Good Evening!

Tuesdays are when I teach my Core Intensity class.  Tonight’s class went by exceptionally fast!  We went through a circuit of 5 ab exercises for 1 minute at each station twice, and then did the same with exercises for the hips and butt.  Before stretching, we did some back exercises all together.  Here are the exact exercises that we used:

Ab Circuit (1 minute per station)

• Balance on the BOSU Ball Seated
• Core Press—Lie on Back With Knees up and Forearms Raised with Elbows on the Ground, Engage Abs and Roll Up, End with Arms Straight in Front of You and Body in the C-Curve Position (3-5lb wts)
• Torso Twist using Medicine Ball
• Dumbbell Crunches on Step (8 lb weights)
• Pass Through with Exercise Ball

Butts and Hip Circuit (1 minute per station)

• Single Leg Squat with Weights in Hands Down by Side, Foot Behind Resting on Bench
  • Switch Leg at 30 Seconds
  • Hip Bridge with Legs on Ball (Up and Down)
  • Bow and Arrow
    • Stand with Feet Staggered wide, left foot in front, a heavy weight in each had at sides.  Bend knees and lean forward as you reach right hand toward left foot.  Straighten legs, drawing right weight to waist.  Do 4 reps then switch to the other side and repeat for 1 min.
    • Weighted all 4s
      • Get on all 4s with a flat back and engaged abs.  Place 3-5lb weight behind the knee and lift heel to the ceiling.  Switch legs at 30 seconds.
      • Squat with medicine ball

 Back (1 minute each all together)

• Supergirl Soar (light weight)
  • Lie facedown, a light weight in each hand, arms at sides.  Lift upper body and arms to start.  Keeping upper body lifted, bring arms forward, shoulders next to ears.  Pulse; return to start.  Do 12 reps.
  • Back extension with hands resting at temple 12 reps
  • Redefine Reach (light weight)
    • Squat with a light weight in each hand, elbows bent at sides, hands near chest, palms facing each other to start.  Stand reaching left arm overhead and to right as you bring right arm behind you and left.  Return to start. Do 12 reps, switch sides and repeat
    • Bent over row 12 reps
      • 8-10 lb

I could definitely feel it in my abs by the end!  Gotta love the burn 🙂

When I got home, I was faced with the question “What should I cook for dinner?”  I had found a recipe for parsnip fries a while ago on Julie’s blog and thought I would give it a go!  The “fries” were so simple to put together and tasted like decadent fries!

I had never cooked with a parsnip before, and thought it looked and smelled like a big white carrot!  I peeled and cut the parsnip into french fry-like strips, and then sprayed them with nonstick cooking spray and sprinkled them with “Potato Head Seasoning.”  This seasoning is my Aunt’s secret ingredient in just about everything, and she used it when she owned a little food truck restaurant in Alaska called the Roadside Potato!  (It was soo cute!)

I then popped them into the oven preheated to 425 degrees for 25 minutes and flipped them half way through.  They were THAT simple!

For the main course, I baked a chicken breast and put some hot sauce on top (I like things spicy!).  When I first went to cook chicken on my own, I was intimidated.  I didn’t want to under cook it or over cook it, so I just didn’t deal with it!  Well, I did a little research and found a method that WORKS every time! 😉  Simply put a little bit of water in the bottom of a glass pan, then place the chicken in the pan with whatever sauces or seasonings you want on it.  Then, stick it in an oven preheated to 425 degrees for 25 minutes and you will be golden!  The chicken breast will be tender and juicy, and no one will ever be able to complain of dry white meat ever again!

To keep things simple, I cooked the “fries” with the chicken at the same time.  To add a veggie to the mix, I steamed up a bag of frozen broccoli and mixed it with the chicken once it was cooked.  Dinner was quick, nutritious and perfect!

After dinner, Brian and I walked down the canal to a little restaurant to meet up with some of our friends for a drink and I had one of the most amazing inventions….a Woodchuck Cider Float!  Kind of like an adult version of a rootbeer float!  It was so yummy and refreshing in the warm weather.

While chatting, the question came up of going to the gym in the summer, or running and being active outside?  I tend to mix it up and do both, but I can definitely tell a difference in the attendance in my classes on days when the weather is nicer outside.

So now I’m asking you:  Do you workout at the gym still in the summer, or do you take advantage of the great outdoors?

Check out this poll:

Do you work out in the gym in the summer?