Oatie-nola and body bars
This is what can happen when you eyeball a baked goodie recipe:
While we were at the store, I grabbed the ingredients to make more of Heather’s fabulous oaties (including regular unsalted butter. I still don’t understand why they make salted butter in the first place, and why I always buy it by mistake). After taking out the ingredients to make said oaties, Liv started to wake up from her nap. I just threw everything the bowl without measuring, stirred, said a prayer to the cooking gods and popped it in the fridge.
They didn’t stick together at all, but it taste amazing -perfect to eat out of the bag by the spoonful and crumble onto oats
+ along with some tea
I had the chance to make it back to the gym last night (that’s #2 for this week!) and busted out another Winter Shape Up workout.
I also added in some movements with the body bar- a tool I didn’t fully appreciate until I started working at the resort. If I would use the body bars, it would usually just be for a lighter version of a barbell for traditional exercises like deadlifts, squats, upright rows, bicep curls, etc. Turns out there is some crazy awesome shizz you can do with a body bar.
What are they? Weighted bars, with a soft, cushiony covering. They can be used for almost anything, and are a relatively inexpensive addition to a home gym.
Here are some of my favorite non-traditional exercises:
Pilates-inspired ab movements, like the teaser, and ab exercises. I usually avoid heavy weights with my abs, so a body bar is a perfect option.
Leg exercises, which is my favorite use for the body bar. Since they’re lighter, it wouldn’t put as much strain on the knee joints as a heavy barbell. 
Source 
Cardio blasts: a fun way to add extra power to your cardio blasts
I also like jumping jack feet with body bar chest presses – awesome way to get your heart rate up.
What’s your favorite use for the body bar? If you’ve never used one, give a whirl in your next workout!
Off to lunch with friends- see ya later tonight <3
xoxo
Gina
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I really like to use the body bar instead of barbells for squats and lunges. I feel like my posture is much better when I use a body bar; it helps me to keep my shoulders back and chest up, rather than hunching forward.
I love Body Bars! One of my fave exercises to do with them is for the abductors/glutes. Lying on your right side and supporting your head with your right hand, place the body bar along your top (left) leg so that the end rests on your foot. Then, keeping left toes pointing forward, lift the bar up with your top leg. I usually do about 10 sets of reps on each side, and by the end, the bar feels SO heavy!
Oh that body bar looks like a great piece of equipment! Bonus-if I accidentally hit myself in the head while working out, the foam may provide a nice cushion! 🙂 At least better than a metal bar! lol
I do the same exercises as you with the body bar! Another good at home piece of equipment is a kettlebell! I recently got one and I’m obsessed 🙂
Wow – I’ve never seen a body bar before but that looks right up my alley. The exercises with it look great too. Hopefully I can find them in a local store – anything weighted tends to cost a fortune to ship. 🙂
Nothing wrong with a little Oatie granola. Bet it would be amazing top some ice-cream!
I think the only time I’ve used a body bar is for squats. However, I think it’s time to broaden bar my horizons as just rejoined the gym. Daycare at the Y – a dream come true. 🙂
They make salted butter because it tastes better!!!
Heh. I was thinking, “I don’t know why they make UNsalted butter!”
I have been wanting strawberries so bad! That pic has inspired me to go get some.
I dont have access to them anymore but I used to like doing various tricep exercises using a body bar.
Good for you getting back to the gym!!!!!
OMG i have to laugh because i made the oaties last week and was SO bummed because mine did not stick together either…i put them in the oven anyway, and i had a pool of chocolate and butter, so i ended up eating it by the handfuls and throwing on top of oats too! I am determined to try again though, because they sound so amazing.
Congrats on getting back to the gym!
I have to ask, does it feel weird or different in any way when you’re working out? TMI perhaps, but I felt really strange for months after having my son whenever I worked out.
I ONLY use salted butter and wonder why they make unsalted. It makes everything taste better. One time I followed a baking recipe exactly by using unsalted and it tasted flat and just *off*. Never again.
I remember using them back in high school. I took a dance fitness class and we would whip them out every now and then. Haven’t used them since, though. Congrats on getting back to the gym!! Exciting!
I’m not sure what you call it but you act like you’re rowing a boat and let me tell you using that body bar with it is amazing! I don’t know how you push yourself at home!! I have to go to a body sculpt class, even just sticking a workout video in I feel like I cheat way too much! Do you have any advise for this?! Also you have inspired me to run a half marathon April 28 and I haven’t started training! I’m quite nervous!
I’ve never tried a body bar before (actually, never even knew they existed until now!), but it looks like it would be a good option for more challenging exercises without adding too much weight. Maybe I’ll look into trying one out next time I’m at the gym.
I’ve been using basically the equivalent of a body bar at crossfit for a month or so since my back is injured. I use it to work on form in olympic lifts.
I have taken a body bar class before and I actually really enjoyed it! Definitely felt the burn!
I think that unsalted butter is more for cooking, & salted butter is for eating- like cooking eggs in, or smearing on crusty bread. Although I always use salted butter (b/c we eat plenty of butter as described above) & just add less salt to recipes & things always turn out great!
