Fitness Friday

Happy Friday y'all! Just like on Wednesday, I'm trying out some new topics I'm passionate about for the blog. So a couple of Fridays every month I'll be talking about smart eating & my latest fitness obsessions. January is synonymous with resolutions and virtually anyone setting goals for the new year lists "get in shape" on their lists, right? Especially if you allowed yourself to indulge over the Holidays like I did. Wowzers. Full confession: not only did I skip the gym and take a break from working out, I put on 5 pounds the last 2 months of 2011. No bueno.

Thanks to my very active parents & some good genes, I've always been a workout lover and stayed fit. But Fall tailgate season followed by the Holidays proved that I've reached that stage in life where I can't just eat whatever I want anymore and get lax with exercise. While I'm mostly a trail runner & distance swimmer, I'm really craving some variety in my workouts lately, some new challenges besides yoga & Pure Barre. And I'm really in the mood to push myself with more cross training & tougher strength training.

So I was thrilled when a friend in my Girls Running Club pointed out BodyRock.tv - a site geared for home workouts of 12-20 minutes, with minimal to no gear required. The best part? The workouts are free! You can even subscribe and have a new workout delivered to your Inbox or Reader, daily. Brilliant idea if you ask me! There are endless workouts and individual exercises to choose from, so you never get bored & can tailor your training to your needs. I absolutely love it!

Here's just a sample workout that I used last night:

I always skip the first minute of chit-chat and get straight to the workout, watching the technique & interval sets first, then doing the workout with the instructor. It's just like using an exercise dvd. And if you don't like this workout, there are tons of other options to choose from. On those days when you don't feel like going to the gym or running outside in cold temps, BodyRock is an awesome alternative!

If you're going to invest in your body enough to workout then you've got to commit to fueling it properly by eating right. I'm not a health nut by any means, but I love the way my body feels and the extra energy I get from eating healthier meals. That way I don't feel so guilty when I indulge a little on the weekends ;) But after all the sweets & rich foods from the Holidays and a New Orleans vacation, my body has been craving raw veggies, greens, & fruits lately. And lots of them.

Two recipes I've made this week for lunch and a snack are the Kale & Red Cabbage Detox Salad and the Oat & Date Energy Bites in the pic above. I can't get enough of the detox salad. The dijon-vinaigrette dressing is divine! And the no-bake sweet bites taste just like one of those Quaker Oat Chewy Granola bars, but without all the sugar & preservatives. But in case neither of those sound appealing, here are a few other detox salad & snack recipes I love to rotate:

1. Detox Shredded Veggie Salad via With Style and Grace
2. Mediterranean Detox Salad via Health Magazine
3. Raw Peanut Butter Bites via The Lovely Cupboard
4. Butterfinger Dough Balls via Running To The Kitchen

*Note: In the Kale & Red Cabbage Salad I substitute walnuts for the cashews & chia seeds for the hemp seeds. And in the Butterfinger Dough Balls I substitute almond butter for peanut butter & agave nectar (or honey) for the maple syrup.


So what fitness goals have y'all set for yourselves this year? And what are some of your favorite healthy foods & workouts? Tell me about them in the comments! I'm always looking for new recipes and training fads. And check out BodyRock - let me know what you think! Have a terrific weekend y'all!!