Tuesday workout

Work has been ridiculous. So I had to postpone training day AND do my own workout much later than usual. So this is what I came up with:

Walkout pushup -10

3pt lunge -6/6

Forearm plank - 30seconds

2x

Workout

Tuck jump -15

Swings 45lb kb - 10/10

Goblet squat 35lb kb -12

Pistol squat -10/10

3x

Vups -20

Bicycle crunch -10/10

Side Plank drop & reach through -10/10

Enough to work up a good sweat, but not too strenuous for a tired little body.

Pumpkin Pie, Part Deux (Now Dairy-free!)

After the overwhelming success (and growing Pinterest popularity) of my first experiment at making a healthy and easy pumking pie (recipe HERE), I was still not completely satisfied with the recipe despite how amazing and delicious it came out. But, how? one might ask.  That recipe is so easy, and delicious and generally perfect all around. What could possibly be done to make a pie any more perfect and amazing than that piece of culinary perfection?

I mean, the original pie had so much going for it. It was:
-5 ingredients
-Crustless
-Eggless
-Flourless
-Gluten Free
-Easy
-Delicious

So what's the problem?

Well for starters, one of the things that bothered me about the old recipe is that while it alleges to be an easy five-ingredients-that-you-already-have kind of deal, it is very likely that the average person doesn't just happen to have ground flax seeds hanging around their pantry (such as my year-ago self).  I mean, it's also likely that the average person doesn't have cans of pumkin puree either, but it's much easier to buy a can of something that is used immediately than a whole bag of seeds that only needs a few scoops.  So there was the first problem.

Another thing that bothered me was that the old recipe claimed to be "clean", yet still used processed ingredients, like greek yogurt. I mean, it's just yogurt, but still. Not as clean as it COULD be.  Also, because of the yogurt, it eliminated being eligible for a huge category: Dairy-free.  And we don't want people feeling left out. People don't like feeling left out.

So I mulled, and ruminated, and pondered, and came up with a new and improved super easy, super clean, super normal pumpkie pie, that will definitely keep you (and me) on track to being super fit.  With a few adjustments, and a little bit less laziness, I've created a masterpiece that I am proud to proclaim is truly a clean and easy pumpkin pie.  and now it has even more going for it.

This new pie is:
-(still!) 5 ingredients (and you definitely already have these ingredients, or will be willing to acquire all of them)
-gluten free
-dairy free!
-eggless
-flourless
-crustless
-clean
-simple
-easy
-delicious. so delicious

I will call this:

"Super-Duper Clean and Easy Pumpkin Pie"

To make this magical pie, you will need 5 things:

1 cup raw almonds*
2 very ripe bananas
1 can Pumpkin Puree (not pumpkin pie mix)
1/2 cup Honey
2 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice

*You'll also need a blender. And some patience.

A few days before you are ready to make this pie, soak the almonds in water for 2-3 days in the refrigerator and remove the skin (the skin will pop right off after soaking). Wait patiently. Think pumpkin thoughts.

When you are ready to make the pie, Preheat the oven to 425.

Rinse the almonds and put them in a blender. Add water to cover the almonds by an inch or so (I just filled it to the "2 cup" line). Blend for 3-4 minutes until it is smooth and milky (basically you just made almond milk, congratulations!)  Add the bananas and blend until it is fully liquified.

While your almond banana milk is making itself, mix the Pumpkin, Honey, and Pumpkin Pie Spice together in a large bowl.  Add the almond mixture to the bowl and stir everything together.

Pour the pie into a baking dish (the one in the pictures is an 8x6x2" pyrex) and bake at 425 for 15 minutes, then lower the oven temperature to 350 and continue baking for about 1 hour.  Turn off the oven and let it cool IN the oven for at least 20 minutes before taking it out.  When the pie cools to room temperature, put it in your mouth in the refrigerator overnight to set.

See how easy that was? (In theory, you could just dump all of the ingredients into the blender and make this an "insanely super duper easy" pie, but I am not that adventurous. If I ever win the lottery and get a Ninja blender, this will be the first thing that I try.)

Here, try a bite. A delicious, guilt-free bite

Thursday training day!

It's Thursday, but it's training day?! Yep, J couldn't train on Tuesday (but did send me a killer workout anyways) and I had cardio yesterday, so we trained today. It actually worked out well since work has been crazier and more unbearable than usual and today was the first day this week that I could sneak away at lunch time.