Oh, & I really enjoy using body bars too! I just switched gyms recently after going to one that didn’t have body bars, & it is nice to welcome them back into my life.
Yay for kitchen “mistakes” that taste awesome!
Ali <3
Skull crushers on the floor in a bridge. Killer 🙂
I’ve never seen those body bars before! I wish my gym had them as I spend at least 10 minutes every time I am at the gym looking around for two matching weights. Talk about frustrating!
I like using the body bay for squats!
I love body bars, too! We use them a lot in my boot camp class as an alternative to barbells. Plus, it’s way faster since we don’t have to waste time switching the weights…just grab and go 😉
did you use the full 2 sticks of butter it calls for? that seems like a lot. i might try and sub coconut oil in for some of the butter?
I did- last time I did half yogurt sincebi only had salted butter and it turned out great.
I haven’t used a body bar before. I’ll have to look for them the next time that I’m at the gym. I might have to go make some oatie – granola. Sounds just as good as the cookies!
I always use salted butter and think its weird that they make unsalted! It’s so bland without the salt in my opinion. Yum, butter!
Thanks for the recommendation. I see them at the gym but never used them. I like that it’ll keep my hands focused when I do ab exercises instead of wriggling around.
So I was at work today (lulu Pasadena, CA) and was talking to a girl about my amazing Zumba class. She saw my belly and goes yeah I read this blog and the girl is a Zumba instructor and just had a baby. I was like “Gina?!” You’re famous….just thought you should know. 🙂 We both thought it was hilarious and slightly creepy that we feel like we’re friends with you and have never met you.
aww that’s awesome! 🙂
The same thing happened to my cookies last week!
I have been enjoying the crumbles on frozen yogurt!
Unsalted butter for cooking, sure. But eating? Like on bread? No way, it has no taste! If you don’t like salted butter, then I must assume you don’t butter your bread. And frankly, I am very suspicious of a gal who doesn’t butter her bread. Time for a Paula Deen-style intervention!
haha! i do butter it, but with kerrygold- the taste is amazing, and it’s not salted
but most of the time, i designate butter for baking 😉
Okay tell me what is the deal with salted/unsalted butter?? I bake ALL THE TIME and never pay attention to which sticks of butter I pick up from the store.
The BF and I were watching Cupcake Wars and this team got all in a tizzy over accidentally grabbing the salted butter. It dawned on me that there must be a huge difference…but when do you use which??
Everything looks great….I stumbled on this and wanted to know what you thought about it…
http://www.myallnaturalweightloss.com/white-chocolate-macadamia-nut-cookie-oatmeal/1416/….we all love oatmeal…..Looking forward to hearing from you.
I’ve taken a few classes at my gym that used body bars and I really liked them! They were much more comfortable to hold than barbells. And I like that the weight is more evenly distributed on them, instead of being concentrated at the ends!
I’ve never seen those before! Good job getting back to the gym 😀
Salted butter is the only way to go… I agree with other posters that recipes for baked goods just never taste right when using unsalted. Another bonus: it’s usually cheaper 🙂
when i use it in baked goods, i can taste the extra salt! weird. guess it’s just me??
Late reply, but definitely not just you, Gina!! I love using unsalted too…I can also taste the extra salt in baked goods. (Of course, reducing the *added* salt would probably help, but I still love and use unsalted all the time.) 🙂
There are lots of fun body bar exercises. I like one’s combining a bar and a tube, like deadlifts with the tube under your feet and its handles over a bar. I think they’re relatively expensive, though, but I’m thinking relative to a barbell where you change the plates.
Cool info about those bars…and isn’t it always the case that JUST about when you’re going to get into the flow of something, the baby wakes up from her nap!
And salted butter..agreed. If someone wants it salted, they can salt it, but for MOST cooking applications, unsalted is preferred for me too.
I really hope my gym has body bars – I’ll find out today! I’m 14 weeks pregnant and dont feel 100% comfortable with all the moves in body pump, so this way, I’ll be able to modify the moves on my own!
Haha I agree with the other commenters about salted butter! I always bake with it and love how everything tastes with it over unsalted! Just adds more flavor to me! The only thing I’ve ever regretted using it in is a Swiss buttercream frosting I made once, it was still good but a smidge too salty.
This is making me want baked goods.
Gina,
I ordered Sun Warrior from your Open Sky store. I just came in today. I haven’t made a smoothie yet, but I did have a smell (I got the chocolate since vanilla was sold out….it smells like cocoa mix!) and a taste of it (I was expecting something kinda sticky) but it was smooth and delightful. Can’t wait to make a smoothie later!!! You have one more Sun Warrior on your hands!!!!!!! 🙂
Totally. NO MORE SALTED BUTTER and my freezer has a pack just sitting there from my mistake when making all my Holiday Cookies. :/
I have the same kinda of recipe as Heathers Oaties. Aren’t they the absolute BEST!!
Body bars are good, nice to switch things up, I like them for squats and curls.
Happy Friday!
Thanks for the body bar post.. I have one at home and look forward to some new ways to use it!