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Loved hearing all your favourite muffin varieties!! I’m a big muffin head. I blame it on my mom, who didn’t let me eat them as a small kid because I would crumble them everywhere and make a HUGE mess (don’t worry mom, you made up for it by teaching me how to make a mean chili). One muffin variety that piqued my interest were Ellie’s “kitchen sink muffins” with carrot, zucchini, raisins, banana, and walnut. Doesn’t that sound fab? Must add that to my ever-growing list of things to bake…

Moving on!

I caved and bought dark chocolate M&Ms yesterday, so you know they found their way into my breakfast cookie today.

• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 scoop chocolate protein powder
• unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1 tbsp almond butter
• M&Ms
• splash almond milk

All mixed up, flattened out on a plate and set in the fridge overnight One of my coworkers came in a FIVE A.M. this morning while I was chowing down on my cookie. It scared the crap out of me! But it was nice to see a friendly face. Normally I’m there all by my lonesome on the weekends.

Snack was one of my chocolate banana protein bars muffins.

I put peanut butter on it last night before wrapping it up again, that’s why it looks funny. I also heated this up before eating, as that usually makes bad baked goods taste better. But it made it squeaky :\ Like, it squeaked in my teeth. It was still edible with the PB though. And surprisingly filling!!!

“Lunch” (I always put that in quotation marks because I eat it at 10am) was a smoked salmon bagel sandwich. 

I finally found decently priced local smoked salmon at my grocery store – it’s my new favourite thing! It had laughing cow cheese, mustard, onions and spinach as well. There was an orange in there too, but I trust you know what that looks like

I immediately dug into my Peanut ButterNut Squash Muffins when I got home from work.

Wait. You hear that? Oh, that’s just me tooting my own horn. *Toot toot* I’m in love with these muffins! Besides the perfect marriage of the PB and squash flavours, the texture is perfection for me. Soft, dense and a little crumbly. Nomnomnom.

Then I read a chapter of Eclipse, and proceeded to conk out for an hour. One of those naps where I just remember closing my eyes, then all of a sudden I open them and it’s an hour later. I laid around for a bit, waiting for my post-nap drowsiness to subside. Then had another snack in preparation for a long gym visit:

Bananas, dates and almond butter. I don’t always photograph it because it’s redundant, but if you’re reading about a workout on here, you can just assume I had some variation of this beforehand. Never fails me.

My gym visit today was ohsogood. I’ve been doing a combo of HIIT, upper-body weights and abs on Sundays lately, so that’s what I stuck to. Since I only ran once this past week, I decided to do all my cardio on the treadmill. I ended up with three separate variations of HIIT on the treadmill. It was awesome. I felt h-core.

Warm-up:
Walk/jogging on the treadmill for 5 minutes

HIIT:
incline = 1%
0:00-1:00 – 6.0 mph
1:00-2:00 – 6.2 mph
2:00-3:00 – 6.4 mph
3:00-4:00 – 6.2 mph
4:00-5:00 – 6.4 mph
5:00-6:00 – 6.6 mph
6:00-7:00 – 6.4 mph
7:00-8:00 – 6.6 mph
8:00-9:00 – 6.8 mph
9:00-10:00 – 6.6 mph
10:00-11:00 – 6.8mph
11:00-12:00 – 7.0 mph
12:00-13:00 – 6.8 mph
13:00-14:00 – 7.0 mph
14:00-15:00 – 7.2 mph

A1 – Wide-grip lat pulldown:
3 sets @ 55 lbs x 8

A2 – Dumbbell shoulder press:
3 sets @ 15 lbs (ea) x 8

B1 – Seated cable row:
3 sets @ 50 lbs x 8

B2 – Dumbbell bench press:
3 sets @ 20 lbs (ea) x 8

B3 – Tricep dips:
3 sets @ bw x 8

HIIT: (a la Janetha)

incline=0 – 2 min @ 5.5
incline=0.5 – 1 min @ 6.0
                       1 min @ 6.5
                       1 min @ 7.0
                       1 min @ 7.5
incline=1.0  – 1 min @ 6.0
                        1 min @ 6.5
                        1 min @ 7.0
                        1 min @ 7.5
incline=1.5 – 1 min @ 6.0
                       1 min @ 6.5
                       1 min @ 7.0
                       1 min @ 7.5
incline=2.0 – 1 min @ 6.0
                       1 min @ 6.5
                       1 min @ 7.0
                        1 min @ 7.5
incline=0 – 2 min @ 5.5

