I am getting so much better at BodyPump! And by better I mean that I am using heavier weights and can really see changes in my muscles, at least in my upper body.
You know what is hard? Riding a bike after BodyPumpy. My chest was quivering so much I wondered if I would have to stop and rest to continue hustling up the hills!
But I realized resting would delay my lunch and I was a starvin’ marvin! My English muffin did not hold me over very well today even though nutrition-wise it was comparable to my regular spoon-based breakfast.
Lunch was a harmony of leftovers – and tasted amazing! Cranberry chicken, lentils, squash and spinach, with sriracha and goat cheese!
On the side – these pears that are jumping out of their bowl!
Sprinkled with cinnamon
Going to pay Karen a visit and then get my cook on!
First…a shower.
Beth @ Beth's Journey to Thin says
YUM! I love making a salad with all the things in my fridge that are begging to be used. Enjoy your shower and visit w Karen! 🙂
Jen says
I’m so happy to hear that you’re starting to enjoy BodyPump more. It has changed my body more than anything else that I have ever done!
Hope you’re well! We miss you in Charlotte.
Jessica @ How Sweet It Is says
Now I’m craving a pear!
Jil @ Big City, Lil Kitchen says
A gorgeous lunch!! I’ve been hearing such great things about BodyPump! I’m sort of sad that my gym doesn’t offer classes.
Stacy @ Every Little Thing says
omg I’ve been digging goat cheese lately. Love that you put it on top of your bowl! That’s perfect.
Justeen @ Blissful Baking says
Your lunch bowl has so much deliciousness in it! YUM!
Dorry says
I love nothing more than a big bowl of leftovers! I think it’s one of the best ways to experiment with flavor combos.
Stephanie says
I’ve got to give pump another chance. I just hate the defeated feeling. But you can’t get better at something you give up, right?
Whitney says
BodyPump is the best! One of my favorite classes! 🙂
sweeter salt says
I live on top of a large hill, so biking back from the gym can be crazy difficult depending on the work out. I feel ya!
Laura
Maryann says
I love BodyPump! I could never have the energy to bike after though..youre intense! 🙂
Hope Karen is doing well!
Amalfi Girl (EatRunHaveFun.blogspot) says
I love leftover mash! That is what I had for lunch today, too. Turkey eggplant cassarole with spiralized yellow squash. Your b’nut squash/goat cheese combo looks ridiculously good. The cran. chicken just kicks it over the edge. 🙂
Maria@ The Fitted Apron says
cheese please.
Averie (LoveVeggiesAndYoga) says
Glad you got the Bodypump going full force and can feel the diff in strength!
Your pears look perfect!
Hope Karen is doing well on her recovery 🙂
Anna @ Newlywed, Newly Veg says
Man– biking AND body pump? You go!
Christin@purplebirdblog says
That saag has my mouth watering all over again! I want to try to make it with coconut milk kefir!
lynn (The Actors Diet) says
love a big bowl of colorful leftovers. saaaaag
Ali says
Here in Canada, there is only one chain of gyms that offers body pump because they have the proprietary rights to all the Les Mills programs. Sadly, the gym in question has no branches here in Vancouver! I’m a runner wanting to add weights to my routine and think that a group-type of class would be a great way to get into it.
Do you know if there is a way to find the workouts online? Or some equivalent?
Kath says
Every gym is different, so i would just call yours and inquire to any group strength classes. I think most group sculpt/strength classes would give similar results to BP
Ali says
Good call – I’ll give it a shot.
Ali says
Good call – ha.
Jessica @ The Process of Healing says
I hope Karen is doing well!
And I still haven’t gotten around to trying Body Pump…need to get on that!
Jess @ atasteofconfidence says
Glad you are liking it!
Robyn @ Frugal 'n' Fit! says
The goat cheese brings it all together!
Heather (Heather's Dish) says
that lunch is amazing…makes mine look lame in comparison!
Natalie @ Will Jog For Food says
I just had a pear myself 🙂 Cinnamon is a GREAT touch!
Sarena (The Non-Dairy Queen) says
I am craving lentils and greens so badly…this just made it worse! Have fun at Karen’s, I hope she is feeling better!
Kara says
After a good Body Pump, I find it hard to do ANYTHING! I miss being able to go to those classes and I wish I could replicate the energy of a group class in my home gym as I workout when the baby snoozes 🙂
Anna @ ciaotochow says
I had goat cheese in my breakfast today — though I can’t see it was quite as impressive!
Allison K. says
I used to take body pump, but I don’t think I was using hard enough weights…cause I never really felt like I got a work out. My complaint was that the instructor really didn’t provide any info to a newbie (I was totally new to liftiing weights at the time).
A. says
Kath, I have a question (I hope it is okay).
Is it possible for someone to be so underweight or malnourished that they cannot even do ONE jumping jack? The same person might have been at the same low weight just a month earlier and been fine, and then after a month, …nothing.
How much movement should a person have. Even if gaining weight and health, there must be movement to prevent constipation and keep muscles and limbs fluid, right? Do you have any examples or thoughts on this?
Also, any thoughts on how to relieve constipation that has gone on for 2-3 days?
Thanks. I hope you have some kind of opinion or perspective!
Kath says
Hey A, I really can’t answer these types of questions. I would suggest that person seek medical help
Kate (What Kate is Cooking) says
You could put goat cheese on anything and I would eat it 🙂
Erin@ Shortcut to Bliss says
The pear is absolutely gorgeous!
kate says
Ive been craving lentils lately! These look great.
Lisa (bakebikeblog) says
oooh I just got back into Body Pump yesterday and all I can say today is OUCH!!!
