A few weeks ago I shot with one of my best friends, Gina (on the left), for our really good friend Steve Cachero who was testing out his nifty flash photography skills on action/athletic photography. He wanted to shoot Nike women's wear and Halo Headbands (best sweatbands known to man...more on this later this week) for his portfolio .... and I've been wanting to blog about fitness for a while so it was a win win!
Today I'm talking fitness! I'm not sure if any of you are like me in this regard, but I'm terrible at being consistent with working out. I will go through phases where I randomly morph into this motivated, self-disciplined workout fanatic who works out all the time and eats really clean (coincidentally it's usually right after a break up ha). But then reality sets in and like clockwork my life seems to get ridiculously hectic, soooo I resort to lazy eating and immobility. Staying healthy and active not only reflects positively in my appearance, but also (as cheesy as it sounds) in the way I feel and how productive I am in life and at work. I've learned monthly memberships to gyms or studios don't work for me, I need something easy and effective... and travel/living room friendly ;-). For more on my favorite workouts and where to find the clothing in this Nike shoot, scroll down!
Photography by Steve Cachero
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So I've decided I want to challenge myself commit to working out at least 3-4 days a week for the next month! I try to mix up my work outs to keep it interesting. Though my schedule is pretty packed, I try to make it to Corepower Yoga (try the sculpt class... I swear you've never had a workout like it in your life!) a few days a week. In the event that I miss class (which has been happening all too often recently) I just do a few simple exercises at home to keep in shape. Whether it is a yoga sculpt class, beach walk/run, or a few sets of my favorite exercises I've picked up over the years from my favorite fitness gurus, the Tone It Up girls, Ive decided that I'm committing to doing it and YOU should too!
I'm going to share a week of my favorite quick exercises with you guys and I invite you to join me by challenging yourself to commit to bumping up your activity level. If you don't work out at all (and haven't for months... or even years) then just start with a mild workout once or twice a week. If you're already working out once a week, bump your workouts up to 2-3 days a week, and if you are already working out 2-3 days a week... well, then you just keep doin' you! No, you can still challenge your fit self by upping your intensity level with heavier weights or longer cardio bursts! So lets get to it!
Monday: Stair Blasting Cardio Circuit
For this workout all you'll need is a stairwell with 3-4 flights of stairs (50 steps or more). I usually run up and down a few times as fast as I can... and if I really want to feel the burn I throw in a few of these cardio bursting TIU exercises between each set of stairs.
1. Burpees: Start in a plank position and jump to bring your feet right outside your wrists into a squatting position. Reach your arms up as you jump as high as you can. Squat back down and place your hands on the ground as you jump back into plank. This should be one fluid movement, repeat 10x before hitting the stairs again.
2. Tummy Tuck Pushups: Start in pushup form with your wrists under your shoulders. Lower your body down so your arms are in a 90 degree angle and push yourself back up. With extended arms, bring your right knee in to touch your right elbow and then switch to do the same on the left side, and return to performing another pushup. Do 8-10 reps and then hit the stairs!
3. V-Sit with a Twist: Lay flat with your shoulders and feet on the ground, scissor up bringing your elbow to the opposite knee, and extend back out flat before switching rotation. Complete 25 reps and then hit the stairs!
4. Tricep Bench Dip: Find a bench chair or anything with an edge. Sit on the edge with your hands by your side. Slide your bum forward and dip your hips straight down, at the same time, kick one leg out. Switch legs for each rep, do this 20x before you hit the stairs again!
5. Shoulder Pushup: Just like the normal pushup but pike up so that you're using your shoulders to push instead of your chest! Perform 10 reps with the left leg straight out in the air, and switch legs for another 10 reps. These are small short movements, but they work! This is it, finish strong and get up those stairs one more time!!!
** This stair workout is by my favorite online workout guru's, Tone It UP. To see a video demonstration click here!
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