Fanci That the Fundamental Movement Patterns

Well it’s well into the New Year and I been at the gym watching trainers teach new gym goers’ new workouts and one thing I do often see the lack of use of the exercise continuum with the clients and in teaching the foundational movement patterns that our bodies are already meant to know.

As a human, our bodies pretty much move the same way as other humans. There are six basic movement patterns that we all do and if you want to be strong, athletic, or just a healthy person you train all these fundamental patterns and they are:

Hinge

Squat

Lunge

Push

Pull

Carry

However, the exercises that mimics these patterns are not right for everyone, or at least not right away. For instance, if you start off with the wrong squat variation for you body type, skill level, or injury history or goal you will wind up with more injury and more problems. 

When most start their fitness journey in the gym they tend to have and idea of what exercise to do not knowing there are modifications or variations to each foundational movement we do. In short there is a starting point we all must or should start from before we jump to the more commonly known exercises. Most who start a fitness journey plan on sticking to it so I want you to forget about training specific exercises and instead train custom-fit movement pattern variations instead. By doing this you will avoid injury, get rid of some aches and pains and reach your strength and physique goals. 

The Hinge

Let’s start off with movement pattern I most commonly seen taught out of order or done with improper form because it is often done completely out of order when it comes to progression with another common exercises, the hinge. The hinge is the beginning part of a movement pattern that is so important because it helps us when it comes to protecting our lower back from injury but so many people have lost the ability to do it correctly. 

The hip hinge is often confused with another common exercise and that exercise is the deadlift, which is a specific exercise that falls under the hip hinge exercise umbrella. While not every hip hinge is a deadlift, every deadlift is a hip hinge pattern.  As one may guess many people don’t deadlift because they think it’s to risky and since deadlift is the only hip hinge most people know they skip training the entire movement pattern. What’s the result, well lower back pain and more injuries of course. 

One must learn to reintroduce and reactivate this pattern safely. The problem is most people jump right to the barbell deadlift from the floor, or right into kettlebell swings, before mastering the hip hinge.

How many times do you bend over in a day? The answer is a lot, it’s one of the most common movements our body does so to ignore would not be wise. To learn how to do it properly to avoid injury would be wise. So, honing this pattern is important for everyone. Mastering the hip hinge, you will avoid chronic flare-ups, lower back tightness, and generalized ‘neural-lock” of your mobility and flexibility. 

Hinge Pattern Progressions

Because this movement is such common movement, we often don’t think on how we do it, so we pick up bad habit when casually performing this movement. So, relearning this movement needs to be done slowly and implemented at lower levels to allow it to be done correctly. Here are the main progressions to use to reactive the hip hinge from the ground up. Take note these are not all hip hinge movements but the ones that most need your attention when relearning this movement pattern. 

Bodyweight RDL (Romanian Deadlift) 

Dumbbell RDL

Barbell RDL

Dumbbell Deadlift

Trap Bar Deadlift

Barbell Rack Pull (or lifting from blocks/plates)

Barbell Deadlift

What one must realize based on their body type, not everyone will have the ability to pull a barbell off the floor with a good neutral spine and that is totally fine. If you happen to fall in that category then just stop somewhere else on the progression list.  Remember based on your body structure, no matter how much your foam roll or stretch, you may never change your anatomy, so don’t force it.

 The Squat

When we think of the squat most of us think of barbell back squat and think getting your “bum” as low as you can go! That is one squat variation, but not the only squat variation nor best for all individuals.

When you think of the exercise “squat” you really should think of it as an umbrella term and under this you find not only barbell back squat, but goblet, sumo, air, jump, wall etc. The squat movement pattern isn’t about any specific type of squat exercise it’s far more important than that, at least if your goals are performance and longevity.

So, you have to ask does everyone need to be able to barbell back squat? The answer to that is, no. However, what most people do need is to display and maintain the ability to use synergistic muscular tension, stability and mobility through the torso, hips, knees, and ankles from an even bilateral stance.  Meaning you need even push through out the entire movement, you shouldn't be pushing more on one side or the other and your core should be should be the center point in the process. 

The squat movement pattern is key player that transcends in the gym. It’s used in our routine activity and movement requirements of our everyday life. However, everyone is different and that means everyone squats differently especially when it comes to loading the squat for power and strength. Identifying the proper squat progression is the first step.

