J Lo's Booty Workout. You Know You Want It.

Ate too much Halloween candy? Me too. Let's work it off so we can eat more.

RIP Kim and Kris, and RIP to my ass that looked like that on Saturday.

You will need this for this workout:

1. "Papi" By J Lo. Best song ever. 

2. 1 Kettlebell, or dumbbell (10-15 lbs.)

3. 1 Step (optional)

4. 1 Jump Rope (optional- you can pretend to be turning the rope!)

5. An ass that won't quit.

This is a Tabata- inspired workout that I guarantee will leave you with that tight butt and core feeling for days afterwards. The best part of Tabata is that you work at your own pace!

*Note: you STAY at the same station and repeat the action 6 times before moving to the next station. In between stations, take 30 seconds to rest. 

Workout: 10 stations: 20 seconds ON 10 seconds OFF times 6

Station 1: Jump Rope

High knees for 20 seconds, regular, slow skip for 10 seconds. The high knee mimics a standing sit up- you are getting a better cardio workout AND a great butt workout by lifting your knees! 

Station 2: Jumping Speed Skaters 

Keep your head up as you explode side to side in this butt KILLER. Bend your knees as you land!

Station 3: Stability Ball Mountain Climbers

You want that six pack? DO THIS. This is HARD. Complete a forearm plank on the ball (option is to be on your knees) and bring one knee to the same wrist, and back to plank. Repeat on other side.

Station 4: Jump Rope

High knees for 20 seconds, regular, slow skip for 10 seconds

Station 5: Burpee Push Up

2 options for this, shown by Goran and Amanda. Amazing cardio, strength, and endurance rolled in to one!

Option 1:

Option 2:

Station 6: Kettlebell Swings- One Arm (switch arms every time so each side is done 3x)

You don't want to follow the bell with your eyes. Keep your gaze forward as you use your HIPS and GLUTES (your back is steady and straight) to swing the bell to shoulder height. Lift your heels for extra power on the way up! *Note: you can use a dumbbell for this if you don't have a kettlebell!

Station 7: Jump Rope

High knees for 20 seconds, regular, slow skip for 10 seconds

Station 8: Jumping Side Squats + Twist
J LO: Here it is. DO THIS. You'll thank me later.

Station 9: Sprinter Sit Ups
This works everything you want it to: upper abs, lower abs, obliques. Lift your shoulderblades off the ground, straighten one leg, and use your opposite arm to punch the ceiling.

Station 10: Jump Rope

High knees for 20 seconds, regular, slow skip for 10 seconds 

This workout is about 40 minutes long- you can make it a quick 20 minute workout by doing 3 tabatas each station instead of 6!

DO IT. DO IT. DO IT. DO IT. And check in with me. In the meantime, I'll be eating Halloween Candy.

4- Ingredient Guacamole and Butternut Squash and Black Bean Burritos

This recipe is AMAZING! I got it from Oh She Glows- a vegan cooking website- and nearly short-circuited my computer from the amount of drool. I have a serious love affair with butternut squash- I want to paint faces on them and take them to bed for cuddles, I love them so much.

I realized I've lost about half of my potential readers by this point.

Seriously though, how can something so good for you actually TASTE that good, too?

This lasted 3.5 seconds.

I made a few adjustments from Angela's recipe (note: mine is not vegan, but vegetarian-friendly), so here it is: 

Ingredients:

How did I ever live without you, rice cooker? You can cuddle with me, too.

