Kale Chips recipe and Treadmill workout

128 DAYS

  Since I have less than 18 weeks to be in the best shape of my life on a stage, in front of tons of randoms, showcasing my hard work while wearing a bikini (say that 10 times fast), I knew I needed to make a few diet switcheroos.  I am cycling my carbohydrates and fats based on the muscle group that I am training that day.  And I guess I should lay off my heavy use of avocado and peanut butter.  Sad face to the max.

 Meal 1: 7am- 4 egg whites cooked with Olive oil Pam, 1/2 cup kale, 1/4 avocado, 1 tbsp reduced sugar ketchup, black coffee, scant 1/4 cup oats, 2 strawberries, 1/2 banana. Supplements: multivitamin, bioastin, calcium

 Meal 2: 9am- 3/4 cup 0% Greek yogurt, 1/2 banana. 10:15-11:15- taught Pilates, didn't track calories burned

 Meal 3: 1200- 1/2 small sweet potato, boiled & mashed with 1 scoop vanilla whey protein, 1 packet truvia and pumpkin pie spice

 Meal 4: 2pm- 1 can tuna packed in water and 1 egg white cooked with olive oil served with 1 tbsp RS ketchup and 1/2 cup kale

 Meal 5: 4pm- 1 cup 0% Greek yogurt, 1 tbsp sugar free strawberry preserves (whoops), 1 chocolate rice cake. Supplements: 3 scoops pre-workout

430-700: Chest/triceps/plyo/sprintervals. 600+ calories burned

 Meal 6: 8pm- tilapia, 2 tbsp diced green pepper, 1/4 diced tomato, KALE CHIPS. <3 they totally deserve an Internet heart. Supplements: pyruvate, biotin

  My motivation is high and I am pushing myself to failure during my workouts.  I read something by Layne Norton today that I shall paraphrase:  "I'm here because I love this and in 18 weeks I'm going up against some of the best competitors in the world...if I can't do this, I don't deserve to win."  

Mr. Norton put me in a competitive mindset for the rest of the day.  Of course, the competition I am entering is a non-qualifier against other first-timers, but I'm going to train as if I'm going to be stepping out on stage with the pros.

Treadmill workout:

Minutes                  Activity

1                              3.0 mph 3% incline

2                              3.0 mph 7% incline

3-5                           3.5 mph 7% incline

5-6                           3.5 mph 10% incline

6-7                           5.0 mph 2% incline

7-8                           20 squat jumps, 5.5 mph 2% incline

8-9                           20 squat jumps, 6.0 mph 2% incline

9-10                         20 squat jumps, 6.5 mph 2% incline

10-11                       20 squat jumps, 7.0 mph 2% incline

11-12                       20 squat jumps, 7.5 mph 2% incline

12-13                       20 squat jumps, 8.0 mph 2% incline

13-15                       4.0 mph, 10% incline

15-16                       4.0 mph, 15% incline

16-20                       6.0 mph, 1% incline

  Then lay down in your puddle of sweat.

  There is a giant bag of kale in my refrigerator and I have been eating it with almost everything due to all of its health benefits: its dark green leafy veggie goodness is extremely high in vitamins K, A and C.  Today I saw a recipe for "Kale Chips."  I'm a fan of weird recipes-tried it, and then made it even healthier.  I'll go ahead and brush off my shoulders now.  The original recipe called for 2 tablespoons of Olive oil and parmesan.. pff, c'mon.      

I'm a personal trainer, not a photographer.

Kale Chips recipe:

Preheat oven to 280* (temperature may vary depending on your oven)

Pile 2 bunches of kale onto a baking sheet

Spray liberally with Olive oil spray. Sprinkle Mrs. Dash or other salt-free seasoning of choice all over it.

Bake for 20 minutes or until crispy.

Indulge. Just let it happen.

Day 129. It was a day. A shoulder day.

Morning Cardio Motivation

5am: WHO INVENTED ALARMS

• Meal 1: 5:30-4 egg whites, 1 baby red pepper, 1/2 cup kale, like an entire bottle of reduced sugar ketchup...listen it's 5am, I'm eating egg whites, and I couldn't find the avocado, ew. 1/4 cup oats, 1 teaspoon whole flaxseeds, 1/2 banana, about 1/2 tablespoon natural pb. Supplements: multivitamin
• 7-8: taught spin class. Supplements: 1 scoop preworkout. Burned 415 calories
• Meal 2: 800- 1 scoop whey, 1 medium apple.
• 9:15-10:15- Strength/Core/Cardio class. Supplements: 2 scoops preworkout. Burned 530+ calories.
• Meal 3: 11- 12 whole raw almonds

1130-1245- Shoulder workout. Burned 266 calories 

  This is my shoulder workout for the last 3 weeks. 

