Explore the Meaning of Life While you Get Fit!

I'm so happy to announce that we're opening up registration for our third Fitness Alpha session in Edmonton this January. When I heard of the idea last year from my new found friend, Clarenda, in New Brunswick I got so excited. It combines my greatest passions...helping women get healthy and fit both inside and out. Due to the positive response we've had, we're moving the class to Beulah Alliance Church where we have a much larger space and can open up the program to even more women. Click here for more information about the Alpha Course. Below are all the details. Please help me get the word out! I'm so excited about what 2012 will bring.

Merry Christmas!

xoxo Carrie

“WHO, WHY,
WHAT,
HOW?!”

Fitness Alpha
Explore the Meaning of Life while you get Fit!

What is Fitness Alpha?
Fitness Alpha combines fitness with an exploration of Life’s Biggest Questions. What is the point of life? Why do people suffer? What happens when we die? Is forgiveness possible? Alpha is an opportunity to explore the Christian faith. It’s relaxed, low-key, friendly and fun.

We will start the morning with a 30 to 45-minute high-energy fitness class (ZUMBA Fitness with some cross-training thrown in for fun :) ) followed by a 30-minute DVD talk. ZUMBA Fitness is A latin-inspired, easy-to-follow, calorie-burning, dance fitness class. A great way to dance yourself into shape. The steps are easy and it’s all about having fun!!! The video will cover topics such as “Who is Jesus?” and “Why and how do I pray?” After each talk, we’ll share a healthy post-recovery snack and then divide into small groups for a time of discussion.

Who is Fitness Alpha for?
Fitness Alpha (with ZUMBA Fitness) is for women who want to investigate Christianity and get in shape at the same time.

What Does it Cost?
There is no charge, although you are welcome to make a donation towards food if you so choose.

What do I Need to Bring?
All you need is indoor shoes & a water bottle

Where & When?
January 14th is a Taste of Fitness Alpha - where you can come check it out and decide if you want to join. The program will run Saturdays for 8-weeks from January 21 - March 10 (9AM-11AM) at Beulah Alliance Church (17504-98A Avenue)

How do I Register?
Contact:Stacy Alexander @ 780.486.4010 ext. 337 salexander@beulah.ca
OR Carrie Pohl @ 780.984.7645 or carrie@rocksolidfitness.ca

Mixing it up with Bender Balls!!!

We introduced Bender Balls at boot camp this week for the first time. These 9-inch inflatable rubber exercise balls are known as an excellent tool for toning and sculpting your core muscles. Studies are showing that placing these little balls behind your lower back when performing a crunch is at least 4x more effective than a regular crunch. This is mainly because you are able to increase the degree of flexion and extension while you crunch, allowing you to target your abs more efficiently and from all angles. These balls also put you in a good, neutral position helping you guard against potential back problems.

We also challenged ourselves by including these balls in our wall sits (activating our inner thighs by squeezing the ball between our legs), with our bridges (our hamstrings were screaming when we placed the ball under both feet) and with our donkey kicks (squeezing the ball between our knees while we kicked up). These little balls are a great way to mix things up and keep your body guessing! I'm excited to introduce more exercises using them in the New Year!

These balls are available at most fitness stores for about $16 each. Perhaps a good stocking stuffer???

I Wasn't Sore Yesterday, Was My Workout Effective?

It's a common myth that you need to feel sore after your workout to experience strength and other performance gains. Sometimes, however, it's inevitable. Muscle soreness is caused by doing something your body is not used to doing. People just starting a workout program usually experience the most soreness. As their body adapts to working out, their chances of experiencing significant soreness is greatly reduced. With the metabolic chains we've introduced this session at boot camp, many of us have had more soreness than usual. This is normal as our body adapts to this new training method.

Instead of relying on muscle soreness to gauge the effectiveness of your workouts, it's better to look to your progress. Are you getting stronger? Are you able to lift heavier weights, do wall sits for longer, do more push-ups or hold a plank for longer? Can you do cardio for longer at higher intensities? If you're trying to lose fat, are you?

