Fitness Assessments with GT Employee Health Fair

Today I spent my afternoon meeting with employees and providing free fitness assessments at the Georgia Tech Employee Health Fair.

The health fair included about a dozen vendors covering the wellness spectrum including nutrition, dental, mental, and physical health booths. The Campus Recreation Center was well represented with an info booth, fitness demos, and a health assessment booth. I had a nice corner booth with a giant privacy curtain to conduct assessments.

The fitness assessments included a weigh-in and a body composition assessment.  There are a variety of ways to measure body fat, I usually use the skinfold method. Skinfold assessment measure the subcutaneous fat(fat just below the skin) and these measurements are directly proportionate to the total amount of body fat. The assessments can vary in number of sites and site location but all involve grasping folds of skin and using the calipers to measure the thickness of the fold. Skinfold assessments were my favorite part of our practical labs at GSU so I always sign up for opportunities to do assessments.

I used the Lange Caliper for today's assessments. The Lange manual recommended a 4 site skin fold assessment:

• Biceps
• Triceps
• Subscapular
• Suprailiac

2 other common assessment methods are the 3-site or 7-site method.

3 site skin folds
Male

• Chest
• Abdomen
• Thigh

Female

• Triceps
• Suprailiac
• Thigh

7 site skin folds

• Triceps
• Chest/Pectoral
• Midaxillary
• Subscapular
• Suprailiac
• Abdomen
• Thigh

Choice of sites may vary based on the results chart you are using and your overall fitness goals and assessment needs. Just be sure to use the correct sites based on the chart or formula you choose. At the CRC you can sign up for a fitness assessment  that includes body composition, resting heart rate, blood pressure, muscular strength and endurance, and flexibility. Or you can book an onsite assessment with me if you are not part of the Georgia Tech community.

The health fair is the kickoff for next month's National Employee Health and Fitness FREE events:

• Yoga for EveryBody - Monday, April 27th, 12-1PM, Peachtree Room, Student Center
• The Buzz on Health Technology - Friday, May 1st, 12-1PM, Room 301, Student Center
• President's Campus Walk - Tuesday, May 12th, 5:30pm, Meet at the CRC
• Be Well "Nutriton-Healthy Eating on the Cheap" - Wednesday, MAy 6th, 12-1PM, Room 320, Student Center
• Be Well "Tips for Health Eyes" - Wednesday, May 20th, 12-1PM, Room 320, Student Center
• Meditation Sessions - Thursday, May 28th, 12:15-12:45PM, CRC, Studio A

Do you have any special events lined up for Employee Health and Fitness Month?

Comment below with your wellness event! I would love to hear how you're keeping your worksite healthy. I'll be posting tips to help make your worksite healthier throughout the month of May!

Health and Happiness,

Larissa

References:

Ehrman, J.K.(ed) (2010). ACSM’s Resource Manual for Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription (6^th ed.). Baltimore, MD: Lippincott, Williams, & Wilkins.

Thompson, W.R.(ed) (2010). ACSM’s Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription (8^th ed.). Baltimore, MD: Lippincott, Williams, & Wilkins.

What's on My Plate: Plated Peppercorn Pork and Chicken Tikka

Another Plated delivery arrived.

This time I chose Pink Peppercorn Pork and Polenta for meal 1 and Chicken Tikka Masala for meal 2. Chicken Tikka is one of my favorite Indian dishes, full of flavor but not overly spicy. Indian dishes always seem so complex I thought using Plated would be a great way to take some of the complexity out of it. The great thing about Plated is having all of the ingredients portioned and prepped for me without any extra trips to the grocery store or farmers market.

Meal 1: Pink Peppercorn-Crusted Pork Chops with Pearl Onions and Polenta

The prep for this one was super easy. The hardest part was the grinding of the peppercorn blend. I don't have a pepper grinder or mortar and pestal so I just used a heavy pot for the grinding. Other than that I just had to peel and halve the onions. Everything else just had to be mixed or cooked.

Mmmmm, another great meal. I pan roasted the pork and it came out tender and juicy. The pink peppercorn blend gave the pork so much flavor and the white wine reduction made for a tasty sauce. This was my first time preparing polenta, but it was the perfect pairing for the pork. Polenta is a corn based dish similar in texture and preparation to grits but made with an Italian corn. Our reciep served it with goat cheese and milk. But it can also be served as a kind of fried cake. All the seasoning made for a very fragrant kitchen. Approximately 710 calories.

Meal 2: Chicken Tikka Masala

Another fairly easy prep. I cut the chicken then minced the garlic and ginger. I have never used yogurt as a marinade, but from what I read it serves as a natural meat tenderizer. All of the other spices were pre blended so all I needed to do was add them to the marinade and sauce. The scents of cloves, cumin, and cinnamon were filled our home. While the chicken roasted I prepped the sauce. I prepped the main part of the meal on Thursday. Then, Friday night I heated the meal on the stove top and after a quick saute' of the spinach and toasting of the naan and we were ready to go.

