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Hi Friends!

Time for another Fitness Friday. This week is vacation edition!

I’m so proud that I managed to get my 10,000 steps in every day while we were on vacation, including our two traveling days! Plus, we were up by 6am every day except for one, when we slept in until 7 🙂 I had wasting time sleeping in while on vacation…it’s better to nap later by the pool, right?!

Anyways, let’s recap some of my workouts!

We had a 7:30 AM flight on Wednesday but that didn’t stop me from getting up at 4:30am and walking two miles before we headed to the airport. I knew we had a couple of long flights so I wanted to get a head start on my steps for the day. Hubby and I also took advantage of our layover in Phoenix and spent the time walking around the terminals instead of just sitting at our gate.

After falling into bed at 9pm the night we got there, I popped out of bed on Thursday at 6am and headed to the workout room for a 3 mile run before breakfast!

Friday morning, I got up and covered 2 miles on the treadmill and then hubby and I took a walk on the beach. We found out when we woke up that Abner had pulled his staples out and that Tucker was having a miserable time at the boarding place since Abner couldn’t be out in the play area with him…so my father-in-law had to go pick them up and take them to the vet so Abner could get stitches and they could be boarded at the vet for the rest of the time. I was super stressed and it felt good to run for a while before we relaxed at the pool and then headed to Maui!

Our first morning in Maui (Saturday), hubby and I got up with plans to check out the oceanfront path we had discovered the night before. We ran two miles and walked another mile or so to cool down while enjoying all the scenery.

On Sunday morning, we went on a quick one mile run and then headed to the weight room for a little bit where I did some ab work. We were going on a hike that morning so we didn’t want to do anything too crazy beforehand!

For the second week of vacation I gave myself a little bit of a break. Going into our trip, my goal simply to stay active and not totally slack off for the whole 10 days we were gone. However, I did recognize that I was vacation so I gave myself 3-4 days to just rest, soak in Hawaii and get my steps in by walking on the beach and around town. It ended up being the perfect balance of rest and workouts!

We got home Friday night and Saturday I was right back at it with a run. And let me tell you…it was ROUGH. I could definitely tell I’d taken a few days off. Not to mention I was no longer running with pretty beach scenery to distract me and it was almost 100 degrees. But I did it! A couple 9 minute miles later, I was hot, sweaty and chugging lots of water!

Sunday we had our sand volleyball games and Monday I did this workout twice:

Alternate which hand is on the medicine ball each time through for staggered pushups, and you can choose whether you want to do forward or reverse lunges. This workout can be done a couple times for a warmup, like I did- afterwards I headed out for 20 minute of intervals- or you could do it 4-5 times through for complete workout!

Wednesday I took a nice long evening walk around the neighborhood without any technology. I needed some time to just “be”.

Thursday I did the following- ran 1.1 miles in 10 minutes, did 3 one minute planks, went on a 7 mile bike ride with hubby, ran to the store and then came home and ran 2 miles of intervals- 2 minutes running/1 min walking. I covered 2 miles in 19:30.

I think I might be getting a little tired of running…plus it’s freakin’ hot out…so next week I might dream up some tabata workouts. It’s been a while!

So tell me, do you workout while you’re on vacation?!

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

 

Hi Friends!

Well, as you’re reading this we’re on our way back from Hawaii. Sad 🙁 But while i’m busy feeling sorry for myself on the plane rides home, my friend Amy is here to share some great workouts for you on this Fitness Friday. I’ve been reading Amy’s blog for a long time. She has this awesome workout generator on her site that I use all the time to come up with exercises when I put together my workouts! I also got to meet her at Blend since she’s a Colorado local!

A few things about Amy:

• She’s a momma-to-be and a totally adorable pregnant lady!
• She’s always smiling and you can tell just by talking to her that fitness and nutrition are her true passions.
• She shares my love of sarcasm and we have the same sense of humor.
• She’s a personal trainer herself but still enjoys doing the workouts I put together!

So adorable, right?!

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Hey guys! I’m Amy and I blog over at Healthy, Hungry, Happy. I’m so excited to share some (hopefully) killer workouts with you all! I think they’ll be right up your alley if you’re reader’s of Lindsay’s blog-she posts some serious workouts. Lindsay-I expect you to do these everyday while you’re on vacation by the way :).

I came up with two workouts: one pyramid and one cardio interval style. Some of these exercises do involve gym equipment like a medicine ball or swiss ball, but I’ll give you some substitution ideas if you wanted to complete these at home. I actually just joined a gym here in my town so before that, I was making due with home workouts-which can definitely be hard. I think the key to home workouts is actually doing them…at least for me!

