AFAA Group Fitness Certification: Section 2 + Sweet Carrot Oats

T-minus 3 days until my group fitness certification!  EEEKKKK!

I guess I’m almost as ready as I’ll ever be.  I tend to procrastinate with school related things and I can tell that’s starting to happen.  Although I went through the entire study guide + readings I’ve been slacking a bit this last week.

I’m glad to know that I’ll learn a lot the day of the testing.

Not only am I starting to slack here, I slacked on sharing what I’ve learned with you!  Not cool Heather.  So here it is – the second section!  It’ll be a nice refresher for me, and hopefully you too.  A lot of the information is basic nutrition info… not too in depth.

In case you missed section 1 on the Essentials of Exercise, be sure to check that one out.

Section 2 of AFAA’s group fitness certification study guide ~ what I found most important, a lot of what I already knew and some new info too.

Essentials of Nutrition

There are six different nutrient classes everybody needs…

• Water
• Carbohydrates
• Fat
• Protein
• Vitamins
• Minerals

The different types of carbs…

• Simple – table sugar (sucrose), milk sugar (lactose), fruit (fructose)
• Complex – grains, vegetables, legumes

What are vitamins…

• Non-caloric, organic compounds we need in small quantities (that’s why it’s a micro-nutrient, not a macro-nutrient!) to assist the body in growth, maintenance and repair
• Fat-soluble vitamins (Vit A, D, E, K) must be taken with fat to be absorbed (this is one of the reasons we need fat in our diets)
• Water-soluble vitamins can be taken with anything

What are minerals…

• Inorganic compounds that assist processes in the body like regulating enzyme activity and maintaining an acid-base balance

Dietary guidelines from the US Department of Health and Human Services + US Department of Agriculture…

• Get adequate nutrients within caloric needs
• Keep your weight in a healthy range
• Include physical activity daily
• Food groups to encourage – fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy
• Fats are important – 20-30% of total calories (saturated fats at 10% or less)
• Carbohydrates are key in a diet
• Alcoholic beverages (if you already drink them) – 1 to 2 a day
• Food safety is important – steer clear of bacteria and clean your food properly

I had a great day fitness wise yesterday… and life wise too

First thing in the morning – went to Pump It.  Taught the 5 minute back section and proceeded to sweat a lot during the workout.  I don’t always sweat a lot, usually a little, so it’s a nice change when I do.

Did the work thing.

Later that evening I headed over to my mom’s house for an evening run.  Wednesday nights are the running club runs, but they start at 7 and this one was 30 minutes away.  I just didn’t feel like going home, leaving, then getting home late, so plans changed!  We ran a nice, hilly, and HOT 4 miles.  I planned for us to do a tempo run, but those hills made it challenging enough!

All in all, a wonderful run.  It always makes me happy to run with my mama.

What’s up for today?

Food of course first thing.  Instead of fish liked we planned for dinner Tuesday evening, I ended up making myself a bowl of oats for dinner.  Jacob got home late (bike troubles – they just won’t stay away!) and I didn’t feel like cooking a big meal just for myself, so oats it was!

I doubled the pot so I’d have an extra serving of sweet carrot oats for breakfast.  It was a mighty good idea.

Sweet Carrot Oats
Serves 2

Ingredients

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 2.5 cups liquid (half water, half soymilk)
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• pinch of nutmeg
• 2 large carrots, grated finely (on a micro plane)
• 1 tbsp flax seed, slightly ground
• toppings: peanut butter + cinnamon-coconut crunch spent grain granola

Directions

1. Add everything except the flax and toppings to the pot over medium heat.  Allow to cook for 10 minutes, or until thickened to your liking.  (You can add in an egg for custard oats or egg-white oats here if you want!)  Stir in your flax.
2. Pour into a bowl, top with your favorites and enjoy!

You wouldn’t know the carrot was in there.  When it’s grated super finely it just melts into the oats.  Sneaky veggies in your breakfast!

What’s up for your day?  It’s Thursday and almost the (slightly, scary) weekend!

Heather