Image of FFC members working out together.

5 Common Form Mistakes Experts See In HIIT Classes

Are you performing these HIIT exercises correctly? Watch below to find out.

According to American College of Sports Medicine, high intensity interval training has ranked in the top three worldwide fitness trends every year since 2014. In Chicago, Orange Theory Fitness and Crosstown Fitness are two popular options for high intensity interval training (HIIT) classes. At FFC, HIIT classes have increased in popularity year over year as well. With over 500 group fitness classes scheduled each week across our 11 locations, you can choose from a variety of HIIT class formats for a quick and effective workout at FFC.  

In a HIIT workout, you perform bouts of high-intensity exercises to raise your heart rate to around 90% of your maximum heart rate before taking a recovery. HIIT classes can last up to an hour, and as our bodies fatigue during classes, our form may suffer, which can exacerbate aches and pains and potentially lead to injury.

Related: Interested in the science behind HIIT?

To help keep you healthy and ready for class, we asked FFC Director of Group Fitness Lois Miller to identify the most common form mistakes she sees in HIIT exercises performed in FFC group fitness classes.

Burpees:

Whether you love them or hate them, burpees are an awesome total-body cardio move. To properly perform a burpee, start with a deep squat to lower the body toward the floor as the torso stays upright. Avoid bending at the waist to place hands on the floor. At the bottom of the squat, your legs will kick back to a full plank.

You have the option to lower into a push-up from plank position, but be careful not to bounce your chest off the ground as an alternative. To finish the move, hop feet forward toward your hands and land in a squat before ending with a vertical jump.

Burpees are a staple in FFC group fitness classes like Motiv8. This high intensity training workout is designed to increase aerobic and anaerobic capacity, enhance power production and develop overall strength. Short 20-second intervals at your “max” are followed by a 10-second rest, which is repeated for 8 total rounds. Six exercises per class are completed for an overall total body fat-burning workout.

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Jump Squats:

Jump squats are another great exercise to ramp up your heart rate in a HIIT workout. A correct jump squat starts in a bent knee position. This explosive move powers through the low body, extending through the knees and hips, followed by a soft landing, again loading through the low body. Avoid locking out your knees and hips throughout this exercise.

You’ll find jump squats as part of the programming in FFC classes like Total Body Blast. Total Body Blast utilizes medium weights and combines cardio, strength and core exercises into one dynamic session.

Related: Ready to give HIIT a try? Check out this HIIT workout.

Lateral Shuffles:

The lateral shuffle is a great way to incorporate that side-to-side movement that is often missing in exercise and training programs. Contender, our boxing conditioning class, often utilizes lateral shuffles as a total-body HIIT exercise. In Contender, you’ll perform easy to follow 3 minute boxing combinations on the bag combined with compound strength exercises to maximize heart rate and improve coordination. 

In a correct lateral shuffle, the hips and shoulders should be stacked and the knees should be bent to provide a low center of gravity. Twisting the torso and creating a high center of gravity should be avoided for proper execution.

One of the important things to remember is, as we fatigue in our classes, your performance level is going to have a tendency to drop. So, if you are in any of our high intensity interval training classes, and you need to take a break, take it.

Lois Miller

High Knees:

High knees are often used as part of a warm-up or as a cardio burst in classes like Formula 94. This calorie-torching format is performed barefoot in a 94-degree studio with 40% humidity. The use of light to moderate hand weights will help you incinerate body fat as you tone and define your body from head to toe.

The next time your instructor calls for high knees, remember these tips for proper form:

In a correct high knees position, the torso should remain upright (almost like you are slightly leaning back). Avoid rounding your shoulders. Your lower body should have a slight posterior pelvic tilt and the abdominal wall should be pulled in, drawing the knees up.

Weighted Swings:

Weighted swings, performed either with a kettlebell or dumbbells, are a big part of our classes on the turf, called The Faction. The Faction is where you go for serious workouts: expert instructors keep sessions fresh and exciting with all the latest types of programming, while fitness testing allows you to keep track of your progress.

Take your next workout to the turf and perform the perfect weighted swing: 

A proper swing is a hip-dominant exercise, not knee- or arm-dominated. It is key to engage the core, breathe through the work and avoid bringing the weight overhead. The most common mistake is squatting with the weight and using the arms to raise the weight, instead of the proper form of hinging at the hips and letting momentum propel the weight forward.

