Sibling rivalry
Hey guys! HOLY MOLY! I am so very thankful for all of your heartfelt comments, thoughts, good vibes and advice on today’s doggie crisis. I loved reading them and each one put a smile on my raccoon face –bad day to wear mascara 😉 You certainly know how to pick a girl up when she’s feeling down and from the bottom of mi corazon: thank you <3 Ya’ll are just so lovely and wonderful- what can I say 😀
This is the current situation in our casa:
Two baby gates and a chair separating the living room from the kitchen. The pilot and Viesa are in the living room and Bella and I are in the kitchen- we’ll switch in a little while. Still have to figure out what we’re going to do but will probably sleep in different rooms with our respective dogs tonight, because if we try to kennel them overnight, they’ll cry too much and the pilot flies tomorrow. Bummer!
This afternoon after our trip to the vet, I just needed some chocolate in my life.
I picked up these babies at the health food store:
and they rocked my face off:
Then, I made something scrumptious for dinner.
Quinoa Confetti Casserole from Eat, Drink and Be Vegan
Before:
After:
Fluffy quinoa with chickpeas, veggies and spices. Oh yeahhhhhhh. (The pilot also had some organic beef with his casserole to satisfy his carnivorous needs)
And I got to use one of my favorite casserole dishes from Pampered Chef:
Makes me feel so Betty Crocker 😉
Afternoon snack:
I just ate it plain today.. no organic butter, almond butter, nada. I just wanted doughy, carby, grainy goodness.
I packed up the macaroons for the Shape Up winners!
Packed up my water and some quinoa casserole to munch after teaching:
Hit up the post office, took a vinyasa class, taught spin and then went to my training appointment.
The quinoa was hard to eat while I was driving to the other gym, but it was soooooooooo freaking delicious. It had a lovely earthy taste to it and I adored the fact that it was packed with high quality protein. Winner, winner, quinoa dinner.
Funny quotes lady and I decided that one day she’s going to grunt and make funny noises like the guys who lift weights while I play the annoying trainer and yell, “COME ON!!!! 1, 2, 3, 4, PUSH!, 6, 7, BREATHE!!!!” And then she’ll throw the weights down and look at her muscles in the mirror. How hilarious would that be??? Hahaha!
When I got back to the casa, I had a little more quinoa and am sitting on the kitchen floor with the invalid (aka Bella) and a cup of green tea.
Hope you all have a wonderful night and I’ll see ya in the morning!
xoxo,
G$
Weight training 101: Usually I tell clients, just to simplify things, not to weight train every day. It helps to keep them from working the same muscle groups within the 48 hour recovery period and will enable them to grow the lean muscles (and burn the fat) their looking for. There are a few splits for weight training, and honestly, I think weight lifting 3x a week is the way to go. Of course, if you want to do more than that, then go for it (!) but make sure you follow a proper split pattern and give your muscles time to recover to get the results you’re looking for.
You can do:
1. Full body 3x week (1 exercise per muscle group)- circuit style training that works your entire body in one session (think “boot camp”, “Shred”, “Crossfit”, etc)
2. Synergist muscles (these are muscles that get worked at the same time you’re working the agonist muscle., which cause the movement. For example, in doing push ups, the chest is the agonist muscle—shoulders, chest and triceps assist in the movement of the push up and act as the synergist muscles); these are the synergist muscle groups: Day 1) Shoulders, chest and triceps, Day 2) Gluts and Calves, and Day 3) Back and Biceps. *****I have tried all of the muscle splits quite a few times and have found that this is the one that gives me the best results. You have to play around and see what works for you!
3. Antagonist muscles (these are muscles that work in opposition to the primary (agonist) muscle and cause the limb to return back to it’s starting position); 1) Chest and Back, 2) Triceps and Biceps, 3) Quads and Hamstrings, Day 4) Abs and lower back and 5) Front delts and rear delts (shoulders)
For some full body workouts, check out The Fitnessista Workout and for a workout targeting different muscle groups in each session, try Week 3 of the Summer Shape Up.
*if there are any weight training/cardio questions, please let me know in the comments and I’ll get answering!! Remember, weight training is muy importante for healthy bones and a fit bod—don’t be afraid to get in there and pump some iron! My motto: Change create change. Anything you can do to switch up you’re current routine is a good thing and your body will respond 😀
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I’m praying that the dog situation gets 100% better – you know I’m crossing my fingers for ya!!
