069: Fitness competitions, body trends, and tips for health with Ron Jones

  February 24, 2021    Pratik Bandagale

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Hi hi! Happy Wednesday! I hope you’re having a great week. Thank you so much for your feedback on yesterday’s HIIT and strength workout! Check it out here if ya missed it.

Today I have an exciting episode of the podcast. I’m chatting with my good friend Ron! OG blog readers may remember my Valdosta friend Big Ron — he was the other trainer at our gym and we spent our days chatting about health and fitness and talking about all of the weird things and trends we’d see in our industry. He has so much knowledge to share and is the REAL DEAL. He genuinely cares about improving the lives of everyone he trains and wants to share as much info and resources as possible.

069: Fitness competitions, body trends, and tips for health with Ron Jones

Here’s what we chat about in today’s episode:

– His background info and why he became a personal trainer

– His experience with bodybuilding competitions

– Body trends and other things we’ve seen recently in the industry

– His tips for overall health and wellness

and so.much.more.

Here’s a bit about Ron Jones aka Big Ron:

With 15-years of professional fitness instructing under his belt, he’s helped many reach their fitness goals. With his clientele ranging from children to senior citizens, experts to novice; he is qualified and capable of getting you in great shape.

 

His fitness competitor lifestyle is a perfect fit for anyone with aggressive short date goals!

 

You can find Ron on Instagram, his new app, Heat on Demand, and on YouTube.

Resources from this episode:

Get 15% off Organifi with the code FITNESSISTA. The green juice and gold powder are my favorites! I also recently tried and loved their protein powder.

CBD has changed my life. It helps so much with my anxiety and sense of calmness. You can read more about my experience with CBD here and use the code FITNESSISTA here to get an extra 15% off your first order. (I love the flavored drops!)

Thank you so much for listening and for all of your support with the podcast! Please leave a rating or review if you enjoyed this episode. If you leave a rating, head to this page and you’ll get a little “thank you” gift from me to you.

You can listen and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, and Google Play.

 

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HIIT and Strength Workout Video (you can do at home)

  February 23, 2021    Pratik Bandagale

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Sharing a HIIT and Strength workout video you can do at home. All you need is a pair of dumbbells to get an awesome total body and cardio workout.

Hi friends! Happy Tuesday! Hope you’re having a lovely morning. I’m so excited that you guys liked Meal Prep Blueprint! You can check out the post and download your free copy here.

Today, I’m working on getting stuff together for Barre Bootcamp (I can’t wait for you to have this one!) and looking forward to Taco Tuesday. There’s something magical about a Tuesday night margarita. Also, the Pilot and I watched the movie Tenet last night and my mind is still spinning. Has anyone else seen it?? It.is.bananas.

For today’s post, I have an all-new workout for you! This one includes one of my favorite training strategies: combining compound strength work with sweaty cardio intervals. You get an intense and fun total body strength and cardio workout in 30 minutes and BOOM: energized and ready to crush the rest of the day!

HIIT and Strength Workout Video (you can do at home)

40 seconds on, 20 seconds of rest

3 rounds:

Weighted burpees

Push-up to dumbbell pass

Curtsy lunge to bent-arm lateral raise

Squat to dumbbell front press

Overhead triceps extension

Rock and roll to squat jump

3 jumping lunges to 1 front kick

Alternating snatch

40 seconds on, 20 seconds of rest

2 rounds:

Rotating squat jump

Mountain climbers into a thruster

Here’s the full follow-along video:

<iframe width=”560″ height=”315″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/1AhsKoGoEIg” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture” allowfullscreen></iframe>

(Pants are from Carbon38! Use the code GINAHAR for 15% off your first two purchases)

Benefits of HIIT training:

HIIT is one of my favorite favorite exercise strategies. It consists of periods of hard work followed by rest. There are TONS of benefits of HIIT (check out this podcast episode with the master) but some include:

– Increased size and density of mitochondria. These are the fat burning firehouses in our cells that promote a healthy metabolism.

– Increased speed, strength, power, and performance gains. HIIT is an excellent way to train your body to be more powerful for explosive movements, faster for running and sprinting, and stronger for heavier strength training work.

– Cardio health! HIIT trains our heart to work more effectively and can increase aerobic capacity. It can possibly help with blood sugar levels, blood pressure, and cholesterol.