Super-duper excited as always, and J was ready with a whole plan of what to make me do today. We started with the stretchy-tubey handled thing, where you hold onto the handles and pull your arms open from various angles (chest expander is what it's really called, not that I need help in that department ....zing!) I think there were four parts of that warmup, starting with arms held out front, then overhead, then behind the back, then archery style. You know I had to get my katniss everdeen on (fun fact, we did archery briefly in high school gym class and I'm actually really good at it)

After my shoulders were burning, I mean warmed up, we went over to the free weight room (shudder....actually it's not so bad during the day) to the squat rack. Now, if you recall the last time we saw the squat rack, J very cunningly kept adding more weight until I was basically squatting my own body weight. So today we did pretty much the same concept, where he just kept adding weights after each set, and I didn't ask any questions. By the last set I was only doing 3 reps, but maybe that had something to do with the fact that I was squatting ONE FIFTY. 150lbs! More than my body weight and then some! Basically was squatting myself and a small dog. Beasty. J was disappointed that my legs were fine after this. Hah

So we went back up front to play with the bulgarian bag and the blue bell of doom. Spins, swings and box jumps, while I gushed over the popularity of my super awesome pumpkin pie creation and all the attention it's getting on Pinterest (yay!)  Then, uh I think it was clean and press with the black bell and alternating jumpy things on the box. Oh and a couple new moves with the bulgarian bag, one was kind of like a lumberjack snatch, where instead of snatching straight up facing forward, you pivot from side to side (so, start with the bag to the right, ten snatch it at you turn facing left, and vice versa) and the last new move was like spins but you stop the bag overhead, then finish the circle, stopping the bag overhead each time). Oh!! And I just remembered, there was a jumprope in there too, I must have blocked that from memory earlier, hah

Then it was time to stretch, and oh em gee today was painful. For some reason my hamstrings are super sore and tight this week, and stretching is just pure agony. But so necessary. So so necessary

Workout - LEGS day

Apparently it is definitely legs day, and J sent me a workout before I even had a chance to ask! He's the best!!  I kinda had a feeling it would be legs day, since we did so much arms on Tuesday. Not on purpose, it's just that my legs are so lazy and are more than happy to let my arms do all the work, about which I constantly verbally berate them...out loud...in public...with gestures. And Tuesday was no exception. So I knew that their time was up, and this is what J sent me:

Warm up

Hindu pushup 20

Hindu Squats 40

Back Bridge- 45sec hold

2x

Workout

Man Maker 2x17.5 10 reps

Jump squat 2x30 15reps

2 hand swing to Squat 16kg 12 reps

3pt lunge 2x17.5 8/8 reps

Tuck Jump 15 reps

3x

Abs

Swivel 20 reps

V-ups- 20 reps

Bicycle crunch 20 reps

Superman 20 reps

3x

This nearly killed me, but I've definitely had it worse :) felt really good to lift with the big boys again, haha. I gathered all the weights I needed and I think maybe some of the guys there had to choose bigger weights than what they were going to use, mwahahahaaaa

Training day!! During the day!

Well, today was the first day of training on the new schedule. Sneaking out of the office in the middle of the day to go to the gym is a nice change of pace, and now I have a new challenge to work on called 'getting in and out of the locker room showered, hair dried and fully clothed within 20 minutes.' I've done it before, but i did not do it today. Protip-the hairdrying step takes FOREVER. hashtag girlproblems. Ugh.

I'm still a little apprehensive over daytime training, mostly I was worried that maybe I wouldn't have enough energy right before lunch, or that I'd get swamped by work and miss the session, or that I'd be distracted during the session about everything I still have to do at work, or that I'd have to pee in the middle of the session (that part did happen, actually)

But I'd rather train at a weird time of day than not train at all! And as an extra bonus, I saw an old yoga buddy there today so that was a fun surprise. AND, training at weird times means the gym is practically empty, so there is so much space! Whoo!

So we got right into it, the measurements that is. D'oh!  But actually I didn't do so bad this month, not so great, but at least in the right direction. I'm still around 134, but my body fat dropped a teensy tiny bit to 25%, hooray! And J wrote up my calendar, so I don't have to make up my own workouts anymore, huzzah!

THEN we got into it, starting with walking warmup, then J had some funky little stretchy tubes attached to handles that I had to stretch in various directions until my shoulders wanted to pop off, then just some swings with the bruiser bell (that's 35lbs for you technical folks)

Then we had swing/snatches, with the 35lbs where I really need to wok on my stupid grip, Grrr. It's like I tighten up in all the places that you're supposed to do the opposite. So for the last set of those, J have me a lighter bell and it almost flew away it felt so light! haha (yet again, there is a method to his madness, sneaky bastard)

There were box jumps in there as well. I like those, I'm good at those.

