It’s official. BodyPump Release 77 is the JAM. It seriously rocks my entire body.
(Source)
(Side note: Doesn’t that puppy look like Kona!?)
For those of you unfamiliar with BodyPump, it is a total-body strength-training class created by Les Mills. The routines are created by Les Mills employees and distributed to instructors and gyms all around the world. A new routine, or “release,” debuts every three months.
It usually takes me a few classes to really get into the groove of a new release. The first time I try a new release I generally concentrate on learning the new routine so I don’t pay too much attention to how my body is responding or the music.
Since I attempted release 77 on Monday, when today’s BodyPump instructor decided to do the new release as well, I was able to really get into it! A couple of new take-aways: The bicep track really is killer. One of the hardest yet! Shoulders are the same way. My arms were screaming during this class!
Oh, and on Monday I said I liked the song played during the shoulder track… I lied (accidentally). It’s the song played during the abs track that is my new favorite BodyPump jam. (It gets good at the 50 second mark.) I like totally hokey songs with a good beat and this one delivers.
Breakfast
After the ‘Pump, a 20-minute walk with Sadie and a quick shower, it was smoothie makin’ time!
Into the blender went:
- 1 frozen banana
- 1/2 c. frozen strawberries
- 1 1/2 c. almond milk
- 1 1/2 tbsp. cocoa powder
- 1 scoop Gold Standard chocolate supreme casein protein powder
- 1 pinches xanthan gum
- 1 tbsp. chia seeds (plus more for garnish)
- 1 large handful fresh spinach
And, in other news, I think I finally figured out why I am currently obsessed with smoothies other than the fact that they’re delicious and give me an excuse to use my beloved Vitamix…
They are HUGE and take a long time to eat!
I’m sure some of you will feel me on this one: I love eating. I love tasting food and enjoy when my meals last longer. Most of my smoothies make around three cups of smoothie goodness for me to eat all by myself. Breakfast lasts a little longer for me when I make a smoothie, which, in my opinion, is a very good thing!
Longchamp, I Love You
Time to get to work… but first, will someone please reassure me that I will be able to find a Longchamp bag in Europe for much cheaper than they are in the United States? I’m slowly becoming more and more obsessed with this tan bag and am making myself hold off in hopes of finding one for less money in Europe in a few weeks.
It folds up into an itty-bitty bag, making it perfect for light-weight travel. I blame Kristen’s guest post for my current obsession…
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I got an awesome Longchamp knockoff for $8 that I use all the time!
i haven’t heard of logcamp but it’s a cute bag…Target has a similar one for cheap! (towards bottom of page listed as merona tote neutral 🙂
http://www.target.com/b/ref=in_se_pagelist_btm_3?ie=UTF8&node=370215011&searchSize=30&searchView=grid3&searchPage=3&rh=&searchBinNameList=target_com_category-bin%2Ctarget_com_primary_color-bin%2Ctarget_com_brand-bin%2Cprice&searchRank=salesrank
Have you tried Kath’s Dough Boy Smoothie? (it’s supposed to be thick, doughy and delicious) I haven’t yet, but I have the prepped blender waiting for me in the fridge, and have high hopes for breakfast this morning! =)
I must be the only one who thinks these longchamp bags are uuuuugly! personal opinion of course…. functional, but not pretty and highly overrated.
your smoothie on the other hand – now THAT is beauty! off to go make one myself!
I love that track for working out too! And Longchamp bags too – too bad they’re so pricey!
Oh man, body pump always sounds killler! I’m so obsessed with getting a Longchamp bag, but not sure I want to spend the $$ on such a basic looking bag. I know it would be PERFECT for traveling though. My good friend took her longchamp EVERYWHERE with us in Europe. It was great because it could fold up super small when she wasn’t using it.
Last year when I went to the Dominican Republic there were Longchamp Bags in Duty Free at the airport. Your posts about the bags are making me want to buy one for my next semester of law school.
I had that tan Longchamp! Just be careful because it will get dirty quickly. Now I have a dark blue big one and a smaller red one and they don’t show any dirt.