Squat Pattern Progressions

The goal to find the squat variation that will give you the most benefit while minimizing risk of injury. How do you do this? By assessing your current skill level and trainability. And no you don’t necessarily need a Personal trainer to do this but it is recommended because they can better spot bad form and alignment issues.

While some gyms and Personal trainers use fitness assessments or other advance testing they are not always needed. All you need is to use the exercise continuum when it comes to fundamental pattern movements in this case the squat and master the first variation the move up the chain to the next one. It’s quite simple. 

Here’s the basic squat progression used to identify starting points and optimal squat patterns for just about anyone. We start out with the very basic support fundamental movement, then move up to the advanced variations:

Wall Squat

Bodyweight Squat

Goblet Squat

Barbell Front Squat

Barbell Back Squat

Now if you look at that progression you will see barbell back squat is the last on the list.  Let’s be honest for a minute, who’s gone to a gym and seen people in the squat rack with heavy bars on their back look like they are about to fall over or put themselves into traction? A good deal of people in the squat racks need to go back to the basics and get that down first.

Get this the barbell back squat is not even the ideal final squat for variation for everyone.  Here’s the idea, progress up in variations until you can no longer can progress anymore.  Once you figure out your ideal or the “hardest” variation that you can do perfectly then from there you will be able to train the squat pattern without internal restriction, get some awesome training, and minimize joint stress. The goal is to move up the list over time and progress strategically not all at once.

Once you figure out your perfect squat variation to at least start with on your fitness journey you need to fine tune your setup and execution which is how to perform the squat. For this you need to find the right stance and depth for you squat. This is where a Personal trainer does come in handy because it is not always parallel or below parallel when it comes to depth.  If you lower back rounds at all you gone to far. As for stance that is usually what is most comfortable for you. The quickest way (if you don’t think too much on it or don’t have bad knee’s) is jump in the air and land however far apart your feet are is usually (not always) a good starting point on your stance.

The Lunge

 Another overlooked movement pattern is the single leg function known as the “lunge”. Many people skip this movement pattern for many reasons but two main reasons are because they can’t use much weight as the bilateral sexercises and it can be difficult. If you have any weak links or dysfunctions, the lunge will let you know quickly.

However, single leg training doesn’t mean you are always doing some type of balancing act, it can mean emphasis is placed on one leg or side at a time in an asymmetrical stance, which is where the lunge comes to play, remember that even with single leg work, it’s impossible to purely isolate one side from another. There will always be interplay between the left and right sides even out of asymmetrically split stance.

Single leg movement exercise unlocks your strength and movement quality potential. They tap into our primitive patterns such as walking in sequence beginning with rolling over, crawling and pulling ourselves up and finally learned to stand and walk. Of course, not all of that was unilateral, but the movement between the steps was and that primitive patterning is what single leg movements are targeting for re-education.

Single-Leg Pattern Progressions

When most people think of lunges, they think of forward walking lunges and this variation is not ideal for everyone. Especially if your core and lower body are both not very stable. It’s actually a more advance way to lunge and jumping the gun can cause knee pain, SI joint aches and lower back pain. So, it’s best to start from the ground up instead.

Split Squat

Back Foot Elevated Split Squat

Front Foot Elevated Split Squat

Reverse Lunge

Forward Lunge

Single Leg Deadlift 

As you can see the single leg pattern does include a hinge-based movement with the single leg RDL. While there are overlaps between some of the movement’s patterns, this doesn’t devalue their importance in a good plan built around non-negotiable progression of the foundational patterns.

In the lunge pattern, be sure to include both the more knee-dominant variations such as split squats and the more hip-dominant patterns such as RDLs to cover all your bases.

As a type of personal note with this movement, I was training my daughter who I am so proud wants to get into the gym finally! With that being said all these movements are new to  her so I am having to start her from the ground up like I should. Well even with the first progression of this because it can be such work on stabilizing the core it is ok to have something to hold on too or even there to hold on too if you lose your balance to much. When my daughter was doing the split squat her balance was all over the place because her core is not strong so I had her stand by stable object to grab onto if she needed to, which she did as she did the exercise. So this is an option when first starting out as well.   

The Push

I see no lack of upper body pushing in the gym today, however what I do see is beginners going straight to the bench press while never first mastering the stability and the dynamic action requirements of the basic pushing action of the push up. Both exercises move though the horizontally directed plan of motion and target the same muscles, but very different when it comes to the static and dynamic stability component of the shoulder complex.

