Tabata Tuesday Review

Hello! Okay, so it's not Tuesday but with my crazy schedule I haven't been able to post about my Tabata Tuesday workout until today. Let me say, however, it was worth the wait! My butt was sore for 2 days after this workout and it only took 25 minutes!!! With great friends to complete the workout and an awesome playlist I had SO. MUCH. FUN.
As usual with Tabata all you need is a repeated interval timer! For each circuit set it to 8 rounds of 20s on and 10s break.

Tabata Tuesday Workout 1

1. Burpees & Mountain Climbers

2. Forward Lunges* & Jump Squats

3. Jump Rope & High Knees

4. Push up-to-a-T* & Supermans

5. Jumping Jacks & Skaters

6. Reverse Crunches & Standing Pikes

*Can add intensity by holding a pair of dumbbells 

Here is the playlist I used!

Upbeat Playlist!

1. Danza Kuduro by Don Omar

2. E.T. Katy Perry + Kanye West

3. Mean by Taylor Swift

4. What Makes You Beautiful by One Direction

5. Party Rock Anthem by LMFAO

6. Party in the U.S.A. by Miley Cyrus

7. Wavin Flag'

8. Say Hey (I Love You) by Michael Franti & Spearhead

9. Let me Love you by New Yo

10. Stronger by kanye West

11. On Top of the World by Imagine Dragons

(This is a great cool down/stretch song)

Thanks!

Sara

First Tabata Workout!

Happy Friday!

Guess what's making me sore today? TABATA. Yesterday, one of my best friends Katie and I tried our FIRST Tabata workout! We both wanted a short workout we could finish before out 8 a.m. classes and this was a great choice!
Don't know what Tabata is? Tabata is a new method of interval training that improves your aerobic abilities immensely. Each each circuit is 4 minutes long and has 8 rounds of 20 seconds work and 10 seconds rest. Tabata is very versatile and you can basically do any exercises you choose. Read more about Tabata here! The mentality behind Tabata, for me, is that I can do anything for 20 seconds! So before I knew it 20 seconds were up and it was on to the next one!

I created this "Do-Anywhere Tabata" workout from a modified version I found on pinterest. There is zero equipment needed, except for a repeated interval timer, which you need for any Tabata. Normal stopwatches will make this workout inefficient. I recommend the Gymboss timer. If you have a smart phone there are plenty of repeat interval/tabata timers. Also if you are able to have your laptop near, you can also Google for plenty of free online tabata timers.
If you've never tried Tabata you NEED to try this one! With 5 circuits it was under 30 minutes of exercise and I am definitely sore today! Love it!

Click on the image to enlarge.

For each circuit set your timer to 8 rounds of 20s work and 10s rest. Rest for about 1 minute in between each circuit, then reset and keep going!
With good music and great company this workout flew by and I had so much fun with it!

Let me know what you think!

Sara

Pesto Chicken Pizza

Chicken? and Pizza? Not exactly things a vegetarian and lactose intolerant person usually talks about, but after my best friend, Bailey, made this last weekend I knew it would be something I had to make for my meat-and-cheese eating family!

This pizza is loaded with yummy, healthy sauteed vegetables, pesto (healthy fats!) for sauce, and chicken and feta cheese on top of a whole wheat crust.

Pesto Chicken Pizza
Ingredients:
Whole Wheat pre-made pizza crust
3 chicken tenderloins
1 bunch spinach
1 bell pepper, chopped
2/3 cup mushrooms, sliced
one onion, sliced
1/2 cup pesto sauce (Newman's Own makes a great pesto!)
1/2 - 2/3 cup feta cheese

Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.Saute onions, bell peppers, and mushrooms together over medium heat. While the vegetables are cooking, spread the pesto over the whole wheat crust.

3. Saute the spinach and set aside.

4. Cook the chicken tenderloins over medium heat until fully cooked. With a fork and knife shred the tenderloins into small bits.
5. Time to put the pizza together! Spread the sauteed spinach over the pizza, then spread the chicken, and layer the vegetables on top of the chicken. Finally, sprinkle the cheese on top.
6. Bake for 15 min at 350.

This recipe is very versatile, you can use any vegetables you have on hand. Plus, with pre-made crust and sauce it's one fast pizza! It got the Amanda approval, too! : )