Healthy Substitutions!

Thanks everyone for your suggestions for making healthy muffins that taste great. Here are a few ideas for adapting your favourite recipes.

1) FLOUR - Use whole grain flour instead of white. Whole grain gives you more fiber, vitamins and minerals. You can substitute all or part of the white flour. You can also boost your fiber by adding a few tablespoons of wheat germ, bran or rolled oats to the mix.

2) FAT - You can decrease fat by adding low-fat liquids such as skim milk or nonfat yogurt. You can typically substitute up to one-half of the fat called for with unsweetened applesauce. Some recipes you may be able to substitute even more.

3) SUGAR - In most cases you can cut your sugar by a half and not even notice. You can also consider substituting healthier options like honey or agave nectar for refined sugar or corn syrup. Adding sweet spices like cinnamon, ginger and vanilla will also make your muffin taste sweeter.

4) ADD INS - Some other healthy ingredients you may want to consider adding include nuts, dried fruit, seeds or ground flax seed. I also like to add a scoop of whey protein powder to my recipes.

I recently stumbled upon 5-healthy muffin recipes from Women's Health Magazine. Click here to check these out. Let me know what you think or if you have other ideas! Happy Baking Everyone!

Muffins That Kill Your Diet!

Most Muffins are full of fat & calories. They are really nothing more than a piece of cake without the frosting. It's really important you read your labels carefully. I used to get the low fat muffin at Second Cup because I was told that it had 200 calories and under 5 grams of fat. What I didn't realize was that the nutritional information provided was for only about 1/4 of the muffin. Eating muffins like this regularly make it very difficult to maintain a healthy weight. Costco muffins are one of the worst with approximately 700 calories and 40 grams of fat.

The best is usually the homemade variety. You might want to try my kid's favourite banana loaf recipe from Company's Coming Light Recipes. One slice costs you only 148 calories and 4 grams of fat. It's easy to make, delicious and won't sabotage your diet.

Low-Fat Banana Loaf

1 CUP Mashed Bananas (3 medium)

1 TSP Baking Soda

2 Large eggs

1/4 CUP Butter

1 CUP Brown Sugar (I usually cut this to 3/4 CUP)

1 1/2 CUPS of All Purpose Flour (I usually use whole wheat flour)

1 1/2 TSP Baking Powder

1/4 TSP Salt

In a small bowl stir mashed bananas and baking soda together and set aside.

Beat eggs in a small mixing bowl until frothy.

Cream butter and sugar in large mixing bowl. Add 1/2 eggs. Beat to mix. Add second 1/2 eggs. Beat in. Stir in mashed bananas.

Add flour, baking powder and salt. Stir to moisten. Spoon into 9 x 5 inch loaf pan that has been sprayed with no-stick cooling spray. Bake in 350 degree oven for 1 hour or until wooden pick inserted in centre comes out clean. Cut into 16 slices.

Use Metabolic Chains to Burn Fat & Build Muscle!

This session of Boot Camp our plan is to shake things up by adding Metabolic Chains into the mix. Within the next 6-weeks, our goal is to build up to using chains for 30 consecutive minutes. By combining weight-based exercises with cardio, this training technique is extremely effective at burning fat and building muscle at the same time.

Metabolic chains are very similar to supersets but with a cool twist. You link together two or three exercises into one movement. For example, you may link a squat jump with a bicep curl and a shoulder press. These three moves create one rep of your chain. Each chain has one base exercise that activates fat burning. Your squat jump would be a great base exercise for this chain. Each time you repeat the chain add one rep to your base exercise until you reach 10 reps, you can then start over at one and do it all again.

This integrated workout will save you time and deliver amazing results! Research is showing that this type of training, when compared to separating your cardio and weight training workouts, will burn up to 10-times more fat and produce 85% greater muscle development (according to a study at the University of California quoted in the September, 2011 Edition of Oxygen Magazine). The calorie burn after your workout is also quite a bit higher. Oxygen magazine sited an example of a 130 pound women. 30-minutes of metabolic chains can easily burn 300-350 calories during the workout and another 300-500 calories in the next 24-hours as her body recovers.