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Ready To Take A HIIT Class?

As an FFC member, you have access to all kinds of group fitness classes with one membership. Get your heart pumping with one of FFC’s HIIT classes mentioned in this article – Motiv8, Total Body Blast, The Faction, Contender and Formula94 – plus many more! 

Head to our FFC Group Fitness page to read class descriptions, see the schedule and plan your next workout today! 

Not an FFC member yet? No problem! You can try any of our class offerings free with a one-day trial!

Read Full Video Transcript Below

Lois Miller:

Hello Chicago, I am Lois Miller, Group Fitness Director for Fitness Formula Clubs, and we are at our Union Station location today. I am here with Becca Faria. She is one of our exclusive group fitness instructors and today we are going to take you through some of the most common exercises that you see in high intensity interval training classes, and we’re also going to walk you through some of the most common form mistakes that a lot of us make. Are you ready to go?

Becca Faria:

Ready to go.

Lois Miller:

Alright, so five of our exercises: the first one’s going to be a burpee, then we’re going to go into jump squats, then we’re going to go into a lateral shuffle. Then we’re going to follow that up with high knees and then we’re going to round it out with weighted swings, an exercise that you would actually perform with dumbbells.

Becca Faria:

Mm-hmm (affirmative).

Lois Miller:

Alright, so here we go, everybody. The burpee: so the burpee is such a wonderful exercise that we love to choose. It is so popular with group fitness instructors and trainers because it is a total body exercise, and with high intensity interval training, we want to pick exercises that are going to ramp that heart rate up quickly, and as you can see, the burpee is one of them. So, one of the things we want you to really focus on, and Becca is doing it wonderfully, is when you go down and hit the floor, you are actually doing a deep knee squat as opposed to just bending over and hitting the floor. Show us that Becca, how we don’t want you to do it. The actual bending over to reach for the floor. There you go, you don’t want that heart rate to drop. We actually want your hips to drop, Becca, if you could turn to the side too, so we can see that side view.

Lois Miller:

So she is jumping up, she’s doing a deep knee squat to hit the floor, hands are about shoulder width apart and she’s kipping those heels back. And if you want, you can add to push up like she’s doing on the end. How you doing there? Nice job. Come on, out of it. So Becca, when do you normally like to do a burpee, what kind of classes are you teaching that you’d like to add that in?

Becca Faria:

Definitely in our Motiv8 class.

Lois Miller:

Yes, Motiv8, which is our form of Tabata. It’s 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off, eight rounds of that, and then you move onto the next exercise. What else? Loaded, we’d added a-

Becca Faria:

Total Body Blast.

Lois Miller:

Total Body Blast. Sometimes we’ll add some of these exercises in our Chisel classes as well, which is all about muscular endurance. Nice job on that.

Becca Faria:

Mm-hmm (affirmative).

Lois Miller:

Feeling good?

Becca Faria:

So good.

Lois Miller:

Alright, so let’s move on. So, the next one is a jump squat. Beautiful thing about a jump squat, too, is it’s going to quickly elevate that heart rate. So the way Becca’s doing it here, her feet are about a hip width apart, maybe even a little bit wider, and she’s using the arms to thrust her body up. The thing you want to focus on with the jump squat is a soft landing. One of the big cues that we will give you is load – explode, so you’re loading at the bottom end and then you’re exploding and you’re pushing through those heels. It’s really a great way to elevate that heart rate and it’s fantastic for glutes, hamstrings, quads. Nice job on that, Becca. Well done. One of the things that we don’t want you to do on that jump squat, is we don’t want you to lock your knees out. We’ll see that when people start to fatigue, they’ll do the jump, they’ll lock their knees out and then hit the squat. We want that to be one big fluid exercise. Nice job.

Becca Faria:

Thank you.

Lois Miller:

Are you ready to move on?

Becca Faria:

Ready.

Lois Miller:

Alright, so the next one we’re going to do is a lateral shuffle. I’m going to move out of your way a little bit so you can do that lateral shuffle. It’s just shuffling to one side of your body, tapping the floor, and then shuffling over to the other side. The bigger the space that you have to utilize this exercise, the better. You really, again, want that heart rate to come up, so any exercise where you’re going to be up and then back down again, is it really going to gas that heart rate, it’s exactly what we want. Again, you can see that Becca is keeping her chest lifted but she’s dropping her hips and that is the correct form. One of the important things to remember is, as we fatigue in our classes, your performance level is going to have a tendency to drop. So, if you are in any of our high intensity interval training classes, if you need to take a break, take it and if you have any type of options that you would prefer, just let your instructor know ahead of time. Nice job.

