Get Fit Carlie at Home: 15 minute circuit

A year ago I invested in a pair of five-pound hand weights to keep around the house along with a yoga mat. I used my $15 gym for light circuits that complimented my cardio workouts, but they also acted as a great substitute for days I needed a quick workout and didn’t have time for the 20 minute commute to and from the gym.

I recently moved into a new house and most of my stuff has been misplaced – this includes one of my hand weights. Without a pair to use, I thought circuits would be a lost cause. But I woke up from a post-work nap and had an hour and a half to get a workout, shower, and dinner before I needed to be at a NCAA Sweet 16 Party.

I found the one hand weight I had and a can of paint. I moved my stereo to the living room and I came up with following circuit to get a good sweat. (Note: One thing I learned from my trainer was to do things for time limits instead of reps. It helps you concentrate on breathing and form instead of speeding to completion. Better form is an overall better workout, so if you get tired, hold a position for 15 seconds instead of moving.)

This was one of my more unusual circuits and it lacked a little flow, similar to my dynamic workouts with my trainer. Goal is to get a new set of 8 lb. hand weights to do circuits at home with our punching bag.

What I listened to: Black Eyed Peas - The E.N.D

• Jumping Jacks - 1 minute
• High-Step with 5 lb weight – 1 minute (hold weight by the ends and extend your arms straight in front)
• Push-Ups – 30 seconds (whenever I do modified push-ups, I’ll go for 15 seconds more)
• Oblique Crunch – 15 reps each side
• Turn-n-touch* – 1 minute
• One-Leg drops – 20 reps
• Push-Ups – 30 seconds
• Wall Squat – 1 minute
• One-leg balanced Row with paint can as weight – 30 seconds on each side
• High-Step with 5 lb weight – 30 seconds
• Plank – 1 minute
• Lateral Leg Lifts – 30 seconds each side
• Squats with Paint Can (as kettle ball) – 45 seconds

*Turn n Touch with weight: in sit-up position, lift feet off the ground so that lower legs are parallel to the ground; hold weight between hands at chest level and keep your elbows out, twisting slowly to touch the weight to the left side, twisting slowly to the center, then twisting to the right and touching the weight to the ground, repeat. Use your core to keep the V position.

What kind of circuits are you doing at home and what are your tools?  What kind of workouts are in your repertoire?

Oatmeal Meatballs

A few weeks ago I premade old fashioned oatmeal to eat at work, but after a few days I grew tired of the monotony and brought home the tub-o-oats and tossed it in the freezer.  I hate wasting food, so when I have leftovers I need to get creative.  And getting my fiancee to eat whole grains is like feeding a child - if he knows they're in something, he protests.  Thankfully, plain oatmeal is a great filler for a lot of things.

My fiancee, an avid runner, loves pasta.  Lately I've been watching my carb intake, but that doesn't mean I need to be pasta-less.To make the meal filling but not heavy, I've modified my meatballs to "beef " them up and stretch the ingredients.  Here is my recipe for Oatmeal Meatballs which I served with Rebekah's Sauce and Whole Foods spinach spaghetti.  I'll share Rebekah's sauce at a different time when I can fully describe it, but any homemade tomato sauce will do.  I'm using some leftover Rebekah's sauce that I froze from a month ago (still good!)  and mixing it up with some fresh ingredients.

Oatmeal Meatballs

Need:  Bowl for mixing, medium frying pan, pasta pot, oven-safe baking dish (I used a pie pan)

Ingredients:
1/2 - 1/3 lb 90% lean ground beef
1/2 cup left-over cooked plain oatmeal (bulgur wheat, groats, corn meal all work great)
1/4 cup finely shredded carrots
1/4 cup minced yellow onions
1 tbsp breadcrumbs
1/2 tsp italian herbs
1/2 tsp dried basil
olive oil
salt & pepper

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix the ingredients above until thoroughly combined and shape into 1 1/2 inch balls.  Place the meatballs into the baking dish at least a quarter-inch apart. Drizzle olive oil over the meatballs and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.  Bake in oven for 20 - 25 minutes or until the insides are cooked thoroughly and show no pink.

