Evening Bar Method Workout

Last night's bar method class was great! I got off the waitlist and into Tiana's 5:45pm class which takes place in the smaller studio C. I really like the small studio because the class is small so there is more attention on each individual. My shoulder was really hurting by the end of the day so I did take a few modifications like push-ups against the bar and laying down on the mat during round back. The hardest part of class was during final stretch when you pull on the stretching strap - that seemed to hurt my shoulder the most. We did arabesque for seat work and I was shaking through the whole thing. It had been awhile since I had done it so it took a little bit to get used to the turned out position and having my hips uneven. During foldover it's important to keep your hips squared and not turned out and since I had done so much foldover this month, I had to remind myself that arabesque is different. It works your obliques as well as the underside of your seat. It felt really good!

I got home and made a kale and grain salad. I got the kale and mixed grains from FreshDirect pre-made deli salad. It was made with sprouted mixed grains, including mung bean, letins and brown rice, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, kale, soybeans, cashews and olive oil. I served it with mesclun salad, tomatoes and cucumbers to give it the appearance of being more than just grains in a plastic container! It was delicious and filling for an evening meal (it was 7:30pm by the time I got home so I was eating much later than I was used to). The total was 8 WW Points.

For dessert, I was really excited to bake a quest bar. Since I had a cookies and cream bar before bar method, I opted to only have half of a chocolate chip chunk for dessert. I didn't want too much protein and I didn't think eating 2 protein bars in a short amount of time was a great idea. Tonight though, I prepared to have only 1 quest bar after spin and have 2 hard boiled eggs before the class. The baked quest bar was delicious!! Even more than just microwaving it.

I baked the bar on foil in the oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. The outside was browned and crispy and the inside was moist and gooey. Even having half felt like such a treat! The chocolate chunks and the gooey cookie made me think I was actually having a perfect chocolate chip cookie, but it was even better! I topped it with chocolate peanut butter arctic zero and some coconut chips. It was only 2 WW points for half of the quest bar and I only had half a serving of the arctic zero for 0 points!

Tonight I am going to bake the cookie dough bar (5 WW points). I cannot wait to try that.

This morning I slept in again since I had taken an evening bar method class and had breakfast with Ryan. We made egg white and oatmeal pancakes topped with almond butter and coconut. It looked just like a juice generation acai bowl! I even blended some almond better with the egg whites. It was nice to spend the morning with Ryan (and Haley) and commute to work in 10 minutes. But, it is much harder for me to go to an evening bar class so it's easier for me to wake up and go and have it done with. Because you need 12 hours to cancel a morning class and only 2 hours to cancel and evening class, I can always talk myself out of going at night because I'm too tired from work, or I am too hungry, or I just want to see Ryan. But the mornings need much more of a commitment with the cancellation policy so I just have to get myself out of bed and get to the studio and I know I will feel much better afterwards.

I am exciting to spin tonight too. I haven't been to Pablo's class since before Italy! I know I am going to be sore but I am going to bar method tomorrow morning so that will certainly help stretch me out before my muscles know what happened to them! I usually hate spinning - I hate being yelled at, I hate feeling like I am in boot camp, and I hate thinking that I need to burn calories and sweat in order to lose weight. The problem with spin is that, yes you burn a lot of calories, but that is not an excuse to stuff your face when the class is over. People over eat after a spin class because they think they sweat so much and need the "fuel." I also don't want my muscles to bulk up so I don't turn the resistance knob as much as I could, but I need some resistance so that I do get a good workout and my muscles have something to do. Spinning with no resistance is pointless! I also love spin because I usually get 6 activity points so it's great on weeks (like this week) when I need a boost in points, especially with a 16 course tasting menu on Saturday!! Pablo is a lot of fun though. Pablo (and all of the instructors at the studio) are so encouraging and they tell you to ride for yourself and not for them or anyone in the class. They tell you that you don't have to follow the routine and to be at your own pace - make it about you and what you want to accomplish. It's a great 45 minutes where you break a sweat, you get out of your own thoughts and you listen to some really awesome music and just take a ride.

I hope everyone is having a great day! It's really cold out and I know we're all looking forward to warmer weather. Just stay positive!

XO