Basic Leg Workout

Posted on November 21, 2012 by Itz Linz

I’m enjoying my first day off of this holiday week, how about you? One of my greatest joys of being off work is sleeping in, and heading to the gym at my own leisure. Usually, I wake up at 5:15 in the morning, but today I made it a bit later. Sans alarm is always a good thing, no matter how early. Following my new workout schedule, I’m hittin’ legs today at the gym. Itz a basic routine, but one that works all the muscles and leaves you sore the next day. Don’t say I didn’t warn ya!

Supersets are my favorite. Have I said that before? Now that we’ve talked fitness, let’s talk food. It is the week of Thanksgiving, after all. Itz What I Ate Wednesday (WIAW) with Jenn at Peas and Crayons. Click on the button below to see over a hundred other like-minded bloggers posting delicious eats.

We’ll start with breakfast. Coconut Flour Pancakes, obviously.

Topped with coconut oil and fresh strawberries. Day after day, it doesn’t get old. Lunch the past couple of days has been leftover grilled chicken breast from my parents’ house (we graciously always accept leftovers!) wrapped up in a whole wheat tortilla and stuffed with spinach.

I smeared stoneground mustard from my September Foodie Pen Pal all over the tortilla. Simple, yet delicious. Last night for dinner, Jonny and I went over to his aunt and uncle’s house because a very special someone was in town.

Rose is a hilarious, adorable, smart, and sassy seven-year-old who lives in Los Angeles. We don’t get to see her very often, so when we do itz a real treat. Rose is Jonny’s cousin’s daughter and was our flower girl in our wedding. Dinner definitely didn’t disappoint. How can you go wrong with pizza, salad, toasted ravioli, and spaghetti? You can’t! Dinner x 2:

Later today I’m meeting this lovely lady at Panera for our traditional lunch when she’s in town. As always, I’m super stoked to see her and catch up in person!

*Important sidenote: Last weekend, my blog went through some changes. However, some of my e-mail subscribers did not get switched, so please enter your e-mail address on the right side to subscribe and receive e-mails with each new post!

Are you off work today?

Taking The Time

Posted on April 6, 2012 by Itz Linz

Sometimes life feels so busy that everything is constantly go-go-go. Sometimes itz important to remember to slow down and take the time to enjoy the simple things in life. Sometimes those days come on days that someone [ME] doesn’t have to go to work. This morning I took the time to snuggle a little bit longer in bed with Zoey.

Aka: A good excuse to sneak in a picture of Zoey. This morning I took the time to make the bed even though I usually never do and kind of strongly dislike doing it because I think it’s pointless.

I do like the way it looks though. Even though we’ll just mess it up again tonight when we go to sleep. I took the time to enjoy a cup of coffee and a light breakfast outdoors pre-workout since I was in no rush to get to the gym.

After my leisurely morning, I took the time to go to the gym and arrived at 7:30. (I “slept in” until 6:15.) Surprisingly, the gym was a lot less crowded at 7:30 than it typically is at 5:30. I was loving this since I had my own workout area totally to myself.

Then I took the time to get in a great workout.

Week 11 Day 5: Shoulders, Calves, & Cardio

Circuit:20 reps each
Dumbbell Shoulder Press: 15 pounds
Seated Bent Over Rear Delt Raise: 12.5 pounds
Front Dumbbell Raise: 12.5 pounds
Side Lateral Raise: 10 pounds
Standing Dumbbell Upright Row: 12.5 pounds
Calf Press on the Leg Press: 150 pounds
Standing Calf Raise: 80 pounds
Complete circuit 3 times
Cardio: 30 – 40 minutes

20 reps of each exercise is no joke! I definitely had to use lower weights than in Phase 2 because of the high number of reps. I like the change and the new challenge though. When I was finished, I took the time to sit in the steam room and loved how the sweat poured out of me. (Luckily for you, this went unpictured.) I also took the time to do some good stretching in there. It’s no bikram or hot yoga, but it still felt nice! When I got home, I took the time to cook breakfast #2 and burn my kale.

[Not recommended.] After topping it with nutritional yeast and eggwhites, it tasted just ~~as good~~ fine. While typing this blog post, I took the time to link up to Lindsay’s Fitness Loves of the Week.

My FLOW is my new green workout tank top I purchased last weekend.

