Fundamental Fitness Conditioning

🍫🫐This is one of those accidental recipes that you throw together when you’re hungry and then realize how delicious it is!

Warning: these dessert quesadillas are addicting. The walnuts, blueberries, and chocolate go surprisingly well together.

Chocolate-Walnut Berry Quesadillas
Makes 4 servings

● 2 x 10-inch whole-grain tortillas
● 1.5 ounces dark chocolate
● 2-3 Tbsp walnut butter
● ½ to ¾ cup blueberries

Heat a medium skillet over medium heat and place a tortilla in it, warming it for 30-60 seconds on each side. Repeat with the second tortilla.

While the tortillas are warming, melt the dark chocolate in a microwave for about 1 minute, or in a small double boiler. Be sure to stir the chocolate occasionally while it’s warming so that it melts evenly.

Place one warmed tortilla on a plate and spread the walnut butter on it, ensuring it’s covered right up to the edges. Sprinkle the blueberries over the walnut butter, and then drizzle with the melted chocolate.

Top with the other tortilla, lightly pressing it down to gently “smush” the mixture together.

Cut into quarters and serve!

🫐Food of the week: BLUEBERRIES 🫐

Talk about ancient foods – blueberries are right up there with some of the oldest.

They’re native to North America, and Native Americans started picking them at least 13,000 years ago.

There is one big reason these little berries are on just about every “superfood” list.

💙There’s SO much nutrition packed into one tiny berry!

In fact, they have one of the highest antioxidant levels of nearly all fruits & veggies.

● May lower the risk of DNA damage, protecting against cancer & aging
● Helps fight diabetes
● May stop cholesterol from oxidizing (important for heart health)
● Lower blood pressure
● Contain brain-friendly compounds that may help with memory
● May speed up workout recovery
● May help prevent urinary tract infections

Plus they taste GREAT – as a snack, in oatmeal or smoothies, sprinkled over salads, and even added to salsa. (yum!)

What’s your favorite way to add blueberries to your daily snacks and meals? ⬇️⬇️⬇️

REFERENCE:
www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-proven-benefits-of-blueberries
https://blueberry.org/about-blueberries/history-of-blueberries

🔥 WEEKLY CHALLENGE! 🔥

Are you ready to FEEL THE BURN?! Hehheh.

Welcome to your WALL SQUAT CHALLENGE!

💪YOUR GOAL: Do wall squats (aka “wall sits”) every day this week for 90 seconds.

Wall squats can be done by just about every fitness level. They build endurance in your quadriceps (the muscles in the front of your thighs).

All you need is a blank wall to lean against!

How to do a wall squat/wall sit:

● Start with your back against the wall, your feet shoulder-width apart and about two feet (60 cm) from the wall.
● Brace your core and slide your back down the wall until your knees are at a 90º angle and your thighs are parallel with the floor.
● Move your feet if necessary, so that your knees are over your ankles (and not your toes).
● Keep your back (upper and lower) against the wall.
● Hold for 20-60 seconds. Make sure you breathe!
● Stand up and rest. Repeat until you hit 90 seconds total.

PS: Listen to your body, especially if you’re just getting in shape or coming back after a layoff. If going all the way down to parallel is too much, you can start with your thighs at less of an angle!

Are you in? Let us know below! ⬇️⬇️⬇️

🪑How many hours a day do YOU usually sit? 👇👇

🔑THURSDAY TIP: MORE & LESS

One way to boost your daily burn is to SIT LESS and STAND MORE.

And a great way to do that is to use a standing desk for part of the day.

👉Why? I’m glad you asked! Just a few benefits:

● More calories burned: A study showed that standing sheds 88 calories/hour, compared to 80 calories for sitting. It’s not huge but it adds up over time.
● Less back pain: Sitting for long periods tightens your muscles and can hurt your lower back, especially if you have poor posture.
● More productivity: one study found that employees who used standing desks were 45% more productive on a daily basis. (HUGE!)

⭐️Experts say the best bet is to switch between standing and sitting during the day because standing too much can lead to leg and foot pain — plus it isn’t practical for some tasks.

❓Have you ever used a standing desk? What do you think? ⬇️⬇️⬇️

REFERENCE:
www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/standing-desks-help-beat-inactivity

👩‍🍳Ohhh are you in for a TREAT! This recipe will work with basically any mild white fish – as well as just about any tree nut (like walnuts, pecans, and pistachios).

Serve this with a side of sweet potatoes and your favorite veg.

