I woke up this morning and I could not move.

Yes I could.

But it hurt to move. And it’s nearly impossible to sit or stand without whimpering, “Ouch!”

I blame two things for my aching lower body: That glorious spinning class I told you about yesterday and (the three sets of six) jumping Bulgarian split squats that made an appearance back in my training program this week.

I’ll have one of my Precision Nutrition coaches, Krista Schaus, demonstrate this move since I cannot (but who’s complaining?)…

So basically this is just a back leg elevated jumping lunge. JUST a back leg elevated jumping lunge you say?! HA!

A few disclaimers:

• Don’t try this move if you have bad knees, backs, joints, or other bad parts.
• Don’t try this move if you enjoy sitting, standing, or walking the next day.

Consider yourself warned.

Now I really must go take some Advil and do nothing but a giant set of diddly squat today!

You know in elementary school when you’d bring your prize possessions in for Show and Tell? I had a teacher that called this portion of our day Bring and Brag. So humor me for a second and let’s just pretend we’re all sitting in a circle and it’s my turn for Bring and Brag.

Check out what my brother Joe gave me for Christmas! My very first kettlebell. I like to say “kettle belle” because it really is a beauty, isn’t it?

Actually, Joe didn’t technically give this to me, but he did buy me the gift card to the sporting goods store that sold me my kettlebell. The adults in my family did a Christmas gift card exchange this year and part of the deal was we had to take a picture of what we purchased. I think the picture above should complete that portion of the Christmas homework assignment. Which means, I can go to recess with Amanda from Precision Nutrition and do some kettlebell swings:

What’s not to love about a kettlebell swing? It works your glutes, hamstrings, shoulders, back, and your heart! I am the ultimate multi-tasker so doing cardio and a strength training in one move gets an A+ in my fitbook.

I’m just a beginner when it comes to kettlebell training but so far it’s been a great addition to my workouts. I’ve added 15-20 kettlebell swings in between sets of lifts to keep my heart rate up during a few of my workouts last week. I also played around with some single-arm swings, explosive squats, and Turkish get-ups. If you don’t have a kettlebell at home, no worries, you can do Turkish get-ups with a friend…

KIDDING! DO NOT try this at home. In fact, if you’re interested in kettlebell training and haven’t already, please make sure you have a professional teach you the basics of kettlebell training so no one gets hurt.

Now I really must go head to the cafeteria and see what the lunch ladies are brewing up in their kettle(bells).

Sometimes it’s OK to look back like when you’re being chased by a Mountain Lion, when you’re backing out of a parking spot, or when you’re trying to think of…

9 Good Things About 2009

1. My small but mighty family is healthy! Including my dog who, as of yesterday, no longer has a water bottle lid in his belly.

2. I went to Disney World, the happiest place on Earth…twice!

3. I completed a photography class with my talented friend Suzanne.

4. I ate a lot of pumpkin, a few too many almonds (right, Carrie?) and drank my share of coffee!

5. I learned a ton (maybe 2) about training and nutrition in the Precision Nutrition Lean Eating program.

6. I started Fitness & Spice.

7. I worked with some amazing people who raised a little money, who made a little whoopie, and who put on a good show!

8. I did not get chased by a Mountain Lion.

9. I got to connect with YOU!

I hope you take a minute to look back on the best of your 2009. And, I hope you have a healthy and happy new year… packed full of Fitness & Spice!

I drink about 3 cups of hot tea a day. I up that to about 4 cups a day in the winter because that’s the only time Tazo brings me Joy.

Joy tea is a blend of black, green, and oolong teas that is only available around the holidays. I covet this tea. When Starbucks starts taking down their Christmas displays every year I panic and then I alert my friends around the globe to buy every last box on the shelf and send it to me.

Dr. John Berardi from Precision Nutrition has (all of) this to say about the benefits of drinking tea:

“Tea offers a host of health benefits including cancer prevention, improved blood sugar, fat loss, and improved circulation.”

Some of the benefits attributed to regular tea consumption include:

• Increased 24-hour energy expenditure and fat oxidation
• Decreased waist circumference
• Decreased lipid oxidation
• Improved blood vessel function
• Reduced risk of heart disease and stroke
• Decreased serum cholesterol and triglycerides
• Prevention of atherosclerosis
• Reduced risk of developing high blood pressure
• Inhibition of oxidative damage
• Decreased growth of abnormal cells
• Enhanced immune function
• Prevention of prostate cancer
• Reduced risk of skin cancer
• Regression of oral cancer
• Decreased ovarian cancer risk
• Natural resistance to microbial infection
• Decreased plaque and oral bacteria
• Lower risk of developing kidney stones
• Reduced risk of Parkinson disease

I am not a doctor, and to be honest, some of the words included in this long list of tea-drinking benefits read like a foreign language textbook to me. But I do know what “fat loss and decreased waist circumference” is and that brings me Joy.

Now I’m off to write Starbucks a little love note and tell them that we need Joy all oolong!

When I first started lifting weights I hired a personal trainer at my gym so I could learn my way around the free weight room and learn proper form. After about a year, I decided to begin working with an online personal trainer and I’ve been training this way ever since.

Online personal training works well for me. I can workout around my schedule and I can ask endless questions through email and refer back to them as necessary. The coaches I work with design my training, nutrition, and supplemental programs based on my goals and change things up every 4-6 weeks.

Right now I’m enrolled in an online group training program through Precision Nutrition. Sadly, my 6 month training session with Precision Nutrition is coming to an end. For the next few weeks, the coaches have given my group the assignment to create our own workouts so we can apply some of what we’ve learned throughout the course.

Let’s just say, I thrive on structure in the gym so I met this challenge with a bit of hesitation. I was telling MizFit about my workout and she encouraged me to write all about it today. Let’s just say, day 1 turned out to be quite a good experience.

I sat down with my fitbook and planned a full body workout using some of my favorite lifts that haven’t been in my program in awhile, some old moves, and some new moves I’ve learned through Precision Nutrition. I ended up picking 7 exercises, for 5 sets, for 9 to 11 reps…sounds a little odd doesn’t it? Here’s what I came up with…

• Warm up: Dynamic stretching plus 5 minutes on revolving stairs
• 1A Reverse lunges – 5 sets of 5 reps each side
• 1B Lumberjack squats w/ calf raise – 5 sets of 5 reps
• 1C Push ups (feet elevated on a bench) – 5 sets of 9
• 1E 1 minute on revolving stairs – 5 sets at level 9
• 2A Decline alternating chest press – 5 sets of 5 reps each side
• 2B Decline crunches – 5 sets of 11 reps
• 2C Single leg deadlifts – 5 sets of 5 reps each side
• 2D Single arm rows (on one leg) – 5 sets of 5 reps each side
• 2E 1 minute on revolving stairs – 5 sets at level 11
• Post-workout 5 minutes bike sprints

Overall this was a great learning experience and actually kind of fun. I was glad I went into the gym with a plan so I stayed focused and made the most of my time. I also liked sprinkling in bursts of cardio throughout my session so my heart rate stayed elevated throughout the entire workout.

Was it a perfect workout? No, there was a guy doing bicep curls in the squat rack(!) so I had to improvise on my reverse lunges. But that’s a whole other story!

I have to admit it was a little odd being my own personal trainer, but I’ll get even better at designing my workout tomorrow.