Will shake for chicken.

Would probably sing an aria whilst riding a unicycle for chicken, but you know.

Another lovely Pilot-grilled feast:

I prepped the food and when he got home, he grilled it up while I did the baby bedtime rituals. We had dinner before 8pm, and it was awesome.

Wilted some kale on medium in a little olive oil and veggie broth,

removed it from heat and added the juice of 1/2 lemon, splash of Tamari, cayenne, garlic, sea salt and pepper

We split an avocado atop the kale, along with grilled chicken, stuffed with cheese and turkey. I was going to “cordon bleu” it, but alas, the mini food chopper is broken and didn’t even think about using the Vitamix. I have a tendency to get a in smoothies-only mindset with that thing and it’s capable of so much more…

(The Pilot’s with Colby Jack, mine with goat cheese)

It was a glorious meal, and I saved half my chicken for extra protein after hitting up the weights.

More eats:

My favorite Larabar

(Coconut Cream Pie, Cappuccino and Cashew are up there, too)

Salad in a mixing bowl:

(which sadly only filled up half of it. I need a greens stash replenishment like you read about)

And the story of a cookie that I almost set on fire.

I had the brilliant idea to cut off a piece of the dough I’ve been snacking on and put it on a plate in the microwave for a late-night sweet treat.

Well, 2 minutes is too long, my friends.

I forgot about the cookie after about a minute, raced back into the kitchen and was greeted with a rank, charbroiled aroma and couldn’t even see said cookie in the micowave- it was filled with smoke.

“Hey, will you please help me over here? I think my cookie is on fire!”

“A cookie! Where did you get a cookie? I want one”

“The dough is over here. Will you please come help me figure out how to turn the fan on so the smoke alarm doesn’t go off?”

(I can never find the “fan” button when I actually need it)

“Wait, you made cookie dough? What kind did you make?”

“Halp meeeeeeeeeee”

Priorities, haha.

He made me feel like I was insane to have put cookie dough in the microwave –“would you put a raw turkey breast in there?”- but I’m pretty sure I’ve done it before. Plus, it was vegan dough so it doesn’t really matter how cooked it gets. Needless to say, neither of us enjoyed a cookie last night. We were both a little traumatized from the stench.

Speaking of burns….

here’s what I did at the gym last night- a lovely burn for the areas that get a double-take as you walk away

(Head’s up: Brides-to-be, make sure to workout your back! It’s a common wedding dress focal point when you’re standing at the altar. The best part about it is that since the back is naturally pretty lean, if you emphasize back toning exercises, you see visible toning very quickly)

*Always check with a doc before making any fitness changes. Honor your body and injuries, and be sure to exercise with proper form.

Hope you have a happy humpday! <3

See ya later with a Fashion post.

xoxo

Gina

Today’s workout jam:

Whenever Bella’s food dish is empty, she’ll clank the bowl and then walk over to us, as if to say, “You hear that, fools? I’m outta food. Feed me.”

So you can imagine the fury that was unleashed when I walked over to the pantry, grabbed her bag of food and a few measly kernels fell into her bowl.

We were out of dog food- something that should probably never happen over here.

She was so upset, she went over and stood in the Pilot’s face,

and didn’t even notice that I was in the kitchen making her a bowl of brown rice, hardboiled egg yolk and chicken. She didn’t mind so much after that She enjoyed the same feast for breakfast, but a trip to PetSmart is definitely on the agenda for today.

Something else I’m out of?

Room for iPhone photos.

For those who were wondering, the magic number is 2105. I took it as a hint to start using my real camera.

Breakfast:

2 servings of oats with Sun Warrior and defrosted cherries and a steamed egg

I have no idea what we’re doing today, but will probably be taking it easy. Yesterday was a lot of fun, but my abs are KILLING me from the suspension training workshop. The first day, we spent a lot of the time learning about set-up and form cues, and yesterday we walked in and the master trainer was like, “I’m just going to kick your asses for 30 minutes. Here we go.”

Yeah.

Side planks and burpees using suspension trainers = no joke.

Would you guys be interested in a TRX workout? Is it something that you have access to at home or at a gym?

What are you up to this weekend?

I hope it starts off with a wonderful Friday <3

See ya later today!

xoxo

Gina

Something to think:

Source

Today’s workout jam:

Sometimes, cactus reminds me of the Pilot.

That seems like a weird thing to say, but he is fascinated with it, especially since he grew up in the South. It’s weird to him that many Tucson homes have deadly plants in their yard, which is understandable. On the other hand, greenery and trees are kinda weird to me

So needless to say, I’m reminded of him a lot, especially while I’m at work.

