Tag Archive for fitlizzio

Weekend Things

We made it people. It’s Friday, and the weekend starts….NOW. Well, not really for me. I have to work a bit this weekend, but I like what I do, so it’s not all that bad. I started my day with this new-to-me flavor of Fage. I’m a fan!!

fage

Workout

Yesterday’s workout was a heavy lift with some plyometrics sprinkled in. The plyometrics were an after-thought, but I’m glad I did them. The workout ended up being pretty tough, but fun.

Superset #1 – 4 Sets

Barbell Squats: 75 x 15, 95 x 10, 105 x 8, 115 x 6

Squat Jumps: bw x 10, bw x 10, bw x 10, bw x 10 

Superset #2 – 3 Sets

T-Bar Row: 35 x 12, 35 x 12, 45 x 8

Chin Ups: bw x 2, bw x 2, bw x 2

Then: (done separately)

Dumbbell Reverse Lunges: 15 x 15, 20 x 10, 25 x 8, 30 x 6

Barbell Bench Press: 65 x 12, 65 x 12, 65 x 12, 65 x 12

It was a great workout and I’m definitely sore today! It feels good. I’m working on squatting heavier. Squats are my weakest leg lift. My guru and very first personal trainer, Bret Contreras, told me that since I have long femurs, it’s very common to be able to do heavy deadlifts and hip thrusts but be weaker on squats. Just have to keep working at it!

Last night I made my favorite Chicken dish. I finally took some photos of the process too! Sorry for the crappy iPhone photos. Someday I’ll use the real big-boy camera and take some better ones.

Lastly, I’ll leave you with how I combat boredom at the airport…..:-D

Practicing Yoga...err something..

Practicing Yoga…err something..

In case you were wondering...

In case you were wondering…

I’m a child.

1. What is your favorite exercise?

2. Where is your favorite place to travel?

Recipe + BoulderCrossfitRun

Good morning friends! It’s actually more like mid-afternoon, but it feels like morning to me, so I’m going with it!

Yesterday was a really good day! I was extremely productive (even dyed my hair, woot woot!) and got in a LOT of fitness. I actually didn’t feel like I was overdoing it at all either, which was nice!

Workout

To start my workout, I did a little over 3 miles running around the Crossfit gym. I got there about 40 minutes earlier and figured I should use my time wisely! I took it nice and easy and ran about a 9:30 pace as sort of a warm-up for the Crossfit workout.

Sweaty Lizzio

Sweaty Lizzio

(Side note: These bluetooth wireless headphones my lovely boyfriend got me for Christmas are AWESOME!!! They don’t move AT ALL. I’ve run in them, done plyometrics (including burpees), weightlifted, etc. and they don’t move! They are wonderful!)

Afterwards, I headed into the gym for the WOD. We actually warmed up with a version of tag that was KILLER on the legs. You see, it was your typical game of tag, except you were in a squat position the ENTIRE time and holding a medicine ball over your head. My legs were burning so much! We then did a 1,000 kilometer row for time and then went into the WOD. Good little cardio bursts to start the workout!

Full Tabata – Lowest Score

(this means that whatever the lowest amount of reps you get in any given round is your score)

(20 seconds on, 10 seconds off x 8 for each exercise)

-Pull-Ups

-Hand Release Push Ups

-Sit Ups

-Squats

The workout was tough (especially the pull-ups and HR Push ups). I ended up with 2/2/8/12 for my score. Definitely want to work on this one and get better at it!

As if I hadn’t done enough exercise, I then headed to the rock climbing gym for some bouldering. I had some fruit and a Think Thin bar on the way for some needed fuel. I just LOVE bouldering so much and I needed it in my life last night. It didn’t disappoint whatsoever. I got stuck on a move on a V2 route that I just couldn’t seem to get through. I think it took me about 15 tries to get. I swore I wasn’t going to leave until I got it. Finally….I GOT IT!! It felt really great. I left right after that. It had been a good 1.5 hours at the gym and I just wanted to end on a good note!

Needless to say, I was dead by the end of that. It was late too, so I didn’t want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. I whipped up a quick, delicious, and healthy pasta with meat sauce. You’ll love the nutritional facts and it is a LOT of food!!!