The reason why it is so important to start with the basic’s especially when it comes to one of the most mobile joints in our body IS because it is one of the most mobile joints in our body.  Meaning it is also one of the most injured joints of our body. Now I can sit here and talk about what the whole the shoulder complex can do what movements it can make and so forth but I probably bore you. It’s safe to say with the push movement we over use and cause injury. In the pull movements we under use so we are under developed in the posterior or back of the shoulder or in our backs all together which also causes injury which we will talk about later.

Movement patterns are put into either open or closed chain depending on contact points with the ground. If the hands or feet are in contact with a stable surface like the ground, the movement is a closed kinematic chain. If the hands or feet are freely moving, that is an open kinematic chain.

With the push-up the hands are on the ground or on another stable surface which is a closed chain movement.  Of course, you may have to adjust to keep your spine in neutral but the idea is to keep the shoulder and wrist align so when you come down so that you shoulder blades are able to move freely. This skill of stability, tension, and torque output in the shoulders and upper back is something that must be mastered in order to translate into a more static stability-based position such as the bench press.

Starting with the mastering the push-up at what ever level you need to begin with, allows the biggest advantage for you in the full body motor learning in the push pattern.  Once you figure out how to integrate core and hip stability to upper back and shoulder tensional recruitment and the push-up is the key in learning how to generate stability in displaying power and strength. Once this is learned in the horizontal plane of motion the vertical pushing will be the next challenge.   

Upper-Body Pushing Pattern Progressions

Since the upper body movement is led by the shoulder which I stated above was the most mobile ball in socket joint in the body, there is a need to break down both the push and pull movement patterns into vertical and horizontal planes o motion.

For the push motion the development starts in the closed kinematic chain and horizontal plane of motion with the push-up and progresses through the barbell bench press. Though the barbell bench is the final movement to master, the push-up will allow a person to move into the vertical pushing patterns while continue to progress through the horizontal patterns as well.

Below are the movement progressions for both the horizontal and vertical push patterns that can be used to identify an ideal movement pattern variation for each individual person based on skill level:

Horizontal Pushing

Hands Elevated Push-Up

Push-Up

Dumbbell Bench Press

Barbell Bench Press

Vertical Pushing

Single-Arm Dumbbell Overhead Press

Dumbbell Overhead Press

Barbell Overhead Press

How well you do a push-up will depend on the stability of the hips, core, and shoulders working together. It would be wise to look into more isolated core and hip functional stability and in this blog, we will look at that in the carry movement pattern, but we all know there are other ways to work on core and hip movement too.

Also, I want to note even though the push-up is the first in the progression, you may not start with the standard push-up or even the hands elevated push-up. If your core stability is not all there and you can’t perform a standard push-up that does not mean give up that mean simple modified. Go to the wall and decrease the angle until you are strong enough to do the standard push-up. There are many variations of the push-up too many to list, some more challenging than even the bench press itself. So, the push-up is where it is at.

When progressing through the horizontal and vertical pushes, be aware of not only the function and patterning of the shoulder and upper body, but the whole body, especially the core and hips and their ability to display and maintain good positioning, tension, throughout the dynamic motion at the shoulders. 

***Just a note to the vertical push pictures: You can progress either standing or sitting with these exercises. I show both ways here. Just a reminder there are many ways to modify and progress many of these exercises. 

The Pull

The upper body movement known as the pull pattern is one of the most misunderstood patterns of the upper body especially as it pertains to developing strong shoulder and resilient back. Strong and stable shoulders depend on pulling more than pushing, however where many people miss this is not understanding the different types of pulling and the planes of motion that each pull take place in.

The most popular pull take place in the vertical plane of motion and it’s the pull-up.  The pull-up has been ingrained as part of our requirement for decades. But it’s important to remember that not all pulling variation were created equal.

See the vertical pull more closely resembles a push-based motion because it places the shoulder into an internal rotation during the dynamic action of the movement itself.  This can cause problems chronically for internally- rotated positions and training compounds to create front sided shoulder pain.

There is nothing wrong with internally-rotated movements of the shoulders, it’s that they are not monitored and tend to be overused causing dysfunction and chronic pain of the front side of the shoulder or shoulder complex in general. Because of the popularization of the exercises the majority of pulling is centered around the deadlift and the pull up which are both internally-rotated movement patterns at the shoulders. 

