August 9: Tabata Thursday

Not much in the land of new healthy food ideas over here. I’ve been enjoying eggs aplenty and abusing the bag of steamed lentils from Trader Joe’s that I found in the fridge. Makes for some pretty unappetizing food photos 😉

I do have a hot bar record for ya, though: 

Whole foods

$5.99!

Ka-boom. (My record high was around $20 after a half marathon. Whole Foods sprinkles gold in their pre-made delights)

Our hot bars here in Tucson are pretty sad (not complaining because I’m just happy to live near a Whole Foods), but it’s always a special treat to check out the hot bars in other cities. The above gem is from Las Vegas, and included balsamic beets, kale salad, quinoa salad, roasted garlic and hummus. Jeni laughed at my snack- despite the price, it was size-able- especially when the plan was to eat half and save the rest for later. I think we all know how that worked out.

This awesome basket my friend Lisa left for us in the locker room, filled with Australian treats:

Australian goodies

Tim Tams are the key to my heart. SO GOOD.

I also have a Tabata video for you.

Tabata thursday

I hope you’ve been enjoying them as much as I like making them. This week’s is a BOOTY BURNER- lots and lots of squats! 

Some things to remember:

-Always sandwich a Tabata Thursday in between a proper warmup and cool down. Choose any cardio you like, but make sure your muscles are nice and warm before getting into any plyometrics or high intensity movements. You can repeat the video for a total of 3 Tabata rounds, if you’d like.

-Honor your body by modifying as necessary to accommodate your needs or injuries. Check with a doc before making any fitness changes.

-Do not do high-intensity interval training on consecutive days. Intense intervals challenge our heart to its maximum capacity- the heart is a muscle and needs rest, too. We get stronger through rest, not work, and overtraining has the opposite effect of what we’d like it to do. 

-I stopped trying to add music, and even though it’s awkward to listen to my breathing (at least I’m huffing and puffing along with you, eh?), the timer is easy to hear and you can blast any music you like. What’s your current power song??

-For more details on Tabata training, check out this post, and for ways to incorporate it into your schedule, check out the August workout calendar.

-After you try the workout, please leave a comment to let me know how it goes, or Instagram/tweet your sweaty picture @fitnessista #tabatathursday

Happy sweating! 

xoxo

Gina

Something to talk about: Do you have any food splurges? Mine are goat cheese, coconut water, almond butter, and the occasional hot bar. I love it so much.

Something to think:

Wherever you are right now, you are not stuck. Your heart will tell you if you’re unhappy or need to make a change- you just have to listen.

Post Navigation:

75 Comments

  1. Carolyn B. on August 9, 2012 at 10:12 pm

    It took me seven years to learn that the flagship store of Whole Foods is only an hour’s drive from where I live!

    When I first went in there, it was like I died and went to heaven. They have a gelato stand, smoothie/juice bar, sushi bar/stir fry station, barbecue station, tapas, sandwiches, wine bar, seafood station (you actually pick out your raw seafood and they’ll cook it to your liking!), vegetarian prepared foods, salad, hot foods galore from Indian to Puerto Rican food, the all-encompassing salad bar, chocolate/candy station, and even a dessert station (last time I went, they had piles of different cookies!)

    During the winter, they even have an ice skating rink in their pavilion. (Seriously? A healthy grocery store with an ice skating rink?!)

    It was truly amazing and it puts my town’s Whole Foods to shame, so I can relate when you say yours in Tucson is lacking. (We only have a salad bar.) If you ever get the chance to visit Texas, I highly recommend you go there!

    • Fitnessista on August 9, 2012 at 10:13 pm

      oh my goooooooood. on the bucket list 😉

  2. Heather on August 10, 2012 at 12:24 am

    I went to Australia a few years ago and FELL IN LOVE WITH TIM TAMS!! I brought half of a suitcase full back to the US with me and put them in the freezer for special guests only to discover recently that Target does carry Tim Tams on the rare (but delightful) occasion.

