Happy Thursday Friends,

I hope you are having a wonderful day so far! Like most days, mine started out with an early morning workout. I had a great group of clients in the 7 AM class this morning and they rocked it as usual! :) One of the amazing things about teaching early morning classes is seeing the sun rise. The clouds were a gorgeous shade of pink this morning when I arrived at the studio.

Last night, Roger, Todd, and some of the wonderful ladies from the studio through Eric and I a baby shower at Water 2 Wine. It was so much fun to get to socialize with everyone outside of class and E, Annabelle, and I felt so loved. The studio is my home away from home, and I feel so blessed to have such an amazing second family here in Austin. I don't have any of the pictures yet, but I will share those with you as soon as I get them. I did manage to snap a quick picture of the cookie cake they had made for us. They knew it was E's favorite! They also got me gluten free vanilla cupcakes from my favorite bakery!


I can't believe Annabelle could be here in 3 short week or less! Yikes! To prepare for her arrival, I have been experimenting with recipes I can make ahead of time and freeze. On Sunday, I tried out a new blueberry muffin recipe using almond meal and flax seeds. I also tried to add a little extra protein with Greek yogurt. I was totally flying by the seat of my pants, but I was so excited with how it turned out. They even froze well! I have been eating on them all week. The best way to reheat them is to turn the oven on at 350 F, put the muffins in cold, and leave them in there for 15 minutes. They taste like they are fresh out of the oven every time.



I was a little weary about using almond meal because it tends to dry things out. However, these muffins were extremely moist and had a delightful nutty flavor. Let me know if you give them a try!

It's time for a little cardio via the treadmill for me and miss Annabelle. I hope you have a great rest of your Thursday.


In health,

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Howdy Friends!

How was your Tuesday? Mine was full of Pilates and Barre as usual! Just how I like it. I had a client this morning at 5:30am and then taught PilatesMat at 7:00am, 9:00am, and 10:15am. I was a tired and hungry pup after that! Luckily, after my 10:15am class I had a nice long break and got to go home for a few hours. I grabbed some lunch and got a lot of cleaning done. I'm feeling almost back to normal but E isstill not feeling well so I tried to do as much disinfecting as possible!

Last week I got some extremely exciting news that was officially announced today! I was selected to represent Texas as a Fitness Correspondent for MyGroupFit. MyGroupFit is an online resource for group fitness professionals where instructors can go to learn new choreography, explore best practices, find new music, and hear what other pros in the industry are doing. I am extremely honored to a part of such an amazing team!

If you are a group fitness instructor or even just a fitness junkie, I definitely encourage you to go check it out!

As many of you know, I absolutely LOVE teaching barre. I got certified almost two years ago and have had so much fun learning and growing as a barre instructor ever since. I thought it would be fun to do a Barre Breakdown series over the next few weeks here on the blog. Every week, I will post a new barre exercise that you can do from home or at the gym during your next workout. Even if you can't get to a barre class, that doesn't mean you can't reap the rewards of this great form of exercise.

Barre Breakdown - First Position Plie with the Theraband
works the quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, calves, lats, triceps, and shoulders



To begin, hold on to the band between the thumb and the pointer finger about a foot or two away from the barre. You could also anchor the band around a pole if you don't have a barre. Arms should be extended by your side in line with the seams of your pants. You want your band to be nice and tight.

Next, place your heels together and toes apart coming into first position or Pilates V. Lift your heels off the floor into relevee keeping them connected. Lower down into your plie position making sure your knees are pointing in the same directions as your toes. Pull your pubic bone towards your belly button and tuck your tailbone underneath you just slightly. The arch in your low back should be minimal.

Leaving your arms straight, press the band back 16 times like you are giving someone a low five behind you. This works your lats, shoulders, and triceps.

Holding the arms back slightly so the band stays tight, lower down for two counts and up for two counts 8 times. Pretend you are sliding your head, back, and glutes down an imaginary wall.

Finally, hold your plie as low as you can without compromising your form, and pulse 16 times.

Work up to repeating this series 3 times. If you give it a try, let me know!!

Are you a fan of barre classes?

