Pure Barre

I have wanted to try Pure Barre for months now, and finally got to experience it this week, thanks to an awesome Groupon deal I bought last month! The only information I got before going into the class was "it is a great workout," "you will love it since you are a dancer," and "my legs were shaking like crazy," so I really had no idea what to expect! If you're in the same boat, here's my little run down of Pure Barre!

the cute little balls

Upon arrival to the class, which was filled with only women, we grabbed a set of 2lb. weights, a small little ball (reminded me of the balls we used at recess back in the day to play for square, but smaller), and a band. Ballet barres lined the room (hence why it's called "barre" I assume) and we were instructed to wear socks only.

Pure Barre Boston

We started the class in "centre," or in non-dancer terms, in the middle of the floor. Our awesome instructor Fiona kicked off the class by killing our abs, warming up our core and body. I was sweating ten minutes in! I immediately wished I hadn't done spinning the day before, haha! During the whole class you do small pulses- contracting your hips under your body while keeping your core firm. Fiona switched up the tempo of the "pulses" to go with the beats of the upbeat, fun songs. Honestly- every move was SO simple- I really believe anyone could do this class! You don't need to be coordinated, flexible, don't need crazy stamina, or any dance experience at all!

We shifted to the barre, used the little ball in between our upper thighs while doing series of pliés/squats on your tip toes targeting the entire lower body. Honestly, my legs were QUIVERING like I've never seen before! I used to be a ballerina, love to workout, and consider myself in decent shape, so the whole time I was thinking "what is wrong with me!" Fiona kept telling us "embrace the shaking in your legs- this is your body changing!" so that totally motivated me to continue giving it my all. It is so great to switch up your exercise routine and confuse your body! Clearly, that's what happened to me today and I loved every second of it.

2 lbs. is deceiving

 We used the 2lb. weights to exercise every muscle in our arms and upper body... And although they are only 2lbs, WOW did I feel the burn! This was followed by girl push-ups (still to the beat of the songs), worked our love handles/hips, glutes.... I left wondering what body part we didn't work- I'm pretty sure we hit them all! Woohoo!

Pure Barre- Newbury St. Love this location!

The whole class reminded me of a fusion between Pilates and a total body conditioning class, but very simple. It was definitely a different workout than I'm used to, as I wasn't dripping sweat like I do when I run- it was more of a "lift, tone, and burn" workout as Fiona said. She was dead on! Besides the 2lb. dumbbells for arms, we used the weight of our own body for everything else.

So, what are you waiting for? Try something new, and I have a strong feeling you will enjoy Pure Barre! I found a 3-session deal on Groupon/Gilt for like $30... keep your eyes peeled!

Have fun and feel the burn!

Morgan

Southwestern-Stuffed Peppers

I am always stoked to try new healthy recipes, and this one was so good that I had to share! (Thank you instagramfitness for sharing this recipe!) Speaking of instagram- follow me (morganberg14) for some daily motivation :)

Okay, back to the delicious peppers! The original recipe called for brown rice, which I chose to substitute with quinoa since it is packed with protein and deliciousness! This was my first time making it and it turned out delicious! Just beware- 2 cups of uncooked quinoa turns into like... 5 cups cooked quinoa (the recipe only calls for 2 c. cooked, so I have TONS of leftovers). Lesson learned. I also used closer to 3/4lb. ground turkey breast (make sure you get turkey breast, otherwise it is mixed with white and dark turkey meat). You could even cook another pepper (5 total?), as I had a good amount of leftover "mix".

Southwestern Stuffed Peppers 

Ingredients:

-Extra Virgin Olive Oil

-1/2 lb. Lean Ground Turkey Breast

-1 c. chopped onions

-1 T. Low-Sodium Taco Seasoning

-16 oz. Jar of Salsa

-2 c. cooked brown rice (or quinoa)

-3-4 Bell Peppers

-1 can Black Beans drained

-1/2 c. Corn

-Shredded cheese (I omitted this)

Directions:

-Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the peppers in half, cut the membranes out, and lightly coat the peppers with olive oil and roast in a baking dish (9x13 worked great for 4 peppers) for 20-25 minutes (until cooked through). Remove from the oven and allow them to cool so you can handle them.

-While the peppers are roasting, cook your ground turkey and onions. Also cook/boil your quinoa or rice! Add cooked rice, black beans, corn, cooked meat, taco seasoning, and salsa into a bowl and mix.