Food

Low Carb Pasta w/ Meat Sauce

Serves 4 -5

gfpasta copy

Ingredients: 
-16 oz. extra lean (or lean) ground turkey

-2 cups Mezetta Napa Valley Tomato Basil Sauce

-4 packages Shirataki Noodles (fettucine or spaghetti kind, whatever you prefer)

-4 wedge Laughing Cow Garlic & Herb Cheese

-Fresh Parmesan Cheese (to taste)

-Spices: Oregano, Sea Salt (or Garlic Salt), Black Pepper, Red Pepper Flakes (optional)

Directions: 

1. Cook ground turkey in a frying pan until browned.

2. Meanwhile, let the sauce simmer in a pan (or if you’re lazy, heat it up in the microwave).

3. When the meat is cooked and the sauce is simmering, add meat to sauce for about 1 minute while stirring.

Noodles: 

1. Pour packages of noodles in a strainer and rinse well with water.

2. Dry off with a paper towel and then microwave for 1-2 minutes.

3. Add spices, and laughing cow cheese and heat for another 1-2 minutes.

4. Mix thoroughly and add sauce and meat.

Here is a horrible, disgusting photo of what you will get, but I PROMISE it is tasty!!!

pasta

Dinner is served!! Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top if you’d like!! This recipe is SUPER simple and I’m not even kidding, you will not know the difference between the shirataki noodles and the real thing once it’s all cooked and mixed together. This is also a LOT of food for this serving size. I’m always completely stuffed afterwards as if I’d eaten a 1,000 calorie pasta dinner! This is easily one of my favorite dishes.

1. What is your favorite quick recipe?

2. If you could pick any food to become ZERO calories, what would you choose? Probably cookies or cheesecake for me! 🙂 

Restless & Clean Chocolate Peanut Butter Frosting

Hey guys!!

We’re almost to the weekend, so that’s something to be excited about, right?! It’s been a realllyyyyyy  busy week for me, but a good one at that! This weekend, I’m taking a super quick trip to Arizona for my Grandpa’s Memorial. He passed away a few days before Christmas at the ripe age of 92. It’s sad, but at the same time he lived a really long and fruitful life. He was a Holocaust survivor, and until the age of 91, was still going to the gym 5 DAYS A WEEK. That right there should be inspiration to anyone that you just don’t have an excuse!  I will miss him a lot, but thankful for the 25 years I got to have him in my life. He is a true inspiration to me and definitely gave me the exercises genes!!

Grandpa at his 91st birthday party at the gym!

Grandpa at his 91st birthday party at the gym!

Workout Plans

Tonight I’m headed to the rock climbing gym for another bouldering session. I plan to get a 3 mile run in beforehand too. Woohoo!

While I was supposed to hit up Crossfit yesterday, I knew my body was just not into it. I’m trying to do a better job of listening to my body so that I don’t overtrain. When I finished working yesterday, I headed home and decided I would take a needed rest day. Once I made some dinner and surfed the net for a bit, I just couldn’t sit still anymore and ended up heading to the gym anyways! I just walked on the treadmill for a while, but thought it was interesting that I just can’t sit still. I am not very good at taking rest days, but I am trying to learn! Do you have trouble taking rest days? If I’m busy enough, I can do it, but if I’m not it’s nearly impossible!!

Since I skipped Crossfit yesterday, I plan to go tomorrow around lunchtime.

Recipe

I was craving something sweet last night, but didn’t want to wreck my diet. I mixed together a few ingredients and ended up with a delicious frosting!!!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Frosting

Ingredients:

2 TBSP PB2

1 TBSP Unsweetened Pure Cocoa

1 Packet Stevia

Water

Directions:

Combine the PB2 and Cocoa in a small dish or bowl. Add  a little bit of water at a time until you get the consistency of a frosting. Then enjoy!

This can be eaten by itself, or you can top toast, muffins, pancakes, and more with it! Here’s the best part:

choc pb copy

Simple Teriyaki Chicken

Hello friendssss! Last night’s workout was quite sluggish if you ask me. I actually had a good amount of energy, but my body was just worn out. I think the bouldering session on Monday night did me in!

Even so I was able to eke out this workout (and selfie haha):

Chest/Legs Supersets!

Chest/Legs Supersets!

 

Try it if you’d like! It moves pretty quickly! (Always check with a doctor before starting any new fitness routine.)

When I left the gym, I stopped at the store to try to figure out what to make for dinner. I didn’t want something that took a long time, but knew chicken needed to be involved. (I love chicken!)

After some back and forth texts with the boyfriend, we agreed on Teriyaki Chicken. It turned out SO well and was so easy to make that I just had to share!