Want to give it a try? Let me know, and I'll send you some great chains you can try at home!!!

Don't Skip the Stretch!

Skipping your stretch after an intense workout is a mistake. It's the key to bring oxygen and blood flow back to your tired muscles. It helps reduce muscle soreness, increases mobility & flexibility and aids in a quicker recovery period. Not stretching regularly sets you up for injury, poor posture, as well as tight hamstrings and hip rotators.

The best is to use a combination of dynamic and static stretches. Dynamic stretches are when you move your muscle through its complete range of motion. Examples are arm swings or shoulder rolls. These stretches are good to use as a warm-up, as well as immediately following your exercise program. Static stretches, on the other hand, mean you stretch your muscle to its furthest point comfortably and hold it there for 15 to 30 seconds and then release gently. These stretches are best used after exercise. Never stretch to the point of pain or discomfort.

I like to dedicate at least 5-minutes at the end of each workout to stretch all the major muscles we used that day. Just keep in mind that if you have an injured or strained muscle you may need to adjust your stretching technique; and it's best to consult with your doctor about the best way to stretch for your specific condition.

Is Your Salad Making you Fat?

You may think you're eating well because you only had a salad for dinner. If your greens are buried under heaps of dressing, croutons and cheese you can wind up with a salad that is equivalent in fat and calories to a fast-food burger.

Here's a great example. If you choose McDonald's Southwest Salad with crispy chicken & dressing it will cost you 530 calories and 26 grams of fat, which is more than a Quarter Pounder. Instead, try the Cesar Salad with grilled chicken and no dressing for only 220 calories and 6 grams of fat.

The key is to pick lower fat, nutrient rich ingredients and set limits on your toppings. Stick to 1 TBSP of low-fat dressing and one ounce of aged cheese or avocado or a quarter cup of unsalted nuts. Feta or aged parmesan will give you lots of flavour and may end up saving you calories because you don't use as much. Adding some complex carbs like couscous or protein-packed quinoa will keep you feeling fuller longer. If you're trying to lean out, you should also add 3 ounces of lean protein to top off your salad like eggs, black beams, tuna, or skinless chicken breast.

If you have any good salad or salad dressing recipes, please send them my way!

Top Recovery Foods

After any intense workout it's really important that you give your body the nutrients and fuel it needs to properly recover. If you don't your performance will suffer during your next workout and your body won't be able to effectively repair and build lean muscle. This is key, as the more lean muscle you have the higher your metabolic rate and the more fat you'll be able to release.

Experts say that the best combo for maximizing muscle repair and boosting your metabolic rate is eating 2 to 1 carbs to protein with very little fat (up to possibly a 4:1 ratio of carbs to protein) as quickly as possible after your workout.

Here are three options to consider...

1) Chocolate Milk - This is a fave for many athletes. An eight-ounce glass of low fat chocolate milk provides 32 grams of carbs and 11 grams of protein, an ideal carb to protein ratio.

2) Low Fat Granola Cereal - GOLEAN by Kashi is a good choice: A 1-cup serving has 140 calories, 30 grams of carbs, 13 grams of protein, and 1 gram of fat.

3) Fruit Smoothie - frozen banana, berries, whey protein powder and some water, aiming for at least a 2:1 carbs to protein ratio.

Twisted Yogurt - A Guilt Free Treat!!!

I had never heard of Twisted Yogurt until this summer when it opened in my neighbourhood. The idea is you get to create your own master piece first by choosing one of eight non-fat frozen yogurt treats and then adding as many as 50 toppings to your bowl. This place has quickly become our family favourite! It's delicious and the kids love creating their own delicious desserts.

I really got excited when I found out it is also better for you than the ice cream from Dairy Queen across the street. Or it can be if you stick to the healthier fresh fruit toppings. Below I've done a comparison for a half cup serving with no toppings or cone.