If so, what is your favorite move?

Are there any particular moves you would like to see broken down?

I'm off to finish dinner and spend time with the hubby! I hope you all have a great evening!

In health,

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Happy Monday!

How was your weekend? I spent most of my weekend on one of these guys in reformer training.

source

It was a blast, but I am completely pooped! My body is tired from practicing all of the exercises and my brain is a little tired from information overload; however, it was an absolutely amazing training. I seriously feel so lucky to have the chance to learn from such amazing instructors.

Although, most of the weekend was spent in training, we did make some time to have a little family fun with the Aerobie Ring. The nice people over at AeroAerobie Ring Ring sent me one to try out. The Aerobie Ring is a high tech frisbee that can fly further than you ever thought possible. The soft grip makes it very comfortable to catch, especially on the run!


We decided to play a little game of catch in the backyard, and as you can see Champ definitely wanted in on the action!


It's not your traditional piece of exercise equipment, but we all definitely worked up a sweat running around and throwing it to one another. Well, when Champ wasn't wearing it like jewelry that is.


It was great because it would stay in the air long enough to get a running start and catch it with ease. The perfect activity for the warmer weather we are enjoying right now.

Speaking of warmer weather, we took the opportunity to enjoy the Spring weather by busting out the grill. E is quite the grill master and whipped up a piece of salmon for me, steak for him, and some sweet cajun corn to go with it!


The perfect ending to a busy weekend!

How was your weekend?

What is your favorite way to get moving outdoors?

In health,

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Howdy!
How are you today? Did your Monday go pretty smoothly? Mine was pretty good, minus the fact that E had to go out of town on business. I taught three fun and sweaty classes - Cardio Barre, Piloxing, and strength training. I also got to have dinner with my amazing friend Kelli!

Katherine over at the Real Food Runner is doing a 7 day Green Smoothie Challenge, and I decided to join! Today was day 1, so I decided to go green for breakfast (well kinda brown). I used blackberries in my smoothie so it turned my smoothie kind of brown instead of green even though I used 4 large romain leaves. No matter what the color was, it turned out delicious!

So I try to eat pretty healthy 90% of the time, but sometimes a girl just needs something salty! Am I right? One afternoon last week, I was sitting at my desk and I could barely concentrate because I was so stinking hungry. I had at least 3 more hours until I would be home and I knew my brain would shut down before then. We just installed some new vending machines in our clubs lobby that are suppose to be filled with only healthy snacks so I decided to see if I could find anything I could eat. There usually aren't too many gluten-free options in vending machines. :/ I was pleasantly surprised when I saw these guys staring back at me from behind the glass.


I wasn't completely sold on the healthy part at first (some "veggie chips" are no healthier than regular potato chips they just make you feel better by saying veggie), but at least I knew they were gluten-free. I reached into the bag and pulled out one of the chips for inspection.


I popped one in my mouth, and they were absolutely delicious. Crunchy with a slight potato chip flavor plus a kick and they definitely satisfied my craving for something salty. After devouring a couple (I was starving remember), I flipped the package over to check out the nutrition stats. They were equally as impressive (they are chips after all)! The whole package contained only 140 calories, 6g of fat, 150mg of sodium18g of carbohydrates, and 2g of fiber. That blows your regular potato chip out of the water! :)
The ingredients list wasn't too shabby either! Ingredients: Potato flour, potato starch, expeller pressed sunflower oil, tomato, salt, potassium chloride, spinach powder, turmeric, beet powder.

Overall, I was very impressed! Next time I'm throwing a party or just having a chip craving these guys will definitely be what I reach for!

Have you tried any of Snyder's new Naturals line? Apparently, they have tortilla chips, cheese curls, and pretzels that are all gluten-free too! I haven't tried any of those yet, but they sound delicious!

Anybody want to join me in the 7 day green smoothie challenge?

What is your favorite green smoothie recipe?

In health,

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Hello Friends!!

How was your weekend?? Mine was pretty fantastic! I told you guys on Friday that I was attending a Pilates workshop all weekend, and it was fabulous. I am a little sore today, but I feel like I really learned a lot. It's always fun to spend the weekend with people who are as excited about fitness and Pilates as you are!

