Return of Body Pump

TGIF! I’m writing from Pittsburgh..my real home :). People always ask me “where do you actually live?” because I did my undergrad in Raleigh at NCSU, then went straight to grad school in Rochester Hills at Oakland, all while traveling to and from Pittsburgh. Can you see the disconnect?

After teaching Abs, Glutes, and Thighs (which was an amazing class BTW! Participants are always full of energy and up for ANYTHING, even when the classes continue to get more challenging), I hit the rush-hour traffic road and arrived in Pitt a little after 9:30. Salmon, grilled veggies, and a humongous piece of cake my family were awaiting me on the table (not my family); it makes the looooong drive so much more worth it when a home-cooked meal greets you! Right to sleep afterwards; sleeping in a queen-sized bed beats an extra-long twin sized bed’s bootay.

There’s really no point to this trip since I leave tomorrow (Saturday) morning at 5am to head straight to lululemon, but a girl needs some winter clothes! Why I didn’t bring any jackets, pants, UGGs, or winter scarves with me is over my head but it gave me an excuse to see my family :-D.

A relaxing morning

 (hi Kathy!)

and a long-but-not-forgotten body pump class

was what I had planned since my family has this silly thing called work. You guys remember how I was taking a break from heavier-lifting? I haven’t participated in a full hour-long lifting session until today and it felt great to get back to it! Sure some of my strength has dwindled but my endurance has improved and I was able to finish the entire workout- not missing one rep :).

What I used to lift in a Body Pump class:

• squats= 40-50lbs
• chest press= 15lbs
• back track= 20lbs
• triceps & biceps= 10-12lbs
• lunges= 15-20lbs
• shoulder track= 10-12lbs

What I lifted today:

• squats= 17.5lbs
• chest press= 10lbs
• back track= 12lbs
• triceps & biceps= 7.5lbs
• lunges= 7.5lbs (added plyometrics to this track)
• shoulder track= 7.5lbs and 8lb handweights

I felt I could have lifted heavier than I did but the above weight was perfect for my goals. I’m still not looking to get “bigger”, but rather continue toning, sculpting, lifting, and improving muscular endurance.

The rest of the day I plan on spending time with my family, drinking wine, eating a steak-ish dinner, and enjoying a real piece of cake!

What else made this trip worth it?

NC State Class of 2012

It’s official! I am an NC STATE ALUMNI! Saying that gives me the goosebumps; I still can’t believe it happened-SO SURREAL! I don’t think graduation could have gone any better; my family was here, the weather was perfect, everyone was in a great mood, and I didn’ttripwhenI walked across the stage with my “diploma” in hand! The weekend only got better with a delicious post-grad meal at The Pit; authentic, hardy and sloppy BBQ with lots of drinks! The only way to top Saturday was to spend Sunday with my lovely family, especially on Mother’s day. 

 Guess who?

Philip Rivers! Quarterback for the San Diego Chargers and an NC State alumna! He gave our commencement speech (which I thought was beautifully written) that sent an empathizing message to all of the graduates. Not only is he a talented athlete, but he also plays an active role in giving back to the community. We hear about athletes these days and the mostly bad situations they get into but rarely hear how some athletes give back to their respective charities, beneficiaries, and communities. Kudos to NC State for picking an awesome speaker!!

On Sunday, my family and I enjoyed a drink at Starbucks followed by a walk around Lake Johnson.

Unfortunately we couldn’t spend all of Mother’s day together as they had quite a drive back to Pittsburgh, but at least we got to be together the entire weekend! I’m so grateful for them :).

First day of the SAS internship tomorrow!

It’s Here!

NC State Class of 2012

The day has finally come! My parents are on their way down now along with my brother, Chase, and my gramma. I could not be happier!! I love it when my family comes to Raleigh; I can show them everything I talk about; they can finally put a name to a face or place.

This morning I scrubbed my apartment clean from top to bottom; there’s really nothing like a clean apartment, especially when family is coming to visit. Post cleaning, breakfast in a bowl of muesli with a sliced banana and Trader Joe’s cookie butter. Has anyone tried their cookie butter? Warning: Your taste buds will explode. It has the consistency of natural-hardy peanut butter without the runs and a hint of toasted graham cracker..unbelievably good! It was my first experience putting nut butter atop muesli; usually I incorporate a healthy fat in the form of toasted almonds, flax or pumpkin seeds, but the nut butter added creaminess and I stayed satiated much longer than before. Must do more often!

 A coffee date followed at Bruegger’s with a small hazelnut coffee and skim milk; who knew Bruegger’s doesn’t make lattes or have syrup? Being a latte-addict, I was quite bummed. But I improvised and, although it was no latte, it worked.

