Summer is coming!

I recently returned from a 2 week trip to Atlanta, GA and was so looking forward to returning to the same warm weather back here in Michigan. Unfortunately, that was not the case. However, I know that the warmer temperatures will be upon us soon and that means tank tops, shorts, sun dresses and bathing suit season will be upon us in no time!

Below is the May Fitness Challenge. This month we are doing our 5-15 minute workouts Every Minute On the Minute (EMOM). EMOM's allow you to do quality work at your own pace. This doesn't mean to take your time, but also not to rush though that you are not completing the movements through their full range of motion. The way it works using the 5 minute EMOM on May 1st as an example: Set your timer and at the first minute you will do 20 push ups (if you have less than 10 seconds rest take 2 reps off and do 18 (or more if necessary). The idea is to leaving you "fighting" for that 10-15 seconds rest (depending on your fitness level and how challenged you want to be. Beginners might want 15-20 seconds rest. Then you wait until the top of the 2nd minute before you do your next set of push ups. If you are able to complete all 20 push ups in the 1 minute, you will have completed 100 pushups in 5 minutes. 

Saturday's are rest days, or can be used as make up days if you happened to miss a day during the week. Sunday's are a great day to get to the grocery store, or fresh food market to do your shopping for the week and then prepare all your meals. I like to boil 1-2 dozen eggs, back a dozen sweet potatoes, grill chicken and fish, cut up fresh vegetables, etc., so that I have prepared meals during the week. 

Visit my Get Fit with Ris Facebook page for more daily inspiration. If you have a question, please do not hesitate to ask. 

Good luck with this months challenge. Find a friend to do it with you too! 

In Health & Fitness,

Marissa

Some of my favorite recipes

I wanted to share some of my favorite "clean" recipes that are great for any meal of the day. In the Power Cake recipe I substituted applesauce for the butter, and eliminated the brown sugar. I like to use Extra Virgin Olive Oil in a Misto and lightly spray the cooking surface. 

Easy Protein Pancakes – 2 ingredients

2 Whole Eggs

1 Ripe Banana

Optional: Fresh berries

Mash banana and add eggs, mix well (I like to add a little cinnamon to the batter). Heat a pan and spray lightly with olive oil. Cook 45 seconds or until lightly brown on one side, flip and continue cooking until lightly brown.

Makes 4 pancakes – top with fresh berries

Egg Poppers

1 cup sliced mushrooms

¼ cup chopped tomatoes

¼ cup diced sweet white onion

¼ cup diced pepper

1 & ½ cup egg whites

¼ cup chopped spinach

Sauté mushrooms, tomatoes, onion & peppers in small saucepan. Set aside.

Line muffin pan with foil backing cups. Spray cups lightly with olive oil. Combine egg, mushroom and spinach in bowl and mix well. Divide evenly among muffin cups. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Protein packed Pancakes

6 Egg whites

1 cup steel cut or rolled oats (not quick cook)

1 cup low fat cottage cheese

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla

In a blender, blend all ingredients until smooth. I usually just mix well because I like the texture of the oatmeal. Pour ¼ cup of the batter on pre-heated (350F, lightly greased with olive oil) griddle (350F). Flip when they start to bubble. Cook until golden brown.

I like to top with low fat Greek yogurt, or unsweetened applesauce, or fresh berries. These are great cold too!

Power Cakes

2 cups Kodiak Whole Grain Mix

1 cup Milk

1 Egg

¼ cup of unsweetened applesauce 

2 ripe bananas mashed

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

Optional: 1cup dark chocolate chips or chopped walnuts

Combine all ingredients in mixing bowl and blend until smooth. Fill greased muffin cups ¾ full. Bake at 350 F for 14-18 minutes or until golden brown and inserted toothpick comes out slightly moist. Makes 12 muffins or 48 mini-muffins.

Enjoy!

In Health & Fitness,

Marissa Jarrett

Marissa's Burpee Complex

Wow is it April already? I'm sorry I haven't posted on the blog yet this year. I've had a crazy busy start to the New Year. Anyway…happy April and happy spring (well, I think Spring is on it's way here in Michigan….but one never knows). This month I've combined some of my favorite moves and created Marissa's Burpee Complex. I've also inserted a first time video for you demonstrating how the movements are done. I was by myself, and this is probably 1 of 48 different takes and the result of 20-30 minutes, so just in preparing this short video demonstration for you I had a pretty good workout and of course, lots of fun! I should have made a "blooper reel" going back and looking at the many videos I made this morning. Needless to say, I always have fun working out and I'll try and "hire' a videographer for next time! I hope you have fun with this months challenge. 

If this video does not play, you can always find it on my Get Fit with Ris Facebook page 

So, you will do a burpee combined with mountain climbers and then jumping jacks. That will count as 1 rep (see, in this video I said "set" that would have gone on the "blooper reel").  I also show and mention some alternatives you can add into this to keep it fresh such as twisting knee tucks, and jump ropes. As always, modify the movements and repetitions to challenge your level of fitness, and always check with your doctor prior to beginning any exercise program. 

In Health & Fitness,

Marissa

December Burpee Fitness Challenge

Happy December!

I am a day late posting the December Challenge this month, but no worries you can still make up yesterday's 10 Burpees today for a total of 20 on December 2. 