Becca Faria:

Thank you.

Lois Miller:

Alright, we got two more to go, are you ready?

Becca Faria:

I’m ready.

Lois Miller:

Alright, so our fourth one is going to be the high knees, so Becca’s going to show it to you from two profiles. She’s going to show you face on; so with high knees, really driving the arms and bringing those knees up towards your chest, you want to feel like you’re leaning back. Turn to the side back and show us what we don’t want to do. Leaning forward or letting your hips stick out is what we don’t want to see. If you need a modification, you can just bring the knees up and take the jump out of it altogether. Nice job, good work. That’s why we have her doing all of the work because she’s in such stellar shape. Are you ready for our last one?

Lois Miller:

Alright everyone, our fifth and final exercise for you today is the weighted swing. It’s otherwise known as a kettlebell swing, but because we’re doing this in our group fitness classes, we refer to it as a weighted swing, but your technique is going to be exactly the same. So, Becca’s going to show you two different types of swings you can do here. In terms of your technique, you want to drop your body, your torso should be about parallel to the floor, and then you’re going to drive your hips through. So we want to remember, this is primarily a low body, hip thruster exercise, very little upper body at all. Becca, go ahead and turn to the side and show them that swing from the side.

Lois Miller:

So as you can see, her hips are shooting back, but she’s keeping her chest tall. She’s driving her hips through. The important thing to remember here is this exercise is predominantly thrusting your hips, very little upper body at all, so as you fatigue you could either drop down to one dumbbell or do the exercise with no dumbbells at all. Nice job, Becca.

Becca Faria:

Thank you.

Lois Miller:

Alright everyone, I am Lois Miller with Fitness Formula Clubs. Thank you so much, Becca, for joining me with our five exercises– our most common exercises that group fitness instructors like to select when we’re performing our high intensity interval training classes. It doesn’t matter if you’re on the turf doing Faction, you could be doing Loaded, which is a pyramid style class that we have on our schedules, one of my favorites by the way. We’ve got Motiv8, which is Tabata training. We also have Total Body Blast and even in Formula 94 and Chisel, you can see any one of these five exercises. Nice job Chicago, thank you so much. Go online to ffc.com and select any of our class schedules and you can see where to find us next. Thank you so much for joining us.

Post written by Natalie Casper, with expert advice by FFC Group Fitness Director Lois Miller and FFC Exclusive Group Fitness Instructor Becca Faria.

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Uncooked dried lentil in wooden spoon.

Simple Ways to Incorporate Plant-Based Proteins Into Your Diet

More and more frequently, I’m hearing my clients set goals to eat fewer animal products. Whether it’s because their doctor recommended it, their friend is trying it or they’ve heard it’s good for the planet, I’m all about this direction of behavior change. Those that follow a plant-based diet have lower rates of obesity, diabetes and heart disease than those that eat meat. In addition, a diet rich in plants reduces pollution and destruction of topsoil and slows deforestation.  

While completely cutting out animal-based products may seem like the best option, I find that any diet change that happens too quickly is less likely to be sustained. If you are looking to move to a plant-based diet, I encourage you to begin by finding small ways to swap animal sources for plant sources in your overall diet. These swaps can help you get started:

Scrambled Eggs → Scrambled Tofu or Chickpeas

Use the same vegetables you would include with your scrambled eggs, but use mashed tofu or chickpeas instead of eggs. Season, saute and enjoy.

Bolognese Sauce → Tomato Sauce with Lentils

Lentils provide more fiber than ground beef and still house that filling protein. Buy them precooked in cans for ease.

Chicken Stir Fry → Chickpea Stir Fry

That wasn’t a typo! Chickpeas are just as hearty as chicken, but chickpeas help to cut back on the saturated fat and environmental impact of chicken.

Related: 10 Easy Ways to Increase Your Vegetable Intake

Cheese → Nutritional Yeast

Use nutritional yeast on top of pasta, stuffed peppers or roasted vegetables in place of cheese. This ‘seasoning’ packs a punch with B vitamins for high energy and still gives you the umami flavor of cheese.