Ummm I don't remember exactly everything else we did (one of the downsides of training in the middle of the day--increased lag time before I get a chance to write it down) but I know at one point J brought over the BIG red bell, I think it's around 75lbs? Is that right? I dunno, it's big, and red, and super duper heavy. So I swing that a bunch while focusing on not tipping over and also making my legs do the work (and trying not to put the poor guy next to me to shame while I out awesome him on every level, just how J likes it). And then I think we ended with two 25lb free weights, with clean and front squats. And then streeeetching where I distracted myself by interrogating J about how his new job is going!  And learned that while I make funny faces when I stretch (that I already knew), that apparently I also make funny hands, and it makes J laugh. And all this time I thought he was just laughing at my pain

Lazy Pumpkin Pie - Clean Eating recipe

(tldr: I made a pie. It is easy and delicious. The recipe is below, with pictures.)

I love baking. I love being in shape. My loves hate each other.

I've always been a decent baker, and when I was a kid I had no problem whipping together cakes, brownies, muffins, cookies, cupcakes, whatever...from scratch....for no reason (my brother certainly reaped the benefits). I just like baking, and it's so yummy! But now I can't really justify making cakes and brownies on a whim anymore since it's basically just pounds of butter and sugar, that I inevitably have to eat. Myself. All of it. Immediately. Usually facing the corner in a grownup time-out of shame.

So, I have to forego my baking prowess for the greater good of staying healthy.  Boo. But having to avoid traditional ingredients has resulted in broadened  horizons and I've been having fun experimenting with 'clean' recipes. I've actually produced a few great successes (with a few duds as well) but we like to focus on the positive. 

Now that it's autumn, it seems the pumpkin patches have EXPLODED because you can't turn a corner without seeing something pumpkin flavored. And I have totally fallen for it. I've been CRAVING pumpkin, pumpkin anything. If you can put pumpkin in it, I want that thing. All the things 

So here is the recipe I came up with for clean pumpkin pie that fills my need to bake things, and consume pumpkins, but also complements my need to eat clean (bonus, I'm really lazy and this recipe is great for that too). I suppose if you really break it down, this pie (I assume it's still a pie, I'm not much of a pie connoisseur, so I don't know if there is some criteria that this does or does not meet to make it into the category, but as far as my tummy is concerned, this is a pie). uh, what was I saying. Oh yeah, this pie fits all kinds of cool categories that are important to people:

-it's super easy to make

-there are only five ingredients

-you have all the ingredients (and if you don't, you're just one quick trip to trader joe's away from having everything you'll need)

-it's gluten free

-it's flour-less

-it's eggless

-it's crust less

-it's low fat

-it's yummy

-it's super easy to make (did I say that already? Because it seriously is. I could make another one before I finish writing up this post. Seriously. The hardest part is waiting for the pie to cool. SO difficult)

Anyways, blah blah blah, here is the recipe I came up with:

Lazy (gluten-free, crustless, eggless, clean, five ingredient) Pumpkin Pie

(update! If you need a dairy-free version, Check this out!)

You'll need 5 ingredients:

3 tbsp flax seed meal soaked in 9 tbsp hot water*

1 can (15 oz) pumpkin purée

1/2 cup honey

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

2 containers (150g each) non-fat Honey Greek yogurt

* the flax seeds are a substitute for 3 egg whites which I didn't have nor have tried.

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425 

Before you do anything, soak the flax seeds in hot water and let sit.  Meanwhile combine the remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Add the flax seeds last when they have cooled a bit to the consistency of egg whites, and mix everything until it's smooth.

Line a baking dish with parchment paper, pour in pumpkin mixture.

Bake at 425 for 15 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350, and bake for another 60 minutes.

Turn off oven, but LEAVE THE PIE INSIDE and allow to cool (inside the oven). When cooled completely, store in the refrigerator.

Look at that beauty. It's like happiness you can scoop with a spoon.

Look ma, no trainer!

This week I had to go it alone because J is so busy with his fancy new Fitness Manager title, so I had to see if I can do this by myself (and got a good preview of what life will be like when I tragically run out of training sessions)

I've basically just been picking bits from all the old workouts I've collected over the year, with cardio thrown in between. Today I was already feeling sore from my previous workout, especially in my hamstrings and shoulders, so what better way to recover than workout harder? (Actually, I've noticed that it does help when you're a little sore to workout again. I mean I'm not a doctor, but I know things)

They say that working out with friends is easier than going alone, and without J around to help me this week, I had to call on my old buddies to keep me company. Have I introduced you yet?? Here they are:

My three amigos. On the left is "my buddy" aka orange (aka 25lbs), in the middle is "the bruiser" aka 16kg (aka 35 lbs) and on the right is the infamous "blue bell of doom" aka the 45lb bell, aka the one that broke me. (we've made up since then)

And yes I hoarded them all for myself. Not that anyone needed them, no one else used them the rest of the night! Guess the guys were too intimidated to try after seeing what I can do with them (oh goodness, J has created a little monster)

Today's workout was a doozy. And I chose it. And I'm crazy. I don't think I'll be able to move this weekend. 