5x 25,20,18,12,10: OH DB press superset DB Upright Row

5x 25,20,18,12,10: DB lateral raise superset Unilateral cable lateral raise

2x20: OH DB press superset Reverse DB fly

2x20: DB lateral raise superset DB front raise

5x 25,20,18,12,10: Pec Deck Reverse fly superset bench supported DB reverse fly

5x 25,20,18,12,10: DB front raises superset Cable front raises

2x20: DB lateral raise with arms at 90* superset with unilateral DB swing.

Of course I added like a zillion and a half extra reps to burn out the muscle and I skipped rope between my first 10 sets. Needless to say that brushing my hair is currently not an option.

• Meal 4: 1:15- 1 can tuna packed in water, 1 egg white, 1/2 cup kale, 2 tbsp reduced sugar ketchup, 1/4 avocado, 1 chocolate rice cake, 1 tbsp peanut butter.
• Meal 5: 400- 2 plain salt free rice cakes, 1 tbsp pb, 1 tbsp sf strawberry preserves, 1/4 avocado, 2oz turkey breast.
• Meal 6: 730- about 6 veggie sticks, 3 tbsp plain hummus, 1 turkey burger, 1 cup mixed veggies, 1 tbsp reduced sugar ketchup, 1 tbsp spicy mustard. Supplements: 1 bioastin, 1 calcium, 5 biotin, 1 L-Lysine. 

I promise I tried to take a picture of my dinner. It just went too quickly. When it's feeding time, it's feeding time.

  Since I am pretty far away from my show date, I am not being too strict with my condiments and sodium levels and I'm also still eating carrots which I will avoid after about 6 weeks until show.  Fortunately, my body is responding very quickly and its appreciating lifting objects that weigh more than it does. 

  My body is super duper extra sore and my left glute definitely slowed me down to get up the stairs to type this. Sore is sexy, sexy hurts and I did glutes on Sunday...It's Tuesday.  That's what we call DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness), which simply means the muscle has been damaged (that's actually a good thing!) during exercise and now its tender due to repair. Sweet and tender.

ONE MORE DAY DOWN. 128 TO GO!

Time to drink some tea, plan tomorrow's Pilates class, watch some mindless TV, and sleep!

Love, peace & chicken grease.

-Meghan

I have returned! And I am 18 weeks out from my first bikini competition!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

This is my return post, so we don't need the negative deets, but I would just like to touch on the topic of happiness.

In 2013, I was extremely unhappy.  I felt like all of the things I worked for in the past had either dissolved or had been lost.  My confidence was at an all time low and my weight was at an all time high.  I chose to keep myself at a distance from people and I lost touch with a good number of people.  Despite my background in health and fitness, I would find myself baking "healthy" desserts and then inhaling all of them single-handed.

Around Thanksgiving I finally decided it was time to snap out of it and get back to business. I started to exercise as hard as I used to and I began to clean up my diet. I knew I needed to attach myself to a goal. Bodybuilding. When I was 20, I worked for a professional bodybuilder, I was training clients 12-15 hours daily at my first PT job, and my life was incredibly structured. I ate a lot of chicken and a lot of egg whites. My body was as hard as a statue and people would follow me around the grocery store to see what was in my cart. I started to train for my first Figure competition in November 2010. I wasn't sure what I was doing. I hired a coach who started prepping me for Southern States. I was four weeks out from show and I just hopped off the stairmaster at 8am and waited outside of the ice cream store until 11 when it opened.  I was sick.  My body shut down and I ultimately ended up forfeiting my chance to compete.

This past Christmas, my best friend, Kim, mentioned to me that she was interested in competing in 2014. I immediately grabbed a pen and a paper and I started to structure her workouts and her competition diet. We pinky swore and kissed on it. We found our 2014 show that would give us enough time to be completely stage ready. May 24th in Tampa, Florida.

We are currently 18 weeks out from show. I will be posting all of the nitty gritty details including my sleeping patterns, diet, my workouts, my stress, how amazing I feel, supplements, bikini shopping, all the way down to show time when I look like a super lean circus freak.

Stay tuned :)

Monday, January 13. Feeling very energetic & lean today.

Meal 1: 730- 4 egg whites, 1/4 haas avocado, 1 cup black coffee. Supplements: multivitamin

Meal 2: 930- 3/4 medium banana. Supplements: 1 scoop preworkout

Taught spin class 10:15-11:15, taught stretch class 11:15-11:45

Meal 3: 12:45- 1 can albacore tuna packed in water, 1/2 cup kale, 1 egg white, 2 tbsp reduced sugar ketchup, 1 chocolate rice cake, 1 tbsp natural peanut butter. Supplements: 1 Calcium Pyruvate, 1 BioAstin, 3 biotin.