Great casserole, cookies, and your signature MACAROOOOOOOOOOONS!! Yum 😀
“Change create change” = love your motto!!
Hey there! I’m so glad you found a temporary situation for the pups. It might be best to “sit on it” before you make a decision. I’m so sorry you have you make a decision though 🙁
On a better note, those cookies look awesome! The quinoa looks great, too, but for some reason, I just can’t get my pallate to like quinoa :-/ I really want to though! haha
Hope you have a great night 🙂
Sorry to hear about your puppy problems… we had a similar issue with my little brother-in-law’s poodle. He is good 95% of the time, but the other 5%, he can just snap and go crazy. If you try to get in a car when he’s in there, he’ll snarl and snap. Luckily, he’s a poodle and not a pit bull or he would be a real menace. His dad was going to make him put the dog down, but my husband and I took him because we have no kids and we can work around his issues and it just seemed such a shame to put a dog down when he’s so good most of the time. I hope you can find a similar solution for your little trouble maker. 🙂
Glad to hear you guys figured out a temporary solution! I’m sure you are so frustrated/sad/etc etc. Keep on smiling! We’re all thinking about ya! The quinoa looks awesome! I love the nutty taste of that grain. Get some sleepies!
I always look forward to your personal training tidbit advices. I’m trying to become a Personal Trainer here and reading your blog makes it easier to study!
I have a weight training question! I do crunches/situps probably 5-6 times a week- do abs fall into the 3 times a week recommended weight lifting schedule? Also, I probably have the issue where I’m not working my lower back as often as my abs…I probably need to research some lower back exercises! Thanks for the invite for questions! Continued well wishes to ya’ll and your pups.
yes yes yes YES!!! there’s no reason to work your abbies that much.. 2-3x (max) a week is perfect. i, too, used to work my abs almost everyday and i didn’t get the look i wanted until i stopped working them out so much. just like any muscle group, they need at least 48 hrs to recovery, repair and grow back stronger
Those raw cookies look so great. I’ve always wanted to try those little gems! Sorry about the doggy situation :[ That is horrible! :[
I love love love your blog! I am currently a Wellness program coordinator at a gym and I am taking my certs to teach spinning and group fitness. I really love your lifestyle! It seem slike you have it all down to a science! I look forward to reading you frequently 🙂
Goodness i hope everything is playing out ok with the dogs!
Those chocolate cookies from the health food store look amazing! Wonder where i can pick some up!!!!
Hope your evening is going well! 🙂
Poor puppy!! Everything will work out in the end with your dog situation.
With your quinoa dish, it looks mighty delish. Did you bake the quinoa with the vegetables and mix it up when it was done?
yup the quinoa cooks with the veggies! so easy and it was ahhhmazin
Hey! I love your site, and have been following a while. Thanks so much for posting about the Weight Training. I have a question. I would choose option 1 for myself and that is actually what I have been doing for the past 2 weeks but only once a week. My issue is I am pretty muscular already, and I don’t really want to build more, just maintain and then get rid of the fat. In the past 9 weeks or so I have pretty much maintained my weight (BOO) but have lost over 10 inches. How can I keep shrinking but lose pounds too? Kick up the cardio? Kick up the weights to 2-3 times a week? I’m frustrated… THANKS!
congrats on your success! that means you’ve lost a great amount of body fat since the scale hasn’t budged but your inches have decreased. try not to focus so much on the weight aspect– get your body fat checked (most gyms will do this for free) because it’s a much better way to measure progress. to keep losing body fat, try adding some intervals into your cardio routine (hills and sprints), and do everything you can to clean up your eating habits.
hope this helps a little!
Ahhh those chocolate super cookies look amazing! That is so funny about the quotes lady – I always look forward to hearing what gem she will come up with each appointment!
I have a training Q for you. Whenever I work my core really hard, particularly using weighted plates, etc., my core feels inflamed afterwards. The muscles feel…puffy. Not sore in the traditional sense, because they aren’t sore when engaged, but they feel sore in the same way a bruise does. Any ideas?
hey suzanne,
you might be lifting too heavy with your abs. it’s good to add some weights or resistance to make things more challenging, but you don’t want to add too much because you’ll be building your abs OUT instead of in (!) and it can cause mayjah soreness like you’re experiencing.
maybe try some moves that are super challenging as is, or some that can utilize leg weights or dumbbells to make them harder (like leg lifts with ankle weights or full teasers w a dumbbell in each hand) so you’re not putting so much weight directly on your abs.