Perk of being at the gym with no one else: taking pictures of yourself in the mirror. I’m also taking the time to recognize an accomplishment for Meg’s High Five Friday.

I high-fived all of my students for working so hard and sustaining the long hours of the state standardized testing this past week. Third grade is the first year that they take the test and the mere process of taking the test is pretty challenging since it’s new to them. We do take tests in third grade, but state testing is different as it entails long hours and consecutive days. I am incredibly proud of all of my students and told them they brought tears to my eyes for working so hard and staying focused during the three days of testing this past week. One more week to go!

Have you taken the time to enter my giveaway yet?

What have you taken the time for as of late?

Itz WIAW + A Regular Giveaway!

Posted on April 4, 2012 by Itz Linz

Itz WIAW (or as my husband would say, “WEEEEEE-AAAAAAW!” Yes, he actually does that. In Arizona, he got his brother to do it, too, and they just thought they were freakin’ hilarious)! Anyway, the theme of April’s WIAW is: [Veg It Up] with an Extra Cup!

This fits perfectly with my Healthy Eating Challenge and eating more whole foods. In the morning I made a chocolate strawberry smoothie and I, of course, added spinach!

The workshop introduced the Bowl of Goodness, so I made one the night before and took it for lunch. They talked about how all veggies and whole foods provide different nutrients. Even spinach and kale which are very nutrient dense lack some things that other veggies have. I added both spinach and kale to my BOG, but next time I go grocery shopping I’m going to pick up various kinds of greens.

Along with the greens were black beans, quinoa, carrots, celery, corn, garlic, cilantro, and salsa. It was very tasty! So tasty in fact that for dinner…

I ate it again! This time with a dollop of hummus on top and I ate it cold as opposed to warm as I heated it up for lunch. Same meal just as good. These bowls of goodness helped power me through my latest workout:

Week 11 Day 3: Chest, Calves, & Cardio

Circuit: 20 reps each
Barbell Bench Press: 30 pounds
Incline Dumbbell Press: 15 pounds
Dumbbell Flyes: 10 pounds
Push-Ups
Standing Calf Raises: 80 pounds
Seated Calf Raises on the Leg Press: 150 pounds
Complete circuit 3 times
Cardio: 30 – 40 minutes

So I didn’t post any snacks in today’s WIAW because they’ve all been the same lately. Well, different, but the same. Gnu Foods recently sent me an entire box of their Flavor & Fiber bars. They have amazing flavors including: Banana Walnut, Cinnamon Raisin, Chocolate Brownie, Orange Cranberry, Peanut Butter, Espresso Chip, Lemon Ginger, Carrot Cake, Blondie, and Blueberry Cobbler. Is your mouth watering yet? Mine was the moment I tore into the box.

Gnu Flavor & Fiber Bar Stats: (taken from Gnu)

Only 130 – 140 calories
Made with 6 Whole Grains
Loaded with both Soluble and Insoluble Fiber
No high fructose corn syrup, refined sugars, cholesterol, trans fat, hydrogenated oils, sugar alcohols, dairy (except Blondie), or soy
Made with Organic Whole Wheat & Kamut Flours
Vegan (except Blondie)
12 grams of fiber per bar – That’s 48% of your DV of fiber!

Needless to say, I’ve been very ~~regular~~ happy lately. They kind of remind me of Larabars in terms of their consistency as they are a bit sticky and chewy. All of their flavors were so.unbelievably.good! The only downfall I saw is that they contained only 3 grams of protein. Typically I try to eat more protein with my snacks, but the amount of fiber definitely helped me stay full from the snack.

Blueberry Cobbler Bar

I have a secret to share with you. Don’t tell anyone. Scratch that. Tell everyone you know. Gnu Foods has graciously sent me an extra box with 16 bars (2 bars of each of 8 of their 10 flavors) to share with one lucky reader. How to enter:

Mandatory: Become a fan of Itz Linz on Facebook and leave a comment at the bottom of this post telling me you did so. Want to earn extra entries?

Leave a comment telling me what flavor sounds best to you.
Follow Itz Linz on Twitter and tweet, “I want to be regular with @ItzLinz and @gnufoods Flavor & Fiber bars! Get regular: http://wp.me/p264zq-lE ”
Subscribe to Itz Linz by clicking on “Follow Itz Linz” in the upper right section of the screen and entering your e-mail address.
Share this giveaway on Facebook or your own blog.
Become a fan of Gnu Foods on Facebook.

