So…Whole30

whole30

Last night half of me was thinking about Whole30.

whole30

Why just half? Well, because there are 2 halves to everything – including me ๐Ÿ™‚ ๐Ÿ™‚ Don’t mind me…Back to the Whole30.

You know I’m pro real food and really not that much into restrictions. I believe in moderation and common sense when it comes to choosing what to eat.

I know people (both in real life and online) who did Whole30 and loved it and made it their life style.

I’m not sure if there’s anybody who hated it – if yes, ย I don’t know them. ๐Ÿ™‚

But anyway, I’ve had some digestive issues lately and I kinda blame dairy for it. For as long as I can remember myself I couldn’t have milk for breakfast – it always felt like I had a stone in my stomach if I had it first thing in the morning.

So. Whole30 – “Pro’s” and “Con’s”

What’s it all about? Basically – real food in any amounts – love that! No tracking or calorie counting. Freedom!

whole30

No Dairy (or any dairy byproducts)the only 2 things I’d miss in this category are cheese and Greek yogurt. Ok, maybe cottage cheese too (I like adding it to my smoothies sometimes).

No added sugar (both natural and artificial sweeteners)I have no problem quitting sugar if/when I can recognize it – I’m not very good at reading labels. But then again this problem is eliminated if you don’t eat stuff that comes in a box, right? No label, nothing to read ๐Ÿ™‚

No grainsI’d really miss quinoa, rice and corn. We eat a lot of those. Oh and that piece of toast with mashed avocado in the morning. Pretty much all the energy/snack bars are off limits, too as a lot of them are oats-based (+sugar).

No Legumes (beans, peanuts)I like black beans and add them to my salads occasionally. Hummus (chickpeas) and peanuts being off limits would be a challenge, too. But I’d say this part is pretty doable for me.

No alcoholnot a problem, I rarely drink it anyway.

No scale or measurements for 30 days – easy, who cares anyway as long as I feel good. If I put those pounds back on – trust me, I feel them immediatelyย ๐Ÿ™‚

So…Whole30.

Basically means I can still eat this:

whole30

yep, that’s a big a$$ steak you see ๐Ÿ™‚

And as long as you can eat steak, life is not bad at all – at least for me.

So I just ordered the Whole30ย book – It Starts With Foodย from Amazon.

I think I’m gonna do it. I need to feel better after eating. I don’t think there’s any other way than changing what I eat.

For now I will keep reading, getting ready and I might start on Monday.

Tell me: have you ever tried the Whole30? If yes – what do you think? If not – why not?

Stay tuned for more news on the Whole30 subject, friends.

Hugs,

Lean Lena

30 Days Active Challenge: Week 4 Recap

Hey-hey my fit friends! It’s Hump Day and that means what?

Correct! Time for another 30 Days Active Challenge recap.

The past week was hectic and busy-busy-busy with both mine and my husband’s birthdays – I feel like all I ate was cake all week ๐Ÿ™‚

But yes, I did have this challenge I put myself through on my mind all the time and even on the days when I didn’t have an “official” workout, I tried to stay active or eat extra healthy.

So here’s what happened last week:

{WEDNESDAY}ย  was my birthday, so official workout didn’t really happen. I had a wonderful birthday celebration both at work and at home.

My awesome husband took me out to Rock Bass Grill for dinner where I had the 2nd best crab cakes in my life!

crab cakes

Guess what I got for my birthday? ๐Ÿ™‚

garmin forerunner

Yep, I’m married to the BEST guy in the world, you know? ๐Ÿ™‚

Exercise on Wednesday: walk-walk-walk!

{THURSDAY}

We had a yoga class at work over lunch time. I love those classes! It’s like somebody pushes your reset button in the middle of the day and you come back to your desk all balanced and calm.

Then somebody pisses you off again, but that has nothing to do with yoga ๐Ÿ™‚

Anyway. After work on Thursday I needed to go to CVS. So instead of driving a few blocks like I usually do, I walked there.

30 days active

{FRIDAY}

There was so much cake on Wednesday at work, and then dinner at the restaurant….so we didn’t get to my birthday cake at home until Friday ๐Ÿ™‚

IMG_2452-1

No official workout, but lots of activities and walking that day.

{SATURDAY}

On Saturday I finally got a chance to try an indoor cycling class with a recently hired instructor at our Y. She teaches in the mornings on weekdays, which of course I can’t make because I work.

So I was pretty excited to see her name on the Saturday rotation class schedule this past week. I signed up and bam! I was there at 8:00 AM on Saturday.

Here’s my blurry “Pilot” at the end of the class ๐Ÿ™‚ It’s blurry because taking a picture while still pedaling is not the best idea in the world ๐Ÿ™‚

30 days active

The class was good, just a couple “funky” moves and that’s it ๐Ÿ™‚ I still got an awesome workout, which was nice – just being able to concentrate on your own effort without having to guide anybody else. ๐Ÿ™‚

After the class, hubby and I took a long walk to Cole’s bicycle shop where I almost agreed to buy a $1200 road bike… Crazy woman ๐Ÿ™‚

That didn’t happen, though. $1200 is waaaaaaay over the budget I was planning for my first road bike. So…we’ll keep looking ๐Ÿ™‚ I got fitted though and tried several bikes which was A LOT of fun!