• 1/2 large butternut squash, roasted
• 1 cup uncooked long grain brown rice (yields: a whole hell of a lot of rice, perfect for leftovers)
• 1 medium sweet onion
• 1-2 medium vine tomatoes
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 1 tbsp ground cumin, or to taste
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 1/2 tbsp crushed red pepper flakes 
• One can black beans, drained and rinsed
• Shredded cheese, to top (I usually mix part-skim mozzarella with cheddar)
• Tortilla wraps (large or x-large- I use whole wheat flax)
• Fresh Salsa (Found where the hummus and specialty cheese is in your grocery store- ridiculously amazing and free of preservatives)

My 4-Ingredient Homemade Guacamole: 

       1 regular size avocado

       1 tbsp cumin (or to taste- I love this ish)

       1 garlic clove (I usually use the chopped or minced kind for convenience- follow instructions)

       Juice of 1 lime

So since we've already established that I'm a butternut squash freak, I also made BS soup (ha.. I love calling it that) at the same time that I made these suckers- I will put the recipe up later this week for the soup- but you don't need this much BS! 

It's such a bitch to peel these raw, so after cutting them and taking out the seeds, I drizzle them with cold-pressed olive oil and bake them at 350 for 45 minutes, let them cool, and then scoop out the amazingness.

Chop up onion, pepper, tomatoes, garlic and place them in a skillet with a drizzle of olive oil on low heat. Sautee the veggies until soft, add cumin, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, and black beans. Cover and let sit on low heat for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Who thought this was fruit salad? I did. 

Add rice and cubes of BS when cooked, mashing up about half into the rice mixture. Cover and let sit for 2-3 minutes, making sure rice doesn't burn to the skillet. 

My husband is a hungry man. 

Not going to lie- I ate a few snacks of just this. 

To make guacamole, core an avocado, add lime juice, cumin, and garlic. 

Don't be chincy on the cumin! 

Mash to desired consistency. This is the easiest guac you could ever make, and like my squash and my rice cooker, I'd make out with it if I could. Of course, add anything else you'd like- cilantro, onion, tomato, etc. 

This poor tortilla. Waiting so patiently for its rice/bean/squash friends. 

Attttt Laaaaaaaast........ My Looooooove Has Come Along....

VOILA:

Damn, I am amazing. 

Thank you again to Angela at Oh She Glows for the amazing idea and recipe!!!!! And make my guacamole for your next party- it's guaranteed to make you some new friends- if you share, that is. 

What is your FAVEEEEE BS Recipe? 

So before this love affair, Butternut Squash Soup was my all-time favourite. This, I have to say, is equal. It yields a TON of leftovers so we had burritos and stirfrys for days!

New Workout Obsession: Tread!

Have 20 minutes? You CAN get a killer workout in. Try it: Tread.

The concept of Tread is not all that original, but it took reading Women's Health (Anna Kournikova was on the cover and I had to buy it for her fab abs alone) to read about a new fitness trend: Tread classes! Some high-end gyms (with treadmills galore) are starting to include this in their fitness schedules. But you can do it as long as you can monopolize a treadmill for about 20 minutes!

F you, Anna. 

I'm aware that Anna has never won a major tennis tournament. I'm also aware that as the newest Biggest Loser trainer, she has never had to struggle with her weight, and has been criticized for not being able to relate to the losers. But I love her. Actually, my favourite women's tennis players include Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, and Steffi Graf- all wicked athletes and awesome females. Anna is a personal trainer with a killer bod and she works hard for it!

Anyways, enough of my creepy obsession with female athletes. I tried this workout at home (I'm lucky to have my own Treadmill) and it was amaze.

Warm Up: Walk/Jog at a comfortable pace for 3-5 minutes.

Workout:

Minute 1: Jog at medium pace (I did 6 mph on my treadmill, Eddy)

Minute 2: Quick Jog (6.5mph)

Minute 3: Fast jog (7mph)

Pause session, get off treadmill, and complete one minute of the following:

1) Alternating Front Lunges

Repeat Treadmill Run (3 minutes) at the same speeds! 

2) Push Ups (you know you wanna.)

Repeat Treadmill Run (3 minutes) at the same speeds! 

3) 10 Squats + 10 Jumping Squats

Repeat Treadmill Run (3 minutes) at the same speeds! 

