I kicked off my work day with a barbell strength class that I led at 9 a.m. Though the class is called barbell strength and we use the barbell a lot, I also incorporate free weights and bodyweight exercises into the class as well.
The part of the class that seemed to get the best reaction from participants occurred toward the end when I took everyone through a “final burn” and we did 10 reps of the following exercises in order as many times as we could during Whitney Houston’s “It’s Not Right But It’s Okay (Remix).”
Of course I emphasized the importance of going at your own speed and focusing on proper form. I had a list of the names of the exercises printed out so participants could follow along at their own pace if my pace was too speedy, but we kept things moving and this “Final Burn” seemed to go over well!
Whole Foods Lake Norman
After class, I had 30 minutes before I was scheduled to meet up with my friend Brittany who invited me along on a private blogger tour of the new Whole Foods that opened up in Huntersville at the beginning of November.
(Brittany’s sweet 6-month-old daughter, Kaitlyn, absolutely stole my heart. She was so smiley and observant the whole time!)
Shannon, the store’s healthy eating educator, greeted us right when we arrived and walked us around. She did a great job highlighting points of interest and key features of the new store.
I had no idea you could select your produce from the produce section and bring it to one of the “veggie butchers” to slice and dice for you for free.
And just in case you assumed they were chopping everything by hand, check out this machine:
Awesome, right!? For someone like me who hates chopping veggies, this machine interested me a little too much! The team member we met diced an entire pumpkin in no time at all.
Shannon also spoke a bit about the Health Starts Here initiative that I actually first learned about back in Jacksonville. (It’s awesome, by the way, and I definitely look for the “Health Starts Here” labels when I shop there now. My review of the program can be found here: Health Starts Here Tour.)
Before our tour was over, Brittany and I made sure to thank Shannon and I made a mental note about everything I need to try in the future, including some of the fresh pasta from the pasta bar!
Yum!
I couldn’t leave the store without grabbing some food from the hot bar, so I made myself a big bowl of assorted goodies for lunch.
Plus a pecan pie cookie from the bakery for dessert!
Thanks so much to Brittany for the invite and to Shannon and the team at Whole Foods Lake Norman for having us this morning. I had a great time!
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I read about that Animal Welfare Rating System a year or so ago, and I really love that idea. I hope it becomes a widespread movement. The meat/dairy industry has deteriorated so horrifyingly over the last few decades… to a longtime vegetarian like me, it is a very exciting program… it gives me hope for the future of animal welfare on farms.
I agree! I think it’s amazing and I wish all stores would implement it.
Whole Foods is my favorite! I’m jealous your store cuts up veggies for free! Now I have to check if my store does that. It would save me a lot of time!
Love your rain boots! I’m thinking about asking for them for Christmas. Now I just need to think about which color I want… decisions, decisions…
That veggie butcher section is amazing! I wish I had one of those 🙂
Whole Foods is simply the best! Very cool you got to be part of the tour.
I have actually never been to a whole foods, but would love to go! They look amazing!
I had NO idea WF chops stuff for you! WOW! Now I HAVE to make it to our WF this weekend to see if ours does that! haha…That would save hours of my life each week at the cutting board!
Okay, wait. They chop your veggies for FREE?! That is amazing. Like almost life changing. Chopping veggies can take so much time!! Do you know if this applies to all WF stores?
A pecan pie cookie?? yum…it’s almost lunchtime so that picture is making me hungry! lol!
I just recently unpacked the food processor I got at my wedding shower in March and I wish I had opened it a while ago! It is great for chopping veggies, grating cheese, and shredding chicken (for dip or pulled chicken dishes). I keep thinking of more things I can use it for!
Love the idea of a final burn. I’m gonna try this today at the end of my workout!
I wish my grocery store would cut up my veggies for me. That is the best idea ever! Unfortunately we don’t have whole foods here!
Whole Foods is honestly my favorite store. I can spend hours in there. It gets dangerous, quick!
I need one of those veggie choppers in my life!!
Is that barbell class similar to the Body Pump class that you taught?
I told you this before but I love your blog. I look forward to both posts everyday. 🙂
So cool that they chop veggies!! Wow, I had NO idea.
Awesome burner for your class btw. That sounds oddly fun!
Whole Foods has veggie butchers?? Wow… that is amazing! I don’t think mine has one yet, but I hope they will all be getting them soon!
WHAT?!? Is the veggie chopping thing nationwide? That would be life changing!
lucky you on the private tour!!! I had no idea you could get them to slice up your veg- very cool!
1. that cookie looks amazing.
2. can’t wait to try that workout, the perfect finish to make it burn!
What a cool experience! Also, love the final burn workout!
Hi Julie, I have seen you post on here a lot about Rewind candles, and I just saw them on Hautelook. Wanted to let you know! I am thinking about buying one. Which scent is your favorite?
My parents spent the weekend visiting us (in NYC). We brought them to Whole Foods for the first time and also Whole Body… (In Chelsea, Whole Foods has a separate shop for body products, supplements, and accessories!) I love browsing and buying in both spots. 🙂
Have you read this?
http://www.dudesdigest.com/true-life-i-went-to-pure-barre-and-it-was-fucking-miserable/
My hubby and I just finished dave ramseys financial class and are excited to be debt free! We are living on the cheap and dont want gym memberships…whats the best home workout? Thanks!
WHAT! This is amazing. I wish you could sign up to take tours of any grocery store..and of course Whole Foods. How lovely would that be? New to an area? Take a tour! Boom 3 weeks of fumbling through a store gone! Also. I will totally be checking to see if my Whole Foods does the chopping. Thanks!!
That pecan pie cookie looks amazing!!!
i love whole foods! hands down, my favorite grocery store 🙂 i love the veggie prep station. i usually don’t mind chopping myself, but it’d be nice to have a butternut squash chopped (i have a fear of chopping off my fingers while doing this ;)).
So I tried the final burn after a kettlebell workout ugh it was terrible haha thanks!
haha!!
That tour of Whole Foods looks awesome! What a great opportunity to learn more details about your store. I saw some pictures on Brittany’s blog too! They keep getting bigger and better. Their nut butter selection looked awesome!!
This reminds me of the Whole Foods in Columbus, OH! The place is SO big, several places to eat IN the store, including a pasta bar like the one in your picture! I don’t remember seeing the veggie chopping station there though, but that is a super cool perk.
-AJ