Flexibility Foremost – Reebok CrossFit #Nano4 Review & WOD

Posted on August 11, 2014 by Jennifer FIsher

The following post is sponsored on behalf of Fitfluential LLC on behalf of Reebok.

There are plenty of perks that make the latest evolution of the Reebok CrossFit training shoe, the Nano 4.0, a winner. First, the nearly indestructible yet lightweight upper holds up to intense workouts filled with jumping, lifting, running and even rope climbing (special RopePro protection). In terms of sole performance, the shoe provides enough stability for Olympic lifting without sacrificing the flexibility and light cushioning that keep feet springy and safe during high-impact moves like jumping and running. Available in a kaleidoscope of colors, the Nano 4.0s not only look cool but they also keep your feet cool with improved breathability on the uppers. Feet that sweat less mean fewer blisters and less overall foot stench in the CrossFit box – thank you very MUCH! Even though the Nano 4.0 might seem kind of pricy at an ARV of $119, it’s like getting at least two pairs in one – a pair for running and high-impact activities and a pair for stability on deadlifts, overheat squats, kettlebell swings and such!

Whoohoo, look at all the things I can do in my Reebok Nano 4.0!

However, what really impressed me about the Reebok Nano 4.0 was the overall flexibility it brings to a cross-training shoe. By flexibility, I don’t mean “versatility” — but I should add that as a benefit too, since I did everything in them from box jumping, sprinting, agility course running, rope climbing, gymnastics, weight lifting and even some post WOD yoga! As far as flexibility, Reebok reports that they re-engineered DuraCage from the Nano 3.0 for greater benefits in the fore foot and toe area. While I don’t have any experience with the shoe’s predecessor, I can tell you that the Nano 4.0 is the most comfortable and flexible cross-training shoe I’ve ever worn without a doubt.

I could share my woes of really black toe nails thanks (make that no thanks) to wearing rigid shoes during a burpee-filled WOD – but I’ll spare you those nasty details. But, I do want to share that as a CrossFit athlete who likes to compete in running (and vice-versa), flexibility in a shoe is a really big deal for me. It was about five years ago when I worked with Master Pose Method and CrossFit Endurance Coach, Valerie Hunt, to change my running form from heel striker to the much more forgiving mid-foot striker and I have nary an injury to report, knock on wood! Obviously, it’s not merely luck; this type of running is just better for my body biomechanically and, with the addition of CrossFit and proper recovery, has kept me a competitive runner well into my 40s. While, it’s not the shoe that makes the athlete, I won’t argue the proper shoe can certainly help in the process.

While, I probably wouldn’t make the Nano 4.0 my go-to shoes for everyday running or . . . er, like the crazy 50 miler I did on a whim last year , I totally could wear them for casual running – they are really quite light and have that low-profile heel (4mm) I like which aids in proprioception with every foot strike. Whoa, I know – big word. But what I’m talking about when I say “proprioception” or the “proprioceptors in your feet” is the overall body awareness transmitted through the neuromuscular system with each foot strike that can help improve stride and speed. The same idea applies to other taxing physical activities you may be doing in CrossFit as well– just imagine how much quicker you could do box jumps in light, responsive shoes rather than in a pair of clunky cowboys boots! While no one actually wears cowboy boots to the gym, some of those rigid, thick-soled gym or running shoes sure feel like ‘em.

My final thoughts on the Nano 4.0? They are all-around performers for all around performers – just the shoe to wear for a WOD filled with my favorite things like running, lifting and throwing your body weight around (just like one I made for you above)! And, YES, that’s four MILES of running. ENJOY!*

*Or, if you’re not up to that much running, you can do 4k which is about 2.5 miles!

So, do you wear a separate shoe for running and going to the gym?

What is your favorite WOD or exercise in CrossFit?

Fast Chicken Spinach Parm Panini & 8 Back Stretches for Flexibility

Posted on August 8, 2014 by Jennifer FIsher

I would say this recipe is a grilled cheese sandwich for grownups, except the kids love to have ‘em for a super-speedy weeknight meal too! For added convenience, I’ve used a pre-breaded chicken tender from the freezer section at the market, but you can do this step the old-fashioned way if you have an extra hour – and, if you such a surplus of time, can you please come over? I have a list of chores to share with you!

