After a big meal, I always try to get in solid cardio the following day to burn off the extra calories. I like to think of my “treat” as cardio loading, so it only makes sense to go use those carbs for what they do best, energize a workout! After indulging in sweet potato pancakes Sunday morning, I was happy I signed up in advance for class at Recycle Studio Monday evening. Classes sell out a week in advance so it takes some planning. The trick is to eat extra clean and burn the stored extra calories before they turn to fat. Here is an example of what my first day back from Nashville looked like.
I started my day with homemade green juice and an hour later, a cup of Muesli Fusion. Last minute, I signed up for a Bar Method class at noon. For me, class at bar does not burn many calories. Sometimes it only burns 250 which is why I went despite having a reservation at ReCycle. Afterwards, I visited the local farmers market stand and picked up braising greens. For lunch, I sautéed them with onions, sun dried tomatoes, chick peas, sunflower seeds, cashew pieces, avocado, nutritional yeast and balsamic glaze drizzle. I was going for meatless Monday. I had the last 2 squares of my Nashville chocolate for dessert.
Despite having a nasty cold that arrived Sunday morning (gotta love planes), I pushed through a very challenging 45-minute Reboot Climb class. A few times I wanted to cough really loud but held it in. I wish my heart rate monitor battery didn’t run out two weeks ago, because I bet I burned close to 500 calories. It was intense but it felt good to sweat a lot.
They sell The Ripe Stuff at Recycle so I grabbed a green juice for breakfast (which was this morning). I knew it would be good for my cold. I guess you could say I’m addicted to drinking veggies in the morning. I really missed it when I was in Nashville.
After class, I visited the grocery store and stocked up on tons of leafy greens and ingredients for fun recipes! Since my Perfect Fit protein powder arrived while I was away, I knew I had to make the Tone It Up Banana Bread Bars. Katrina told me that I would love them. The recipe calls for 1/2 cup of coconut flour which I didn’t have and had to buy for a steep $8 at Shaws. Ouch, expensive. Coconut flour is a great substitute for regular flour when trying to make a recipe gluten free. I know I know will use it but usually it takes a great recipe to push me to buy these products. If you eat a gluten free diet, check out Udi’s community for support, recipe ideas and how to live your life without feeling limited by your allergy or preferred diet.
The recipe makes 10 servings. I cut them up into bars to bring with me to work. They tasted great. This was my first attempt at making them. I think I need to whip the eggs a little more for a fluffier bar. Mine were pretty dense but they tasted great! I used almond milk instead of coconut water and NuNaturals Baking Blend instead of coconut sugar. I’m not sure if one of my substitutions effected the batch. I might try adding a tiny bit more salt to see if I can get the batter to rise at all. The TIU gals recommend topping with peanut butter, raisins and more nuts if you like.
I had one for dessert after my dinner which consisted of a large salad with roasted cauliflower, hummus, pumpkin seeds, avocado and balsamic vinaigrette.
This morning, I continued my clean eating. After my green juice from Ripe Stuff this morning, I waited an hour and tried a banana bread bar with The Laughing Cow Cinnamon Cream Cheese Spread which was amazing (and much lower in calories than the pb).
So perhaps you’re thinking, why did workout twice in one day with a cold?! As a fitness “personality” for a lack of better terms, there is a lot of pressure to look a certain way. A friend from college shared this blog article on Facebook and it really hit the nail on the head for reasons why I would never do a competition. Why I Hung Up My Competition Heels is a great example of the pressure and scrutiny of people in this industry feel. While I personally have never worked out 2 hours a day, I stick to 45 minutes – 1:15 max, the author articulates microscope that I feel I sometimes live under. I could just avoid alcohol and dessert, but to do 2-a-days after a vacation is just my preference and how I prefer to balance it out.
Great post! Love how real & honest you are.
Thanks Orla 🙂 I know you guys appreciate it when I am. I’m trying to be more vulnerable lately.
Sarah I totally understand where you are coming from! I feel that pressure too, if not from other people, from myself! I am my worst/best critic. Try to keep yourself healthy and take a ton of vitamin c for your cold!
Thanks Bethany. Yes, I know. Stupid traveling always gets me. I had an orange already!
I feel like doing 2 a days some days also, especially after eating a big meal lol, or vacation. This doesnt always happen though. Banana bread bars, yum
Hi Sarah,
Thanks for the post, I love seeing what foods you buy!
I have more of a general question. I agree with you that Bar Method doesn’t burn many calories, I tried a few classes with a groupon then stopped. I need to do cardio but have a hard time sticking with it, I don’t really like running or spinning. I feel like I need to do them, but get bored very quickly. My question is, is it better to make myself do a short period of cardio I don’t particularly like, or do something that burns fewer calories but make the workout sessions longer…essentially burning the same # of calories?
Thank you!
Kelly
Did you like Bar Method? I run to my Bar Class usually (10 minutes) and try to run back if my legs are not dead. The burns about 500 calories. If you hate doing cardio, you honestly do not NEED it to lose weight. You need to eat less and exercise more to lose weight, if you don’t burn as many calories exercising, just scale back a few calories or settle for a slower weight loss. HIIT cardio burns more calories in 20 minutes than steady state for 40 minutes. That is a fact. Google it if you want. But HIIT has to be seriously intense. You can’t half ass it like you can the 40 minutes. If you get bored running, you NEED to do intervals, and should already be doing them to be honest. Try a spin class too! The music and teacher can make all the difference.
I did like Bar Method. I am not familiar with HIIT and just started reading about it. Good point about eating less. And I will try a spinning class, I found some on Yelp in my area (Pasadena, CA) that people seem to like.
By the way, I found your blog via another blog and am trying to read all of your posts, backwards! I love how informative it is. Thank you!
Sarah,
Is it important to wait an hour after drinking a juice before eating something else?
Hey Sarah, saw on Twitter that you did another cleanse. Have you started using these more often?
I LOVE doing a one or two day to just kinda reset my body when I know I’ve drank/eaten too much. My weight fluctuates and I’ve found that the juice cleanses are great for restoring healthy behavior motivation. I always workout but I love my sweets and I really enjoy the cleanses. They are not for everybody.