First up is a full body pyramid workout! I’ll give you the workout, then go over each move and some substitutions you can do if you’d like.

Full Body Pyramid Workout

• 10 Judo Pushups
• 20 Surfer Jumps
• 30 Burpess with a Medicine Ball (if you don’t have a medicine ball, just don’t use one. To make these harder, you can always add a pushup!).
• 40 Pushups on Medicine Ball (If you don’t have a MB, place your feet on top of a chair so they’re elevated-that will make it harder).
• 50 Wall Balls using Medicine Ball (No MB? You can throw any ball into the air or just omit that part and perform squats..squat jumps perhaps?).
• 60 seconds of Plank on Medicine Ball (No MB? Try lifting one leg up at a time while in plank position).
• 50 Wall Balls with Medicine Ball
• 40 Pushups on Medicine Ball
• 30 Burpees with Medicine Ball
• 20 Surfer Jumps
• 10 Judo Pushups
• 60 seconds of Plank on Medicine Ball

You can go through this workout 1-3 times-however many times you’d like! Here’s a breakdown of the exercises:

Judo Pushups– These are also called Dive Bombers (you BodyRocker’s are probably familiar with them). I find these extremely difficult! You basically start in sort of a downward dog position then lower yourself down bringing your head and chest towards the ground, through your arms, then push up to straighten your upper body up. That probably made no sense so here’s a picture:

Once your at the end position, push yourself back down through your arms so you end in the starting position. 10 of these is plenty for me!

Surfer Jumps-Start standing up facing either the right or left side. For this example, let’s say we’re starting towards the right. Squat down in a position that’s similar to how surfer’s stand on a surf board so your left leg is in front of your right, arms up…like a surfer! Squat down then jump up and turn to the left landing with your right leg in front of your left.

Burpees with Medicine Ball– You’re probably all familiar with burpees especially since you read Lindsay’s blog (she’s hardcore). This is slightly different then your typical burpee…hopefully a little harder. You’ll be holding a medicine ball the entire time while you perform a burpee. Starting in the standing position, come down to the ground and place the ball on the floor. Shoot your legs out behind you so you’re in pushup position, then bring your legs back up and explode off the ground into the air. So, when you’re on the floor in pushup position, your hands are resting on the medicine ball so it should be much harder to balance. I know you’ll love it :).

Pushups on Medicine Ball– For this exercise, you’ll start in pushup position with the medicine ball under 1 hand so you’re a bit uneven. Perform a pushup in that position, then roll the ball over to your other hand and perform a pushup. If these get too challenging you can always bring your knees to the ground or get rid of the medicine ball.

(source)

Wall Balls with Medicine Ball– Hold the medicine ball in between both hands basically out in front of your chest, arms bent. With legs hip distance apart, squat down then thrust up throwing the ball into the air (either against a wall or just in the air) then catch it and come back down into a squat and continue to repeat. This is a good ol’ CrossFit move.

Plank on Medicine Ball– Last one! For this exercise, place the ball on the ground and rest both hands on top of the medicine ball with legs straight out in back of you so you’re in pushup position. Hold that for 60 seconds!

Don’t forget to count back down once you hit 60! I add the plank on there again at the end just so you make sure to do it twice like all the other exercises.

 

Now onto workout #2! This one could still be considered a full body workout although there is definitely an emphasis on legs. Your legs should be on fire after this! It starts with a cardio move followed by a strength exercise, then cardio, strength, etc.

Cardio Interval Burn

• Star Jumps– 30 seconds
• Duck Walks– 1 minute (ouch)
• Jump Squats– 30 seconds
• Inchworm to Pushup– 1 minute
• Lunge Jumps– 30 seconds
• Side Lunges– 1 minute
• Skaters– 30 seconds
• Mountain Climbers on Swiss Ball (or medicine ball or the floor) 1 minute
• 1 Legged Burpee– 30 seconds (switch legs at 15 seconds)
• Swiss Ball Pass– 1 minute

Star Jumps– Uhh these are terrible..I apologize in advance. You start crouched down towards the ground then explode up into the air throwing your arms and legs out so you look like a star, then land back in the starting position. The lower you start, the harder it will be. These are super fun I swear (ha).

 

Duck Walks– This was probably really mean of me to put these after star jumps…but you’re going to get a great workout I promise! Bring your hands behind your head and squat down keeping your back straight. Stay in that position and start walking. So you’re squatting the entire time-never coming up. These burn bad.

(source)

Jump Squats– Oh man legs are burning by this point! Start in the standing position, then squat down into a normal squat then jump up in the air and land back down softly into a squat.