Today was my first day back, and it was definitely bittersweet. I’ve been looking forward to teaching fitness because it’s something that I love, and I’ve missed my work friends, but I can’t say it wasn’t hard to leave my little sidekick for longer than an hour. I’ve had a lot of anxiety today, partially because of nerves –I was nervous to teach again- and also because I missed her. The good news is that it’s only a couple days a week, and she gets to spend it with the best possible people: her nanas. It makes my heart happy that they’ll have extra time to bond together and hang out <3

Some eats:

Bowl of oats with Sun Warrior, Brewer’s yeast, raspberries, almond butter and tea

Larabar after stretch

A greeting with the cookies while I was waiting for my wrap to… cook

Wrap with turkey, mayo, Dijon, greens, avocado and an apple

Teaching Zumba was a lot of fun this morning My friend Sasha and I team-taught, and one of the things I definitely had to hit “refresh” on was my cueing. Usually in Zumba you don’t use mics at all, but at work, we do since many of the guests have never taken Zumba before – it makes it a little bit easier to follow. It’s also kinda hilarious to say stuff like “one arm up, then smack your booty!” Team-teaching is awesome because you get a little bit of a break, too

Packing my afternoon snacks and heading back.

Hope everyone is having a great day <3

See ya later!

xoxo

Gina

Zumba song of the day:

Like my constantly mismatched socks

protein, berry, almond butter oats

(kinda watery this morning, but still good)

and Bella’s ability to peer deep into your soul.

Thankfully, some things do change… like the Pilot’s facial hair

Mustache March ended early over here! No more scratchy kisses for meeeeeee.

We went to Lowe’s this morning and since it’s dog-friendly, we took the whole family.

We have a huge list of things we’d like to do with house, and are excited to start crackalackin’ on them. Lots of little projects (like replacing all of the hardware in the house) and bigger things, like eventually a master bathroom remodel, extending the patio in the backyard and first on the list: ripping out all of the upstairs carpet and replacing it with wood.

Our house is fairly new, but 5 families lived here before we did, and the carpet is pretty gnarly.

Random smudges and a giant blue spot:

and carpet is hard to keep clean. I think wood will be a lot easier to maintain, since we need to replace the flooring anyway.

My dadoo is extremely handy –he designs custom homes- so he said he’d help us figure out how to do it. It will be one heck of a project, but I’m really excited

Just got back from Saturday Zumba- I can’t believe I start teaching again on Wednesday! Time to scrounge for some lunch.

Hope you’re enjoying your Saturday!

xoxo

Gina

Something to read:

-Spring Running Gear

-Donkey Kicks- how many can you do?!

-6 healthiest fish and 6 to avoid

Today’s workout jam:

I’m officially sick of every song on my phone.

I’ll download new songs on the computer and then forget to transfer them over, so when I workout, I end up scrolling through a mix of random stuff on my phone: the Mowtown CD I downloaded for beginning aerobics, old pop/rap/Zumba/rock songs, Christmas music and the Pilot’s Dos Gringos CD that always tends to appear when I’m working out.

Fighter pilot songs performed by 2 dudes and a guitar. Not exactly heart-thumping treadmill music All I have to say is thank goodness for Pandora- LOVE the Pitbull and Muse stations.

While I was working out (did some weights and a version of the HIIT routine I posted the other day), I did a fun twist on the basic, quasi-inappropriate hip raise.

 

Take it up a notch: Hip Raise

To get the hard-to-target inner thigh area as well as the hams and glutes, start in the basic hip raise position:

-On your back, knees bent, feet on the floor hip width apart. You hands are at your sides with palms down into the floor. Important: be sure to keep your gaze straight up towards the ceiling to protect your neck.

-Place a playground ball (or medicine ball with very little weight) in between your knees (top pic above). Squeeze the ball and feel that lovely burn from your adductors (inner thighs).

-Complete the workout as usual, raising your hips towards the ceiling and lowering almost to the floor – keep about an inch above the floor when you lower. You can’t rest that way

-To make it even more challenging, try doing it unilaterally with one leg at a time (2nd pic above). The key here is to squeeze the ball as you raise, and also keep your knees in a straight line. Don’t let the knee of the lifted leg creep up, mmm k?

-For even more fun, in between sets, lower your hips and squeeze the ball 10 times. It burns so good

Some recent eats:

Yesterday’s lunch at Pita Jungle:

a gorgeously crispy piece of salmon (love when the outside is crispy and the inside is buttery….), brown rice and oily spinach. Someone got a little overzealous with the olive oil in the kitchen –that tends to happen with wilted greens- but the meal was amazing.

