Pass the Sauce

In case you are wondering what to use for sauce on your pizza, I give you my semi-homemade recipe that I use every time. I do not buy a jar of just "pizza sauce." Rather, I buy many jars of other things, mix those together, and call it homemade pizza sauce.

You will need:

• 1 can of tomato paste
• 1 jar of marinara or other pasta sauce
• 1 cup of red wine, more or less

These were most certainly on sale. Or I had coupons.

Oh look. I found a leftover bottle of chianti.

Put all of those ingredients in a pot on the stove, turn the heat on low (sauces like this tend to bubble, splash, and stain things), and stir it all together to mix it. You may need to use a whisk to break apart the tomato paste. Heat it until it's just a bit bubbly (not boiling), and keep it at that temperature for about 10-15 minutes. Be sure you do keep the heat very low and stir it occasionally - burnt sauce on the bottom of the pot is the worst!

Options for sauce variations:

• Add 1 can of diced tomatoes to the sauce mix. Lots of marinara and pasta sauces already have chunks of tomatoes and veggies in them, but if you want to make it even chunkier with the tomatoes then add these on in there. 
• Add some spices. Again, many of those jarred sauces are already seasoned, so choose spices that will compliment that. Some recommendations: Herbs de Provence, garlic, basil, oregano, parsley, cayenne pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, white pepper, and onion powder.

I was feeling chunky with this batch, so I put some diced tomatoes right in the mix.

Before I really got into pizza making, I thought that tomato paste alone would be suitable as sauce. That could not be farther from the truth. It literally felt like eating craft paste that was heavily flavored like tomatoes. It's a good thing I didn't just stop then and there in the pizza adventure - that would mean this blog would never have been born, or it would really suck.

I know that you can make sauce that's even more from scratch than this, but do try this one if you're looking for something that's pretty simple to put together and always tasty.

A note about the red wine too...definitely use it! It adds that tasty goodness that is hard to describe but you miss it when it's gone. You don't have to use an entire cup, but at least add a splash. Also, it doesn't have to be super fancy, expensive wine. Just something that's tasty that you would have a glass of during dinner.

This recipe is going to give you a lot of sauce. More than enough to cover two pizzas, probably even three. If you're planning on cranking out a bunch of pizzas in  the next few days, you can store leftovers in the fridge (preferably in a glass container...plastic tends to stain). If it's going to be a week or more until the next pizza, I like to pour the leftovers into ice cube trays, freeze those, and store them in an airtight bag for a few weeks. That way, re-heating is a cinch. Just pop about 10-15 cubes into a pot, heat it till they melt, and you've got enough for just one pizza!

Definitely not ice in those trays.

You can store it for a couple months in the freezer, but in my house it would never last that long. I just love it and want to eat it too soon.

Selection of sauce cubes, about to melt down and heat up for a pizza.

Just Doing It

Like my highlighter art on a 5x7? No I'm not in high school. I was just taking a break from staring at my computer screen at work one day and that's how this piece of art came to be. 

So here's a pretty tough, 3-part circuit-style workout, and I invite you to to give it a shot. The "circuit" (part 2) is meant to be repeated 3 times before moving on to the run. If you're more of a beginner, then do it only once or twice through. If you're more advanced you can do it 4 or even 5 times.

So here we go...

1. Elliptical.
You can spend these 15 minutes however you please, but try to make your time worth in on the machine. I did an interval-style workout, going 2 minutes hard and 1 minute easy and repeating that cycle 5 times. Whatever you do, try to keep your RPM's from fluctuating too much, and keep your heart rate and breathing up. This is cardio, and that's how you work your heart and lungs!

2. Circuit.
For each bullet, do the exercise for 45-50 seconds each, and then rest for 10-15 seconds before moving on to the next exercise. That way, each run through it should take no more than 5 minutes.

For the first one, the squat/shoulder press/side leg lift, you can do the exercise somewhat like this exercise from Women's Health.

...except you don't have to use a step (I didn't, I just did this standing on the floor), and you can use dumbbells instead of a weighted bar. And to make it truly a "shoulder press," press the bar or weights above your head when you move from the squat position to the standing on one leg position. Alternate sides as you are doing this.

