How To Burn off Vacation Splurges Quick

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.