Personal Training

Protein Review + BOOTYlicious Workout!

Posted on by Naomi
Hey guys! So blogger has been down for over 24 hours and I had SUCH a great post to put up last night, and now I don’t have it because I made it a draft and saved it elsewhere. I will have it up next week, I promise. Well its Friday–Hoorah! This week crept by, I don’t know why I think because the weather has been so awful but its all good because its Friday and its sunny out right now!

On the fitness front, I took a MAJOR break this week. After my show two weekends ago, I think I was still high from all of the post show adrenaline, I had a killer workout week. I pushed myself and was still in somewhat of that crazy ‘zone’ when I should have taken a break. Note**listen to your body, people there is NO better thing to do when you are ‘unsure’ if you should push yourself a bit too hard. 

I don’t know about you but I want my body to be working 100% when I am 80+ years old, so now is the time to treat it with care. This week, I hit some weights as well as some cardio, but I also took 2 full days off and attended a HOT yoga class! It was just fabulous. 

What else? Well I spent some money at Target…whats new
  • Garlic and Herb Mrs Dash
  • Orange Cremsicle Dessert Delights (strawberry shortcake is the bomb)
  • Prism Green apple (yum!)
  • Fruit tea sampler–I have been drinking this non stop. I go through about a box a week! 

My favorite flavors are the black cherry berry and true blueberry–but honestly? They are all amazing (besides peach–I can’t bring myself to think too highly of peach tea)
I carry this Mrs Dash in my purse. Some people carry lip stick, I carry Mrs Dash.
I have been enjoying this delicious snack which is quinoa, cinnamon, caramel flax oil and greek yogurt! Remember a while back when I spotted the coconut flax oil (In Whole Foods) Well it comes in caramel and chocolate and banana!!! I got the caramel (online from here) Its amazing!

I also got THE BEST package yesterday from a company that is just bursting out into the protein world. They are called “About Time Protein”

About: In 2008, fitness professional Sean Marszalek and food science expert Devenee Schumacherlooked around at the growing number of protein supplement products, and didn’t like what they saw. Too many artificial ingredients, artificial sweeteners, inferior protein concentrates, and very few options for people with certain dietary restrictions such as diabetes. Frankly, Sean could find nothing on the market he could recommend to his health-conscious clients, including Devenee. That’s when they decided, it’s About Time.

They formed SDC Nutrition, and launched the About Time brand of whey protein products. Through perseverance, refinement, and a fanatical belief in providing superior protein supplements for a healthy lifestyle, they have built a passionate and growing customer base across the country, and now beyond.
I recieved a very generous amount of their single serve all natural, whey protein. They come in a variety of flavors:
  • Strawberry
  • Peaches n’ Cream
  • Birthday Cake
  • Cinnamon Swirl
  • Chocolate
  • Vanilla
  • Mocha Mint

First up was the strawberry
I made a protein shake consisting of
  • 1 packet of About Time Strawberry protein powder
  • 1/2 C almond milk
  • 5 ice cubes
  • 1 C water
  • 1/4 tsp each xanthan and guar gums (for thickening)
  • 1 T unsweetened cocoa powder

Deliciously creamy, perfect for an on the go or post workout or anytime snack! it had a nice strawberry taste that wasn’t artificial ‘fake’ tasting. The reason I usually don’t go for fruity protein powders is because of that fake taste, but this one was spot on! I think the cocoa powder added a nice touch too!
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Ok now starting next week I am going to start a little weight training series. I will try to focus on one or two body parts at once, talk about some workouts and also some important information about those muscles and training. 

One area we spoke a lot about during my training for the show was the glutes otherwise known as the BOOTY. It seems to be a problem area for many people, women especially and let me tell you that the number 1 tip I will say is MIND MUSCLE CONNECTION. When you are doing any leg exercises, visualize, think about the muscles you are working and you will be 10 times more likely to properly activate those muscles. 

1. On my leg days, I ALWAYS warm up. Whether it is doing some dynamic stretches in the group fitness studio or incline walking for about 10 minutes, I never go blindly into a leg workout.

Here is a sample dynamic warm up you can do at your gym or in an open space
  • 2 min jogging in place or back and forth
  • 30 sec Jumping jacks
  • 30 seconds Quad walk
  • 30 seconds walking lunges (not for the lunge but for the STRETCH of the legs)
  • 30 seconds side shuffle (left leg lead)
  • 30 seconds side shuffle (right leg lead)
  • 30 seconds squat in place
  • REPEAT 2x
After your warm up, you should feel that your legs are somewhat ready to tackle the work you are about to demand from them.  

2. Now, before I hit the weights hard, I always do a warm up set with little to no weight so my body gets used to the movement it is about to be doing. If I am doing smith machine squats, i always load the bar with light weights and do about 8-10 to prime the muscles in the legs, low back and core. 
  • When you are doing squatting exercises, always be sure to push through your heels and make sure that your knees stay in line with your toes!
  • Always remember to breath, inhale and exhale throughout the entire movement!
3. Always check in with yourself during the exercise to see if the weight you are using is too heavy or too light. Form should always be first in your mind.  Too many times, I see (mostly men) performing exercises where they need to drop the weight by about 100 lbs to perform it correctly and get the most bang for their buck. Check in–if you think you could be working harder, add some weight on your next set. If you feel that other muscles are firing and NOT your glutes this could mean that the weight you have chosen is a bit too heavy, so back off on the next set. 
  • Remember there is NO RIGHT OR WRONG. Heavy for person A is not necessarily ‘heavy’ for person B
Always hydrate and stretch after your workout!!! (well hydrate throughout, but you know what I meant)

Here is a BOOTYLICIOUS workout for you to try! With some abs thrown in there as well!

Circuit 1 (perform 3 sets)
Smith Machine Squats-15 reps
Superset w/
Jump squats-15 reps

Circuit 2  (perform 3 sets)
Leg extensions-15 reps
Superset w/ 
Hamstring Curls-15 reps
Superset w/
Russian twists (holding 5-10lb weight plate)-15 reps each side

Circuit 3 (perform 3 sets)
Walking DB or BB lunges-12 reps each side
Superset w/
Bench step ups (lighter weight)- 12 reps each side *ONE SIDE AT A TIME
superset w/

***END WITH 15 EACH SIDE JUMP LUNGES

Question of the day: What is your favorite protein powder
Question of the day 2: When you take a full day off from exercise, do you ever feel ‘guilty’ if you have in the past what has helped you get over this?

Naomi
Naomi