Here’s the bike I was trying out on Saturday – Trek Lexa SLX:

$1200 is a good price for this bike. Just not good for my budget ๐Ÿ™ (sigh)

Good steps that day!

30 days active

{SUNDAY}

No official exercise on Sunday. Hubby and I had something planned which ended up taking up most of our day (More on that this coming Tasty Tuesday).

So…steps, steps, steps.

{MONDAY} Cycling

Monday was my husband’s birthday. As I usually teach indoor cycling on Mondays, and he wanted to come to my class this week, I designed a riding profile just for my him – with the happy birthday song in the beginning and some of his most favorite songs throughout.

My class is called “Road Trip”. So I announced this past Monday class as a “Rocky Road Trip” because most of the songs in the class were rock ๐Ÿ™‚ If you would like to see the latest class playlist, check out this page here.

30 days active

Good burn and fun class. My birthday boy was happy with the ride ๐Ÿ™‚

We then got home and celebrated his birthday with his favorite coffee chocolate chip ice cream pie, and gave him a special birthday present he requested.

{TUESDAY}

Steps-steps-steps. No official workout.

Healthy choice of the day:

smoothie

Watermelon, strawberry, mint and cottage cheese smoothie

And that was it, my friends.

I am not particularly happy with the past week for a few reasons: I didn’t run once (my knee was being funny pretty much all week), I had too much cake, I had too many days with no official workout. I did stay active every day, I did what I could when I could. I guess it’s the most important thing, but somehow it doesn’t feel like it’s enough…

Ok, so today is Wednesday and it is the beginning of the final week of the challenge. I’m gonna make it count!

Stay tuned for the next week’s recap and more!

Lean Lena

This post has been shared on: Work Out Wednesday Link Up, The Hump Day Blog Hop

Dinner Salad with Salmon and Grapefruit – Recipe and Linkup Party

Hey, my Foodies! Got a good start this week?

I had an awesome Monday! (more on that tomorrow).

Meanwhile, it’s Tasty Tuesday time!

What is Tasty Tuesday you ask?

Every Tuesday I post a recipe, a collection of recipes, a restaurant review or anything related to food. There is then a linkup at the end of the post where you can add links to your food-related blog posts! The linkup stays open for a week – right until the next one comes around. How awesome is that?

Donโ€™t forget to check out other link up participants and thereโ€™s only one rule to the linkup – link back or grab the link up badge from the sidebar. Letโ€™s spread the word so we can have more participants next week!

Tasty Tuesday Badge 2000x2000

So, today my contribution to the Tasty Tuesday is a dinner salad recipe.

This salad comes together in minutes and is ideal for hot summer nights when you don’t feel like eating much, or trying to take it easy after that huge meatball sub you had for lunch ๐Ÿ™‚

Anyway, give this salad a try as a dinner salad or as a side – it is fresh and delicious!

dinner salad

You will need:

(pick your own quantities depending on how many servings you would like to make)

  • Romaine lettuce
  • Grapefruit
  • Avocado
  • Salmon
  • Sliced almonds
Instructions:

Before you begin, here’s a tip: don’t make this salad in a big bowl. It is much better to make individual servings to keep it nice and beautiful.

First, marinate your fish: all I use is a little bit of lemon juice, pepper and soy sauce. Make sure the fish is coated with the marinade and let it sit on the counter while you’re prepping other ingredients.

Then, tear up your lettuce. Don’t cut it with a knife – that’s how you get those rusty brown edges on the lettuce pieces on your plate and the leftover lettuce head in the fridge. So, tear it up and layer the bottom of the salad bowls with it.

Peel and cut avocado, and put on top of the lettuce.

Since grapefruit will probably take the longest to prep, do that next. Peel it, take the flesh out and tear into chunky pieces. Another tip: do it over the salad bowls with lettuce – that way you will keep the grapefruit juice in the salad. It also helps keep avocado from turning brown.

Cooking fish: I used my wok, but you can use a regular frying pan. The key is to heat up the oil in your wok/pan nicely (I use olive oil). Once that’s done, throw the fish in and stir constantly but gently so the fish doesn’t fall apart. Ideally, you want the fish to be rare on the inside and just have a cooked crust on the outside for this salad. If you’re not comfortable eating almost raw fish, just cook it through.

Put the fish on top of your salad and sprinkle the sliced almonds over it.

Serve warm or cold.

I generally don’t add any dressing to this salad because of the grapefruit juice + juices from fish on it, but you can add some olive oil or any other dressing you like to this salad.

dinner salad

Enjoy!

And that’s about it for this week’s Tasty Tuesday, my friends.

Your turn: link up your tasty posts below! And don’t forget to share and spread the word!

Lean Lena

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This post was linked up to: Recipe of the Week, ย Tasty Tuesdays, Tasty Tuesday

C25K and Week 3 of 30 Days Active Challenge

Hey-hey my fitness gang! How is that hump day going over there?

I’m feeling pretty happy here ๐Ÿ™‚ Oh! That’s right! Happy Birthday to me ๐Ÿ™‚

Yep, I get to eat at least one of those today :) Image Source

Yep, I get to eat at least one of those today ๐Ÿ™‚ Image Source

So I’m done with the 3rd week of my 30 Days Active Challenge and I have to say – it has been the toughest yet. Not only because I felt unmotivated for most of it, but also due to the family/life circumstances playing against me.