There seems to be a love/hate relationship with Burpees, I for one love them. Sure they suck, but Burpees are a great total body workout completely, functional and only requires the use of your own body weight. Burpees combine a squat and push up while also targeting your lower body, upper body and your core. It's a quick way to get your heart rate up while targeting the muscles in the lower body, upper body and your core at the same time. 

There are many different variations of the burpee, you can check out youtube for one that looks challenging for your fitness level. You do not have to do all the burpees at ones (especially as you start getting into the 40 rep range) break them up throughout the day if you need to. 

You can also check out my Facebook Get Fit with Ris "LIKE" it and post to comments when you are done. Share and do the challenge with a friend to help keep you accountable.

Let's end 2015 in a big way and look forward to a healthier and fitter 2016!!

Thank you again for following along for another year.

In Health & Fitness,

Marissa

Get Fit! Be Fit! Stay Fit!

November Fitness Challenge - Grab your Water Bottles!!

For the last 3 years I have been creating body weight fitness challenges that require no equipment and can be done just about anywhere. This month is pretty much the same except that I’ve thrown in a few movements that we haven’t done in the past challenges. The challenge this month is to create some additional intensity by adding some additional resistance with filled water bottles.

After a certain point your body will begin to plateau, so the additional weight provided by the water bottles (filled with water, sand or marbles) will add more intensity, and maybe to some extent a little more difficulty or challenge. Feel free to add in dumbbells if you choose or modify as necessary.

The new movements include shoulder presses, lateral raises, upright rows, bicep curls, over head tricep extensions, bent over raises and bent over rows. There are some combination exercises including squats with a shoulder press, lunges with bicep curls and jumping jacks with lateral raises. You can also add the water bottle(s) to the sit ups and Russian twists if you desire.

I hope you have fun with this month’s challenge. If I get the time, I may try to make a few videos demonstrating the exercises. You can follow my facebook page at Get Fit with Ris, this is where I will post videos.

I’ve always kept these challenges very “basic” for those who do not go to a gym, or need something “quick”, or for those just beginning a workout program.  If you are looking for something more intense, more challenging just let me know and I’ll be happy to work with you and put something together based on what you have access to.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday with your family & friends!

In Health & Fitness,

Marissa

Get Fit! Be Fit! Stay Fit!

October Fitness Challenge

The challenge this month is all about Tabata training. Tabata's are a great way to kick up your metabolism in a short amount of time, it's the ultimate in High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). You do however have to work at maximum effort to benefit from it. Some day's will be a regular tabata alternating between :20 seconds of work and :10 of rest for 4 minutes. Other days you will repeat the tabata twice for 8 minutes, and some days you'll experience active rest while planking.  

Have fun with this one, and as usual everything revolves around your own body weight so no equipment is necessary except for maybe a tree or a wall for the wallsits and a chair or sturdy table for the dips. 

In Health & Fitness,

Marissa

Get Git! Be Fit! Stay Fit!

Find me on Facebook for daily inspiration, workouts, and recipes!

Get Fit With Ris

September Fitness Challenge

This month you can expect to increase your endurance as you navigate through 4 different AMRAP's (As Many Rounds/Reps As Possible) in the designated time allowances. Remember, form & quality trump your score so please be mindful to work through full range of motion on all exercises while doing your best to complete each workout as quickly as you can. 

September is also Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, and if you have children I hope you are leading by example the importance of physical activity and healthy eating. Too many young children are experiencing critical health problems that were once only inflicting adults. Click on the link where you can find some excellent information, handouts and tweets to help spread awareness. 

One in 3 children in the United States is overweight or obese. Childhood obesity puts kids at risk for health problems that were once seen only in adults, like type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease.

The good news is that childhood obesity can be prevented. In honor of National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, I am encouraging your family to make healthy changes together.

• Get active outside: Walk around the neighborhood, go on a bike ride, or play basketball at the park. Have them join you in the monthly fitness challenge.
• Limit screen time: Keep screen time (time spent on the computer, watching TV, or playing video games) to 2 hours or less a day.
• Make healthy meals: Buy and serve more vegetables, fruits, and whole-grain foods.

Taking small steps as a family can help your child stay at a healthy weight. 

September also raises awareness about the importance of Fruits & Vegetables.

Most people know that eating fruits and vegetables is important for good health, but most of us still aren’t getting enough. This September, I am  proud to participate in Fruits & Veggies – More Matters Month.

Eating a healthy diet with plenty of vegetables and fruits can help you:

• Lower your risk for heart disease and some types of cancer
• Maintain or reach a healthy weight
• Keep your body strong and active

Here are some ideas to help you and your family fit more fruits and vegetables into your day:

• Keep a bowl of fruit handy where the whole family can see it.
• Cut up fruits and veggies ahead of time so they’re ready for quick, healthy snacks.
• Challenge your family to try a new veggie or fruit every week.

Remember, eating more fruits and veggies can be fun – and it’s worth it!

In Health & Fitness,

Marissa

Get Fit! Be Fit! Stay Fit!

Sources:

American Council of Sports Medicine retrieved from: http://www.acsm.org, Health Finder retrieved from: http://healthfinder.gov