Warmup

Walkout pushups 10

Three point lunge 6/6

Forearm Plank 30 seconds

2x

Workout

25lb kb snatch 8/8 (then 10/10, last set 8/8 with 35lb)

35lb kb:

Clean & press 8/8

Clean to squats 8/8

45lb blue bell:

one hand swings 10/10

Straight into 2 hand clean and squat 10

3x

turkish getup 25lb bell 5/5

Abs

Vups 15

Bicycles 20

Side vups 15/15

And i'm dead.  I showed this to J as he was leaving and he says "you don't need me anymore!" ....well yeah, but, but.

::whimper::

For an extra treat, I got a bonus round of yoga since my friend was subbing the class tonight! I'm definitely rusty (and was already pretty beat up by the kettlebells), but it was so good to take a break from strength training to focus on stretching and balance.

I think the sauna will be quite necessary tomorrow. 

Smorgasblurgh

For someone desperately trying to get (and even harder, STAY) in shape, living in New York is the worst. Your options for food are either an amazingly disgusting but indispensably cheap greasy Chinese takeout, or spend your annual salary on one trip to Whole Foods. Thank goodness Trader Joe's is there to bridge that precarious gap.

Yet one of the most amazing things about living in the city, and simultaneously the worst for fatties, is the limitless plethora of available cuisines from any area of the world you can think of, if you know where to go.

And every summer, the best of new york's diverse culinary offerings conveniently congregate in brooklyn for the eagerly anticipated and aptly named ultimate foodie paradise: Smorgasburg.

The ultimate cheat day. As challenging as it is to stay on track and eat clean in this city, you still need to cave in and allow yourself the occasional no holds barred day of expressing you inner fat-girl. If you're going to overindulge, you need to do it in convenient, hand-held, bite-sized, style.

Nonstop eating of every kind of food you can possibly imagine in one afternoon is generally frowned upon, until you condense it to the confines of an abandoned lot overlooking the manhattan skyline. Concepts like 'calorie-counting' and 'portion-control' have no place here. Self-control is a long forgotten figment of your imagination. And who am I to rock that boat?

I tried to stick to a diverse-yet-coordinating selection, and that very quickly turned into a feast of 'meat on/in a roll' and it was GLORIOUS

You're looking at spring rolls from Lumpia Shack, lobster roll from RedHook Lobster, and a kimchi-dog from Asia Dog. KIMCHI.DOG.

Wait, wait wait, i dont think you saw that lobster roll close enough

LOOK AT IT! Yes it was as amazing as it looks. Be jealous.

The whole day is such a haze, I don't remember what else I manage to shovel into my gluttonous gullet before ending with a vegan pumpkin ice cream sandwich from Alchemy Creamery

It's vegan, so that makes it health food, right?

All in all it was an epic cheat day, and worth every decadent bite. We walked it off by meandering over to Dumbo for coffees. So that probably burned it all off, right? Yeah, that's how it works, sure

Training day!

October 1, 2013:

Training day, training day! Tuesday means it's training day!!!

And J has some awesome news, he got promoted!!! Which means he has to cut way back on training and drop a lot of clients, BUT he's keeping me since I'm only once a week, yay! (And we all know its really because I'm super cool)

So we start with walking warmup, a little hazardous today because the gym was weirdly packed. And people are morons who don't move out of the way despite having a good eight feet open in front of them. Regardless, I navigated my way back and forth across the floor, narrowly avoiding being smacked in the head each way. and then J throws in a curveball, in the form of a hundred swings with the 35lb bell, one arm, 25 swings each set. And my legs are DEFINITELY warmed up after that. And I still have Sumo Godzilla band stomps to do.

Sufficiently warm, we move on to the workout, with my old buddy the bulgarian bag. Spins, snatch, and snatch with the 25lb bell (the last set changed to 35lbs). J coached me through my form and by the end I actually think I got it! Many high fives were had by all :)

Then, with the bag racked, reverse lunge with twists, then single leg row, initially with the 25lbs, and then J sneakily switched it to 35 lbs, which I almost didn't notice until right before I picked it up, like 'hm, this seems bigger for some reason'

We ended with clean & press, still with the 35lbs, and man oh man my left side really sucks, and I was super tired by that point. But I really got it on my right side, and J always knows how to get me to do stuff that gets other people's attention. Ended with overhead squats, and then an agonizing stretch. Agonizing in a good way. Good pain. I need yoga back in my life. Oy.