Inchworm to Pushup– Hopefully this exercise will allow your legs to recover. I think it looks a lot easier than it actually is…especially after a minute! Start standing up then bend over bringing your hands to the floor (keeping your legs relatively straight). Walk your hands out until you’re in a pushup position, perform a pushup, then walk yourself back up trying to keep your legs straight.

Lunge Jumps– Lunge jumps never get old do they? Start in a lunge position then jump up and switch legs in the air so you land back into a lunge position with the opposite leg forward.

Side Lunges– Start standing up then lunge your right leg out towards the right (so your left leg is straight), then power off that right foot back into starting position. Switch legs.

Skaters– Start standing up with left leg behind your right and bring your arms up towards your right side. Jump off the right foot to the left and land on your left leg so your right leg is now behind your left. Continue “skating” back and forth as fast as you can. Feel free to get super low too!

Mountain Climbers on a Swiss Ball– You can always do these on a medicine ball or even just the floor. If you’re using a swiss ball, place both hands on the ball and straighten your legs out so you’re in a pushup position. Then bring one knee towards your chest and keep switching legs back and forth as fast as you can. It’s much harder to stabilize with the swiss ball so just do what you can! You can always roll the ball into a corner so it’s against a wall if you feel like you’re going to fall over.

1 Legged Burpees– So this is slightly different than a standard burpee. The main difference: it’s all on one leg! Start standing on the right leg and from there, perform a regular burpee. At 15 seconds, switch legs. If this is too hard you can always do regular burpees!

Swiss Ball Overhead Pass– Grab a swiss ball and lay down on the ground. Straighten your legs out in front of you and bring the ball overhead with arms straight. From there, crunch your abs bringing your arms and legs together and pass the ball from your hands to between your legs, then slowly lower. Pass back and forth .

 

That’s it!!

I hope you guys liked the workouts. If you have any questions about any of the moves, feel free to contact me over at HealthyHungryHappy.com! Hope you’re all having an awesome summer!

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So there you have it! I’ll be using these two workouts to get back into the workout routine after vacation!!

Have a great weekend!
–Lindsay–

Hi Friends!

Well, the day is finally here! Hubby and I are on our way to Hawaii. I’ve only been waiting for this trip since I was about 10 years old. I’m so freakin’ excited!!!!! My plan is to pop in here and there with some pictures and recaps of our vacation days…but just in case I decide to swear off the computer, I didn’t want to totally abandon you guys! I have a series of guest posts lined up from some of my very best blogging friends. They are all amazing and I love them so much for taking the time to write posts that I can share with you guys! It should be a good mix of food and fitness to keep you guys entertained!

Today we’re kicking things off with a fitness post from Elle.

A few things about Elle:

• She is a fellow future RD. She’s actually in the middle of her internship right now and she just finished up her master’s coursework. She’s SO CLOSE to being done and I’m so proud of her.
• She is totally gorgeous.
• She is recently engaged and thanks to her fiance’s  job she gets to travel all over the world on all sorts of amazing trips.
• She has a killer sense of style and I would like her to move here and tell me what to wear every day.
• Oh and she also posts delicious recipes and amazing workouts so be sure to check out her blog!

 

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Hi Lean Green Bean lovers! Since Lindsay is the queen of efficiency, I thought I’d share one of my booty blasting weekday workouts with you. I’m currently finishing up grad school for nutrition but long gone are the days that I could sleep until 7, wor out, shower and eat breakfast before class at 10! I started my dietetic internship about 4 weeks ago and had to quickly adapt my morning workouts to be able to get to the hospital by 7:30am. It’s tough getting out of bed in the morning but I’ve never regretted a sweaty start to my day! Factor in just 40 minutes for everything – including a warm up, cool down and time for stretching.

Here’s a quick description of the moves if you’re not already familiar:

• Squats with side kick: squat down, kick leg out to the side as you stand up; alternate kicking leg with each squat
• Renegade row pushup: grab some weights ( I use 5-10 pounders), complete a pushup while holding weights, row one arm back and repeat with the other arm
• Tricep dip with leg extension: your usual tricep dip using a chair only when you push yourself up, lift one leg out straight as you squeeze your glutes
• Squat thrusters: holding weights at shoulder height, squat down and while returning to standing position, push arms up overhead (a.k.a. the shoulder press); bring arms back down to shoulder level as you squat down
• Back lunge bicep curls: holding weights, stand with arms at 90 degrees; as you lunge backwards, lower arms until straight and complete a full bicep curl as you return to standing

Don’t forget to warm up and cool down. A quick 5 minute walk/jog will actually help control your breathing early on – you likely won’t feel like you’re gasping for air from the get go! That will come about 4 minutes later. 😉

If you’re a fan of this booty blasting weekday workout, feel free to stop by my blog, nutritionella.com for other sweaty workouts and healthy recipes, too!

