Wednesday, December 18, 2013

New chapter, new blog!

Hello all!

Things have been kicking up in the Live Out Loud Personal Training chapter of my life, and I am happy to say that I'm busier than ever! I've started a new blog that reflects this new season of life, so feel free to come check it out!

Branching Out...on Personal Training, Photography, Recipes, and Life

Hope to hear from some of you soon! The holiday season is almost over, and it's time to get that booty into gear and start taking care of yourself!

Email me for more information, or if you have any questions. If you mention that you read this on my blog, I'll give you a holiday 25% off deal for the holiday season!

Thanks for checking in. And remember to always live out loud.

Best,

Abigail

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Salad In A Jar

I came across this SIMPLE recipe with delight. Although the ingredients are a no-brainer, the order in which you put them is crucial.

Without further ado, I give you, a salad in a jar:




Balsamic Vinaigrette:

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1-2 tbsp water (more or less depending on the consistency you want)
2 tbsp honey (can be replaced with agave or brown sugar)
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
Directions
Place all ingredients into a small jar (canning jar). Anything with a lid works well.
Shake (or blend in a blender) to mix thoroughly. Stores in fridge for 1-2 weeks.

Salad
Makes 2 salads (Salads pictured were made in 32 oz mason jars)

1 cup cooked quinoa
2 big handfuls spinach
1 cup chopped mushrooms
1 cup cherry tomatoes
1/2 red onion, diced
4 tbsp balsamic vinagrette

Layer the ingredients in the jar as follows:
dressing
onion
mushrooms
tomatoes
quinoa
spinach

The most important part of the layering is making sure the dressing and the spinach (or whatever 'leaf' you choose) don't touch. As long as they stay separate, these salads can be made up to 4 days in advance and will stay fresh in the fridge with a lid on. This is a great trick to eating salad everyday for lunch at work. Just make a few jars on Sunday night and grab one to bring to work everyday. When you're ready to eat, just shake it up.


Enjoy!

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Prenatal Refresher




For those of you who are pregnant and still desire to be active, click HERE for prenatal exercises.  Be sure to glide and click your mouse over the titles of each exercise and stretch to see either a picture and/or video.

For helpful prenatal information, such as appropriate blood pressure levels, click HERE.

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Jump For Joy Squats

To really hit up your cardio, muscular strength, endurance, and power, jump squats are effective and quite the challenge!

Muscles Used

-Quadriceps
-Hamstrings
-Glutes
-Calves
-Core/Abdominals (balance)

Daily Use of Muscles

-Jumping (obviously)
-Running/walking/ going up/down stairs
-Kicking
-Sitting/standing
-Coughing/laughing

Things to Remember

-Be sure to keep your back straight, pulling your belly button into your spine
-To save your knees and really work the appropriate muscles safely, keep your weight in your HEELS! Do no let your knees go past your ankles/toes; on the contrary, when you squat try to bring your toes off the floor
-You can either use your arms for momentum or to make it harder, bring your hands behind your head
-Breathe!
-Try 3 sets of 8-10 jump squats






Jump Squats


(thoughts on why this is the prisoner jump squat? ha)


HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!

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Monday, July 4, 2011

Inside-Out July 4th Cheeseburgers

Inside-Out Cheeseburgers Recipe


Instead of putting cheese on top of the burger, try this fancy pantsy new recipe where you stuff the cheese inside the meat! Yum!

Ingredients
  • 1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
  • 1/4 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
  • 1 pound 90%-lean ground beef
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Preparation

  1. Preheat grill to medium-high or preheat the broiler.
  2. Combine Cheddar and Gruyere in a small bowl.
  3. Gently mix beef, Worcestershire, paprika and pepper in a large bowl, preferably with your hands, without overworking. Shape into 8 thin, 4-inch-wide patties. Mound 2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture on each of 4 patties, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Cover each with one of the remaining patties. Crimp and seal the edges closed.
  4. To grill: Lightly oil the grill rack (see Tip). Grill the stuffed patties over medium-high heat, about 4 minutes per side for medium-well. (Be sure not to press the burgers as they cook or they’ll split open and the cheese will ooze out.) To broil: Cover a broiler pan with foil and coat with cooking spray. Broil the stuffed patties in the upper third of the oven, about 4 minutes per side for medium-well. In either case, let the burgers stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Tips & Notes

  • To oil a grill rack: Oil a folded paper towel, hold it with tongs and rub it over the rack. (Do not use cooking spray on a hot grill.)

Nutrition

Per serving: 250 calories; 15 g fat ( 7 g sat , 6 g mono ); 74 mg cholesterol; 2 g carbohydrates; 25 g protein; 0 g fiber; 164 mg sodium; 264 mg potassium.