4) Plank

Repeat Treadmill Run (3 minutes) at the same speeds! 

5) Jumping Lunges (I wanted to dieeeeeeeee- I kept picturing Anna) 

The last time I hopped on the treadmill, I picked it up a notch: 

Minute 1: 7mph

Minute 2: 7.5mph

Minute 3: 8mph

Cool Down: 3-5 minutes walking. 

Try it! You'll get a killer workout in 20 minutes that torches calories and fat! If the treadmill isn't your thing, you can do this on any cardio equipment!

Do you use the treadmill in the winter?
I have a love affair with my treadmill in the winter! It gets me up in the morning and starts my day. Annoying, I know.

30-15 TABATA Workout!

Happy Monday, peeps!

One of my favourite parts of my job is finding fun and new ways to work out and keeping people on their toes. I love interval workouts, but I especially love when people leave my class and, looking exhausted, say "Thanks, Katy" as they leave. I still can't believe sometimes that my job involves putting people through exercise, getting paid for it, and having people thank me.

To that I say, you're welcome!

For your viewing pleasure, I give you the 30-15 Workout! You can do this workout at home if you have a little bit of space. This should take you 40-45 minutes, and it is a combination of 9 exercises, each done FIVE times in a row. You will work for 30 seconds and rest for 15.

In between each station, my peeps completed one minute of skipping... juuuuust in case this wasn't intense enough already. I've included a video of three options for skipping- two are done WITHOUT the jump rope. The middle is the lowest impact option, followed by the right and then the left.

Remember to complete one option of these in between each station- and each station is done 5 times in a row! 30 ON, 15 OFF.

1. Front Leg Kicks- Heavy Bag
Make contact with the bottom of your foot, like Elain does in the video (as if you are trying to shut a door in front of you). Avoid contacting with a straight leg! Doing these without the heavy bag still count for great cardio!

2. Equalizer Chin Up 3xs
The straighter your legs, the harder! If you don't have access to a chin up bar (you can use the squat rack at your gym- put the bar at a low level), you can do Push Up 3xs (pulse 3 times at the bottom half of your push up).

3. YAY for BURPEES!!! These are BOSU Burpees- using a half stability ball. If you don't have access to this, do regular burpees- or to pick it up a notch, complete these using a medicine ball! Hardcore.

4. The next move is a shuffle + jumping lunge. Originally this was done with use of a ladder to ensure the lunges were wide enough to be done over top of the ladder. It can also be done without a ladder- just pick a number and complete that many shuffles, and that many jumping lunges. I chose 12! :)

5. Here's Katrina doing 8 mountain climbers/1 push up. This is HARD. If you want to make it harder, complete 6 mountain climbers to 1 push up!

6 and 7. Here's a move that looks easier than it is. It's the Side Squat + Speed Skate on the right side, followed by the left side. Remember: this is done for 30 seconds, repeated 5 times on the same side! Um... major burn.

8. Here's Amanda doing the Pendulum Swing! She does a great job at keeping her core steady while kicking her legs out to the side as high as she can. If you want to pick this up a notch, do a single hop in between swings.

9. Oblique Twists with Med Ball- Low to High
This was done with a 4lb. medicine ball- which is a LOT. You DON'T NEED a heavy weight for your abs! If you don't  have a med ball, try using something around your house- a bottle of juice or carton of soup, perhaps!

VOILA! You are done. I wanted to DIE during this.

It's Monday! What are your fitness plans this week?

Curried Parsnip and Apple Soup, and Embarrassing Canadians.

I visited my girlfriend last weekend and went to an AMAZING restaurant in Ottawa- actually, all weekend was an amazing mesh of good food and good drinks. I had a delicious bowl of parsnip soup and got inspired to make my own!

Before my recipe, you need to see these photos of Canada's capital.

Don't check your eyes. In the nation's capital, we care about the American President.

HEAV. EN. 

Now THIS makes more sense. Canada's capital, 4 portraits of the Biebs. 