So here’s the Week 3 recap of the 30 days active challenge I brought onto myself.

{WEDNESDAY}ย  was a C25K run day.

c25k

Hubby and I went on another adventure with C25K – Day 2 of Week 2 is where we’re at. We ran/walked for 2.3 miles at about 13 min. average pace.

The stars were stacked against us that night – my Mr. H. pulled something around his knee and is out of running for now ๐Ÿ™

{THURSDAY}ย  His knee didn’t start hearting until Thursday night after we got home from work.

I ended up staying at home and taking care of him/dinner/house stuff. I tried to make up for no official workout on Thursday by eating well and at least walking more.

dinner salad

{FRIDAY} was a nightmare

Family issue came up big time, which pretty much screwed up my entire weekend until late Sunday evening.

No official workout on Friday, but I did try to stay active and take more steps (I think I pretty much went up and down the stairs at work like every 30 minutes).

{SATURDAY}

I was so tired after Friday events that I was only capable of yoga – or so I thought in the morning anyway.

So I did yoga with Fiona.

I haven’t been to her class in a while and was so happy to get a chance to go – it was wonderful to see how her teaching style has evolved to showcase the strength that I always knew she had. It was a great class and really helped me relax after the stress of my Friday and tune out of everything but what my body was doing in that hour.

Thank you, Fiona. I’m really grateful for that class.

{SUNDAY} Active Day

The family train got back on it’s tracks – everybody was relieved and happy again.

I took a quick bike ride to the swim club choosing to move my legs rather than take a car ride with my folks:

bike ride

Got a quick refreshment in the pool, got back home and went for a run with C25K!

C25K

Lessons learnt: more that 2 days’ gap between runs does not feel good; it’s not the heat it’s the humidity that’s the “run killer”. Temperature was nice and pleasant, but it was still very humid. Besides, I chose a route that had me going uphill most of the time (silly). Oh well. That was done and felt good afterwards.

All my efforts on Sunday were rewarded by the FitBit stats in the evening:

c25k

{MONDAY} is my new favorite day of the week.

Why? Because that’s when I teach at the YMCA at 5:30 PM and get to see my cycling gang, ride with them and share this incredible energy they create.

I had 7 people in my class this Monday, no newbies, all my regulars and familiar faces. We had a blast!

cycling

If you’re a cycling/Spinningยฎ instructor looking for new ideas for your playlists, check out this page here to see the playlists I use for my rides.

{TUESDAY} Swimming

It was hot yesterday! Really-really hot. So we grilled some chicken thighs, packed some watermelon and went over to the swim club, where I did some laps and then we had dinner there.

food

And then I got home and picked all this goodness in my garden to fuel my challenged body ๐Ÿ™‚ ๐Ÿ™‚ ๐Ÿ™‚

gardening

So, what did I learn from this week of the Challenge?

First of all – I learned not to turn one slip up into a slip up week. Life got in the way of my workouts on Thursday and Friday, but I didn’t quit or stop the 30 Days Active Challenge. I kept going. Because it is not a failure. It’s a slip up. You get up and keep going.

Because I pretty much missed two days, I am going to extend my challenge until Augustย 2 instead of finishing on July 31.

And that’s how it’s going to be. Bring on the final week of the 30 Days Active Challenge!

Tell me, guys: what was the best work out you had this/last week?

Stay fit, and keep going!

Lean Lena

Linked to: Work Out Wednesdays Linkup, The Hump Day Blog Hop, Wine’d Down Wednesday

30 Days Active Challenge Follow Up Report – Week 2

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Hey guys! The Hump Day is here!

Are you having a good week so far? I’m pretty excited to be back here with my Week 2 of the 30 Days Active challenge report.

This challenge to myself started with this post where I wrote a Tough Love Letter to myself following a session at FitBloggin’ 14.

And I’m happy to report that the challenge is going very well and I am staying active every day. Here’s how:

{WEDNESDAY}ย  last week was a yoga night! My legs were SORE from biking and running the week before, so yoga just felt super nice and relaxing.

30 days active challenge

I chose to walk to the Y instead of driving

{THURSDAY}ย  was HOT! Didn’t really feel like spending any time indoors though, so hubby and I went on a nice long walk together.

30 days active challenge

Sporting our Vibram Five Fingers (Stats on the right are for the day. Yeah, I know…I have a desk job)

Check out what we saw in one of the yards while walking:

Some people are amazingly creative!

Some people are amazingly creative!

{FRIDAY} was another run day – this time my husband decided to join me and train for a 5K too!

30 days active challenge

And that run marked the end of my Week 1 of 8 with Coach to 5K.

30 days active challenge

{SATURDAY} I did not feel the energy AT ALL.

All I could push myself to was a yoga class andย a few laps in the pool. But I did it! And that was it ๐Ÿ™‚

30 days active challenge

{SUNDAY} was another C25K Day

Hubby and I agreed to leave the house early in the morning (before the major heat kicked in) and go for a run. It was supposed to be the hottest day of the week, that’s why we wanted to get that run in early so we don’t have to suffer through it.

Well, Mr. H slept in and I waited for him patiently (because I am a good wife, you know). And then we suffered through it.

Not only was it miserably hot, but it was also the day in C25K when you switch to longer running sets.