Yogurt → Chia Pudding

Combine 2 Tbsp chia seeds with 1/2 cup plant-based milk, seal and let sit in the fridge overnight. In the morning, you’ll find a thick yogurt-y substance that you can top with fruit and nuts for even more of a nutritional boost.

Post written by FFC Contributor and Registered Dietitian and Medical Services Coordinator Amy Silver. 

Mature entrepreneur suffering from neck pain

Q&A with Massage Therapist Tony Ryan

Ah, the mysteries of getting older. While I think the process has a lot of perks, the gradual increase of aches and pains is definitely not one of them. Luckily, the growing trend of self-care has proven to be a great motivator in paying more attention to proper stretching, posture, muscle tension, flexibility, exercise, sleep and other factors.

Muscle tension, in particular, has become a big part of my focus as it relates to exercise and injury prevention. I have been paying more attention than ever before to what my body is telling me and actually seeking out semi-regular massage. I decided to do a Q&A with FFC massage therapist Tony Ryan, who focuses specifically on massage as it relates to muscular function. We discussed how massage helps with injury prevention and pain management (lookin’ at you, low back pain) and some takeaways that can help you feel better too.

So Tony, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your background?

I’m a licensed massage therapist and am board-certified through the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork. I’ve been in the industry for a little over six years, and I focus mostly on anatomy, muscular function and making sure the body is in alignment with itself. A lot of times we tend to favor our dominant side until that gets hurt, then it tends to flip to the non-dominant side until that gets hurt. Everything works better if it’s in alignment. So the main goal is homeostasis through therapeutic work.

In your perspective, why do you think people might consider massage to be a frivolous expense or something to be saved for a special occasion?

It’s very much a Western mindset – massage being a luxury. I think it stems a little bit from societal norms and the medical industry – especially the societal issue of people not giving themselves enough care. We take care of our bodies probably the least of anything that we have in our lives. We get beat up constantly. And the rest of the world understands that if your body feels better, you’re going to be more efficient and productive. Whereas here in America, we try to put our heads down, barrel through and think that pain is okay and fine and normal, but it’s really not.

You’d mentioned the medical industry – can you elaborate?

People just want a pill that will cure them, but that won’t actually fix the problem. Whereas massage is work – it’s putting work into your body, and it’s work on your time outside of the massage room taking care of yourself as well. It’s a process, and that’s probably another deterrent for it. We want things now; we want to feel better now, nowadays. But that’s generally just not how the body works.

So talking a little bit about how massage does help – can you explain a little bit about how massage helps with injury prevention and neck/back pain, headaches, etc.?

Every single day we deal with stress. It’s unavoidable. Life is thrown at us – work, transportation – all of these things tend to hit certain areas of the body. The repetitive motions involved in our daily lives cause a lot of muscular tension. Once the muscles tighten into that contracted state, they start pulling the bones out of whack, which starts affecting the nerves, and then it all just goes downhill from there, and it becomes a lot more work to get it all back in place. So for instance, let’s say you’re leaning over a computer – it’s hitting that low back every single day. It’s going to start tensing up all those muscles, which pulls the hips out of whack, and once your hips are out of whack – that’s the foundation for the rest of your body, so everything starts falling out of whack.

Related: Looking to address a specific problem with massage? Learn how to best communicate your needs to your massage therapist.

This is what we put ourselves through every day. Massage helps us fight against that – in the low back, it helps ease up those muscles, makes sure the hips are in line, helps you see if one side is hitting worse than the other. Massage will help prevent the hips from pulling the bones out of whack and as a result, all of the other systems.

Okay, so that’s a little bit about preventative – what about injuries once you already have them?

Massage is definitely beneficial. It gets a bit trickier once there is an injury involved, and it depends on how long that injury has progressed. It might take a little more than a massage – massage is great when it comes to soft tissue, but obviously that’s only a small part of our bodies. Sometimes you might have to consider chiropractic methods or exercise. But at least we’re loosening up those muscles of the affected areas, helping the small supportive muscles play a larger role in that joint or muscle that is affected.

So when you are working with clients, what is the number-one ailment you encounter?

It does vary by person, but I would say a majority of my clients have neck and shoulder issues. Specifically shoulders that are rounded forward, which comes from the computer and desk work that most people do nowadays.

So in your mind, how often do you think people should get massages? Maybe a range – from most ideal frequency to the bare minimum?

