I just had a check-up with my doctor and he said my numbers are elite. These numbers keep me informed on where my blood pressure, resting heart rate, cholesterol and lipid levels stand. These numbers also serve as a source of motivation for more improvement, consistent assessment and as a foundation to support the direction of all of my other activities.

In a society where we focus on some of the most insignificant and idiotic things, all that matters is your overall health because without that, you have nothing. Period!

Speaking of numbers, the latest numbers on the top cause of death in the United States compiled from 2010 to 2011 is once again, Heart Disease. The large majority of those deaths were due to poor physical activity and nutritional habits. Pretty much sums it up huh?

I don’t need to craft an eloquent blog post on why it is so important to take care of yourself with disciplined eating and regular exercise because the numbers do all the talking and they are talking loud! Get off your butt,  keep your eating habits simple, treat yourself once and awhile and realize that crafting a healthy lifestyle doesn’t mean that you have to go to extremes. Start out slow, take some time to try different activities, choose the ones that interest you and that you will perform on a consistent basis. If you need help, consult a local fitness professional that can help you get started or take your current activities to the next level.

These baby steps will earn you small victories each day, week, month and year that will ultimately solidify the healthy lifestyle that we all know we should be living. Quit waiting for divine intervention and make things happen!

• BACK ATTACK
• SEXY BACK WORKOUT

Butt

• BEYONCE BOOTYLICIOUS BUTT
• BUTT BLASTER
• SUPER BUTT WORKOUT

Core

• 3 MINUTE AB WORKOUT CHALLENGE
• 6 PACK ABS IN 6 MOVES!
• ABOMINABLE ABDOMINALS
• CINCH THAT WAIST WORKOUT
• CORSET WORKOUT FOR A SLIM WAIST
• CRAZY CORE WORKOUT
• HOT ABS WORKOUT
• INTENSE AB WORKOUT
• LOWER BELLY POOCH ATTACK
• MUFFIN TOP/LOVE HANDLES EXTERMINATOR
• MUFFIN TOP MELTDOWN
• UH-OH OBLIQUES
• YOU’VE GOT ABS FLAT ABS WORKOUT CHALLENGE

Legs

• INNER THIGH INSANITY
• LEGILATES LEGSERCIZES
• LEGS AND THIGHS WORKOUT
• SADDLEBAG SHAVER
• SLIMMER INNER THIGHS/RUNNER’S CALVES WORKOUT
• SO YOU WANT NICE LEGS WORKOUT
• THANKFUL THIGHS THANKSGIVING WORKOUT

Upper Body

• ARM ATTACK
• TRICEP TONER
• UPPER BODY WORKOUT
• PUSH-UP CHALLENGE

Hybrid Workouts

• LADY GAGA STANDING ABS/LEGS
• PLANK ARM WORKOUT FOR FLAT ABS/TONED ARMS
• SERIOUS STANDING PILATES FOR LEGS/BUTT/OBLIQUES
• STANDING PILATES BY THE SEA FOR THIGHS/CORE/SHOULDERS

Full Body

• ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS WORKOUT
• BIKINI BOD WORKOUT
• BIKINI BOOTCAMP
• BODY SLIMMING WORKOUT
• NEW BODY MAKEOVER
• POST THANKSGIVING TUNE UP
• SCULPTING TOTAL BODY WORKOUT
• SEA INSPIRED PILATES WORKOUT
• SUMMER SLIMDOWN WORKOUT
• TILL THE WORLD ENDS TOTAL BODY WORKOUT
• TOTAL BODY BANGIN’ WORKOUT
• TOTAL BODY SCULPT FOR ABS/BUTT/THIGHS
• WEIGHT LOSS PILATES

