Shake Your Tail Feather - Thanksgiving Spin

Wednesday Pre-Turkey Thanksgiving Spin - 50 minutes.

Young Blood 4:07 The Naked and Famous Passive Me Aggressive You (warm-up)

Track 10 3:48* Up in 2 jog for 20 sec - drop down touch right, pick up pace 45 sec, 15 sec jog in 2, repeat until song ends)

Firework 3:48 Katy Perry Teenage Dream (Deluxe Edition), seated climb, faster intervals at chorus

Good Vibrations 4:29 Marky Mark And The Funky Bunch & Loleatta Holloway, back to flat, 30 sec rest, 4x 45 tempo, 15 sec sprints

Howlin' for You 3:12 The Black Keys Brothers, 30 sec rest, 1 min up in 3, 30 sec in saddle on flat - repeat

30 sec recovery then entering rolling hills (my favorite), 4x - 1 min in saddle (no bouncing, working hard 80% of heart rate), add a seated climb 30 sec, then 15 sec increase the pace - shoot up to 3 for one minute get that heart rate to 92%, then recover in 2 on a flat for 30 sec. You should end in time with 4th song - use that last 20 sec to sit in the saddle get water, etc. They should have worked HARD 4x.

We Found Love (feat. Calvin Harris) 3:36 Rihanna We Found Love

We R Who We R 3:25 Ke$ha We R Who We R

Bulletproof 3:26 La Roux La Roux (Bonus Track Version)

What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger) 3:42 Kelly Clarkson Stronger

END OF ROLLING HILLS

Shake It Out 4:38 Florence + The Machine Ceremonials, seated climb

Marry the Night 4:25 Lady GaGa Born This Way, shake it out 1 min in 2 jog, start on a flat and every 45-60 sec add a good turn right and keep the pace like you are headed into the wind by the end the heart rate is hard and you are working on the highest intensity

Thank You 5:07 Duran Duran With Honors Soundtrack, cool down

Favorite Year 4:29 Dixie Chicks Taking The Long Way, cool down

*Editor's Note - long ago I copied tons of spin music from my friend Tara who was big into dance and techno - the song titles were not copied so unfortunately this girl has alot of dance and techno music that's unnamed - find a good song with a quick beat that's 3:45 to sub in.

Helleva Holiday Week Workout: A big HIIT!

It's back -- the Thanksgiving pre-panic. In preparation for Thanksgiving, in addition to stocking up on turkey stock, pumpkin pie and whipped cream, people are trying to shed those last few pounds before they pack everything back on Thursday. I noticed I had several more people in my classes or new people who normally I don't see in the gym. Regardless of how you are attacking the holiday gain - there are plenty of ways to avoid the extra pounds -

A. Plenty of gyms offer their own Thanksgiving day menu - try a pre-turkey zumba, spin or step class before the turkey.

B. Go for a run - Turkey Trots are as popular as turkey - and some let you sign up on race day - and get a free t-shirt.

C. Grab the Kids and a football (rugby ball) and head to the park - the days not just about watching it on TV.

D. Make sure you look at what you're eating instead of swallowing it whole. Also try some new green veggies for Thanksgiving - give your tired String Bean Casserole a break for Giada's sauteed green beans http://healthy.food.com/recipe/giadas-sauteed-green-beans-194652 or perhaps Ina's roasted brussel sprouts. YUM!!

And if you do end up trying the pumpkin, apple, and pecan pies - know this, as Denise Austin says, tomorrow is another day. Friday you'll get back on your regularly scheduled programming.

I am absolutely in LOVE with the concept of HIIT training - high intensity interval training. I find myself using it frequently in my Bootcamp class. And it's a big hit or "hiit."

Bootcamp Class

Warm-up 5-7min - we do the same warm-up each week - you can bring your own

I like to bring the heart rate up a bit from the warm-up - we did some light kickboxing here - some punches, knees (alternate) side kicks L&R, front kicks, back kicks, jacks, speed bag, lunge, football runs.