If you want to try to save some $, you can try to buy them at an airport’s duty free shop (so you don’t pay tax). I’ve backpacked throughout Europe multiple times and never really say any that were cheaper. The Euro is really strong compared to the dollar so everything will be (much) more expensive :-/
that puppy is THE.CUTEST.THING.EVER.!!!!
i’m totally with you on the smoothies….I have had one after my workouts every single day for the past two weeks
Julie I did a little research on the bag for you. They will most likely not be cheaper in Europe due to the exchange rate. Currently one Euro is about a $1.50 (not in our favor) In France you can find Long champ bags for 180 euros (about $270.00). The London pound is about $1.64 currently, also not in our favor. You see where I am going with with this…
you are fantastic!! thanks so much for taking the time to do this!
Happy to help 🙂 I went to Europe hoping for the same thing. I was sadly mistaken, and bummed that my favs were even more $ overseas. (also, careful on the duty free, no taxes but the exchange rate is still the same).
I hope this helps! 🙂
hi Julie. you can get a cheaper Longchamp in Paris. I was there last semester and I bought a large one (le pliage) for 72 euros.
Bon voyage!
Yes! Exactly the bag I bought!
I honestly never really understood the desire to have those bags. But then again, I didn’t think I would like Vera Bradley either. 😉
I need to try those smoothies. I’ll bet it’s just like cool ice cream.
That bag is a great idea for your travels, love it!
I also love food that takes a long time to eat!
My sister bought the exact same Longchamp bag in Europe, while she was on an exchange (well, acutally, her exchange person’s parents bought it for her – jealous!). She said it was around $150, which is definitely cheaper than here. So hold out 😛
Oh my goodness. That puppy. So. sweet.
I had a Longchamp bag when I did study abroad in Spain, and it was the BEST. Didn’t have to worry about the infamous pick-pocketing as much since it both zips and snaps closed.
Sorry I am super late on this, but ironically, I was talking to my friend this morning about HER Longchamp bag, and it’s a knockoff our other friend’s mom got in Spain for FIVE BUCKS! Definitely hold out and see 🙂
That puppy made my day!!
I absolutely LOVE my Longchamp bags.. I have a large one and smaller purse sized ones and love them all! Plus they fold up to save room 🙂
I would check the prices though because I’m not sure it will be cheaper because of the exchange rate.. just something to think about!
You’re right–smoothie bowls go a looonnnggg way : )best part!!!
P.s. I agree on the bodypump thing-I totally love teaching it the first time and all (b/c it is sooo exciting) but after having done it 1 or 2 times, my body really responds. Now I am extremely sore and have to teach it again tonight (yah and boo! haha).
I don’t love the abs song, but the shoulder one is fun! Hate the biceps song-but it is hard, so that is all that matters.ha 😉
Love the idea of using wheat germ for chicken breading! Also, that smoothie looks yummy, lots of great ideas! I NEED a Vitamix, any good ideas on where to get a good deal on one?
First, I love reading your blog. It’s something I look forward to every day and always learn something new. I have been using some of your smoothie recipes for a while and just love them! Today I purchased almond milk and xanthan gum and what a difference it really makes!! Next on the list, a vitamix 🙂 Thanks for all the helpful tips!
I bought mine in a London aiport last year for much cheaper than it would have been in the states. This was only 3 days into the trip, and then I used the Longchamp bag for the rest of the trip. It was great!
Hi there!
I believe that Longchamp that you have pictured is the same size as the one in my pictures. It is the one I bought in Paris and it was 72 Euro. Much cheaper then the U.S. even after you convert from the dollar. Which is sucking. 🙂
But I’ll say it again. Best.bag.ever. 🙂
Yes to Longchamp bags cheaper in Europe!
That is exactly the kind of thing I like to buy when I go on vacation — something that I love and will get a lot of use out of. Every time you look at it you’ll remember all of the fun of your trip! And it always helps when one of your souvenirs helps you bring back all of the rest of your souvenirs 🙂
Hiya!
They are definitely cheaper! I’ve had one for 10 years and it bit the dust recently. I bought it in the Gatwick airport (London) for almost $50 cheaper then in the states. They are readily available in most airports. Also the tan is a great color but there are tons of colors here in Europe that they don’t have in the states 🙂
Best travel bag by far!
I finally understand your love for smoothies after buying a new blender.. 😀 I even started eating them for dinner 😉
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I tend not to create a comment, however I browsed a few
of the comments on this page Smoothie Love: Explained | Peanut Butter
Fingers. I do have 2 questions for you if it’s okay. Is it only me or does it look as if like a few of these comments look like they are coming from brain dead individuals? 😛 And, if you are posting on other social sites, I would like to follow you. Would you post a list of the complete urls of your public sites like your twitter feed, Facebook page or linkedin profile?