That run was the worst of my life so far! I was drenched in sweat, breathless and a little dizzy when we got home. It took me a while to recover from that one…

30 days active challenge

The numbers above probably look funny to someone who runs regularly – nearly 14 minute miles… But I’m not sweating it. I’m getting there and working on it.

And I’m still lapping everybody on the couch ๐Ÿ™‚ ๐Ÿ™‚ ๐Ÿ™‚

{MONDAY}ย  was a work day – I taught my regular Indoor Cycling Class at the Y.

It was raining outside, so I had 7 (!!!) people in my class – a record number for summer time ๐Ÿ™‚ It also so happened that the class mostly consisted of my regular riders and good friends (Mr. H attended, too!).

We had a BLAST! I felt such wonderful energy exchange and inspiration! Don’t forget to check out the latest playlist right hereย to get the feel of what it was like ๐Ÿ˜‰

30 days active challenge

{TUESDAY} was a weird day…

Mr. H and I were originally planning to go for another run with C25K, but he had to get up really early and leave, so we decided to re-schedule that run for Wednesday.

I had to do SOMETHING! I felt like peace and quiet. So I went upstairs, lit up some candles and did yoga.

30 days active challenge

And that was it, my friends!

Missed the Week 1 Report? No problem, check it out here.

Do share: what was your most favorite workout of the past week or so?

Stay fit, friends!

Lean Lena

This post was shared on the Workout Wednesdays linkup.

30 Days Active Challenge Follow Up Report – Week 1

Hey guys! Happy Hump Day!

As you may remember, last week I posted a Tough Love Letter to myself where I promised to go back to basics and workout every day for 30 days, and post weekly progress reports here.

So here is Part 1 of the 30 Days Active challenge recap, as promised.

{WEDNESDAY}

Last Wednesday, after I published the tough loveย letter, I was all jazzed up to get started on my new challenge!

So I grabbed my husband and we hit the weight room together (followed by a yoga class for me).

30 days active challenge

It felt awesome to be back in the weight room! I ran into a couple of my cycling students, which is always a pleasure. Love my people!

ย {THURSDAY}

Oh, was I sore on Thursday! I think I pulled a muscle in my arm as it still hurts today – been working too hard ๐Ÿ™‚

Since I couldn’t really use my arms to workout, hubby and I went on a long walk on Thursday evening.

30 day active challenge

{FRIDAY}

On Friday I woke up with an itch only a run could “scratch”. ๐Ÿ™‚

If you’ve been reading this blog for a while you know that I got injured running about a year ago (on my first run in forever), went through a long and expensive PT, got a pair of expensive running shoes and never got back to running – story of my life…

Until the 4th of July 2014.

So at about 7 AM on the 4th of July, I dusted those Brooks off, laced ’em up, left aย note for my husband (who was still asleep like most of sane people out there),ย and went for a run with the C25Kยฎ – 5K Trainer.

30 days active challenge

No, my bad knees didn’t give out and I ran/walked for about 1.7 miles. I know people who eat marathons for breakfast, and I’m awful proud of them and proud to be friends with them. But you know what? There’s no feeling like being proud of yourself for making those firstย 1.7 miles after a long period of being a lazy assย  injury!

I felt horrible every step of the 1.7 miles, andย  felt awful proud of myself afterwards!

No knee pain so far (and it’s been almost a week), so I decided to stick with the C25K for now.

{SATURDAY}

It was my turn to teach Saturday Cycle at the Y at 8:00 am last week. The Y has dropped the 9:00 am class for the summer and made the 8:00 am class an hour long instead of the usual 45 minutes.

I have to admit, I dislike an hour long cycling classes. I think 45 minute format is ideal for getting a good workout and not overdoing it.

But hey, the boss is the boss, so I put together a hilly, one hour long nightmare plan on Friday night ๐Ÿ™‚

30 day active challenge

It is VERY schematic though – the height and steepness of the hills in the drawing above had nothing to do with the actual intensity of the class profile elements. I just did that so I could better visualize the terrain I planned out for the class.

So on Saturday morning I grabbed my husband again (gotta love that guy for everything he takes from me!), and we headed out the door for the morning cycling madness ๐Ÿ™‚

30 days active challenge

We killed it! It was a wonderful class – great energy from my students, lots of compliments from the class on my playlist. By the way, you can check out the playlists I use in my indoor cycling classesย here.

After getting home,ย taking a quick shower and grabbing breakfast, I went back to the Y for a yoga class. Oh did that feel good to my sore legs and arms and shoulders!

{SUNDAY}

Regular workout was just not playing out for me on Sunday. The evening was approaching fast so I had to come up with something to stay active.

When the family decided to drive to our local swim club, I decided to bike there.

It’s not far – just about 1.73 miles one way, but that was better than nothing.

30 days active challenge

It felt great to do some laps at the pool afterwards, too!

{MONDAY}

On Monday I taught my regular indoor cycling class to my regular 3 summer students ๐Ÿ™‚ You know, you might see a lot of instructors complaining about attendance numbers dropping in the summer time. I LOVE this time – I use this opportunity to try new things in the class that I wouldn’t be able to try with a bigger group, use it to bond with my students and give them more attention during and after class.

Love-love-love small classes. They might not be blasting the bigger class energy, but they sure feel rewarding and challenging!

30 days active challenge

{TUESDAY}

It was HOT here on Tuesday. I kind of gave up on the idea of going for a run since early morning – it was sticky! Options were: home yoga DVD or weight room at the Y.