Making panini for the family is always a crowd pleaser — everyone can customize a sandwich to suit their tastes. No cheese, no problem. Extra sauce, add it on! One thing I do insist on though is the kids make their panini sandwiches with whole grain bread. I was shocked to find out that a mere 3 percent of children and teens and about 8 percent of adults are eating at least the recommended three servings per day. Whole grains provide an abundance of vitamins and fiber and have been linked to a reduced incidence of heart disease, diabetes and other health concerns. Even though I’m not a huge grain eater, I always make sure that I’m getting biggest benefit for my body when I do – and that’s by eating whole grains over white “enriched” grains.

I created this panini recipe for Litehouse Foods and you can check it out on their blog. It uses their Opadipity Greek Yogurt Spinach Parmesan Dip, a protein-packed, lower-calorie dip that works great in recipes and is just plain yummy to dip vegetables into.

If you’re looking for a packable lunch or quick dinner idea, my recipe for Roasted Veggie Wrap rolls up the power of plants into a delicious, nutritious meal.

If you roast a big batch of veggies, you can enjoy this recipe for lunch and then keep the leftovers in the fridge for a last-minute supper later in the week.

Enjoying some improvements with back flexibility!

Even though I’ve been super rushed, I’ve been making time in the morning to work on the flexibility in my back. As a kid, I used to be very bendy, but fast-forward several decades and several kids, the range of motion in my back had left and gone elsewhere – but, I’m happy to say that with some consistency in stretching (only a couple minutes per day), I’m getting my bendable back back! Check out these 8 Back Stretches for Flexibility:

Child’s Pose: Sitting back on heels, roll torso forward bringing forehead to floor and lowering chest to knees as much as possible. Keep arms extended forward.
Cat-Camel Stretch: On hands and knees, alternate between slowly arching and rounding back.
Upward Facing Pose: On back, pull knees up to chest, grab with arms. Rock slowly back and forth.
Bridge: Lie on back with knees bent, feet hip-distance apart and flat on floor. Inhaling, press into feet, lifting hips toward ceiling. Hold as long as possible.
Torso Twist: Sitting with one leg extended forward, the other bent up toward the chest. Turn torso toward bent knee, grasping to gently stretch back. Repeat on other side.
Downward Facing Dog: With hands and knees on ground, press backward raising knees and lifting tailbone to ceiling. Keep weight on shoulders and then gently push heels toward floor to stretch hamstrings.
Seal Pose: Laying on stomach with legs together, elevate head and upper torso using arms, keeping forearms off the floor and stretching spine.
Scorpion Pose: From knees, rest forearms on ground shoulder-width apart. Kick up into a forearm stand, achieving balance and slowly bend at the knees, arching back and lifting head to look forward.

What do you like to throw together busy-night dinners? Do you have back tightness — what do you do to stay flexible?

Headstands and Hot Dogs + Healthy Chip #Giveaway

Posted on July 28, 2014 by Jennifer FIsher

First, let’s just get the headstand out of the way. This is not your ordinary inversion. It’s a headstand that will challenge you to the very core as you tighten every muscle trying to maintain balance – I’ve thrown in balance busting elements including WIND and WEIGHT! To try this, you’ll need a heavy-duty garage fan, 4 to 10 pound medicine ball and the ability to safely kick up and hold a headstand for at least a minute (you don’t want to crash into the fan). To add in the balance challenges, grab a medicine ball between your feet on the way up, fully extend legs upward, and then bend knees downward. Repeat as long as possible. To test your balance further, continue the upside down medicine ball leg presses, but have a friend turn the garage fan on full blast. Whoohoo!

Hot dogs are a staple of summer – I can’t imagine how many dogs the world has downed at ball parks, boardwalks, and backyard barbeques. Sure, some foodies might be too high faulting for a hotdog, while fitness-oriented folks may shy away assuming all frankfurters are loaded with fat, random animal parts, chemicals and other questionable stuff. Okay, well maybe the most widely available hotdogs are not so “hot” in the nutrition department, but there are lots of healthier options around today including this round up of grass-fed, all-beef hotdogs from Health.com.

It can be quite confusing to pick a healthy hot dog!

Definitely read labels; that’s your job as a consumer. For example, when the package rattles off ingredients such as “by-products” or “variety meats,” this means the hotdog may have as little as 15 percent muscle meat , the amount required by the USDA. Depending on your preference, make sure beef or grass-fed beef is the number one, first ingredient. Also, if you think you’re getting an uncured, chemical-free hot dog, think again because I don’t think it’s possible. It’s common practice, even by “healthy” companies, to label products as “uncured” and “nitrate free” . . . . .wait for it . . . “with the exception of nitrates naturally occurring in celery salt.” It’s not like celery salt is innocently added to perk up a hot dog’s flavor. Instead, when this water-dense plant is grown in nitrate-rich water and then dried, ground and passed off as “salt,” it also passes on (you guessed it) a concentrated level of nitrates. Studies have shown that hot dogs labeled “nitrate free” contain between ½ to 10 times the amount of nitrates found in conventional hot dogs – WOW! Check out this interesting article on What’s Inside the Bun from the New York Times.