Beginner Workouts

• BEGINNER AB TIME!
• BEGINNER TOTAL BODY WORKOUT

Partner Workouts

• SCULPTING PARTNER WORKOUT

Stretches

• AMAZING UPPER BACK/LEG STRETCHES
• STRETCHING FOR FLEXIBILITY

Cardio

• 20/20 WORKOUT FOR FAT BLASTING & TONING
• BLOGILATES & BEX HIIT WORKOUT
• CARDIO KICKBOXING
• CRAZY PARK HIIT WORKOUT
• FAT MELTING ROUTINE
• FOOD BABY HIIT WORKOUT
• HEART THROBBER WORKOUT
• HIIT BODYWEIGHT WORKOUT
• KICK IT WORKOUT
• CARDIO DANCE!
• TOTAL BODY CARDIO KICKBOXING

There you go

Winter is Snowboard season for me, so I perform what is called “in season” workouts where I maintain the results I achieved the previous months with intense, 2-3 set, whole body routines with little rest between sets. With these workouts being fairly similar during these months, I figured it would be a great time to conduct the experiment. I always perform a dynamic warm up before training, so in  December I drank an energy drink 20 minutes before starting each training session.

In January, I did the same routines without any energy drinks prior to my sessions and noticed no difference. A second layer I added to the mix was that in the last week of each month of the experiment, I didn’t perform my dynamic warm up.

The results? 

The energy drinks are pretty much useless, a waste of money and a mind trick by the companies who want to you to believe that you need an external source of energy to get you prepared for whatever bout of activity you choose to perform!

Second, the only thing that improved was the bottom line of these companies during the process of me dropping $2-3 per can or bottle of these products!

Third, the only time I felt like crap was when I didn’t perform my dynamic warm up routine prior to my workouts. A pre-workout warm up of any kind goes a long way in getting both your mind and body pumped up with oxygenated blood and ready for action!

Save your money and craft a warm up session that will take advantage of the internal mechanisms we are all born with that will give us all the adrenaline and energy we need to tackle whatever goals we set forth!

My warm up routine?

2-4 rounds, 10-15 reps of:

• Standard Push Ups
• Standard Bodyweight Squats 
• Standard Wall Balls
• Wide stance Push Ups
• Wide stance Bodyweight Squats
• Wide stance Wall Balls
• Lightweight standard Kettlebell Swings

After a good warm up, my body is good to go with all motor units on high alert and the muscles ready to contract and react!

I switch my workouts and warm up routines around all the time but either way, the warm up procedure is by far the way to go versus lame energy drinks. The undeniable truth is that everything you need to push your mind, body and spirit forward lies in yep, you guessed it….your mind body and spirit. Hello? Save your money, man up, warm up then let your body do what it was designed to do!

20130203-080411.mov

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It’s also fun for the little ones, they enjoy guessing what colours I’m going to wear

Having odd socks has now become a part of who I am. I have a reputation in dancing for them and I’m slowly getting one in the fitness world as well.

This term I’m teaching ballet 4 days a week ages 4 to 17 so I’m going to have to invest in some more colours! It helps sometimes having a small feet as I fit into kids sizes!!!
I have favorite colours and my most favorite ones are my m&m ones cause they have little faces on them but they have warn through now

I think it’s something that will stick with me forever. One day I’ll be this little old lady with the odd socks!

I tried out the chest and back routine that is included with the basic home kit

Chest & Back:

A.  chest press x 5, rest 15 sec

B.  one arm chest press x 5 (each side), rest 15 sec

clock press, AKA one arm pushup

C.  flyes x 15, rest 15 sec

D.  low rows x 5, rest 15

E.  mid row x 10, rest 15

F.  high rows x 15, rest 15

Repeat A-F, 2 more times

I got the whole thing done while dinner was cooking on the stove, yay!  I figured the rests were optional, so I didn’t rest in between the chest sets or the back sets first time through the circuit, I just went A-C and D-F no rest.  But by the 3rd set I took a brief rest in between each exercise, so I figured that was fatigue, good!

Did I like it??  Well, TRX has its place.  It is SUPER convenient, I can bust out all kinds of exercises while in the middle of my chores, I can see myself dragging it around when I travel… it takes up no space at all!  I am not slagging how hard it is, I can easily make it as hard as I can handle, or as easy as I need.  and yet… I feel really good when I am pumping iron.  It is a different vibe.  Something is very satisfying about iron in a way that bodyweight exercises are not; and even fancy suspension bodyweight exercises like these don’t give that same thrill.

