Workout, Protein Fuel, Hitting the Sun!

Hey guys! Happy Wednesday (halfway done with the week right?) I am still a bit sore from a back and biceps workout that I did on Monday. HOLY pull ups. I got the workout from Jill over at Jillfit.com She has some quick and effective workouts and i am all about efficiency in the gym! When I see a great workout, that keeps my heart rate up, muscles burning and me sweating, I know it must be a good one!

(source from Jillfit)

It was a great workout, and since I (like Jill which I found out!) am not the biggest fan of isolation bicep exercises and this routine was great because the pull ups gave my arms a chance to be fully warmed up and engaged for the last circuit which contains only isolation bicep moves. By the time the third circuit rolled around, I just wanted to push my arms through it. My biceps are not my strongest body part because I usually prefer to hit them in other compound exercises (pull ups, lat pull down, chest press, back row) so My weight was not that heavy with the incline bench DB hammer curl or the standing DB alt biceps curls, however I certainly felt a burn throughout each rep!

How did I refuel my guns after this workout (I just laughed out loud calling my arms ‘guns’) A chocolate coconut protein shake of course!

Chocolate Coconut Protein Shake:

Serves 1 Hungry Human!

Ingredients:

1 scoop chocolate whey protein powder (I used MRM brand)
5-10 ice cubes depending on size and how ‘thick’ you like it. I used 8
1/4 tsp each xanthan and guar gums
1/2 C unsweetened almond milk
3/4 C water
1/2 T Royal Harvest Coconut Flax oil
1/4 C Raw oats

***if you are looking for another arm workout, look no further than the “suns out guns out” workout

Directions:

Place all ingredients besides the oats into a blender or magic bullet.
Blend for 30 seconds or until well combined and frothy
Place in a glass (or plastic shaker and keep it classy like me)
Add oats
At this point you can drink immediately BUT I like to stick it in the freezer for 10 minutes for the shake to get extra cold and the oats begin to get doughy and chewy from the shake.
Either way it is a delicious and nutritious meal post workout!

And another meal I enjoyed included one of my favorite fat burning food staples: QUINOA! I love this stuff. It is so versitile, nutty and delicious. I love the texture and the natural flavor is has. I enjoyed chicken breast, roasted broccoli and quinoa topped with mustard and some african smoke spice.

Protein, Carbs, Veggies. The perfec combination to keep you satisfied. This would also be a great post workout meal if you were trying to stay away from protein powders. It is also quite easy to throw together especially if you cook up a big batch of quinoa and chicken adn keep it in the fridge (which I usually do)

Because Sunday is all about BRUNCH! I took one of my fabulous friends’ Zumba class. She teaches at an upscale studio downtown Boston in the Back Bay. I have never taken a Zumba class before, and she was incredible! I mean the class, and her, well you get the point. I have ‘seen’ Zumba classes before at my gym but they were NOTHING like my friends class.

I felt like I was just at a dance party the whole time, but sweating a lot more (obviously) She played amazing music, had great choreography and the class flew by. Everyone was so high energy and in tune with themselves. Fabulous cardio workout! I may or may not be breaking out some dance moves in my apartment after taking that class!

For Brunch, we went to Cafeteria which is located on Newbury st in Boston. It was a hot and beautiful Sunday so of course we dined outside. I ordered a large iced coffee right away

The bread is just insane at these brunch places! Fresh crusty outside, doughy middle. It was more rustic and italian style and It was so delicious. Our server brought us plenty of olive oil and balsamic vinegar for dipping.

I ordered the cobb salad for my entree. It was served with hardboiled eggs, grilled chicken, tomatoes, avocado slices, blue cheese. The dressing was a creamy herb blend that brought out the flavors from the fresh arugala and romaine. It hit the spot!