Ah, the old "go stand next to that weird statue-looking french guy and I'll pretend to take a photo and not be creeped out by him" trick. 

We hit up the Parliament buildings, and as always, act extremely classy.

YOU NEED THIS.
BUTTER CHICKEN POUTINE.
GET IT.
NEW YORK FRIES.
You're welcome.

It really did deserve a love photo. Soon after, small children were taken out of the food court by their parents. 

I don't know what this guy was doing. I wanted a photo with the wine. 

I love you, L'Ottawa! You inspired me to cook. I'm not usually one to follow a recipe to a tee, so this is a general outline of what I did:

-I bought a whack of parsnips. Ya, like, a lot.

I know what you're thinking. "What the hell is a parsnip?"

-You'll also need an onion, garlic, 2-3 apples, curry powder, turmeric, veggie stock, and cream (I bought light cream).

-Put a medium sized onion into a large pot with a clove of garlic, about 1/4 cup of butter, and a glug of olive oil and cook under low heat for about 5-7 minutes.

-Cut up parsnips into small chunks and add to the pot. 

-Add about 2 tbsp of curry powder and 1 tbsp turmeric. 

-Add 2 quarts of veggie or chicken stock (I used veggie). 

I wish you could smell me! I nearly burnt my nose hairs.

-Simmer for 10 minutes, covered, under medium heat. 

-Chop up 2-3 medium apples and remove their skin. Add to the soup and simmer for another 10 minutes, or until parsnips are tender. 

-Turn heat to low, and transfer soup to a blender. I like a little chunk in my soup, so blend to your desired consitency. 

-Add 1 cup of cream in a swirl, and voila! Check for your own personal ideal for spices (more curry powder? Dash of salt, pepper?) 

-I picked up a multigrain baguette from the bakery to serve. 

I'm embarrassed. You'll see a hunk of fudge that I got in Ottawa just above this. 

Delish!!!!

Best part: the main parts of the soup are all local ingredients! Bonus. 

We've had a miserable week of rain, so this was great to come home to! (That, and I try to save the wine for the weekend). 

Happy Eats, Peeps! 

It's Okay to be a Chocolathlete- Chocolate #9 Giveaway!!!!

Have you ever ordered a hot fudge sundae, with extra fudge? Ended up with just hot fudge left, and felt no shame to eat a spoonful of just fudge?

No? Just me?

Enter: Chocolate #9.

You all know by now, my shameless addiction to chocolate. Recall: for my birthday, my brother and sister used to give me a chocolate bar. I don't have to tell you again that my university roommates would send me to bed with a bag of cookies when I was upset about a boy. I even had my mom and my friends hide chocolate around the house because if I was trying to be good, no one was allowed to enjoy it.

This was actually the "decent shot" of me in front of the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. 

I may or may not have taken the wrapper off.

The truth. 

Not pictured: Me, head-first in that fountain.

You also know that I love to work out. Oh, right. That's why you started a blog, you weirdo.

Basically, I work out to eat chocolate. So imagine my surprise when Vanessa @ Gourmet Runner was having a giveaway for energy gels- chocolate energy gels- and I won! The great peeps at Chocolate #9 want to spread the love, and now it's your turn to win!

Hold up... I work out, and eat chocolate gel, so I can work out longer? This is heaven!

Chocolate #9 literally tastes like that spoonful of hot fudge that no one was supposed to see you eat. And, it's easy on the stomach! Long distance running is hard on the stomach in the first place- and some high sugar energy gels can leave you running to the bathroom after you cross the finish line. Chocolate #9 is sweetened only with organic agave, contains no refined sugar or other high glycemic index sweeteners.

It has been tested- in Toronto, yo!- and certified as a low glycemic index (GI) item. It is suitable for diabetics, and is vegan, low fat, and gluten free!