A1 – Swiss ball crunch:
3 sets @ 11 lbs x 15

A2 – Russian twists:
3 sets @ 11 lbs x 30

A3 – Reverse crunch:
3 sets @ bw x 8

HIIT:
incline = 0%
0:00-1:00 – 3.0 mph
1:00-3:00 – 3.5 mph
3:00-4:00 – 8.0 mph
4:00-6:00 – 3.5 mph
6:00-7:00 – 8.5 mph
7:00-9:00 – 3.5 mph
9:00-10:00 – 9.0 mph
10:00-12:00 – 3.5 mph
12:00-13:00 – 9.5 mph
13:00-15:00 – 3.5 mph

Cooldown:
Bah! Accidentally skipped it! I was so hungry when I finished, I ran out of the gym. But no worries, I foam rolled and stretched at home while my dinner heated up

This workout took me almost 90 minutes and I loved it! HIIT on the treadmill is so much fun, I ended up covering just over 5 miles. And Janetha, I lovelovelove your routine. I was a sweaty mess at the end of it, and I even skipped the final sprint because I knew there was more in my future.

As previously mentioned, I was ready to eat my arm off when I finished. I grabbed the quickest, most filling thing I could thing of when I got home. Frozen leftovers of moo-beef chili.

I realized I was lacking in the green department today, so I heated two big handfuls of spinach into it. Hit the spot! Just what I needed.

Final November Goals Check-In!

I cannot believe it’s almost December. Wow. This was my first month checking in every week on my goals, and it really kept me motivated. With that said, I feel I only accomplished maybe half of them. I don’t see that as a bad thing though, I may never have accomplished any of them had I not set the goals in the first place!

Have fun workouts.

Monday – Step class at the women’s gym. Sosososo fun. I LOVE this class.

Tuesday – 5 miles speedwork on the “dreadmill,” except I really enjoyed it!!! I swear, I really did I’m a sucker for intervals, they make anything fun.

Wednesday – Rest day.

Thursday – Body Pump at the gym, followed by HIIT on the elliptical. It was “meh” but got the job done.

Friday – Spun my little heart legs out in spin class. I pushed myself and it felt good!

Saturday – Rest day. Broke my quads in spin.

Sunday – HIIT extravaganza on the treadmill with some upper-body weights and abs. Best way to spend a “lazy” Sunday afternoon

I also did no yoga this week! My schedule didn’t jive with yoga classes, and I suck at getting motivated to do it at home.

Be less complacent with food.
I’m still feeling okay with this. I definitely feel like I’m “on track” and my food choices are for the most part deliberate.

Get more sleep.
Again, it’s hard to switch from early morning shifts on the weekend, to evening shifts throughout the week. But I did okay once I got into the swing of it. It’s been a few weeks since I’ve had 8 hours though…

Make it through the last month of work with a positive attitude.
My co-workers set up a going away get-together for me!! How sweet!!! I’m not incredibly close with any of them, so I’m very touched by the gesture. My schedule for this last week is going to be tough, but having that in there should make it easier

Try my best to not let anything hold me back.
Um, I registered to get my personal training certification this week. I finally followed my heart and took the plunge. I say I excelled at this goal.

Figure out a way to get into the holiday season.
I’ve been smiling at all the pretty lights that are starting to pop up I’m getting really antsy to see my family again too. Definitely feel like I’m entering December with a positive attitude.

Spend more time with my grandparents.
I really wish I did better at this one, as I only got the chance to see my Nana once. I still have two other grandparents in another city that I never get to see.

Be more honest with people.
Check and check. This goal has been on the back of my mind a lot this month. I think I moved forward a lot by being more honest with people, it’s something I’m definitely going to continue to think about and strive to do.

Look for a job.
How about got a job Albeit, it’s just another temporary gig at Starbucks. But a paycheck is a paycheck my friends.

Start playing music again.
This is my biggest fail of the month. I don’t want to push it though. I’ll start playing again when I feel inspired again.

Re-reading that, I feel pretty good about it actually. Tomorrow, I’ll do another instalment of “Things I Learned This Month” and then Tuesday will be a whole new set of goals for December!

Question of the day: What’s one thing you feel you accomplished this month?

On Monday, November 23 and Tuesday, November 24, Campus Recreation Services will offer fun, unique Group Ex classes to help Towson University students, faculty, and staff get ready for the upcoming holiday weekend.  As part of the Turkey Burner tradition, Campus Recreation Services Group Ex instructors have selected some of their most popular classes and added a few exciting new classes for this week only.

If you’re on campus today, stop by Gym 3 in Burdick Hall to burn off some pre-holiday calories and boost your metabolism for Thursday’s feast!