Since my arm is still not 100%, I decided to wait with the weight room.

Home yoga DVD seemed a little boring….It cooled down after the rain…So I ended up going for a run ๐Ÿ™‚

10 days active challenge

I love that feeling of freedom running gives you…All you need is a pair of shoes and some motivation to lift yourself off the couch and get out of the door – and you won’t regret it.

I felt so much energy after the run last night!

So, friends. Here are the results of Week 1 of the 30 Days Active Challenge:

  • I. AM. SORE. Like, all the time and everywhereย ๐Ÿ™‚
  • I am 2.8 lb lighter (that’s after a 6 months plateau and then a gainย – I couldn’t believe the number on the scale finally moved in the right direction!)
  • I look at my FitBit more than I look at my watch ๐Ÿ™‚ Sometimes I feel like I look at my FitBit more than I look at my husband! ๐Ÿ™‚ ๐Ÿ™‚ ๐Ÿ™‚
  • I feel empowered!

That’s it for now, guys.

Remember to check back next Wednesday for the Week 2 recap of my 30 Days Active challenge I brought onto myself ๐Ÿ™‚

Stay strong!

Lean Lena

This post has been shared on the Work Out Wednesdays Linkup. I am also a featured blogger there this week! Check it out – it is a great weekly linkup with wonderful people.

 

Tough Love: I Choose Today To Be My Hump Day

Tough love letter to myself we all agreed to write at the “Fitblogger Tough Love” session with Mrs. Fatass last week at FitBloggin’.

Dear Lena.

You’ve been slacking a lot lately – both in terms of healthy eating (yes, there’s a lot of ice cream pictures that didn’t make it to this blog) and exercising.

I guess when you reach a certain point in your journey (for you it was loosing 20lb) you start thinking that this is it – you’re happy with what you have accomplished, you can cut yourself a little slack.

You start saying “yes” to more and moreย of those ice cream outings with your family.

You start saying “10 more minutes” in the mornings more often and snoozing your alarm set to go to the gym, and never going after all.

You start saying more often “Oh, I’m so tired, I can skip my workout today”.

You start snacking when you don’t really have to.

You reach for that extra helping at dinner thinking “I worked out today, I deserved it”.

You choose elevator over stairs.

You think teaching indoor cycling one-two times a week is going to be enough to keep you in good shape.

You think that goal set on your FitBit is going to reach itself if you just walk up and down the stairs a couple extra times during work day and say to yourself “Tomorrow for sure” when you don’t hit that goal; and then tomorrow it doesn’t happen either.

You think that as long as this blog looks like that of a fit person you can slack and no one will know (that is horrible hypocrisy by the way).

You forget that all that is EXACTLYย what led you to the tipping point when you decided to change everything.

243615_10150957325843565_1422663578_o

You need to get your shit back together, Lena.

And you’re going to start by going back to basics: 30 days of working out every day – just as you did when you first started this journey.

STARTING TODAY!

No excuses and no slacking.

Just doing it – one day at a time.

No, it’s not the first of the month, but we’re not going to hear that “I will start on Monday/the first of next month/new moon” crap again, are we?

We’re going to start today, Lena.

You will then come back here weekly on Wednesdays and report to all the people reading this blog what you did on every one of the past seven days.

I will check back with you in 30 days to see how you did. Remember, that I will also see you every one of those 30 days.

To remind you where you’re going and how it all started.

To kick your butt and give you the tough love you need to wake up and keep going.

There will be no consoling hugs and patting on the back.

Just kicks and cracking the whip.

Because this is what you need right now.

Let’s see what you’re really made of in the next 30 days.

I choose today to be your Hump Day.

Love,

Lean Lena

Indoor Cycling: Does Size Matter?

Hello-hello, my fit crowd! How are you doing today? Ready for some more cycling instructor ramblings? ๐Ÿ™‚ Let’s talk sizes, shall we?

indoor cycling

No, that’s not what you thought ๐Ÿ™‚ I’m talking the size of the class!

I’ve had a pretty busy week as far as teaching cyclingย goes! What’s interesting isย how this past week’s teaching experience was all about class attendance/number of students in a class – class size.

Let’s see what happened in the past week.

Last Wednesday I taught a lunchtime cycling class (I was subbing for one of my fellow instructors).

I got there 15 minutes before the class, prepped the room, got ready, set up all my devices and “commenced waiting” ๐Ÿ™‚

At 2 minutes to 12 when there was still no one in the room but me,ย I decided I would leave if no one shows up by 12:15 PM.

At 1 minute to 12 my only student showed up.

I was about to teach a class to ONE person.

It was a very interesting experience – don’t get me wrong – she was a nice lady. But she just did her own thing kind of – and that was nerve-racking.

Imagine this: you’re starting to go through the stretching off the bike routine after the class, and the only student in your class is kinda watching you do it while wiping their bike off.

Do you stop stretching? Do you keep stretching and just shut up since you don’t really have to cue yourself on stretching out loud, and your student doesn’t care about stretching at all?

Anyway. It was difficult. In case you’re wondering – I shut up and kept stretching.

I did my Movie Ride again that Wednesday since I knew the crowd (haha) was going to be different from that at my Monday class, and I thought it would be a nice and engagingย ride to the music most people know.ย And my only student enjoyed it – she really liked the idea and enjoyed guessing the movies the songs on the playlist were from.