Katy (The Singing Runner) says
Looks amazing! I can almost smell it! 🙂
Tracey says
Just started following your blog..love it. Think I’ll love it more when I have flexibility in my meals, I just started the carbohydrate lovers diet from the editors of Health mag. Lots of protein packed items you enjoy are on their plan…and do they fill ya up! Had a spinach, chick, red pepper, garb bean packed whole grain pita for lunch today. Yumo!
Kath says
Welcome!
melanie says
i usually do my strength training after my cardio, and that has worked great for me, but i was reading that doing workouts in the reverse order amps up fat burn (trying to slim down my middle!). so i did my strength training first on sunday, and man, was it hard! i felt like i didn’t have nearly the stamina that i normally do, and my muscles are still aching! i suppose that’s probably a good thing, but it doesn’t seem as sustainable for me as my former approach. what are your thoughts on the order of cardio and strength training?
Kath says
I am not an exercise expert! I normally do cardio first only because I enjoy it more. But sounds like you challenged yourself, and that’s ultimately what leads to better fitness.
Sarah (Sarah Learns) says
i want to try body pump! everyone says it’s such a great workout…must check at my gym. oh yeah, and i can’t wait for your mac & cheese recipe tonight!
Kath says
Sorry to say that the recipe is a secret until it’s published on the mac n cheese blog!
chelsey @ clean eating chelsey says
I love weight lifting classes. I always find that I can handle a lot more when I am in a class rather than trying to motivate myself!
colleen says
I’ve been doing bodypump for the past two months 2-3 times per week and i absolutely love it! It did take some time to get in the groove though and figure out exactly how much weight to use. I have gone up on my weights on all of the tracks and see a huge difference in muscle definition, especially my arms. I’m glad that you are enjoying it more too.
Shannon @ A Better Me says
Your lunches always look so yummy! 😀
Kaitlin says
Yum! I find that it’s hard to bike after strength training too. Good work 🙂
Ashley@TheHungryScholar says
What a rustic looking lunch! That work out sounds intense! Keep up the good work. 🙂
Eileen says
Your lunch looks awesome. I think roasted butternut squash might actually be my #1 favorite food. I only eat it right out of the roasting pan, though … I don’t think I’ve actually ever HAD leftovers. 🙂
And, I am a former cardio junkie who is beginning to admit to the benefits of Body Pump and free weights. I have three kids, thought I would NEVER see an ab muscle again … and now I can. I still love, love, love to run and spin. But I am really trying to lift at least two days a week, EVERY week.
Lauren @ Fun, Fit and Fabulous! says
Yumm!! I really wish I had your photography skills. I feel like I can taste your food through your pictures!
Camille says
What a great lunch mashup! It sounds like such a fun combo of flavors!
Paige @Running Around Normal says
Glad you’re loving Body Pump 🙂 Strength training can really get that metabolism going!!
Teresa @ Teresa Tastes & Travels says
Not sure how good the lunch bowl would sound on a menu, but it actually looks good!
I <3 goat cheese. 😀
Chelsea @ One Healthy Munchkin says
That’s awesome that you’ve seen so much progress is so little time! It makes me want to try out body pump!
Elizabeth @ The Sweet Life says
Can I ask a really dumb question? What exactly is body pump? A group weight-lifting focused class? It it offered at many gyms, like spinning, or is it a patented, only-one-way-to-do-it kind of thing? And does it give you a cardio and strength training workout? Or just one?
Hope Karen’s recovery is coming along really well.
Kath says
It’s basically a group strength training class using bars instead of free weights with high reps. There’s no cardio, and it’s standardized by some guy who invented it. But it’s not really all that much more awesome than a group weights class – I think the bar is what makes it so cool. I like it because I really like lifting with a bar and the high reps more than free weights, which I think are harder to use.
Kasey says
Delicious looking lunch! Leftovers are the best 🙂
Sarah (Running to Slow Things Down) says
I’ve never done BodyPump, but I love the sounds of it! I’ve been lifting weights at home and love the results that I’m feeling (and seeing!), so this class sounds like a fun new step for me to take. 😀
Your lunch looks *fab*, by the way. 😀
Lauren says
Glad to hear BP is finally starting to take effect. I swear you will notice a HUGE difference after a few months. Try to stick with it, it really is a fantastic workout.
Barbara(Blood, Sweat and Heels) says
You should check out a crossfit class…they are tough but fun and your body changes fast. Love it!!!
Body pump is fun too:)
B
Tessa says
way to go miss buff! keep up the good work
Hannah says
I have *got* to start cooking up extra food so that I can make amazing leftover lunches like you!!
Diana @ frontyardfoodie says
Okay, now THAT is a bowl I’d like to jump into! So yummy looking.
Mary @ Bites and Bliss says
I can only imagine how it’d feel to ride a bike after BodyPump! haha
Beatrix says
Isn’t it awesome when we start seeing results? Good job… I love cinnamon on pears (and apples too).
Anne says
How long do you keep your leftovers? I am a restaurant owner, and the health department makes us date everything, and chuck it after 5 days. At home, I get a little nervous after 3 days. What’s your timeline? Also, do you reheat the things you throw on a salad?
Thanks.
I love your blog and read it every day.
Kath says
I try to eat them within 2-3 days. I don’t reheat what I throw on salads normally.
Diane Zinger says
mmm I made It !Great Recipe I even Put it up on the Crazy Fit Massage Site >>> Crazy Fit Machine. Healthy Healthy Healthy Thanks !
Lisa says
Body Pump is new at my gym. I’ve never heard of it before but I might give it a try soon!