Can I just say how much I am totally loving these Pumpkin Protein Bars?
I brought two of them to work with me this afternoon to have for my snack and man.oh.man are they delicious. The only down side is that immediately after I finished eating them, my lower stomach blew up like a balloon. Not quite sure what’s up with that, but holy bubbles, Batman.
I also brought another cara cara orange with me. They are sooo sweet and delicious.
I actually had my snacks shortly after taking a class, which happened to be the same class that I took last Friday. The burn coming from my lower half today was unreal, and my booty was shakin’ like there was no tomorrow.
And no, I was not dancing.
Part of the reason I’ve taken the class a couple of times is because I may end up teaching it! I had a brief meeting with the instructor afterward, and we talked about a few different class options that are coming up. One thing we discussed that I am really excited about? I’m going to be teaching a new tabata class!
I’ve never done a group fitness class before like this, so I’m a little nervous; but I really do think it’s going to be great and I’m excited to take on this new role in addition to personal training. Where are all my other group fitness instructors out there?? Any tips? Feel free to send ‘em my way! I already have lots of ideas swirling around. 
*****
Lunch
By the time I got home from work I was ready for some lunch, which came together in a snap thanks to some leftovers.
I had half of a leftover stuffed pepper (cold), along with the rest of a salad that we had left from last night. Jay and I actually ordered Ruby Tuesday’s to-go last night (BBQ Chicken + mashed cauliflower + grilled zucchini for me), but we also added on a trip to the salad bar. I loaded up with lots of stuff and planned on us sharing it last night, but I decided last minute to save my half for today.
So glad I made that move.
Now Jay and I are planning on running a few errands for the rest of the afternoon, followed by a trip to stop and visit my parents. Should be a good day!
I was super intimidated when I started teaching boot camp, but it’s fun!
My tips – 1. plan / choreograph the whole thing and make sure you have more than enough to fill the time. We tend to talk fast when we’re nervous, so you want to make sure you allow for that. Oh, and try to slow down while directing :)
2. Don’t do too much during the class yourself. Demonstrate then just direct – especially with a Tabata class they’re moving so fast you need to keep an eye on form.
3. Remind them to BREATHE and get water as needed. Fun classes are a whirlwind and clients tend to forget.
4. Be confident!
Great tips!! Thanks, Monica :)
i didn’t click through the link to the recipe, but if you used jamie eason’s, which calls for a shit ton of fake sugar, that causes the bloat. all the sugar alcohols (anything ending in -ol) can cause serious GI upset if you’re not used to the load.
I actually used regular brown sugar, not the fake stuff, mostly for that reason.
bloat from the bars are prob.. all the fake sugar..
We did this tabata yesterday and it was killer! loved it!
http://www.gppfitness.com/home/2012/2/10/cardio-tabata.html
Throw that at them! I would love a to teach a tabata class! My fav. way to get my sweat on!
Yay! Congrats girl! You will absolutely love teaching. It’s such a joy in my life. :)
I always think that teaching a group fitness class would be fun! Good luck with the new gig! :-)
Congrats, Courtney! Sounds like an awesome opportunity!!
ruby tuesday salad bar is the best! i had no idea you could get it to-go…DEF will be hitting that up soon!
What an exciting opportunity Courtney! I’m not a trainer, but a few things I look for from my instructors are:
1) Great Music, it really gets me pumped up to work out.
2) Energy! If you are excited to be there and work us hard, I will be too! Instructors’ attitudes definitely rub off on their students.
3) Offer water breaks as needed. I hate getting up in the middle of the exercise to get a drink, so sometimes I will skip it when I need it.
Hope those help some :-) No worries though girl, you will be great!
I have been teaching for five years and it’s always tough starting out. I remember my first day, I was dripping in sweat from just the warm up, and it was all nerves.
1) Get the music and the mic set up early before the class so you are not fiddling around with it while teaching.
2) Yes, 50+ people will be looking at you working out. So find all the self confidence that you have and bring it with you.
3) This is not your workout.
4) HAVE A BLAST!!!!
5) Wing it, if you forget your plan and your next move, make something up. No one will notice.
I’m seeing those protein bars popping up all over the blogosphere. I think I need to give wm a shot. But I’m with you on the no fake sugars.
Teaching a class sounds so exciting! You’re going to kick butt!
As a personal trainer who also teaches group fitness, including a Tabata-style class when needed, I can say with certainty that you’ll do fine. Just be confident. As long as you give them a great workout, they’ll love you. And after a few classes, you’ll find a way to balance teaching with working out…if you ever did wish to make it your workout, too. Don’t just stand there, get involved! Students usually like to look at someone, and it often makes it easier to run the class when you’re actually doing it to a certain degree.
Have fun! Can’t wait to hear about it!
Oh, and about the music, it’s one of the hardest things to do as a teacher. Just remember, you can’t please everyone…
Thanks for the tips, Tara! :)
I take it the tummy bloat disappeared in time for lunch? Just wondering if it comes and go fast? I had this problem thursday night but i’m pretty sure it was due to watery veggie overload ;-(
Nope…it basically lasted all day. Sometimes it comes and goes quick, but yesterday was not one of those days.
Fuuun! I would love to take a class with you!
I would love to take a class with YOU! ;)
Did you leave the protein bars out on the counter?
Yup!
