Turkey Burn

This morning's 90 min Turkey Burn Spin Class on base was a great success! We packed everyone in for a full class. If you'd like to see more 90 min classes throughout the year, leave a comment.

Black Friday Sale

Check out the site for our one-day-only sale. Happy Shopping!

http://www.elevated-fitness.com/_/Specials.html

Thanksgiving Fitness Plan

Don't let your fitness fall by the wayside this week! Here's the play-by-play.

Wednesday: I'm sure you'll be pressed for time, doing last-minute grocery shopping and meal planning. Do a 5 minute warmup, then 2 min sprint or speed walk. Follow with a 2 minute recovery jog or walk. Repeat 4-7 times. Cooldown for 5 minutes and stretch. BAM! 30 minutes done, energy restored!

Join us for a Turkey Trot 4 mile group on Thursday morning (at my place; email elevatedfitnessllc@gmail.com for directions). If you missed the run, be sure to go for a long walk after dinner. Did I mention that you should limit yourself to ONE PLATE of food? Keep the servings small and drink plenty of water before and with dinner. 

If you can't make it to the group run:  5 min warmup. In a circuit: 10-20 traveling pushups, 20 jumping jacks, 20 walking lunges, 20 mountain climbers, 20 plié squats, 10 squat thrusts (or burps), 30-60 second plank, 30-60 seconds iron chair/wall sit, 0-60 seconds rest. Perform 3-5 circuits. cool down with an easy 5 min walk and stretch.

Friday should be a beautiful day for most of you. Dust off your bikes and take the family for a ride. Or, shoot some hoops or play a long game of tag in the yard or local park. Chicken Golf is a personal favorite of mine...Buy a few rubber chickens. Team up, one chicken per team.  Have each team line up at a "tee". The most forward team member passes the chicken over-under to the rear-most team member. He/She then throws the chicken toward the "hole" (trash can, bucket, etc). The team then runs together to their respective chicken. New person in front; Pass over/under, etc. The first team to get their chicken in the hole wins! To make it more interesting, you can incorporate trivia or exercises like pushups and sit-ups before the team can throw their chicken. Make it fun!

For those of you with base access, I'll be teaching a 90 minute Turkey Burn Spin Class on Saturday. If you're concerned about keeping up for the full hour and a half, don't be. This class is longer in duration, but lower in intensity. Space is limited, so get there early to reserve a bike. (My apologies to the STL Cranksgiving...from whom I stole this awesome graphic)

Sunday should include some active recovery. Maybe an easy walk with the dog and light stretching, or a yoga video to help energize your day after a long week of family and food.

Congrats! You did it!

Clean Cocktails

I'm so excited to see and hear the great feedback on the EF Parties. Tonight we wrapped up the second of November's Clean Cocktail themed get-togethers. I know there are a few of you that weren't able to make it - rest assured that you can host your own EF Party. Details to be posted soon.

Check out the website for different themes and dates for the next EF Party - www.elevated-fitness.com.

Here are the lovely drinks we sampled this month. Which was your favorite?

Mocktails / Non-alcoholic

Apple Glow

from Food Network UK; modification by Elevated Fitness

1/2 honeydew melon, peeled and   

  seeded

4 oz chilled apple juice (natural 

  unfiltered or fresh cider)

4 oz white grape juice

optional: 2 oz apple-flavored vodka

In a blender, combine items and blend for approximately 1 min, until honeydew is smooth. Add a handful of ice to blender for a daiquiri-type consistency.

Black Cherry Fizz

from Elevated Fitness

* Party Favorite!

2 oz black cherry juice (Knudsen brand)

2 oz peach nectar OR

   optional: 2 oz peach-flavored rum OR
                 2 oz peach schnapps

2 oz+ seltzer water

Shake cherry juice and peach nectar (or rum) over ice. Pour in a tall glass and add seltzer water.

Carrot-Ginger Cocktail

from Food Network UK; modification by Elevated Fitness

optional 2 oz vodka

6 oz carrot juice

2 oz apple juice (natural unfiltered or fresh cider)

1/2 t. fresh-grated ginger

lime wheel for garnish

optional 1/8 t fresh nutmeg

Combine all items in a shaker over ice. Pour over ice and garnish with a lime wheel.

Cocktails

Spiced Bourbon Delight

from Food Network UK

* Party Favorite!

2 oz Maker’s Mark Bourbon

6 oz apple cider or unfiltered apple   

  juice

Fresh grated ginger, to taste

Lemon wedge for garnish

Add bourbon, apple cider and ginger to a shaker filled with ice. Shake and pour over ice in a tall glass. Garnish with lemon wedge. 

**Can also be served warm.

Mulled Wine

1 bottle dry or semi-dry red wine (Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon)

1 packet mulling spices OR

   2 whole cloves

   1/4 t ground nutmeg

   1/8 t ground cardamom

   pinch ground allspice

   1 strip fresh orange peel

   1 strip fresh lemon peel 

1/4 c sugar or sugar substitute (to 

   taste)

Combine in a large saucepan and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes. Serve with optional cinnamon stick.

Shattered Ornament

from Vin de Set, St. Louis, MO

2 oz Goldschläger

2 oz vodka

2-4 oz cranberry juice

Shake over ice and serve in a martini glass. Great for the holidays! (not such a “clean” cocktail, though...)

In case you were wondering...

Yes, I tackled my hill run on the new treadmills on base this afternoon (thanks to some pretzels I had hidden in my car in case of an emergency snack), and followed with my kettlebell prep for RKC in February.

Then I gnawed off my left arm b/c I was starving!!

Time for a little motivation

So I had a couple of cancellations this morning and knew that it would be the perfect time to get my Tuesday run out of the way before a busy work day. I woke up before my alarm, feeling pretty well-rested. I knew it was chilly outside, so I bundled up and took the dog for a walk. As soon as I opened the back gate, the cold wind hit me like a brick wall. I knew that I wasn't going to run this morning. It could wait until this afternoon. Then the devil/angel debate began on my shoulders:

Devil: It's so cold! Wait until this afternoon when it warms up a little. I'm sure there won't be any wind then.
Angel: You've run in much worse. Get it out of the way.
Devil: Is that your stomach growling? You should eat a nice breakfast before going to work.
Angel: Just grab a piece of toast and you'll be fine. You'll only be gone for 40 minutes. It's not like you're racing a marathon. Just GO.
Devil: Those client profiles you have been ignoring really need some attention. Now you have an extra hour to tackle them.
Angel: Don't fool yourself. You know you feel better when you START your day with exercise.

So - who won? In today's case, the Devil won. I will tackle some hills on the treadmill this afternoon.

Last week I was chatting with a client about motivation. She was surprised to hear that I, an exercise addict of sorts, struggle with motivation sometimes, too. Everyone does. The trick is learning your barriers to exercise and doing your best to overcome them.

For me, I know that if I don't work out in the morning, I am far less likely to do it in the afternoon. Even if I have the time later in the day, other excuses creep in and before I know it, I'm sitting on the couch watching the latest trash TV shows. AM workouts also give me time to put together a decent meal for dinner after work. This doesn't mean that after-work routines are bad. Not at all! What works for you, works for you. Find a groove and stick with it.

By now you're thinking that I definitely won't exercise this afternoon. That's not necessarily true. You must be flexible to adhere to any kind of routine. Life happens, after all. And now that I have committed via the blog, I will definitely squeeze in my run this afternoon. :)

So next time the Devil on your shoulder starts whispering excuses, brush him off. Or at least give him a run for his money.

Have a great workout!