LEG DAY & a Giveaway WInner!!

Since I have not had to spend multiple hours swimming, biking, or running…I have been able to get back into the weight room. 

It has been really nice to tap into another realm of working out, it has been one that I have missed!

I thought I would share some of the moves I am loving right now. 

First up…..LEG DAY!!

That special day that makes us hate toilet seats and stairs. The day that makes us realize just how often we stand and sit throughout the day. That day that makes us remember that our ass is actually a muscle!

First Move….Front Squats!

I like this move because it helps me get low in the squat but still keep good form.

In this move, you place the bar on your shoulders/collar bone, keep those fingers right underneath the bar with your elbows high. 

Keeping your weight in your heels, drop those buns low and power your way back up through those legs. I tell my clients to try to keep their elbows in front of their knees to help keep their weight set in those heels.

Next…Dead Lift.

This is like the mother of all moves. It's a power move and 9 times out of 10, when you're done, you can drop the weights on the floor with authority then strut around the gym like-a-boss.

Kidding, I don't slam weights and/or strut. BUT if I did….I would totally do it like-a-boss!

In this move, you keep the bar right up against your shins, drop your buns, keep a strong flat back, then use those legs to power up to a standing position. Keep the weight close to the body, and return the weights to the floor, right up against your shins.

Strong, Powerful, and very boss-like!

Lastly, TRX Piston Squats.

I love using the TRX! It's versatile, compact, and you can really work hard on it!

For a piston squat, kick one leg out in front of you, hold it out nice and straight, then drop into a single leg squat, getting as low as you can go!  Power back up using one leg, maintaing your balance, and keeping that one leg out straight.

You will feel this one in those buns!!

LEG DAY is always a day that I feel the NEXT day! Your legs carry you everywhere and it's important to keep them strong. Strong legs are sexy legs and look better in jeans!

Whatever you do…do not skip leg day, especially you fellas out there! Boys….you look silly with huge strong upper bodies and tiny legs. It's not a flattering look, chicks don't dig it, and yes….we notice and make fun of you. 

DON'T SKIP LEG DAY!!

TIME TO GET DOWN TO BUSINESS!!!

THE WINNER OF THE ECOTREK WHOLE FOOD BARS IS….

drumroll….

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

18

Timestamp: 2013-11-01 01:57:40 UTC

ERIC WALLIS!!

Congrats Eric! Cari from EcoTrek will be sending you a delicious box of her whole food bars for you to enjoy!!

October in the Midwest and a GIVEAWAY!!!

One of my favorite family traditions is to head to VALA'S PUMPKIN PATCH! Have I mentioned that Halloween is my very favorite holiday?? I Love it! Dressing up plus candy…total win!!

ANYWAYS…..Vala's is a huge pumpkin patch just on the outskirts of Omaha. It is fun for the whole family! They have the best caramel apples, bonfire pits, haunted houses, fudge shop, giant slides, corn maze, pig races…you name it...they have it!

This year when we went, we were lucky enough to run into some of Wes' favorite people!!

I also became acutely aware that my son is growing up way too fast! 

We spent about 4 hours there and still didn't get to do everything! Don't worry…..I made sure to get my caramel apple!

Ok…Back to the fitness side of things!

Cari over at EcoTrek Fitness was generous enough to send me a sampling of her delicious EcoTrek Whole Food Bars.

DarkChocolate Toasted Coconut

Dark Chocolate Raspberry

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter

These bars are created using high quality nutritional foods. They avoid refined sugar, artificial sweeteners, and genetically modified ingredients. Even better….they are made with "Super Foods" !! Spirulina, Wheat Grass, Spinach, Chlorella, and more!  They are Vegan and non-dairy, and made with 6 servings of fruits and veggies!!

Sounds too healthy to taste good, right?? WRONG!! They are absolutely amazing! I shared with a few work peeps and we all agreed these are totally amazing! You can actually taste the real food inside! You can taste the raspberries, you can taste the coconut, they are outstanding!! Plus each bar has 10 grams of protein!!