Have a great one!

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You better believe i’ll be trying this workout when I get home!

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

Hi Friends!

It’s Friday again already!

I have a few fun workouts to share with you this week so let’s jump right in!

Friday: I wanted to do an outdoor workout so I headed to the park with every intention of just running…except it would be on a different path and provide a nice change of scenery. But when I got there, there was a bunch of empty soccer fields. For those of you that don’t know, I used to be pretty good at soccer. I played in a premier league in middle school and early high school before I gave it up to focus on volleyball. HOWEVER, I probably haven’t been on a soccer field in at least 10 years. But I reached back into my memory bank and tried to put together some sort of workout with some of the stuff I remembered doing at practices.

Here’s what it ended up looking like:

For the suicides, I started at one goal line, ran to the top of the penalty box and back, to mid-field and back, to the top of the other penalty box and back and then to the opposite goal line and back.

 

If you notice the pained expression on my face behind that fake smile, it’s because I spent the entire workout thinking one of the following:
a) Holy shit soccer fields are A LOT bigger than I remember.
b) I can’t believe I was ever in good enough shape to run around one of these fields for 90 minutes
c) I’m gonna die.

So there you have it. When I played we’d do something like this for our warmup. And then practice for 3 hours. CRAZY.

I also snuck in a couple of walks and did my first 3 minute plank in forever!

Saturday & Sunday: Rest days. We did some yard work on Sunday and played an awesome game of sand volleyball. Oh, and in case you didn’t know, I’m pretty much incapable of wearing matching clothes to do yardwork. Here’s my most recent attire. Light purple, hot pink, three shades of blue, some black…you get the idea 🙂

Monday: I was in the mood to run but it was raining for most of the day and my treadmill is currently broken. Just as I was about to give up, I noticed that the rain had let up so I headed out to squeeze in a couple miles. I ran two 9 minute miles and then walked a mile to cool down. Just as I was finishing up, it started raining again so I headed inside, set my timer for 10 minutes and walked up and down my staircase. I wasn’t running up and down…I was just walking up and down at a steady pace for 10 minutes straight to see how many times I could go up and down. My goal was 40. I got to 43!

Tuesday: I needed to mail my Foodie Penpals package so I decided to walk the 1 mile to the post office instead of driving. After I mailed the box, I took the super long way home to make it a 4 mile walk and then did a few planks.

Wednesday: I decided to give my legs a break and I headed to the basement to do a weights workout. I picked exercises that focuses on shoulders and back. Here’s what it looked like:

 

#PROOF

Thursday: I didn’t feel like running but wanted to do something that would get my heart rate up. So I headed out to the front steps and did this workout:

Everything that says staggered is done with one foot up on the step and the other on the ground.

#PROOF

You could easily do this workout using a box, a park bench,
a weight bench or even a curb!
Also, please excuse my crazy hair in the photo above.

I didn’t have a big block of time yesterday to take my regular 3-4 mile walk to help me get my 10,000 steps…but I did manage to find 3 shorter 15 minute blocks of time to walk!
I challenged myself to go a little further during each 15 minute walk:

So there you have it! My week of workouts. I also guest posted for Laura this week and shared another fun workout:

It is KILLER. Laura and I both shared our #PROOF pictures in the post and we are sweaty messes 🙂 CLICK HERE to check it out.

A couple other things of note:

I got bloodwork done for the first time in a few years because I had to get a physical for my internship and let me just say, I’m pretty darn proud of my results:

I’m most proud of my HDL cholesterol actually. Last time I got it checked it was in the 30’s and one of my goals when I started exercising regularly was to increase that number. In case you don’t know, HDL is the good cholesterol because it clears excess cholesterol from your blood and returns it to your liver, thus preventing it from forming plaque in your arteries! Aerobic exercise is one of the best ways to improve your HDL.

I’ll leave you with this picture that my fitfluential friends shared on their page this week as part of their motivation campaign:

More important than the photo is the message I posted with it when I shared it on instagram, facebook and twitter:

Sometimes I eat ice cream after dinner. I’m not afraid to eat carbs and I don’t count calories.

BUT, I also workout 4-5 days a week. I eat lots of fruits and vegetables. I lift weights. I choose lean sources of protein, eat healthy fats and drink lots of water.

Strive for balance, embrace moderation and work hard to make YOURSELF proud. The rest will work itself out.

 

Have a great weekend!

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–