Squatting Barefoot?

The other day I was in the gym, It didn't happen to be my leg day but I saw an older guy who was squatting and he was doing it barefoot. My immediate thought was that's disgusting do you know how much sweat is on that floor!!! Once my moment of disgust passed I wondered why is he squatting barefoot? I came home and did some googling and found a few discussions boards on the topic. 

From the discussion boards I found that alot of bodybuilders like the barefoot because it helps their stability and balance which I guess I could understand how being more grounded could help with your balance. I also found that some people found the barefoot at the gym just as gross as me and some of them would squat in socks rather than barefoot, which is better hygiene wise for sure. 

While I did find many supporters of the barefoot their were many people who suggested that if you are going to be lifting frequently go out and buy chuck taylors or lifting shoes because they are worth it. I also found that if you are truly going to be doing alot of lifting then running shoes are an absolute no no. My brother who has been lifting for awhile has shoes made for lifting he hasn't gone the chuck taylor route because he doesn't do any crazy Olympic lifting however he found that nikes that were geared towards lifting worked much better for him in the gym all around compared to his running shoes. 

This is where so research  in to journals comes in. In (THE EFFECTS OF WEIGHTLIFTING SHOES ON SQUAT KINEMATICS  Dave Fortenbaugh1, Kimitake Sato2, and J. Kyle Hitt2) they found that shoes that are made for weight lifting are best to use they help in keeping the best form while squatting.

So what am I to do? I currently have running shoes, why after reading all of this you might ask... personally I spend alot more time doing cardio and hiit intervals then I do squatting and dead lifting (I dead lift like never to rarely). If I ever feel that I am lifting more or doing much more in the weights area of the gym I may splurge on some lifting specific shoes, and I can guarantee you will never see me lifting barefoot, I'm still alittle grossed out to be honest.   

What do you think? Barefoot? Lifting shoes? Running shoes? let me know your opinions in a comment below! 

Stephaniexx

Protein Pancake Sample

Yum! Pancakes! 

When I ordered my protein and aminox I also received a sample of this protein pancake mix.I have seen plenty of people eating protein pancakes and thought hmm those look good but I never went after it, however seeing as it was a free sample my brother and I just couldn't resist trying them and I must say if I wasn't moving in to a dorm with no kitchen I would consider buying them because its something different for breakfast besides my usual eggs with feta. I will say the 8g of sugar makes me a little weary but I wouldnt eat them more than occasionally, It does have 12g of protein and 2.5g of fat which is a plus. 

Our sample pack was one servings worth which me and my brother split, we also topped them with fruit, and the half serving was pretty good substance wise and one serving would have had me satisfied and full. 

They were super easy to make on the griddle and only requires the mix and water 

I had the ones with strawberries and my brother had the blueberries they are very moist and thick pancakes which makes them filling. They also have a great buttermilk taste and are delicious with your favorite fruit.
I would absolutely recommend these pancakes to anyone!

What is your favorite protein pancake recipe? Do you use a mix or something homemade? I would love to know so leave a comment below

Stephaniexx

Just A Little Update!

Hello Everyone :)

not a lot but a lot at the same time has been going on with me, I have been working random hours and trying to study and spend time with Eddie and get all this craziness in before I get to school. We also had a minor mishap at my parents and spend the week fixing the pool so it was a hectic past week and I am ready to start a new week. I am one of those weird people who love Mondays because  I look at them as a fresh start and a new beginning a clean slate to a new week that you can make the best of. 

Before we move into this week I will share with you some of my fun weekend with my family in Saratoga. Going to the races in Saratoga has always bee one of my favorite things when I was younger we would go every summer, so it was a lot of fun for us to go back both my brother and I were of age to bet so we had a lot of fun as a family! 

my delicious white wine sangria

Mango Icee

So this recipie has given me a bit of struggle the past few days I love the taste and the texture but when you freeze it you need to make sure you give it enough time to thaw before you try to eat it. However, it is really good and very clean and easy to make you only need 3 ingredients and a blender. I also was able to whip it up quickly and on summer days like this it is really refreshing and cools you down which makes it a fantastic summer treat that you don't feel guilty about. 