That’s right. Six entries for your chance to get as regular as me. Whoever thought that’d be as much fun? Don’t forget to leave a comment below for each entry. The giveaway ends on Tuesday, April 10th at 9:00 pm CST. I will randomly select a winner Wednesday, April 11th in my next WIAW post. The winner will have 24 hours to contact me or another winner will be selected. Happy entering!

*Edit to add: This giveaway is now closed.

Disclaimer: Gnu Foods sent me the bars to try, but all thoughts and opinions are strictly my own as I was not compensated for this review.

Healthy Eating Challenge

Posted on March 25, 2012 by Itz Linz

My Spring Break is officially ending. It was a fun and relaxing week of traveling, working out, hanging with family, lots of walks, sparkly pink nails, slicing, fro yo, tasty eats, productivity, and goodies! Yesterday, the weather was gorgeous; I got outside for a couple of walks to simply enjoy the fresh air.

My girls had a soccer game and we won! That makes our team 4 and 1. It’s awesome to be able to coach such a wonderful group of girls with positive attitudes and true talent. My brother, nephew, and husband came to the game and then we all went to dinner after. Jonny and I have been dog-sitting his parents’ dogs for the past few days. One of the dogs, Zorro, is Zoey’s brother. The other dog is Paris and they are absolutely best friends.

We are best friends!

Zoey, on the other hand, prefers her own space and tends to be a bit of a loner.

I like to call it "independent."

This morning I rocked it at the gym [again!] with the last workout for Week 9. This is definitely my favorite workout of the week. I’m not sure what it was, but I felt really strong throughout the whole workout and was just enjoying all the iron pumpin’!

Week 9 Day 6: Shoulders, Triceps, Calves, & Sprints

*Superset – Bench Press: 3 sets of 15 reps (30 pounds)
*Superset – Jump Rope: 3 sets of 1 minute
^Superset – Bench Dips: 3 sets of 15 reps
^Superset – Mountain Climbers: 3 sets of 15 reps
*Tripleset – Dumbbell Upright Row: 3 sets of 12 reps (15 pounds)
*Tripleset – Arnold Dumbbell Press: 3 sets of 12 reps (15 pounds)
*Tripleset – Jump Rope: 3 sets of 1 minute
^Tripleset – Side Lateral Raise: 3 sets of 12 reps (10 pounds)
^Tripleset - Tricep Pushdown (rope): 3 sets of 12 reps (30 pounds)
^Tripleset - Jump Rope (high knees): 3 sets of 1 minute
*Superset – Medicine Ball Push Ups: 3 sets of 10 reps
*Superset – Push Ups: 3 sets of 10 reps
^Tripleset – Standing Calf Raise: 3 sets of 20 reps (70 pounds)
^Tripleset – Sitting Calf Raise on Leg Press Machine: 3 sets of 20 reps (150 pounds)
^Tripleset - Jump Rope: 3 sets of 1 minute
Cardio: 30 minutes Run/Walk Intervals

28-Day Healthy Eating Challenge

I signed up for this event through the Whole Foods in St. Louis. (There are always TONS of events going on here!) What is it? They are weekly meetings during April that include a quick lecture and cooking demonstration. Why did I sign up? I do know how to eat healthy, yes; however, I am not a professional and feel like I can always learn more. I am stoked to see what new information will come my way.

Here are the topics that will be covered:

Whole Foods
Plant Strong
Healthy Fats
Nutrition Dense
Celebration

Also, I signed up with a friend. Sometimes it is hard to find time to hang out, so now we are guaranteed to see each other once a week for the month of April. Yay! Don’t worry, I will definitely share what I learn in this class with you. If you are in the St. Louis area, I highly encourage you to sign up, too! I mean if nothing else, I’ll be there! Pre-registration is required, so sign up before it gets sold out. (Sign up here.)

I’m off to seize my last day of break before returning to my kiddos! And I have grocery shopping, laundry, food prep, and family dinner to accomplish today/tonight, so I best get started! Happy Sunday to you!

Have you ever been to a Whole Foods event? Do share!

High Five Friday

Posted on March 23, 2012 by Itz Linz

I think all my go-go-going kind of caught up to me yesterday. I helped my sister with a photoshoot in the morning, and I planned on waking up extra early to squeeze in a workout. After laying in bed for awhile, I decided a cup of coffee may do the trick. Well, that cup of coffee kept me by my computer for too long and the next thing I knew it was time to get ready for the shoot.

