WSU Week 2
Hello to another Monday,
goodbye to another glorious baby meal.
Our friends Bob and Emily came over last night to hang out and brought dinner. Bella wouldn’t leave Bob alone (she LOVES him) and Emily, the baby whisperer, held Livi while we all chatted. Dinner was incredible, too.
Roasted winter vegetable soup with carrots, sweet potato, parsnips and butternut squash
(I need to ask them for the recipe- it was so good, very thick, and a thousand times better than a similar version I picked up at Whole Foods a few weeks ago)
Salad with greens, scallions, mushroom, radish and cucumbers
and homemade bread, which was the Pilot’s favorite.
I’ll definitely miss the baby meals when they’re over- we’ve been so blessed to have the support and help from our squadron friends. One day I’ll get back in the swing of cooking on top of everything else, and while I miss my favorite classes and teaching, I don’t feel ready to work out again at all. I still have two more weeks until my checkup appointment, and will probably just walk in the meantime around the neighborhood if we feel like getting out of the house. I’m just glad to not be on bed rest anymore.
I’m living vicariously through all of you who have been rocking out the Winter Shape Up- I’m so glad that you guys are enjoying it so far!
For the details on Winter Shape Up, check out last week’s intro post.
Here’s this week’s workout:
This week’s workout is a combination of traditional strength training moves, a hill drill, and some HIIT intervals as the cherry on top.
Please keep in mind that all of the WSU workouts were designed for the average gym-going Jane, who is already familiar with proper form. If you have questions, don’t hesitate to ask a trainer at your gym to help you out! Remember, it’s much better to modify or change an exercise than risk injury.
The entire workout should take about an hour, and should be performed on non-consecutive days. I’d recommend doing steady state cardio, flexibility training or active rest on the in-between days.
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(as always, check with a doc before making any fitness or nutrition changes)
| 1. Warm-up | Cardio of choice | 5-7 minutes |
| 2. Squat, hold and pulse | 12 squats, hold the squat for 30 seconds, pulse for 30 seconds (repeat all 3 times) | Challenging weight (dumbbells or barbells) |
| 3. Deadlifts | 3 sets of 12-15 | Challenging weight (dumbbells or barbells) |
| 4. Bent-over row | 3 sets of 12-15 | Challenging weight (dumbbells or barbells) |
| 5. Plank down and up | 1 minute | Bodyweight |
| 6. Mountain climbers | 1 minute | Bodyweight |
| 7. Hill drill | Cardio equipment of choice | 5 minutes- gradually add incline until you can’t take it anymore. Focus on resistance, not speed |
| 8. Bench fly | 3 sets of 12-15 | Challenging weight (8-15 lb dumbbells) |
| 9. Bench pullover crunch | 3 sets of 12-15 | Light weight dumbbells (3-5 lbs each) |
| 10. Bench split squat with bicep curl and overhead press | 3 sets of 10-12 on each side | Challenging weight (dumbbells; 8-15 lbs each) |
| 11. HIIT intervals | 15 minutes total | Alternate 30 seconds HARD (which can be speed, resistance or a combo of the two) and 1 minute 30 seconds recover (easy) for 15 minutes |
| Cool down and stretch |
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For this week’s meals, I thought it would be fun to share ideas and hopefully get some new tricks for clean breakfasts, snacks, lunches/dinners.
So tell me friends, what are your favorite healthy choices for Shape Up-style meals?
Here are some of my ideas for this week:
Breakfast: Crepes with protein fluff
Snack: 1 egg, mustard and lettuce/veg on whole-grain toast
Lunch/dinner: Sweet potato and black bean chili, chicken breast of vegan protein of choice
As always, please let me know what you think of the workout and leave your comments here so we can cheer each other on 🙂
Happy training!
xoxo
Gina
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I don’t know how you have time to do this right now – I am truly amazed and inspired!
Last week was my first time trying HIIT intervals, and I am obsessed. It feels so efficient, I have been crazy awesome sore, and they have been making my energy skyrocket (and were easy to do in my apartment during this weekend’s massive snowstorm).
Thank you – so excited for week 2, and I hope you continue to recover quickly!
I made lentil stew for dinner last night-1 1/2 cups lentils, 1/2 onion or one shallot, 4.5 cups vegetarian or chicken broth (low-sodium), 1 tsp sea salt, fresh ground pepper, 3-4 cloves garlic, some finely chopped carrots/potatoes/whatever sounds good. Low in slow-cooker for 6-8 hours. You can stir in some kale 1 hour before the end of cooking time.