It depends how much work is needed right off the bat. Generally to get a head start on things, I recommend people go every 2-3 weeks, but just for the first couple of times. My thought is that if I’m doing my job right, ideally you’re going to be coming in a little bit less. The massage will stick for longer, and we’ll be dealing with fewer issues in general. One massage a month is a good consistency that helps us stay ahead of the stress we deal with in a month. As I was saying before, that stress is unavoidable.

Related: Stressed? Here’s how massage therapy can help.

At a bare minimum, I would say quarterly, at least, so you can get those mental checks in: the awareness that you’re rounding your shoulders, or your one hip is off; you might be using your one leg too much – at least you can keep that in the back of your mind outside the massage room. You may not realize your body is out of whack; your brain is really good at turning off pain signals so that it’s not in pain all day. But pain is important because it tells us we need to get something fixed.

Wrapping up, do you have any other tips for injury recovery, prevention or maintenance you think could be a good takeaway?

The biggest thing is really listening to your body. Being body-aware is really, really important for injury prevention, especially with people who exercise. They might be doing an exercise and they’ll feel pain and say, ‘oh, that’s just me working out’ and push through and finish the set. But like I said, that pain is important because it’s your brain telling you, ‘hey, something is messed up right now’.

Stretching is a big one – at least a morning stretch to get your warmed up for the day, and a nightly stretch to ease away some of that stress from the day, before being stagnant for 6-8 hours while you’re sleeping and have that pain lock itself in there.

And finally, drink more water. That’s my biggest tip, always, to everyone. It might be hard to get used to at first, but your body does acclimate after a certain amount of time. To make sure you’re getting enough, I recommend getting a big water bottle (a half-gallon is a pretty good size) and then mark lines on it with times of the day when you should be finished. You can always play catch up if you need to, but it makes it a lot easier. It’s less taxing to think about it in time slots instead of certain numbers of glasses of water.

About Tony

Have low back or neck pain, curious about injury prevention or want to book an appointment? Email Tony at aryan@ffc.com to set up an appointment at FFC West Loop today.

Post written by FFC Contributor Megan Zink.

Image of a bowl of baby spinach on a granite countertop.

Chocolate Secret Spinach Oil-Free Plant-Based Muffins

Most vegan baking recipes involve lots of oil, refined sugar and refined flour. While these treats are free of animal products like butter, milk and eggs, they can often be less than nutritious. Taking a whole foods, plant-based approach to baking means get rid of refined ingredients. That means no oil, no sugar, no syrup, and only whole grain flour. How can you create a moist, delicious chocolate muffin under those guidelines? The secret: Spinach.

Spinach Adds Moisture, Replacing Oil

Removing oil from a baking recipe can leave you with a dry, crumbly muffin. To replace this lost moisture, I used spinach. Like most vegetables, spinach is packed with water. Technically, you could use any green in this recipe. However, sweet baby spinach is the ideal plant-based ingredient. It has natural sweet flavor, which compliments the flavor of these muffins well. Plus, you can find pre-washed bags in the produce section. Which means it’s quick and convenient.

To add even more moisture to the recipe, I also used unsweetened applesauce and unsweetened plain almond milk. These ingredients help create a smooth batter so that the muffins get plenty of rise during baking. You can use any plant-based milk for this recipe, though. Soy milk and rice milk also work.

Spinach is the secret ingredient to keep these oil-free muffins moist in this plant-based vegan recipe

Dates and bananas add sweetness, which means no refined sugar, syrup or honey

Unlike most vegan baking recipes, I want to keep this whole foods, plant-based. Therefore, I am trying to avoid refined ingredients like sugar, syrup or honey. Even so-called “healthy” sugars like coconut sugar and maple syrup are quite calorie-dense. Plus, they can spike your blood-sugar, making your energy fluctuate.

To sweeten this recipe, I used a combination of dried dates and ripe bananas. Pitted deglet noor dates add deep rich sweetness, similar to brown sugar or coconut sugar. However, they are loaded with fiber, which helps prevent your blood-sugar spike. Bananas have a lighter sweetness, similar to white sugar. They are also loaded with fiber and other nutritious vitamins and minerals like potassium, B6 and vitamin C. Using a combination helped balance the sweetness for these awesome plant-based muffins.

A blend of whole grain spelt flour and brown rice flour creates perfect texture

The last element to consider in this healthy vegan recipe was the dry ingredients. Again, many vegan baking recipes still use refined white flour. However, I wanted to use whole grain flours to keep this plant-based.