Great advice on the weight training!! What do you normally lift for your legs and back/hamstrings? Thanks, great post! Mary
I had those cookies on my last trip in the US – delicious 🙂
Glad to hear you found a temporary solution to get through the night. I really feel for you.
Thank you for the work out info! Have a great day.
So glad you have a temporary fix for the doggie saga. Hang in there!
As for the quinoa bake…you are always baking things from ED & BV and I HAVE that book and I just miss them or something. I dunno maybe when I scan the pages I’m like no thanks, but when I see your photos I get inspired 🙂
Speaking of which, I just whipped up a breakfast cookie and it’s in my fridge. OMG I can already tell, the badboy is gonna be good. Real good. I can’t believe I have to wait til morning. I licked the fork I used to mash everything together with and yep, it’s gonna be nummy! Thx for the inspiration!
Oh and the little raw cookies you have in this post, I have bought other amazing products from that company, just not those. Good to hear they were good. Nothing worse than buying chocolate b/c you’re in serious need and it’s not totally satisfying. These sound good!
I’m hoping the dog situation works itself out hun!!! Fingers crossed!
Great meals, I love that quinoa recipe! Oh and from your last post, the jumble-aya is on of my very favorite recipes. Mmm.
Hi there…
Sorry to hear about your doggie disaster:(
We have two dogs too and they do get into every once in awhile. Our bigger dog has really “nailed” the other dog to the point of her bleeding….It is super scary but they seem to have a way of working it out. Now the little dog definitely minds her manners around the bigger dog. The bigger dog is definitely the alpha and I accept this and respect it. So the bigger dogs eats first, gets treats first and love first!! The little dog sees this and it seems to keep the “pack” order! Me…the big dog…the little dog and finally my husband! LOL!!
Good luck with everything!
hey girl sorry to hear about the pupperoonies and I hope you decide what to do soon so you have less stress 🙂 atleast you got some good old chocolate for the heart!
Thanks for your weight training tips! Question: Do you think it’s necessary to do the same weight training routine each time you workout? I like to mix it up, doing bodypump one day, working with my trainer the next, and maybe do a workout later in the week. Do you think I should keep the routine consistent in order to get results?
And that casserole looks delicious!
no, i think it’s great that you’re switching it up! as long as you work each muscle at least once per week, you’re bueno 😀
sorry to hear about the puppies! 🙁 stressful situation, and i’m sorry to say i have no idea what i’d do except talk to someone who would have soem advice…
i found a store with a bunch of those go raw goodies and alomst picked some up… couldn’t quite justify the cost right now though. maybe another time!
Good Morning! I’m sorry to hear that Viesa is not getting along with her “sister” and is causing her “parents” so much grief. ((hugs)) It’s so stressful when your family members don’t get along, whether it’s the two-footed family members or the four-footed family members.
I have a question about weight training. How does pilates/yoga fit into this? I currently do Body Pump 2-3x a week and Pilates 1-2x a week on alternating days. Specifically, I do BP Sunday, Tuesday, and Friday and Pilates Monday and Thursday. I enjoy the classes, and I feel great, but I was wondering if I was unknowingly violating some sort of workout rule.
Also, I would pay to see Funny Quotes Lady do that! The grunting meatheads at my gym crack me up. When they make faces and grunt loudly enough for the whole gym to hear, I want to go over to them and suggest that they’re using too much weight and might want to lighten up before they strain something.
Yay for fitness advice!! How many days would you recommend cardio vs weight training to maintain weight. I currently do cardio four times a week and weights once. I am a total fitness dummy when it comes to the right combo 🙂
Hope you can find a good solution on the doggie issue. I think Viesa is one of the prettiest dogs I’ve ever seen but you can’t have her attacking Bella. Do you crate them when you’re not home? You’re in my thoughts.
Missed these puppy problems. I will have to go back and look. Sorry, to hear there are troubles :(. The Quinoa looks great. I love that earthy taste. Do you have any tips on cooking quinoa? Love you water bottles!
~Justine
quinoa is pretty easy! just wash it first, bring some veggie broth up to a boil, add in the quinoa, cover and simmer for 45 minutes until it’s opaque and the little kernels have white rings around them. fluff with a fork and season with whatever flavas you’re feeling 😀
That casserole looks amazing!
Hang in there with the puppy problems!
YUM! That quinoa look so delish!
Hey Gina, I’m just now catching up on what happened with the pups. I’m sure that was a really scary moment for you! I was attacked by a dog when I was a child too, so I definitely understand your sentiments on that. Anyway, hang in there, because I’m sure everything will work out just the way it should.