For the last part, where I wrote Russian twist and plank, you can really do any abdominal or core exercise you please. I just wrote these down because I know they are always tough and it's easy for me to tell if I'm slacking off or cheating with these (because my form goes to crap).

3. Run 400s (that's one lap on a 1/4-mile track).
I know you don't want to do it, but it really is for the best. The idea here is to just drain the rest of your energy. You'll be able to tell if you were really pushing yourself or not from the previous circuit based on how fast you can run the 400 meter repeats.

If you're not lucky enough to have a track right by or in the gym, you can use the treadmill and do the same distance on there. Yeah, I don't like the treadmill either, but you've got to run on something with a marked distance.

This part is all about speed. Any energy you have left should be gone by the time you're done. You should pace yourself to go very fast during each 400, but not an all-out sprint, because you want to actually be able to finish each one running. After each 400, rest for about 1 minute (no more than 1:30) before getting back to the starting line and going for the next one. Be sure to make a note of your time after the first one and try to either match or beat that time for subsequent laps.

4. Cool-down.
This is going to feel so good, because you are done! You can walk it or jog it, or do a combination of both. Just catch your breath, lower your heart rate, and try to loosen up your muscles.

Be sure to get a good stretch after all this too. I was pretty sore the next day after doing this workout (mostly legs), and sometimes there is no amount of stretching that will alleviate that pain, but it can help a little bit.

And in case you're wondering about the status of my bum ankle, it's feeling about 99.5% better, so I deemed it safe to complete this workout. When it's back to 100% you better believe I'll be adding back in some lateral hops and trickier balance moves...there's been nothing worse lately than my bum ankle making the rest of me feel like a bum, so I am very ready to get back on the workout train hardcore this week!

It's My Birthday!

It is true...this day, 27 years ago, I rolled into the world. And just look how far I've come with all my pizzas and exercise things. It nearly brings a tear to my own eye.

So let's get down to business. There aren't too many great restaurants in my small town, and of the handful of ones I like I really wasn't craving any of those for a birthday meal. Yes, despite the time and energy, I made my own birthday pizza because I wanted to. 

I found a recipe for "Antipasta Pizza" on Pinterest last week and decided I'd like to try this as a birthday meal. The basic idea of it is that it's covered with things you'd find on an antipasta platter...but it's on a pizza. It's so genius, I wish I'd thought of it myself. My pizza philosophy is that you can make any meal into a pizza. If you love mac & cheese, buffalo chicken, tacos, or stuffed mushrooms, you (or I) can think some way to top a pizza in those sorts of things. Instantly you have the best of both worlds. Your favorite food and pizza. Instantly! It blows my mind sometimes, I'm sure you just experienced that too. 

Antipasta Pizza toppings:

• 1-2 cups pizza sauce
• 1/4 cup pesto sauce
• 1 6-oz. jar of marinated artichoke hearts, chopped into smaller pieces
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup sliced black olives
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup pickled banana pepper rings
• 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped into small pieces
• 6 to 8 slices of large, round genoa salami (Boar's Head at the deli counter is always good)
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella
• 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Directions:

• Preheat your oven to 500 with the pizza stone inside. 
• Chop all toppings into pieces that are a size you would like to eat. I chopped my artichokes and tomatoes pretty small because they're a little too chewy when they're left as-is. I also cut the salami into fourths because those pieces were sort of massive on their own. The banana peppers and olives came pre-sliced in just the right sizes.
• When the pizza stone is ready, take it out of the oven and place your prepared crust on top of it. 
• Spread the pesto sauce evenly around on that and then spread the sauce on. 
• Add all the toppings on next, starting with the veggies, then the salami, the mozzarella, and finally the parmesan. 
• Pop that stacked za into the oven for 10-12 minutes. Let it sit and cool for a bit when it's done because it is 500 degrees, duh. 

Go as spicy or mild as you want with all those toppings. I used hot banana peppers, making this za very spicy and tangy. It was good. So, so good, and I'm glad I had it for my birthday. I also left it in the oven a little longer than I meant to, which is why the cheese on top looks extra golden. No biggie, as long as it wasn't burnt we're doing good.

