Happy Thanksgiving From the Right Fits!

Sorry for the short hiatus. I was in Milwaukee for the past three days with my family. All four of my sisters were there with their husbands and kids. It was definitely a full house!

The rest of my family ran a Turkey Trot 5k on Thanksgiving morning, but my "stress reaction" in my tibia meant no running for me. Fortunately, I am still able to work out with other activities, so I went to a Body Pump class at my sister's gym, Elite Sports Club. 

What I love about Body Pump is that its the same class no matter where you go. The class is all weight lifting, with no jumping or high-impact activities, so it didn't cause any issues for the "stress reaction."

Then it was time to cook! I was in charge of the mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, baked brie phyllo cups with craisins and walnuts, scalloped corn, rice krispie treats, and Oreo truffles. I prepped most of the food the weekend before, so at the last minute I was also tasked with the sweet potato casserole.

There were a lot of cooks in the kitchen, but that's what makes it so fun.

Like every Thanksgiving, I ate just a bit too much, but had a great time with my family. 

We played plenty of games (Truth be Told, Things, Fishbowl, etc) and ate plenty of food.

By the end of the day, my little family was ready for a nap!

Happy Thanksgiving from my family to yours!

Weekly Recap: Back At It!

By Cool J in Minneapolis

Hello friends! How was your week and weekend?

There have been some crazy storms here in Minneapolis the past few days. In fact some of my friends are still without power! There were no reported tornadoes, but the wreckage of downed trees and flooded streets seems nearly as bad as if there had been.

just one example of a tree I saw in Minneapolis

We were fortunate that we didn't lose power and were able to continue on as usual. "As usual" this week meant back to running! This week marked the end of "Newport" recovery, and time to get back at it.

I've found that if I post a weekly recap, I am more accountable for fitting in the cross training, rest, and yoga that I know that I need. So here goes...

Monday: Run in AM, Balanced Barre in the PM
Tuesday: Run in AM
Wednesday: French 5k (Read about it here)
Thursday: Run in AM
Friday: Complete rest
Saturday: Run 12 miles - it was SO humid. This is me post- run, and no, I did not wet my pants. That was just sweat!

Sunday: Run to the YMCA, take Body Pump class, run home afterwards, total of 5.25 miles
Total mileage: about 38 miles, 1 barre, and 1 strength. Not perfect, but somewhat balanced.

After Saturday's long run, Dustin and I paddleboarded for about an hour. It was our first time back on the water this summer, and it was so fun!

(Picture from last summer, not yesterday)

The rest of the weekend was low-key but nice. As usual, there was plenty of time at the dog park with Matilda and some housework. Saturday night, we had dinner at Pig Ate My Pizza in Robbinsdale (so good!). Sunday, I met a few friends at the St. Louis Park Aquatic Center for some sun and fun.

So that's my weekend in a nutshell. I hope you enjoyed the first official summer weekend!

I know that LL has a great Fits on the Road coming about her weekend away for her anniversary. Stay tuned!

Fits Do Fitness Class Reviews: BODYPUMP at the YMCA

By Cool J in Minneapolis

Monday: Ran on treadmill

Tuesday: Ran outside in the AM

Wednesday: Ran outside in the AM, kettlebell class at Balance Fitness (did you miss my recent recap on this class? Check it out HERE

Thursday: Ran in the AM

Friday: COMPLETE rest day! Yay!

Saturday: 13.5 miles @ 35 degrees. Awesome!

Sunday: Treadmill + BODYPUMP

BODYPUMP? That’s new to the weekly recap, isn’t it Jess?

Why, yes it is!

 Have you tried BODYPUMP before?

I did today!

  

Actually, I had tried it once about two years ago (before LL and I started the Right Fits). But it had definitely been awhile! As I mentioned in this post, I have been pretty consistent with my kettlebells class, but as you can see in my weekly recap, I definitely need to do more than just one strength day. I usually try to mix in a yoga sculpt class or a barre class in there, as both of those types of classes involve some strength training.  But I’m not on a solid routine for that second strength training day...at least not yet. Maybe BODYPUMP is the right fit?

So when my friend Abby invited me to use one of her guest passes at her YMCA today for a BODYPUMP class, I jumped on the opportunity!

Plus, you know me, I can never say no to a workout with a friend!

 (Post-Muddy Buddy with some of my favorite workout friends!}

We both wanted to get some cardio in first, so we hit up the brand-new amazing treadmills at her gym. This particular YMCA had been recently remodeled and everything was so clean and new!

After about 40 minutes on the tread, we headed to the fitness studio for the class. I was glad to have a friend there to explain what equipment I needed ( a step, a barbell with a variety of weights, a yoga mat, and some dumbbells).

The class was taught by two older ladies, with one instructor leading the class while the other offered adjustments and posture tips. Though the instructors were older, they were in amazing shape. If this is what taking BODYPUMP leads to when you’re 50, count me in!

BODYPUMP begins with a warm-up to get your body moving and slowly starting to work out your muscles, using light weights only.
 After the warmup, you'll begin focusing on each of the major muscle groups, via what the BODYPUMP creators call THE REP EFFECT™. THE REP EFFECT™ involves all the important muscles to sculpt your legs, chest, back, shoulders, and abdominals. Focusing on low weight loads and high repetition movements, it’s meant to help you burn fat, gain strength and quickly produce lean body muscle conditioning.

BODYPUMP™ (yes, it’s a trademarked class) has been around for many years. It’s a barbell focused strength class meant to sculpt, tone, and strengthen your entire body, fast.

{Barbell focused class- this is your new best friend in BODYPUMP!}

The routine and the music are standard at any BODYPUMP class, switching every three months. The moves change so your muscles don’t plateau. Every song works a different muscle group, so you get a full body workout.

I have a feeling I will be sore tomorrow, as we worked pretty hard in the class.  My arms were a little shaky afterwards, and I could definitely feel it in my butt and thighs. I liked this class, as well as the newly remodeled gym. In fact, I like it so much that I am seriously considering switching from my LA Fitness to the YMCA as soon as I can!

Thanks Abby for the guest pass and for the fun Sunday morning workout!