    Just thought that I would share 🙂

    • Fitnessista on August 10, 2012 at 12:29 am

      no way!! i’ll be on the lookout 🙂

  3. sandy on August 10, 2012 at 2:36 am

    my splurges are super similar to yours:)
    ohhh sad to hear Tucson hot bar not so good…im traveling there tomorrow!! Coming from L.A. i’m spoiled on WF hotbars…

  4. Caitlin on August 10, 2012 at 7:27 am

    Hehe, I live in Australia and see them at the supermarket all the time. Have you tried caramello koalas? THEY ARE TO DIE FOR!!!!!!!! :D. But I don’t get easy access to all the awesome beauty products you have in the USA. :(.
    Keep up the great work, xoxo
    Caity

  5. Jackie on August 10, 2012 at 7:46 am

    Thank you for the “Something to think about” and the quote…

    If you look at my blog, all I’ve felt is stuck lately with a lot of fear to make the changes necessary to get unstuck.

    Thanks for the inspiration!! 🙂

  6. Kelly @ My Love Affair with Running on August 10, 2012 at 8:30 am

    I love splurging on good bread! Love trying different sourdough and grainy breads… toasted with peanut butter and banana mmmmm 🙂

  7. Milena on August 10, 2012 at 9:09 am

    Gina, I did the Tabata workout 2x today after a warm-up run. My thighs are starting to feel it! I get that slight shaky feeling when I have to stand up or sit down. I’m spending the next two days on the beach so I will be thinking of you when I can’t stand up off the sand :p

  8. Jen on August 10, 2012 at 9:25 am

    Have you ever heard of a Tim Tam slam? You take a Tim Tam, bite off opposite corners and drink coffee or hot chocolate thru the bitten “staw” then slam the whole melty goodness in your mouth as it melts. So good.

  9. Caitlin on August 10, 2012 at 11:06 am

    Ummmm I did the tabata workout 3x yesterday and my legs are SO SORE…seriously it’s ridiculous! Wahoo!

    • Fitnessista on August 10, 2012 at 12:14 pm

      whoo hoo!! my legs are sore from filming it haha 🙂

  10. Katelyn on August 10, 2012 at 3:01 pm

    Thanks for the “thing to think about”. I really, really needed that today 🙂

  11. Bek @ Crave on August 11, 2012 at 12:17 am

    Haha! There are so many different types of tim tams over here: Dark, double choc, white, turkish delight, honeycomb, caramel- and more- it’s endless.

  12. Emma W on August 12, 2012 at 7:27 am

    Thanks for these tabata videos. I’ve been meaning to change up my tabata routine for a while (usually just do high-leg running on the spot/burpees combo), and your tabata thursday videos are really helpful. It’s motivating to have new routines to try out (also discovered that tabata routines LOOK a lot easier than they actually ARE!).

  13. Andrea on August 12, 2012 at 11:18 am

    Love your Tabata workouts! I’ve been adding them after doing Chalean Extreme for some more cardio. Thanks for posting!

  14. Nicole on August 14, 2012 at 8:23 pm

    I loved this workout! I’ve been looking forward to Tabata Thursday lately – thanks for these workouts!!

    • Fitnessista on August 14, 2012 at 10:28 pm

      of course- i’m so happy to hear when you guys enjoy them!

  15. Courtney Tucker on August 15, 2012 at 8:02 am

    Love, love, love your tabata videos. Haven’t checked this one out yet, but I will! Thanks!

  16. Lindsay on August 20, 2012 at 8:58 am

    Since you started posting these tabata workouts, I have been doing them 2x a week, and I LOVE them! thank you, thank you, thank you! this one is my favorite…love the climber jacks. 🙂

  17. Sara on December 17, 2012 at 12:57 pm

    Hi,

    Just did tabata for the first time on Sat. Now it is Monday and I can still hardly walk. Can you comment? Is is really this hard to get going with it-I considered myself fairly fit before hand (can do 1/2 hr on precor or a dance class easily) but I just hurt so much. Thanks!

    • Fitnessista on December 17, 2012 at 1:04 pm

      are you used to plyometric drills and jumping? if not, it just might be because it’s new to your body and you pushed it too hard. definitely take it easy, stretch and call a doc if you’re in pain vs. being sore.
      xoxo

Leave a Comment





This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.