Here is the Turkey Burner class schedule:

*Please call 410-704-5624 to reserve a space in Corespin, since there are a limited number of spinning bikes available

Heading into the holidays I wanted to start ramping up the core work in my Tuesday Vinyasa Flow class.  Having a strong core is good in so many ways, but especially through the holidays — and not just for aesthetic reasons either!  Having a strong core and staying core focused keeps you focused on the core of the holidays: gratitude and being with friends and family.  With that intention in mind, I bring you…

The Grateful Core: Part I
Vinyasa Flow
11/17/09
60 minutes
10 peeps
Music: Life Less Ordinary, Carbon Leaf and Into Dust, Mazzy Star

child’s pose
downward facing dog
down dog to high plank x3
tadasana, paying attention to core and grounding down through feet
3 Sun As
Sun B
three legged dog
knee to nose and back to three legged dog
knee to right elbow and back to three legged dog
knee to left elbow and back to three legged dog
crescent lunge
vinyasa through to other side and repeat ab work and crescent lunge on left
Sun B into crescent lunge with high twist
open to warrior II
reverse warrior
side angle
reverse warrior
half moon
warrior II
reverse warrior
windmill down to runners lunge
low lunge with hip opener
back into three legged dog
walk hands back to standing leg split
airplane
tree
repeat from second Sun B to tree on the other side
child’s pose (HA!)
inch worm
2 locust
1 bow
1 bridge
2 7-count bridges or wheels
supta baddha konasana
happy baby
modified half pigeon
inversion
spinal twist
savasana

Yoga teachers — what do you do for core work in your classes?  How do you fit it in to a 60 minute flow?  Yoga students — what kind of core work do you like in a class?  (If “like” is the right word. LOL!)

Hello friends! Hope you all had fantabulous weekends Mine was the usual 5am-1pm shift at the office. Only three more weekends left!! Who knows? Maybe I’ll have a social life again!

A little calorie counting update:

• Turns out I’m getting lots of protein, but still not getting enough fat. I have a digestive intolerance to high-fat foods like cooking oils and avocadoes. Nuts, eggs and tofu seem to be the only high-fat foods I can eat that don’t keep me bed-ridden for four hours after. More peanut butter? Yes please!
• I eat a lot of fibre! Like 50g a day. Who knew?
• Measuring every little thing seriously sucks. Weighing my apples seems so silly, I just want to eat the damn thing!
• I spend a lot less time thinking about food. I log what I eat, or plan to eat, then forget about it. After I stopped tracking, I still kept counting in my head. I’m like the Rainman of calorie counting and can’t be stopped. It takes up a lot of mental energy. When I’m done tracking in a few days, I’m going to work much harder at not thinking about the calories in my foods. Shouldn’t be a problem so long as I’m choosing whole, fresh foods

Besides working, napping and eating today, I had a stellar gym sesh! One of those Sunday afternoons where I just pump and sweat my time away playing with all the equipment

Warm-up:
5 minutes easy on the elliptical

Elliptical:
0:00-1:00 – sprint @ level 17
1:00-3:00 – recovery @ level 14
3:00-4:00 – sprint @ level 18
4:00-6:00 – recovery @ level 15
6:00-7:00 – sprint @ level 19
7:00-9:00 – recovery @ level 16
9:00-10:00 – sprint @ level 18
10:00-12:00 – recovery @ level 15
12:00-13:00 – sprint @ level 17
13:00-15:00 – recovery @ level 14

A1 – Romanian deadlift to barbell row:
2 sets @ 50 lbs x 8

B1 – Incline dumbbell shoulder press:
2 sets @ 20 lbs (ea) x 8

B2 – Wide-grip lat pulldown:
2 sets @ 55 lbs x 8

C1 – YTWL:
2 sets @ 7.5 lbs (ea) x 4 each letter

C2 – Tricep cable pulldown:
2 sets @ 25 lbs x 8

Stairmill:
0:00-1:00 – level 6
1:00-2:00 – level 7
2:00-3:00 – level 8
3:00-4:00 – level 9
4:00-6:00 – level 10
6:00-7:00 – level 9
7:00-8:00 – level 8
8:00-9:00 – level 7
9:00-10:00 – level 6

Whittle My Middle!:
Plank: 90 sec
Side planks: 30 sec each
Plank on swiss ball: 90 sec
Prone jackknife: 10 reps (I’ve always sucked at these!)
Stabiliy ball rollout: 60 sec
Plank rotations: 60 sec

Treadmill:
0:00-1:00 – 3.0 mph
1:00-3:00 – 3.5 mph
3:00-4:00 – 8.0 mph
4:00-6:00 – 3.5 mph
6:00-7:00 – 8.5 mph
7:00-9:00 – 3.5 mph
9:00-10:00 – 9.0 mph
10:00-12:00 – 3.5 mph
12:00-13:00 – 9.5 mph
13:00-15:00 – 3.5 mph

Cool-down:
5 min. stretching

Phew! Props if you read through all of that. I know a lot of people skip past my workout details, but I also know there are a few nerds out there like me who love going through other people’s workouts!