BUT DON'T TAKE MY WORD FOR IT!! SEE FOR YOURSELF!!

You can win a FREE BOX of EcoTrek Fitness Bars direct from the source!!

How to win:

1. "LIKE" Kendall Personal Fitness on Facebook and leave a comment stating which flavor you'd like

                  (one entry)   Click HERE

2. "SHARE" the contest on your FACEBOOK page (one entry)

Winner will be drawn on HALLOWEEN!!

Good luck!!

Healthy AND Easy Mexican Crockpot Chicken

There is a saying in the fitness world that we trainers like to use quite often...

"you can't out exercise a bad diet".

It is a sound saying, one based in fact. The one exception to that rule.....training for an Ironman.

The last 6-7 weeks of my Ironman training I could literally eat whatever I wanted....didn't matter the portions....and not gain weight. 

After the race, I took some time off, let my body heal and recuperate. I took 4 days off of any exercise and ate what I craved, thinking I was "listening to my body". I let myself do this for about a week, ok so maybe it was two weeks.

 Then I checked in.....I had gained 6 pounds and put on 2% in body fat.  IN TWO WEEKS!!!

Wow....So....note to self....ice cream is not a good recovery food.

WHAT??

Needless to say, I've had to make some changes. The past 3-4 weeks I have really started to pay attention. I am back to my food/exercise journal, logging religiously, and proud to report I am back down in both weight and body fat!

I have moved from a carb lovers diet, one of the endurance athlete brand, to a lower carb/more protein diet, more of the regular more appropriate for everyone brand! 

Not only am I a Personal Trainer, but I teach fitness classes, run a small fitness business, teach at 2 gyms, run a household, and am a mom to a very cute 6 year old. So I'm busy and always on the look out for quick, healthy meals!

Here's my fave this month...my version of a healthy AND easy Mexican crockpot chicken!

Throw one bag of frozen chicken breasts into your crockpot, one can of stewed diced tomatoes, and half a jar of salsa. Set it on low and go!

That is it!!

When you get home from work, your house smells fantastic. The chicken is so tender that I literally shredded the entire crockpot full of chicken using my fork....directly in the crockpot!!

My son and I ate dinner and then I packaged up the rest of the chicken into portioned sized tupperware!

Lunch for the rest of the week my friends!!

 

I use the chicken on salads, for fajitas, in tacos, and love it straight out of the container!

So how does this little recipe stack up nutritionally??

I plugged the recipe into caloriecount.com. The Nutrition facts you see are based on one serving, one chicken breast. 

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 204 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories  291 Calories from Fat  56

% Daily Value*

Total Fat  6.2g 10%

Trans Fat  0.0g

Cholesterol  147mg 49%

Sodium  390mg 16%

Total Carbohydrates  2.0g 1%

Dietary Fiber  0.5g 2%

Sugars  1.0g

Protein  55.8g

Vitamin A 2% • Vitamin C 1% Calcium 3% • Iron 13%

Nutrition Grade B+

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Nutritional Analysis

Good points

• Very low in saturated fat
• Low in sugar
• Very high in niacin
• High in phosphorus
• Very high in selenium
• Very high in vitamin B6
• Very high in vitamin B12

Not to shabby if you ask me!

~What are your favorite "go to"     recipes when your tight on time?

What It Takes To Become An Ironman: Part 3

Part Three of my mini series talks about surviving running a marathon after swimming and biking 114.4  miles. As you can probably tell from the picture below...the LAST thing you feel like doing is running a full freakin' marathon after being on the bike for hours on end!!

The single most important thing that you need is shoes!

Shoes are a very personal, individual thing. You have to find out what is right for your feet. 

I've tried Brooks, Saucony, Asisics....a few I've like and a few I can't tolerate at all. 

My shoe of choice....

