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!