Cari Fit

Fitness Advice, Workout Tips, and Inspiration

Blog

Favorite Holiday Fitness Gifts

Giving the gift of fitness is always a great idea and below I’ve listed some of my latest favorite fitness products that I personally use and love and they are all under $100! Most are available for quick ship via Amazon, Nordstrom or other site (links below) and you can still get them in time for Christmas!

1.Comfiest Leggings from Amazon : Colorfulkoala

I wear workout clothes 95% of my week and that means lots of leggings! I have tried almost every brand and lately my favorite is these Colorfulkoala ones I found on Amazon. Why? They are buttery soft, fit well with the right amount of compression and they have pockets to store my key and phone if needed.

2. Favorite New Workout Line: Calia by Carrie Underwood

My overall favorite for workout clothes is Carrie Underwood’s line: “Calia by Carrie Underwood”. You can buy it online or they carry it at Dick’s Sporting Goods. I’ve tried the bras, jackets, leggings and tanks and they all fit great and are super high quality. They function well at the gym and stay put when they are supposed to. I also love the cute colors and styles that Carrie puts together – she always looks amazing during her workouts (#fitspo)!

3. Best Natural Deodorant: Native

I’ve tried a bunch of natural deodorants over the last couple of years and many just don’t work or don’t work long enough. I really like Native for a solid and it holds up well during workouts and they have some cute gift sets site. I also like EO lavender spray which smells really nice and also holds up really well during/after workouts – a great stocking stuffer!

4. Best Yoga Mat: Manduka

I bought my Manduka yoga mat at a studio in Houston after a recommendation. I’m so glad I upgraded. The one I have is a pretty shimmery coral color on one side and a mat pink on the other (not sure if that one is still available) but they have a variety of cool colors. So far it’s holing up great and has just the right amount of cushion and support for yoga and doesn’t slip.

5. Favorite Dry Shampoos: Living Proof and Detox by Drybar

As a girl who’s always going to/from the gym or teaching classes – I rely on dry shampoo all the time! I’m not a huge fan of heavily scented ones – so that’s why I like Living Proof and Detox by Drybar. They both are scented but pretty light and the smell is pleasant. The main reason I chose these is because they really work the best and don’t weigh my hair down. Gift Idea: These also make great stocking stuffers, or pair them with sweatproof hair ties and gift to your bff who loves to workout.

6. Most Festive Leggings: Goldsheep

I always get compliments when I wear my Goldsheep leggings. I splurge on these for fun, festive holiday leggings. They also make cute “mommy and me” styles!

7. Best Booty Band: Slingshot “hip circle”

I have a variety of resistance bands I use for upper and lower body (great for travel!) and I love using them specifically for glutes/booty work. I have a lighter set I use for squats and leg extensions (I also use these at my bootcamp) but when I need one to stay put, I like the one from Slingshot. This one stays put during donkey kicks, kickbacks, hip bridges, etc and will not slide around or dig into your legs. Gift Idea: You could pair this with a set of colorful dumbbells, a monthly membership to her favorite spin studio or with the jumprope below.

8. Best Jumprope: Degol

I usually use my trusted “licorice” rope but it does get twisted and tangled quite a bit. So, I found this one by Degol on Amazon and really like it. It’s adjustable, lightweight and doesn’t tangle. I use my rope in between weight training circuits or boxing with the bag. Gift Idea: pair with a new set of boxing gloves, classes to a local boxing studio or Spotify membership.

Holiday Hustle Workout

I don’t know about you – but this holiday season seems to be going by so fast! Maybe I’m just in a rush more with holiday parties, kids’ school events, work, etc. but I feel like I don’t have much time for me. But – I know that it’s super important to fit in those holiday workouts to avoid the dreaded holiday weight gain! I think they say that the average person gains between 5-7lb – YIKES. So, my plan this month has been to fit in a small workout 5x week, even if I can’t make it to the gym.

When I do go to the gym – I love to use the bag and do a boxing workout mixed with jumprope and some strength training. Or, I’ll do a treadmill cardio warmup and then hit the weight machines (since I don’t have these at home) and combine upper and lower body. For instance, when I’m resting my quads from the leg extension machine – I’ll do overhead tricep extensions or shoulder presses with a kettlebell. I grab a kettlebell (or resistance band) before I start moving from machine to machine so it’s with me and I can do exercises during my “rest”.

If I’m at home or at the park – I like to do this mini Holiday Hustle Workout! Give it a try and let me know what you think!

HOLIDAY HUSTLE WORKOUT

Tips: To make these exercises harder, you can add 1-2 weights (for squats, elevated lunges, etc). Also, perform the # of reps listed on each leg – except for the jump lunges – just do 20 total. If jumping is too much, just do reverse lunges. You can also repeat the entire circuit if you have time! Comment below if you have any questions!