I guess, overall the class wasn’t bad. Just felt a little weird at times.

indoor cycling

On Saturday morning, bright and early I had to do it again. ๐Ÿ™‚

Saturday 8:00 AM class is very popular right now. People like coming in early to get their workout out of the way and enjoy a full day of summer activities with no interruptions.

I had 10 people signed up for the class. When they showed up, I realized I was going to be teaching a class to seasoned riders (both indoor and outdoor riders) – two of them were indoor cycling instructors with popular classes of their own.

I was nervous. I think I was more nervous than I was on my audition ride for the job. I blame those two instructors ๐Ÿ™‚

They are great people, but they made me nervous that morning. I guess it’s that feeling of being “checked out” and evaluated if you will. Being put to the test. Yeah, kinda just like what I do to other instructors. The difference is – when I go to check them out they don’t know I’m certified ๐Ÿ™‚ I do understand though that all that evaluation nonsense might be just in my head, but that was how I felt (might be through no fault of those two instructors).

There was also a lot of chatting going on in the class which was very distracting and hard for my vocal cords. The chatting was going on for a while…and then they stopped. All I could hear was heavy breathing ๐Ÿ™‚ Of course they started chatting again on the next recovery song, but that doesn’t matter.

What does matter is the experience of teaching in an environment far from perfect – not all the students look for your every word, they chat, some of them came there not just for the workout, but to socialize as well. Fine by me.

Also, what did matter was that when I started playing Old Time Rock and Roll by Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band, my class started clapping to the beat. I know, I know…good form, not safe… But it was just for a few seconds and it just gave me such a boost of energy and confidence to see them enjoying the music and the ride so much!

Another thing that mattered the most was whenย one of my students came over to me after the class and said he LOVED my music choices. He was amazed to not hear the kind of music he expected based on my age (rap and stuff). I told him I was born at the wrong time ๐Ÿ™‚ Should have been born in the 60’s. Old time rock and roll, you know ๐Ÿ™‚

So. Did the size of the class matter on Saturday?

Yes and no.

Yes – there were more people there than what I’m used to – more people you are trying to please with your routine, etc.. More musical tastes to satisfy. More fitness levels and age groups to consider.

No – because what made ME nervous had more to do with WHO was in my class rather than HOW MANY people were there.

indoor cycling

Here’s the playlist from the Saturday class:

On Monday I had my regular crowd (3-5 people) that I am now used to and comfortable with teaching as far as the number of students goes.

indoor cycling

Did size matter? Yes and no again ๐Ÿ™‚

Yes – this size group gives you a chance to look at people closer and pay more attention to each student. For example, I noticed that one of my regulars is a big Elvis fan. I don’t think I would have noticed his reaction to the Elvis’s song I played if I had more people in the class as he usually rides in the back of the room.

No – it didn’t matter if it was 4, 5 or 6 of them.

Here’s the Monday night playlist:

So, does the size matter?

I guess it does to me when it comes to bigger groups. At this point in my career I still get nervous, which can potentially influence the quality of my teaching.

It also matters ifย it is a one person class as it is harder – you have that one person to establish connection with and your failure to do so is much more obvious that it would have been with one person out of a group of 10. You beat yourself pretty hard afterwards…

Anything between 1 and 10 I am comfortable with ๐Ÿ™‚

And that’s the way it is right now in my world of teaching indoor cycling.

Question of the day: do you like indoor cycling classes in big groups or small groups? Why?

Take care, fit friends, and ride on!

Lean Lena

Five on Friday: Reads and Random Likes

Hey guys! Good Friday morning to you!

Traditionally, this Friday post is about things I am loving lately, admiring, obsessing about etc. Please, feel free to share yours in the link up below or just in comments!

Meanwhile, my Five on Friday:

{ONE} Born to Run by Christopher McDougal

I’ve heard a lot of people raving about this book, and saying things like “it changed my life”, “it changed my running”, “it changed me”. Well, I decided to give it a try and see if it changes anything for me. I first got it from our local library and started reading it a couple weeks ago.

Born to Run

Well, I don’t know if it changes anything, but it was one great book that definitely goes on to the shelf with my most favorite books. Even if you are not a runner and not planning to become one, this book will “hold you hostage” until you finish it, I can promise you that. Christopher McDougal is a great writer capable of keeping you interested and excited throughout the story.

I ended up purchasing a book of my own on Amazon just so I can go back and re-read it again.

{TWO} Tasty Tuesday Link Up Party

Tasty Tuesday 2000x2000

As you probably noticed, I have been hosting the Tasty Tuesday link up party for the past few weeks. I am loving this project so much! I wanted to take a moment to thank everyone for coming to check it out, participate and connect with the great bloggers who link up to their favorite tasty posts.

Special thanks to my co-host of the link up party – Meranda at Fairytales and Fitness for going for this adventure with me!

I hope this project grows and attracts more bloggers creating the community of people who love good food ๐Ÿ™‚

If you are a food blogger and thinking “Dang! I wish I could host something like that!” – let me know. We would love to have more people hosting this weekly link up!

Here are our link up parties we’ve had so far:

If you are not blogging regularly about food but have a great recipe to share, you can also contact me and I will try it out and share your recipe on my Tasty Tuesday post ๐Ÿ™‚

{THREE} Popsugar Selectย – Fitness

They contacted me a while ago offering to be featured on their website as a fitness blogger, which I gladly agreed to as you can see from their badge in my sidebar.