Meal 4: 1300- 1 plain salt free rice cake, 1 tbsp natural pb, 1 tbsp sugarfree strawberry preserves, 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk, cinnamon tea, 1 packet truvia, 1 scoop vanilla whey.

Meal 5: 1600- 4oz chicken, 8 whole raw almonds

Meal 6: 1900- 4 oz chicken, 15 whole raw almonds

Your workouts need me

  Developing plans for human movement is part of my DNA.

  Growing up, I choreographed gymnastics routines and dances to Britney, the Spice Girls and N'Sync, then I would make my parents and their friends stop whatever they were doing to watch me. I started writing and directing my own plays, casting my neighbors and friends to perform them.  In college I studied modern dance and ballet and the way our bodies move using kinesthetic awareness. 

  Creating effective workouts is a science.

  I will spend up to 2 hours putting together a detailed fitness plan for each client based on their goals, abilities, time and what will motivate them to get off the couch and get it done and get results.

Ideally, workouts should be tailored to you.

  My workouts are made according to my genetic makeup: 5'0 with broad shoulders and strong legs, easily puts on muscle; my goals: overall athleticism and a lean physique; my injuries: a torn meniscus in the left knee, knee tendonitis, degenerating hips (left hip without cartilage), scoliosis/curvature of the spine, weak wrists prone to sprains; and my health: asthma and frequent headaches. What does that mean to you? The workouts that I post here should be used as a blueprint.  Do my workouts in combination with eating clean and you WILL see results. However, if you noticed, I have a lot of lower extremity damage-this makes it challenging for me to complete a lower body workout without a break or upper body focus between exercises without pain. When you are doing my workouts, feel free to alter or modify them in accordance with your body.
  People send me workouts to try all the time, without knowing what my body is capable of or what previous injuries I have. Thanks, but no thanks. As a Certified Personal Trainer, I only trust programs designed by other CPTs and fitness professionals who understand the importance of exercise science. While using a generic fitness plan can yield amazing results, it is ideal to have your workouts tailored to your needs as previously mentioned.

  Contact me for your customized exercise program to achieve your goal

Amazing Avocado Egg Salad Recipe!

Here is what you will need:

• A large bowl and a fork (unless you have mad skills like me & can use a spoon to cut + mash)
• 4-6 Hard boiled eggs, peeled
• 1 Large Avocado, halved
• 1/4 Cup Onion
• 1 Tablespoon Scallions
• 2 Tablespoons 0% Plain Greek Yogurt
• Kosher salt
• Black pepper
• A camera to take a picture showing me how much you enjoy this cleaned up classic!

Add a tablespoon of mayo to make it less healthy and gross, but you really don't need it...right?

Without further adieu...

 Healthy Avocado Egg Salad RECIPE!

Memorial Day workout!

 Workout
(*This workout was after my 3 mile run. Perfect for cardio, balance & core training. I threw in some biceps because I never train them!)
1 minute: Back pedaling (run backwards)
2 minutes: Traveling lateral hops (wide leg squat, hop up high and step leg out to the side to shift weight. like skipping to the right or left)
1 minute: Walking lunges
1 minute: High knee skips (literally skipping, bringing the knee as high as possible)
1 minute: Single leg dumbbell deadlift with a reverse fly (left leg)
1 minute: Single leg dumbbell deadlift with a reverse fly (right leg)
1 minute: Alternating lateral lunges with a leg lift (keep weight over the bent leg and lift straight leg up into the air as high as possible)
1 minute: Pushups!
1 minute: Burpees with overhead dumbbell shoulder press
1 minute: Single leg bicep curl (left leg)
1 minute: Single leg bicep curl (right leg)
1 minute: Alternating lateral lunges with a leg lift
1 minute: Burpees with overhead dumbbell shoulder press
2 minutes: Traveling lateral hops!
2 minutes: Walking lunges with bicep curls
1 minute: Overhead dumbbell shoulder press (keep abs tight!)
1 minute: Pushups!
1 minute: Plank
1 minute: Burpees with overhead dumbbell shoulder press
1 minute: Single leg bicep curl (left leg)
1 minute: Single leg bicep curl (right leg)
2 minutes: Traveling lateral hops
1 minute: Plank with shoulder taps (tap your hand to your opposite shoulder)
2 minutes: Reverse walking lunges with overhead press
1 minute: Alternating lateral lunges with a leg lift.