Naturally, good friends and good conversation complimented the pizza too. We had our friends Farrah and Anne over to enjoy the meal with us and there was never a dull moment with those two. It's just further encouragement for me to keep making and sharing pizzas!

Look at those magical slices. You may not be able to tell by looking, but they are absolutely mouth-wateringly incredible. Pizza like this isn't dull or even average. It is so flavorful and exciting for your taste buds that it really does not take much to satisfy you. As good as it was I only had one slice with my dinner...never mind all the other stuff I ate. But even still, when it comes to cheap pizzas (or any cheap foods for that matter) you keep going back for more, just hoping and expecting that it will taste better with the next piece. But it never does. Actually, it only gets worse. So make this damn pizza already and experience some good satisfying food for once!

Love & Pizza

I'm not blogging about a recipe today, but this story completely warmed my heart! See the details from the original blog post about how 20 pizzas were gifted to a 2-year old cancer patient. CNN even covered the story!

Look how the pizza just makes their day!

Photos: http://www.ourlittlehazelnut.blogspot.com/

BBQ Chicken & Pineapple Pizza with Sharp Cheddar and a Southwestern Spiced Crust

This is one hell-a exciting pizza. Just look at it! So mesmerizing. All those flavors and seasonings, but nothing so weird that you wouldn't want to try it. 

I'll admit, I was a huge skeptic of pineapple on pizza for the longest time. You could not pay me a king's fortune to try a bite of "Hawaiian" pizza. In my mind, there was no way I was going to enjoy that. I knew a lot of people that ate it and loved it, but I don't know...I never saw myself as one of those people. 

But then suddenly, I was. The sweetness of the fruit and the way it compliments the the smokiness of the barbecue sauce and other spices on here is one that really satisfies all your tastes at once. You will keep coming back for more until there's none left. 

You could do this pizza on a plain crust, but I wouldn't recommend it. All you have to do to make it "southwestern" is add 1 tablespoon of garlic powder, 1 tablespoon of onion powder, and 2 tablespoons of southwestern seasonings to my usual pizza crust recipe. For the southwestern seasonings, just a spice blend from your local grocer will do. Or taco seasoning would probably work as well. Or if you want to get really fancy and do your own reduced-sodium, extra-spicy, outer space blend, then Pinterest and the internet in general are going to be useful to find whats suits your tastes. 

Pizza toppings:

• 1-2 cups pizza sauce
• Your favorite barbecue sauce, about 1/2 cup (Sweet Baby Ray's is delicoius)
• 1 or 2 chicken breasts
• 1/2 Tbsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 Tbsp. onion powder
• 1/2 Tbsp. southwestern spices
• 1 red onion
• 1 20-oz. can of pineapple chunks
• 3/4 cup sharp cheddar, shredded
• 1/2 cup mozzarella, shredded

Chicken chunks are chunky and yummy.

Make it already:

• Preheat the oven to 350. Dice the chicken into cubes that are about 1 inch in size. Toss it with the garlic powder, onion powder, and southwest seasonings and bake it in the oven for 20-25 minutes. Mine was done in 22 minutes on the dot. 
• Preheat a pan on the stovetop with a bit of olive oil in it. Dice your red onion, and sauté it until tender, about 8-10 minutes. 
• Grate your cheese if you haven't already bought a bag of pre-shedded cheese. Any sort of cheddar will do. I do enjoy the taste of a sharp white cheddar but an orange cheese is fine also.
• When all your toppings are prepared, place the pizza stone in the oven and preheat it to 500 degrees. 
• Take it out when it's reached that temperature, place it on your work surface and place your prepared pizza dough on top. Add the sauce on top of that and be sure to spread it evenly all the way around and to the edges.
• The barbecue sauce goes on next. Mine comes in a squeeze bottle so I just drizzled it around in a spiral working from the outside in.
• Top with onions, chicken, then pineapples. Sprinkle the cheeses on top of that. Then add one more spiral of barbecue sauce on top and get that epic pizza to the oven. 
• Set a timer for 10-12 minutes. 11 was the perfect time for me on this one. 

