During this hectic period of confinement, as a way of not completely losing my mind, I thought I’d lay out a workout plan that would get me moving every single day. Since I can’t train like I usually do, I needed something to substitute my workouts – because otherwise it’s just eating and no moving (and we all know how that pans out). After two weeks of running the same route, increasing the distance each time, I decided it was time to switch things up a little by trialling Chris Hemsworth’s fitness app, Centr, for both workouts and eating plans.
And yes, it is Centr as opposed to Centre.
The beginning
When you first open the app, users will be prompted to add in details about yourself and your goals including your height, weight, sex and whether you’re looking to lose weight, tone yourself or gain muscle. All of this will determine your workouts and your suggested meals.
For any given day, users will be given an assortment of activities and meals for you to follow along with. You’ll get ideas for breakfast, lunch and dinner with snacks on the side. You’ll also be given some workouts (sometimes multiple workouts) and even wellness and calming activities like meditation and tips on how to deal with anxiety.
This is how a day in the life of using Centr looks like:
Pre-breakfast meditation
Start your day with a relaxing and soothing meditation routine with this kid-friendly twist on the traditional Loving-Kindness meditation. This short 8-minute routine helps to increase compassion and connection, while reducing stress and negativity.
Breakfast
Chilli mushroom and eggs toast
Prep: 5 mins, cook: 5 mins
Serves: 1
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tsp white vinegar for poaching eggs
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 30g baby spinach leaves
- 1 garlic clove crushed
- 60g Swiss brown mushrooms sliced
- 1⁄2 tsp chilli flakes
- 1 sprig of parsley chopped
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 thin (40g) slices sourdough bread (or gluten-free) toasted
- 2 tbs (20g) parmesan grated
Instructions
Bring a small saucepan of water to the boil, reduce to a gentle simmer and add vinegar. Stir in a circular motion to create a vortex, and gently slide eggs into the water and cook for 4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, pat dry.
Heat oil in a non-stick frypan. Add spinach, garlic, mushrooms, chilli flakes, parsley, salt and pepper. Saute for 2-3 minutes or until tender.
Assemble mushrooms on toast and top with parmesan and eggs.
Nutritional information
Energy (kJ) 2671, Energy (cals) 638, Protein 37.2g, Fat 34.1g, Sat. Fat 10.7g, Carbs 42.6g, Sugar 1.9g, Fiber 8g
Post-breakfast workout
Boxing: Rock N’ Roll
This workout is an intense full-body workout with a warm-up, six rounds of work and a cool-down. The main exercises will be jump-roping and boxing.
Centr gives you guided videos for the workouts so that you can join along and follow all the right movements.
Lunch
For today, I’ve been told to eat “Leftovers”. If you don’t have any, the app gives you some tips on a complete DIY lunch including:
- One handful (palm-sized) of lean protein such as salmon, tuna, lean meats, eggs, tofu or tempeh.
- Two handfuls (1-2 cups) of vegetables and/or salad.
- At least one large handful (1 cup+) of wholegrain or low-GI carbohydrates such as sweet potato, quinoa, brown rice, legumes or wholegrain bread or wraps.
- One to two thumbs (2-4 tsp) of healthy fats from foods such as avocado, yogurt, nuts, seeds, dips, olive oil or homemade dressings.
Workout #2
For this particular day, I’ve been given a bonus workout called ‘Do the Groundwork’ by Chris Hemsworth trainer for Thor, Da Rulk. This 10-minute full-body workout focuses on ground movement and definitely works your socks off.
In the app, users can switch between levels of difficulty and can choose to start with images or video.
Dinner
One-pan salmon tacos with braised greens
Prep: 5 mins, cook: 10 mins
Serves 2
Ingredients:
- 2 large (40g) corn tortillas
- 400g salmon fillets skinless
- salt & pepper
- 1 tbs (20ml) olive oil
- 1 garlic clove finely chopped
- 1⁄2 bunch of kale stalks removed & roughly chopped
- 50g baby spinach leaves
- 50g red cabbage shredded
- 2 sprigs of fresh coriander leaves picked
- 1⁄2 lime
Avocado crema
- 1⁄2 avocado
- 2 tbs (40ml) coconut milk (tinned)
- salt & pepper
Instructions:
Preheat oven to lowest setting. Place tortillas on a baking sheet and into the oven to warm. Alternatively, warm them over the gas hob for a few seconds both sides just before serving.
To prepare crema, combine all ingredients in a small blender or food processor, or combine by hand until you have a smooth purée, and adjust seasoning. Set aside.
Season salmon fillets on both sides with salt and pepper.
Heat oil in a frypan over medium-high heat, add garlic and let sizzle until golden. Immediately place salmon into the skillet and sear for 3-4 minutes or until it easily releases from the pan. Flip over, turn heat to very low, and cook for another 3 minutes. Remove salmon from the pan.
In the same pan over low heat, add greens and cabbage and cook for 2-3 minutes or until slightly wilted. Move to one side in the panskillet.
Lightly shred the salmon with two forks and return to panskillet to heat through. Remove from heat. Top warmed tortillas with salmon, greens and cabbage. Drizzle crema and sprinkle with coriander. Add a squeeze of lime to finish.
Nutritional information (based on 1 serving)
Energy (kJ) 3299, Energy (cals) 788, Protein 49.3g, Fat 51.9g, Sat. Fat 12.3g, Carbs 28.1g, Sugar 5.7g, Fiber7.4g
How to manage with anxiety as a family
This end of the day wellness activity is one to talk through with the whole family. Titled “How to manage anxiety as a family”, the Centr team has put together a few tips on how to overcome this particularly stressful time. Here are the tips they gave:
- Put limits around time spent on social media or watching the news
- Exercise regularly
- Meditate
- Allow regular opportunities for everyone to share how they’re feeling
- Recognise warning signs of stress and anxiety
- Don’t be too rigid about plans
Additions
This is how a day with the Centr app is more or less structured, but keep in mind that throughout the day there will be snacking, in fact, it’s recommended. When you’re in the app, you can check out a list of snacks ranging from everyday snacks, pre- and post-workout snacks, and the very necessary treats.
Verdict
Chris Hemsworth’s Centr app is not only great for its limit-pushing workouts but also for its meal-planning that can seriously help you achieve your goals if stuck by. As they say, abs are made in the kitchen, so Centr is a great companion for all sides of fitness.
As you will have seen, each meal has all the nutritional information so that you can track your macros very easily and stick to a calorie target to help you achieve your fitness goals, whether it be gaining muscle, losing weight or toning up. This is a must-try!
Try out Centr for iOS or Android for free for seven days.