On another note, that quinoa looks amazing! And I love funny quotes lady!
Have a great day 🙂
I hope last night was alright! That quinoa casserole looks so delicious – I have yet to try quinoa but there’s so many benefits that it’s only a matter of time before it gets stocked in my kitchen 🙂
Hi Gina!
Question for you! First off, I saw your comments on not needing to work abs everyday. I didn’t know this! I do a few different pilates DVDs about 5 days a week and each one has some ab exercises in it. Would you recommend skipping the ab section every other day?
Also- weight training intimidates me because I am afraid I will do things wrong and hurt myself or be wasting my time not doing the exercises correctly. But I know I looked and felt my best when (for a wedding gift) I was able to afford a personal trainer and I did weights consistently. Do you have tips for things I can do to get my body out of it’s mushy stage and back to feeling strong without being too complicated or intimidating? I would LOVE a trainer again but we can’t afford it. Maybe some workouts you can link or DVDs you like? Thanks so much for the offer to help!! Sending you hugs for the pups too 🙂
hey em,
maybe do your pilates dvds every other day and cardio in between?? that would keep you from overworking your muscles
as far as weight training goes, check out the workout page– it has pics of me doing all of the exercises to make sure you’re doing them correctly
hope this helps a little!
Hi 🙂
Thanks for tips! I am checking out your workout page now. As for cardio, I already do that as well with the pilates DVDs, so would switching it to every other day be beneficial for change or make my lack of muscle tone worse since it would be less cardio than I am doing now? I am thinking (from looking at other comments you’ve made here) I may need to change up the intensity of my cardio to get results. Usually I go for long walks (can’t run, bad shins) or bike rides. I wonder if doing some more circuit training and some more intense cardio may help? Anyway… just thinking out loud… your thoughts are appreciated. Hope Bella is getting better; she sure looks cute in the pink shirt! I sent my hubbs to work with his first ever Bfast cookie this AM! He sent me a text: “Bfast, OMG!” 😀
hey gina! i hope you figure something that works with the dog situation!
and i also made the breaky cookie the CORRECT way today, and it came out much better!!
jenna
Oh I hope your dogs start to get along! I admit I have been reading your blog for a while, but just haven’t commented. I couldn’t resist this time, can you share that quinoa recipe?? I love quinoa and am always looking for new ways to make it delicious! Also those cookies( the chocolate ones) look absolutely amazing. I’ll be getting some of those too! Have a great day!
I’m so horrified to hear about your doggie crisis! It must break your heart – thinking good thoughts your way.
On a lighter note, have you seen I Love You, Man? That movie cracked me up and the training scenario you described with Funny Quotes lady totally reminded me of this trainer character in that movie with a high squeaky voice (“Everything you got!”)… if you’ve seen it you know what I mean. 🙂
ANYway, I’m thinking I need me a copy of ED&BV! I hear nothing but raves, and those casseroles alone are reason enough for me to do raw til dinner and nothing more! 😉
Thanks for posting this! I absolutely love your blog!
I have a question – should the three items that you have listed above all be done 3x week , or should I pick one each day?
For example, should I do Full body, Synergist, and Antagonist 3x week or should I do Full body one day, agonist another day, and then synergist the 3rd day?
Sorry for the long question, but I’ve been thinking about adding weights to my workout and this blog entry came right-on-time!
Thanks!
pick one schedule and then do those types of workouts each week.
for example, i like the synergist schedule– i do shoulders, chest and triceps one day, legs the second day and back and biceps the third day (2 exercises per muscle). if you want to do the whole body plan, then do your whole body 3x week (1 exercise per muscle).
let me know if you have any more questions 😀
I’ve been looking at buying that cookbook, but after seeing all the recipes you make from it I think I made my mind up!
I hope you can find a doggie solution sooner rather than later. What a hard thing to go through!
Sorry for the double comment….my finger went trigger happy on me! I have a “workout” question for ya. I suffer post baby stomach pooch syndrome. Any moves you can suggest that will help firm the area (lower belly, obv.) would be mucho appreciated! 😉 Thx!
try crunches on the stability ball, leg raises, pilates ab movements (single leg stretch, bicycles, etc), hanging leg raises and some planks 😀
OMG! Just noticed that your new blog can be read WITH PICTURES on my school network! WAHOO!!!
I’m so sorry about the dog situation… hopefully it’ll work out ASAP.