When we were finished, I ran a few errands, and by the time I got home I was famished. I snacked way too heavily instead of plating my food. I dilly-dallied around the house and knew I was just procrastinating getting to the gym. Earlier this week, Meg talked about taking a challenge. I decided that the gym was my challenge and I would tackle it by getting started on a workout. Usually once I start a workout I am good to go. Yesterday was not the case. The whole thing was challenging; I just wasn’t feeling it. I powered through the weight section of the workout and was thrilled to be done.

Week 9 Day 3: Chest, Shoulders, Abs, & Sprints

*Superset – Incline Dumbbell Press: 3 sets of 15 reps (15 pounds)
*Superset – Dumbbell Shoulder Press: 3 sets of 15 reps (15 pounds)
^Superset – Cable Cross-Over: 3 sets of 15 reps (15 pounds)
^Superset – Push Ups: 3 sets of 12 reps
*Superset – One Arm Overhead Kettlebell Squats: 3 sets of 15 reps each side (12 pounds)
*Superset – Jack Knife Sit-Up: 3 sets of 15 reps
^Tripleset- Side Lateral Raise: 3 sets of 15 reps (10 pounds)
^Tripleset – Standing Dumbbell Upright Row: 3 sets of 15 reps (15 pounds)
^Tripleset - Burpees: 3 sets of 10 reps
*Superset – Dips: 3 sets of 15 reps
*Superset - Push Ups: 3 sets of 15 reps
Knee/Hip Raise: 3 sets of 15 reps

This workout was supposed to be followed by a thirty minute cardio session like yesterday’s. However, since I was totally not feeling it, I called it a day at the gym and headed home. When I got home, I was pretty grumpy since I didn’t have the best workout. It was absolutely beautiful out, so I decided to take a walk around our neighborhood for about thirty minutes. Not the same as doing run/walk intervals on the treadmill, but definitely better than nothing. And for getting the workout in, I’m giving myself a high-five.

Sure you can give yourself a high-five! Because I just did. Especially on High Five Friday. I do believe that my workout was crummy because I anticipated it being crummy. I went in with the mindset of, “This is totally going to suck,” and it did. Am I glad I got it done? Yes, but I like to enjoy my workouts (which I usually do), and yesterday I didn’t. I did, however, enjoy my walk and the weather. My experience re-confirmed that I have to get my workouts done in the morning. That is when I feel my best and it helps set the positive tone for the day. Afterall…

(source) True story. This morning I woke up with a positive attitude just knowing that I was going to kill it at the gym today. And you know what? I did. Mind over matter, my friends.

Week 9 Day 4: Hamstrings, Glutes, & Calves

*Superset – Seated Leg Curl: 3 sets of 15 reps (80 pounds)
*Superset – Barbell lunge: 3 sets of 15 reps each side (40 pounds)
^Superset – Stiff Legged Barbell Deadlift: 3 sets of 15 reps (60 pounds)
^Superset – Bounce Bounce Squat: 3 sets of 15 (25 pounds)
*Superset – One Legged Kneeling Leg Curl: 3 sets of 15 reps (15 pounds)
*Superset – Split Squat: 3 sets of 15 reps
^Superset – One Legged Barbell Squat: 3 sets of 15 reps (40 pounds)
^Superset – Mountain Climbers: 3 sets of 20 reps
*Tripleset – Standing Calf Raise: 3 sets of 20 reps (70 pounds)
*Tripleset – Seated Calf Raise: 3 sets of 20 reps (120 pounds)
*Tripleset – Jump Rope: 3 sets of 1 minute

I intended on doing the 30 minute cardio session on the treadmill, but I happened to spot Annette at the gym just before she began her Zumba class! Knowing that this would be the last time I would be able to take one of her classes in quite some time (she’s moving! ), I jumped at the opportunity. Plus, watching her dance and trying to keep up just puts me in an instantly good mood. Pretty sure Annette shakes it 100 times faster than I do – quite impressive!

What are you giving yourself a high five for today? Go ahead, celebrate your successes!

Itz WIAW Zona Style: Part 1

Posted on March 21, 2012 by Itz Linz

The third Wednesday in March brings us another edition of WIAW Goes Green!

Like my San Diego vacation, my Arizona vacation was filled with equally tasty eats. So much good food was consumed that I decided, once again, to split them up into two WIAW posts: Part 1 & Part 2. Even though I was out of town, I kept with the green theme.

On Saturday morning, we went out to breakfast at a place called New York Bagels ‘N Bialys. I ordered the Veggie Omelette with eggwhites, peppers, broccoli, shrooms, onions, and spinach. (I subbed spinach for the tomatoes; I don’t like how watery tomatoes make eggs. Plus, I wanted to get an extra dose of green for St. Patrick’s Day! )

I requested fruit as a side and an oat bialy. I had never heard of a bialy before, but after looking it up online this is what I found:

Bialys came to the United States from Bialystok, Poland, and they are sometimes known as Bialystok Kuchen. In the early 1900s, hundreds of thousands of Eastern European Jews immigrated to American and settled in New York City. They brought with them their taste and recipes for bialys. While there were once dozens of bialy bakeries in New York, the number can now be counted on one hand. Bialys have long been a staple in New York delicatessens and a favorite of the Jewish community. (source)

I love learning about the history of food, especially when it relates to Jews – my people! The bialy was light and fluffy. Jonny ordered a jalapeno bialy and it was equally delicious! My breakfast certainly kept my full for quite some time.

For lunch Jonny and I walked to a place called Paradise Juice. We actually went there a few times because it was so convenient, tasty, and healthy! I ordered the Antioxidant Smoothie that included pomegranate, acai, blueberry, strawberry, and banana.

It was dee-licious! I asked Jonny to hold it while I ran into a store real quick. There was about 3/4 left. I told him he could try it, but NOT to drink the entire thing. Who was I kidding? When I returned there was about 3 and a half mini sips left. Not happy. I made sure to take a few extra drinks of his Mango Fitness smoothie the following day. Take that.

As I mentioned before, we went to Z’Tejas for dinner. We began the meal with the Tejas Trio appetizer per Robbie and Becca’s recommendation.

Fresh chips, hand-hacked guacamole, chile con queso with chorizo and salsa picante. The first basket of chips went like wildfire and the second wasn’t much slower. All three dips were fabulous and made me even more excited for my dinner: Smoked Chicken & Black Bean Salad.

I really enjoyed this salad! “Tossed greens with smoked chicken and black beans in a red wine vinaigrette, topped with creamy goat cheese, green and red bell peppers, Roma tomato slices, and red onion rings, sprinkled with roasted pumpkin and sesame seeds.” The combination of beans and seeds and chicken made for an uber filling salad.

Stay tuned for next week’s second edition of WIAW Zona Style!

In workout news, I made it to my gym after arriving home yesterday. I began Phase 3 of LiveFit and I can already tell this will be my favorite phase yet! This phase focuses on fat burning instead of muscle-building. The workouts include supersets with short bouts of cardio. My heart rate was elevated during the entire workout and I really like how this gave my body quite a change from simply lifting weights or doing steady state cardio.

*Phase 3*

Week 9 Day 1: Quads & Calves

*Superset – Leg Press: 3 sets of 15 reps (150 pounds)
*Superset – Freehand Jump Squat: 3 sets of 15 reps
^Superset – Single Leg Split Squat: 3 sets of 15 reps per side (40 pounds)
^Superset – Jump Rope: 3 sets of 1 minute
*Superset – Walking Barbell Lunge: 3 sets of 20 reps (40 pounds)
*Superset – Long Jump: 3 sets of 20 reps
^Superset – Leg Extensions: 3 sets of 20 reps (60 pounds)
^Superset – Lateral Bound: 3 sets of 20 reps
Smith Machine Squat: 3 sets of 20 reps (70 pounds)
*Superset – Standing Calf Raises: 3 sets of 20 reps (90 pounds)
*Superset – Jump Rope: 3 sets of 1 minute
^Superset – Calf Press on Leg Press Machine: 3 sets of 20 reps (120 pounds)
^Superset – Jump Rope: 3 sets of 1 minute

Tofu Press Giveaway Winner: I used RANDOM.ORG to choose the winner.

Congratulations #16, ittybitsofbalance! Please e-mail me within 24 hours with your mailing information and enjoy your Tofu Press!

Thank you to everyone who entered the giveaway!

Do you like completing supersets during your workouts?

Itz Linz

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