I headed straight to the gym to get a sweat-sesh in before today’s festivities; 30 minute HIIT on the elliptical followed by a halved-version of Ripped and Chiseled. I didn’t realize how winded the intervals made me until halfway through the weights but I wanted to get a strength workout in one way or another; instead of completing rep for rep, I halved all of the exercises; the workout flew by!

Once my family gets here, we’re heading to SAS to tour the facility! Resting up tonight for the BIG DAY tomorrow!!

Raw, Toasted Almonds

I hope your weekend starts off on a relaxing yet healthy note!

First off- GO PACK! NC State beat Virginia yesterday 67-64! They’ll be playing UNC today at 1pm- show your support for the Wolfpack!!

Today (Wednesday) started out with a spur-of-the-moment run around North Park. When I’m home, exercising is at the end of my to-do list. I don’t know what it is but I’d rather spend time with my family than carve out an hour to myself. Instead of pushing myself to workout when I know I won’t put 100% into it, I listen to my body and go with the flow. The flow this morning was urging me to go! The high in Pittsburgh today is going to be mid-60’s; perfect weather for a run and to see the unveiling of the Mario Lemieux Statue!

If I was going to run, I wanted to complete it earlier rather than later so it wasn’t on my mind; my dad and I have plans to bar hop this afternoon! He’s on vacation and I’m on Spring Break so it’s only fitting we both live it up!

Breakfast was a hearty bowl of overnight oats made with Trader Joe’s honey Greek yogurt, 1/2 cup of Old Fashioned oats and raw, toasted almond slivers. Have you ever had these from Trader Joe’s? They pack so much flavor! When I first saw the word “raw” on the label, I was skeptical that these almonds would be on the bland side and I’d have to toast them in the oven. Wrong. They are pre-toasted with no seasoning so the almond flavor really bursts. Fantastic for oats, salad, or mixed into yogurt!

Last night after my mother came home from work, she wanted a quick circuit to complete before dinner. Because she’s family, I didn’t charge her but she’s lucky! My mother did the following workout for 30 minutes; 45 seconds each exercise, 3-4X through.
1. Side squats w/ tubing
2. Push-ups w/ rows
3. Reverse lunges and biceps curls
4. Glute bridges and triceps skullcrushers.
5. Planks

You- Katie..there’s no shoulder work?
Me- Ahh, yes. Long story short and in lamens terms; my mom has no cartilage between her vertebrae. In fact, she has no balance mechanisms throughout her spine, neck, or head. There have been times when we would be yoga-ing and she completely fell over. Funny but very serious! My mother has been to every doctor in Pittsburgh and no one seems to have a cure for this. Prior to, her exercise regime was similar to mine; we’d do DVDs together (weights and cardio), walk, practice yoga and Pilates; now, she’s limited with weights workout (nothing overhead, lateral, or bent over arm movements), no high impact plyometric exercises, and anything that will cause her to strain her neck is out of the question. She enjoys swimming because it’s low impact enough that she doesn’t feel like a semi hit her the next morning yet it increases her heart and provides toning benefits. Yoga and Pilates are comfortable for her too, she just has to watch her alignment and ease into the postures.
Like everyone, my mother has good days and not-so-good days but there’s never a day that goes by where she’s sedentary because of her minor-limitations. My role model.

Have a great Saturday! I’ll be writing up another Ripped review in case you needed a new DVD to add to your collection :).

Things to stumble upon:

• Workout DVD Reviews
• Lunch recipes

The Start of FitBits

If you’ve visited and pleaseliked my facebook page, you’re already in the know about my new approach to my blog. I’ve been asked by the NCSU recreation marketing department to include my blog in their newsletter! This is extremely exciting for me as I hope my blog will grow throughout the community :).

My new approach to blogging will consist of everything I blog about now (exercises/workouts, tips/trends, recipes, etc.) but in a condensed format and much more often! So instead of posting 1 long post sporadically, I’ll post more short and to-the-point “fitbits” (as they will be called) throughout the week. I’m excited about the opportunity!

My *first* fitbit:

Make Sunday your “get things done” day. Sunday’s are supposed to be relaxing, football-filled, and spent with family. Try to have a routine-here’s an example of my Sunday’s:

• wake-up
• gym/run or walk/rest day
• starbucks for my latte & homework
• grocery store
• prep my meals for the week
• lunch & football ALL afternoon/night & homework
• dinner & more football & desperate housewives (new and final season!)
• go to bed early!

It’s a great way to start your week off with a clean and stress-free slate. Plus, if you’re a planner-preparing your weeknight meals ahead of time saves you your sanity when life gets in the way throughout the week. Sunday is the perfect way to ensure you have healthy and clean meals to fall back on.

How do you enjoy your Sunday’s?