Especially since I was with my two favorite people

This morning’s bowl of oats with Sun Warrior, cherries, almond butter and tea

This morning we’re off to the zoo with some friends, then to a party for the new major selects, including my hubby. He’ll pin on in the next year – I’m really proud of him <3

Hope you have a happy Friday!

xoxo

Gina

Something to talk about: Do you use playground balls or stability balls often? They’re a great way to add some oomph to traditional strength training exercises. If you don’t want to order a small playground ball online, you can pick them up for a couple of dollars at Target or Walgreens in the kid’s section. Bonus: they’ll have Spongebob or wacky patterns

Zumba song of the day: An older one, but I still love it.

At a bar in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, they have the best infusions…. fresh fruit soaking in vodka, which tastes dangerously like candy. That’s all I can remember to tell you about those drinks.

This infusion is a little bit healthier, and will help instead of hinder your next workout

Strawberry-infused Sports Drink

-3 C hot water

-1/2 C orange juice

-juice of 1 lemon

-2 T honey + stevia to taste

-1/4 t salt

-1/2 container of strawberries (or any berry of choice), sliced

Mix well and chill in the fridge overnight. Strain to remove the berries, or enjoy them as a little snack with your drink

This is ideal before or during a tough workout, especially one lasting longer than 60 minutes. When I’m teaching two classes in a row, I’ll chug this, alternated with water.

For a recovery drink, choose something that has a mix of carbs and protein, like a small protein smoothie.

Every time I drink a sports drink, I can’t help but think of the time I thought it would be smart to put coconut water in my Camelbak. I just gagged a little while typing that. If you’ve never done it, you’re not missing out.

I drank a little bit of the strawberry drink before my workout yesterday- a circuit workout that will be up tomorrow + steady state on the elliptical reading the new SELF mag. I love that they included sneaker recommendations, since my beloved Zumba sneaks (Nike Huarache Dance Low) were discontinued. I’m thinking about either getting the Zumba shoes from zumba.com or the Pumagility shoes that were recommended in SELF.

Zumba.com Amazon

I’m sure we can all guess which ones I’m leaning towards

Lunch:

Cucumber and fennel salad with Goddess dressing (from TJs) and an open-faced smoked salmon sandwich with Dijon and goat cheese

Snack: a copious amount of oatie dough

(with big pieces of coconut, dried blueberries, and hemp seeds added in)

Breakfast was sad this morning.. I’m off to fix our dwindling grocery supply.

Hope you have a great day!
xoxo,

Gina

Something to talk about:

What sneaks do you wear for cardio classes? Is there an awesome Zumba shoe that I haven’t met yet?

Besides trusty H2O, what’s your workout hydration of choice?

I commend you.

It was such a gorgeous day that we ended spending a lot of it outside

and things got all kinds of domestic over here.

The Pilot worked on the yard

I planted some herbs… that I will eventually kill

Livi was napping or chilling with us on the patio,

and Bella enjoyed the fresh air.

Lunch:

A salad with cucumber, tomatoes, kalamata olives, sea salt, and garlic powder

and a flat wrap with turkey, avocado, Dijon and greens.

Zumba today was AMAZING –lots of shaking- and after I got home, we went over to my dad’s house for dessert first.

Just ordered pizza and are about to curl up with a movie. We like to party

See ya in the morning!
xoxo

Gina

PS. Thank you for all of the info on the Hunger Games! I might have to read it, but if it gets too dark/violent, I might call it quits. Reading/watching stuff like that used to not bother me, but now, I don’t like it at all. Same with scary movies- used to love them, now, not really a fan.

Something to talk about: Is it shorts weather where you are? Do you even like shorts? I’m kinda stoked that skirts are taking over this season

Today’s workout jam: “We Are Young” by Fun. It’s been overplayed over here, usually my first sign to quit a song (*cough* Adele *cough*), but I’m still loving it <3

Source

Started the day off shaking at World Beat. Live drummers, yelling, international dance styles…Love.

First, I had some toast and eggs with salsa

and took a Pure Bar with me for afterwards.

The interesting thing about World Beat is that it isn’t pre-choreographed, like Zumba or Dance Trance. Each song is a particular rhythm and the instructors just build on movements into a combo, with lots of freestyle thrown in. As an instructor, I really like pre-choreographed stuff because it’s *comfy*. I know what I’m going to do in advance, have practiced and listened to the music like crazy so I can throw fun extra movements in when I feel like it, and it makes cuing a little easier. If I do end up teaching World Beat, it will be a blast to have so much extra freedom with movement, but also challenging since everything is on the spot.