It's week 2 of our Lean Legs March challenge, and I'm here to show you the exercises you will need for this week! (Click the calendar to make it bigger/clearer.)

Inner Thigh Bridge



Simply place a sponge ball or towel in between your legs and lift your hips up into a bridge. Squeeze the ball/towel to engage your inner thighs and hold for the specified amount of time. Think about pressing your big toe into the floor to really fire up your inner thighs.

Wall Sit with Inner Thigh Squeeze


Stand with your back against a wall with a ball or towel in between your knees. Slide your back down the wall until your legs are at a 90 degree angle. Squeeze the ball/towel with your inner thighs and hold for the specified amount of time.

Straight Leg Donkey Kick



Come onto all fours with your shoulders directly over your wrists and your hips over your knees. Extend your right foot back behind you and engage your glutes and hamstrings to lift your leg in line with your glute. Try to keep your hips still and your abs drawn in as you lower and lift your leg the specified number of times.

There you have it! Week 2 here we come! :) I hope you all have a marvelous Monday and a great week!

How was your weekend?

What are your health and fitness goals for the Spring?

In health,

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Happy Happy Friday!

Woohooo it's Friday! The weekend is here and it's time to party!

This is Champ's party face!! Ok, so really it's his sleepy face, but isn't he cute? He passed out on the rug about 5 minutes after I took this picture. :) Poor sleepy baby.
I want to share a little Friday inspiration with you friends. I came across this picture on Pinterest a few days ago and it really hit home. Even though things might not always be perfect, you can always smile with the knowledge that every breathe is another chance to start anew. :)



This is definitely going to be pinned to the front of my planner for whenever I need to let go of the negative and start anew. Choose to be that today! :)

What are you up to this weekend? I will be attending another Pilates certification. After this weekend, I will be halfway to becoming a fully certified Balanced Body Pilates trainer. Whoop! This weekend is all about the reformer.

source

The reformer is one of my favorite pieces of Pilates equipment, so I am very excited for this weekend. We start the workshop tomorrow at 5pm and go 5-9pm on Friday, 12:00pm-8:30pm on Saturday and 9:00am-4:00pm on Sunday. I have a feeling I am going to be pretty pooped and sore come Sunday!

As I write this post, I am sipping on one of my new favorite beverages - cold brew green tea with lemon. I love green tea, but sometimes it is too strong when I brew it in hot water. Lately, I have enjoyed simply dropping a tea bag into my water and letting it diffuse slowly. I keep the same tea bag in for a couple of refills and enjoy the refreshing flavor it gives my water.


A refreshing drink full of antioxidants.......what more could you ask for?

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! I can't wait to tell you all about the Pilates certification. Don't forget to get in your Lean Legs exercises for today.

What are you up to this weekend?

What is your beverage of choice right now?

In health,

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Hi Everyone,

How was your Monday? I must admit I had a slow start to the week. I think I am still recovering from my Pilates filled weekend. I learned so much, and I can't wait to start practicing all of the new stuff that I learned. I have one weekend off and then I start working on my reformer certifications. I have 3 reformer certifications and 1 more apparatus certification to go! Yep, that's a lot but I'm getting there. Never seen a reformer? Check it out!

source

I can't wait to start working with clients and teaching group reformer classes! I'm beyond excited! :)

So in honor of Fab Ab February, I have some new fantastic ab exercises to share with you!

Teaser (source)

The teaser is an extremely effective Pilates inspired ab exercise that works your entire core including your rectus abdominus, transverse abdominus, and internal and external obliques.

Reverse Curl & Lift (source)

To do it: Lay flat on your back with both hands behind your head, legs extended out with your heels lifted about six inches off the floor, toes pointed. Contract your abs, bend and draw your knees into your chest, and raise your hips slightly off the floor. Slowly lower back to the start position. Repeat 8 times, for 3 sets total. (shapemagazine.com)

Roll UP (source)

Booty Barre creator Tracey mallet demonstrates this fantastic core move. The red ball adds a great balance challenge. If you are knew to the roll up, try doing the move with your knees bent and feet on the mate.


