Workout #1-Legs & Glutes

I have had some requests for specific workout examples so here is the first example!  Now ladies out there, don't you dare skip on the back squat! Squats are the key to getting your rear to look like those lovely girls on Pinterest! :) You will notice on this workout that the number of reps is not very specific (Ex: 12-20 reps).  That is for a reason!  On each set like this, I want you to perform at LEAST 12 reps, but if you get to 12 and you can keep going, DO!!  I want you to perform these sets to the maximum number of reps that you can get, however if you can do more than 20 reps, you should increase your weight.


-Dynamic Warm-Up-included lunges, body-weight squats, hip-ups, jump rope, groiners
-Compound movement:
     3x12-20 Back squat **Really focus on squeezing those glutes as you power up
     3x12-20 Incline leg press (superset with GHR below)
-Target: Glutes/Hamstrings
     3x12-20 Glute-Ham Raises (GHR)
-Target: Quadriceps
     3x12-20 Leg extensions
-Target: Glutes
     3x12-20 Butt Blaster
-Target: Glutes/Hamstrings
     3x12-20 Balance Touches (Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift with plate or barbell)
     3x12-20 Stability ball planked leg lifts w/ cable
-Target: Hip Abductors/Adductors
     3x12-20 Hip Ab
     3x12-20 Hip Ad
-Target: Calves
     5x12-20 Calf raises (weighted)

  STRETCH AND RE-FUEL!!! :)

<3 Keli

Sweet Potato Protein Muffins!

Happy Saturday!!
     As you know, I am a HUGE fan of easy, portable, but most importantly nutritious foods!  These delicious sweet potato muffins definitely fit my standards.  They can be easily frozen so that you can just pop one out of the freezer whenever you are ready for it.  This recipe yields 6 regular size muffins.
Nutritional Info/Muffin:
62 Calories
0.5 g Fat
8.3 g Carbohydrates
6.9 g Protein
Ingredients:
1 scoop Vanilla Protein Powder
1/4 cup Oats
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 cup Pumpkin
3 oz Sweet Potato w/ skin (baked)
3 Egg Whites
1 tsp Honey
1 tsp Vanilla
*Cinnamon
*Cloves
*Ginger
     *to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.  Line muffin tin w/ cups
and spray with baking spray.  Blend oats in a food processor or blender, then add oats to protein powder and baking powder in a medium size bowl.

Next, blend baked sweet potato with skin, pumpkin, egg whites, vanilla and honey in the food processor or blender.  Blend until smooth.  Add sweet potato mixture to bowl with dry ingredients and add spices to taste.  Blend together until well-incorporated.

Now spoon into muffin tin.  Tip:  Use an ice cream scoop to spoon into muffin tins.  Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick can be inserted and brought out clean.

I enjoyed a sweet potato protein muffin this morning for breakfast with 1/2 cup of organic plain Greek yogurt and scrambled eggs with peppers and onions (1 whole egg, 2 egg whites). Yummy!!

Nutritional breakdown for the whole meal:

256.5 Calories, 5.5 g Fat, 15.05 g Carbohydrates, 33.9 g Protein

<3 Keli

Contest Prep is on! (+ an update on a recipe) :)

     Contest prep has officially begun.  I am 10 weeks out from my chosen competition, the NPC Midwest Championships in St. Louis, Missouri.  I have taken my diet to a more lean stage where my macronutrient ratios are 50% protein, 30% carbohydrate and 20% fat.  Hopefully I will maintain these ratios up to contest, however adjustments may be needed as time progresses.

     Today was a meal prep day, meaning I prepped my meals for the next several days this afternoon.  This makes dieting so much easier, as I don't have to worry about cooking the rest of the week and I have no excuse for straying from my diet.  I grilled my meats, cooked my vegetables and divided them into Tupperware to be stored in the freezer and the refrigerator.  I also  cooked a large pot of Mexican Quinoa Stew and made a few minor changes to the original recipe.   Enjoy and always, LiveFit!

<3 Keli

Mexican Quinoa Stew
Makes 12 servings
1 cup/serving
Nutritional Info/Serving
133.17 Calories
3.43 g Fat
15.13 g Carbohydrates
11.05 g Protein
Ingredients
1 lb Ground Turkey
1 Small Onion (diced)
1 Medium Zucchini (chopped)
2 Medium Peppers (I prefer red and yellow, but choose your favorite!)
1 Packet Taco Seasoning (reduced sodium)
15 oz Pinto Beans (canned)
15 oz Black Beans (canned)
10 oz Diced Tomatoes with Chili's (canned)
14 oz Beef Broth 99% Fat Free (can use chicken or veggie if preferred)
1 Cup Quinoa (uncooked)
1 Tbsp Lime Juice
Cooking Spray (Canola or Olive Oil)
Fat Free Shredded Cheddar Cheese (not included on nutritional info)
**On all canned vegetables, choose reduced sodium.
Directions

     First, you will dice all of your vegetables (red pepper, yellow pepper, zucchini, onion) into small pieces.  Tip** Before dicing the onions, light a candle or two. This will help reduce the tear flow. :)

     Next, spray a large pot with Olive Oil cooking spray.  Brown the ground turkey and onions over medium heat.  Add taco seasoning (reduced sodium), zucchini and peppers.  Stir until the seasoning is well incorporated.  