Twisted Yogurt

100 calories

0 grams of fat

13 grams of sugar

5 grams of protein

Dairy Queen

140 calories

4.5 grams of fat

19 grams of sugar

3 grams of protein

If you haven't checked it out you should! Click here for locations near you. My favourite flavour is Purple Cow. What's yours?

Wrists & Forearms - Don't Let Them be Your Weakest Link!

I was surprised when I asked my boot camp ladies this week what area of their body they'd like to focus on strengthening this session and more than one said their wrists. Building up your forearm and wrist strength is really important for many day to day activities and sports including weight training, golf, tennis, baseball and climbing. You of course strengthen your wrists when you do your other upper body exercises, but for some of us this isn't enough.

Don't let your forearm or wrist strength be your weakest link. When dealing with wrists and forearms you may want to start with no weight or very light weight and gradually build up. You also want to do these exercises at the end of your exercise program, as your grip strength will be temporarily weakened. Also avoid these exercises on the same day or the day before you are playing a sport that requires a lot of wrist action. Remember if you are having wrist pain, cut back and consult your physician.

Here are some exercises to try:

1) Tennis Ball Squeeze - Simply squeeze a tennis ball as hard as you can for up to 90 seconds. This exercise mainly targets your grip strength and forearms.

2) Skipping Rope - This is a great cardio workout that also helps to build strong wrists and forearms.

3) Wrist Curls - Use light dumbbells or even cans of soup. Sit down resting your forearms on your knees. Hold your weight palms facing up, move only your wrists. Drop your wrists slowly towards the floor as far as possible then raise the weight back up slowly towards your body using your wrists only. Keep the rest of your arms still during the exercise. Do 3 sets of 12 repetitions to start.

4) Reverse Wrist Curls - This is the same as a wrist curl with your palms facing down.

5) Wrist Rolls - For this one you will need a stick, a piece of rope and a weight. Attach the end of the rope firmly to the middle of the stick and then firmly attach the end of the rope to the weight. The rope should be long enough to reach the ground when you are holding the stick out a shoulder height. Grip the stick with both hands in an overhand grip at shoulder width apart. Extend your arms straight out in front of your body. The weight should be on the floor. Using your wrists and forearms only, slowing roll the rope up until it reaches the stick. Keep your arms straight out in front of your body at all times. Then reverse, slowly unroll the rope until the weight reaches the floor. Repeat 3-4 times to start.

Why Weight Train?

Many women fear hitting the weights because they don't want to bulk up. The truth is most women don't have high enough testosterone for this to be possible. In fact, since muscles take less room than fat, women tend to lose inches when they strength train. There are also many physical benefits as well including an increased metabolism, decreased risk of osteoporosis and increased strength. As we age, we actually lose muscle, which increases our likelihood for injury and has an adverse impact on our metabolism which can lead to weight gain.

Eat Breakfast to Lose Weight!

Most nutritionists agree that eating early in the day improves your metabolic rate, controls hunger later in the day and provides you with sustained energy. Research suggests that people who eat a healthy breakfast everyday are more successful at losing weight and keeping it off for the long-term. An ideal breakfast includes a mix of protein and complex carbohydrates.

If you're like me, mornings are insanely busy. I don't have the time to make myself some eggs and whole grain toast everyday. My breakfast regularly consists of an Isagenix whey protein shake that I can mix up in my Magic Bullet in about 30 seconds. When I have time to treat myself, my first choice is for a half portion of the "Ultimate Power Breakfast" (see the recipe below, reposted from January, 2011).

The Ultimate Power Breakfast

(Men's Fitness - Abs Training Guide)

What you need:

1 egg

1 cup of 1 percent milk

3/4 cup of plain instant oatmeal

1/2 cup mixed berries

1 tbsp chopped pecans or almonds

1 tsp vanilla whey-protein powder

1 tsp ground flaxseed

1/2 banana sliced

1 tbsp plain yogurt

How to Make it:

Whisk everything together but the banana and yogurt in a microwavable bowl. Microwave for 2 minutes or until set. Let cool for a minute or two. Top with banana and yogurt. Makes 1 serving...share it with a friend or make a half recipe for a lighter meal.

