Planks

These are just fabulous for your core and I think should be a part of every one's fitness repertoire. I use a lot of planks in classes and with clients because they work wonderfully. Yay, abs!
A plank is like the top of a push up, except that your hands are lined up underneath your shoulders. Maintain a straight line from heals to head; no butts in the air.
If you'd like to modify, prop your self on your elbows and forearms instead.
Now for the fun part; hold it. You may feel your sides start to shake, don't panic, just say hello to your obliques!
Remember to breathe, and aim for holding the pose for one minute. (Building up to it will probably take some time). Do it three times a week, on non-consecutive days.
These are great for beginners and experienced exercisers alike, and there are so many ways to use them. Watch for more!

Ouch, get the RICE!

There's an acronym commonly used in the fitness world after an injury. If you've gone too far, or a muscle has decided to rebel, try giving that area a little RICE.

R - rest
I - ice
C - compress
E - elevate

Remember, you know your body better than anyone else. Use your best judgement and get thee to the doctor, if needed. For myself, more often that not, RICE has done the trick.

Easy Portion Control

Anyone that knows me knows I love my ice cream. One of the ways I keep it in check is by always eating it out of a regular sized coffee mug (not the big mama-jamas I pour my caffeine in to). Same goes for cereal, chips or popcorn to nibble on; anything that would normally go in a bowl gets sized down to the coffee mug.
The same works with plates, a salad plate vs. a dinner plate. Case in point, crab cakes. I made some and had two for lunch yesterday. Two crab cakes on a dinner plate look sad and tiny, the same two on a salad plate look much more robust and satisfying. It's a head game, I know, but one that makes for an easy win.

Commercial Workouts

Do you ever feel like you don't have the time to work out, but you can squeeze in an episode of, say, Oprah? Me, too. That's when I turn to what I call the "commercial workout". During every commercial break of a one hour show, do 25 of each of the following.

1. jumping jacks
2. squats
3. push ups (regular or modified)
4. double crunches (-instead of starting crunches with your knees bent and flat on the floor, knees are bent at a 90-degree angle, with the tops of the shins parallel to the floor. As you perform a crunch, bring your knees towards your face, butt lifting off of the floor. Return to starting position; that's one rep. It's sort of like curling in to a ball and releasing.)

By the end of your show, you will have performed at least 100 of each, with a nice big break between sets. Not bad for TV time!

Eat a Rainbow

Most people know 5-9 servings of produce is the daily goal. Get more bang for your nutrient buck by eating a rainbow every day, making sure to eat at least one serving of each of the five colors below.

Red (ex., strawberries, cherries, radishes, tomatoes, red peppers)

Orange (ex., oranges, pumpkin, butternut squash, carrots, sweet potatoes)

Yellow (ex., banana, yellow squash, lemon, yellow peppers)

Green (ex., zucchini, spinach, asparagus, green beans, romaine lettuce)

Purple (ex., blueberries, blackberries, plums, eggplant, red cabbage, even though red is in the name)

Daddy's Mama's Potato Soup

Today is a gray, rainy day in the Napa Valley, and it calls for soup. This was one of my dad's favorites; mine too. Healthy, yummy, it hits the spot on a cold day like this.

2 Tbs. olive oil
4 cloves minced garlic
1 cup finely chopped onion
3 medium tomatoes, peeled & chopped
1/2 cup chopped green chiles
1 Tbs. flour
2 quarts hot chicken or vegetable broth
2 1/2 cup peeled, chopped (bite-sized) potatoes
2tsp. salt
1tsp.pepper
2 carrots, thinly sliced
1thinly sliced medium zucchini
jack cheese, cubed, for garnish

Heat oil in a 3-qt. saucepan, add the next 4 ingredients and saute for 3 minutes. Continue stirring as you pour in the hot broth. Add potatoes and S&P. Cover and simmer on Low for 15 minutes. Add carrots and zucchini and cook (at least) another 15 minutes,until potatoes are tender.
To serve, put cubed jack cheese in the bottom of each bowl and ladle the soup over the top of it.

Comfort food, ahhhh.......

Plank jacks

For a move that will blow your mind and blast your abs, try the plank jack.
You'll feel these all over, but they are especially fantastic for that harder to reach section below the belly button, which I fondly refer to as the pooch.