In order to create a full-body stability at the shoulders through the pull, the horizontal pull which is the row, much first be mastered, before introducing the more complex vertical pull variations off the pull-up bar and beyond.

The back and upper shoulder were designed to function as primary stabilizers of dynamic actions that usually take place in pushing movements. This mean that these patterns can be trained hard, and under high intensities. Mastering the pull from a stable core and posterior hip unit will help develop the strong backside that can support functional movement and that is why this pattern must be a priority

Upper Body Pulling Pattern Progressions

This pattern must first be introduced and perfected from a full-body stability- based postion, which is achieved in the inverted row.  From this position the body is challenged to generate tension and create isometric stability through the legs, hips, pelvis and spine while the upper body works to generate the dynamic force in the pulling motion. Remember you are only as strong as what you can actively stabilize. That is why prioritizing this pattern gets results. 

The functional progression of the movement patterns in the horizontal pulling plane are as follows. This progression is based off of postural and static requirements of the body during the active rowing motion. From having the spine totally stabilized in the chest supported row all the way to needing to actively stabilizing the hip hinge pattern through the body during the bent over row, it’s clear that the majority of the weak links are identified in the core, as opposed to the shoulders in the pulling plane.

I want to note due to the majority of the weak links being in the core you will find you may need to modified the inverted row at first. To make it easier to transition to you can bend you knee at 90 degrees to decrease angle until you get strong enough to increase the angle by straightening the legs and then to make it more challenging increase the angle by elevating the legs.

Horizontal Pulling

Chest Supported Row

Seated Cable Row

Inverted Row

Single Arm Dumbbell Row

Barbell Bent Over Row

The vertical pull pattern needs to be de-emphasized in training sessions but not ignored.  Here are the functional progression patterns for the vertical pulling movement.

Vertical Pulling

Lat Pulldown

Assisted Pull-Up

Pull-Up

Once you mastered the vertical and horizontal pulling patterns, then you need to come up with a solid programming plan around these two planes of motion.

The Carry

We are to the final movement pattern. It’s seems moving your body from one place to another with smooth stability and control has become a lost art. The carry pattern can include loaded variations such as farmer carries this pattern is more associated with generalized locomotion of the body such as walking, running, sprinting to reactionary agility.

The gait is a simple yet powerful pattern that needs to be tapped into right to truly maximized performance while maintaining movement abilities over in a protective way. Because of the reciprocation of the lower and upper extremities during walking and running, the cores is targeted to function as it was originally designed to function and that Is because your arms and legs move at the same time to keep it simple.

This region must be challenged in terms of proximal stability with distal mobility and load when looking to progress athletic or in general performance or getting out of pain. This is why walking in addition to sprint work, loaded carries, and sled pushes/drags are foundational movements in smart programs.

But in order to reap the most benefits while minimizing risk of injuries, there must be a proper progression. We can't start out with sprints and max effort loaded carries. We first must learn to walk before we can run and that is why we are going to stick with the walking form of carry in this blog.

Carry and Locomotion Pattern Progressions

Like I said we are going to stick with basic walking pattern, which is the first part of learning the carry movement pattern. From walking on up, here’s the loaded progression of carries.

Walking

Farmer's Carry

Unilateral Farmer's Carry

Front Loaded Carry

Mixed Grip Carry

Overhead Carry

The carry pattern is primarily programed as a “core emphasized” training in many programs.  Open your mind to specific combinations of hand positions, tempos of walks and duration of time under tension, types of carries, just like you should on any of the above exercises.  As long as you keep good alignment you can challenge yourself by changing hand postion or foot postion, tempo, etc.

These are only a glimpse of the exercises preformed in the gym, but they are the ones you should start and master for your bigger lifts. Obviously, core work needs to be added and all these exercises work your core to some degree. Isolating your core is not a bad idea either. The best bet is if you are unsure take the time and hire a personal trainer to teach you the movement patterns. It will be well worth your investment even if it’s a short time.

A Fanci Blog on Lentils

Hello everyone! Since my nutrition blogs seem to be hit, I figure I write another. I can’t promise I will write a nutrition blog every month but since it does seem to be what you all need more information on and since I am Master Certified Nutritional Consultant, I will be trying to write more blogs on healthy foods and their benefits and tips to stay healthy in your eating a long with other helpful facts. If you want a more one on one personal experience with me that caters to your needs feel free to contact to me, I will be glad to help you!