Then grabbed some water and we did our first weights/HIIT set

Using heavy weights

One weight held in 2 hands reverse lunge side twist 10x

reverse fly 10x

other side

10 squats, 10 pushups

repeat

First High Intensity set

20 sec 1/2 burpee jump turn 1/2 burpee. 10 sec rest

20 sec high knees 10 sec rest

repeat 3x

water

Then using heavy weights again up on the step- curtsy squat 10x and reverse lunge, 10x, R

tricep dips

repeat set on Left

tricep dips

Sitting on the step, relax back on sit bones and knees in and out, front, side, left, 20x

wide plie squat with overhead triceps 10x

water

Second HIIT set

MT climbers with hands on step, 4x

4 jump lunges

alternate for 45 sec.

15 sec rest

moderate weights using the step - step knee with a curl - 45 sec

15 sec rest

back to Climbers/lunge

Knee/Curl

water

Grab your light weights hold overhead - kick left step or lunge back - repeat 10x switch

row to the stomach, row to the chest

sit on the step - chest press

ABS -

repeat the 3 point abs on the step

relax it back - straight up crunches, obliques - elbow to knee, reverse crunch

bicycles x20

off the step - plank off the step hold 15 sec, 10x knee to opposite shoulder L&R, 5 sec rest on knees, repeat twice.

Cool Down.

HIIT and HEAT - healthy recipe and high intensity workout

Last night I made a great dinner. I know it was good because Billy actually liked it and it was gone before I could take a picture. I based the recipe on a Giada at Home recipe, which was on yesterday. She cooked a whole chicken with a rosemary, mustard butter. Since cooking a whole chicken was too much work and we are trying to eat healthier - I amended the recipe a bit.

Rosemary Mustard Chicken with Vegetable Bolognese

In a bowl I mixed together 2 tbsp of plain greek yogurt, 2 tbsp of honey dijon mustard and chopped up rosemary (about 1 sprig) with a lil salt and pepper. I soaked the chicken in the mixture and then placed the chicken in a 375 degree oven in a dish with reynolds wrap and Pam.

Veggies

Heat a lil olive oil in a big nonstick pan. Chop up roughly 2 red peppers and 4-5 carrots (mine were super skinny) in a pan on medium heat. Let heat up for 5 minutes. Add some S&P. Chop up a box of cremini mushrooms. Put them in the pan. Let the mushrooms brown - add a can of diced tomatoes (no salt). Then add some rosemary, thyme and a lil oregano. Let sit for 20 minutes. The veggies get tender and absorb the tomatoes and it's delish.

Scoop the veggie mixture on the plate and layer the Chicken on top. The chicken stays moist and the veggies make a kick-ass sauce. You could add whole wheat pasta or brown rice if you wanted but we ate it as is. You can also use the veggie mixture on it's own with pasta. So if you make a double portion of the veggie mix and use it the next night.

Workout

I didn't feel like I was moving enough in the morning and banging it out so I wanted to use the HIIT concept and get going for 3 two to three minute intervals. If you have not heard about HIIT training see here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-intensity_interval_training

We started with our warm-up and then did a little aerobic workout to raise the heartrates.

Then we did 30sec intervals jump rope and power squats for 3 rounds. My heart rate was up to 175. Then we kept moving got some water and grabbed our heavy weights for a set of 15 each of squats, rows, clean and press, lunges and tricep (french press).

Lil march and then using the step we did 20 sec plank jacks on the step, jump up and side to side plyo jump. 2 minutes, 3 rounds. Then we used our lighter weights and did a curtsy squat off the step, 15 and 10 pulses L&R with side raises in between. Then spiderman push-ups, a set of 10. Heavy weight one handed rows and then down on the mat for staggered arm push-ups, 10 on the R&L. Then come all the way down and tuck your arms in by your sides and extend straight ahead and come up on your forearms. Press into your palms and come up.

Then we stood up and did lunges with a front raise, wood choppers. Then for the obliques, lean to one side and center. L&R.

Then jump rope 20 sec, high knees, 3 rounds.

Abs - crunches, 20. Side crunch, 20 L&R. Reverse crunch, 20. Table top. Leg raises in tabletop R&L, 10 each side. Forearm plank, push up to plank knee cross 10x each, come down to rest in tabletop 5 sec, 3x repeat. Side plank L&R, thread the needle 5x each. Boat pose, knees in and out, twist side to side.

Cool down.