Thanks for the WSU, Gina! I love how you mix it up. 🙂
Great workout and eating ideas! I LOVEEE HIIT – quick, efficient and effective!
I am such a dork. I just saw this workout and got legit excited. WOOT!
The week’s workout plan looks awesome, and so do the crepes.
I hope being a mother is amazing every single day!
The crepes and your black bean / sweet potato chili both look amazing. Chili in Winter is a no-fail cooking decision for me. Glad you have such great friends to help with meals. I think that’s a great idea!
Mmmm that soup looks so delicious! I think it’s great that you have such a supportive community of squadron friends. The winter shape up workout looks like an amazing one – I’ll print it off for tomorrow’s workout! As for meals, I just posted a salad that I had after yoga yesterday which I’m totally in love with – http://wp.me/p1Y0xO-372 It’s probably a little light to be eating after the workout above, but you could add grilled salmon or shrimp to make it a more filling meal. 🙂
Thank you for the fab workout! I haven’t been following WSU so far, but I think I’m going to start by trying out week 1 tomorrow!
Baby meals are such a wonderful thing! I’m definitely going to do that for my friends who are now expecting. Can’t wait to try out the WSU this week! 🙂
Loving the workout! Please get that recipe and share it with us… that soup looks soooo good and perfect for our cold weather!!
I cannot wait to rock out that workout!!!!
Oh boy this is gonna get intense! I hope you get that soup recipe because it looks and sounds amazing!
Can’t wait to begin week #2–loved week #1 even though the Tabata intervals were killer!
Thanks so much for posting these despite your other (completely darling) distraction 🙂
That soup really does look amazing!! Looks so warm, cozy, and hearty! I love a great soup 🙂 It looks like an intense workout for the week, exciting!
I made sweet tater black bean chili last night — mm mm good!!
Thanks for another week of inspiration. Looking forward to some HIIT
HIIT is one of the fastest and most effective ways to incinerate body fat! Adding it to the end of your workout throws your metabolism into overdrive and creates an immense calorie burn that lasts hours after you’ve stopped exercising. Brilliant!
awesome workouts!! definitely trying this
Is it wrong that I want to have a baby and join the military just so I can get in on these amazing baby meals?!?
I think it is so awesome that you have amazing friends bringing you delicious and healthy meals!
Ooh, I’m excited to try this week’s workout! I really like squats (strange, I know) – I prefer them over lunges – so I was happy to see them in there.
My favorite go-to snack right now is Greek yogurt with a drizzle of honey and chopped walnuts. Filling and satisfying for a sweet tooth! I also made your Tuscan white bean dip twice this weekend – once when I had some friends over (the bowl was scraped clean!) and last night when I had my parents and grandparents over. Such a crowd-pleaser. I’m happy I have some leftover from last night so I can eat it this week!
I love brown rice with black beans, onions, and yogurt. I also love pizzas made on whole wheat english muffins!!
That soup looks AMAZING. Please share the recipe with us, if you are able to get it from your friends.
It’s been a busy 2012 this year and one of my favorite healthy recipes is a slow cooker lentil soup (http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Recipes/story?id=7039586). In fact, it’s cooking for me right now while I’m at work ;-)!
Gina you are amazing for organizing all of this while getting the hang of being a new mom. You rock!
My favorite WSU style breakfast is 1 serving of nonfat plain greek yogurt mixed with 1 cup of frozen raspberries and 1 serving of almonds. Last night, I made a huge pot of stuffed pepper soup with turkey, brown rice, and lots of veggies! (Modified from this recipe: http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/12/stuffed-pepper-soup.html)
Can’t wait to try the workout! 🙂
I’m amazed you have a 4-week checkup! Every mommy I’ve ever met had a 6-week checkup and was pretty much barred from exercising before that. Hope you bounce back that quickly, anyway! I don’t doubt it since you were in great shape before. 😀
Bah I can’t wait to pick this up next week after my half marathon 🙂 I am always so inspired by your eats, it’s the way I know I SHOULD eat, and it’s great seeing someone whose been living and eating this way for awhile 🙂
A few of my fave super easy healthy things I have on hand are always: hardboiled eggs, green juice, lara bars and fruit. For dinners I LOVE spaghetti squash with turkey meat sauce. It’s so yummy and so filling 🙂
I should have put steamed eggs, which is the only way I do them now, thanks to your post a while back 🙂
I just did this workout and it was so so good! thanks very much and hope you’re doing well! I also hope that if you get that soup recipe, maybe she’ll let you post it here! it looks divine. 🙂
I wonder if by any chance this could be the recipe she used for the soup ~ http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/roasted-vegetable-soup-recipe/index.html
Thanks for the workout! Those single leg squats kill me. I feel like I’m never doing them right. How far am I supposed to have my leg that’s not on the (coffee) table?