Pumpkin Workout – Seen on Houston Life TV

I got a chance to be on Houston Life (NBC) this week to demo my pumpkin workout live with Lauren Kelley. I wanted to show viewers at home that it’s easy and fun to workout with your pumpkins this fall! They make great weights (just like medicine balls!) and you can choose your size/weight based on your level of fitness.

Every year I do a pumpkin workout at my Bombshell Bootcamp and it’s so fun! This year we had it again at Whole Foods and I teamed up with my friend Megan from HoneyWereHome.com. We thought that the whole idea of a pumpkin workout fits in well with our theme and ebook “Get Fit Done” – which is all about fitting in workouts whenever you can with whatever you can…even pumpkins! Plus, when you are busy (we are both busy moms of 2) it’s so important to have your workout be fun and enjoyable! Here are some pics of our fun event. Special thanks to Whole Foods for sponsoring and for the great goodie bags and happy hour post-workout!

Here is a sample pumpkin workout you can do at home:

*You can make the pushups harder by doing one-handed pushups with one hand on the pumpkin (just do the same number of reps on each arm). Also, you can swap the squat jumps for regular squats holding the pumpkin. 

Pumpkin Protein Cheesecake – Seen on NBC

This morning I got to go back on NBC (KPRC Chanel 2) to talk about my new fitness ebook Get Fit Done and also National Dessert Month! What?! National Dessert Month? Yes. You can totally celebrate with healthier versions of your favorite desserts! I thought since it’s October I would feature something with pumpkin spice – since we are all about that right about now. But…fyi…watch out for those PSL’s at Starbucks. They are loaded with sugar, fat and calories!

So, here is my take on a healthier pumpkin spice cheesecake with a little protein and healthier ingredients. This is a no-bake recipe an is also kid-friendly!

Ingredients:

  • 8 oz reduced fat cream cheese (I like to use whipped)
  • 1/2 cup organic canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/4 cup stevia
  • 1/4 cup coconut sugar (you can also use a small amount brown sugar)
  • 1 scoop vanilla protein powder (like like Orgain)
  • 4 oz Truwhip (or coolwhip lite), thawed
  • 9 inch Wholly Wholesome organic pie crust

Directions:

Follow the directions for a “no bake” pie and cook the crust according the the directions on the packaging and then let it cool slightly. Make sure you start with room temperature cream cheese or use whipped. Then, whisk together the cream cheese with pumpkin until fluffy (using a hand mixer or spatula) and then add all of the other ingredients except for the whipped cream. Add the Coolwhip/Truewhip last and fold it in. Chill the pie for about 2 hours or until firm. 

Join The Get Fit Done Fall Challenge

I just launched a special Fall Challenge with my friend Megan to help our friends and followers get Fit For Fall! What is it? It’s a free plan for the month of October that includes delicious and healthy fall recipes, tips and new at-home workouts (see the first below)! It’s not too late to join! All you have to do is join our private Facebook group! We are posting a new fall workout, fall recipe and other tips each week for the whole month!

We want to challenge everyone to try to workout 5 times every week (even if it’s just 20 minutes!) and eat healthier. Of course – we encourage you to use our Get Fit Done Guide, which includes 4 weeks of detailed workouts, meal plans, shopping lists and more, but you do not have to. You can do a mix of your own workouts and meals. Many people said they were only interested in the meals, so we just launched only the Meal Plan for only $29!

Here is the first workout we launched this week. Try it out and let me know what you think! Tag me on Instagram (@carifit).

Get Fit Done – Meal Plan

A few months ago I launched a fitness ebook with my friend Megan called Get Fit Done – A Healthy Lifestyle Guide and we are beyond grateful to all of you that have purchased it. We’ve had huge success with the guide and over 2,500 members in our free Get Fit Done VIP group  who are doing the plan! We love hearing your success stories and how easy it is for you to get your workouts in at home!

There were also some of you that didn’t need the workouts, lifestyle printables, or 7-Day Reset, but you definitely wanted help in the meal department.  So, we’re making just the Meal Plan available for purchase separately at a discounted rate. For a limited time, the Get Fit Done Meal Plan will be offered for just $19, before it goes up to the $29 full price. 

The Get Fit Done MEAL PLAN is an instant digital download that you can read on your computer or smartphone or take to a printer to bind into a book.

It includes :

*4 weeks of healthy meals, including breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks

* Easy to follow recipes

* Grocery shopping list

* Color photos

These are meals that Megan and I developed and are family and kid-friendly too!

$29 $19 – BUY NOW

Yoga Flow That’s Easy On Your Wrists

I just got back from teaching yoga in Mexico a couple of weeks ago and had an amazing time. It’s refreshing to step out of my normal teaching environment and try something new. I also don’t teach a lot of yoga anymore – so it was very refreshing to teach 2x a day again.