We all can use new moves from time to time right? I don't know about you, but I get sick of crunches pretty quickly.

I hope you have a wonderful Tuesday!

How was your weekend?

Do you ever do Pilates?

In health,

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Happy Saturday!

How are you today? I'm enjoying a little down time before I head back to my Pilates Apparatus level 2 training that starts at 12:30pm. We were in training from 5pm-9pm last night, go today from 12:30pm-7:00pm, and then tomorrow from 9am-3pm. My brain may be fried by the end of the weekend, but I love it! I get to spend the whole weekend playing on these guys.

Ok, so maybe we won't be doing that today, but someday! (source)

Pilates Chair (source)

It's a dreary rainy day here in the Big D. I saw this quote on Facebook this morning, and it was an amazing reminder that you really have to embrace every day! I will admit that I am an extreme planner. I like to plan out years in advance and often find myself waiting for the next stage in life instead of just embracing the one I am in. When I was in college, I couldn't wait to finish. When I was engaged, I couldn't wait to get married. etc. etc. Although I'm sure that's fairly normal, I always try to remind myself to just enjoy the present and what is right in front of me even if it's not exactly my ideal situation.


However, if there is a storm, like today, we can always take after Champ and lounge lazily in front of the space heater all day long! I'm pretty sure he thinks this is even more fun than dancing in the rain! :)


He absolutely loves this thing. As soon as we turn it on, he goes straight for it and doesn't move until we turn it off. It's hilarious!

I have two new gluten free food finds I am loving right now! As you know, I LOVE LOVE LOVE yogurt, but it's hard to find gluten free yogurt without a ton of sugar and calories. Allow me to introduce you to Chobani Champions. I'm pretty sure they were made to appeal to kids, but hey, I'm a kid at heart. These guys only have 100 calories, 8 grams of protein, and 11 grams of sugar. Some of the other brands I tried had anywhere between 16 and 22 grams of sugar. :(


I'm a huge fan of crackers, especially with my chili and soup so Nut-Thins are a must in my shopping cart. They are crunchy, delicious, and just a tad salty. Another bonus, a serving size includes 16 crackers for only 130 calories. Now that is a real serving size! No tricks here!


So I may have focused in on champ instead of the crackers which explains why they are blurry. Sorry, I couldn't help it. He's just so cute! :)

I'm off to do a little studying before I head back to class. I hope you all have a wonderful Saturday!!

What are you doing this weekend?

What are two food items you couldn't live without?

In health,

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Howdy!!

How are you today? I hope you are having a fabulous weekend so far! Mine has been so much fun and very educational! (Does it make me a dork that I used those two words in the same sentence?) If it does, I don't care! I spent most of my evening yesterday playing on one of these guys!

Balanced Body Cadillac (source)

No, it's not a torture device. In the Pilates world, this is known as a Cadillac or Trapeze table. It is actually an amazingly effective and fun piece of workout equipment that can be used to introduce beginners to Pilates or challenge the most advanced students in ways I never thought possible. Think hanging upside down from those top bars or doing pull ups! Ahhhhh, I love it! Has anyone ever worked out on one of these guys before? What did you think?

I'm headed back for day two of training in just a little while, but before I go I need to fuel up with a delicious breakfast. Like most Saturday's, I was in the mood for pancakes. However, when I went to the fridge to get out the ingredients, I didn't have any eggs! NOOOOOOO! I thought my pancake dreams were smashed. Luckily, this is about the time that I remembered I could sub regular eggs for flax eggs. I used this gluten-free pancake recipe, but subbed the 2 egg whites for another 1.5 tbsp ground flax and 3 tbsp almond milk. They were slightly less fluffy than the pancakes with the egg whites, but still tasted fantastic! Pancakes craving - satisfied! :)


 Alrighty, I'm off to read over my notes and get ready for day two of training! I hope you have a marvelous Saturday!

What do you crave for breakfast on Saturday?

In health

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Happy Friday Loves!

I hope everyone is having a glorious Friday so far. I'm beyond excited because I start my first of six certifications tonight to become a fully certified Balanced Body Pilates Instructor! Ahhhhh so excited!