Oh, and the eating part of my day? I snacked on some Pumpkin Spice Roasted Chickpeas at work.

I liked them better this time around. Although I think they need to be 1) roasted longer and 2) more cinnamon!!

Last of my un-frozen chili leftovers.

On top of some spaghetti squash. Delish!

Wasn’t very filling though, so my evening snack attack hit early. Mixed in 1/2 tbsp almond butter with a small bag of popcorn.

If you use drizzly nut butter, it kinda coats the hot popcorn. Mmm, sweet and salty…

And for some reason, I crave flavoured drinks when I eat salty food (I’m usually an all water, all the time kinda person).

Obviously, I don’t keep any flavoured drinks in the house because of that. So I mixed up a PVL peach whey cooler. Perfect!

November Goal Check-In

Halfway through the month! Let’s see how I’m doing…

Have fun workouts.
I actually got all three yoga sessions in this week, it was fabulous!

Monday – BodyFlow yoga class at the gym

Tuesday – Weight lifting and HIIT sesh. Left me SORE!

Wednesday – 8 mile trail run, t’was wonderful!

Thursday -  60 minutes of living room yoga, courtesy Dave Farmar and Yoga Today

Friday – Mediocre step class but a perfect BodyFlow yoga class at the gym

Saturday – Chilly 45 minute run

Sunday – HIIT, upper body weights and abs. Driving tomorrow should be fun

*I do low intensity yoga, so those are technically my “rest days.” No crazy sweaty power yoga happening over here. I do it to relax

Be less complacent with food.
Temporarily tracking my calories again has really helped with this. It’s been a nice little kick in the butt for me.

Get more sleep.
Meehhhh. I didn’t work very hard at this this week. In fact, I don’t think I got 8 hours once this week. Tonight, I promise!

Make it through the last month of work with a positive attitude.
Hey, I’m still showing up for those 5am shifts, aren’t I?

Try my best to not let anything hold me back.
In terms of the job search, I’m not letting anything scare me out of not applying for certain jobs

Figure out a way to get into the holiday season.
I actually thought of something this week that got me really excited for Christmas. This year, I’ll get to blog about it!! I’ll get to share all my family traditions (and by traditions I mean food + booze). And I’ll get to invite you all into my loving home for the holidays. That sounds like fun, doesn’t it?

Spend more time with my grandparents.
Didn’t get to see any this week. But perhaps I’ll make the hour long trip to see my Grammie and Grampie this week. At the very least, I will call or write them.

Be more honest with people.
I caught and stopped myself numerous times this week from giving generic responses to questions. If someone asked me how I was doing, I did not respond “good” if I was not feeling good. Pretty sure this is why everyone I know thinks I loved being a reporter. It’s because when asked if I liked it, I just gave a simple “yes” instead of delving into how I really felt about it…

Look for a job.
Sent out lots of resumes!!! Fingers crossed I actually get a response this week.

Start playing music again.
Nope, nada. Still feeling very uninspired.

And one more piece of randomness for this Sunday evening (or Monday, if you’re an office reader. Or Thursday, if you’re behind on your blogs). Holly over at The Healthy Everythingtarian is doing something wonderful this year for Christmas. Instead of asking for presents, she is asking people to donate money to help build a well in Cambodia. Holly spent time in Cambodia herself so this gift is very close to her heart. Read about it here and then go donate! Minimum donation is $10. That’s two eggnog lattes. Skip the lattes, give to people who need it, everybody wins

Question of the Day: How is everyone coming along with their goals? Setting any new ones? The Whittle My Middle and Yoga challenges are new since making the list. Always good to update your goals to keep yourself motivated

Now if you don’t mind, I have a date with Edward Cullen Jacob Black then the 8 hours sleep I promised. Night night!

Every Thursday, the Team Express blog will take a look at an aspect of sports training — from flexibility to weight training and nutrition — and take you through the basics of getting into tip-top shape. This week, we’re looking at a basic workout routine.

The Routine

We’ve been taking it step by step the past few weeks on Training Thursday. We started with basic weight management principles, and now we’re working our way through organizing your training schedule. If you need to catch up, check out our archive here.

Last week, we set a weekly training schedule.

This week, it’s getting even more specific. We’re going to show you a basic, 40-minute, beginners’ full-body workout to use on your weight training days.

This workout is all about functional movements and stability — building the foundation for a more advanced routine.

