‘Twas the night before Thanksgiving

and all through the house

not a Gina was cooking

neither was her spouse.”

groceries

What was supposed to be “cookstravaganza as soon as I get home from work” turned into “let’s watch Family Guy” instead. I may or may not have fallen asleep.

 us

It’s a good thing I work better under pressure 😉

Work was a lot of fun today. I got to assist two dance classes –including bellydance, which is always a blast- and taught stretch this afternoon. Nice and noodly, just the way it should be.

Some eats:

Standard egg-rito (2 eggs, nutritional yeast, salsa in a brown rice tortilla) and grapes, munched on my way out the door

eggrito grapes

Salad brought back to work with greens, anchovies (so weird, but I love the salty taste), bell pepper, tomatoes, red wine vinegar, olive oil, sea salt, goat cheese, chickpeas, pepper

beast

Goat’s milk yogurt, raspberries and herbal tea

snacks

I think it’s time to blast some Michael Buble Christmas and get my cook on. One thing to check off the list:

loaf

Pumpkin loaf for tomorrow’s brunch

See ya in the morning <3

xoxo

Gina

Something to talk about: As I mentioned the other day, as things get busier during the holiday season, one thing to keep in mind is quality of workouts instead of quantity of time spent working out. This is why I’ll be posting lots of workout quickies throughout the season for those who may be short on time and want to get in a quick sweat sesh. But the thing is, how do you tell if you had an effective workout?

Here are my 3 key indicators:

1) Did I sweat?

2) Did I get my heart rate up? and

3) Do I feel done, but at the same time, even more energized for the rest of the day? The best types of workouts (for me) are the ones that require work and energy, but don’t leave me feeling totally exhausted and burned out at the end.

How do you know you got in a good workout?

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20 Comments

  1. Haley @ Fit, Young, and Fabulous on November 23, 2011 at 11:03 pm

    I’m making your Pumpkin Loaf tomorrow for Thanksgiving breakfast! Can’t wait!! (:

    • Fitnessista on November 23, 2011 at 11:07 pm

      enjoy! 🙂

  2. Nicole P on November 23, 2011 at 11:15 pm

    Notice that Bella is sitting on your lap while the pilot is there. But she is still looking at him like she demands to know why he isn’t paying her attention 🙂

    • Fitnessista on November 23, 2011 at 11:16 pm

      yes- she has a little bit of a crush on the pilot

  3. Allison on November 23, 2011 at 11:21 pm

    I wish it was thanksgiving over here again.. but enjoy!!!!
    a good workout: definitely need to sweat and get that heart rate up and burn some calories!

  4. esmemerrie on November 23, 2011 at 11:25 pm

    I think those are three fantastic questions to ask yourself after working out 🙂 Exercising doesn’t have to be complicated! How are you finding dance classes as your baby “bump” grows? I’m so impressed you!

    • Fitnessista on November 23, 2011 at 11:36 pm

      zumba still feels awesome, especially with my belly support belt. bellydance was a little more challenging since i can’t really isolate those muscles as well right now, so i faked it and just had fun 🙂

  5. Averie @ Love Veggies and Yoga on November 23, 2011 at 11:31 pm

    That pumpkin loaf looks awesome and I bet your house is smelling magnificent right about now.

    Good for you for taking the night off from cooking and chilling on the couch with your man. You are so close to having a baby…if there is ever a time to relax and take a breather, it’s now! Good for you!!

    Happy Thanksgiving to you two…I mean three 🙂

  6. Michaela on November 23, 2011 at 11:44 pm

    your indicators are pretty much what I keep in mind 🙂 I wanna feel the burn, but don´t want to feel “burned out”. (just did your yoga and short cardio workout, amongst some other videos, and they definitely make me feel the way it should be :))

    • Fitnessista on November 24, 2011 at 12:32 am

      awesome 🙂

  7. Erin @ Girl Gone Veggie on November 24, 2011 at 12:09 am

    Love that picture of you, the pilot, and bella! So cute!! Good luck baking. I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

  8. Kaila @healthyhelperblog! on November 24, 2011 at 12:12 am

    Sweat and an increased heart rate are the biggest indicators for me! If I don’t feel those I really don’t feel like I got a good workout!

  9. Ali on November 24, 2011 at 1:55 am

    Aww, I think after the sounds of your day, it was more important for you to rest! Thanks for the work out tips too!

  10. Olivia @ PeanutButterNerd on November 24, 2011 at 6:50 am

    Mmm pumpkin loaf. I’m already in the Christmas mood – our Thanksgiving here in Canada was almost 2 months ago – or I’d totally bake some up! Have a wonderful time 🙂

  11. Chelsea @ One Healthy Munchkin on November 24, 2011 at 8:04 am

    There’s nothing like some Michael Buble to get me in the holiday spirit! <3 Have a great Thanksgiving!

    Sweat is my main indicator of a good workout. I like to be drenched when I'm done! 😀

  12. Hillary on November 24, 2011 at 8:04 am

    Sweat is a key for me when working out. If I haven’t broken a sweat, I feel like I haven’t even started!

  13. She Rocks Fitness on November 24, 2011 at 9:33 am

    Two ways:
    1. My sweat factor! If I’m soaking wet, it was good one.
    2. I’m sore at the end of the workout.
    I totally agree that it is about quality, plus I really cannot handle being in the gym for a long period of time. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

  14. Courtney @ The Petite AthlEAT on November 24, 2011 at 10:21 am

    Aww, happy you guys enjoyed your evening! I like to bake under pressure, too – that’s whats up today! 🙂

  15. Julie on November 24, 2011 at 10:29 am

    Gina your three questions sum up perfectly what a good workout should be. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!

  16. JavaChick on November 24, 2011 at 12:32 pm

    I used to go to the best yoga class! It was challenging and during the workout there would be times when I felt about ready to collapse in a heap on the mat…But afterwards I would float through the rest of the day feeling awesome. Sadly, that teacher moved on and the class just wasn’t the same. Hope to find another great class like that some day!

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