It took quite a bit of trial and error, but I found the perfect ratio of whole grain spelt flour and brown rice flour. Spelt flour has a nutty, rich flavor, which complements the chocolate flavor of these muffins. Brown rice flour helps retain moisture. This gives you moist muffins, with the perfect texture. Together, they create a crumble that has a good chew while also staying light and fluffy.

You’ll love these plant-based oil-free chocolate secret spinach muffins. They are: 

  • Moist and Perfectly Sweet
  • Freezer-Friendly
  • Kid-Friendly
  • Healthy
  • Chocolatey

Whole food, plant-based baking means you get more nutrition for less calories. We call this calorie density. Each of these muffins is only:

  • 120 calories
  • 1 gram fat
  • 17% daily fiber
  • 3 grams protein
  • 36% of daily calcium

Level: Medium
Servings: 16 muffins
Ready In: 40 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (200g) pitted dates
  • 5 ounces baby spinach, about 4 cups
  • ½ cup (114g) applesauce
  • 1 ½ cups (330g) mashed ripe bananas (about 3 bananas)
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 6 ounces (3/4 cup) unsweetened plain almond milk
  • 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
  • 1 cup (120g) spelt flour
  • ½ cup (80g) brown rice flour
  • ½ cup (48g) cocoa powder
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup coconut flake

Directions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350. Line 16 muffin cups with parchment paper muffin liners.
  2. For the wet mixture: In a blender, combine the dates, baby spinach, applesauce, bananas, vanilla, almond milk, and espresso powder. Puree until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
  3. For the dry mixture: In a large mixing bowl, place the spelt flour, brown rice flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Use a whisk to combine.
  4. Pour the pureed wet mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Use a whisk to thoroughly combine. Try not to overmix as it will toughen the dough.
  5. To portion and bake the Chocolatey Secret-Spinach Spelt Muffins: Portion the batter into the pre-lined muffin tin, filling each cup about ¾ cup full. Sprinkle the coconut flake onto each muffin. Place in the oven and bake 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick can be inserted and come out clean.
  6. Remove and let cool 10 minutes in the muffin tins. Cool to room temperature. Then enjoy or refrigerate for later.

Chef Katie’s Healthy Cooking Tips:

Spelt Flour: Spelt flour is milled from a whole grain, a member of the wheat family. It has a nutty flavor that accents the chocolate in this recipe. Find it in the baking section of most groceries, near the other flours.

Gluten-Free:  Spelt is a member of the wheat family so it contains gluten.  For a gluten-free version of this recipe, substitute with a gluten-free all-purpose baking mix.

Dark Cocoa Powder: For the best flavor, use a high-quality dark baking cocoa powder. It’s worth investing in a product that has deep, rich flavor. This will make your chocolate baking more delicious.

Nut-Free:  You can substitute a nut-free, plant-based milk for the almond milk.  Soy milk, oat milk, and rice milk would work. Be sure to use plain, unsweetened milk for the best flavor.

Keep it Green:  You can omit the cocoa and espresso for a Mean Green version of this recipe.  Add ½ cup of spelt flour to make up for the cocoa powder. These end up tasting more like banana bread – a delicious, healthy, plant-based breakfast muffin!

Oil-Free Baking: I’m on a Mission to get rid of empty calories, like those found in refined oil. This recipe uses applesauce and whole foods to replace oil. For spray-free baking, use parchment muffin liners.

Post written by FFC group fitness instructor Katie Simmons. Some photos provided by Katie Simmons.

More about Katie: Katie is a group fitness instructor at FFC and is also a personal chef based in Chicago. She specializes in creating delicious, healthy recipes for those with special dietary concerns like gluten-free, oil-free, plant-based, and low-residue. You can see more at www.plants-rule.com. You can also see more recipes at www.facebook.com/plants-rule and follow her on Instagram at @chefkatiesimmons.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size:

1 muffin

Amount Per Serving:

Calories 120

% Daily Value

  • Total Fat 1g 2%
  • Saturated Fat 1g 3%
  • Cholesterol 0mg 0%
  • Sodium 189mg 8%
  • Potassium 278mg 8%
  • Total Carbohydrates 27g 9%
  • Fiber 4g 17%
  • Sugar 12g
  • Protein 3g 5%
  • Calcium  36%
  • Iron 6%
  • Vitamin A 17%
  • Vitamin C 12%

Woman having a massage.