-Start down in a plank position (like the top of a push up); hands are lined up under your shoulders and feet are close together. Keep your body in a straight line from head to heels, no butts in the air, remember, your body should look like a plank, not a mountain...
-Now for the fun; jump your legs out and in as if you were doing jumping jacks, keeping that nice straight body line to your plank.

Start with one set of 10-15, and build from there.
Enjoy!

Walking Work Outs

Walking is an effective type exercise, that happens to be crazy convenient; you can do it anywhere and really only need a good pair of shoes. To make your walks even more effective, try adding intervals to bring that heart rate up. Make your metabolism happy today!

A thirty minute walk breaks down like this:

5 minutes: warm up at a moderate pace
2 minutes: as fast as you can; a fast walk, a light jog, or even a run
1 minute: back down to that moderate pace you used to warm up
2 minutes: as fast as you can
1 minute: moderate pace
-continue alternating between the two for 20 minutes-
5 minutes- moderate pace to cool down

(Adapt these patterns for longer or shorter walks, being sure to always include that 5 minute warm up and cool down.)

Walk on!

Crazy Good Pancakes

Buttermilk Pancakes

(Don't pass these up if you don't have buttermilk! See how to improvise at the end of the recipe. These are adapted from a recipe I saw in Sunset magazine years ago, and they are absolutely fabulous, fluffy, and delicious.)

In one bowl whisk together:
2 cups flour
2 Tbs. sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt

In another whisk together:
2 cups buttermilk
4 Tbs. melted butter
1 tsp. vanilla
2 lightly beaten eggs

Pour the liquid mixture in to the flour mixture and combine; do not over mix.
Let the batter sit while you heat a pan over medium heat (I like cast iron for these). Add a touch of butter to the hot pan and pour in pancakes after foaming subsides. Cook until bubbles begin breaking in the middle, then flip and cook until done.
Add that touch of butter for each batch.

*faux buttermilk: put 2 Tbs. lemon juice or cider vinegar (white in a pinch) in a measuring cup, fill to the 2 cup level with low or non fat milk. Let sit for 5 minutes then use in recipe.

3 Types of Push ups

These are my 3 favorite types of push ups:


Basic: Space your hands so that when you lower your body your elbows form a 90-degree angle
Diamond: Make a diamond with your thumbs and index fingers. Place hands on the floor so that when you lower your body, your nose is headed towards the center of the diamond

Military Press: Hands are lined up underneath your shoulders. As you lower your body bring your elbows in, so they are close to your rib cage

-For all 3: Keep your body straight like a board and feet close together.

-Modified options:

1) place your hands on a counter top or wall instead of the floor
2) perform push ups on your knees; I have clients cross their ankles and keep them up off of the floor

Start with one set of 10-15 of each; build up to 3 sets of each, rotating through the different styles.


Tomorrow...pancakes!

Why Push ups and Pancakes?

Why push ups and pancakes? Because I am a big fan of both.
My name is Kristin and I've been a Certified Personal Trainer for more than twelve years. I have been teaching fitness classes (body sculpting, circuit training, cardio kickboxing and more) for almost twenty years, and my first "real job" after college was as a nutrition consultant. I wrote a weekly column, "Healthy Living", for the Napa Valley Register for five years. Except for some freelance writing, my entire professional life has revolved around fitness and helping people live healthier lifestyles.
Now for the pancakes part. I love them, preferably with melted butter and sugar on top...mmm.... That's right, I am a fitness pro and if loving pancakes is wrong, I don't wanna be right. And it's not just pancakes, get between me and my ice cream at your own risk. As far as I am concerned, nothing is ever forbidden, everything is okay in moderation. It's all about balance.
Personal trainers are not perfect. I have met many people who assume that all trainers work out seven days a week and eat only fish and steamed veggies. Ha! I am a wife, mother, daughter, granddaughter, sister, auntie, cousin, trainer, teacher, writer, and friend. I am way too busy to even think about being perfect. I gained 60-70 (not a typo) both times I was pregnant. I think it made me a better trainer, because I've had to lose weight and get back in shape just like my clients.
My life and career have taught me quite a bit about fitness, exercise, health, nutrition, and weight loss, and that is what I am going to share in this blog. I love push ups and I love pancakes, and right here you'll find a little bit of both.