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Friday, January 29, 2016

Beginner cardio week 2!

Congrats on finishing week one!! I'd love to hear from you so email me at kclaireticeatgmaildotcom and let me know how it's going for you!!



Reminders:

Warm up with about 3-5 min of marching in place, walking up and down a couple of stairs, modified jumping jacks, etc. 

Try taking a sip of water or giving yourself a compliment during each rest period. 

Play good music to keep you going!

Try to think of your posture throughout your exercise. Not only is it Important for your muskuloskeletal system but it's essential for proper breathing. Your lungs can't fully expand if you are slumping forward. 

Do a few min of stretching after you finish your cardio. 




Prenatal Upper Body Workout



There are videos listed below, someday I am going to get my own videos done but these will work for now if you aren't familiar with the exercises.

Lat Pulldown
Lateral Raises

Tricep Kickbacks
Bicep Curls

Resistance Band Row
Push Ups

Side Plank
Plank
Bridge
Cat/Cow

MAKE SURE YOU CHECK WITH YOUR DOCTOR BEFORE DOING ANY OF THESE EXERCISES.  

Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Pool running and baby prep




It still super snowy so I've been going pool running in the deep end of the pool. It feels so nice to let the bump float! :) With only about a month left I'm glad to still be keeping up with workouts!! Pool running is a great workout and great to incorporate for cross training with your running. I usually don't use a foam jogging belt but now that I am further along in my pregnancy I have been. You can also use a pool noodle to add a bit of buoyancy.

Over 8 months!!!! Woohoo! 


I had a quick dinner of a Steam fresh protein blend that was pretty good- ingredients included edamame, carrots, whole grains and red peppers. Not my favorite thing but it was fast so it worked in a pinch. 

With this while nesting thing and all the snow I did a lot of cleaning and organizing this weekend. I also poked our hospital bag and diaper bag. Georgia approved all of the diaper bag contents. We actually have two diaper bags, a back pack style and a shoulder style. I'll try both out and see how they do! 


I relied heavily on Pinterst pins for the diaper bag and hospital bag contents. There were so many different opinions on what to include I tried to average them out to get everything I think we will need at first. I've stockpiled household products and have just a few details left in her nursery. 

Diaper bag blog posts I used to help create my list:


Hospital Bag Checklist:


Home supplies stockpile list I used: 


We are almost all set and as "ready" as we could be for little girl's arrival. I can't believe we will be meeting our daughter soon!! This little blessing who is constantly on the move kicking me and rolling around has been my constant companion for the past 8 months and I'm so excited to see her sweet face and kiss her little cheeks. 

Snow runs and snacks

With the forecast of so much snow I made sure to get a run in Friday morning before it all started. It was chilly but worth it knowing it could be the only run for a while. 


Later when the snow came we went out to walk Georgia and husband shoveled the driveway (the first of four times!!!). Georgia loves the snow! 



We spent a lot of time snuggled up by the fire. Thankfully we didn't lose power but we are glad we have the gas fireplace we could use if needed. 


Even though we were stuck inside for a lot of the weekend I had stocked up on healthy foods beforehand. Some of my favorite snacks are Greek yogurt with an apple and Banana with peanut butter. I highly recommend pairing a carbohydrate with a protein for your snacks. 


I hope you were able to stay safe and warm in the snow!! 


Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Upper body workout

Sharing my workout from today with all of you!  After school today I was able to grab a workout before a meeting and presentation this evening. There were quite a few looks at my baby bump while working out but this mama needs to stay strong and healthy for labor and taking care of baby when she arrives next month! 


I did 30 min of cardio on the elliptical first and stretched and foam rolled afterwards. I had a really bad calf cramp the other night and my calf is still super tight from it. 

My presentation this evenig was to the new group of wellness parcitpants that I'm leading this Spring. I found this quote and think it's a great one! 


Monday, January 18, 2016

Cycle fun!

Last weekend I taught another cycle conditioning class for a coworker and thought I'd share the workout. This would be a great way to cross train from your running, especially in the off season. There is more focus here on stability and lateral exercises since both cycle and running lack those directional movements. 




This morning we braved the 20 degree temps to make it out of the house in time for a 6:30am Cycle class I was subbing. 


I'm over 34 weeks pregnant now and so amazed with how great I am feeling. I know not everyone is able to exercise this far into their pregnancies and I'm so thankful that I can continue staying active. (Don't worry, I listen very carefully to my body and how I'm feeling and modify things if I need to!!)


Baby girl is getting bigger and bigger!!! I'm so excited to meet her next month!


Happy Martin Luther King Jr Day! I hope whatever you do today keeps you moving forward! 

Thursday, January 14, 2016

Beginner friendly cardio plan

I've been asked recently about a cardio plan for very beginner exercisers. Sometimes folks aren't quite ready to go right out and workout for 30+ minutes. Having a plan to build up is so Important to stay motivated and minimize injury.  
I'm going to post each week with a new workout guide to help for your first four weeks. 

This plan works with all types of cardio activity--it works for walking outside, cycling on an exercise bike, walking on the treadmill or doing the elliptical. 



Notes:
Warm up with about 3-5 min of marching in place, walking up and down a couple of stairs, modified jumping jacks, etc. 

Try taking a sip of water or giving yourself a compliment during each rest period. 

Play good music to keep you going!

Try to think of your posture throughout your exercise. Not only is it Important for your muskuloskeletal system but it's essential for proper breathing. Your lungs can't fully expand if you are slumping forward. 

Do a few min of stretching after you finish your cardio. 




Saturday, January 9, 2016

Circuit Training Workouts

Wow.  My class participants really brought it this morning.  I subbed today for a coworker and had a great time seeing a bunch of new faces and some of "my" regulars from my normal classes. I love watching people who are new to these exercises and styles try something different and really enjoy it.
The first class was a cardio circuit and some of the exercises we did are below. I added in a few other things too, but these are most of them. To begin, we warmed up with jogging around the basketball court twice and doing some agility drills (high knees, butt kickers, side shuffles, carioca, skips, etc).  In between each completed circuit the class ran 2 laps around the basketball court.
 We went through the circuit twice, but you could do it 1-3x depending on your condition and how much time you have!


 The second class was another circuit style but focused more on lower body and abs.  Again, I had a few additional exercises in my class today, but here's the general list below. We had time to go through twice, but again 1-3x should be good! At the beginning, we did a warm up jogging around the basketball court twice and doing some agility drills (high knees, butt kickers, side shuffles, carioca, skips, etc). In between each completed circuit the class ran 2 laps around the basketball court.


We cooled down each class with some stretching to slowly bring the heart rate back down. 
Most of my Athletic Conditioning Classes are circuit based and incorporate strength and cardio in the same class, so it was nice to get to divide it out today into two separate classes.  Quite a few of the members doubled up for 1.5 hours worth of workouts! At the end of each class I reminded them the importance of refueling and rehydrating after you exercise.  Make sure to hydrate while your exercise too! Remember-its chilly out so you might not feel as thirsty as if it was summer but you still need your water! :)


Wednesday, January 6, 2016

Top Posts of 2015!



Im so thankful for all of my blog readers.  I am especially thankful that for the top posts of 2015, some of my favorite messages have been the most read! For example, my welcome post from last January.  So many people dread the New Years Resolution stampede but I have encouraged my clients and friends to change the atmosphere and become more welcoming, after all, a healthier world is a better world!

Welcome New Gym Goers!




Run Like Me!

Playground Workout



Exercise is Medicine

Easy at home workout

Half Marathon For Two!