The only request from the husband about this pizza was "more barbecue sauce." As in, replace all of the pizza sauce with barbecue sauce. Now that's just a little bit too barbecue-y for me. Plus I really like tomato sauce. I like it on pizzas, pastas, or even just by itself. But if you are infatuated with barbecue sauce then go ahead and load it up on your za. 

Also, this was a fork-and-knife sort of pizza. Part of the reason for that is because we wanted to eat it as soon as it came out of the oven, which is probably when pizza is most likely to fall apart in your hand and the toppings will slide off, avalanche-style. To me, eating pizza with a fork takes away the pizza-eating experience that I so look forward to. I just want to pick up my slice and tear off a huge chunk with my teeth as soon as I can, repeatedly. But this za has left me with no choice. But actually, I was okay with that. 

Individual bites can be arranged so toppings are distributed equally between bites, and the cooling process occurs much more quickly. But don't be fooled...when it cools some more and when it comes time for leftovers, you better believe I'll be shoving whole pieces at my face. 

Not Quite There Yet...

My Mizunos are getting the break of their lives. It has been two weeks since my little ankle incident and I still have not made a full recovery. And it is killing me. In the meantime I have been swimming, and doing yoga, as well as a few strength workouts, although those also present their own sets of challenges with an injury. 

I did attempt my first run since the sprain - just 3.8 miles - on Monday morning and clocked an 8:30 pace for the workout. Not bad for taking about 10 days off but it was during that run that my body told me that it's still not ready to get back into it yet. A little less than halfway into the run I started to have some killer knee pains on the inside of my left knee (the same side as the injured ankle) that came out of seemingly nowhere. I have never had knee pains before and I can now truly sympathize with those who do! Like a typical runner, I gritted it out and continued running the rest of the way thinking that the pain would work itself out. It did not. In fact, it lasted for the rest of that day. That was one of the few times I actually regretted exercising. It is not worth it to continue to exercise through an injury and risk even more injury. You'll just put yourself out longer and possibly cause permanent damage and imbalance to your joints. Or permanent cankles! Yuck.

That being said, I am a very anxious exerciser and taking a week off or more is simply not an option. Especially when it comes to running. Going for a run, whether it's for twenty minutes or for an hour and twenty minutes just makes me feel more like me. But I must resist for a bit longer! Really, I have to get this ankle better if I ever want to run again. 

So here are some suggestions of lower-impact exercises that can be done with this sort of injury, and they are also things I've actually been doing to stay active:

• Swim. Like I mentioned before, swimming does present it's own challenges to feet and ankles. But I suggest minimal use of the lower body. You can use a buoy designed specifically to keep your legs afloat while you use only your upper body to do the workout. Most public pools where you can swim laps have a supply of these, you may just have to ask the lifeguard. You may find that swimming with this buoy makes the workout a bit easier than normal, so push yourself by actively increasing your speed and power used in your upper body. 
• Yoga. This is a tricky one and I hesitate to actually recommend it. Yoga incorporates lots of balance and stability moves. Putting all of your body weight onto an injured joint is risky. Many other yoga moves that involve twisting and bending may also cause pain in a current injury. Do only what you can handle, or none at all, but don't stop stretching altogether. Do some stretching and flexibility moves daily that don't compromise the injured joint, and hold each for 20-60 seconds without bouncing. 
• The elliptical. This piece of exercise equipment is designed to eliminate any pounding on your joints whatsoever. Depending on your injury, you may be able to handle the range of motion your machine offers. But listen to your body and if the elliptical is affecting the pain then slow down or stop.
• Bike. Same principles apply here as the ones for the elliptical. 
• Strength training. And don't miss a muscle group! Just because you have a hurt part on your lower body does not give you an excuse to quit exercise altogether. Stay on top of core workouts (that includes abs, glutes, back, chest, and even your shoulders a bit). Just be cautious of balance-type exercises (such as planks or anything where you are supposed to be on one foot; even push-ups may be risky because of how you need to support yourself on your toes). Take advantage of some of the machines in your gym. Just be sure to use them properly (read the instructions on the machine or ask a trainer if you need help) and wipe them clean before and after use! (Yes, I know that reading directions, asking for help, and cleaning things that don't belong to you make you feel like a weirdo. But when you get hurt from doing it wrong and then you get ringworm you will definitely be a weirdo.)