I hate feeling bloated after I eat, although I feel it ALWAYS happens no matter what! Boo!
Good luck with the group training! I bet that will be your foot in the door for some regular one on one clients :)
I’ve always thought that it would be fun to teach a group fitness class–good luck!
I randomly get the lower belly bloat all the time. It’s incredibly annoying! I’ve tried to attribute it to a certain food but there doesn’t seem to be just one trigger. Both egg whites and whey protein (dairy) can cause bloating though, so maybe that could be a contributing factor? Hope you are able to figure it out!
I’m the same way, Shana. I’ve never been able to attribute it to any certain food. It just seems to randomly happen sometimes. So weird…
That would be so great to take a class with you as the instructor. Be real and have fun!!!!
That’s awesome that you’ll be teaching a class!! I’ve never had any experience teaching classes, but back when I took them a lot in college, I know that I always appreciated when the instructors really explained how to do a move instead of assuming that we knew how to do it – I especially appreciated that when I was a newbie!
My stomach does that sometimes, too, and I would LOVE to know what causes it!
My favorite group instructor taught a spin class and she was amazingly motivating, but what made it awesome was that she’d pick themes for the songs for her classes. So for instance one day in September she started talking about how pumped she was that her kids had gone back to school after summer break so the song theme of the day was “Back to School” and she had songs like “Hot for Teacher” and “Another Brick in the Wall” (“We don’t need no education…”). The songs could all be from different genres, but they were linked by themes and all upbeat. It was GREAT!
That’s a really cool idea! I think once I start to get the hang of the whole instructor thing, I may have to try that!
Oh that sounds fun!
Thats really cool about possibly teaching some group fitness classes!!! I’ve always thought that would be fun!!!
That’s weird though. I wonder what it was about the bars that did that to you. Did you use the exact ingredients she used? Or did you use any ingredients you don’t normally consume?? I’m very familiar with the bloating thing….it sucks!!!! I actually just got tested for allergies and figured out what has been causing all my bloating, gas and nasty, uncomfortable stuff!!! So it’s interesting to think about what might have caused yours! lol
The only subs I made were regular brown sugar for the xylitol and Sunwarrior vanilla protein powder for whey protein powder. What’s weird is that I didn’t have any problems the first two times I ate them??
When you got tested for your allergies, did you find out what could be causing your problems? I got tested as well, but I’m basically slightly allergic to everything, lol.
hahahah!!! Yes, I did! However, I got tested at a naturopathic clinic….I think they do different tests than a regular doctor. Mine did like 4 different ones. I found out I am apparently HIGHLY allergic to green beans, pinto beans, kidney beans, and zucchini…all of which I literally eat every day. Then I also was slightly allergic to oat, soy, lentils and a few spices….all of which I ALSO eat everyday! My doc said that even if I ate the things I’m only slightly allergic to, if I ate them in combination with other things that I’m allergic to, they would all have a cumulative effect.
I would really recommend these tests (i can find out exactly what they are if you want). They’re extremely comprehensive and give really good answers. So far I have only tried to cut these items out for a few days, because I literally just got the results on Thursday, but I haven’t been 100% successful. Soy is in freaking everything….including my coffee creamer…which answered why I was still getting stomach aches in the morning. But let me tell you, I don’t miss the constant bloating……
I think your energy is great for teaching a fitness class. And that would give you such a great way to talk with gym members :-)
That’s so exciting! I think it looks fun to teach group fitness class, although I’m sure it’s intimidating at first. You’ll be great at it!
Leave a plate of those bars after your classes- your students are bound to love you ;)!
Super cool! I love Tabata style workouts! :) You are going to do great!
Oh man, that’s so exciting that you’re going to be teaching a class!! It always looks fun to be an instructor :) I don’t really have any tips (not an instructor) other than PLEASE pay attention to our form!! I really dislike those instructors who ignore half the class because they’re so caught up in doing the work outs themselves… I mean, I like seeing the instructor do the moves, but if I don’t have the proper form, I don’t get much out of the class.
Good luck!!! :)
The stuffed pepper looks delish! Hope you had a great day!!
Has anyone mentioned Fodmap foods to you? They are foods with fermentable sugars that cause gi unpleasantness and it is cumulative over the day. Google it. Decreasing and eliminating some of the foods has made a world of difference for me.
How awesome to teach a class! I’m sure you’ll do great. I have a desire to eventually teach Zumba, but I feel like I’m not ready quite yet!
I’d love to teach a tabata class since I love doing tabata intervals in my own workouts. I would recommend checking out Fit in Heels’ website, if you haven’t already. She has some amazing interval workouts, and she’s a trainer/yoga instructor
I’m not a fitness instructor but I am a basketball coach and I do a whole lotta instructing! I think the girl’s I coach respond best when I am speak confidently and loudly (not like screaming loud, but you should be speaking louder than a normal ‘inside voice’). A few encouraging words (here we go! Lets go! Very nice!) are helpful in between instructions as well as helpful critques (keep your legs up! don’t bend down!). I think the biggest thing though for me is knowing what I’m talking about. I want to go through a play or a drill a few times in my head or with another coach (in your case, instructor) before I start belting it out to the girls. Also, if you mess up, it’s okay :) It happens…and it helps remind the people you’re teaching that you’re human and so are they!
GOOD LUCK!