Source

Today, when they called me into the middle of the circle to dance, for a split second, I thought “ohhhhh god, what am I going to do?” so I shook my booty. <—how to avoid crisis in any situation

Can you freestyle, or prefer more choreographed routines? Or not a dancing fan?

Club dancing = the best kind of freestyling

Today the Pilot is off to an air show –we couldn’t find noise protection earmuffs for Liv, so the girls are off on their own adventure.

Hope you’re having a happy Saturday!

xoxo

Gina

Zumba song of the day:

It was a quiche kinda night over here.

It took me about 18 years of life to learn that quiche starts with a “q.”

The Pilot came home from work, and I wanted to make something quick and easy so we could hang out a little bit before being sucked into our respective laptops.

(Snacked on strawberries while I cooked)

I used this recipe, and baked it in the oven instead grilling,

mushrooms, shallots and asparagus for the veg.

Of course, Miss Bell wanted in on the action but she loves all things that are not for her

I enjoyed a couple of pieces with a BBQ sweet potato mash (with bell pepper, cumin, chili powder and a little bit of BBQ sauce) and greens with Goddess dressing.

Yesterday while I was at the gym –I did the Biscuits are burning workout again- I was thinking about how fitness has become a part of life (instead of something I have to motivate myself to do, like when I was first getting started) and got to thinking about habits: the fitness/food related ones and all of the others. As far as good habits go, I’m good about grabbing a handful of salad or some type of greens to go with meals, and I’m a flossing fanatic- I almost always have some with me. For bad habits, to name a couple: I’m terrible about remembering when to put new contact lenses in, unless they start to get uncomfortable or I rip/lose one. As I typed that, I realized that I’ve been wearing the same pair for, ugh, 6 weeks instead of the recommended 4 (mental note to put new ones in tomorrow). I also have a tendency to stack recycling in the garage until it makes it to the bin –Jenga master!

As they say, it takes 21 days to create a new habit. What are some of your good habits, and the ones you’re working on changing?

This morning, Livi and I are heading to Whole Foods to walk around a grab a green juice,

and back home for her next meal and nap while we catch up on The Bachelor and The Voice. Hope you have a wonderful day <3

See ya later with a Family post!

xoxo

Gina

Zumba song of the day: It’s a GOOD one, but you can’t go wrong with Pitbull

Flowers

vino

and a pizza picnic with three valentines (a baby, a man and a creature). How lucky does a girl get?

Hope that you had a fabulous night, too!

This morning’s bfast was one of the usual suspects:

(egg puff sandwich with greens, goat cheese and hummus, with strawberries and tea)

I can’t believe I forgot to blog about this yesterday morning, but my pleasantly sore hammies just reminded me: I finally got the chance to try a Winter Shape Up workout the other night!

I always like to test out workouts before I post them, but with my pregnancy and recovery process, I’ve had to treat the things I post more like I would personal training sessions- get an idea of what I’d like to do and wing it from there. It was so much fun to try a workout that I’d already created and posted, instead of going through the process at the same time.

So Monday night, the Pilot chilled with snoozing Livi while I went to the gym for a little while. It felt so nice to clear my mind and sweat a little, even though I did hear phantom crying a couple of times

Workout of choice was the Week 2 workout with a few modifications:

-jump roping instead of mountain climbers

-no pullover crunches (it’s best to avoid crunching motions after having a baby to give the abdominal muscles a chance to fully heal – TVA, aka transverse abdominis, exercises like plank pose are ok. If you crunch too soon, it could increase the chance of diastasis recti- separation of the abdominal muscles, which can sometimes require surgery)

-taking the HIIT a little easier than I normally would- it was more like traditional interval training than HIIT.

While I was working out, there was an older man in the gym busting out plyo moves the entire time. He was like a jumping bean! It made me think about when I first got into plyo and explosive cardio blasts and how apprehensive I felt about doing them in the weight room… I’d always go in the side aerobics room to do BodyRock workouts. Here’s the thing, though: at the gym, everyone is too worried about their own workouts to care about what you’re doing. Unless you’re jumping plyo man- then I just think you’re hardcore.

Are there any exercises you avoid? I used to think hip raises were slightly inappropriate, then I got over it

Hope you’re having a wonderful day and I’ll see ya later with a Family post.

xoxo

Gina

Zumba song of the day: An old flamenco fave