What else?

• Water. Vitamins. Minerals. Sleep. Get plenty of these to get nourishment to that joint to help it along with healing. 
• Ibuprofen. Now let me say I'm not a huge fan of disguising the pain because that can lead to a false sense of wellness. However, if 600 mg or less can help take the edge off for you, then I think it's safe to do for a short time. I think you'll find you can live without this one though. 
• Take care of yourself! Whether you're injured or not, protect those joints. Wear the right running/training shoes for you, stretch, and take some time off if you really think you need it. A simple injury like this can happen anytime to just about anyone and it can completely throw a wrench into your training plans. Just imagine if you had planned on doing a race in a week and then all the sudden you're crippled by a seemingly meaningless injury. Sucks. If that's the case I hope you make the decision to sit that event out and just cheer on those who are able to compete in a healthy way. Also not a runner's idea of fun, but it truly is for the best. 

Be well!

This-is-what-was-in-the-house-today Pizza

Thursday was a lovely day - one in which we ate too many wieners and burgers, had more than a "serving size" of chips and dip, drank too much beer, stayed out in the sun too long during the day and stayed up too late after the fireworks. That's right, it was the 4th of July! And what's more American than devouring enough calories in one sitting to feed a third-world country for a month? Nothing!!!

Okay, okay. I know it's oaky to indulge from time to time, as long as we're not doing every weekend to celebrate some holiday, birthday, funeral, long horrible week of work, short great week of work, casual get-together, etc. Believe me, I know that it is so easy to slip into that mindset where we make it okay for ourselves to eat crap and loaf around for countless hours time and time again. But try to stay on the bandwagon. Or at least if you fall off, realize that you can always get back on. And it doesn't have to wait until the new year or even until Monday. It can start with your next meal.

So even though I did eat mostly junk food on the 4th, I'm not ready to do another vegetable cleanse. Part of the reason for that is simply because I don't have too much in the fridge right now and I have even less motivation to go to the grocery store to correct that problem. But I do have a few things, and those happen to be enough to make a relatively healthy pizza. Here we go veggie pizza!

Pizza toppings:

• 8 baby portobello mushrooms
• 10-15 baby carrots
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinaigrette
• 2 cups of fresh spinach, chopped
• 1 6-oz. jar artichoke hearts
• 1/4 cup grated sharp cheddar
• 1/4 cup shredded Mexican cheese
• 1-2 cups pizza sauce  

My preferred artichoke brand right now is Progresso

Prepare those darn veggies like this:

• Preheat your oven to 425. Chop up the baby carrots into thin strips and toss them in the balsamic. spread them out onto a jelly roll pan and bake in the oven until they are tender, about 20-25 minutes. 
• Heat up a skillet with a touch of olive oil. Clean, dry, and chop the portobellos. Sauté those shrooms for about 5-7 minutes, adding in any spices you care for. Usually just some salt and pepper will do. Lots of water will come out of them. It's just what mushrooms do. Drain off the water or transfer them to a smaller dish, sans water.
• Chop the artichoke hearts into smaller pieces.

Okay. Your toppings are ready. Be sure you chopped that spinach a little bit too. Now...

• Place the pizza stone in the oven and turn the temperature to 500 degrees. If it's still at 425 from making the carrots, that's probably okay. If you could allow the oven to cool a bit, put the stone in, and then turn it to 500, that would be even better. Or you could just put the stone in when you make the carrots and continue heating it at this point. When you put the stone into a hot oven you run the risk of breaking it. Or rather, it will break all by its little ol' self in all that heat. It needs to gradually reach that temperature. Still not using a pizza stone? F-you. 
• Roll out some pizza dough and cut it to the shape of the pizza stone (or slightly smaller). 
• When the stone has reached 500 degrees, take it out of the oven, place it on your work surface, put the prepared dough on top, and spread the sauce around evenly on it. 
• On with the toppings! Roasted carrots, mushrooms, artichokes, and then all those lovely cheeses. I know I used a very random assortment of cheeses on this here za, but like the title of the post, it was what I had on hand. 
• Into the hot oven and set the timer for about 10 minutes. Could be done in 8, could be 12. Just keep an eye on it, especially with that spinach on there, because those leaves tend to dry out quick and even burn. 