-Spoon mixture into each half of the peppers, put them back in the baking dish, and bake for another 15-20 minutes. If you are adding cheese on top (I did not), sprinkle the top with shredded cheese right before removing from the oven!

Now, ENJOY!

How mine came out :)

These were so easy to make, and still tasted great as leftovers! I wouldn't do anything to change the recipe. Everything in them is so healthy, you can't feel guilty about eating these for one second. Can't wait to make them again!

Morgan

The "Eat Clean" Philosophy & Snack Time!

My favorite time of the day: snack time. I mean, who doesn't love snack time? Lately I've been doing a bit of "research" as I needed to switch up the foods I've been eating... Eating the same 10 things every day gets a little old, so I found some new healthy snacks! I figured it this would tie in well with my "eat clean" blog post, so here we go!

New Fav Snack... we will get to this in a few :)

Many people are transitioning to the "Eat Clean" lifestyle which translates to ingesting natural, whole foods (vegetables, fruits, complex carbohydrates, lean proteins), and avoiding junk food, sugar, and processed items as much as possible. I found an awesome quote depicting the "eat clean" philosophy: "if it is man made, don't eat it." This would include white breads, candy... things you wouldn't find in nature. Kind of gross to think about.

First of all, lets talk about peanut butter. Who doesn't love peanut butter? What many people don't know (including me, until now) is that PB is packed with sugars and oils. No wonder why it tastes so good. When looking at the ingredient list of my 'Reduced Fat Skippy Peanut Buter,' there is a laundry list of ingredients... eww. Our bodies don't need all of those extra ingredients! Lesson learned: the ONLY ingredient that should be on your peanut butter jar.... is peanuts. Pretty self-explanatory, huh? So, I found myself a new peanut butter: Teddie! :)

It is all natural, the ONLY ingredient is peanuts, it is the SAME price as your regular Skippy of Jif, and it honestly tastes good! Now, it doesn't taste super sugary (duh), it tastes like... chewed up peanuts. Added bonus: there is zero sodium. None! Compared to the 160mg of sodium in my Skippy. (Teddie also has half the carbs and only 1g of natural sugar). So what it your excuse to not buy this instead?

Next up- Rice Cakes! I always hear pageant girls talking about rice cakes and I never quite understood why. After all, don't they just taste like air? Well, not when you prepare them the way I do! This is another "clean" food, as the ONLY ingredient is whole grain brown rice. Perfection!

Get the plain, unsalted kind= healthiest. (chocolate is good too...)

So, the PERFECT snack is a combo of your all-natural peanut butter, a rice cake, and a sliced-up banana! You can't get much healthier than that:

Nutrition Facts:

Calories: 221

Fat: 8g

Carbs: 33.5g

Sugar: 12.5g

Protein: 5g

I'd say that is a good, clean snack, as the sugars and carbohydrates are natural from the banana, the fats are "good" fats from the nuts, and a little protein always helps! Another alternative: sprinkle a dust of cinnamon!

35 calories... Haha! Love it!

Chocolate milk. While I've always tried to avoid this because of the sugar content, lately I've been reading articles that explain chocolate milk's strong benefits after a workout! The mixture of the protein content, carbohydrates, calcium, and yes, sugar, will help to restore your body's energy. Plus, it is WAY cheaper than most protein-powders (like my favorite Muscle Milk, which I refuse to give up). This quote sums it up well: 

"This sugar will cause a spike in insulin levels, driving the glucose molecules into the muscle tissue and replenishing the energy stores for your next workout. Without this insulin spike, you’re going to be looking at a slower recovery period, which could mean more time out of the gym."

Tell me that doesn't look heavenly.

 I loved this article- tons of factual, nerdy, health-freak information. Then again maybe I loved it because I could understand it all (thanks, nursing)! Read more detail here: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/10/30/benefits-chocolate-milk-after-your-workout/

Remember, eating smaller, more frequent meals is the BEST way to keep your metabolism going throughout the day. I tend to eat 5-6 meals to avoid the rollercoaster your body goes through when you are eating 3 large meals! Chug water all day, and check out the ingredient labels on everything you eat- the fewer items, the better (and obviously more natural!)

I just love ya.

Ready, Set, Eat Clean!

Morgan

DIY CrossFit Workout

As I mentioned in my last post, it is time for a CrossFit workout... and YES, you can do it on your own! I'm about to show you how. A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to attend 2 CrossFit classes as you may have seen on my blog! I got SO much out of this (best workouts of my life) that I decided to take pictures of the whiteboard where the workout is listed... and I have been doing them on my own.