Well, yesterday I received a very nice surprise from them in the mail.

a sweat hoodie with Popsugar logo!

a sweat hoodie with Popsugar logo!

and a very nice card, too:

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Here is where you can findย my profile on Popsugar Select Fitness.

I love being part of this community! Thank you, Popsugar Select!

{FOUR} Complete Book of Road Cycling Skills by Ed Pavelka

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That’s an oldie but goodie. Published in 1998 and I am still enjoying every page. With outdoor cycling season coming into full swing here soon – I needed and inspiration ๐Ÿ™‚ And that book is where I found it. Can’t wait to ride outside!
Buy on Amazon

{FIVE} Spinningยฎ Program Home Study

So. For my CEC as a Spinningยฎ instructor, I am doing this home study on principals of effective weight loss. Fascinating reading! Makes me wonder how many people out there have no idea what they are doing and why it is not working when it comes to weight loss (that includes me, too!). I am looking forward to completing this study and getting the knowledge and experience it has to offer through these great courses the program offers.

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I have achieved my comfortable weight. I guess I could lose about 5 more pounds to qualify for the super right weight for my body type, but I don’t really care. I am comfortable, I love my body the way it is now and if those 5 come off – great. If not – whatever.

But I guess after struggling with my weight for so long I will never lose interest in the subject. That’s why I am working on my education here ๐Ÿ™‚

Do share: what are your latest likes?

Link up below or just share in comments – I would love to hear from you!

Have a wonderful weekend, friends!

Lena

Five on Friday

Hey guys! Happy Friday!!!

Here I am again with five things that I am loving lately.

{{ONE}} Conscious box

Oh. My. God. I saw the ads pop up a lot on the internet, and finally decided to try it. The idea behind it is – you subscribe for certain number of months (can be as little as one), and every month you getย a box of goodies – all healthy and organic stuff. When I ordered mine, they had a promotion running where you had to pay shipping only and get the first box for free.

Check out some things I got in my box:

Mighty Leaf Tea

Mighty Leaf Tea

Beauty Bursts!

Beauty Bursts!

Wholesome sweeteners

Wholesome sweeteners

and lots of other wonderful things that made me a one happy camper!

and lots of other wonderful things that made me a one happy camper!

Would you like to get a conscious box? Then you need to head over here.

{{TWO}} Lemon Bars

So last weekend I was browsing through Facebook and stumbled upon a great recipe for Lemon Bars.

I have never made those before, I don’t think I ever had one either, but they looked so good and easy to make that I decided to go for it and make a batch.

Aren't the gorgeous?

Aren’t the gorgeous?

You can find the recipe for these wonderful things on Lauren Kelly’s blog.

{{THREE}} Oranges Infused Water

Well, you guys already know from my previous Five on Friday post that I have been addicted to oranges lately. It got worse – now I infuse water with oranges ๐Ÿ™‚

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{{FOUR}} “Women, Food and God” by Geneen Roth

What a wonderful book!

women-food-and-god-book
Buy Women Food and God on Amazon

Initially, I heard about this book from the list of recommended reading for the “Yoga Fit Yoga Lean” certification course with Beth Shaw.

What a wonderful reading it has been! Very refreshing and useful book to read for those who what to look deeper into their relationships with food ๐Ÿ™‚

{{FIVE}} My New Food Scale

Long time ago I got myself a food scale. Loved it! So easy when you need to control your portion size or keep track of the recipe ingredients.

Time went by and one day my kitty dumped a pot of dirt onto the scale (didn’t you see it coming?) ๐Ÿ™‚ Well, I was “smart” enough to wash it off with water. My scale stopped working…

So I was on the market for a new one. It amazes me how ridiculously expensive these things are!ย So I went searching on Amazon for two reasons – the prices for these atย the store just did not seem reasonable, and reason #2 -meย being a lazy busy person. Here’s what I found.

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And that concludes my Five on Friday! Have a wonderful weekend, guys, and…

Your turn! Tell me about your Five on Friday!

 

Weekly Exercise Recap

Hi guys! How are you this fine Monday morning?

I feel like I didn’t sleep at all last night…still not awake! I blame the weather…

Anyway, I wanted to share my weekly exercise recap with youย – with ups and downs of the last week. Here we go!

{{MONDAY}} Spinning

As always on Mondays, I took a spin class with Jim last week – 12.5 sweaty miles and pure joy of great music and company.

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{{TUESDAY}} Weights and Strength Training

Usual weekly meeting with Jim at the gym ๐Ÿ™‚ Awesome as always! I am starting to feel more confident in the weights room on my own. I think I can have the sessions with Jim once in 2 weeks now instead of weekly, and keep going by the usual schedule (twice a week) on my own.

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{{WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY, FRIDAY}} – Unplanned Rest Days

I don’t know what happened. I had a crazy week at work and a couple of commitments in the evenings, but generally – I was just not feeling it. I could not motivate myself to workout. I was sleepy all the time, very sluggish and lazy – all those 3 days. Felt terribly guilty for not working out, but still could not bring myself off the couch in the evenings.

{{SATURDAY}} Walk and Weights

On Saturday morning I finally started feeling guilty enough and feelingย like I owe myself a workout ๐Ÿ™‚ So I got up bright and early and headed over to the YMCA.