Let’s start from the beginning.

The warm-up (10 minutes)

It is absolutely necessary to begin your workout with a short warm-up. For this, we recommend some light cardio. Get on the treadmill, elliptical or stationary bike for some brisk walking/light jogging/light cycling.

Keep it brisk, but don’t let it become intense. A good rule of thumb is: You should be able to talk without losing your breath while doing the exercise, but just barely.

This will raise your heart rate and increase the blood flow throughout your body, subsequently warming up your muscles and joints. Now you’re ready to begin.

The resistance exercises (25 minutes)

When performing these exercises, it is of the utmost importance to use smooth, controlled movements. If you do not, you are at risk of sustaining a serious injury.

That said, let’s begin:

The squat — Begin with a standard squat. This will strengthen all of the muscles in the lower body.

Begin by doing squats without any resistance. If it’s too easy, hold a medicine ball or use an Olympic bar to add resistance. Do three sets of 10 repetitions. Allow yourself a minute of rest time between sets.

The push-up — Another fundamental exercise. This will strengthen the muscles in your chest, shoulders and arms and will help build core stability.

Again, do three sets of 10 repetitions with a minute’s rest. If it is too difficult, do the modified push-up explained in the video. If it’s too easy, add more repetitions to your sets.

The lat pulldown — Time to hit the machines! Find the lat pulldown machine, which will strengthen the muscles in your upper back and help your posture.

Like usual, do three sets of 10 repetitions here. Set the weight at a level where your 10th repetition will be tricky, but not so difficult that you lose proper form.

The row — Find the rowing machine, which will also strengthen the muscles in your back and shoulders.

Do three sets of 10 again here.

The leg lift — End your workout with an abdominal muscle workout.

Again, try to do three sets of 10. If it’s too hard or too easy, modify the exercise appropriately.

And that is it for your resistance exercises.

Stretching (5 minutes)

End your workout by stretching the muscles you just worked. Stretching helps sore muscles heal faster and keeps them in tip-top shape.

Hold the stretches for roughly 30 seconds apiece and don’t bounce.

That’s all for this week. Next week, we’ll tackle the basics of cardio training!

Related: Team Express is your one-stop shop for training equipment.

Okay, so maybe this isn’t quite going to fit in the average stocking, but it was still worth talking about.  The Ab Circle Pro™ is like a treadmill, but for your abs!  It promises to help you lose your love handles and get a sexy V shape — fast. But you don’t have to take their word for it.  You can try it in your home for 30 days for only $14.95. 

Ab Circle gets you off the ground and targets your entire core from all 360 degrees. It has 3 levels of resistance making it great for all fitness levels. Perform bun and thigh moves and lateral side flexions. It’s built to last a lifetime and it folds for easy storage under the bed. Just 3 minutes on the AbCircle is equal to 150 situps — you’ll save so much time on your exercise routine you’ll have ample time to stop for a donut!

….nah..  I don’t have them but I would love to say I do!

I do try to get a good ab work out in every now and then.

I’d love to see the 6 pack shine through…

But it never seems to

Even if i’ll never have a 6 pack, i’m not too bothered.  But I do like to tone them up a bit. 

Each of us has a different opinion on the perfect abs.

How do you define the perfect abs?

Meaning… what are the perfect abs to you?
And a second question – literally, how do you define them  – what is your ab workout like?

During the summer I did a ton of hill walking on the tredmill.  I walked on incline 15% for a long time and alternated between 10-15% for a good 30 minutes most days during the week.  I also did some jogging on an incline.  I found this was an awesome workout, not only just cardiovascular – but it also did trimmed down my middle!  Between this, running outside and lifting weights (I always keep my stomach pulled in when I lift), the combination really gave me results.

I was reading an article on msn health today about the myths about rock hard abs.

Here are the top 3 myths:

MYTH #1: High-rep workouts make your abs grow
REALITY: Your progress will plateau if you do the same exercises, regardless of reps.

You need to intensify your workouts to teach your abs to stabilize your body weight. Add either more — challenging variations of body-weight exercises, or weighted abdominal exercises once the unweighted versions become too easy.

MYTH #2: Abs workouts involve a lot of movement
REALITY: Exercises that require steadiness are best.

When you bend your spine during crunches or situps, you risk injuring it, says Stuart McGill, Ph.D., a professor of spine biomechanics at the University of Waterloo, in Ontario. Doing those exercises isn’t the best way to target your abs anyway, because you repeatedly bend the disks in your back and aren’t forcing your abs to resist motion. That’s why McGill suggests exercises that encourage spinal alignment and stability, such as planks. Your abs do all the work to keep you stabilized and lower your risk of back injury. (If you have back pain, see a physician before starting any abs regimen. Some abs exercises can make back problems worse.)
Exercises that prevent movement are especially good for building lateral abdominal strength, which is what helps your body stay in proper form under pressure (like when you play sports or do squats and deadlifts).