PER SERVING: 570 calories, 29 g protein, 80 g carbohydrates (11 g fiber), 18 g fat, 200 mg sodium

Zumba Fitness!

Fall classes are starting in just over 2-weeks. I'm so excited! I still have spots available for my FREE ZUMBA Fitness Intro class on September 8th (10:15AM) and September 9th (9AM). E-mail me soon to reserve your spot - carrie@rocksolidfitness.ca

One of my fave Zumba Dance teams is from Texas. They're called the "Hot Z Team" Waco. Click here to check out their fun NEW routine called "Good Morning". I think I may add it to my playlist this fall.

Looking forward to seeing you soon!

Summer Calorie Burn!

Check out some ideas to keep fit during the summer months and the approximate calories they burn per hour (based on a 130 pound women). Your calorie burn will go up significantly by increasing your intensity.

Hiking - 355

Swimming (moderate effort) - 413

Beach Volleyball - 473

Cycling (moderate pace) - 472

Tennis - 472

Jogging (10 min mile) - 590

Power Walking (brisk pace) - 295

Frisbee - 177

Rollerblading - 708

Click here for a website that will help you calculate the calorie burn for over 50 different exercises. All you need to provide is your weight and the time you spent doing the activity. Keep in mind to loose one pound of body fat you need to create a calorie deficit of 3,500 calories.

One Exercise, 14 Muscles: Super Plank

This exercise was recently featured in Oxygen Magazine's July, 2011 edition and for good reason. It targets your entire core (rectus abdominis, internal and external obliques, transverse abdomnis, erector spinae), triceps, pectorals, deltoids (posterior, lateral and anterior), rhomboids, latissiums dorsi, teres major and your trapezius.

Give it a Try:

Hold a dumbbell in each hand. Get into a push-up position with your hands under your shoulders and your feet behind you, spread apart for a stable base. Row one hand up to your rib cage and return to push-up position, then do a regular push-up bending both elbows (lowering straight down and then back up). Keep your hips square to the ground and your abs tight. Alternate sides and repeat at least 10 times.

Note: you can modify this exercise by dropping to your knees while in the plank position, just be sure to keep your bottom down and your abs tight.

Veggie Burgers that are Out of This World!

My friend Rhonda treated me to the most delicious veggie burgers I've ever tasted. She received the recipe from the Whitewater Restaurant Cookbook. Enjoy!

WHITEWATER VEGGIE BURGER

Makes 12 burgers

Developed by Pat McInnis of Alligator Pie Catering.

INGREDIENTS

1 tbsp vegetable oil

I onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tbsp cumin

1 ½ tbsp chili powder

1 – 19oz can black beans, drained, rinsed and roughly pureed

1 tsp oregano

¼ cup parsley or cilantro, chopped

2 tbsp sesame oil

½ cup almonds, roasted and chopped

1 cup sunflower seeds, roasted and chopped

3 cups fine bread crumbs

1/2 cup soy sauce

5 eggs

2 cups carrots, grated

2 cups oats

flour for dredging

2 tbsp vegetable oil

In a large skillet, sauté onions and garlic in oil. Place in large mixing bowl and let it cool a little. Add remaining ingredients. Mix well and shape into patties. Dredge lightly in flour. Heat vegetable oil in a large pan to brown the burgers on both sides, you may need to do this in batches with a bit more oil.

Alligator Pie Catering recommends serving these burgers on whole wheat buns topped with sprouts and Roasted garlic Aioli or Tzatziki.

Cucumber...My New Best Friend

Thanks to my dad's recommendation, I’ll be adding cucumber to my weekly grocery list. Not only is it a low calorie snack (only 8 calories in half a cup), it’s filled with vitamins and minerals including Folic acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc. It’s also a great source of B Vitamins and Carbohydrates that can give you a great pick-me-up when you’re feeling tired. Eating a few slices before bed is said to fight off evening binging and morning headaches.