Tag me in a picture or your status on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter letting me know how you did!
Then go home. Protein, lay on the floor, shower.

I hope all of you had a fun weekend!
-Meghan

How I learned to love running

"Runners are truly sick individuals. What kind of person actually chooses to be worn out, exhausted, and sore?"
Verbatim, that is what I said, until the day I became one of those "truly sick individuals".
This is how I learned to love the run, and how you can too!


I'm short. Like, 5 foot nothing, can't-reach-the-shelf, jeans-are-too-long, I-can-pull-off-6-inch-heels, need-a-booster-seat-joke short. My size was perfect for gymnastics and cheerleading and I always thought of my height as a blessing for my sports...then I joined the track team. Everyone was long, and lean and about a thousand feet taller than me, but I was strong and muscular and more importantly for the sake of track and field-I was fast. Ok, that isn't entirely true, I was only fast for about 200m and then my little legs were exhausted and I found myself being passed by all of my amazon teammates.
While I was lifting after practice, my coach pulled me aside and said "Triton, I'm going to get you in the best shape of your life."  Growing up, I was very defensive, and I thought I was a decent athlete, so this comment completely threw me off. Was I out of shape? Needless to say, my days as a track & field star were short-lived and my running shoes were thrown into the back of my closet to collect dust for a few years.

Fast forward five years, I was working on goal setting with a client and she asked me to train her for a marathon. Wow! Now that is an impressive goal! During that time, I was only running 200m-400m sprint intervals in my own workouts, never even thinking about taking my distance further. As a personal trainer, I always try to practice what I preach, but damn, I didn't think I could even run a solid mile, and this girl wants me to train her for a marathon. In order for me to get her into "the best shape of her life," and prepare her for success, I knew my own neglected running shoes would need a good cleaning.

About a quarter mile into my run I had already began cramping and I was out of breath...why would anyone want to put themselves through this hell for 26.2 miles?  Uncomfortable as I was, I pressed on and surprisingly finished my first mile before I started walking. An older man ran past me and said "keep up the good work!" Um, excuse me Mister, what are you talking about? I am clearly struggling to collect oxygen and move my ass-what good work is he talking about? Wait, I just completed the mile I had originally doubted. Sure, it wasn't enough to even complete a 5k, and it took me what felt like forever and a day to get from point A to point B...but I still got there. At the beginning of my run, I was helping someone else improve and reach their fitness goal. By the end of my run, I had a goal to improve my own.

LOVE THE RUN.
-Wear comfortable clothes and shoes: a well-fitted sports bra, light socks and clothes that don't need constant adjustment are a must!
-Create a playlist. Let your favorite artists keep you trotting. Choose music with an upbeat tempo, I don't see how Beethoven can keep you motivated.
-Know your route (or get lost if you want)
-Start by walking for 5 minutes!
-Keep good form. Let your arms swing naturally, keep your knees soft, and don't ball your hands into fists.
-Pace yourself. Find a speed that you can maintain.
-Just breathe, your muscles need oxygen!
-Take in the scenery.
-Don't say can't. Didn't you learn the power of the brain in kindergarten?
-Relax, let your mind wander. I come up with some of my best ideas when I'm running!
-Find a mantra: "no pain, no gain"
-Hydrate!
-Bring a buddy.
-Challenge yourself: sign up for a race!

TRAINER TRITON'S RUNNING STATS.
-Fastest completed mile time: 6 minutes
-Slowest completed mile time: 14 minutes
-Current mile time: 10 minutes (my hips don't lie!)
-Favorite running surface: pavement
-Least favorite running surface: sand
-Longest running distance: 15 miles, West side highway NYC
-Favorite running weather: Cool with a slight breeze...but I'll run in the blazing heat, humidity, snow, rain...
-Current playlist: Chase & Status, Calvin Harris, The Wanted and anything mixed by DJ Earwaxxx
-Favorite Running shoes: Lime Green Saucony Kinvara 2, or Blue & White Nike Lunar
-Running Motivation: Usain Bolt and traffic. Totally weird, speeding cars make me move faster.
-What I love about running: the run itself. The "runners high" is no myth!
-What I don't love about running: roadkill, traffic lights and weird tan lines.
-Current running goal: to improve mile time (running speed)

If you don't like cardio, I feel bad for you son. I got 99 problems, but I still run for fun.

Change your mind, change your life!
-Meghan

Lean Legs HIIT workout & My Personal Triumph

I'll let you in on a little secret...

  A few months ago, I suffered an anterior labral tear in my left hip, completely changing my life forever. 