This was our Friday night dinner date. This is one of my favorite Indian dishes, it was fun trying to recreate it at home.  I forgot to add salt during the broiling of the chicken, so at first it did not quite taste right. A pinch of sea salt after really helped to bring out all of the flavors. Just the right amount of spice and loaded with flavor. Approximately 660 calories.

Have you tried Plated or any other meal delivery system? Use this link to checkout the current menu and if they deliver to your area: Plated .

I enjoy eating high quality foods and trying new recipes. If you do too, you should try Plated. Let me know what you think.

Disclosure: This blog includes a referral link to plated. If you chose to buy a Plated box using this link you will recieve a 2 plate discount on your first order and I receive a discount on future Plated orders.

Health and Happiness,
Larissa

Peachtree Prep: Week 1

I have 13 weeks to prepare for the Peachtree! I spent the last week putting together my training schedule. I have scheduled 3 days of moderate/vigorous cardio, 2 days of moderate cardio, 1 day of moderate/light cardio, and 3 days of strength training with 1 full day of rest. This is a method I have used in the past that has allowed me to maintain my muscular conditioning while improving my cardiovascular fitness. As my training progress I will make adjustments as needed.

Increasing My Cardio
So, I do not get in very much cardio these days, with the exceptions of FlirtyGirl and Just Dance. So my goal for the 1st 4 weeks is to at least meet the ACSM recommendations of 150 minutes per week. I am estimating my long runs will take a minimum of 12 minutes. So then I just need to space out my cardio appropriately the other days of the week. I am going to try the Jeff Galloway Run/Walk/Run method this time, so I will need to complete my "magic mile" run test this weekend.

Changing Up My Weight Training Focus
I'll be transitioning from strength based to more endurance based training. For me that means I'll be switching over to higher reps and shorter rest periods. I'll also be incorporating high intensity circuit training because it incorporates both of those elements. I have already created a kettlebell circuit that I'll be doing every Monday. I am so excited to program kettlebells back into my personal workouts.

I Need Shoes
After putting together my master schedule I realized I don't own any running shoes. I own a pair of minimalist cross trainers and my chuck's for lifting. I ran in the minimalist last year, and I am just not conditioned well enough to run in them this year without potentially injuring myself again. Have you ever tried running in chuck's? They are heavy and clunky, not great for run training. Previously, my best races were run in New Balance trainers. So, I think I am going back to New Balance. I am between the 711 Heathered and the 711 Print. I'll be breaking in my new running shoes this weekend for my mile run.

Are you currently in training for a run?
How is your training going?

See you on the track!

Health and Happiness,
Larissa

Time to Train for The 2015 Peachtree Road Race

We are in!

Team #IAmAFitGk will be participating in this year's Peactree Road Race!

I get excited for the opportunity to run the race every year. Friday night I registered and I started sending email reminders to my teammates. I kept sending reminders until I had confirmation that everyone had registered. 

Then the waiting game begins.

I don't know how many people are declined from the race each year, but it is a tense 48 hours waiting to find out if you made it in. 1st I got the credit card confirmation, which is always a good sign. Then I got my official confirmation email!

My whole team is in for Peachtree 2015! My team consists of me, my mom, my sister Alicia, and my husband Anthony. The 4 of us have been running it together the past few years, so it only made sense that we formed a team. If 1 of us didn't get in it would not feel the same. All for one and one for all!

So now that it is official I am starting to map out our training schedules. If we start next week we'll have 13 weeks until race day! 

Are you in training for the peachtree too?

Comment below, I'd love to follow along with your progress.

Check in every Saturday to see how my training is going.

Health and Happiness 

L

30 Minute Step and Sculpt Workout

I stepped out of my comfort zone today and taught a Step & Sculpt workout for my Employee Fitness class at Tech.

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I will occasionally incorporate basic step patterns into our circuits as part of our functional cardio. Step choreography has always been really intimidating for me so I kept it simple for this workout. I timed the  intervals so we didn't have to worry about staying on the beat. Everyone could go at their own pace. No rhythm required and minimal coordination needed. It was cardiotastic! 

The combination of step patterns with some muscular conditioning work was a great way to balance the workout. The circuit included a 5 minute warm-up, 20 minutes of conditioning, and 5 minutes of cool down. Each exercise lasted 30-60 seconds. We got in cardio, lower body, upper body, and core. The Plank Walk Up was our finisher move. 

The Move "Plank Walk Ups":

• From a kneeling prone position place both hands on the ground on opposite sides of the step. 
• Engage the core to create a straight line from the shoulders to the hips. 
• Lift 1 hand off the ground and press the hand up onto the step. 
• Repeat movement on the other side. Once both hands are atop the step reverse the movement and walk the hands down the step. 
• Repeat for 30-45 seconds.
• The primary position of the plank utilizes the transverse abdominus and multifidi muslces of the spine to stabilize the core; during the walking phase of the movement there is also some shoulder stabilization, horizontal abduction, and adduction utilizing the muscles of the pectoralis and anterior deltoids 

Do you use a step/box/bench during your workouts?

Have you ever tried any of these moves before?

Comment below with your step experience.

My group loves step and really enjoyed today's workout and I got to work on my step aerobics skills.