Other interesting uses for Cucumber:

• Rub a freshly cut slice on your shoes…it will provide a quick and durable shine that looks great and will repel water.
• Use it to fight bad breath by pressing a slice to the roof of your mouth for 30 seconds.
• Remove an unwanted pen or crayon mark by slowly rub the outside of the skin on it.
• Try rubbing it on your skin to reduce inflammation.

Listening to Your Body!

Getting adequate rest after a hard workout is critical! The body actually repairs and strengthens itself between workouts so continuous training can actually work against you, making you weaker in the long run. A muscle takes anywhere from 24 to 48 hours to fully repair itself, so it is never recommended to work the same muscle group two days in a row. You also shouldn't work out more than 4-6 days per week.

The most important thing you can do regarding proper recovery is to listen to your body. If you’re feeling tired, sore or notice decreased performance, it’s time to take a day or two off. Many experts actually recommend taking an entire week off every six weeks of training. Our bodies are usually very good at telling us what we need and when. The problem is that sometimes we don’t listen and just push through. That’s when we can experience over training syndrome that can lead to depression, inability to concentrate, irritability, excessive fatigue and insomnia among other things.

Shake it Up!

Thanks to Lindsey, here's a recipe for an extremely delicious and healthy shake.

Peanut Butter & Banana Shake

What you need:

1 Frozen Banana (cut up in chunks)

1 Cup Milk

1/4 Cup of Vanilla Yogurt

1 TBSP of Peanut Butter

1/2 TSP of Vanilla

Dash of Cinnamon

(option: I like to add a scoop of Isagenix's Whey Protein Powder to the mix & a few ice cubes)

Simply blend the ingredients together in your magic bullet (or blender) and Enjoy!

It's Exercise in Disguise

Millions of people are flocking to Zumba classes in more than 110 countries for a reason. It's so much fun you forget your'e working out. Zumba is a Latin inspired dance fitness class that uses an infectious mix of high-energy music and rhythms like salsa, merengue, calypso, reggaeton and bollywood pop. Zumba mixes resistance training with cardio intervals, allowing you to burn maximum fat and calories and tone your entire body (especially your mid-section). You can burn anywhere from 400-1000 calories in an hour depending on how hard you want to push yourself. The moves are so simple that anyone can do it. One of my favourite rhythms is Cumbia and the song Fuego. Click here to check it out on YouTube.

So "Ditch the Workout and Join the Party"... Watch for my Zumba Fitness classes coming soon.

A Delicious Post Recovery Snack

My colleague in New Brunswick recently served a delicious fruit & nut bar as an excellent post recovery snack at Fitness Alpha. In case you're curious, click here to learn more about her Fitness Alpha Program...the video segment starts at 9:10AM.

Not only were these bars a hit at my boot camp this morning...the kids also gave them two thumbs up!

Fruit & Nut Bar

20 min prep
SERVES 18

2 cups rolled oats
2 cups crispy rice cereal
1 cup dried apricot, chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup pecan halves, chopped
1/2 cup golden raisin
1/4 cup sunflower seed
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

SYRUP MIXTURE
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup honey(creamed)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup peanut butter or almond butter

• Prepare 9x13 pan with non-stick spray (or line with parchment paper).
• In a large mixing bowl, toss all dry ingredients. Feel free to substitute your preferred nut or dried fruit.
• In a saucepan, combine brown sugar and corn syrup. Bring to a boil and allow to boil one minute. (Note: boiling the sugars is what helps the bars become firm and not sticky, so this step is important).
• After boiling, turn off heat; add vanilla and peanut butter. QUICKLY pour this hot mixture over the dry ingredients and toss to combine.
• Pour warm mixture into prepared pan. Wet your fingers and press the mixture down into the pan to compress the bars so they will slice evenly.
• When cool, use a sharp knife to cut into 18 bars (1 long lengthwise cut and 9 cuts across).

Enjoy!!