March 2013 - Page 2 of 7 - My Healthy, Happier Life

ashleyd / March 26, 2013

Easy Lunch Idea: Ziplock Beet Salad

When life gets stressful, I know that I need to rely on healthy eating, workouts, friends & family, and sleep to get through the period without going insane. There are some big, unexpected changes going on in our life right now, which I will hopefully share with you all soon. Therefore, on Sunday I made it a priority to head to the gym and grocery store before the day got away from me.

I stocked up on lots of healthy ingredients for my desk drawer, office fridge, and our home fridge and pantry so there are no excuses! Lately Bo and I are loving pretzels, grapefruits, string cheese, smoked salmon, and greek yogurt!

I also made sure to pick up the essentials needed for another round of Ziplock salads. If you missed my previous posts you can check out previous ones by clicking on the links: Easy Lunch Idea: Ziplock Greek Salad and Easy Lunch Idea: Ziplock Mexican Salad. I saw beets on sale in the produce section of the grocery store and quickly decided that those would inspire and be a key ingredient in this week’s Easy Lunch Idea: Ziplock Beet Salad!

This colorful salad is my favorite one so far because the textures and flavors kept each bite interesting while the three different protein sources kept me full for longer than other salad choices. I’ll admit that this salad took a bit more prep work on Sunday since it includes quinoa and roasted vegetables but they are both super simple and were able to roast and simmer while we cleaned the apartment.

4 handfuls of baby spinach
2 handfuls of mixed tomatoes (I’m loving the Zima orange tomatoes)
1 handfuls of chopped red onions
Any random leftover cooked vegetables you have in your fridge (this week I have roasted butternut squash and vidalia onions)
1/4 cup quinoa and 3 ounces leftover pork tenderloin (or your favorite protein)
1/4 cup sliced strawberries
1/4 cup sliced beets (canned or roasted)
1/4 cup gorgonzola

Many people have asked whether I put everything in the Ziplock bags at the beginning of the week and the answer is no. I take 5 minutes each night to toss everything into the Ziplock bag so it’s easy to grab and go in the morning. I find that this keeps the salad ingredients fresher versus dividing/combining them early in the week.

When I get to the office I toss some dressing in the bag, shake, put it on a plate, and then enjoy! Inexpensive, healthy, flavorful, and delicious!

I hope you like this week’s creation!

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ashleyd / March 24, 2013

Uplifting Strength with Michelle Mason

Friday morning I returned to one of my favorite places in the city to break a sweat, Uplift Studios. As you may recall, I’m no stranger to Uplift. (Previous reviews here and here.)I’ve taken a few classes here in the past, but this was my first time trying their new class format.

In case you haven’t been to Uplift yet, here is a quick tour of the studio including their vibrant green color scheme, shiny gorgeous “locker room” which includes everything and anything you could need, and the group fitness studio. They even offer phone chargers, curling irons, Nespresso machine, and free wi-fi!

Friday morning Theodora and I spent 55 minutes getting our butts kicked during Uplifting Strength, led by Michelle. As I referenced above, Uplift debuted a new workout class schedule back in February which now means they focus the schedule around two classes: Uplift Strength and Uplift Cardio. Their site does a great job describing the new class.

UPLIFTING – STRENGTH:
Uplifting-Strength incorporates dumbbells, resistance bands and your own body in order to build strength and power — two of a woman’s most important assets! You’ll use the heaviest weights you can and work each muscle group to fatigue before moving on to the next. To build explosive power (and to keep calorie burn high!), Tabata-style cardio bursts are incorporated, including a high-energy “finisher” to leave you feeling exhilarated, accomplished, and strong. Developed by Uplift’s general manager and head instructor Michelle Mason.

The 55 minute class few by thanks to Michelle’s awesome playlist which included a mix of top songs, West Coast rap, and old school favorites including Madonna! I love that the class focuses on burning out each muscle group individually and then sticks an intense cardio burst before you transition to the next muscle group. The cardio is not a joke though. It’s 4 minutes of heart pounding hell filled with mountain climbers, burpees, and frog jumps which always kill me!

In addition since you work one muscle group to exhaustion and then move on to the next part, you can push yourself to the limit. I used 15 pound weights for the majority of our strength moves and can definitely feel it two days later! The work we did with the bands were also killers as they targeted muscles in different ways. As always, due to the small class format Michelle was able to correct our moves throughout the class ensuring that we are feeling the moves in the right muscles and not injuring ourselves.

The addition of a timer also helped us push even harder as we knew that there were only 20 seconds or so left of each set. I fully believe in her mantra used in class that you can do anything for a short amount of time. Even if that means dreaded burpees or lunge jumps!

Thanks Michelle for a great early morning workout! This was a bright, energetic start to my Friday while still being a fun social event since Theodora joined!

For more reviews, check out some of Michelle’s great reviews on Rate Your Burn and FitMapped!