I know what you're thinking- after reading all of that, I bet it tastes like poo! TRUST ME people, it is RIDIC. And remember- I am basically a chocolate connoisseur. You want this. 


What I liked most about Chocolate #9 (besides the obvious... I'm so pathetic) was the "slow-burn" energy I felt during a long run. It didn't feel like my heart was going to jump out of my chest or like I was shaking from caffeine. It was efficient and it worked. And even if you aren't an endurance athlete, you can put this on your ice cream, and you will thank me. 

You're welcome.

Here's how you can win a whack of Chocolate #9 Gels! As always, leave a separate comment for each entry!


Mandatory: 
+1 Like me on Facebizzle!
+1 Share this on your Facebizzle Nizzle or Tweet "@fit_in_heels is having a @ChocolateNbr9 giveaway and I'm a chocoholic, too!" on Twitter Nitter, yo.


Additional Entries:
+1 Like Chocolate #9 on Facebook and tell them your favourite Chocolathlete sent you.

Fitness Monday: The 300 Workout!

I did this workout with my peeps on Thursday night, and I'm still sore. A good sore, though- you know, that kind when you walk up the stairs and you feel like your butt is tighter. Then, you feel amazing about yourself and feel so proud that you go to treat yourself to a great pair of workout pants. You go into the changeroom, and the pants slither on. You feel awesome. You think of how many of your friends are going to be jealous of your new, J-Lo looking butt. All those squats and lunges have finally paid off.

Then, you look behind you. And beside you. And you realize, light grey is so NOT your colour. Especially when you can see the outline of your underwear and the chocolate bar you ate on the way to the store on your hips. The chips you thought no one saw you devour are suddenly indented on your ass. You leave and curse the goddamn 4-way mirror, and buy a loose top and another chocolate bar.

Um... anyways... now that I'm exposed, here's my latest workout for you. The 300 Workout originated from the movie "300"- think Gerard Butler, near-naked. Enough said.

Butler and the rest of the 300 cast did this workout to increase strength, build endurance, and strip fat- fast. The "300" in the title indicates the total number of reps that you complete.

So, I decided that I'd put together my own 300 Workout- and think of Gerard Butler. Near naked.

Who is this guy, and why isn't he wearing sunglasses?

The 300 Workout looks simple on paper- complete 300 reps of differing exercises in a row. The thing to remember is the QUALITY of your reps- they should be full reps, and you should go through the workout as quickly as you can. Basically, kick the crap out of yourself, as quickly as possible, and don't cheat. Great.

I decided to run my 300 Workout with a Tabata twist to it! Here's how it looked:

WARM UP: 5 rounds of skipping (1 minute each). In between jump rope intervals, we did 1 minute of each: forearm plank/forward lunges/crunches/squats/plank on hands. Um, yeah. this was just the warm up.

300 WORKOUT:
10 Wide Stance Burpees
10 Push Ups + Leg Lift
10 Jumping Lunges with Twist (5-25lb weight held overhead and then twist to the side)
20 Crunches + Right and Left Oblique Twist
10 Plank Jumps + Side Crunch
50 Reps Total

This was repeated 5 times to total 300 reps! Enjoy the videos of these victims hardcore peeps. They include clips of the warm up, burpees, plank jumps, and push ups!

WARM UP (Check out Bailey smiling through this. She had no clue what was coming to her next):

WIDE STANCE BURPEES (THIS is what killed me. I am still sore 3 days later- the wide stance on the jump out and jump back is harder than it looks!)

PUSH UP + LEG LIFTS (Can also be done on the knees. Begin on knees, complete one push up. Move to a plank, and lift one leg, return back to knees.) 

PLANK JUMPS + SIDE CRUNCH

Let me know what you think! 


It's Monday! What are your fitness goals for the week? 

The Running Date Race Entry Giveaway!

Hey there, Canadian Runners!

Check this out!!!!!!!!