While the meatballs are baking, prepare homemade sauce.  Here's a doctored version of Rebekah's sauce that uses left over sauce, 1 can of diced tomatoes, 1/4 of a yellow onion, and two cloves of garlic.  Sautee the onion and garlic, adding the tomatoes and the frozen sauce and simmer until the meatballs are ready.

I prepared 1/2 lb  of spinach spaghetti (I had cooked the other half on two other occassions) according to the package directions.

The meatballs turned out light, moist, and flavorful with a slight crunch to the outside.

I kept the presentation simple.  Create a small nest of pasta, place three meatballs, sauce.  Sprinkle some Parmesan cheese, garnish with fresh parsley or cilantro.

I love how this dish is full of bright, simple flavors.  The meatballs are delicate but filling... and you wouldn't even know that there are whole grains tucked away in there.

Enjoy!

Cardio, Abs, & Legs 3-24-2010

I used today's workout to get some real focus on my Abs, but I always have some element of cardio to keep my workout more dynamic.  Considering the amount of legwork I did during cardio, I laid off the weights.

35 minutes, intervals: elliptical
10 minutes, walk/run treadmill

Abs:
20 straight crunches
20 punch sit-ups (in the up position, "shadow box", punching right cross then left cross and return to the reclined position)
20 twists with 10lb weight (in the up position, hold the weight at chest level with your elbows pointed outward.  Twist the upper body to the left and touch the weight to the ground, twist to return to center.  Repeat this same movement to the right and return to the center.)
20 oblique crunches with 10lb weight
2 minutes of slow leg drops (on your back, legs extended into the air creating a 90 degree angle, slowly lower your legs until you are an inch from the ground, and bring your legs back up to the perpendicular position and repeat for 2 minutes)

Core:
1 minute - Plank
2 minutes - Side Plank (1 minute on each side)
2 minutes - Leg/Arm balance (from a table position, extend and lift the right leg to create an even plane with your spine.  Balancing and using your core, left your left arm straight out infront of your body.  From a side view, your limbs should create a table inline with your spine.  Repeat on the other side.)

Legs:
1 minute Squats with 10 lb. weight (perform squat, upon returning to standing, press the weight above your head.  Slowly lower and return to squat)
20 reps Jane Fondas (from table position, kick your heel straight up above your hip squeezing your gluts to focus energy)

Weekly Poll: How often do you work out?

A recent article in the magazine Fitness covered the excessive habits of women who worked out too much. So I want to ask my friends and readers, how often do you work out? How much working out is too much? Have you ever felt awful when you skip a day at the gym? Cast your vote on the right-hand side poll and sound off with your comments below!

Weeks to Go: 9

Weeks to Go: 9

I've never been partial to countdowns. Generally, the process of creating a countdown is daunting. And I question just how accurate my tabulation is, eventually recalibrating until I get a number that is a single digit. Nine - nine weeks.

My goal when I began the fitness binge was to lose weight for my wedding. I had been 134 pounds when I graduated from college and after two and a half years in the sedentary workforce with a diet of beer, 45 cent wings, and fast food, I ballooned to nearly 150 lbs. Balloon is an exaggeration for some, but on my five-foot-four-inch frame, I was carrying 20 pounds over my recommended weight with 29-percent of my body composition being body-fat. No matter how you spin it, the percentage of fat I on my body was enough to alert me. In January, ramped up my work-outs with a trainer and a gym membership.

I am now six pounds away from my short goal: my weight during my senior year of college. Knowing where I need to be in nine weeks, six pounds seems incredibly attainable. To keep myself accountable, I'm starting this blog in addition to a Twitter Feed @GetFitCarlie. I hope that keeping a blog about my diet and my workout will help keep me on track. I want to share recipe and menu ideas on a budget. I'll post updates on my progress (and photos - gasp) as well as daily workout routines.

I believe in practicing what you preach, and I hope my philosophy for honesty and discipline help you make healthy choices everyday.





*Disclaimer: The author of this blog has no professional or medical expertise in the fields of exercise physiology, dietetics, and nutrition, nor does the author claim to have certification or special knowledge regarding any topics covered in this publication. The Menus and workouts offered in this blog chronicle that of the author's daily practices and are not intended to be used in the absence of professional medical advice. Use commonsense and caution before attempting any fitness routines. Before starting any exercise regimen, consult your physician.*