One of the things I like about teaching classes to people on vacation is that I always get some brand new beginners. It’s nice to have people come that have never tried yoga before and are being more adventurous because they are on vacay! One of the things I’ve noticed over the years is that many new beginners don’t stick with yoga if they have weak wrists. I tend to teach a vinyasa flow style class and it can be a little straining on your wrists with all of the sun salutations, inversions and flows. So, I wanted to share some alternative poses and tips if you have a hard time doing yoga due to weak or injured wrists. If you ever take a class and something doesn’t feel right – don’t be afraid to speak up and ask the instructor!

High Plank -> Forearm Plank

In a vinyasa flow class you will be doing variations of sun salutations and that means beginning in a high plank (or top of your “pushup”) position before you start your salutation: chaturanga, upward facing dog and then downward facing dog. In addition to the flow of class – you may have to hold your high plank longer and engage your core. You can get the same benefits just by lowering down to your forearms. You will still be working your core just as hard.

Downward Dog -> Dolphin

Downward Facing Dog is actually considered a “resting” pose in yoga and depending on your instructor and class style – you may be holding this pose for awhile and not just as part of your vinyasa flow. In this pose – you are making an upside-down “V” shape with your body with your hips at the highest point. Your arms are straight and you are on your wrists. So, it’s natural for your wrists to feel some pressure – especially if you have a few pounds to lose. If your wrists start to bother you, you can hold your down dog pose on your forearms – just like “dolphin” pose. Your hips will still be the highest point and you will get the benefits of the down dog inversion but just on your forearms. Also, it’s completely acceptable to just drop down to child’s pose if you need to give yourself a break.

Chaturanga -> Chaturanga On Knees

The chaturanga is a difficult pose to master in yoga because it requires proper form and upper body strength. It’s also very hard to do from plank position because you are using your triceps which are smaller muscles than your chest, shoulders or back. I usually recommend that beginners do their chaturangas on their knees anyway to build up their strength and form. If your wrists bother you, you can take some of the pressure off by just coming to your knees (like you are doing a pushup on your knees). Just keep your wrists right under your shoulders and try to keep your elbows glued to your sides. By being on your knees, you will not be placing as much of your body weight on your wrists. You can check out my blog post here with a step-by-step on how to chaturanga.

Grasshopper -> Grasshopper with Block

There are many other poses in yoga that require you to use your arms and press your palms into your mat – thus putting pressure on your wrists. One of these is grasshopper pose. Many people lack the flexibility to lower down to their forearms while in this pose but have a hard time just holding themselves up with their arms. A better way to do this is to use a block under your wrists to lengthen your arms (so you aren’t putting as much pressure on them) or you can use the block for your forearms so that you don’t have to come all the way to your mat.

How To Heal A Torn Meniscus Without Surgery

Over a year ago I had just signed up for another marathon and was excited because it was going to be my first one in a few years since having a second baby. Then, a few weeks into my training I tore both of my menisci in my knee and I was devastated. But, with some patience and dedication, I was able to rehab my knee myself and avoid surgery. I wanted to share my story in case any of you have been going through the same thing.

I’m still not sure how it exactly happened but one morning I realized it hurt to bend my knee when I was lying in bed and then the rest of the day it just felt weird. Meniscus tears usually don’t happen from running – but rather an abrupt movement or twist of the knee. I suspect I was just playing with my kids when it happened and just didn’t feel any pain for awhile. For a couple of days my knee just wouldn’t bend and I felt a weird pressure. Then, about 2 days later I looked down and I was like OMG! my knee was the size of a grapefruit. I started icing it and just trying not to do much (which is hard with 2 little ones!). I kept thinking the swelling would go down but it barely did. About a week later I went in to see an orthopedic surgeon and he did an MRI. He then told me that I had torn not one – but both of my menisci in my knee. He offered to “drain” it there to relieve some pressure but I decided not to since I wasn’t in a lot of pain. He said that it may not get worse but that it probably wouldn’t heal on it’s own and many people opt to do surgery. I was really upset and thought I would never be able to run again. But, I decided to try to manage it on my own and see how far I could go with my recovery before giving in to surgery. I had heard that surgery can sometimes make your knees worse – especially if you already have arthritis in that area, which I do from years of running.