The Running Date is inspired by the Amazing Race, and it's a great chance for you to spice up your dating life!!!! Instead of the usual dressing up, dinner, dancing, movie- you get to explore Toronto by foot or Public Transit and race against other couples through clues and challenges!

When: THIS SATURDAY! October 15th between 11:00-3:30pm. There will be some serious PRIZES for challengers, too!

Surprise your honey with a non-conventional date exploring the amazing ins and outs of people, places and things about T.O.!

If you Like me on Facebook, Like The Running Date on Facebook, or Tweet "@fit_in_heels I want to do the running date, let the city be my playground!" you can WIN a free race entry for this Saturday's race!

Bonus- if you like The Running Date on Facebook, you'll get 25% off race entry even if you don't win :) http://www.runningdate.ca/index.php

Check out all the deets on the Running Date's website here.

You can enter one of two ways: Leave a separate comment for each EITHER below, or leave me a separate comment on my wall on Facebook!

Good luck! Winner will be drawn TOMORROW night! :)

The Best Thanksgiving Workout Ever... That Was Negated By The Amount Of Cupcakes I Consumed.

You have 1 more day to enter my LUNA and CLIF giveaway! 


Move over, shake weight! 

THIS sucker kicks some serious shake weight ass! (That is, I assume. I've never used the shake weight. But I'm pretty sure this wins).  

Be afraid. Of my no-makeup look. 

This 2-person Auger was, in one word, the best workout I've ever got. It shakes the hell out of you and if you don't give it all your strength and power, it will kick, and throw you on to the neighbour's lawn. (True story. This happened before.)

I went to visit my grandma who was in the hospital, and this is when we did some yard work for her, since she isn't able to. Lots of thoughts and prayers to her, if you can spare them! 

It felt great to do something good for the people who do so much for me! We were putting in a railing at the front steps of the house. It was supposed to take about 3 hours. It took 6. And we're no way close to being done. 

I did, however, demolish an entire garden and get myself even more of a killer workout. It felt like Landscape Bootcamp! 

Get to work, Carter. 

The next 2 days were filled with Thanksgiving Amazingness. And lots o' cupcakes. 

My zucchinis! Roasted zucchini with Greek Yogurt, Buttermilk (this is NOT bad for you! Au Contraire, my friends!), and a dash of olive oil for the dressing, topped with thyme, rosemary, and pomegranate seeds!

Roasted veggies!

I am the only person in life that likes Turnip. 

Stuffing... which surprisingly, I didn't stuff myself with. 

For my vegetarian friends. 

...also, for my vegetarian friends. 

Roasted broccoli and cauliflower! The secret ingredient: a brick of cheese.

Oh, Canada! I love you. 

This is how I felt before: 

And this is after. 

Hot.

The weekend wasn't over. I checked in my domestic goddess-ness and made up some cupcakes! 

Double Chocolate with Blackberry Candy Corn!

This is for all of you Candy Corn lovers- you're all whack. (Lemon Cupcakes with Buttercream Icing)

This was to prove that I actually made them... though, this doesn't prove it at all. I just look awkward. 

And these were my Mom's cupcakes. 

Thanks for upstaging me, Mom. 

I won't apologize for what happened next.

Don't judge me. 

After having zero willpower a weekend of enjoying food and drink, we decided to go for a walk to enjoy the gorgeous weather!

Imagine how creepy it looks to see the lone weirdo hiding in the bushes, taking photos of strangers. 

I was really excited about this photo. Great sunlight, fall colours, hot guy in front of me. Look closely, and you'll see two people making out on the bench. Now, I'm officially the creepiest. 

Carter and I walked up to the main street and went into Chapters to snoop around for potential new trashy magazines educational novels. 

My husband passed me this great read. 

We have a good marriage.

I'm thankful for so much in my life: health, happiness, family, friends, my blog peeps... and belt loops. 

What are YOU thankful for? 

Have you tried the Shake Weight? Do you dig it?