– The workouts are SHORT and sweaty. I would warm up and do HIIT for 15-25 minutes max. If you’re working hard, you won’t want to do longer than that. The fact that these workouts are super short makes it more realistic to catch a quick workout when you’re crunched for time.

Can you do HIIT while pregnant?

I would definitely check with your doctor before making any fitness changes, especially if you’re currently expecting. In general, if you’ve been doing HIIT workouts leading up to pregnancy, I would say that interval-style workouts are still ok but here’s the kicker: the goal is completely different. Instead of trying to get to that “breathless, working your booty off, aiming for max heart rate” point, you’ll want to just do gentle intensity increases while minimizing the impact. (For all of the exercises above, I include low-impact modifications in the video!) During pregnancy, I don’t recommend using heart rate as an indicator of exertion, but instead go by perceived exertion (how hard do you feel like you’re working?? Don’t push it!) and the talk test. You should be able to say your entire address while you’re working out.

All in all, I think that pregnancy is the perfect time to focus on maintaining your activity level instead of adding time or intensity to your routine.

Favorite shoes for HIIT workouts:

I’ve changed up my favorite HIIT shoes so many times, but favorite for the past couple of years are APL. I LOVE that they’re super lightweight! They’re my go-to strength training and HIIT shoes (and I also wear them for life).

What are you favorite HIIT or cross training shoes?

Please let me know if you give today’s workout a try!

xo

Gina

More workouts you can do at home:

Bodyweight workouts you can do anywhere

Tabata and Strength workout video

15-minute Barre Burner workout

30-minute Power Yoga workout

Barre Strength Workout with Dumbbells

Dance Sculpt 30 minute cardio and strength workout

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Healthy Banana Oatmeal Pancakes

Healthy Banana Oatmeal Pancakes

  February 22, 2021    Pratik Bandagale

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healthy pancakes recipe

Happy Monday LSF Fam!  What better way to start off your week than eating a hearty breakfast? It’s true that a healthy meal in the A-M is super important, especially for those of us who exercise in the morning. It replenishes your muscles and brain so you can make the most of your workout!  For your brekkie this week, we’re sharing our all-time favorite healthy pancakes recipe that’s super delish and nutrish! And you’re going to flip for these flapjacks because you only need three ingredients!  

How, you might ask, can a pancake recipe possibly be healthy!? Well, first off, the key ingredient is oat–a grain that can help lower cholesterol when incorporated into your diet on the regular. Chock full of fiber, vitamins and minerals, oats can also lower your risk for digestive complaints, obesity, heart disease and diabetes– just ask the American Heart Association!  (Don’t like pancakes? Try this oat bar recipe instead.)

There are a wide variety of oats you can use: instant, whole kernel groat, steel-cut, hulled, cracked and rolled.  Any way you decide to separate the wheat from the chaff, oat is sooo good to include in your meal plan.

And the other two ingredients are eggs and bananas — both of which are also good sources of protein and fiber. So, the truth is that it’s really the mountain of stuff we pile on top of our pancakes that give them a bad rap. Butter, powdered sugar, chocolate… Oh, and if you’re drooling RN, you might need to read this reminder of why sugar is so bad. 
Instead, we want you babes to try some topper alternatives, like cinnamon, berries and nuts. Or, hey, even mix them on in before they hit the skillet!  We think you’re gonna go bananas over this healthy pancakes recipe!  Let us know what you think!  And for more ideas on adding nutrition to your meals, check out these plans!

The post Healthy Banana Oatmeal Pancakes appeared first on Love Sweat Fitness.

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Meal Prep Blueprint FREE meal planning guide

  February 22, 2021    Pratik Bandagale

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Sharing a free meal planning resource for ya! This meal prep blueprint is how I simplify and streamline meal planning to make sure we always have healthy staples on hand. Enter your email address here for your copy!

Hi friends! Happy Monday! I hope you had a great weekend. We had family movie night, watched the girls ride horses, and I finished up this little 10-page ebook for you. ☺️

When I did my annual survey and asked what I could do or create to make your lives easier, so many of you mentioned that you need more resources to support and simplify your health and fitness lives. Quite a few of you said you needed help sticking to nutrition goals and figuring out how to meal plan for the week, so I wanted to create something that was simple and easy to follow. In this handy document, I’m sharing all of my best tips for creating a solid meal plan.