This workout is divided into groups of 4, with a warm up to begin. Before you get started, I suggest setting up all 4 of your stations. This will prevent you from having to interrupt your workout between each set.

You will need:

-jump rope              -dumbbells                       -10lb. plate

-25lb. plate              -TRX ropes or yoga ball   -pull up bar

-box to jump on      -10lb medicine ball           -MOTIVATION

Grab dumbbells according to your fitness level- I am not a huge, buff, muscle machine so I chose 12-15 pounds. You'll be using these for bicep curls, so plan accordingly. "Plates" are the round weights you'd typically put on bars. Use a higher weight if you're more advanced; same goes for the medicine ball!  Most of this can be found in the "studio" of your gym. I honestly gathered all of this stuff from throughout the weight room in my own corner (don't be ashamed... there are plenty of weights to go around, and you're about to dominate. so who cares) to facilitate my workout!

everything you need!

After you have your supplies, you are ready to go! This is how the workout goes: You will repeat each exercise group as many times you can within 9 MINUTES. Set a timer for 9 minutes and repeat the circuit until the timer goes off (timers can be found on your iPod, iPhone, stop watch). It is tough, but allow yourself a few minutes between each set to breatheeee. I'm about to demo/explain each exercise for you. Here we go!

WARM UP

Run 2 Laps (400m total)

10 push-ups

10 sit-ups

10 squats

***Repeat this 4 times***

Alternative to running 2 "laps": run for 1-2 minutes on the treadmill, jumping jacks, high knees, anything to get your heart pumping.
Now begin your 9-Minute rotations:

GROUP A

50 jump ropes

9 Dumbbell Squat Curls

9 & 9 Plate Chops

DB Squat Curls:  1. Squat    2. Bicep curl.  Simple!

Plate Chop: 1. Squat with 10lb. plate on one side

Plate Chop: 2. Stand and 'chop' across body. 

9 Plate chops on EACH side. 18 total. After you have finished the jump rope, DB squat curls, and 18 plate chops.... REPEAT all until the timer goes off. Let the sweat begin. After that timer goes off, breathe, and reset it for Group B!

GROUP B

5 Clapping Push-Ups

9 TRX Rows

9 TRX Atomic Push-Ups

9 Box Jumps

My clapping push-ups turned into normal push-ups after the first round. Don't let yourself stop, if you can't handle it all, modify the workout so that you can! Since I didn't have TRX ropes, I did the "rows" as standing wall push-ups, and used a ball for the atomic push-ups, as shown below.

Atomic Push-Ups: 1. Steady feet on the ball

Atomic Push-Ups: 2. Do a Push-Up

Atomic Push-Ups: 3. Raise your rear as high in the air as you can! Feel the burn in your core!

Complete the circuit with 9 Box Jumps- simply jump up and down on the box 9 times. Repeat all four exercises until your 9-Minute timer goes off!

GROUP C

5 Medicine Ball Volcanos

9 Medicine Ball Burpees

9 & 9 Lateral Lunges

9 Medicine Ball Push-Ups

Volcano: 1. Sit with medicine ball, lean back to lay on ground

Volcano: 2. Bring medicine ball overhead.

Volcano: 3. Sit back up, prepare to stand. Crossing your feet helps!

Volcano: 4. Stand with medicine ball overhead. Sit back down to repeat

 Medicine Ball Burpees:

MB Burpees: 1. Jump with MB overhead

MB Burpees: Complete Burpee as you normally would

Lateral Lunges: Lunge to each side 9 times with Medicine Ball

Lateral Lunges: 9 on each side

And lastly, Medicine Ball Push-Ups... (on the ball... ouch)

MB Push-Ups: 1. Steady yourself on the ball

MB Push-Ups: 2. Push-Up.... Hate these.

YAY! Repeat that until your 9 minutes is up. ONLY ONE CIRCUIT LEFT!!!

GROUP D

Bear Crawl

30 Overhead Plate Lunges

9 Pull-Ups

Bear Crawl up and down the studio or weight room.. whatever you prefer! The plate lunges are demonstrated below, and the pull-ups can be done with assistance. I'll be the first to admit I cannot do a pull-up (yet) so I use the pull-up machine where you can have weighted-assistance. At CrossFit, we used extra thick "rubber-bands" to help us.

Overhead Plate Lunges: Keep the 25lb. plate overhead, alternate legs

Repeat for 9 minutes........ AND YOU ARE DONE!! Toughest 36 minute workout ever? I think yes... but just wait for the next CrossFit workout I post! If you truly plan to attempt this at the gym, I commend you. After all, I wouldn't have spent time coercing my bestie Lisa into taking awkward pictures of me if I didn't hope that at least ONE person would try this! So let me know what you think, PLEASE! I know you can do it.