So, yes.  I like TRX.  I think it will be JUST what I need first thing in the morning when I need a pick-me-up, or in the afternoon on a weekend when I am being lazy and this way I can get some resistance training in without locking down my whole afternoon.  But it won’t replace the gym, not by a longshot

So today I got caught up on some office work and on some blog posts. I even got largely through building a bed frame with old pallets. I like the rustic look.

For the fast home workout today it was a Tabata style workout done with kettlebell swings.  20 seconds of effort with 10 seconds of rest for 8 sets.  Kettlebells area full body workout and definitely get the metabolism up.

Kettlebell 55 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Related articles

• Kettlebells Instructor Lorna Kleidman Comments on Coca-Cola’s Promotion of Healthy Living (prweb.com)
• Morning Rev up with kettlebells (fastworkoutsathome.wordpress.com)
• Kettlebell Exercises Expert Lorna Kleidman Recommends Applying Kettlebells to Maximize Aerobic Training (prweb.com)

It wasn’t that he hasn’t been “able” to, he just hasn’t “wanted” to…end of story! For many years, there have been countless types of running, hiking, biking and walking apparel being produced that allow people to comfortably get out and active in ANY type of weather.

Much of this apparel is multi-purpose and can be used for most, if not all of your outdoor activities. I perform my trail runs, bike rides and hikes no matter what the weather which is due to having all the gear I need to stay warm, dry, comfy, cool or whatever the need!

Excluding the occasional natural disaster or extremely dangerous conditions , don’t let the weather be an excuse for not handling your exercise business.

You can go to your local specialty running, cycling store or outdoor/outfitter retailer for all the gear you need. For as long as I can remember, the go-to source for my outdoor exercise gear has been Pearl Izumi. Their stuff is of the highest quality and it flat-out does what it is supposed to do…it allows me to get my exercise completed comfortably, no matter what the conditions. Here is a link to their site: http://www.pearlizumi.com

Consistency in any type of endeavor is all about effort and if you are serious about what you are doing and really committed, you’ll find a way to get it done. It is a great feeling to look outside and say “hmm…it’s raining, I’ll grab my rain gear” and not think twice about it!

I want you to have that same great feeling, so assess what activities you love to do then get the gear that will allow you to consistently perform them, no matter what mother nature throws at you!

Towel Molding for Mid back

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Caution: If you experience discomfort during this exercise, you can decrease the duration and decrease the height of the towel. If you have a very stiff upper back and your head does not touch the floor, you may place a thin pillow underneath your head for support until your upper back becomes more flexible. If the discomfort persists, stop the exercise and consult with your health practitioner.

Here is another cool product for all of you living room, basement and garage gladiators. The folks at Bowflex came up with an innovative approach to helping you get fit and save some money at the same time.

If you don’t have the money for a gym membership or a bunch of home fitness equipment, this is a great option. I tried this out at an industry demonstration and it was pretty cool.

Just like any other piece of fitness equipment, it is important to use proper form and technique, so don’t think the product will do the work for you! The whole concept behind fitness equipment is YOU doing the work…right?

Check it out! http://www.bowflexuppercut.com

Putting Humpty Together Again

For the past few weeks I have been watching someone in my office do something I think is strange but now I am jumping on that wagon because it’s going to A) save me a hell of a lot of time and B) give me more time to sleep.

I usually prepare my breakfast for the next day, the evening before. Does this make sense? Well, I spend all this time making my favourite breakfast (omelettes). Preparing the ingredients, cutting, chopping and whisking.

For a few weeks I have been watching this guy bring all these ingredients (good vegetables) to work and making an omelette in the microwave. I thought it was crazy but now I see that it can save me so much time and get me to bed earlier instead of slaving away in the kitchen.

Here’s how it works:

Ingredients

• Egg whites or with yolk (which ever you prefer)
• 1 tablespoon shredded mozzarella cheese, ham, peppers, onion
• Then add whatever other vegetables you like – spinach, mushrooms, even asparagus.

