There’s one thing at the gym that gets us going unlike anything else – the Curve. The Curve is a manual treadmill that YOU power. To say it runs on sweat and determination is an understatement. What’s even better is the rubberized belt is shaped in a way that does not do serious harm to your knees and joints like conventional running. The rubber absorbs significantly more of the impact and the light incline aids to the transition between your foot and the treadmill.

How it works: Hope on it and start walking or running, as you increase your incline toward the front of the machine, the belt moves quicker. It is entirely up to you how fast you go. Because of this choice – it forces athletes to challenge themselves, to create their own power. In turn this results in quicker and better results – burning 30% more calories than an electric treadmill (About 200 calories in 10 minutes!!!!!).

At first it is a little weird and takes a few minutes to get comfortable and used to, but we promise you will love the burn and the sweat dripping off your body at the end of your workout.

xoxo
K&A

Eating healthy is not always the easiest or fastest way to get your nutrients, but is the best and cheapest way. “Abs are made in the kitchen not in the gym.” It’s 70% diet and 30% work out. Food prepping on Sundays before your week has begun will help you save time and stay on track with your fitness goals.

We like to prep salads for the week ahead. We cut up some carrots, cucumbers, peppers, and cherry tomatoes then put it in a big tupperware container. This way when we want a salad, we just have to put our choice of lettuce (dark greens: kale, spinach, spring mix) with out pre-cut veggies and a little dressing. We don’t like to add the dressing or lettuce with the pre-cut veggies because don’t want the lettuce to get soggy. Another option is to put the lettuce at the bottom and your veggie mix on top in a mason jar and then add the dressing once you want to eat your salad.

We also cook some form of protein and vegetables such as chicken and broccoli, so that we always have healthy options. With our busy schedules, it really helps us to plan out meals ahead time!

Let us know if you questions!
xoxo K&A

As the saying goes “no pain, no gain,” but that isn’t entirely true. There are certain techniques that help alleviate many types of pain, but our favorite is rolling out. The foam roller is our best friend; HOWEVER, if you aren’t using it properly, you are only doing more damage to your body.

According to The MELT Method, “connective tissue dehydration is the underlying cause of strain and pain in the body as well as the catalyst for your pre-pain symptoms.” With the following technique you can keep your body properly hydrated and healthy in just minutes!

Back of the Legs
Back Thigh Shear

1. place roller under the top of your thighs
2. maintain pressure on roller with legs extended straight and make 4-5 snowmen
3. repeat with focus on one leg and other leg bent
4. move roller halfway down thighs and repeat #2 & #3
5. move roller to right about knees and repeat #2 & #3

Calf Glide and Shear

1. place roller under middle of right calf and cross left ankle over right
2. bend and straighten knees to move roller, repeat 3-4 times
3. rotate calf outward, repeat rolling motion 3-4 times
4. rotate calf inward, repeat rolling motion 3-4 times
5. rotate calf to normal and make 3-4 circles each way
6. repeat #2-5 on left calf
7. repeat entire sequence on lower portion of each calf

xoxo K&A

Yogurt is great way to get the active, good bacteria your body needs for your digestive tract. It’s a probiotic, which means “for life,” referring to living organisms that can result in a health benefit when eaten in adequate amounts. With that said, many yogurts are high in sugar and the ones that are low in sugar don’t taste good. Amanda’s father, also a health and fitness fanatic, created a low-sugar yogurt, oats, and fruit combination that is a tasty and helps to get things moving in your digestive tract.

Mark’s porridge:
7oz FAGE Total 0% Plain Greek Yogurt
1/4 Steel Cut Oats (Cook them)
1 cup frozen fruit (Blueberries, cherries, raspberries)
Drizzle some honey on top!

Optional additions:
Sprinkle some sliced almonds
1 Tablespoon chia seeds

Mix together and enjoy!

xoxo K&A

Here is another one of our favorite green smoothies. It is a great one to start out with if you are just getting used to adding greens to the mix!

1 cup orange juice (trop50 if you want to cut calories!)
Handful of frozen strawberries
1/4 cup of frozen blueberries
1 serving size of cottage cheese or plain Greek yogurt
Handful of frozen spinach or kale

There are a ton of studies about using frozen versus fresh fruit, but honestly we have found that there is not THAT much of a difference. The bonus of using frozen is that you don’t have to use ice which keeps the flavors on par!

Hope you enjoy!
xoxo
K&A

Eating a snack an hour before a workout can give the fuel you need. However, fasted cardio can help you shed unwanted fat. The idea behind fasted cardio is that you’ll get up first thing in the morning and before eating your usual breakfast meal, you’ll head straight for the gym and get in a good 30-60 minutes of cardio first.

For fasted cardio your body is likely to uses its own fat to store fuel instead of the food you most recently ate, and those stored fats may be accessed faster. Therefore, fasted cardio will help you to lose more fast in your cardio session. Fasted cardio works because it helps you to become more efficient at using fat for fuel and because your hormones and metabolism are all in the perfect alignment.

First thing in the morning, after you’ve been fasting all night, your body’s natural level are optimal for fat loss. After not eating for about 10 hours, your insulin levels are very low. When insulin levels are low, your body is better able to release and transport fatty acids. In the morning, your circulating blood sugar is also low. Some people might think this is a bad thing, and it can be if it ends up impairing your cardio performance. However, if it doesn’t, low blood sugar forces your body to begin using stored fats for energy because there is not enough glucose to sustain your workout.

Fasted cardio is not good for everyone though. If you’re someone who hates morning workouts, or do not think you can exercise on an empty stomach, then this method of fat loss is unlikely to be beneficial for  you. For those who want to accelerate fat loss, or who have had a hard time getting rid of the last bit of fat, fasted cardio might just be the best technique to achieve your desired results. We have done fasted cardio in the past and we can say from firsthand experience that we saw some amazing changes in our bodies!

xoxo K&A

Here’s one of our absolute favorite recipes for a meal replacement smoothie!
We call it the PB&J:

1 cup of soy/almond milk
1/4 cup of blueberries
1.5 tbs of peanut butter
1 tbs of chia seeds
1 handful of spinach or kale

We could literally eat these everyday. It tastes just like a PB&J sandwich, but better! Throw in some protein powder to sustain you longer.

xoxo
K&A