Cupcake Workout!

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When you speak the truth, have one foot in the stirrup.
-John Wayne

Well, not exactly!There are so many misconceptions about how exercise, food and fitness change the way you look.  Going to the gym, taking a group fitness class, going on a run, or a walk is awesome, but, it's more about the type of activity and the intensity of that activity that will change your fitness level and help reach your goals. Those that weigh more, need more fuel, so they use more calories.  In my experience many people think they burn way more than they actually do and this common misconception can keep their fitness goals at bay.  Truth be told, you might not be burning as many calories as you assume and this can put a halt to weight loss. Did you know that a 135 pound woman burns about:

55 calories per hour sleeping

60 calories per hour sitting

75 calories per hour waiting in line

90 calories per hour typing or doing light office work

120 calories per hour driving

125 calories per hour cooking

140 calories per hour shopping

(note: just 8 hours of sleeping and 8 hours of sitting adds up to 920 calories burned)

Of course, the calories burned per hour exercising are much greater:

150 per hour doing hatha yoga

300 per hour walking at 4 mph

450 per hour on the elliptical

500 per hour intense circuit training

600 per hour swimming laps

If you want to look like an a fit athlete, you need to train like an athlete.  How does one train like an athlete you may be wondering.  For one, athletes and people with lean, athletic, healthy builds, don’t simply go on the same run everyday and expect to keep losing weight.  Cross-training is the key to success, along with high-intensity interval training. (HIIT) 

Look at the whole picture:

• calorie needs. You can use an online calculator which takes into account your activity level.
• Know how much you are eating. Do you know how many calories you are actually eating?  Most of us underestimate how much we are eating and few hundred calories here and there can add up.  Keep a food record.  I love www.livestrong.org

Know how much you are burning. Don’t rely on those gym machines either – many of the overestimate how many you are burning.  How many calories you burn during exercise depends on many factors such as weight, gender, muscle mass and intensity.

SO, Get MOVING! EAT CLEAN AND STAY ON TRACK!

Tonight's Workout!

Warm Up

Bottom to Bottom Tabata Squats 8 rounds

then...tabata abmat situps vs biceps 

Sprints, outside 15X

Then...

Painstorm... Complete as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes (AMRAP):
5 x Deadlifts (75 lb/ 45 lb)
5 x Power Cleans
5 x Front Squat
5 x Push Presses
5 x Overhead Squats

Bar Burps
Ten rounds for time of:
10 Barbell Burpee Clean & Press
20 reverse crunches
Pushups....50 men, 25 women

Spinach Basil Pesto 

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups baby spinach leaves
• 3/4 cup fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and quartered
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

Blend the spinach, basil, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, garlic, salt, pepper, lemon juice, lemon zest, and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a food processor until nearly smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl with a spatula as necessary. Drizzle the remaining olive oil into the mixture while processing until smooth. 

I made some today, spread it on my chicken before I baked it...yummy! I also froze some in small portion ziplock bags for later. BTW, I left off the Parmesan cheese this time.