Makes: 4 servings
Total time: 35 minutes

Friday, July 1, 2011

Deoderant: Don't Sweat It


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As Muhammed Ali shows, sweating is a natural thing in life. Our bodies are wired to sweat in order to cool us down and release toxins and salts. However, it's only a welcomed situation (for the most part) when we work out. But during other parts of the day, it's annoying when we're at dinner, at work, or with friends or a loved one and all of a sudden, we're drippin' and stinkin'!

So what can we do when we want to stop sweating and not have smelly pits? Obviously, there are products out there, even prescription items, that can help with perspiration and body odor. Antiperspirants are great and help keep us dry and smelling nice throughout the day. Even prescription ones, like Certain-Dri and Drysol, are effective. And over the counter antiperspirants like Dove Clinical and Suave Clinical or Ammens Medicated Powder are strong and helpful. However, the important and kind of scarey thing to remember about antiperspirants is that the reason why they keep us so dry is because the contain aluminum-based compounds that act like a plug in our sweat ducts.

Because it blocks the sweat from reaching the skin's surface, some researchers believe that the aluminum can be absorbed into the skin and increase estrogen-like hormone cell growth near and in the breast tissue, also known as, increasing the risk of breast cancer. However, according to the National Cancer Institute (click here for more info), although much research and many studies have been done on this issue, they believe that more studies and researches need to be done in order to make a blatent statement about the idea that antiperspirants cause cancer.

For those who choose to take a more natural approach, deoderants are an alternative. Unlike antiperspirants, they do not contain aluminum-based compounds; however, some do contain parabens (preservatives-also found in some antiperspirants), and they have sometimes shown to mimic the role of estrogen in the body's cells as well (again, refer back to the National Cancer Institute website above).
With all that to say though, they are a better bet than antiperspirants if you are looking for a more natural approach. I know people who have thoroughly enjoyed using Toms deoderants and other products (go here to check out their goods), but still struggle with sweating. Another natural remedy that is taken orally, DeodeRite (click here for more interesting and helpful info!) helps the body detox so that the odor isn't so offensive.

A real and frustrating disorder that involves excessive sweating is known as Hyperhidrosis. The people who suffer from this disorder sometimes have to have prescribed antiperspirants, Botox injections in their armpits, and even surgery. For those who suffer from Hyperhidrosis click here for more info and help.

Now for my personal experiences with deoderants, antiperspirants, and all natural remedies and products.
I used to use antiperspirants, and I still do, slightly. What I have recently discovered is now that I drink more water (I try to squeeze in about 2-4 32oz (Nalgene) servings a day), I don't have as bad body odor as I used to.
 
This also may be due to the fact that it's because I do cardio 5-7 days a week for 30-45 minutes, and strength 2-3 days a week for 10-20 minutes, sweating out a ton of that water that I'm taking in, along with unwanted salts and toxins.

So if I'm going to work out, I never wear deoderant or antiperspirants because I know I am going to be sweating a lot (which is a really good thing when you're exercising; if you're not sweating that much during exercise, that could mean you're dehydrated), and my body needs to release all of those gross toxins and salts that can only be released through sweat. I just try to drink tons of water so at least I won't smell bad during my workouts. Now, if I'm going out on the town or something, sure I'll wear a tiny bit of antiperspirant. But rarely will I do this. I'm more prone to just put on some rose scented body powder and call it a day. I did use Toms for a while, and ended up having a burning and rash sensation in my under-arm area, so I've steered clear of those products.

To sum up, if you're wanting to go all natural and use just powder or baking soda, I recommend drinking way more water than you usually do. Sure you'll be making more trips to the restroom and may end up dripping a bit more during your workouts, but as a result that means your body will sweat out much of those toxins and salts that cause body odor in the first place, decreasing the smell and maybe even the daily, regular sweat problems.

I hope this helps!



Tuesday, June 28, 2011

The Fire Hydrant......ha



As hilarious as this exercise is, it's challenging and works!
Ha.

Muscles Used

-Gluteus maximus, medius, minimus
-Quadriceps
-Hamstrings (slightly)
-Lower back
-Chest, shoulders, core (slightly, for stability)

Daily Use of Muscles

-Sitting/standing
-Walking/running
-Balance, kneeling, going up/down stairs

Things To Remember

-Try not to let your back sink or stick out...keep it straight by pulling your belly button into your spine
-Look straight down at the floor to keep your neck in line with your spine
-Lift your leg a little lower than hip height
-This is also a great prenatal exercise for the lower body
-Try doing 3 sets of 10 reps on each side
-Breathe!







Fire Hydrant



Have fun!