MYTH #3: Rotational exercises are best for building your obliques
REALITY: Rotational exercises don’t build obliques well and can harm the spine in some cases.

Use heavy compound exercises — like squats and deadlifts — to make your obliques work harder to keep your spine aligned. For more challenge, add unbalanced moves — the single-leg lunge, for example, or a deadlift with one dumbbell. These types of exercises require your body to adjust to uneven stress while your spine is in its neutral position, which further stabilizes your core and builds your obliques (as long as you maintain proper form).

Read more of the article here!! Source.

I was looking at my old Turbulence Training emails this morning and I found this blog entry from Craig that talks about abdominal exercises that you shouldn’t use.  The entry also has an audio file you can download.  Personally I like to collect them and listen to all the great fatloss info while I’m riding the metro.  You can also find an interview he does with Dr Jon Gray a spine specialist, which you can read below

CB: Finally John, many people state, “I use all of these ‘bad’ training exercises  – like crunches and sit-ups – and I’ve never had a back problem.” How do you respond to that?

JRG:
I tell them to be happy they are winning the “survivor” series…for now. It’s true, some people are capable of handling great physical stresses without apparent injury, but the basic mechanics of what is happening inside the body does not change between people.

We have to remember that the risks of certain exercises compared to others are “relative.” Although it’s impossible to say with complete certainty that any given exercise WILL injure your back – you now have choices that will allow you to make better and more informed decisions that will decrease your risk of developing a back injury in the future.

We also know from biomechanical and rehabilitation research that disc injuries are caused by specific mechanisms that are reproduced in exercises that flex the spine under load. So, do you want to train hard, or train smart?

For people who are still unconvinced, I sometimes also use the analogy that there are people in their 80s who have smoked their entire lives and never developed cancer… do you care to try your luck?

I also have for you a couple of ab exercises that won’t hurt your back and that are much more effective than situps and crunches.

If you are looking to develop great looking abs you can try Craig’s Six Pack Abs workout.  You’ll find the plank, bird dog and other great bodyweight exercises that really target the midsection.

PD If you have any questions you would like Craig to answer don’t hestitate in leaving a comment below. You can also checkout his training blog here

Six pack ab exercise used to consist solely of sit ups, crunches and cardio. Through research, it was discovered that doing only ab specific exercises were actually the least most effective exercises if you wanted to get a six pack.

So what should you being doing if you want washboard abs? Here are 3 workouts that will get you tight, toned abs fast:

1. Staircase Workouts

All the stars in Hollywood are using staircase workouts to achieve a great looking body and flat abs. Working out on stairs is a highly effective way to burn calories and belly fat. Also, stairs are readily available almost any where. You could go to a stadium or football field or even in your own home.

2. Mountain Biking

Stationary bikes are out and mountain biking is in! Get out and give yourself a great workout at your local park and hit the trails. Make sure there is a variety of terrain to maximize your workout. This type of exercise primarily strengthens your legs, but will melt fat from your belly and entire body fast.

3. Skipping Rope

A good workout to warm you up and get the blood pumping. Mix up your routine with one legged and two legged jumping. Speed is key, so do like the boxers do and get going fast. You will burn fat quickly and get your metabolism working.

These do not sound like your traditional six pack ab exercise routines but combining these workouts with other intense full body training techniques and you have the perfect recipe for success.

Get started on that New Year’s resolution early with the revolutionary Bender Ball exercise stability ball.  The BenderBall ab ball gives you a core workout that is 408% more effective than ordinary crunches. Created by Leslee Bender and using her innovative Selective Stabalization™ system, it targets your ab muscles from all sides for fast results!  It comes complete with the ball, manual and workout DVD for only $9.99.  It makes the perfect stocking stuffer for the fitness gurus in your life. 

there are couple today. but honestly i was so tired today that i just didn’t manage to capture them all. it’s weird that i was so tired because i got plenty of sleep last night and i believe i ate well yesterday- and for the most part today. so i dunno what was up. i guess it is ‘that time’. TMI? anyways, lets get this party started. woke up and had no idea what i wanted (a feeling that kinda lingered all day). finally i opted for a small bowl of cereal and a yummy side.

in tha bowl: Kashi Go Lean! Crunch and 1/4 cp skim milk. on tha side: half a nanner with nutella(because i am that addicted) and almond butter. also some green tea! oh before i ate this i manage a few minute of incline on the treadmill. after i ate, jumped in shower. got myself and lil man dressed. dropped him off at school and dropped myself off at work. work actually went by pretty fast, even though i was tired. there was a ton to do. i munched on a bar while i was there.

when i was all settled in at home i made lunch, which i wa kinda excited about. presenting…. carrot cake pancakes!