Normally I do my Saturday double – spinning+yoga, but this time I felt like changing things around and bringing some variety to my workouts.

So I walked a mile on a treadmill:

Saturday Walk

And then did some weights!

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All that made me feel just GREAT, which immediately resulted in this happy “selfie” in the car ๐Ÿ™‚

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After the awesome workout and all the “selfies” were done, I headed home and made myself a super energizing power smoothie.

1/2 cup (firmly packed) kale, 1 frozen banana, 2/3 cup unsweetened almond milk, 1 tbsp. Vega protein powder, 6-8 whole roasted almonds

1/2 cup (firmly packed) kale, 1 frozen banana, 2/3 cup unsweetened almond milk, 1 tbsp. Vega protein powder, 6-8 whole roasted almonds

{{SUNDAY}} Yoga Practice and Home

A while ago I got a free gift from Yoga Journal – a DVD (first in a series) with home yoga practice. I didn’t subscribe for the rest of the series since I rarely get a chance to workout at home, but got to keep the first DVD they had sent me. Yesterday, while hubby was taking a nap, I decided to give it a try! I have to say – I regretted not subscribing to the series! It was a great flow with just enough challenges for my home practice.

Sunday Yoga

I absolutely loved practicing yoga at home – I dimmed the lights, turned on my candle warmer, fought off the kitty who was extremely interested in my yoga matt, and just spent an hour doing something for myself. Who doesn’t love that? I should definitely do it more often!

And that concludes my weekly exercise recap!

What was your favorite workout last week?

Lena

Resolutions Anyone?

Hey you, guys! And Happy New Year!

I hope you had a great time off with your loved ones, enjoyed the holidays and all back in the groove now.

New year is the time for resolutions, decisions, new goals and re-evaluation. It is to the point where it is borderline pure pressure and stress, isn’t it? Everyone is asking about your resolutions, sharing theirs, and looking for “resolution buddies”. Uuuurgh! Pressure. I hate pressure. Pressure has the reverse effect on me – the more I am pressured, the less I want to do it. For me, what does the trick is ME actually WANTING to do something. So. Let’s get the pressure off of you and have you relax for a couple minutes while you read this. This post is about me and my goals for 2014 as well as looking back at 2013. No pressure on you, navigate away if you like ๐Ÿ™‚ Or…Keep reading ๐Ÿ™‚Continue Reading

Tasty Tuesday: Delicata Squash with Orzo Recipe

Hey guys!

Tasty Tuesday is here!

Today I am sharing one of my all time favorite recipes I found in the Yoga Journal a while ago.

Ever since it has been my number one choice when it comes to cooking squash this time of year. Even though it is pretty easy to make, I usually make it on the weekends as it requires a little bit more time than I have/am willing to spend on a week night meal prep ๐Ÿ™‚

Delicata Squash with Orzo

Prep Time: 40 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Delicata Squash with Orzo

Ingredients

  • 2 ea delicata squash, halved and seeded
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 3 fresh sage leaves
  • 6 ounces whole grain orzo pasta - cooked according to package instructions, drained
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds or chopped almonds, roasted
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries, halved
  • 1/2 cup bread crumbs
  • Italian parsley, chopped
  • Handful of fresh pomegranate seeds
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375ยฐF.
  2. Rub cut side of the squash with oil, and roast, cut side up, until tender when pierced (approximately 40 min).
  3. In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat the remaining butter until it melts and develops light brown color, about 5 minutes.
  4. Remove from heat.
  5. Tear the sage leaves and add them to the saucepan.
  6. Strain the brown butter through a fine strainer, and toss the butter with the orzo and the lemon juice.
  7. Add the cranberries and roasted pepitas to the orzo.
  8. Mound the orzo into the squash.
  9. Sprinkle a layer of bread crumbs on top.
  10. Heat in a 250ยฐF oven for about 20 minutes.
  11. Garnish with parsley, pomegranate seeds, salt, and black pepper.
  12. Enjoy!
https://leanlena.com/tasty-tuesday-delicata-squash-with-orzo-recipe/

The original recipe can beย found on the Yoga Journal website rightย here.

I made it this last weekend and every member of my family had their plates empty before my first spoonful reached my mouth. ๐Ÿ™‚

Enjoy the rest of your week and stay fit!

Last Week’s Exercise Recap as part of the Motivation Monday

Hey hey, my fitness friends ๐Ÿ™‚

Happy (?) Monday to you! Are you ready for another week of work and fun? I feel pretty good today – I think it is going to be a very-very fun week…and – this weekend is our second wedding anniversary. It’s been very happy two years – with ups and downs like in any family in general and a step-family in particular.

But not for once did I ever regret that “I do” I said to the most wonderful guy in this world!

So we are keeping the tradition of going to NYC for our anniversary! I am so excited about another opportunity to discover more of this great city!!!

Anywho, back to our Monday. I am back here with my exercise recap of the past week.Continue Reading

Foods of the Week – What’s on my Plate Wednesday

Hello and happy Wednesday to you, my friends!

Let’s talk healthy (and not so much) food, shall we? I am changing the format of my weekly “What’s on my Plate Wednesday” blog post today – just because I get bored if things don’t change for a while ๐Ÿ™‚

Hope you like it!Continue Reading