Directions

• Take the eggs and place it in a bowl!
• Mix in the other ingredients.
• Place in microwave.
• Heat for 2-3 minutes (depending on the strength of your microwave).
• Let cool 30 seconds – 1 minute.

So, just pack your ingredients the night before, leave it on the kitchen counter and grab them on your way to work. It takes only 2 minutes to prepare and even less to gather the ingredients!

The Office Secret

I was visiting a good friend of mine, who is a rugby player and has an awesome physique, and we were talking about doing home exercises. I am very keen on the idea and am willing to do anything to get into shape. But I mentioned to him that I don’t have any equipment. He says to me that you DON’T NEED it! Well…at least at first! Until you can get a set of dumbbells, do some resistance training which uses your own body strength!

All good and well but when do I find the time to do all this? “At the office” he says…WHAT?

The Male WonderBra – Or at least “The Push Up”

• Set a goal for how many push ups you would like to do in one day.
• Divide them equally between the amounts of hours you spend at work.
• Find a place in your office that is quiet and where you can do your push ups.
• Do the allotted amount every hour.

I was stunned at the simplicity and the practicability of the idea! I have found my space in the office already.

Do you guys have any other tips for healthy living on the go?

The stations were sit outs, V toe touches, squats and then push ups.  I did the circuit twice.

Total workout time was 4 minutes. I also did the circuit in the living room while watching a movie.

I have been considering videoing some of the workouts. Especially those that involve BJJ moves/warmups because these are not seen outside of mma and BJJ classes so many are not aware of what they are.

Related articles

• New Years Day and a new short exercise goal (fastworkoutsathome.wordpress.com)

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/we-mirin-special-edition-transformation-inspiration.html?mcid=face

Today since I have the “day off” for the most part I did a four minute interval workout with a kettlebell.

8 sets of kettlebells swings, each set was 20 seconds long with only a 10 second rest between sets.

The workout was performed in the living room while watching the television.

Total workout time 4 minutes.

Having health doe not have to be time consuming or expensive

Health (Photo credit: 401(K) 2013)

11:30 at night and I remembered that still had not worked out. No problem I only need 4 minutes.

I did ab crunches in 20 sec intervals with 10 second rest between sets, for 8 sets.

The workout only took four minutes.

Performing the crunch (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

How we are going to change the world, do more charity, lose weight, live healthier, be kinder, take more risks…the resolutions and “to do” lists are endless…. 

The more pressing question is: What ARE you REALLY going to do?

That eternal question

My question stands: What are you really going to do and achieve during the New Year?

And…It’s something that I think we start off seriously wanting to do but then along the way it dwindles! The desire to do those things leave us and we get caught up with so many others things because life is not predictable after all. However, it’s how we deal with those unpredictable moments that will propel us and motivate us to keep forging on and still be PASSIONATE about the things we set out to do!

So, I have decided to be more determined than ever to accomplish the goals I have set!

I have decided to write them on paper, stick it up in my room where I can see them every day. And not only have these goals but also writing down a timeline.

My Wish list:

These are the things that I would like to implement this year:

• Being more considerate of others
• Starting my home gym
• Eating healthier
• Show more interest in my family
• Give more of myself to my friends and others
• Love more and hate less

For now, these 6 things are things that I really need to concentrate on because right now they are important to me! As the year goes on and I have scraped these from my goals list I will add more which I wish to achieve.

Sink or Swim

This blog has really been such a cool space for me this past month to help and motivate me. My hope is that any of you out there will be able to share your ideas and journey with me and others…

So, tell me some of your goals and how you plan to achieve them. You may have a different view on how to do things and it may be helpful to me as well as others.

This is my last post for 2012…HAVE A BLAST AND HAPPY NEW!

a) you will likely be extremely hungry and mow down on rich holiday fare

b) the food you will be eating more of is probably less healthy than what you would normally eat

and c) depending on your body type and what you eat that day, you may lose a bit of muscle mass…and gain fat mass.

If you are going to work out before a feast, lift weights. The insulin coursing through your veins after dinner will be anabolic and your muscles will get ample signals to grow.

