Who DOESN'T want awesome abs?!

Right?! Ask anybody, pretty sure you won't hear very many people say, "No thanks. No awesome abs for me."

SO! Who wants an ab challenge? ME ME ME! Found this 6 week challenge and thought it looked doable and generally awesome :)

I'm going to go ahead and start on Tuesday and just skip the first day so I can just follow this as is, but like it says, you can adjust the days to your personal needs :)

So P90X is going GREAT! Just started Phase 2 yesterday, I can definitely feel myself getting stronger... I did some pull ups a couple weeks ago! Feet on the back of a chair, but still! I'm proud of that :) I also bought a jogging stroller and joined a running group on base. I haven't gone to a workout with the group yet because I am so NOT a runner... YET! I'm working on it on my own, and hope to join them in a workout very soon! I'm up to 1.5 miles now... which may not seem like a lot, but for me it's good! :)

Little man hydrating before a run ;)

Snack Attack!

Let me just start off by saying that 30 squats before every meal is kicking my butt... literally! ;)

So today's topic... SNACKS! I LOVE to snack, I would just eat snacks all day long if I could. One of my current goals is to clean up my snacking habits, so I thought in this post I would make a list of some of my favorite HEALTHY snack ideas :) Little tip before I go into the list, *snack size baggies*! They are the PERFECT size to portion out your snacks. And that way, you can grab a little snack size bag of tortilla chips instead of the entire bag. Portion control! Woo! Okay... so snacks!

-Rice cakes with peanut butter
-String cheese
-Raw almonds w/ dried cranberries
-Turkey roll ups (side note... I'm currently trying to get away from buying pre-packaged lunch meat turkey. So many additives!! I will either be finding an INEXPENSIVE organic brand, or I will be experimenting with roasting my own turkey breast...)
-Sliced peach with cottage cheese
-Tortilla chips with salsa
-Banana w/ peanut butter
-Pretzels (I'm on the lookout for the whole wheat kind)
-Veggie sticks w/ hummus
-Pita bread (whole wheat!) w/ melted cheese, hummus, or peanut butter
-Canned tuna or salmon
-Sliced avocado
-Blueberries dipped in honey flavored Greek yogurt and frozen
-Frozen grapes
-Grape tomatoes
-Strawberries
-Greek yogurt w/ granola or whole grain cereal
-Fruit smoothies
-Peanut butter, banana, oatmeal, almond smoothie
-Hard boiled eggs


I'm also starting to experiment with substitutions in baking. I've found some recipes that don't use butter, oil, eggs, or sugar, but plain Greek yogurt, applesauce, and bananas. My first try will be healthy chocolate muffins! Depending on how my little man is later this afternoon, I will be trying them today! If that doesn't work out, I'll make them tomorrow. I will post pictures and the recipe tomorrow! :)

Happy snacking!

Still here I promise!

I know it's been a while since my last post, but I have still been working out! Today starts week 3 of p90x and I am loving it! Sometimes it's a little hard to fit in, because there are a few workouts that are a little over an hour from start to finish, but with some re arranging I've been making it work for the most part! I took 'before' pictures, and at the end of the first 4 weeks I'll take pictures again and post :)

I figured just because I'm doing p90x doesn't mean I can't post some challenges on here right? Right :) Ok so how about this one!

Pretty self explanatory right? 30 squats before each meal! Earn it!

I find that I snack too much throughout the day, and not the healthiest of snacks all the time! So hopefully this squat challenge will make me think before eating each time, and TOMORROW's post will be all about healthy snack ideas! Woohoo!

Back on the Wagon p90x style!

Well... kinda lost some motivation there for a little while. Oops! Did really well leading up to my beach vacation, especially since I was able to hit the gym most morning for some good cardio, and even went on a few good runs (yes... runs! Bad ankle and all!) and do some good ab work while I was at the beach. Then I came home from vacation and... womp womp... lost motivation. I'm not going to dwell or feel too guilty about it though because I'm ready now! I'm ready to get back on the wagon!

My next goal? p90x!! I start today! Just as soon as I finish this post, and get dinner in the crockpot, I start DAY 1 of p90x. It's going to a bit more of a time commitment than the workouts I've been doing. Most of these take about an hour. Little man is now taking only 1 nap, but it lasts 2-3 hours, so I think I can devote just 1 of those hours to working out.