It was a daily decline: my 8 minute mile became a 14 minute mile, then running wasn't a possibility, until finally walking seemed like a foreign concept when my left leg failed to move forward. The doctors told me I needed arthroscopic surgery as soon as possible, that they had never seen anyone so young with such severe damage to the hips.

  Of course, being a stubborn athlete with a "too strong for surgery" mentality, I opted for rehabilitation in hopes that I could strengthen the muscles around my hips and return to my military training. Newsflash: the labrum is cartilage, and cartilage can't repair itself. My choice to try physical therapy instead of fixing the problem only weakened my body and made me move even slower! 

  At first, I refused to use crutches to get around, I wanted to be "strong" and let my body heal on its own.   Eventually, I ended up on the sticks, drawing a lot of unwanted attention to myself in public. Strangers kept approaching me, asking "what happened, why are you on crutches?" Coldly, I replied "I got hurt."  My injury embarrassed me-I had gone from being a super-strong superstar athlete, to being someone with a limp on crutches. 

  My first few weeks back in the gym were the hardest. Just months prior, I was squatting double my body weight, juggling 30lb dumbbells while doing jumping jacks and 50m sprints, flipping 200lb tires, running for miles and miles, and maxing out pull ups. Now I was struggling to lift 10lbs, and I had to remain seated. After getting one too many pathetic, indulgent sympathy grins, putting me over the edge and pissing me off, I decided to ween myself off the sticks and get back to prime. 

  Undeniably, the pain in my hip was crippling, but I started squatting, lunging and lifting at my own pace, determined to make my body stronger than it has ever been. During the first week of April, I started to walk 6 miles every afternoon in hopes that I could begin running again. By the end of April, I was running 3 miles before my hip reminded me that  it was there. 

  Just a few days ago, I incorporated plyometric exercises (explosive, jumping movements) into my leg workout. I was totally drenched in sweat and as a former cheerleader, I was so happy to be able to jump! Because of the impact on the joints from landing after sending myself flying into the air, I used stationary exercises between each plyo, making this workout a HIIT (High intensity interval training)! 

  I'm sharing this workout with you to celebrate my achievements and all of the hard work I have put in to improve myself up to this point!

Trainer Triton's HIIT Workout for Lean Legs.

First circuit: complete 3x

60 seconds Sumo squats

30 seconds Forward+reverse lunges right leg

60 seconds High knees

30 seconds Forward+reverse lunges left leg

60 seconds Jumping jacks (side straddle hops for my military brothers and sisters)

60 seconds Squats (feet together)

60 seconds Mountain climbers

And then bravery came along..

Second circuit: complete 2x

30 seconds Forward+reverse lunges right leg

60 seconds Lateral (side) hops

30 seconds Forward+reverse lunges left leg

60 seconds High Knees

60 seconds Alternating reverse lunges with dumbbells

60 seconds In&out squat jumps (like a jumping jack with a squat)

60 seconds Deadlifts with dumbbells

60 seconds Sumo Squat Jumps

60 seconds Lateral (side) lunge right leg

30 seconds Russian twists

60 seconds Lateral (side) lunge left leg

60 seconds Lateral (side) hops

30 seconds Plank

60 seconds Squat jumps with 2 second hold at the bottom of the squat

Complete with 200 walking lunges. Go home.

Don't wish for it, work for it. 

Change your mind, change your life!

-Meghan

Banana Bread Muffin Recipe

This morning I wanted to make some kind of quick banana muffin. This is what I came up with! 

Banana Bread Muffin

In a mug, mash 1/2 of a banana really well until smooth. Add 1/3 cup oats, 1/2 tablespoon flaxseed (these give the "bread" texture to oats), and 1 egg white. Mix well! Press blueberries into the center of the mixture, and cover so no blueberries can be seen (optional if you don't like cooked berries).

Microwave for 60 second increments to make sure the mixture doesn't overflow or explode or any of that craziness. Mine took 3 minutes, but microwaves vary and I didn't want my "muffin" to be too moist. 

If you prefer a moist muffin, be my guest.

Flip your mug over onto a plate and your Banana Bread Muffin should slide right out! 

Top with natural peanut butter, Greek yogurt, the rest of the banana & blueberries. Enjoy!

Send or tag me in pictures to show me how yours came out!

Healthy Banana Split!

Healthy Banana Split! 

One banana

2 tablespoons 0% plain Greek yogurt

1 tablespoon Natural peanut butter

Blueberries

Raspberries

Cinnamon 

Put the banana in a cute little dish and split down the center

In a separate dish, combine the Greek yogurt and the NPB until mixture is creamy 

Spread the yogurt/pb mixture into the "banana split" 

That's a good one right ;) 

Top with cinnamon, blueberries and raspberries

Enjoy! 

So good.