If you are going to work out after a feast, lift weights or do cardio. Preferably sprints or intervals, but try not to vomit. Doing cardio before a big meal might end up just making you hungrier, but doing it after will stimulate the hormone epinephrine (which tells the body to release fat and glycogen  stores) to balance out the ridiculously high blood insulin and sugar levels.

After our Christmas dinner tonight (Mom wanted to have leftovers for the rest of our family visit), I did a workout that anyone could do – anywhere. Not gonna lie, I started to cramp up at the beginning, but it passed quickly… Worth it.

Download the free iPhone app Seconds and create a high intensity interval timer with 1 minute hard 1 minute easy, 15 rounds, for a total of 30 minutes of work.

The Shut Up and Do It Workout

• 10 minute jog

Choose whichever of the following exercises you feel like at the moment and do it for 1 minute, repeat with different exercises until the 30 minutes are up. If you don’t have dumbbells or something heavy, just do the ones you can.

• Jumping jacks
• V-ups
• Box jumps
• Mountain climbers
• Fire hydrant kicks
• Squat jumps
• Lunge jumps
• Booty leg lifts
• Lunges
• Dumbbell swings
• Bridges
• Dumbbell snatches
• Alternating crunch up-toe touches
• Leg lifts
• Pushups
• Pull ups
• Bicep curls
• Tricep dips
• Dumbbell flys
• Jumping jacks
• Butt kicks
• Long jumps
• Step ups (one leg at a time)

GO DO IT!

Lazy Bones

I don’t live a particularly busy life, although some days are busier than others. But, I find that sometimes I am lazy and find myself doing other things to fill my time (watching TV, PS3, going to visit a friend just to avoid a work-out). If you feel like this, I fully understand and to a certain extent it’s okay – until you reach a point as I have – where exercise and moving my body has become imperative!!

Guys Vs Dolls

The eternal question: Is yoga meant for men? Yes…of course it is! It’s meant for everyone! Guys – THIS IS WHAT YOGA WILL DO FOR YOU: It will improve your SEX LIFE! Ladies…you all know why yoga is good for you and the endless benefits you will get by practicing it!

Teaching A Downward Facing Dog New Tricks

I have found that in the morning, when I wake up, I am feeling really tired and lethargic. It’s been a bit better this past week because I have made a change in the way I am eating…AND I feel so much better, PLUS I have not measured it but my jeans are fitting a little less snug too!

To add to my feeling of being less tired, I am starting to do some simple stretches in my room, AT HOME! These are some easy yoga positions that will get your blood flowing, help your muscles stretch get you ready to start your day!

Here Are 3 Poses You Can Start Out With

Forward Fold

Stretches hamstrings, calves, and hips; strengthens legs and knees

Stand with feet hip-width apart, gently hinge forward at the hips and lower the torso toward the floor. Bend your knees generously to take any pressure out of the low back and hamstrings. Grasp opposite elbows with opposite hands. Breathe deeply and let gravity take the body toward the earth. Relax your head, neck, shoulders and torso. Slowly sway your torso or gently shake your head. Hold for one minute and roll back up to standing.

Why it’s good for you: This is a great move to use as part of a warm-up for any workout.

We often have a hard time knowing when we are holding excess tension in our head, neck and shoulders, and that buildup of tension can create headaches, insomnia, poor circulation and decreased lung capacity. If you practice slow, steady breathing along with this pose, it can lower your blood pressure over

Downward-Facing Dog

Stretches feet, shoulders, hamstrings, and calves; strengthens arms, legs, and core

Start on your hands and knees with your feet and knees hip-width apart. Position your hands about shoulder-width apart, and spread your fingers wide. Pressing firmly through your hands, lift your knees off the floor and straighten your legs. (If you have tight hamstrings, a gentle bend in the knees is fine). Walk your hands forward a few inches, and walk your feet back a few inches to lengthen the pose. Squeeze your thighs as you press them toward the back wall. Press your heels back and down toward the floor (though they might not reach the floor). Relax your head and neck and let your shoulder blades slide down your back toward your feet. Set your gaze between your feet. Suck your stomach in and engage your core muscles. Breathe deeply. Hold for three minutes, rest, and repeat one more time.