I want to continue to use this blog to track my fitness and to motivate others, but since I won't be posting daily workout links (for copyright reasons, actual p90x videos can't be linked for free), I need some new ideas! I'm going to take this week to get back into the swing of things workout-wise, and I will also be brainstorming other ways to utilize this blog :)

Enough stalling! It's Core Synergistics time!

Back from a break!

Took a little break while I went to visit my family for my brother's wedding. I squeezed in a few little workouts here and there. Some crunches, a couple push ups, or some Pilates when I had a spare few minutes. I got quite a few compliments while I was there! The first thing my mom said when I walked in the door was, "You look skinny!" and when I said, "I've been working out." she said, "Well you can really tell!" I heard similar things from a few other people over the weekend too! Now how's that for a confidence boost!!

Already been to the gym today, and I'm pleased to say that my little man didn't cry AT ALL! :) Makes me feel much better about my workouts! 25 minutes on the elliptical, followed by some ab work. Now onto today's bikini challenge... It's a balance board leg workout. I do not have a balance board, but apparently I can still do the workout without it and it will still be effective. So here we go!

All finished! After all the working out I've done today it's time to sttttttttretch!!!!!!!!

Craziness!

Very quick post today! My brother is getting married this weekend, and my little family was supposed to drive up north for it on Friday. Now however, our plans have changed, my husband isn't going to be able to go so little man and I will be driving up ourselves. Since we don't have to wait for hubby to get off work, we're going to hit the road tomorrow first thing in the AM so we can make it in time for the rehearsal dinner. Never done this 9 hour trip by myself before! Eek! Really hoping little man cooperates!

So anyway, things are kinda crazy right now, and they're only going to get crazier, but I'm squeezing in a workout right now between packing and cleaning. We're onto week 5 of the bikini body challenge now, and today's workout is my favorite muscle group... ABS!

I signed up little man for childcare at the gym and we've gone 2 days in a row now. Yesterday they took him from me right there at the door and he cried immediately :( Cried the whole 20 minutes I was on the elliptical. It made me so sad! :( Today I distracted him with some toys before leaving, and he did a lot better! I did 25 minutes on the elliptical, and then a few arm exercises (chest flies, tricep dips, deep swimmers presses, hammer curls, tricep kickbacks, shoulder presses, static bicep curls, tricep kickbacks with a wrist twist, and bicep curls) He was crying when I went in to get him, but had only started  a couple minutes before (I like that there's a big window and a tv so I can peek in on him!) Felt great to get in a good workout!

Ok! So here we go with today's ab workout!!

                                                               



                                                                         A little inspiration ;)

Skipping Around...

This week has been slightly crazy... (can we say cranky baby?!?!) so my workouts have been hit or miss... well... mostly miss :/ SO I'm just picking and choosing workouts today and tomorrow, taking Sunday off, and starting fresh on Monday! On Monday I'll be starting Week 5 of the bikini body challenge, even though week 4 was sporadic and won't be entirely completed. Week 5 starts a new string of workouts, so I'm hoping that will help motivate me to get back on track!

So anyway! Picking and choosing today... I'm going to do these ab exercises...

20 reps of each, and repeat!

THEN I want to do the Rock Those Guns workout from the bikini challenge. Little man is sleeping... so here we go!

Abs DONE. On to arms!

All finished :) Hoping to get in a walk with hubby and little man this evening as well, it's a gorgeous day!

I'm still here!

Totally forgot to post on Saturday! But I did a back and chest workout from the bikini body challenge :) Sunday we had an early 1st bday party for our little man so I didn't have a chance to get a workout in, but I'm ready to get back to it today! Today's workout is abs! Woo hoo! My favorite! My husband (he's still off work this week) is currently doing a chest and back workout from p90x. When he's finished that and I'm finished my ab workout, we're going to the p90x ab ripper exercise together.

Here we go!

Abs burning!

Goal for this week? Enroll little man in childcare at the gym on base. Eek! I'm nervous about leaving him :/, but I would really love to get in at least 20 minutes of good cardio a few times a week.... it's going to be so hard for me to leave him with somebody else! Even though he will be in the same building as me, and they even have a feed of the childcare room playing on a big screen in the cardio room, so I will be able to see him. Aaaaaaah! As you can tell, I'm freaking out about this a little... stay tuned to see how I do! Eek!

Almost forgot! Picture Friday!