This blog is going to go over a food that I believe a lot people neglect or forget about which is Lentils. It’s a plant-based protein so Vegans should always have this awesome little food in their diet. I will give you the in and outs of this versatile plant and at the end of this blog I will have some healthy recipes I believe you will enjoy.  If you want more healthy recipes for lentils just contact me and I will be glad to help you out!

What are lentils?

Lentils are a plant-based protein and the edible seed of the legumes, that are versatile and check all the best nutrition boxes. So, let’s take a moment and look at some of the healthy highlights of lentils, shall we?

·        26% of Lentils calories are contributed to protein

·        ¾ of a cup of cooked Lentils provides more potassium than a large banana

·        Lentils provide more Folate than any other plant food

·        Lentils are high in fiber; 1 cup of cooked lentils offers about 16grams of fiber

·        Lentils offer a steady, slow-burning source of energy, due to the mix of the fiber and complex carbohydrates

·        Lentils are rich in a number of vitamins and minerals including magnesium and iron being top of the list.

·        The mix of fiber, folic acid, and potassium in lentils makes them a heart-healthy choice

Now there isn’t just one type lentil, but I am sure you all knew that! There are actually four basic varieties of lentils brown, green, red/yellow and specialty. Let me tell you a little about each type and what they are good for.

Brown lentils are the most common variety any bag in the grocery store that says “lentils” without any other descriptor is most likely full of brown lentils. This is the type I use mainly as well when it comes to my dishes and can range in color from khaki brown to dark black and has a mild, earthy flavor. Brown lentil holds their shape well during cooking, making it ideal for use in warm salads, casseroles, soups, and stews. Brown lentils also work well in veggie burgers or vegetarian meatloaf or going half and half with your meat.

Green lentils are extremely similar to brown lentils, but they have a more robust and slightly peppery flavor and come in a range of sizes. Green lentils can vary in color from a pale or spotted green to a green-slate color with hints of blue and black. Like brown lentils, green lentils retain their shape well. This, combined with their strong flavor, makes green lentils ideal for salads or side dishes.

Then you have red and yellow lentils which range from color of golden yellow to orange and red. They are also the only variety sold “split,” meaning they processed into smaller lentil bits. They are somewhat sweet and nutty and are very common in Indian and Middle Eastern cuisine and are the key to classic dishes such as Indian dhal. Because of their “split” nature, this variety of lentil tends to disintegrate when cooked, making them ideal to use in soups or stews (especially as a thickener), and in casseroles or any other dish where they are pureed

Last but not least specialty lentils. There are many varieties of specialty lentils, but two are most common are black beluga and puy. Both varieties are about one-third of the size of brown or green lentils and have a rich, earthy flavor.

Black beluga lentils when cooked, are shiny, tiny, and black and they look kind of like caviar; hence their name. Thanks to their rich, earthy flavor, soft texture, and appearance, these lentils make a great base for salads or as a feature with any kind of protein.

Puy lentils are grown in the volcanic soil of a specific region in central France called Le Puy. Puy lentils are known for their dark, bluish-slate-green color and rich, peppery flavor. These high-quality lentils should star as the center of a meal. They make a great base for meat or fish, or can be easily featured in a side dish or main dish salad.

Lentils are also very inexpensive for those who are trying to eat healthy and cut on cost. That is actually the number one complaint I get is that eating healthy cost so much. My response is not if you know how to do it right. Well one way is if you are a meat eater is substituting some of your meat options with lentils or mixing. Here are some ideas.

You can incorporate a meat-free meal weekly or make it two. It won’t hurt you in fact it will probably make you much healthier over all and will cut on food cost. Don’t sacrifice your nutrition though, 100 grams of lentils provide almost as much protein as a steak72% of your daily fiber and more than enough of your potassium needs, and that is not adding in all the other healthy ingredients in just a plant-based meal.  

If you want your meat to go further add even a healthier element to it try mixing cooked lentils with your meat (this will not go well with all meats of course just ground meat). Simply swap ¼ to ½ of your meat with cooked lentils in burgers, meatballs, meatloaf, tacos, chili and even pasta sauce.

 Those tips are great but here are a few recipes to get you started. Like I said you want more just contact me!