Here’s How to Earn a Complimentary Massage a Month

Our Premier membership offers all access and so much more! Enjoy locker and laundry service at the club of your choice, two free guest passes a month, plus a 60 minute massage (or training session) – all INCLUDED in the monthly dues. The full value of this membership is $277.95/month!

Our Premier membership is FFC’s best value in membership. For $199/month, you’ll receive:

  • Access to all 10 locations
  • One 60-minute personal training session or massage per month ($90+)
  • Small permanent locker ($25) may not be available at FFC Elmhurst or FFC Park Ridge
  • Laundry service at home club ($28) may not be available at FFC Elmhurst or FFC Park Ridge
  • Two guest passes per month ($40)
  • 25% discount on Spa services and Sport Shop (exclusions may apply)

Stop by the membership department today for more details!

Image of friends drinking beer together in a bar.

My Dry January: An Ugly Truth and A Beautiful Lesson

Dry January seems easy enough: no alcohol for the month of January. Coming off of Thanksgiving, followed by all the holiday festivities, one would think the last thing on anyone’s mind is more indulging. With any new year comes the resolutions, the recommitting to eating better, making exercise a priority, sleeping more and drinking less. For me, Dry January represents discipline. Do I still have the ability to say no to something I prefer to say yes to?

I started doing Dry January a few years ago as a way of “checking in” with myself to be sure my choices to drink alcohol were because I wanted to and not because I needed to. In the fitness industry, we talk so much about managing work/life balance and how to make moderation with food and alcohol a real thing in our everyday lives. Am I taking my own advice?

Related: The Ups and Downs of Finding Moderation in Fitness and Wellness

The first week of January was a breeze. I was talking about my self-imposed 31 days “on the wagon” with others who were doing it, too. We would joke about being able to make it through. However, during week two, I was at a Saturday evening dinner with a big group of friends, and on a cold January night, all I wanted was a beautiful glass of wine with my meal followed by a Manhattan with dessert. I held strong, drank sparkling water then a hot tea. I woke up that next morning happy with my decision to not give in. 

The guilt and disappointment is enough to keep me on the path, and saying that out loud brought me right back to my first semester of college. It was the first time I had truly been on my own, out of the family home, making decisions on what to eat and when to eat it. Initially the freedom seemed so exciting, then incredibly daunting. I thought, ‘I have no one telling me what to do, this sh*t just got real’!

My short-lived college career was not about going to parties and drinking; I did none of those things. What I did do is hit the gym daily, sometimes twice a day. I started to really lift weights and found a place that felt good. I missed the structure of home life; the feeling of losing control was overwhelming. To bring that sense of ownership and discipline into my everyday life, I began to limit my food intake, lost 5 lbs and enjoyed those around me saying how great I looked. I thought, ‘If I look great after 5 lbs, imagine if I lost 10!’ 

I did just that. As the weight came off, I felt empowered – and I’m embarrassed to admit this – but I felt a little better than those who could not control themselves. Little did I know, in my attempt to gain control over my young life, I actually lost control in the form of anorexia. As my outer self appeared to look better, my inner self was losing big time. I came through it with a better sense of self, understanding that perfection is a myth and every day is a struggle. Control no longer represented depriving myself. I learned that food is not a reward, and exercise is never a punishment. 

Related: Working on your relationship with food?

Decades later, I still recognize my desire to be in control, but maturity has taught me to do so in a way that nurtures the body, mind and soul. Those dark thoughts of basing my worth as a person solely on how my body looks are still present, and always will be to some extent, but they no longer consume me. Making a career in the fitness industry can be ruthless. We are judged on our looks constantly. It is a very visual business that is only promoted through the rise of social media. My best piece of advice for anyone is to celebrate what your body can do, have faith in your abilities and lead with kindness.

As My Dry January came to a close, there was no full court press or sprint to the finish line. I did not dream of that beautiful glass of wine or my after dinner Manhattan. I am pleased that I finished what I started and grateful for the reminder that the only competitions I need to win are those I enter into with myself. The only voice that matters is my own. 

As a career group fitness instructor, I may select the playlist and be the one with the microphone, but those that truly move me are all of you who come to class. We all have stories to tell and sometimes within an ugly truth lies a beautiful lesson. Find inspiration in everything and live with gratitude. Shoulders back, chest out and chin up!

Post written by FFC Contributor and Group Fitness Director Lois Miller