Okay first of all... got my workouts in :) Hooray for an afternoon nap! Love my baby boy, but need him to take that nap!

A little something to make you smile :)

Picture this little guy ^ next time you just wanna quit! :)


Now... picture Friday! I'm feeling pretty proud of myself to tell ya the truth! Less than a month til our beach vacation and hopefully I'm going to feel 100% confident in that bikini! Hoping to start taking little man to the gym (and leaving him in the childcare... eek!) to get in some cardio to banish the flabby layer I still see over my stronger every day muscles. I've been walking a lot, but feel like I need some good, heart pumping cardio (or as heart pumping as I can get without aggravating the ankle injury...) to burn off that layer of fat!

Feeling the Yoga burn...

Yesterday I skipped my bikini body workout in favor of p90x's Yoga x workout. I LOVE yoga! Did it through my 2nd, and most of my 3rd, trimesters when I was pregnant. My husband had never tried yoga before, and did it with me. He was surprised to see how painful and difficult it is! I think that's a very common misconception about yoga. That it will be all deep breathing and slow, easy stretching. Nope! If you haven't ever tried yoga, I highly recommend finding a class to go to, or a dvd to do at home (there's a lot of videos on YouTube too!)

Today's bikini workout is focused on abs, and hopefully this afternoon I will get in the p90x ab workout as well.

Oh, the other day? When I said I would do SOMETHING after little man was in bed? Yeah... I watched an episode of Lost, took a shower, and was asleep by 10. Hahaha oh well! I don't feel too guilty, worked out hard that day (and yesterday... and planning on it today too!)


Little man had different plans concerning his morning nap (i.e.... he doesn't feel he needs one, AT ALL). Soooooo we're heading to the store, but hoping to get my workouts in during his afternoon nap! I will post again when I've completed them! Fingers crossed his afternoon nap happens today!

1 month til beach vacation!!

Our family beach vacation is almost here! So it's time to amp up my workouts! I had to take a couple days off for family get togethers and travelling, but I'm back to it today! I found this May Muscle challenge on Pinterest and have been doing it first thing in the morning. It's not difficult AT ALL (in fact, I'm considering adding an extra set or two to what they have to challenge myself, depending on time constraints), but it's a good quick 'wake-up' workout. It might be kind of hard to see... but it's tricep dips, push ups, and mountain climbers, increasing reps throughout the month and increasing the number of sets each week.

Now, as soon as I get the little man down for a nap, I'll be doing today's workout from the bikini body challenge. Today is a 30 minute total body workout. After I finish it, my husband (he's home from work today! Yay!) will be doing the Ab Ripper X from P90x. I would LOVE to do P90x, but just don't have the time for some of their workouts. I will, however, be supplementing in some of their shorter workouts to my regular workouts when I can.  Also hoping to get in a little something after little man's bedtime. At least some stretching, maybe a quick leg workout. I'll let ya know tomorrow what I end up doing :)

Now! Naptime and then time to kick some butt!

So that 30 minute total body workout is no joke! I mean I know I've said that about some of these workouts before, but this one was seriously a killer! Taking a little bit of a break before moving on to the Ab Ripper... luckily it's only 16 minutes because I'm pretty shaky right now!

Okay, that ab ripper? Is awesome! And I'm not gonna lie, kicked my husband's ass ;) Protein shake to recover. Woohoo!

Adding a little cardio...

We're visiting my in-laws right now and they happen to have an elliptical in their basement. So I've just done a good 15 minutes on there to get me warmed up for today's arm workout Feels good! Maybe not the best thing for my cough, but my body feels good! Onto arms now... Arms DONE! Going to take advantage of a still sleeping baby and get in another 15 on the elliptical. Once I start working out it's so easy to keep going!! Let's go! Big breath... feeling good! Shower and family time now! Gotta stick to this! Beach vacation gets closer every day!

I'm back!

Finally feeling up to working out again! My sunburn made workouts tough for a couple days, but then I got a nasty nasty chest cold that knocked me out even longer. Blaaaaah! Going back to day 3 of week 3 because that's the day I had to start modifying for the sunburn. Gotta get back on the wagon! So here we go! Abs today! Had to take some baby related breaks... but got it done! Wahoo! Back on track :)

Yes I can!!

I feel guilty for my half-hearted workout yesterday. So today I am pushing through this stupid sunburn! Today is an arm workout, so hopefully I'll be able to get through it without irritating my burn too badly.