When I take time to plan out our meals for the week, it makes the weeknights much less stressful. There’s nothing worse than opening the fridge, seeing a bunch of random ingredients, and not knowing what the heck to do with them. It’s like a sad version of Chopped. When you take just 20 minutes to write out a game plan and grocery list, it can help SO much. In this little guide, I’m sharing my method behind the madness and how I plan our dinner and create some daytime staples.

Meal Prep Blueprint FREE meal planning guide

Meal prep tips:

In this guide, I’m sharing how I plan for the week and how I execute the plan (by making as much as possible in advance).

Some of my favorite meal prep tips:

– Always have chopped veggies on hand. If they’re washed, chopped, and ready to go, they’re more likely to be consumed

– Prep what takes the longest first. If something needs to be cooking in the oven or Instant Pot, you can prepare that option first and then wash, chop, and make the other quick prep items on your list

– It doesn’t have to be all or nothing. Anything you can do to set yourself up for success is a GOOD thing! If you even prep one thing for the week, or plan one dinner, you’re making life a bit easier for your future self

Free guide on how to meal plan:

To download your free copy, simply enter your email address here:

Download Meal Prep Blueprint

Enter your email address here to receive in your inbox.

We won’t send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time.

Built with ConvertKit

You’ll receive all of my meal planning tips, a sample week of meal prep and execution, 4 bonus dinner recipes, and a printable weekly meal planning guide.

I hope you love it!!

xo

Gina

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WEEKLY WORKOUT SCHEDULE

WEEKLY WORKOUT SCHEDULE

  February 21, 2021    Pratik Bandagale

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February womens workout schedule

Jumping into week two of Lots of Love and we can’t wait! This week is all about getting our bodies right and fueling ourselves with healthy nutrition. We have 3 BRAND NEW recipes coming this week… and seriously… they are so good. Want a sneak peak? Peek the photo below

We are also so excited to finally announce the LSF 30 winners!! If you missed the live, check out the blog of winners here. We are also doing a surprise 15 bonus prizes in this blog so make sure to check and see if you won!

Start this February womens workout schedule and get ready to see change!

Access the Free Daily 10 in the LSF app! Download on your itunes or google play stores.

Today’s Workout

Exclusive App Workout + Daily 10 in the App

Don’t have the app? Download now or try this workout on Youtube.

#LSFMadeitMonday: What is your number one nutrition goal this week? Write it down & share it so you can hold yourself accountable!

Have you grabbed your yoga mat yet?

Today’s Workout

Exclusive App Workout + Daily 10 in the App

Don’t have the app? Download now or try this workout on Youtube.

#LSFRollCall We challenge you to clean out your pantry today! Time to get rid of those items with sneaky sugars! (sucrose, fructose, glucose, check your Sugar Detox Guide for the rest!)

Today’s Workout

Exclusive App Workout + Daily 10 in the App

Don’t have the app? Download now or try this workout on Youtube.

#LSFRollCall: Feel a sugar craving coming on? Take your fav fruit and pair it with some almond butter- problem solved.

Today’s Workout

Exclusive App Workout + Daily 10 in the App

Don’t have the app? Download now or try this workout on Youtube.

#LSFRollCall: Post your favorite meal you had today from the 7-Day Sugar Detox Guide!

Today’s Workout

Exclusive App Workout + Daily 10 in the App

Don’t have the app? Download now or try this workout on Youtube.

#LSFFeelinYourSelfFriday: Empowered women empower each other: Share an LSF babe who always inspires you to crush your nutrition!

Did you see this week’s new blog?? We are showcasing incredible Women of Color who inspire us on the daily!! These women are ladies you should 100% follow – they are those women on your feed that lift you up every day and make you feel amazing. Check out who you need to follow now in this brand new blog post!

Today’s Workout

Exclusive App Workout + Daily 10 in the App

Don’t have the app? Download now or try this workout on Youtube.

#LSFRollCall You’re almost there! Whip up your favorite snack from the Sugar Detox Guide and share it on IG!

Today’s Workout

Exclusive App Workout + Daily 10 in the App

Don’t have the app? Download now or try this workout on Youtube.

#LSFRollCall You did it, babe! Snap a selfie and share ALL the things you love about yourself!

The post WEEKLY WORKOUT SCHEDULE appeared first on Love Sweat Fitness.

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