I started by really resting my leg and not doing workouts. This was super hard because part of the reason signing up for the marathon was to lose the rest of my baby weight (more on that later!). But, since I couldn’t run at all I was really bummed out. After about 6 weeks of only minimal core and upper body workouts, I added in some light walking. I even tried to jog super slow but the minute I took a few strides I had pain and gave up. After a couple of months mini squats and lunges (1/2 range of motion) were ok but I had to be careful not to lunge or squat too deep. After about 4 months of so-so workouts, I started by walking faster for cardio and doing a little more strength training (If you’d like details on what I did – comment below). Then, I think after about 6 months I slowly started to jog just a little. I still had a tiny bit of uncomfortableness and irritation so I didn’t go far. Over the course of about 9 months I slowly worked my way back up to 2-3 (slow) miles. This past Spring (1.5 years after) I began jogging more and more outside and on the treadmill and slowly increasing my speed. I started adding in more glute and quad workouts too to really stabilize my knee. I feel like this is key. When you have a weakness (often in the glutes or quads) it can offset your knee and make you prone to injury. I had success with this before when I had runner’s knee. Finally, after over a year I was able to get my sprint speed back up! I was so happy a couple of months ago when I was almost back up to full speed at 11.5mph (1% incline) on the treadmill! I really thought I would never get back up to that. It’s still a little slower than I used to do and my overall running speed (and distance) is not like it was before kids – but I have hope!

So, if you have a torn meniscus…here is what I would recommend:

  • Try to rehab your knee yourself first – if you have the time (and dedication) to do it and you aren’t in any pain. But, if you and your doctor think surgery is the best option, then by all means – do that.
  • Stay off your knee at least for 6 weeks then slowly add back in some cardio options that don’t hurt (like walking).
  • Focus on upper body and core the first 4 months and then slowly add back in some non weight-bearing glute and quad exercises that don’t strain your knee.
  • Once you are pain free – add back in light jogging for just 3-5 minute intervals at a time and then walk 2-3 minutes. As your knee starts to handle that, increase your time intervals so you are running 5-7 minutes and walking 2-3 minutes.
  • Once you don’t have the pain and can jog slowly for 20 minutes at a time, then you can start to increase your speed a little. Just follow the 10% rule: don’t increase your speed or overall distance by more than 10% in one week.

*I am not a doctor and highly recommend you consult your doctor first before deciding to treat any injury yourself. This is just my advice and my personal experience.

Flash Sale +My Picnic Bench Workout & Healthy 4th Recipes🇺🇸

Happy 4th Week guys! I don’t know about you – but I love the 4th of July! It’s such a fun holiday to spend with family and friends and mine usually revolves around water sports, grilling and fun healthy treats! Below is a workout that I just posted to my Instagram yesterday. I’m staying with family and they have a picnic table/bench that I used to do a quick 20 min HIIT workout! My family also loves to grill – so I wanted to share a couple of my favorite healthy grilling recipes you can use for the 4th! Megan and I also thought this would be the perfect time to do a FLASH SALE with our GET FIT DONE Guide (see below!)

Picnic Bench Workout

Start by finding a picnic bench or table, or you can just use a bench that is at least 1 foot above the ground. The higher the bench/step the harder the workout! Warmup first for about 5 minutes and then do this quick and simple routine. If you want to add on, you can check out my other bench workout here. My Firecracker Workout is also one of my favorite 4th of July workouts that I do at Bombshell Bootcamp!

4th Of July Recipes:

Chopped Greek Salad

This is a great salad recipe that is from my Get Fit Done Guide with my friend Megan! We have tons of other great recipes (this one is from our low-carb week) as well as 4 weeks of amazing workouts, shopping list, meal plans and more! If you have been wanting to try out our guide – NOW IS THE TIME! We are having a FLASH SALE this week only and offering the guide for only $39 (regularly $79)!! You can purchase via Megan’s site and enter in the code FREEDOM39!

Grilled Mexican Street Corn

I follow Rach Parcel and she recently posted her 4th of July Menu. I love to have grilled corn on the 4th and I saw she made grilled Mexican Street Corn for her family. You can do a similar healthy version:

Brush corn with a little olive oil, small amount of butter or cooking spray. Grill on the grill (with husks on or off) for about 3 minutes on each side, or until the kernels are tender when you pierce them. If you want more of a grilled taste – place them closer to the fire/flame. After they are cooked, sprinkle with a little salt, feta (or queso fresco – Mexican cheese), cilantro, lime juice and optional chili powder (or other spicy seasoning mix).

Healthy Family Recipe: Veggie Rainbow Lasagna

I wanted to share one of our favorite recipes from my Get Fit Done Guide with Megan! We created this family-friendly Veggie Rainbow Lasagna as part of our Week 4 Meal Plan (vegetarian week). If you aren’t a fan of vegetarian meals – you can also add optional ground beef, turkey, or even do a veggie protein like tempeh or tofu. *Tip: I found that if I use a small food processor for the beets – it gives the top of the lasagna more of the pretty purple color than if you just grate them.

We have so many more fun recipes like this in our guide! They are all delish and can be made into family friendly or just for 1 or 2! You can purchase the full guide/ebook HERE or just try our special 7-Day Reset HERE.