For food, I’ve been following your ideas and also getting some great recipes from Ashley at Edible Perspective. I find her breakfasts really fill me up when I know I won’t have time to eat smaller meals that day.
I made your crepes this morning for the fam and thought there would be some left over for me after my workout, but I’ve got to go and make a third batch because the kiddos ate them all before school.
The crepes look so good and so does that soup. Homemade always tastes better than what you can buy I think.
Glad to hear you’re not on bedrest anymore but hopefully you can take it easy and just enjoy the mellow pace of things right now.
That soup and homemade bread look delicious!! If I ever have a baby can I please borrow all of these dinner cooking friends of yours? I’m pretty sure mine would bring a bottle of wine and nothing edible.
I hope you are enjoying week 2 of being a mommy!
Looks great! I love the combination of strength and tough cardio! Perfect way to workout efficiently!
That soup or your chili recipe would be perfect for the dark and dreary, bitter cold, middle of winter nights! And a side of that bread 😉
I made a big bowl your fave salad combo (romaine,sundried tomatoes,black olives,goat cheese,chokes, etc.). It’s been like summer here (80 today); so, tonight I’m doing the grilled salmon, asparagus quickie.
Can’t wait to try this workout! You really are lucky with those amazing meals – winter veg soup is my absolute favourite and the thicker the better, so PLEASE ask for the recipe and share it on here! Thank you!!
I bought TurboFire on Saturday, so I’m so excited to get into it this week! This week I’m just gonna go through and learn some of the moves. Pumped!
really great…as usual! Super human you are! Glad you got out yesterday and what a cute pic. 🙂
I definitely need some tips on healthy meals and snacks! I need to clean up my eating next month and am uninspired each time I see office junk come my way.
The crepes sound so so so delish! I’m saying bye bye to my gym membership this week so fingers crossed my university gym comes as well stocked as the previous one did!
I’m glad everything is going well!
If you do get that winter squash recipe, please post it. It sounds delicious! I’ve only made one soup with butternut squash and would like to try some others.
I’m looking forward to participating in WSU next year. Right now the only exercise I can comfortably do is yoga and sometimes a few dances on Dance Central for Xbox. I just began my third trimester and get out of breath so easily now.
Mmm that soup looks delicious (then again, I’m a sucker for anything Bnutt squash) so if you get the recipe, please post it! And that homemade bread looks fab too!
Mmmm That bread looks amazing!!
Congratulations on your baby!! Amazed to see you’re still keeping at the blogging. You rock!
I’d love to do the WSU but i’m not at that level yet. And no access to a gym (too costly) so creating my own home workout. Combo of yoga, Turbo Fire, Walking, cross trainer and resistance training with the props I have at home. And going to fit swimming in a few times a month too.
Would love to hear that soup recipe — it looks delicious! As does the bread!
Hey..when you say HIIT intervals at the end, should this be done on a treadmill? You do this at the end of the workout??
Sorry! Thanks
yep- treadmill, bike or elliptical!
Gina – This might be a stupid question, but on the squats, we do 3 set of 12 reps and each set should take 12 minutes right with 30 sec hold plus 30 sec pulse? Or is it one set or do we do the hold and pulse on the last squat of each set? Sorry I am confused. Please clarify.
you do the hold and pulse with each set
awesome baby meal and workout!
I love that you’re not putting pressure on yourself to workout right now. It’s awesome that you’re so in tune with your body’s needs! 😀
One of my favourite clean eating meals is salmon with lemon juice and parsley served with a wild rice blend and some kind of green veggie, like broccoli or brussels sprouts!
I’m amazed you have time to post so frequently, girl! This workout looks great.
Question for you – do you (or anyone else reading!) have any tips re. the rowing machine? I tried it for the first time today, and I couldn’t figure out if there was a way to raise the resistance..
have you had any anxiety or fear over “losing the baby weight”?
Post about it today on the family page 🙂