around 3 minutes).
Next add the pasta and broccoli to the skillet and continue to cook, stirring occasionally. Add salt to taste.
Cook for 4-5 minutes, depending on your pasta (taste a piece to see if it’s cooked enough).

And that’s it!!

Here’s the picture of the original recipe: