Happy first Friday of May everyone! I WISH I could say the weather is finally getting nicer but…we’ve had freezing rain all week! And it’s not letting up until Monday 😦 Luckily the sun is peeking out a little today. I hope that didn’t stop anyone from celebrating Cinco de Mayo yesterday, though! I celebrated on Tuesday night, since I work late on Thursdays. Had homemade gluten-free tacos with my boyfriend and it was wonderful!
I have a ton of great info for you this week so let’s get right to it!
Articles by Me
Maintaining a Healthy Work-Life Balance
May: “Exercise is Medicine” Month
Favorite Health/Fitness Articles
Healthy Movement Matters via Precision Nutrition
The Only Way To Go Is Up via Jen Comas for Girls Gone Strong
You Are More Than Your Body(fat) via Neghar Fonooni for Girls Gone Strong
The Power of the Hip Hinge via Tony Gentilcore
The Best Mobility Exercises For A Stronger Squat via Jordan Syatt
The Ugly Side of Health and Fitness via Nia Shanks
5 Fat-Loss Takeaways from Bikini Prep via Garrett Wood
Favorite Non-Fitness Articles
7 Things You Might Not Think Are Fat-Shaming But Definitely Are via Jodie Layne for Bustle
30 Things About Anxiety Nobody Talks About via Sarah Schuster for The Mighty
Favorite Exercise
This glute finisher that I’ve been doing for a few months now! Full disclosure: I learned it from Bret Contreras, aka The Glute Guy! He has some great workouts that focus on the glutes. This one is:
15 band hip abductions in the top bridge position
15 band hip abductions in the bottom bridge position
30 bodyweight frog pumps
I love this because I get such a great burn at the end of my workout! And I swear this little finisher is the cause of my major #glutegains over the past few months! I do 2 rounds of this, twice a week. Give it a shot!!
Favorite Recipe
Mason jar salads! Ok, I’m so mad that I deleted the little video I made of these, but you can find it on both my Facebook and Instagram page (it’s from last week, so you may have to scroll a bit to find it!) These are so fun to make and so fun to eat! Basically, you layer all the ingredients in a mason jar, and when you pour it out to eat, you have a perfectly mixed, crisp, seasoned salad! Here’s the order to layer everything:
Step 1: Pour dressing in the bottom of the jar
Step 2: Add in your vegetables. I used red pepper, corn, and cucumber, but you can add anything you want! I’ve also used carrots, onion, broccoli, and celery in the past!
Step 3: Add in your protein. I used chicken for this step.
Step 4: Add in your carbs. I used quinoa, but you can also add nuts or seeds here!
Step 5: Top it off with your greens. I used a spring mix, but you can also do kale, spinach, or regular old lettuce!
And that’s it! The lettuce stays crisp because it doesn’t touch the dressing until you pour it out to eat! And yes…these stayed fresh all week, Friday’s salad was just as good as Tuesday’s!!
Favorite Activity
Last weekend I went rock climbing at Brooklyn Boulders-Somerville with my boyfriend, Tim, my roommate Jenny, and her boyfriend, Scott! We all had Groupons for a day pass to the gym. And it’s literally around the corner from my apartment, so we walked there! I’ve rock climbed in a gym like this before, but not since I was much younger. And it was a lot harder than I remember!! I never even made it to the top! Everyone else did, though, they all did great. I kept getting freaked out when I got too high LOL. We also tried free-climbing, which is climbing without straps or a harness. Also very hard. And a little scary! My grip strength and forearm strength was seriously put to the test. Here are some pictures!
LOL @ Tim laying on the ground. Love that pic. Too funny.
Side note: I had a hard time getting the hang of the auto belay…and basically tumbled down on my first try, hitting the wall in multiple spots. I have a massive bruise on my butt now. Sitting is super fun….
Currently Reading
Two Down, still. Haven’t had much time to read lately, but I can’t wait for reading all day on the beach! I just bought a bunch of new books, so stay tuned!!
Currently Netflixing
Charmed, and re-watching Bloodline in preparation for the new season! Also counting down the days to Jojo’s Bachelorette season!! May 23 can’t come soon enough!
I’ll have Jill’s progress pictures for you in my next post! She’s taking her month 3 pics this weekend! So pumped to see her results!!
Have you slacked off on your health and fitness goals? Are you trying to get in shape for summer? I can help! I am currently accepting new clients into my online training program! You’ll get completely personalized exercise and nutrition programs from me, as well as access to videos and email to me so I’ll be with you every step of the way! We do weekly and monthly check-ins, as well as anything else you need on a daily basis. Check out my Facebook page for more info, or you can sign up directly here!
Have a great weekend everybody!!!
cmghealthfitness.com 