Inspiration

Work It Wednesday!

Today is hump day! For me.. it's a tough one, the middle of the week has hit and I kinda begin to feel myself slumping wishing it was Friday. Well, not quite yet.. I've got a killer workout and circuit as your midweek challenge! Just think how amazing you will feel after accomplishing this one. Always feel free to change speeds, inclines, etc. as needed. Goal is to finish!

Workout found here:

60-Minute Rolling Hills

Incline: 1.0

• 00:00 – 05:00: 4.2 mph
• 05:00 – 07:00: 6.3 mph
• 07:00 – 09:00: 6.5 mph
• 09:00 – 11:00: 6.7 mph
• 11:00 – 13:00: 6.5 mph
• 13:00 – 15:00: 6.3 mph
• 15:00 – 20:00: 4.5 mph
• 20:00 – 22:00: 6.4 mph
• 22:00 – 24:00: 6.6 mph
• 24:00 – 26:00: 6.8 mph
• 26:00 – 28:00: 6.6 mph
• 28:00 – 30:00: 6.4 mph
• 30:00 – 35:00: 4.4 mph
• 35:00 – 37:00: 6.5 mph
• 37:00 – 39:00: 6.7 mph
• 39:00 – 41:00: 6.9 mph
• 41:00 – 43:00: 6.7 mph
• 43:00 – 45:00: 6.5 mph
• 45:00 – 50:00: 4.2 mph
• 50:00 – 51:00: 7.0 mph
• 51:00 – 52:00: 6.9 mph
• 52:00 – 53:00: 6.8 mph
• 53:00 – 54:00: 6.7 mph
• 54:00 – 55:00: 6.6 mph
• 55:00 – 60:00: 4.2 mph

Followed with this circuit found here:

Each exercise should be performed for one minute, and then one minute rest before moving onto the next exercise.

1. Body Weight squat

2. Push up/half push up

3. Squat thrust

4. Plank

5. Alternate leg lunge

6. Hip lift (lie on your back, knees bent, press hips up, drop back down at a controlled pace)

7. Side plank (30 seconds each side

8. High knew jog (in place)

9. Basic crunch

10. Mountain climbers

ENJOY!!!

XOXO

Tone It Up Tuesday!

WHOOOOHOOOOO!!!! HAPPY TUESDAY FRIENDS!!!!

Today's workout is a serious burner, as if yesterday's wasn't.. holy cow my legs were shaking!!! I felt like I ran straight up a mountain! Big props to everyone to tried it, you're awesome!!!!

Today's will give you a little taste of both world's.. sprinting and climbing. Combo's are the best right?! I think so. Kind of reminds me of a spin class on a treadmill.. Haha!

Found here:

Minute	Incline	Speed
0-4	7.5	4
4-9	1	6.5
9-13	7.5	4
13-18	1	6.5
18-22	7.5	4
22-25	2	6.5
25-28	1	7
28-29	1	8
29-30	1	6
30-31	1	8
31-32	1	7
32-35	1	6.5
35-40	7.5	4

I'm gonna follow this bad boy with the following:

10 sets of 10 body weight squats

4 sets of 25 pushups

5 sets of 20 walking lunges

I'm all about doing things in 100s :)

Burn baby burn!

Just bought some of this to try:

I've heard great things about it.. high in potassium (more than bananas!) and is perfect for you post-workout!

Here's some background info found here:

1. Vita Coco is 100% pure coconut water, made completely by mother nature.
2. Vita Coco coconut water is harvested from young green coconuts before the water is absorbed into the meat. After the coconut water starts absorbing into the meat, the thicker liquid left behind and extracted from the meat is coconut milk. Although still good for you, coconut milk is a more concentrated source of oil, trans fats and sugar, therefore, much higher in calories.
3. Vita Coco, on the other hand, can benefit those who are trying to lose weight or keep off unwanted pounds, because it’s very low in calories. One 8.5 oz serving of Vita Coco coconut water only has 45 calories. It's low in sugar and has zero fat or trans fats.

What do you think? Have you tried it? Or even tried other brands? Would love your feedback! I'm trying it this morning after my workout!

ENJOY!!

XOXO

This Week's Motto

Tomorrow's Workout and a Busy Week!

Here goes another week of hard workouts and a long week of work! Here's to Xmas $$ to spend on my honey :) The end of the week brings lots of fun which I cannot wait for.. Alan's holiday work party, our cute little love Sophia's 4th bday party, and last but not least, decorating our place for Christmas! YAY!!