Thanks for taking the time to read! Check out my Instagram for some daily health motivation: morganberg14

Stay tuned... because I will post the other CrossFit workout eventually! After my delicious-healthy-snack post... SO much to blog about!! :)

Morgan

The Biggest Loser: Targetting Childhood Obesity

If you've been a long-time follower of my blog, you would have seen my post obsessing about The Biggest Loser show last year. Well, that was a year ago, and now that the show started up again, I assumed I was allowed to share my thoughts on it again!

This year, the show means even more to me! Many of you know that my personal and pageant platform is "Fit for Success", hence the title of this blog. My platform (a cause you promote throughout your experiences as a Miss America Organization titleholder) aims at teaching children the importance of exercise and nutrition- starting at an EARLY age and motivating them to maintain these habits for their lifetime! I believe our entire population (children and adults alike) can always make improvements on their health, and this is something I hope to fuel across our country, as a titleholder, an individual, and through my new job as a children's fitness instructor! So, now that I have that explained, you may see why I am STOKED that The Bigget Loser has chosen to feature 3 overweight children on this season.

Add caption

The show's philosophy this season is that since childhood obesity continues to be a growing national problem, someone needs to address this. The show has initiated this (along with Michelle Obama's Platform "Let's Move", and my platform of course!) and stated that "it's time to speak up about this issue." I think some people are wary about having children on the show, but I believe it is exactly what our country needs to see. The Biggest Loser is very smart in choosing to not let the kids "weigh-in" as the adults do, but rather to show them actively working on their health in hopes of inspiring other children at home to do the same. It isn't about the number of their weight, but internal and external health! THIS NEEDS TO BE PREACHED TO OUR ENTIRE COUNTRY! This is my mission.

I just love this. Which is why I was inspired to blog about this and to motivate you to make strides towards health in your life and  in our next generation. After all, it is up to US to change the statistics! WE have the opportunity to enhance our society's health, allowing our future children to grow up in a more healthy and efficient world.

Not to mention: my fitness idol Jillian Michaels is BACK! She is such a great example to this show, as she overcame childhood obesity and has become such a perfect example that you can change your body if you set your mind to it!

What a role model!

So, without trying to sound like an advertisement, tune into The Biggest Loser on Sunday nights. I'm so thankful my roomate Svenja got me hooked on the show- every Sunday night furthers my motivation to be healthy. Watching the contestants work so hard while remaining so determined is amazing... Not to mention the transformations that occur throughout the show. Talk about tears! You'll be so inspired.

Stay tuned for my next blog post on an AWESOME workout you can put yourself through at the gym (or at home!) No trainer needed... just your own motivation.
Get healthy :)
Morgan

My "New Years" Tidbit

Ahhh, 2013! I cannot believe another new year is upon us. Often, a new year comes with new goals, and while I believe a "resolution" can start at ANY point of the year, why not set another goal or two for yourself now?

If you've already set a resolution, great! After all, since it is already January 7th, it looks like I'm the one 'late' about posting this blog! We all know the famous "gym" resolution where people dedicate themselves to the gym.... only to find themselves spending their gym hours on the couch one week later.

One thing I wanted to point out is that health takes a LIFESTYLE! As I've said before, health is not a once-in-a-while habit. It takes daily dedication. As I say:

"A healthy lifestyle is not switching one burger for one salad per week. It is the opposite! All of your meals should be nutritious, while only one meal per week should be unhealthy."

This is pretty tough to follow, and can be pretty drastic for most! I suggest taking small steps to accomplish this healthy lifestyle. (Read my older posts for more advice!) Start by cutting out unhealthy beverages, aiming to increase water intake, and switching an unhealthy snack for fruits and vegetables. Next, go "brown" by switching all of the grains you eat to be whole wheat! Motivate yourself to diminish your sweet tooth (this was so tough for me) and pick a special day to indulge once a week. Never skip breakfast, and don't begin your day with just pure sugar! Aim for more filling foods- protein, eggs, unflavored oatmeal, fiber, fruits, you name it. Shoot to have protein incorporated into every meal, lessen the amount of processed foods you eat, and try not to eat right before bed! Substitute anything "fried" for "grilled", cut out those chips and candy bars, I could go on forever! If you're really interested in tracking your progress, check out the iPhone App "My Fitness Pal" which is also featured in a previous blog post! And please remember.... eating is SO important! Your body needs nutrients (especially to fuel all of your tough workouts) so starving yourself is never the answer. Your body will love those healthy foods!