Soup, salad, and pizza for two!

And just look at how rustic that pizza turned out! Actually, I think "rustic" is just a nice way of saying, "deformed." I was definitely hungry to eat this one because I definitely burned my mouth on my first slice. After it cooled down a bit I could actually enjoy the tastiness. All in all, this was a very vegetabley dinner that was really yummy. I never used to think I could enjoy so many veggies all in one meal as much as I did with this one. Maybe it was the added cheese on top of it all. Hm. 

A fresh salad and some of my Nordstrom's tomato basil soup that I had leftover in the fridge went really well with the pizza too. The soup is actually made with lots of carrots, which is probably why it complimented the carrot-topped pizza so well. 

Go on, take a bite...

You may be thinking that the Mexican cheese on the pizza is out of place and slightly freakin' weird. Yes. That's sort of true. But believe me, it was good. It was a small amount of cheese so the few Mexican-ish spices in there were hardly even detectable. Even if you can taste them a bit, they add a hint of warm spiciness that just goes well with the other flavors. No, you don't have to use Mexican cheeses. You can use mozzarella, more cheddar, or whatever else you care for. 

Sprints and Abs

I'd be lying if I said I ever really wanted to become a runner. When I was in high school I wanted to become more active and involved, so I toyed with the possibilities of joining the swim team (no skills other than to stay alive), dance team (no skills whatsoever), and cheerleading squad (I had some gymnastics skills, but overall, too embarrassing). So much for those possibilities. The track and cross country teams, however, would take anyone - no tryouts necessary. So that's how I found my sport - in the spring of my sophomore year, I signed myself up for track. And every year after that it was cross country in the fall and track in the spring.

And also, I was slow. I would have been lucky to keep a 9 or 10 minute mile pace during my first few races. Now there's nothing wrong with a 9 or 10 minute mile pace for a run, but for a race that's 3 miles or less, that's just not going to cut it. The top girls were running 6 and 6:30 minutes per mile in cross country and even faster on the track.

I don't know if most people at my school even really considered cross country and track to be sports. It was more like every other sport's punishment. I felt like most people would look at the runners like we were crazy, and I have to admit, I can't completely disagree with them. We would wake up early on Saturdays and go for 2-hour runs. Come to school before sunrise during the week and practice. Endure afternoon practices on the cement track in the stadium under the blistering Georgia sun. Run in the rain. Practice running 1 mile...over, and over, and over again with only a minute or so of rest in between. Finish races in so much pain we could barely carry ourselves across the finish line.

Now that I'm not in high school anymore and no one is forcing me to run, I've finally been able to find ways to enjoy it. Yes, I still do tough running workouts that involve sprints and long distances which leave me totally drained, but I can tell how those workouts can make regular runs so much more worthwhile and actually enjoyable.

Running is an easy sport to pick up, relatively inexpensive, and you can reap the benefits of it very soon after beginning. Now I'm not saying it is easy overall - no way even close! When I first started I could barely run for two minutes without getting side stitches and becoming so winded that I needed to stop. But you'll get over that. Your body will become conditioned and before you know it you'll be running for 2 hours on Saturday mornings too!

But we'll build up to that. For one recent workout, I did 10 sprints followed by a 20-minute core workout. The best word I can think of to describe that workout is fierce. You will max out your speed and strength on this one.

But before I get to the workout, a few words on your core...

It is so important and beneficial to have some good solid core strength! It will help you in your daily life because a strong core supports good posture. It will help your stomach look flatter. And it will help you complete other workouts too, both strength and cardio. Especially cardio. It is also a good idea to do core and abdominal exercises near the end of your workout. Why? Because you need  your core to be as strong as possible and stabilize you during the workout. Don't wear it out right at the beginning.

Okay, time to turn off that daytime television, get off your buns, and do the exercises now.