So big deep breath, and here we go!

Ok I feel much better about myself now! Hopefully tomorrow my back will be feeling much better and I'll be able to stay motivated and on track!




Don't stop!!

Wore a bikini... and didn't gag ;)

Went to the beach on Monday, wore a bikini, and did NOT feel like I would make the people around me sick! Hahaha. We had a great day! Well... a great day except for the wicked bad sunburn I got on my back! I put sunscreen everywhere BUT my back :/ As I was going to get my back all sunscreened up SOMEBODY decided to start eating a handful of shells. One thing led to another and the sunscreen was forgotten. Ugh!

Because of the sunburn, I had to skip yesterday's back/chest workout. One push up and I wanted to cry.

Still very uncomfortable, but trying to get back on track! So jumping into today's workout Abs today!

Let's go!

Didn't get a repeat in :/ The sunburn on my back SCREAMS at me whenever I lay down. Hip bridges were absolute torture. I'm so mad at myself for letting this burn happen! Ugh. At least I got through the workout once... here's hoping that this heals up quick so that I get back to it fully!

Abs! And it's a beach day!!

Flip flopping yesterday and today... yesterday was supposed to be abs, and today was supposed to be a day off, but yesterday we had our first lazy family day in a LONG time, so no working out for me! Going to squeeze it in this morning though...


Thank goodness today's workout focuses on the abdominals because today is our first beach day of the season! That means once I'm finished this and showered, I'll be putting on my bathing suit!! Eek!

So here we go!!

Went through all circuits once, and then did my quick 5 exercise Pilates AB series. Feeling good! Time to pack up the car for the BEACH! Yay!!

Double Dog Dare!!

Double Dog Dare is the name of today's workout The name makes me a little nervous!

Let's go!

That was INTENSE!! And I did the whole thing while a small person who calls me Mama watched and giggled since he decided a morning nap wasn't needed today ;)



YES! ^^^

Arms!! (And a little bit of Abs too!)

Thank goodness yesterday was a scheduled day off in the bikini challenge... we were busy! Managed to get in a good long walk in the evening though :)

On to today! Did a short and sweet ab workout this morning :) It's what I used to have my ballet students do in conditioning classes. Here it is!

50 regular crunches
10 crunches with legs in tabletop position (legs up off the floor, knees bent at a 90 degree angle)
10 crunches with only the right leg up, left leg on the floor
10 crunches with only the left leg up, right leg on the floor
10 crunches with both legs straight up in the air
10 crunches with legs in straddle position arms reaching through the legs

REPEAT!

After the repeat, knees go over the right do 25 oblique crunches. Repeat other side.

Quick and effective! Enjoy!

Now for today's workout! Arms today! Let's go!

Not gonna lie... kinda hard to type after that workout. My arms are shaking!!

One more thing! It's FRIDAY! Picture day!




I do think I'm seeing a difference! But beyond that... I'm FEELING stronger! :) Yay! I'm going to the beach this week *GULP* so that bikini has gotta come out of the closet!! A little nervous!

Chest and Back!!

Today's workout focuses on chest and back. There's a lot of push ups :/ Not my strength!! I'm super sore from yesterday, since the 3 workouts I did targeted pretty much my entire body, but I'm ready to bust this out today!

Here we go!

As usual, that was intense! I THINK I can feel some of these exercises getting easier. No wait! This reminds me of a picture I saw recently....



Stronger!!

Hopping back on the wagon!

Well... Saturday was supposed to be a day off, then there was a workout for both Sunday and Monday, but since Sunday was Easter, and we had family visiting from out of town, I have not worked out since Friday :/ Going to try and get caught up today! So going to throw myself into what should have been Sunday's workout now, before it's even naptime! It doesn't look too long so I should be able to bust it out before naptime hits.

So here we go!

Wow, seriously, my complete and utter lack of upper body strength is astounding!! But I'm glad I was able to get that in! I'm going to keep this post running throughout the day as I try and complete my goals (Monday's workout during morning nap, and today's workout during afternoon nap) I would just go straight through and do them all now, but we are having some friends over today so I need to have time to shower and get the house looking nice :)

Ok ready to do what should have been yesterday's workout... it's the same leg/butt exercise from back on day 1...

Aaaand go!

Whew... almost caught up! Today's actual workout during afternoon nap! Abs!