This is what tomorrow's workout looks like.. a fun little incline HIIT I made up:

Minute	Incline	Speed
0-5	5	5
5-6	7.5	6
6-7	7.5	4.5
7-8	7.5	6.5
8-9	7.5	4.5
9-10	7.5	7
10-11	7.5	4.5
11-12	7.5	7.5
12-13	7.5	4.5
13-14	7.5	7
14-15	7.5	4.5
15-16	7.5	6.5
16-17	7.5	4.5
17-18	7.5	6
18-19	7.5	4.5
19-20	7.5	5.5

Followed by:

3 sets of 10 reps of the following

1. Bicep curl to shoulder press

2. Forward lat raise to shoulder raise

3. Low rows and reverse flys

4. Isolated triceps

Even though it looks like a short 20 minutes, it'll leave your legs screaming. Feel free to increase the speed if you dare :)

Would love to hear feedback from you if you try the workouts.. always looking for new ones or ways to improve them!

Have fun!

XOXO

Tis the Season

Happy December to you and yours!

This is my most favorite time of the year... decorating, parties, being with friends and family.. what more could you ask for?!

Some things I am really looking forward to:

• My best friend's coming home
• Decorating our cute place
• Baking cookies
• Making gingerbread houses
• Holiday parties
• Cuddling by the fire
• Sledding
• Our first Christmas as Mr&Mrs
• Christmas morning with the fam
• Skiing

I can't wait for all the fun! Hope your holiday season is bright and cheery! Enjoy the time with your family and friends!

XOXO

A Couple of my Favorites!

This is a two-part post making up for yesterday! Oops!

It brings another HIIT treadmill workout (I swear by these), killer ab workout, and one of my favorite go-to snacks! I'll start with the food first :)

Grapefruit. It is a large subtropical citrus fruit generally recognized for its slightly bitter and sour taste. It was first produced in Barbados as a hybrid fruit that resulted from a cross between pomelo and sweet orange. Grapefruit was named after the grape, because grapefruits grow in clusters like grapes.

Many grapefruit varieties are being cultivated in different countries such as the United States and China. The well-known varieties include those with red, pink and white pulp. Like all other citrus fruits, grapefruit is loaded with vitamin C, although this is not the only benefit that you can get from grapefruit. Here are five other health benefits of grapefruit.

1. Grapefruit Helps in Losing Weight

Grapefruit is high in enzymes that burn fats, has high water content and has less sodium. A combination of these three characteristics make grapefruit a perfect food for increasing your body’s metabolism. Try eating grapefruit or drinking grapefruit juice every day and you will notice how quickly you lose those extra pounds.

2. Prevents Arthritis and Works as an Antiseptic

Grapefruit contains salicylic acid that helps break down the body’s inorganic calcium, which builds up in the cartilage of joints and may lead to arthritis. If you have arthritis, try drinking grapefruit juice with apple cider vinegar. You will notice a reduction in your arthritis symptoms.

The salicylic acid in grapefruit also works as a powerful antiseptic. In addition, grapefruit seed extracts can be added to water to make an antiseptic spray for treating bacterial and fungal infections.

3. Grapefruit Helps in Cancer Prevention

Lycopene is a carotenoid pigment that is responsible for the red color of grapefruit. It is a powerful agent against tumors and cancers as it acts as a scavenger of cancer-causing free radicals. Lycopene works best with vitamins A and C, which are also found in grapefruit.

An antioxidant compound, called naringenin, is also found in grapefruit. Naringenin helps repair damaged DNA in prostate cancer cells. DNA repair contributes to cancer prevention as it impedes the reproduction of cancer cells.

4. Grapefruit Helps Lower Cholesterol Levels

The antioxidants found in grapefruit are effective in reducing cholesterol levels. However, if you are on prescription drugs, do not eat grapefruit or drink grapefruit juice. Grapefruit has a negative reaction against many prescription drugs such as those used in treating depression, allergies, high blood pressure, seizures, impotence, heart palpitations and even HIV. Inform your physician if you want to use grapefruit as a regular form of treatment.

5. Grapefruit Treats Common Ailments

Eating grapefruit or drinking its juice helps treat common cold and fever, dissolve gallstones, boost liver function and enhance immunity against infections. As grapefruit contains a dietary fiber called pectin, it thus promotes better digestion. In addition, if you want to have healthy and smooth skin, try including grapefruit in your diet.

You can get many other benefits from grapefruit because it also contains essential elements such as iron, calcium, potassium, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, folic acid and B vitamins (thiamine, riboflavin and niacin). You can even extract oil from grapefruit peel for use in aromatherapy.

LOVE this fruit. I eat it daily.. sometimes a couple times on those days I can't get enough!

Now onto the workout part. Please read below for information on HIIT workouts if you're interested :)

Pyramid

2 minute brisk walk

4 minutes run

1 minute sprint (fast)

4 minute run

2 minute brisk walk

**repeat 3 times

Abs

Lower ab toners – leg up downs hand at sides x30

Lower ab toners – leg up downs with hand behind head x30

Side plank hip dips x30

Plank to pushup to plank x20

Plank + tummy tucks x20

10 knee raises

20 tummy tucks

30 second plan jacks (on hands in a plank, jack your legs out and in)

40 crunches

50 bicycle crunches

40 crunches

30 second plank jacks (see above)

20 tummy tucks

10 standing knee raises

FEEL THE BURN AND ENJOY!!