Part 1: Sprints
I did sprints on a treadmill. I'm not a fan of the treadmill whatsoever, but for a workout where you're constantly adjusting the speed, it is tolerable. I guess. This is an interval-style workout. If you can program your treadmill to adjust the speed at intervals that you set yourself, that would be ideal. Also, if you have a timer on your watch or one that you can carry, that will also work if you want to do this outside. The benefit of using a treadmill is that once you set the speed, you can't cheat and slow down. When you're running outside it's easier to slow down without realizing it.

This is really simple:
Set the treadmill at a 1% incline, if using.
1 minute slow/moderate pace (walk or jog) [mine was a 6.0 mph jog]
1 minute very fast (sprint pace) [mine was between 9.0-9.5 mph run]
Repeat 10 times.

So that will be 20 minutes total on the treadmill. You may not be completely recovered by the time you're supposed to go into your next sprint. That's okay. Try to anyway. If you absolutely cannot maintain that fast speed and you think you're going to die trying, take the speed down just a little bit. Also, slow down your slow/moderate pace a bit. You can go really as slow as you want there - it's really the fast sprints that count in this workout.

Part 2: 20 minute abs
So it's not all "abs" but it really focuses on them. We're working chest, back, and obliques here too. Plus a bit of butt and legs. I divided the 20-minute abs into 5 sections and listened to a different song during each. That can help you stay on track and keep you moving the whole time. Complete each section before moving on to the next. Use either one or two hand weights, between 5 and 8 pounds each.

1. Warm-up. Do this section 2 or 3 times (or until you're feeling a little warmed up) before you move on to part 3.

• Standing side bends (stand straight with weight in hands overhead, arms straight; bend slightly side to side, 10-12 reps total)
• Squats with weight (feet shoulder width apart, hold the weight straight in front during the squats, arms parallel to the floor, 8-10 reps)
• Standing oblique crunches (lift knee to the front, twist and tap opposite elbow to it; 8-10 reps per side)

2. Crunches! Do this section 3 times before moving on to part 3. Also, do all exercises continuously, no breaks until you're done!

• 8 crunches with feet off the floor, knees bent at 90 degrees.
• 10 bicycle crunches (so that's going to be 5 per side)
• 8 toe touches using the weight (legs straight up, arms straight up, lift upper body so your hands with the weight in it move closer to your feet with each rep)
• 5 full extensions (keeping arms and legs straight, lower arms and legs to the floor, then sweep them back up to start again before they touch the ground). See pictures below.

 

3. Plank work.

• Plank row, 12 reps alternating sides (that will be 6 per side). See pictures below.

• Regular plank, hold for 60 seconds.
• Back extension on floor followed by one push up. 10 reps. 
• Regular plank, hold for 30 seconds.
• Back extension on floor followed by one push up. 5 reps.

4. Obliques. Repeat this section 3 times before moving on to part 5.

• Russian twists, 30 seconds.
• V-bicycle crunch, see picture below. As many as you can do in 30 seconds without letting your form get sloppy. 

• Crazy Ivans, 30 seconds.

5. Low abs/deep core. Hang in there, almost done!

• 12 V-crunches, weight held against your chest is optional, but try a few! Form should look like mine does in the picture below. Bring your knees and chest close together, then extend away. It would be better to cross your arms over that weight  against your chest if you're using it so you're not tempted to extend it away from your body (which would make this exercise easier/you might as well not even use the weight in that case).

• 30 second flutter kick.
• 45 second plank. First 15 seconds is a regular plank, next 15 add little knee cops (alternating), and last 15 seconds you're back to a regular plank.

Get a good stretch and some water now! If you're familiar with yoga at all, cobra or upward facing dog are great stretches for your abs and core. Child's pose will stretch your back really well too. 

I sincerely hope you've enjoyed the workout as well as the awkward photos of me working out. It's nearly as humiliating for me to post them as it was to ask my husband to take them for me. After he told me, "No, I'm not taking you're picture. I make fun of people who post pictures like that," he begrudgingly agreed to snap a few action shots. So I still think he's kind and I still love him to pieces! And then he did this ab workout with me and we mutually decided it was tough as nails. 

Again, enjoy!