Balanced Bod Pilates! Source

I'll be sure to let you know how the weekend is going and share some of the fun things I learned! On to other exciting news, my Recipage is almost finished! You may have noticed that the last few recipes I have posted (check them out here & here), are in a super easy to read, share and print format that is compliments of recipage.com. I hope my Recipage makes it easier for you guys to find recipes that you like, and it's definitely much prettier! If you are a Food or Healthy Living Blogger that shares recipes, you have to check out Recipage.com and create an account for yourself. It's incredibly easy to use and FREE! Can you believe it? Thank you Emily and Casey for creating this amazing website!

Recipage (source)

So Cool!! Go scope out my Recipage to see what you think! :) One more thing before I go pack up for Pilates. I have a new love in my life that I just have to share with you. I'm actually shocked I am just now trying this stuff. I mean, where have I been? Fage 0% Greek Yogurt is the amazingness I am referring to. I am pretty obsessed with the Strawberry/Goji Berry and the Blueberry flavors. They are amazing! The thing that I love the most, is that the fruit flavor is separate from the yogurt so you can add just the amount you want. I try to watch my sugar intake, so I only put in about half of the fruit filling to keep the sugar count in check. It's still totally delicious, even with only half!


I'm off to get ready for my certification! Wish me luck!

Are there any Pilates instructors out there with some wise words of wisdom?

If your a food blogger, do you use Recipage?

Who else loves Fage?? Me, Me, Me! :)
In health,

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Hello All!

How was your Wednesday? Is everyone back at work, or do you have this week off? Yesterday was my first day back at work but E has the entire week off. Although I'm a tad bit jealous, he is putting his time off to good use doing things like this...

Yep, that's our sink in my manly husbands hands and my lazy dog watching as he carries it away. Hahaha. E is using his time off to do a little bathroom renovation. Luckily, my amazing father-in-law came up to help with the install. We could not have done it without him. The bathroom is still a work in progress, but I will be sure to post pictures as soon as it is finished! :) I'm predicting good things from the three George boys (Champ is supervising)!

Yesterday started out bright and early with a 6am cardio strength class followed by 30 minutes on the step mill. I also taught a hip hop and yogalates class at lunch back-to-back. For my morning snack, I chomped on a blueberry muffin Larabar. Can you say delicious!! I also tried out a Cashew cookie Larabar this afternoon. What can I say, it was a Larabar kind of day. Teaching three classes plus adding in some quality time on the stair mill calls for wholesome fueling. :)


Lunch today was a delicious salad filed with romaine lettuce, avocado, carrots, mushrooms, black beans, and flaxseed. After a holiday weekend filled with holiday food, veggies were definitely in order!


It was so fresh and so clean clean! Does anyone remember that song besides me? I'm totally a dork. When I got home from work today, there was a package waiting for me on the doorstep. My Pilates manuals finally arrived! Yay!!!


I completed my pilates mat certification a little over 2 years ago, and have been teaching mat pilates ever since. Now that I am finished with graduate school, I thought it would be the perfect time to continue my pilates education. In January, I will take my Level 1 (of 3) Pilates Apparatus Certification where I will learn how to teach using the Pilates Chair, Trapeze Table, and Pilates Barrel. Don't know what the heck I'm talking about, check it out!

Pilates Chair source

Cadillac source

Pilates Barrel source

I will also be taking 3 Pilates Reformer Certifications. The Pilates Reformer is probably my all time favorite piece of workout equipment. I currently take Reformer classes two or three times a week, and truly believe it is one of the most effective workouts out there. Here is what the bad boy looks like.

Reformer source

After I take all 6 certifications, I can take my final exam to become a fully certified Balanced Body Pilates instructor. If you want to see a pilates session in action, check out the youtube video below. This video shows a Balanced Body Instructor leading a student through a series of exercises on the reformer.



If you can't tell, I am super excited about completing these certifications. Even though I am finished with "school," I absolutely love learning about health and fitness and can't wait to expand my pilates knowledge.

Do you enjoy learning even in non school settings?

If you're off work this week, what are you up to?

In health,

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