Health and Happiness

Larissa

Resources:

Green, D.J(ed) (2010). ACE’s Essentials of Exercise Science for Fitness Professionals.
           SanDiego, CA: American Council on Exercise.

Green Recipes For St.Patrick's Day

So my goal for St.Patrick's day was to incorporate green into all my meals for the day.  Green is pretty much the easiest color to add to your meals. There are so many healthy options: Broccoli, kale, asparagus, cabbage, green beans, brussel sprouts, bell peppers, avocado and so many more. Green at every meal was my challenge, challenge accepted, and completed. My success earns you 2 new recipes!

For Meal 1 I sauteed some broccoli to go with my breakfast. Have you tried broccoli with breakfast. It was very filling.

Meal 2 was a post-workout green smoothie with kale and orange juice. The orange juice really helps to cut the strong flavor of the kale.

Meal 3, not pictured, because I was hungry. Was turkey chili with broccoli mixed in and topped with guacamole.

My grand finale was Meal 4, dinner: Cabbage and Beef Skillet with Potato Cakes.

Beef and Cabbage Skillet (Gluten free and Paleo)

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I had this the other day for lunch at Whole Foods. It was so tasty I thought I would try and recreate it. What better occasion for beef and cabbage than St.Patrick's Day.

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 lb 93% Lean Ground Beef
• 1/2 a head of Green Cabbage
• 4 strips bacon (Whole 365 uncurred and nitrate free is my preference)
• 1/2 clove Garlic Minced
• Pinch of Salt

Prep

You will need a sharp knife and a skillet with a lid.

• Cut cabbage in half, Then into quarters, then thinly slice and set aside. Save half for later use.
• Layer 4 slices of bacon and cut into sixths. Place in pan. Heat pan and cook bacon (for a lower fat recipe remove the bacon fat from the pan or be like me and reserve it for use later to fry the potatoe cakes).
• Add garlic to pan.
• Add ground beef to pan and brown.
• Add cabbage to pan and stir.
• Briefly raise the heat to sautee the cabbage with the meat.
• Cover pan reduce heat to low and allow cabbage to cook with the meat.

Cabbage can be eaten raw so as long as your beef and bacon is thoroughly cooked you can eat it whenever you're ready. I like a tender cabbage so I let it steam for about 20 minutes while I mashed and fried the potato cakes.

3-Ingredient Potato Pancakes (Gluten Free and Dairy Free)

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I simplified the traditional Boxty. The original recipe called for milk, butter, and flour, but I try to avoid extra flour when I can and dairy and I aren't always friendly. So I used what I had to make my own potato pancakes.

Ingredients 

• 1 1/2 lbs Red Potatoes
• 2 Whole Eggs
• Pinch of Salt
• Bacon Grease or Coconut Oil for frying

Prep
You will need a large pot to boil the potatoes, a small bowl and fork to whisk the eggs, and a large bowl and spoon to mash the potatoes (I own a metal potato masher, it makes life soooo much easier, and I find mashing potatoes very relaxing).

• Boil potatoes until tender, 20-25 minutes. Mash. Mash thoroughly while warm. The better mash you get the better blend you'll get later. Add salt. Let cool. 
• Mix 2 eggs in a separate bowl. 
• Add eggs to potatoes, mash until smooth. 
• Heat oil in pan. 
• Add potato cakes 3 at a time. Cook until crisp approximately 3 minutes per side.

This recipe makes about 11 potato cakes. We started eating before I counted them all but I think we got 11, you could make yours a little smaller and get 12.

Did you get creative in the kitchen for St. Patrick's Day?

I love trying new recipes during holiday's. Share any your favorite Green or St. Patty's Day themed recipes in the comments below.

Health and Happiness,

Larissa

What's on My Plate: Plated Mushroom and Leek Udon with Tofu and Spinach

This weekend another awesome plated box arrived. I chose a vegetarian dish and a hearty chef's table plate. I like to try recipes with ingredients I would not readily buy or recipes that just look and sound appetizing. Sunday night we tried the Udon.

All of the products straight out the box

Food prep always takes more time for me than what is listed on the recipe card. I like reading through the whole card and having everything laid out before I start. But, each time prep to plate gets easier.

My food prep station

The hardest part of prep for this one was the chopping. My knife skills are still pretty rough, but I am learning new tricks each time. A sharp knife makes chopping and mincing things like fresh ginger much easier.

The smell was amazing. The ginger and garlic was so aromatic. Mmmmm just thinking about it is making my mouth water again.

The final product

This was my 1st time cooking with tofu. I was not sure how my husband would react to a vegetarian dinner. Guess who loved every bite. That lets you know how good it was.

For us, it made way more than 2 servings. It made about 4. I am still eating from it. It was great as a dinner and made an even tastier lunch the next day.

Have you tried Plated yet? Use this link to check out their current menu and if they deliver to your area. Try Plated

If you love eating high quality food and enjoy trying new recipes you should checkout Plated. Let me know what you think.

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Disclosure: This blog includes a referral link to Plated. If you chose to buy a Plated box using this link you will receive a 2 plate discount on your first order and I receive a discount on future Plated orders.

Health and Happiness,
Larissa