Post Workout Tips

1. RECOVERY IS NOT ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL

Your buddy from yoga is going for round two the next day, but you can’t think about another downward dog? Perfectly normal. “If you are deconditioned or new to a fitness regimen, even low impact activity may be highly taxing on your system, and you may need to take breaks,”. So while another workout may be out of the question, consider a slow jog, walk, Piyo, yoga, or, heck, don’t do anything. Completed a tough race or marathon? You’re entitled to a few more days of recovery, which will help repair muscle tissue and joints.

2. YOU CAN STILL MOVE ON YOUR DAYS OFF

If you’re feeling pretty good the day after a hard workout, you don’t have to sit on the couch. On your off days, it is great to add active recovery. Doing light exercise such as yoga or a 30 minute low impact program, will help increase circulation, moving fibers and tissue so they are hydrated and heal quicker. Movement and circulation also drive nutrients into your muscles, accelerating the recovery process. She suggests doing an activity that uses different movements and targets different areas of the body. So if you’re addicted to spinning, try Pilates or Aqua Zumba on those off days. Lighter training days where you change your training activity will help you recover from particular movement patterns and avoid physical overuse injuries.

3. WHAT YOU EAT MATTERS, TOO

Paying attention to what you eat before and after you work out is important too. Your workout snack may differ depending on what you’re doing, but grabbing something rich in carbohydrates and protein is generally a good rule of thumb — think an apple with nut butter or a whole wheat English muffin with turkey. Got results and recovery? BEST POST WORKOUT EVER. Next to Shakeology of course ;) Remember, 80% of results come from EATS.

4. SLEEP IS (ALMOST) EVERYTHING

Getting sufficient shut-eye can also help with workouts. Research has shown that exercise can improve sleep quality, but there’s also the inverse relationship to consider: sleep improves exercise. Sleep is one of the most critical energy balancers. If you’re in zombie mode after a night partying or tossing and turning, your fitness performance can suffer. Something as simple as crunches can seem like a struggle, or your regular 2-mile run might suddenly feel taxing. Think of sleep as a system reboot that will get you into gear for your next workout, physically and mentally. 

  

Clean Penne with Alfredo and Broccoli

Clean Penne with Alfredo and Broccoli

Ingredients:

1 cup cauliflower (either dethawed or fresh chopped up)

¾  cup of organic fat free low sodium chicken broth

1/4 cup of unsweetened almond milk

½ Tbsp of garlic powder

A dash of salt and pepper

2 Tbsp of organic cottage cheese

 2 Tbsp of water

½ Tbsp of organic extra virgin olive oil

Directions

1- Over medium high heat, pour in your chicken broth and half of the almond milk the chopped up cauliflower. Bring this to a boil, then turn down the heat to simmer the cauliflower for 20 to 25 minutes. You want the cauliflower to soak up the liquid, and to become well cooked.

2- Add the spices to the cauliflower, and stir well. Remove from heat, and let it cool for about 5 to 10 minutes.

3- Pour the mixture into the blender, and blend until smooth. (You may need to use a spoon to scrape the sides down).

4- Add the olive oil, cottage cheese, the other half of the almond milk, and water to the mixture, and blend again to combine.

5- Return sauce to the pan over low heat to heat the sauce until ready to serve. Use half of alfredo for dinner, and the other half tomorrow for lunch.

Serve with 1 cup of whole wheat penne pasta. (Prepare 2 cups of pasta for leftovers tomorrow).

Go be the P E A C H

Goooooood Morning! I'm all hopped up on personal development and fun monday vibes!! <3 If you haven't noticed already, especially if you follow me on Facebook... www.fb.com/nikiwhitingfitclub you'll see that I LOVEEEE Mondays! They are such a fresh start. Fresh slates are always good, because ALL of us fail and have negative things come and go from our lives, but its nice to know we have another chance to turn things around right?


I wanted to share with you guys something that bothered me for about mmmmm 2 seconds earlier this week, and then I realized, why would I let that affect my happiness :) So here it goes. Maybe one of you relate too!

I know I share lots of my successes and things that bring me to a good place in my little at home fitness business, but the truth is,  I still FAIL and sometimes I fail HARD. Don't think for one second that weekly I don't deal with things that could bring me down with my business or life in general. We ALL go through this stuff!

So here is my little story. I noticed recently cyber bullying becoming a THING. And sadly, its not just the teenagers who do it, its adults as well. Which actually BLOWS my mind lol. I noticed people feeling like they had a really BIG chest behind their keyboard, taking jabs that are VERY vague. As a mom, this stuff is so disturbing, and as someone who leads with a pure heart, its really sad as well.

So what was my first reaction? SADNESS. I felt like someone just took the wind out of my sails. Next thought? ANGER. How DARE that person be rude and have something to say about people making changes to became a better person and help others do the same with their health! But then I thought, WOW how sad for THEM that they have enough time on their hands to tear others down - especially as grown adults right? Its a good thing that I really dont have these people in my life, because WOW how depressing to be associated with them daily. And I quickly remembered how HAPPY I am with what I do and where I am in life, and how sad THEY must be to even be thinking of me and others doing the same ;)

And so I'll just end it with this...Go be the JUICY PEACH. Not everyone is gonna love peaches, and they don't have to!

<3 Enjoy your week and do something today that makes you step out of your comfort zone, no matter what it is!