Sonya Thomas competes in the 2012 Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Eating Contest at Coney Island in the Brooklyn borough of New York

Champ Sonya “The Black Widow” Thomas getting it done!

So, even with all of these questionable issues at hand, I’ll still eat an all-beef hot dog every now and then, especially in the summer. Really it’s about moderation, I’m only eating one hot dog at a sitting, a couple times a year – and not trying to break the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest on Coney Island. By the way, the men’s record is 67 hot dogs and the women’s is 45 – in ten minutes! Okay, so this is more than a little gross, but so morbidly fascinating – and it does sort of appeal to my competitive spirit. But, for now I will just weenie out and remain a spectator!

Another way to make your hot dogs “healthier” is to top them with fresh, nutritious ingredients. I recently shared my recipes for “Healthy Hot Dog Toppings” on Litehouse Foood’s Living Lighthouse blog. Instead of adding gut-busting chili and cheese, I used the new line of Opadipity Greek Yogurt Dips to create gourmet dogs. Head over to Litehouse Foods to check out my Greek God Hot Dog, Garlic Green Machine, and Cha-Cha Chipotle Dog!

Okay, you can’t have hot dogs without chips – and of course, I’m talking about healthier chips! Food Should Taste Good (aka FSTG) recently sent me a box full of their delicious, nutritious flavors to test out – and I also get to give some away! I’ve loved these tortilla chips for a long time . . . . but had only tried the Whole Grain flavor until recently . Holy guacamole . . . there is a Guacamole flavor . . . and an Olive flavor . . . and a Jalapeno Cheddar flavor and a gazillion other creative flavors – too many to mention!

I love that these chips are made from real ingredients, have zero trans fats, and no cholesterol – plus, they are certified gluten free and Kosher, making them the perfect anytime snack for pretty much everyone! My husband eats these healthy chips straight out of the bag while I like to crunch them up and use them as croutons on my salad. Or with dip, dips are good – especially my favorite Chipotle Ranch Dip made with Greek Yogurt. And with my new favorite FSTG chips – Jalapeno Cheddar. Chips, super double good. Dip, good. Got it? Good. Now get it! Or, win some good food (see Rafflecopter app below):

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Watermelon Workout & Recovery – Day 2 #LivingOnTheWedge

Posted on July 1, 2014 by Jennifer FIsher

Even though it’s summer, I’m keeping up my fitness routine – in fact, I’m having a lot more fun with my workouts now that I my running season is finished until fall. The summer has always been a great time for me to cut back my mileage and focus on getting stronger – plus, I like to take my kids along to the gym for some family gym bonding time that features lots of barbells and burpees. But, it’s not always so fun to be stuck in a gym when the weather is wonderfully warm – so this week I’m grabbing a watermelon and heading outside. Yes, you heard me right – WATERMELON! Who needs fancy equipment when you can use a watermelon for exercise? I’m dishing up a Watermelon Workout, are you ready to get served?

exercises with watermelon as the wieght

A 35 pound watermelon! Glad I workout!

I dare you to do my Watermelon Workout, it will get your heart pumping and your muscles moving once you get into the rind, err . . . I mean, grind! Choose a seedless watermelon that you can handle comfortable, but is still a challenge. The one I’m using is about 18 pounds – but I’ve brought home watermelons as big as 35 pounds, but that bad boy was really too unwieldy to use in a workout.

Watermelon makes a great piece of impromptu workout equipment – as you can see from the Watermelon Workout photo, you can lift it, swing it, jump over it and more. Most importantly, you can eat it as a nutritious snack afterward! Made of 92% water, watermelon is obviously hydrating. But did you know the fruit can help you with workout recovery? A recent study in the Journal of Agricultural Food and Chemistry reports that drinking watermelon juice before a hard workout helps to reduce an athlete’s heart rate and next-day muscle soreness. Why? Well, watermelon has an abundance of an amino acid called L-citrulline, which the body converts to L-arginine, an essential amino acid that aids in blood vessel dilation and improved circulation.