Forcing myself to do this ab workout right now... it's been a long day! But here we go!

Wow! That ab workout is no joke!

I gotta say, I'm pretty proud of myself right now!! It took most of the day (in between naps and playdates), but I'm all caught up on my workouts now! And there's also a pretty good chance I won't be able to walk tomorrow... hmmm better stretch!

I think I can..

I think I can I think I can I think I can....

Better not to think about how tired I am and just jump straight into this...

So Day 5 (abs again) here we go!

No time to repeat today... we're having company this weekend and this place is a disaster!!

OH! Almost forgot that it's picture Friday! I'll go snap those now...






I feel like I don't see a huge difference from last week, but I do feel one! So that's a start right?

Now off to clean and clean and clean...

*YAWN*

Spent the better part of yesterday afternoon in Urgent Care and all evening, into the night in the ER. Babies shouldn't be allowed to get sick!! :( I am absolutely exhausted, but determined to get in today's workout during this morning nap!

So here we go! Day 4! Best leg exercises in 30 minutes... I can do this!

Well... I'm supposed to go back and repeat the whole thing, but I just don't have it in me right now. Playing the emotional and physical exhaustion card on this one. I'm going to try and do it again later this afternoon. Even just going through once was a great leg workout though!

Now I need to go chug down some water, eat something high protein, and REST!

Soooooore!

So very sore today! Especially feeling my sides from yesterday's ab workout. I'm liking that even though each day is focused on one specific muscle group, the workouts seem to work the whole body.

This morning I woke up with a poor sick little baby boy :( He's running a fever and is not so happy. Poor little guy! This is the only the 2nd time he's ever been sick, I just feel so bad for him! He had Tylenol a little while ago, and is now napping. I hope he wakes up with his fever down at least a little bit!

While my poor little sweetheart is sleeping... I'm going to jump on in to day 3! Chest and back today. Here we go!

Wow I have no upper body strength!! Time to repeat!

Whew... arms shaking! We do have a chin up bar, but after trying (and failing miserably) to do some chin ups, I decided to do the alternate exercise. Maybe by the end of all this I'll be able to do at least 1 chin up?

Little sick boy is awake now and seems to be feeling a bit better :) His forehead definitely feels cooler. Yay!

Day 2!

Here we go, Day 2 of our bikini challenge! Today is abs!

I have to say, I woke up with a pretty sore tush. I expected to feel it more in my legs, but most of my soreness is definitely in the ole butt. Hopefully this will start to help get me something a bit better than the pancake I've got going on back there right now!

Ok! It's time to go! (Quick note... I should confess, I haven't been doing the warm up that they link in each workout. I do warm up, just my own way. I just do the quick morning workout I posted last week as my warm up)

3 circuits done! Now to go back and repeat from the beginning... Deep breath... and go!

Feeling good! Maybe this is cheesy, but when my abs were shaking and I'm trying to hold onto a plank for another minute, I close my eyes and picture my new bikini! haha! Maybe next time I should get it out and hang it where I can see it while I workout ;)

Naptime ended rather abruptly in the middle of my workout, but little man seemed pretty happy bouncing around in his crib so I just kept going til the end.

Now, since it's looking like today will be the last sunny day for the rest of the week, I'm going to bust out the stroller and go on a nice long walk :)

Here's a little inspiration ;)

Bikini Body Challenge *DAY 1*

Ok! Monday again! I had planned on working out on Saturday and taking the day off on Sunday, but I ended up not working out all weekend. I'm not being too hard on myself though because we had a lot of great family time and, especially right now, that's so important!!

Today is the day to start the 8 week bikini body challenge! Woo hoo! Get excited!

Here's *DAY 1*

I'm going to start RIGHT NOW! Ready, set, GO!

On my 1 minute break between circuit 1 and 2... those X Jumps are no joke!!

1 more circuit to go!!

Finished! Whew! Those of you who haven't visited the link for today's workout yet, it was focused on the legs and butt. My legs are definitely shaking and I'm feeling pretty good about myself! The X jumps and the jumping lunges got the better of me and I had to take a couple rests, but this workout repeats a few times in the 8 weeks and I'm really hoping to see improvement as time goes on :)

Now for a shower before the little man wakes up! ;)

It's Picture Day!!

It's Friday! And that means, picture day!! I'm excited because I THINK I see a little bit of a difference in my stomach already! So here we go!