Simple Teriyaki Chicken

Serves: 2-3 people

Ingredients:

-2 Chicken Breasts

-Veggies of your choice (I cheated and picked up an asian stop-diabetes-meds.com from the produce aisle)

Kikkoman Teriyaki Sauce

-Brown Rice (as much as you’d like)

-Crushed Red Pepper Flakes (to taste)

Kikkoman Low Sodium Soy Sauce

Directions: 

-Cut up the chicken breasts into cubes and marinate in Kikkoman Teriyaki Sauce for about 15-20 minutes

-Spray a frying pan with your choice of oil and cook the chicken on low until it’s done (about 10 minutes). Add red pepper flakes!

-While the chicken is cooking, fill a pot with water and add brown rice (2:1 ratio). Cook until rice is soft and water has been absorbed (about 10 minutes)

-When the chicken is almost done, throw the veggies into a separate frying pan with a little bit of soy sauce and cook until they start to brown.

-Fill a bowl or plate and enjoy!

This recipe was so easy and it was really freakin’ delicious!!! Let me know if you try it out!

Do you have really simple chicken recipes? If so, send me the links!!! I’m always looking for new ways to make chicken. 🙂

Weekly Fitness Plan & Bouldering

It’s Mondayyyyyyyyy! Are you excited? I am actually. I like a fresh start to the week!

This weekend was busy, but a lot of fun! Between the enlistment day for The World’s Best Bootcamp-Burbank, a girl’s night, recording session, and a fun workout, I slept like a baby last night!

 

console

Recording Console at Ultimate Rhythm Studios in Los Angeles

My Weekly Fitness Plan:

(This is tentative, but I like laying it out for the week so I have some type of plan in mind.)

Monday: Bouldering (see below) & Run

Tuesday: Heavy Lift

Wednesday: Crossfit + 20 minutes of cardio

Thursday: Bouldering & Run

Friday: Heavy Lift

Saturday: Rest Day (Travelling)

Sunday: Possibly Hike

So that’s what I’m planning! This is actually a lot more cardio than I’ve done in a while, but it’s just so nice outside that I feel like I should take advantage of it and run!!!

What is Bouldering?

So I’ve gotten a few questions on bouldering. Mostly along the lines of ” What is bouldering?!”. Bouldering is similar to rock climbing, but you are not attached to a rope or harness. The walls only go about 8-10 feet high, so if you fall, it’s not a big deal usually. There is a great deal of technique involved in this sport.

Benefits of Bouldering: 

-First of all, it is like doing a puzzle on a wall. There are techniques to bouldering and figuring out how you are going to take the path to the top can be tricky and take some trial and error. While many people think it is all about strength, it is all about efficiency. Technique is what makes being super-efficient on the wall possible.

-Overall body strength: You literally use your entire body. Your core, arms, back, legs, etc. are ALL working. Bouldering has increased my strength in a HUGE way. For example, when I started bouldering a few months ago, I could do 0 pull-ups. I can now do 3 in a row. 

-Mental Zen: There is something about bouldering that has a yoga-like effect. I think part of it is the fact that you are working your body and mind at the same time. For me, I know it is a HUGE stress reliever.

-FUN: Because what about climbing and hanging on walls ISN’T fun?!

It may not be for everyone, but I can tell you that I absolutely love it. If there is a rock climbing gym in your area, I highly suggest trying it out! There are always veterans there that are happy to give advice and help you with your technique. The bouldering community is  very friendly!

bouldering

Me just “hangin’ out!”

So that’s that. I’m working my day away and then heading home for a run and bouldering session. Hope everyone is having a great start to their week!

Have you ever tried bouldering or rock climbing? Are you afraid of heights?

The Weekend Has Arrived!!!

Hello fellow fit fam! It’s Friday!! (As if you didn’t already know….)

Today was a good day of closing out the week and preparing for the weekend. While my weekend is going to be pretty busy, there is a lot to look forward to! More on that in a minute, but first let’s talk about some workouts!!

After being in Kansas for 10 days and not having any weights to lift (save for one day that I was able to go to a gym), I’ve been LOVING being back around the iron. (Both literally and figuratively, as my home gym is Iron Gym). Here is what my week of workouts has looked like:

Monday: 30 minutes of incline walking on the treadmill + bouldering at Rockreation

Tuesday: Heavy Lifting Session (Deadlifts, T-Bar Rows, Chin-Ups) + Metabolic Conditioning (Cable SLDL Row superset with medicine ball thrusters and snatches superset with push – ups)

Wednesday: Hike at the beautiful Temescal Canyon!

mechartemescalThursday: Crossfit 

Friday: Heavy Lift (plus some shoulder exercises I threw in for good fun)

So I mentioned a busy weekend. Part of that is the 2nd platoon of The World’s Best Bootcamp – Burbank starting their 6 weeks of camp! I’m so excited to see all of the new faces and cheer them on for their baseline workouts. I remember my Day 1 and how nervous I was! It was such a blast and I can’t wait to be on the other side of that tomorrow. Troopers, get ready to take measurements and see where your starting point is! Get ready for an amazing 6 weeks of camp!!!

boot camp day 3.1

Any weekend plans? Aside from cheering on the bootcampers, tomorrow the Chiefs are in the playoffs! Hoping to catch the 2nd half of the game. 🙂

 

Crossfit + Dentist

Hey guys!! How are the last few days of “vacation” going? While I’m still working away, the traffic in LA has been SO easy. Can it always be a holiday week here?!?