1/2cp. pancake mix (mixed with water), 1 heaping tbsp. protein powder, 1 tbsp. flax, 2 tbsp. pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, tbsp. raisins, walnut, 1 shredded carrot, slash of vanilla. topped with tbsp. cream cheese and cinnamon. belly all full i checked emails. woot! woot! i sold my first mask today. took care of all that(thank you glo!). then did a nice lil ab workout i found on PB and jen’s page. afterwards i had some yogurt. i was hungry but NOTHING looked/sounded good. but this worked.

lemon yogurt and cinnamon puffins. after this there was more treadmill, talking to an old friend, house cleaning. and then i decided i would celebrate my first sale with a beer *gasp*

i’ve been trying not to drink (too many reasons to list) but…… i chose a light beer  and didn’t overindulged. i’m proud of that. there was also some chex mix and string cheese. by the time dinner came i was ravenous (beer munchies?) so no pic. you will just have to imagine a grilled chicken breast and a bunch of asparagus. ya’ll can do that right? did get a pic of dessert tho!

dark chocolate with almond butter. speaking of nut butter.. check out his Nuttzo giveaway at An Apple a Day!

all right sweets. that’s all. i’m so damn tired and going to go stretch and crawl in bed. big day tomorrow. it’s the show and i need to be on point. lol, i don’t even know what i’m wearing.

BREAKDOWNS for 10/15 :

intake- 1847 burned-313

protein-102g, fiber-26g, water-64oz.

No one can deny that almost all of us would ogle over a nice, etched six-pack abs. I would if I see one. The like of those  we see on  gorgeous, half-naked  male models of Calvin Klein or any underwear brand for that matter.

A buff  midsection  is not only good for showing off, like what most celebrities do, when they strut around town, in their low waist jeans and very skimpy shirts, to expose their well-toned midriff.

From the moment we venture into running, we at least have some idea that our abdomen or core plays  a vital role in it. We all probably heard about these exercise routines: crunch, sit-ups, leg-raises, etc. I’m sure you do and you might even have tried doing it. Sometimes, in our haste to see results, we do things blindly and out of whim. And after a time of slaving your self to exertion to do a crunch or sit-up in perfect form, with still no favorable outcome, you quit. I know, been there, done that.

Allow me to give you some insight about this one important part of our anatomy-  our abdominal muscles. ( One warning though, I’m no expert on this. Heck, I don’t even have a respectable belly that is devoid of unwanted fats to show off. What I am going to share here is what I glean from my various readings on the subject. I’ve tried experimenting on some but I did not stick long enough to reap the results hence my bulging tummy  like that of Po. So may be, you can do better than me and when you finally  have that ripped midsection, you can show PG how you did it. Deal? )

what lies beneath

As you can see from the picture above, our midsection is compose of different muscles, each of which when targeted with different exercise routines suited for it, will give us  the perfect, carved, six-pack abs we always wish we had.

It is important to note that we can not just focus all our efforts on doing all those abdominal exercises mentioned. Another crucial factor to take into account is the nutrition we pour on our body. You can not just gorge on food to your gut’s content and still expect a six-pack. I mean, let’s be realistic here, it really does not make a difference even if you spend 24/7 on your ab workout and still eat like there’s no tomorrow.

Even if we’re not after a modeling contract for some slinky undergarment, it’s still of utmost importance that we give our core the attention due to it, if we really are serious in taking our running to the next level. ( check this out for further reading)

something to think about

Anyway, I hope you get something out from this. I know it can be daunting to take on a task that is somehow beyond our comfort zone. Still, with a bit of determination and strong conviction, in time, you and I, will make it. Just take it easy on the….

Wobble on Panda.

Hello!! Hope you all had fantabulous weekends I always feel so weird writing weekend posts, because I’m speaking to people who mostly had the days off. But I’m smack middle in my work week!

It was a slow news day, my only assignment was to clean the newsroom. Wow. I don’t think it’s been cleaned since the introduction of computers…

I came home tired and hungry, so I decided to satisfy my hunger first. With a parfait!

I don’t like wine, so it was nice to find a use for my wine glasses

It had a blueberry bran vitamuffin, peanut butter, blueberry jam and yogurt.

Baaahhh, soooo good!! I just sort of plopped little bits of PB and jam as I layered the muffin and yogurt. Every bite was different and delicious!