Why it’s good for you: We often experience back pain due to chronic tightness in the hamstrings and hips. It’s also common for us to have very tight shoulders. Down Dog releases those areas, while building upper body strength. If you can do only one pose a day, start with Downward Dog.

Chair

Stretches shoulders and chest; strengthens thighs, calves, spine, and ankles

Stand up tall with your big toes touching. Inhale and raise your arms straight up to the ceiling alongside your head and neck with palms facing each other. Drop your shoulders down your back as you lengthen up through the neck. As you exhale, bend your knees, sit down and back as if you were sitting in a chair (like doing a squat with your feet together). Do not let your knees extend past your toes. With each inhale lengthen the spine. With each exhale sit a little deeper in the chair. Eventually your thighs will be parallel to the floor. Drop your tailbone down toward the floor to take any stress out of your lower back. Keep your core muscles engaged and keep your knees and thighs pressed tightly together. Hold for 30 seconds.

Why it’s good for you: No gym necessary! Chair pose torches abdominal fat while strengthening the thighs and legs.

More reasons why Yoga is good right here.

The END – Not!!!!!

I end off these stretches by doing 5 push-ups! I know they seem a small amount but I am just starting…so I think doing 5 of them, with good and proper form is good enough! You don’t want to take on TOO much TOO soon and burn out and become despondent about exercise.

So…here’s to getting the start started full of energy and zest!

If you’re anything like me, you spend 9 hours at a desk every day, then on the weekend want to do nothing but relax. No where in there did you read the word exercise, nor is there anywhere in there that shouts “yay! exercising is EXACTLY what I want to do in my free time.” I hate exercising, with a passion. So much so that I really have never done it since high school when I took an aerobics class.

However, now that I spend 9 hours at a desk, my jeans seem to be getting a bit tighter and my scale is reading larger and larger numbers, and frankly I’m not happy about it. I’m not overweight by any stretch of the imagination( I realize this). But, that does not make me any more happy about putting on weight.

Which leads me to my point, I’ve been searching for ways to exercise that I won’t hate. Or won’t feel like I’m wasting my precious free time like running on a treadmill. So I wanted to share with you all this workout routine I found through pinterest.

It mainly works your lower body, as it’s a Ballet Boot Camp Challenge. I’m not following their exact regimen, but I can tell you one thing, you definitely feel it working. The first time I tried it, the next day I couldn’t even sit in a chair properly. The last thing I wanted to do was use my legs or perform any semi-squat move. You really should try it though if you’re looking for an easy do-it-at-home workout routine! (And yes, I realize too that saying how much pain I was in might make you not want to try it, but it really is a great work out, I promise!)

Click the picture to go to the workout.

Jadi arti  mimpi ini sudah sangat jelas sekali kangen ketemu temen2 daaan kangen olahraga. My body craving for exercise so so bad. Udah 2 bulanan ini ngga sempet lg olahraga di rumah. Biasanya olahraga pagi 2-3x seminggu setelah Bian sekolah dan Sadira tidur. Tapiii sekarang Dee tidurnya cuma sebentar,paling tidur sambil nen,klo nen udah selesai ya trus bangun.

Rasanya ngga enak klo ngga olahraga,lack of endorphine. Jadi bawaannya murung dan lesu seharian. Klo abis jogging atau olahraga salah satu seri video Jillian Michaels,walaupun cuma 30 menit,rasanya bahagiaaaaa sekali. Sekarang udah ngga sempet lagi Klo ada waktu luang (baca: udah masak,beres2,nemenin anak main dll) mendingan tidur bareng anak. Mau olahraga sore2 kok ya maleeess banget. Waktu dulu rajin2nya olahraga sebelum hamil Sadira,klo pagi ngga sempet diganti jadi sore.