Ratatouille with Lentils

Ingredients

1 cup dry lentils, rinsed and drained

1 small eggplant (12 ounces), peeled and cubed

2 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano, undrained

2 large onions, coarsely chopped

2 medium yellow summer squash and/or zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut into ½-inch-thick slices (about 2½ cups)

1 medium red sweet pepper, seeded and chopped

½ cup water

¼ to ½ teaspoon ground black pepper

Prep:25 m

Ready In: 4 h 25 m

Introductions:

In a 3½- or 4-quart slow cooker, combine lentils, eggplant, undrained tomatoes, onions, summer squash, sweet pepper, water and black pepper Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 8 to 9 hours or on high-heat setting for 4 to 4½ hours. 

Taco Lentil Soup

Ingredients

1 teaspoon olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 white onion, diced

1 jalapeño, seeded and diced

1 cup green or brown lentils, rinsed

1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes

4 cups vegetarian broth

1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 tablespoon cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (if you like a little heat!)

1 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 cup frozen organic corn

For topping: 1/2 cup Go Veggie Cheddar Shreds

To garnish: Diced cilantro, sliced jalapeno, tortilla strips/chips

Prep time:  10 mins

Cook time:  4 hours

Total time:  4 hours 10 mins

Instructions:

Place a medium skillet over medium high heat. Add in olive oil, garlic, bell pepper, onion and jalapeño; sauté for 5 minutes or until onions begin to brown and soften. Transfer to the slow cooker.

Add in the remaining ingredients (except for the corn) to the slow cooker: lentils, crushed tomatoes, vegetarian broth, black beans and spices. Stir ingredients together to combine, then cover and cook for 3-4 hours on high or 7-8 hours on low. 20 minutes before serving, stir in frozen corn.

Once soup is done, distribute into bowls (or do a meal prep) and top each with two tablespoons of Go Veggie cheese. Garnish with extra fixing’s such as cilantro and jalapeno. Makes 4 servings. Double the recipe for a crowd!

Salsa Verde Lentil Tacos with Mango-Pomegranate Pico

Ingredients

For the Pico:

1 mango, pitted and diced

Seeds from 1/2 of a pomegranate (about 1/2 cup)

2-3 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro

1/4 cup diced red onion

1 teaspoon fresh lime juice

For the lentils & sauce

1 1/2 cups water

3/4 cup uncooked green lentils

1-pound tomatillos

1 poblano pepper

1 jalapeño, cut in half and seeded

3 unpeeled cloves garlic

1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Salt and pepper, to taste

8 corn tortillas (gluten free)

½ cup GO Veggie! Monterey Jack & Cheddar Shreds

Prep time:  20 mins

Cook time:  40 mins

Total time:  1 hour

Instructions:

First make the salsa: Add mango, pomegranate, red onion, cilantro, and lime juice to a medium bowl; stir until just combined. Cover and place in fridge until tacos are ready to serve.

Next make the lentils: Add 1 ½ cups of water and lentils to a medium pot and place over high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 25-35 minutes or until lentils are fork tender and water has absorbed completely. Do NOT overcook the lentils or they will become mushy. Once lentils are cooked, drain out excess water from pot and remove from heat.

While lentils are cooking, make the tomatillo sauce. Remove husks from tomatillos and rinse them under warm water; cut in half and place cut side down on a foil-lined pan along with garlic, jalapeno halves and poblano pepper. Place under the broiler for 5-8 minutes or until the skin of the tomatillos and peppers are dark golden brown and somewhat blackened. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes.

Once cooled enough to handle, peel the blackened skin from poblano pepper and discard. Remove the roasted garlic cloves from their skin and add to a blender along with the rest of the poblano pepper (stem and skin removed), tomatillos and jalapeno halves. Add in cilantro and lime juice; blend for 1-2 minutes or until smooth.

Stir in 1 cup of tomatillo sauce into cooked lentils. Add salt and pepper to taste. Reserve extra sauce for garnish (or you can use it as a salsa with chips).

To assemble tacos: Add 1 tablespoon of cheese if desired in a taco, then place about ¼ cup lentils and top with a tablespoon or two of mango-pomegranate pico. Serves 4, 2 tacos each.

Notes:

Feel free to use 1 cup canned salsa verde or green enchilada sauce for a quick shortcut.

Recipes come from Eatingwell.com and other helpful blogs. I'm not a chef =) so I need help. 

Fanci Ways to Stay on Track in the Winter

Well the days are getting shorter which means the holidays are pretty much here. This is when I notice my client’s schedules start to shift and their routines tend to shift a bit due family time and holiday events or even weather could come into play as a factor and this could mean if not prepared their fitness and nutrition habits and take a hit.