I might be crazy, but I really do think I see a difference, and I'm proud of myself :)

Now, already thinking about next week! I'm going to do the 20 minute workout again tomorrow (Saturday), and take Sunday off, but Monday I'm starting a new challenge :)

While searching for exercises to put together next week's challenge, I came across an 8 week bikini body challenge on Pinterest. It looks great! Each day's challenge seems to average about 30/45 minutes, some are longer (around an hour), but totally doable! There's no running (good for my ankle) and it can be done completely at home. So... I'm doing it :)

The whole exercise can be found here and I'll be linking each day's individual workout as it comes.

It looks pretty intense! Very excited (and a little nervous!) about it!

On that note, I've already finished my morning, and my 20 minute workout today. I think I'll throw in the Pilates ab challenge before naptime is over, and I'll count the babywearing I'm going to be doing later while shopping at Target as a workout too ;)

April is almost here, which means it's almost beach time! So let's go!

Feeling the burn!

Well my plans for a walk/jog yesterday were foiled... I'm having some ankle issues :/ Apparently even the 3 minutes of jogging in place in the beginning of the 20 minute workout for this week has been too much for my bum ankle. I'm doing stretches and strength exercises for it, and pushing through for those 3 minutes, but I don't want to go for a run and end up re injuring it. Boo bum ankle! It's a gorgeous day here today though, so at least I should be able to go for a good long walk after morning naptime :)

So, after 4 days of following this weeks workout plan, how is everybody feeling? My abs are starting to feel a little tighter! My arms have been a bit sore too... good sore! Next week I'm thinking a good leg/butt focused workout? Possibly alternating with an intense arm workout? This week seems to be sort of generally focused, which I think has been a good starting point. I'm on the lookout now for some good leg/butt and arm workouts, and I'll include some ab work each day. (Abs are my specific 'trouble zone' and even when alternating other things, I like to get a bit of a tummy burn every day!)

With all of this working out, don't forget the water and the stretching! Both very very important! I'm going to try and get together a good stretching routine to include here (with pictures, as I'm REALLY bad at explaining stretches! lol!)

Since I've already completed my morning, and 20 minute workouts today, I need to get to my other goals (spring cleaning!) Tomorrow is picture day! Get excited!!

Keeping motivated while BUSY!

I don't know about anybody else, but for me, it's easy to workout and keep motivated when my only plans are around the house. Throw in errands and playdates, and my motivation is so much harder to find!

We were out of the house most of the day today, so I haven't gotten my 20 minute workout in, BUT I'm super proud of myself for still doing the quick morning workout, and the ab challenge from yesterday. Instead of the 20 minute workout, when naptime ends here in a couple minute, I'm going on a walk/jog with my little man. :)

Found this picture on Pinterest and LOVED it!!


Strap that baby on your back and go!! :)

Ab challenge!!

Good morning! Just finished my 20 minute workout :) And started my day off right with my quick AM workout. Feels good!

Have a few extra minutes today and want an extra challenge? I posted videos below of the Pilates Ab series. GREAT, QUICK workout that really targets your core. Shouldn't take longer than a few minutes! Go for it! :)


('http://www.youtube.com/p/0291D1EA9E890E31?version=3&hl=en_US',)

Day 1!

Day 1! Woo hoo!!

Here's my official 'before' pictures... I wish I had a good full length mirror so I could get my legs in too, but all I have is our bathroom mirror and pictures from the hips up. I'm happier with how my legs look right now than my stomach and arms anyway, so at least I can get photos of my 'trouble spots'.




Looking at these I realize how very very flat my butt is... lol hopefully I can get a little something going on back there with some squats and lunges!!

Got my quick workout done before the bed was even made (Fun fact... jumping jacks seem to be a sure fire way to get a fussy 9 month old to stop whining and giggle... hmmm), and just finished the 20 minute workout. Feeling good!

And just remember....

Week 1!

Okay here's the workout challenge for week 1! I found this recently on Pinterest. 20 minute, no equipment needed workout... yes please! It didn't include pictures, so I'll just copy and paste the instructions, and I'll include the link at the bottom (from what I can see, the website this workout comes from is pretty awesome!)


1) Jog : in one place for 3 minutes

2) Jumping jacks: 25 repeats
When landing, bend your knees slightly to reduce the impact on knee joints.