Jogging pun lagi malaaaass sekali karena musim hujan,stadion tempat biasa aku lari kan becek nanti sepatu aku kotor dong. hahahha … Tadi siang sempet kepikiran mau sewa treadmill selama musim hujan tapi belum tau biaya sewanya berapa. Jadi untuk sementara aku olahraganya ngepel sambil gendong pake bobita,masak sambil gendong,jalan pagi sambil gendong dan menyusui !!! Sama aja kayaknya kalori yang terbakar,soalnya berat badan udah balik seperti sebelum hamil dan semua celana jeans muat kembali. Yeehaaa.

when i’m 37 weeks pregnant and still lifting my dumbellina

This past week or so I was away and staying in a hotel for meetings. It was a long drive there to Houston and sitting still during the large part of the day after having a sleep deprived trip there and back again makes it hard to train.

Today I got back into it. Since I have taken a little over a week off of my pull up goal I did a different type of workout to quickly help with the muscular endurance. I did lean back rows following the tabata protocol.

In case you are not aware a tabata workout out is a type of interval training with short rest periods. It is a researched training method shown to produce fast results.

I did 8 sets of 20 seconds of hard effort followed by only 10 seconds of rest.  Total workout time is only 4 minutes.

after the workout I went and had two thanksgiving meals. : )  my goals do not really focus on weight loss.

If you have never tried tabata, you do not know what you are missing.

Related articles

• Tabata called a fat-burning ‘miracle’ (mercurynews.com)
• Tabata anyone – Four Minutes of Pain to Gain (onlyhalfcrazy.wordpress.com)

I’ve been getting better about working out in general these last few weeks – thank God because Thanksgiving is one week away and I know I can’t stay away from homemade stuffing and some pecan pie. To help get me motivated, I try to mix up my workouts and their location. I belong to a great gym and while I love hitting the elliptical and joining in some of the classes, there comes a time where I just need a change of scenery, you know? So, what better place than in my living room? I can pump whatever jams I want or catch up on my DVR.  I like to keep my exercise regimen quick, fun, and challenging – if that is even possible in a good workout? Well, I’ve found a few “routines” that help me achieve all those things PLUS results. Wam bam, thank you ma’am.  I’ve taken some of my favorite moves from blogs, classes, and things I’ve picked up on my own and made two easy to follow, easy to remember work out plans. The first one can be done with nothing but your own body weight. The second, involves a few exercise tools that you may have laying around the house. The best part? Both are only 30 minutes! What workout moves do you do to stay in shape and bust out a quick move?

Note: depending on your floor situation, a yoga mat is not a bad idea!

Workout #1: No Materials Needed!
*Do each move for 60 seconds, repeat 3 times. (Take a 2 minute break between each round).
1. Mountain Climbers
2. Pushups on knees 
3. Back Lunges
4. Jumping Jacks
5. Crunches (pick your favorite, or mix it up each time!)
6. Squat Jumps
7. Side to Side Hops
8. Superman

Workout #2: Add Some Weight!
Materials needed:
-Medicine Ball (lighter weight, 5-7lbs)
-Stability Ball
-Free Weights (10-20lbs)
*Do each move for 60 seconds, repeat 3 times. (Take a 2 minute break between each round).
1. Burpees
2. Lunge with Twist (you can use medicine ball, free weights, or no weight)
3. Butterfly Crunches
4. Knee Ups with Medicine Ball (couldn’t find a video but super easy. Hold a medicine ball straight out in front of you – between your chest and hips. Raise one knee at a time until it taps the ball. Switch legs and repeat. Don’t move the ball, make your body work!)
5. Chest Press (30 seconds) & Chest Fly (30 seconds) – on Stability Ball w/free weights
6. Stability Ball Tucks
7. Jumping Jacks
8.  Sumo Squats (can do with or without weights)

Trust me, the first time I did some of these moves I thought it would be super easy. I was wrong! You definitely get your sweat on! Don’t forget to check out Ashley’s playlist for some workout jams. What do you think?

PS-don’t forget to stretch.

xo,becky

This is a repeat of the last workout since I noted that it was too difficult. Today I feel not that great due to a cold or allergies. However I do not want to lose any progress I have made so far.

The last two sets were hard and brought me to failure before the final rep once again, however not as much as last time.

Total workout time approximately 10 minutes.  Drive time to a gym zero.