TIP: Grind the oats in your blender or food processor.

Almond-Crusted Fish
(serves 4)

● ¼ cup (60 g) Dijon mustard
● Salt & pepper to taste
● ½ cup (60 g) raw almonds, chopped
● 2 Tbsp ground oats
● ¼ cup (24 g) chopped parsley (fresh)
● 4 5 oz (140 g) fish filets (flounder, haddock, cod, sole, etc.)

Preheat your oven to 400ºF/200ºC and prepare a baking sheet by coating it with cooking spray or parchment paper (or both).

In a small bowl, whisk together the mustard and 1-2 dashes each of salt and pepper.

Set aside. In another small bowl, mix the chopped almonds, oats, parsley, and another 1-2 dashes of salt.

One by one, brush both sides of each fish filet with the mustard sauce and then dredge both sides in the nut mixture. It may help to “mush” the nuts into the fish to make sure they stick.

Place the filets on the baking sheet and bake for 15-18 minutes, until the fish is cooked through.

Serve with your favorite veggies!

💛Almonds might seem trendy, but we’ve been growing them since the Bronze Age … more than 5000 years ago.

Nowadays, not only are almonds eaten in their natural form – for snacking or in recipes – but they’re also used to make almond milk, oil, butter, paste (aka marzipan), and flour.

🔥They are one of the best sources of vitamin E, which is linked with lower rates of heart disease, cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease.

They also are high in magnesium, a mineral most of us don’t get enough of. Plus they’re rich in fiber, protein, and antioxidants that fight aging and disease.

✅TIP: Make sure you choose raw (vs toasted) for ultimate benefit.

Almond butter OR peanut butter: which is your favorite? ⬇️⬇️⬇️

REFERENCE:
www.healthline.com/nutrition/9-proven-benefits-of-almonds
www.factsjustforkids.com/food-facts/almond-facts-for-kids

🔥 WEEKLY CHALLENGE! 🔥

Want a sneaky but powerful way to REV up your metabolism?

How about joining us for “The STAND-UP CHALLENGE”?

👉Your challenge: get up and move around for at least 5 minutes, during at least 10 hours every day.

If you have an activity tracker, you can use it to track your progress, or you can set a reminder for yourself on your phone to get up and move.

✅Here’s why we are doing this challenge:

We all know that being sedentary is not good for you — it’s linked with everything from tight muscles to higher risks of many diseases.

And fun fact: did you know that on average, people sit for 6½ HOURS every day!? That’s HUGE.

Also good to know — one of your biggest calorie burners isn’t your workouts!

It’s actually when you’re moving around outside of your workouts (walking to your car, taking a shower, doing household activities, etc.).

🔥These activities don’t just burn calories. They help your body BURN FAT.

You have an enzyme in your body – lipoprotein lipase (LPL) that plays a role in converting fat into energy. When you are sedentary, it can reduce those levels.

BUT … moving around during the day can help keep your LPL levels up!

❓Are you in? Comment below and let us know! ⬇️⬇️⬇️

REFERENCE:
www.acefitness.org/resources/everyone/blog/6852/6-things-to-know-about-non-exercise-activity-thermogenesis
www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/the-big-numberthe-average-us-adult-sits-65-hours-a-day-for-teens-its-even-more/2019/04/26/7c29e4c2-676a-11e9-a1b6-b29b90efa879_story.html

💪🥇BONUS WEEKEND WORKOUT CHALLENGE!

This workout focuses on some of the “big move” muscles that lead to big strength gains.

As always, be sure to warm up thoroughly beforehand and cool down/stretch afterward.

Post below when you’ve finished it! 👇👇

EXERCISE REFERENCE:
● Deadlift: gfycat.com/frankdecisivekatydid
● Chest Press: media.giphy.com/media/5kFW9nOrLTmNDm9Mhj/giphy.gif
● Row: gfycat.com/academicenlightenedhadrosaurus
● Overhead Press: media.giphy.com/media/d8dJIDZcBbb6dIjXfx/giphy.gif

💡THURSDAY TIP

Don’t want to make a special trip to the doctor to check your blood pressure?

🩺Many pharmacies (like Walgreens & CVS) and some big box stores offer the service for free! Just be sure to double-check before making the drive. Some of them also offer a long list of health screenings.

TIP: While it may be tempting to use the BP machines at the grocery store, they aren’t always super accurate.

❓How often do you check your blood pressure? 👇👇

REFERENCE:
www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-pressure/expert-answers/blood-pressure/faq-20058474