What You'll Need

- about 2 Large Ripe mango's (Make sure the mangos are ripe which means when you squeeze them they give alittle the more ripe the more of it you will be able to use) 

- 1/2 cup of water

- 2 tablespoons of lemon juice 

Measure out so that you have about 3 cups of mangos 

Add the Mangos and 1/2 cup of water to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth 

Once smooth add the lemon juice and blend again

Once real smooth pour in to Tupperware container 

Seal the container and freeze 

I froze mine over night but it should be frozen enough to eat after an hour or two

If you freeze it over night like I did be sure to leave yourself time to thaw it when you want to eat it. I put mine in the refrigerator the next morning and was able to have it at lunch time and it was like a slushy 

Let me know in a comment below if you try out this recipe and what you think of it! Also let me know your freezing process and how it worked out for you! 

Stephaniexx

New Cooler Bag for Work!

So my most recent TJmaxx find is one of my favorites! They have these awesome cooler bags that look cute and fashionable almost like second purse

Its by a company called fit fresh and It comes with a larger sandwich cooler that has an ice pack in it as well as a smaller one for fruit 

I also find that the cooler bag is pretty big I can honestly fit both containers and a 32oz. water bottle which is perfect to bring to work with me and will be great for school if I need to bring a meal to go some days. 

So ultimately I would recommend looking in to this awesome cooler bag especially if you are someone who likes to bring a packed lunch to work keeps you eating clean and from going out to lunch because you know you have a great lunch packed in your adorable convenient bag

Also just a side note my new favorite outdoor activity Kayaking!! I love it! My parents just got one and I went for the first time yesterday and I had such a great time its relaxing just you your kayak and the water 

Anywayyy Hope you all enjoyed this post leave a comment below! I would love to talk to any of you! 

Stephaniexx

Any Women Who are Interested in Health and Fitness Should Read This!

I found this article on the bodybuilding.com website and I love it! it has really dispelled a lot of female training myths for me and helped keep me motivated. They past few days I have been struggling wondering if I am lifting to much or over doing this and starting to look like a man but this article has really helped me through my nervous slump! One of my favorite things about this article is that it promotes resistance training for women now I have been using resistance training for the last month and I enjoy it I feel stronger I feel like I am toning and not bulking!! and this really helped to dispel my fear that I will. 

So you can read this article Here >> 8 Ladies Fitness Myths

Now as I have said recently I have been really looking for motivation and my tumblr has been the key! There are many motivational quotes on this site that have been really helping me through and for those of you who do not have a tumblr and are not interested in one I have created a motivation tab  which I pan on really working on and building up for all of you! Below's a quick preview 

Let me know your opinions on the myths I would LOVE a discussion with anyone on this one!! 

Stephaniexx

Beginner Treadmill Interval Workout

While some cardio days I like running endurance (even though I'm not great at it) and others I feel like I get a better work out when I am running Intervals. This is my most recent interval work out that I tried and really loved it pushed me and definitely got my heart rate up. However, this is definitely more of a beginners workout because my brother looked at it and told me to increase some things next time but it was a good start so I figured I will build in to it more and more as I go.

Treadmill Interval Workout

1 Minute Walking at 3.8mph

4 Minutes Jogging 6.3mph

1 minute Run 8.0mph

30 sec rest with your feet on the sides of the treadmill

1.5 minute run 8.0mph

30 sec rest 

1 minute Run 8.0mph 

30 sec rest

1 minute run 8.0mph 2.5 incline

1 minute rest
1 minute run 8.0mph 2.5 incline
1 minute rest
1 minute run 8.0 mph 2.5 incline
1 min rest
30 seconds run 8.0 mph 4.0 incline
1 minute rest
2.5 minute jog 6.5mph
1 minute walk 3.8 mph

This was my calorie burn after those first 21 minutes of interval cardio If you are looking for alittle extra burn like I was I finished out my 30 minute treadmill workout with 9 minutes of  walking at 3.8mph and a 10 incline! this really just keeps your heart rate up and finish out the 30 minutes

This was once the whole 30 was done! It was a great workout for me and it kept me going instead of a long endurance run which occasionally I get bored while doing that on a treadmill. 

I hope you enjoyed this post and let me know in a comment below if you try this workout or if you have any other interval workouts for me to try out! 

Stephaniexx