     Now add the pinto beans, black beans, broth, diced tomatoes and quinoa to the pot.  Increase heat to high and bring to a boil.  

     After a rolling boil is achieved, reduce heat to low/med-low and simmer for 20 minutes or until quinoa is fully cooked. The quinoa will absorb much of the liquid. Add lime juice and top with fat-free cheddar cheese, if desired.  

Merry Christmas!!!

It is the holiday season! No doubt, this is a hard time to stick with your training and healthy living habits. However, don't be one of the many that fall away from their goals, you must keep your goals in mind throughout this time of year! For me, I have found that if I prepare my meals for several days, even a week at a time, it is so much easier to stick with my clean eating habits. That's not to say that you cannot enjoy Christmas dinner with your family, but you must keep your goals in mind! For instance, if you want to eat Christmas dinner with your family, plan your other meals so that at the end of the day, you have not varied far from your typical daily intake of calories and macronutrient (protein, carbohydrate, fat) ratios. It's also essential that you continue to eat at your regular times, for me that is every 2-3 hours. That is how I keep my body in its anabolic state so that it does not enter a fat-storing mode. In order to keep my calories and macronutrient ratios in place, I know that I must also keep my portions small. Good luck to you during this holiday season and I pray that you have a blessed Christmas as you continue toward your goals!

<3 Keli

New Recipe and New Photos!!!

     I have just added some photos from  my shoot last week to Photo Gallery 1 AND I have a new recipe for you!  Thanks to Mark Jesse and Bill Powers for an awesome shoot!
     The new recipe is called Oatmeal Muffins...I know, quite the original name.  Nonetheless, these muffins are delicious and highly nutritious!  They are made of completely natural, whole foods with no added sweeteners and are great for an "on-the-go" snack.  The original recipe is not very high in protein, however if you are wanting to increase your protein intake, I think it would work great to just add a few scoops of vanilla protein powder to the ingredients.  I have not tried that yet, so let me know if you do!
     Remember, just because it's getting cold outside is no excuse to slack off on your training!  What you do in your off-season (or just none-swimsuit-season) WILL be reflected when competition and warm-weather months roll around!

<3 Keli


Oatmeal Muffins
Makes 24 Muffins
1 Muffin/serving
Nutritional Info/Serving:
110 Calories
2.4 g Protein
15 g Carbohydrates
2.8 g Fat
Ingredients:
4 Ripe Bananas
3 Cups Whole Grain Rolled Oats
1 Cup Quinoa (cooked)
3 Egg Whites, beaten
1/4 Cup Orange Juice Concentrate (unsweetened)
1 tsp Orange Extract
1/4 Cup Walnuts
1/4 Cup Macadamia Nuts
1/4 Cup White Raisins
1/4 Cup Dates
1/3 Cup Dried Cranberries
1 Tbsp Ground Cinnamon
1 Tbsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Baking Soda
2 Tbsp Flaxseed
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.  Mash bananas thoroughly in a large bowl.  Combine all moist ingredients and add oats.  Combine all dry ingredients and fold into the oat mixture.  Pour into muffin pan, sprayed with baking spray.  Bake for approximately 25 minutes, or until browned as desired.

Mexican Quinoa Stew

     I have a wonderful new recipe today!  It's called Mexican Quinoa Stew.

      I don't know about you, but I love one-pot meals.  Being a full-time student and balancing three jobs, on top of trying to plan out meals can be quite challenging.  That is why I love one-pot meals.  It makes packing my days' worth of meals so much easier!  Not only does it cut down on the amount of Tupperware I use daily, but this dish makes enough for several of my meals for the week and it can be frozen for later as well.  For the complete recipe and nutritional breakdown, go to my Clean-Eating Recipes page.  I will say, while it is not necessary to buy all things organic, I try to buy all of my produce and meat organic.
     On a side note, I had an awesome fitness photo shoot this evening in my hometown gym.  It was a lot of fun to get to take some great photos in my own gym.  I haven't gotten the pictures back yet, but I will post them very soon!

<3 Keli

Eat Clean, Stay Lean!

     Last week I finished up my testing, as well as began to lean out my diet.  This week I'll be prepping for a photo shoot on Friday, which I'm really looking forward to! Pictures soon to come.  :)  In order to look my best for my shoot, I have been sure to eat really lean the past two weeks and now this week I will be flushing out excess water weight. 
    I just posted my first recipe on my Clean-Eating Recipe page and it is absolutely delicious and super easy!  It's called Dreamsicle Protein Shake and I love to pair it with a bowl of old-fashion rolled oats for a nutritious and filling breakfast.  Remember, in order to keep your body in an anabolic state, you must NOT skip breakfast!  Eat breakfast like a champ.

<3 Keli


Dreamsicle Protein Shake (My Favorite!!!)
Makes 1 Serving
Nutritional Info/Serving:
169.5 Calories
1.6 g Fat
18.7 g Carbohydrates
21.2 g Protein
Ingredients:
1 Scoop All-Natural Vanilla Whey Protein Isolate
1/4 Cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
1/2 Cup Green Tea (I use Green Tea for extra antioxidants and an energy boost in the morning, but water can be used instead)
1/2 Cup 100% All-Natural Unsweetened Orange Juice
Ice (optional)
Directions:
Blend together in a shaker bottle, or if using ice use a blender.