I love this idea for Gluten-Free Watermelon Mozzarella Sandwiches from Watermelon.org. Just pop this grain-free recipe in a to-go container and you’ve got a protein-boosted, post-workout recovery snack that helps your taxed muscles repair themselves in time for the next session. Plus, the salty pickles sandwiched between the layers will help get your electrolytes back to a healthy balance. Remember, you should always eat a mini-meal with a 3:1 to 4:1 carbohydrate to protein ratio within a 30 minute window after intense workouts and runs.

Do you have any watermelon inspired workout ideas or a refreshing watermelon recipe to share? If so, post in the comments or join my group #LivingOnTheWedge Pinterest board.

Also, check out my all the other posts on watermelon I’m featuring all week and don’t forget to enter the giveaway for a great Watermelon Prize Pack!

The National Watermelon Promotion Board is providing me with compensation to share my love of watermelon. However, the opinions and content (unless otherwise noted) shared are my own and NWPB did not tell me what to say or how to say it.

Tighten Your Tummy Workout + My Personal Favorite Ab Exercises

Posted on June 20, 2014 by Jennifer FIsher

After having three kids (who are all teens now), I never thought I’d see my abs again. Well, actually, even though I’ve been at a reasonable weight my whole life and a more-or-less competitive runner since my mid-twenties, I’m not sure if I had EVER seen the elusive abdominal muscles. No wonder, my lower back and lower stomach would be the sorest places on my body after racing a marathon – all the strain of having to hold myself upright!

Fierce, fit and fabulous forty-something moms (well, okay the mama in the middle may not be in the club yet but she’s still a great role model of fitness).

Oh, I’d do some sit-ups here and there, but really only as a rare afterthought to a running workout. It wasn’t until my 40s that I decided I needed to get stronger to keep up pace with younger runners. Core strength was one of the priority areas! Happy to say that after some initial suffering, I got stronger – no longer does my back hurt when I run or carry around heavy stuff.

Now that I’ve got my six-pack (BAM!) it’s just a little bit of maintenance to keep in tip-top shape – I probably work core for no more than 15 minutes, 3 times per week. Anyone can fit that into their schedule! I’m also an advocate of full-body, functional workouts that also strengthen the muscles of a problem “middle.”

So, where to start? I found this basic workout on P&Geveryday™ – 5 Best Moves to Flatten Your Tummy. By the way, I’ve been surfing all over Proctor & Gamble’s online platform, especially the workouts, recipes and product reviews for living well. P&Geveryday™ shares practical ideas, resourceful tips and all-around good advice that that makes it easier to enjoy life – I know my crazy-busy, hectic life can use all the help it can get! You really need to check P&Geveryday™ out along with the P&G Facebook site that shares the same philosophy

Back to their advice on the 5 Best Moves to Flatten Your Tummy.. –you can do these simple exercises at home or at the gym to strengthen your abs and build a foundation for fitness. If you need more challenge, you can always add a weight element of if you are struggling, simple reduce the number of reps in each set. Keep it up though and soon you will be chopping down trees with your newly ripped abs!

A plank in some form or another is always in my core workout.

I also want to share with you two ab and core exercises I personally swear by. The first is a plank – you can’t beat the all-around core strengthening that a plank provides. Some days I do simple planks, other days I mix it up with variations like this plank on a stability ball – after holding the plan I would roll the ball up with my knees moving toward my face in a plank position. If you are new to planks, start slow and keep good form. Your middle and butt as tight as possible and hold a clean line –start with 15 seconds and week-by-week move up in 15 second intervals.

Another favorite tummy-tightener of mine — rumor is Spartan soldiers did these centuries ago. Now I feel really tough!

Another favorite tummy-tightening exercise in my core workout routine is a Floor Sweeper. Lie on your back and hold a moderately weighted bar over your head for stability. Keeping legs straight and together, lift heels off the ground and slowly move your legs like a pendulum, with toes going back and forth to each side of the bar. I do 3 sets of 50 reps, but you may want to start out with 15 or 20 reps.

Do you have a favorite exercise for your abs, back or all-over core? Please share in the comments as I am always looking for new inspiration!

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

thefitfork.com

The Fit Fork

Category Archives: Workouts

Flexibility Foremost – Reebok CrossFit #Nano4 Review & WOD

Fast Chicken Spinach Parm Panini & 8 Back Stretches for Flexibility

Headstands and Hot Dogs + Healthy Chip #Giveaway

Watermelon Workout & Recovery – Day 2 #LivingOnTheWedge

Tighten Your Tummy Workout + My Personal Favorite Ab Exercises