So it's been a while...

Summer surprises me each year. I always think I'm going to be bored and have nothing to do- and then you blink and it's half way through July. Crazy. I've learned to wakeboard (without dying), made a wedding cake (cross it off the bucket list!), benched 135 one time, painted my room, spent 40$ on dessert and coffee with my best friend, and started to swim some. Of course there's been a lot more than this, but... and now there's less than a month 'til senior year. ooo boy....

I have two new ab workouts I created for one of my best friends: one for the gym and one for home. And since it's bathing suit season, add this and some cardio to your workout along with some healthy eating and you are good to go!

GYM:

15 cable machine side bends x 3 times

12 cable machine twists with arms straight and hip rotation x 3 times

15 flat bench bar hold and leg raise x 3 times

20 (each side) slow bicycles off of flat bench x 3 times

12 back extensions with weight x 3 times

25 reverse crunches x 3 times

12-15 rollers on ground x 3 times

HOME: "10 minute abs on steriods" - do each thing for one minute, no rest between.

1. full sit ups - try to beat your number since your last time

2. front plank

3. side plank with arm and leg raise

4. repeat on other side

5 slow bike with alternating arm raise

6. v -up with a pulse for 10 at the top

7. alternating low leg raise

8. pendulum

9. reverse crunches

10 circle crunches (30 seconds each way)

10 MINUTE AB WORKOUT

I've been doing this ab routine for quite a while - the exercises vary slightly, but the idea is always the same - 10 minutes. 10 things. 1 minute each. Enjoy :-)

1. Full Sit-ups
2. Double Six Inches - legs and shoulders off the ground as in a leg raise position, to make more difficult, remove hands from under butt
3.Plank
4. Side Plank
5. Side Plank (other side)
6. Circle Crunches
7. Circle Crunches (the other way)
8. Slow/Fast bicycles - alternate time spent in fast and slow motion
9. Reverse crunches
10. Russian Twists (w/ med ball)

Summer Goals

Goals. Secretly everyone has them. Even the most unmotivated people have things they want to do. And usually people have trouble keeping them.

Why??

How many times have you seen the gym PACKED with people right after new years or at the beginning of summer trying to work on their "beach bod?"

What happens two weeks later??

They are gone. Goals are forgotten. Hope is lost.

So here's the deal. You gotta be proactive in your goal setting! So start NOW. Not tomorrow. NOW. WRITE DOWN 3 goals for this summer. And make them SMART - Specific. Measureable. Attainable. Realistic. Time bound.

Here are my summer goals -
1. Puke during a workout - not because I ate too close, but because I worked hard enough.
2. Eat Slower - take time to talk between bites. Digest. Don't be the first one done all the time.
3. Stretch more - basically after each workout or at least once a day (I'm terrible at stretching).

Write down your goals. then post them up. look at them often. tell someone and have them keep you accountable. You'll be amazed how well you'll succeed!!

Hello :-)

"Girl...you're Crazy." "You eat bird food." "Why do you not lift like normal girls?" "...So what do you eat?" The list goes on....

I've heard it all. In the gym. At College. In the cafeteria. In the grocery store. People ask me all the time why I workout and eat healthy. Sure, I could say I'm bored. I could say I need to stay in shape for water polo. And I could say I want to be "healthy."

But the truth is - I exercise and eat right because I love it. I love being active. I love cooking. I love helping people. This blog isn't meant to be like all the others - it's meant to INSPIRE, CHALLENGE, and MOTIVATE. My goal is to show you that being healthy doesn't have to be painful or unpleasant; that healthy food isn't all cardboard.

Fitness doesn't need to be a pain and burden, it can be fun. And it's as easy as ABC - Attitude, Body, and Cuisine.