The quinoa looks amazing! 🙂
My trainer is always doing the squeaky “everything you got!” thing from I Love You, Man. He cracks me up. 🙂 You and your client should definitely make a big scene one day.
Thanks for the recommendations Gina! I have to say, I’ve followed your blog for a while, and it has definitely become one of my favs. It’s so great to get workout and recipe suggestions in kind of “real time” (as opposed to say static content Self magazine – not to take anything away from Self!). I.e. I had totally forgot about my Eat,Drink & Be Vegan cookbook until I saw your jumblelaya post the other day. Result – delish dish of my own last night, and the answer to my weekday meal block! So thanks! 😀 And onto my fitness question (yikes! this is a long comment – sorry!:
I too am looking for some good exercises to flatten those lower abs! It’s just that slight bit of flab that I can’t seem to flatten like the rest. I do cardio, pilates, crunches – I’m thinking planks might do the trick?
you may just need to work on burning the fat off so you can see your abs, because it sounds like you’re doing all the right things as far as exercise goes. try cleaning up your eating as much as possible and possibly adding some intervals into your cardio to burn more fat.
poor puppers…I’m sorry you had to go through that. Quick question for you- My husband is the same way and believes that a meal is not complete without meat. I also eat fish, but not chicken or beef. When making meals such as the casserole and the jumble-aya (which looked so good!!)- do you mix his meat into whatever dish your making and cook seperately or do you just cook a piece of meat and serve it to him on the side? I’m always trying to find ways to make my life easier when it comes to cooking for both of us!
i just cook his meat separately and serve it on the side– it works like a charm 😀
Thanks for the strength training tips. I was wondering if it’s ok to do cardio every day as long as you vary the types of cardio and intensity? Also, if you workout in the morning before work (As I do) do you have to eat something first? What are your thoughts on waiting a couple (2-3) hours in the morning to eat breakfast?
Thanks, love the blog as always!
hey ashley,
doing cardio every day is fine as long as you vary intensities. as far as bfast goes, it’s good to have a little something in your tummy (maybe a little yogurt or a banana with some nut butter) but if you’re not hungry until after your workout, that’s fine too.
I hope you two can figure something out, what a hard decision for you both. Hopefully everything will work out in the end.
Just a quick question – I know that when I get stressed and emotionally strung out I tend to grab comfort foods and use them to make myself feel better. It’s obviously temporary and unhealthy, but I haven’t found a way to diverty my emotions and feelings away from food. How do you do it or is that not a problem for you?
this used to be a big problem for me– now i just use other things to get my mind off food when i think about eating emotionally or out of boredom. i go for a walk with the dogs, run an errand (target is always a good distraction), take a book to starbucks (bizzle) and read, paint my fingernails (i can’t eat anything if my nails are wet!), or go to the gym and jump on the elliptical with a magazine. usually by the time i’m done distracting myself, i don’t want the comfort food anymore.
So sorry to hear about the doggies 🙁 How terrible! I would hate to think you need to get rid of one of them 🙁 Sad. I love the weight training advice. I do Push/Pull days, 2 of each every week in addition to my cardio classes and occasional runs. That works really well for my body, and I make sure to take at least one rest day, especially after boot camp class, which kicks my butt! I used to be an “over exerciser” and have found that my body actually looks better when I allow it to rest!
I will be praying for the puppy situation! That quinoa casserole looks so yummy 🙂 I bet it was! Hope your Tuesday is great 🙂
Hoping all things doggie work out for you.
The quinoa sounds amazing!! And yum to macaroons…
I would love to know how I could strengthen my VMO muscle (inner part of quad, right above knee), and how to stretch them as well. Whenever I run, that muscle turns as tight as a ROCK. Thanks!
there are some great exercises here:
http://www.hughston.com/hha/a.emrehab.htm
i’d also recommend a roam roller– i LOVE that thing!
Did you have a post where you listed the recipe for those Macaroons? They look delicious and I would love to try making them my self. Just let me know. Good Luck with the puppy situation!
Is the recipe for the quinoa with garbonzo beans on your web-site? I am craving it already. Thanks so much for your site! I have enjoyed your ideas and am encouraged by your lifestyle. You site is my favorite treat after a long day:)
hey! the recipe is in eat, drink and be vegan 😀 thank you so much for your sweet comment and for reading my little blog
I totally agree with your workout motto! I always try to mix things up when I feel like I’ve been doing the same routine over and over again.