Well, maybe I didn't make that sound so easy. But remember, take it ONE step at a time! Just like you wouldn't plan to get on a treadmill for your first time ever and run 10 miles, you can't expect to make drastic diet changes all at once. Get your body used to your healthy lifestyle little by little. This doesn't require expensive diet plans, trainers, nutritionists, etc. It requires pure motivation and I KNOW you can do it! Most importantly, don't give up. Your body will feel so amazing :)

While I mentioned treadmills, don't forget that exercise is a crucial part of a healthy lifestyle! Diet and exercise go hand in hand! Find something you enjoy. It is a new year, so why not try something new?

All in all, kick this new year off RIGHT! It is never too late to start a healthy regimen, and this blog is full of my little tips and advice to help you through it. I have definitely set some ambitious goals for myself this year, so I'll be right on this journey with you! Aim high, get excited, and motivate yourself.

Ready, Set, Get Started! LETS DO THIS!

Morgan

My CrossFit Experience

It seems like everyone I meet in Boston is somehow involved with CrossFit. I am always hearing what a "wicked" good workout it is, once you start you'll never stop, it is like a 'cult' of workout groups... you name it. So I decided I wanted to see what this fuss was all about... and today was finally the day I got to try it!

....... And yup, now I know exactly why everyone loves it. Dang it, I might just have to become a CrossFit junkie. I LOVED IT! This is about to be another one of those "TRY SOMETHING NEW" blogs! You never know what you might like and it is always so refreshing to switch up your workouts!

Lucky for me, my Aunt Sarah goes to CrossFit and insisted that I tag along (if you read my blog, you know how I'm a huge believer in finding a workout buddy!). We attended an 8am Saturday class, which is geared more toward a bootcamp, compared to a 'normal' CrossFit workout that targets heavy lifting (according to awesome Trainer Andrew).

Post-workout Beast Mode. Muscles=burning.

Before ever attending CrossFit, I was paranoid that I wouldn't be able to handle it. Everyone I know that does it is ripped out of their mind and surely does 100lb bicep curls... while I'm still hangin with my cute little 12 pounders. Wow, was I wrong. Listen to me loud and clear: Every accomplishment begins with the decision to try! Every single circuit had a huge variety of weights, and the trainers had modifications for newbies or people working their way up to the "buff" stage. Trust me, you can handle it!

my workout buddy, Sarah! so motivational :)

Today, the workout of the day was "Battle Buddies", where you had a workout partner to make your way through 7 stations. There were 2 workouts at each station and you had to do 3 sets of each. After completing that, you finished the circuit by running 3 laps (gotta keep the heart rate up) before moving onto the next one! At the beginning of every class, the trainers demonstrate each workout and answer any questions. Signs at each station remind you of how many reps to do, and the trainers constantly help you fix your form and improve your technique. It was GREAT!

our total body workout schedule

This workout included everything from pull ups, bosu supermans, squats, push ups, shoulder press passes, mountain climbers, kettle bell swings and squats, bicycle crunches, hip lifts, etc..... obviously targetting our entire body. Talk about a good workout! It took Sarah and me 45 minutes (rock on girl!) and the purpose of the workout is to hopefully improve your time next time!

CrossFit Lakeville

pull-up bars and TRX knee tucks

Trainer Andrew

Honestly, it was a tough workout. Not nearly tough enough to give up (there is never a good reason to give up), but I had a good sweat going! Sarah and I had to motivate at each other at different parts of the workout so that we would finish strong! Which is exactly why there is nothing better than a workout buddy. Not to mention a professional snowmobiler was working out with us... awesome reason (and eye candy) to push through it. I was huffing and puffing by the end, but who ever said a workout was supposed to be easy? No pain, no gain. Thanks to Andrew at CrossFit Lakeville for a killer workout and helping to whip me into shape! Can't wait to go again on Monday!

thinkin I'm all tough now that I've done CrossFit ;)

That is all for today, folks. I hope I have inspired you to give CrossFit a try, or at least try something new! I can guarantee you won't regret it. 2013 is right around the corner... where are you going to take your body this year? Give it all you got! And don't forget a healthy diet is CRUCIAL if you want to accomplish your goals. My blog is filled with healthy recipes and motivational tips to help you- check it out!

 Ready, Set, Get Buff!

Morgan