Guys, the last night was roughhhhhh. My wisdom tooth starting bothering me a few days ago, and it kept me up ALL night with pain on Wednesday night. I woke up Thursday morning practically in tears and had my boyfriend call the dentist for an emergency appointment. Turns out it just got infected and they cleaned it out. I’m still a bit of a chipmunk, but the swelling is slowly but surely going away. Major crisis avoided! (For now..)
20140102-224815.jpg

(Look at my cheek!!)

After my dentist appointment, I decided to go workout at Crossfit High Voltage. I just joined, and since my dentist is literally around the corner from the box, I figured this would be the perfect opportunity to start. I headed over for my first workout: Cindy.

If you’re unfamiliar, Crossfit workouts all have names. It is kind of cool because you start to learn them and know what they entail. It is helpful to see how you progress too!

Cindy

AMRAP 20 (as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes)
5 Pull Ups
10 Push Ups
15 Squats

Surprisingly I was able to do most of the pull ups on my own, and what I couldn’t, I used a band for assisted pull ups. It was tough, but I made it through 6 rounds + 27 reps (3 shy of a 7th round!!!). Can’t wait to see my improvements in a few months!

Tonight I am in the studio with my boyfriend recording a drummer, bass player, and guitarist for some upcoming video. All in all, a really good day for me!! (Aside from the whole wisdom tooth debacle…)
20140102-224928.jpg

Hope everyone is excited for the weekend!
Any weekend plans to close out the holidays??

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The 6-Week Challenge: WBBC

Wowza! It’s been a while. I’ve been a busy little bee, working my tail off. But hopefully I’ll be posting a bit more as of now. Hope you’re having a great week! November is truckin’ along….

News:

This past Saturday (November 2nd) marked the 1st day of the WBBC 6 Week Challenge. What is the WBBC you ask?

WBBC Logo

The World’s Best Boot Camp is just as it implies. It was started by a former Desert Storm Vet, John Burch. I met John at my gym in Santa Monica and when he told me about the seroquelinfo challenge, I was all about it.

WBBC Day 1 StretchHere’s a photo of me doing a dynamic stretch on Day 1

So what does the 6 week challenge entail? Well, as you can imagine, I will be attending a boot camp 2-3 times per week that focuses on a lot of the basic movements mixed with CrossFit movements: squats, push-ups, sit-ups, burpees, kettlebells, and more! The other part of the challenge includes cleaning up my diet (which is pretty clean already, but tightening up a bit), and doing my personal best to accomplish my goals.

To give a little insight, on Day 1, we did a baseline workout and took measurements. I will be doing some video diaries each week to update my progress (I’ll post the links as soon as they’re posted each week) and I’m hoping to come out with successfuly results at the end! By December 14th, I will be re-testing my baseline workout from Day 1 and taking measurements again. I’m IN IT TO WIN IT and hoping that I will have some GREAT results to share!

There is no better time than now as the holidays approach, so I’m pretty excited. While I’m pretty comfortable in my body and like the way I look now, I am excited to lean out a bit more and as the slogan says, “have the most fun proving myself!” Love that.

Goals: 

I want to be 100% compliant. What does this mean for me?

-I will attend bootcamp 2-3 times per week

-I will stick to my diet 6 days per week with one day to splurge (within reason of course)

-I will get enough rest and WATER

-I will continue running, rock climbing, weight lifting, and all of the other activities that I do in between boot camp days.

For the first time since I competed in 2009, I feel ready for this. I’ve actually felt ready for a while, but I needed something like this to come along to spark my fire and get me going again. In good fashion, I dragged my boyfriend into the competition as well. On a weekly basis, he tells me he needs to lose 10 lbs, so I’ve enlisted him in the challenge with me! While he won’t do all of the workouts that I do, he will be following the diet with me.

I would love for you all to follow me along on this journey! I will be posting pictures, videos, thoughts, challenges, and more!

Have you ever done a challenge?

What motivates you the most?

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