3) Crunches : 15 repeats
Lie flat on your back with your knees bent. Place your hands behind your head with elbows pointing outwards. Support your neck with your hands. Keep your neck in a straight line with your spine. Flex your waist to raise the upper torso from the mat. Lower yourself until the back of your shoulders touches the mat.
Muscle worked: rectus abdominis

4) Hip Bridges : 10 repeats
Lie on your back. With your hands at a 90 degree angle to the floor, lift your body off the floor to form a straight line, a sort of a bridge, from the shoulders to the knee. The position should resemble a table … your hands and legs as the legs of the table and your upper body to your knees as the surface. Hold this position for two seconds. Squeeze your gluteus (butt muscles) and then lower yourself.
Muscle worked: Lower back, hamstrings and gluteus.

5) Step – up’s : 1 minute
You will need a stepper for this.
Muscle worked: hamstrings, gluteus, quards.

6) Reverse crunches: 15 repeats
Lie on your back with your hands on your sides. Keep you knees bent. Bring your knees towards your head, till your hips come slightly off the floor. Hold this position for a second, and then lower your knees.
Muscle worked: lower abs and obliques.

7) Mountain climbers : 1 minute
Get your hands and knees and raise your knees like a starting block sprinter. Run in that position, supporting your upper body with the palms of your hands. Keep your back straight.
Muscle worked: triceps, deltoid muscle, gluteus, quards, hamstrings, calves.

8) Push – ups : 15 repeats
Muscle worked: triceps, deltoids, pectorals.

9) Squat thrusts: 1 minute
Stand straight. Now, drop to a crouch position. Immediately thrust your legs out straight behind on your toes, in push up position, now jump to pull legs back to the chest, in crouching position , then stand up straight,
Muscle worked: arms, legs, chest, and lower back.

Cool down by walking around, till your heart rate starts getting back to normal, stretch.

A minutes rest is needed in between exercise. Proper form is important. Do not hold breath. Sip water during the workout. This workout targets the whole body, improves cardiovascular efficiency and tones and strengthens the body.


Found the workout here

In addition to this, I'm hoping to find the time to do 20-30 minutes of cardio this week. My options:

Elliptical
Long walk/speed walk
Treadmill

Any of these will have to be done while baby wearing. I have an ankle injury from my ballerina days that keeps me from doing anything too high intensity, cardio-wise. The elliptical will be ideal, so hopefully I'll find the time to go to our apartment complex's gym a few times this week.

I know I said that I would be posting pictures on Fridays, but I will also post a picture tomorrow morning as a starting point.

Here's to a successful first week!

Star the morning off right!

I don't know about any of you, but for me, once I do that first minute of working out, my motivation goes through the roof and I feel like I can do anything! This doesn't just apply to working out, but to other things I need to do around the house as well! Who doesn't love a little extra motivation like that?!

So why not start my day off with a few quick exercises to get me going? Right? Ok so here we go!

Jumping Jacks x 50
Pilates 100 (scroll down for a video!)
Squats x 25
Push-ups x 20

Every morning? Think I can do it? Anybody with me? :)

If you thought this first thing in the morning workout routine was the weekly challenge, think again ;) Once I get the little man in bed, I'll be posting that, so stay tuned!

Hi!

I figure my first post should be a little bit of an intro before we get into everything... so here we go!

My name is Sarah and I'm a Mommy to 9 1/2 month old, handful of a little boy. I grew up taking ballet classes, and danced professionally for 4 years after high school. I don't always miss the grueling hours spent in the ballet studio, but I do miss the shape I was in! I've been able to workout here and there since my little man was born, but haven't been able to stick to anything for very long. Now's the time to change that! My husband will be deploying soon and while he's gone, one of my goals is to get back into 'ballerina shape'.

Goals for this blog:

-Photos taken every Friday to track my progress (I will not be doing weigh ins since at this time I don't need to lose weight, but do need to focus on toning)
-Weekly workout challenges (I like to change things up, so hopefully a different workout challenge each week will keep me from getting bored!)
-Links to videos, blogs, articles, websites, etc with good exercises, tips, and information on getting in shape
-Inspirational pictures and quotes to keep me (and hopefully all of my followers!) motivated!

With all that being said, I find that Mondays are the best days to start anything fresh (including a kick butt workout plan!) Since today is Saturday, I'm going to leave this post as is, and go enjoy breakfast with my little family :) I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!