Although it is the holiday season some indulgence and relaxation can be expected and shouldn’t make one feel guilty, but too much can make it tough to get back on track. Sometimes clients just fall off the radar completely. So how do I do my best to help my clients embrace the winter and holidays without losing sight of their goals?  Well here are some of my Fanci tips for you. 

1. Be Prepared for a Decrease in Activity

Realistically, it happens you have shopping, events, plays, parties, get togethers and not to mention the weather! Your schedule is going to 

change and knowing that up front you will have to adjust your exercise time. Knowing that take a good look at your schedule, sadly your personal trainer (me) may not be in that schedule but a 10-minute workout may be worked in. And your Personal Trainer (me) can help you with that 10-minute workout. Remember something is better than nothing.

2. Revisit Your “Why”

As your life gets busy with the holiday season, I want you to jot down the reason or go back to the reasons on WHY you started your health and fitness journey in the first place. Is it to have a stronger immune system, preventing or reducing chronic pain, having more energy or losing some unwanted pounds or simply keeping up with the kids? Whatever your “Why” is write down again revisit it to help you keep yourself on track.

3. Try New Things

I tell my clients and myself “Don’t be afraid to try new things” Guess what I tried this fall yoga! Guess who at first hated it and then LOVED it! This girl! Trying new things can keep you energized and motivated. You can be like me and try yoga if you haven’t or a boot camp. For nutrition try some new spices or new healthy recipes with some season fruits and vegetables.

4. Shift to “Fanci Movement Snacks”

If you can’t even fit in a 10-minute workout in let’s see if you can get a 1 to 2 minute “Fanci Movement Snack” in. Since often times schedules get crazy you need to get moving where ever you can. I have been known to do squats or mini jumping jacks in a check out line. You can also do running up and down office stairs between meetings, parking at the end of every parking lot for more walking, doing lunges down the hall way or doing calf raises while you wait in line as well. These “Fanci Movement Snacks” add up and help with the fact you not able to keep up with yoru regular workout routine.  

5. Plan for Snow Days

I don’t know about you but I live in an area that gets snow (well some snow) so I plan accordingly. I also know my clients won’t want to travel when there is even a chance of snow for safety reason and rightly so. As a Personal Trainer I have come up many and I do mean MANY at home workouts for my clients. We can’t forget the nutrition part of a snow day. Who likes to spend their time in their PJ’s and bake or eat comfort food? Well I for one am warm bowl of soup kind of girl. However, be mindful of what you eat when you are snowed in. Think plenty of hearty vegetables make them into some warm healthy stews.   

6. Gear Up for Outdoor Activity

Even though it gets cold in most places that doesn’t mean everything has be done indoors. Ok for me it does, but that is because I do not like the cold! Many people love running in this weather or cycling or hiking and if it snows try snowboarding or sledding. Shoveling your driveway well that is a workout in itself.  

7. Know Your Nutrition Obstacles

With the holiday’s coming into full swing you will have your nutrition obstacles. Whether it be your aunts’ rum cake or your mom super cheesy pasta dish or an office party open bar. Bottom-line there will be one temptation after another. Identify what is coming and make a plan that balances out those obstacles with healthier holiday eating. For my clients I don’t want them to give up their holiday treats but I do want them to be mindful of them and keep it in moderation. Moderation is key.

8. Have a Go-To Holiday Dish

With the holidays it can feel like there is nothing but less than ideal food options. Many of those less than ideal food options are carbs and normally the unhealthy kind that can send you crashing. Instead of reaching for those look at the local farmer’s market for your fall and winter vegetables and make a good go to dish for the holidays.  You would be surprised on how some of these vegetables can satisfied both your sweet and savory taste buds while staying healthy.  Just look in my Fall recipe blog for some ideas.

9. Prep for Active Travel

Most of us travel some for the holiday’s and it is helpful if we prepare for it. Whether this means putting together hotel room workouts, or looking for yoga studios where you going or even running or walking trails. Also take the time to look for good grocery store or healthy restaurants. As long as you come up with a plan for holiday travel.  

Overall winter doesn’t mean you have to put a stop to your healthy lifestyle. You just may have plan a different strategy   to get around the holiday’s to stay on track. A good solid plan is the key and staying in touch with your personal trainer or coach when you need them (that is what we are here for!)