Then I promptly passed out for two hours. These early morning shifts still really tucker me out. My body just can’t get used to them!

After navigating my way out of a post-nap fog (and a banana), I went to the gym. Weekend afternoons at the gym are so chill. It’s so easy to just whittle away my day playing around on the equipment. Actually, that’s exactly what I did

It’s been a while since I did some serious core work, so I wrote down ab circuits to do, inspired by April’s total core workout.

I’m a total nerd and often bring cheat sheets to the gym with me. If I’m trying out new moves, I’ll write down descriptions so I don’t flub up and get the form wrong!

Anyways, here’s what I did:

• 15 minutes on the elliptical, increasing resistance every 2 minutes
• Middle ab circuit (x3)
  • 15 weighted ball crunches
  • 20 scissors
  • 10 leg lifts (ditched the ball after first set)
  • 10 prone jackknifes
• 10 minutes on the rowing machine
• Oblique circuit (x3)
  • 20 leg drops
  • 20 Russian twists
  • 15 reverse hyperextensions
• 10 minutes on the stepmill, increasing then decreasing speed
• Challenge ab moves
  • two 90-second planks
• 10 minutes running on the treadmill, increasing speed every 2 minutes
• 5 minutes walking on treadmill

With stretching after, I was at the gym for over an hour and a half! Whoops.

I was staaaarving by the time I got home. So I just threw a bunch of stuff in the oven so it would be ready for when I got out of the shower

I covered some tofu in teriyaki sauce and black sesame seeds.

Then some green beans, mushrooms and onions with a little Bragg’s.

Deeeelicious!! My favourite parts were actually the mushrooms and onions. They make such a mean combo when cooked!

I’m still pretty hungry though. This was eaten at 7pm, and my “lunch” was at 10am, with a couple snacks and a long ass workout in between. I find I need a substantial meal every few hours. Now I feel like I just can’t get satisfied!

Well that wraps it up for me. Regardless of my afternoon coma, I’m still exhausted! I want to be nice and chipper for my step class tomorrow. Ohthatsright. I’m going back!

Question(s) of the day:

1. What’s your favourite time to go to the gym? Definitely love my weekend afternoons! I used to go on Friday nights which was a lot of fun. My least fave is after work. It’s when it’s the busiest and just seems like no one wants to be there.

2. What are some of your favourite ab moves? I used to hate the plank, but I love challenging myself with it now. I also really like the Pilates “roll up.”

See ya tomorrow!

Check out ABSolution by Shawn Phillips.  This book will take you through the most beneficial exercises and routines to define your abs and make them peak.  Everybody has abs, we cannot change the positioning of our abs but we can bring them out to look as immaculate as possible.  ABSolution is guaranteed to help you with this, it has worked for me and many pros.

It was a busy day yesterday so I thought I wouldn’t do the regular Taebo but try out a 40 minute Ab workout instead. It would be mostly floor work, I would have done something and I would still have the energy to deal with the evening ahead. Normally if I have one hour to go before 12 guests arrive, I would be in bed before you could say Blueberry Cheesecake. I would need the nap to help me get through mentally and physically. Yesterday found me in my gym shorts, switching on my laptop to do the said 40 mins (giving me 10 mins to shower after and get ready). Boy was I in for a surprise. This Ab workout (Ab Bootcamp by Billy Blanks – unfortunate last name) was almost as tough as the Taebo. I never knew that the back of my EARS could sweat. But it was less soul destroying than the Taebo in that that I got THROUGH the whole thing. I Hate doing crunches so a relatively crunch free routine was lovely. Plus its common sense that you must MOVE your body to get fitter and boy did this make me move. The exercises had me doing oblique crunches STANDING UP. It was brilliant. Whats even more great is that the pace stops your brain from kicking in and start conjuring reasons for stopping.

On another note, I am reading a book by Tom Clancy called Without Remorse. Its part of the whole series of Clear and Present Danger, Red October etc. In this book is a Navy Seal called John Kelly who gets shot and he then sets himself on the road to recovery. He pushes and pushes himself until he cant feel pain in one muscle or the other anymore. It made me think. This extra weight is like a sickness. I have been sick for some time now. I just need to get better. I have to nourish myself, get plenty of rest, ease up on the stress and push my body physically. Its like rehab. If I look at it this way then the journey makes sense. And then the mind gets into gear, especially around the 10 minute mark into any workout when I am ready to quit. If the game changes and becomes one of “recovery”….boy, it could be powerful. My sad resignation about my weight turns to anger. And anger is a great tool to have in your utility belt.

x MBFLB Mama

I like this workout because she does some really creative movements.  Solid ab workout that includes a little cardio. Its an ab workout your average person could handle.