Mizuno Wave Inspire

LOVE THEM!! Light weight, stiff, and fit just right! Not to mention....they come in all sorts of really great colors!! My latest pair are pink!!

The second thing I recommend for running the marathon portion of an ironman is a running buddy. The demons that you battle in your head during this event are E-P-I-C. Having someone to distract your is priceless.

 

There was definitely a pace difference between the two of us, but after 15 hours on the course....is 20 minutes really going to matter that much in the long run?? Or is finishing with a friend more important??

Personally, I chose the latter of the two!

You can not finish an Ironman, or even a marathon for that matter, without proper fuel. Period. End of Discussion. 

I ate and drank something at every single aid station on the course. Sometimes it was a handful of pretzels and some gatorade and sometimes it was two baby dill pickles and a cup of water. BUT I had SOMETHING at every single stop. To be honest, I think it will be a very long time before I have lemon lime gatorade again....

Another thing that I had to have... Energybits. 

Energybits are dried Spirulina Algae, they are FULL of protein and vitamins and settle well in the tummy. Getting that protein in is key to keeping those muscles happy and moving! Spirulina is 60% protein, easily digestible, and all natural. 

I am very fortunate to be an ambassador for Energybits and know first hand all the benefits associated with eating algae! If you would like to try some Energybits, please message me and I will send you a sample! 

If you are already sold on Energybits, use coupon code "Kendall fitness" and save 20% on your next order!!

~ What are your race day go to's?

~ What are your shoes of choice?

What It Takes To Be An Ironman: Part 2

In part two of my Ironman Mini Series I am going to talk about cycling.

By far, cycling was my novice category. Sounds strange, but in High School and College I worked at a Bike Shop. I mostly did inventory but eventually went out to the sales floor. The thing is...I knew nothing about cycling. I could explain what made one bike better than another, how a bike should fit, and what gadgets could make a ride more convenient, but I really knew nothing about cycling.

Training to ride 112 miles...you learn a few things....and you learn them fast.

First, cycling is kind of lonely. You can't just pop in your earphones and zone out to your music, that is totally dangerous. Even if you ride with someone, you typically don't ride side by side and chat the whole ride.

Second, 15-17 mph on a bike is considered a respectable pace. But let's do the math....

riding 15mph....112 mile ride.....about 7 1/2 hours!!

Yup...cycling can take ALL-DAMN-DAY!

Another thing I learned is that cycling is much more technical than the other disciplines. Tires, tubes, gears, lube, gloves, helmets, shoes, cleats, shorts, padding (which is a must), and so on.

So...how do you navigate through all the technical pieces??

FIND A DAMN GOOD BIKE SHOP!!!

 Here's Doug, Product Manager for The Bike Rack, checking over my bike! 

In Omaha and Lincoln, we are pretty fortunate, we have The Bike Rack.

The Bike Rack is THE place to go! The Bike Rack was nominated in 2012 as a top 100 retailer through Bicycle Retailer and Industry News, they have the biggest inventory I have seen, you can shop online, in the store, and if they don't have a product you want...they will get it!

The Bike Rack also has a top rated Service Department! Kelly, the Lead Mechanic, is an absolute maniac! I love him!! The man doesn't even own a car. He rides this ridiculous super jacked bike all over town and has the quads to prove it!! Dylan, the Service Manager, has been working at The Bike Rack for about 4 years and knows his stuff! Not to mention.....Dylan is total eye candy. Seriously....he is a cutie!

The Bike Rack does a lot for the cycling community as well. They advocate for the cycling community, organize community rides, and are involved in various events for non-profits and other community organizations such as Millard Public Schools Special Needs, Adaptive Bicycle Program, they provide support for charity rides, and have worked with the Boy Scouts.

Needless to say, I feel very fortunate to have a shop like The Bike Rack in my circle of friends! They are my DAMN GOOD BIKE SHOP, and have supported me on my journey towards becoming an Ironman.

Want to learn more about The Bike Rack....

CLICK HERE