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30 Day Cardio Commitment Day 4

Day 4 of our 30 day cardio commitment…I don’t know about you but I’m feeling these workouts! Glad they are getting done no matter what though 🙂 Getting some good feedback on facebook so that’s great. Good to know I am not alone in doing these!

Please be sure to read the notes below before getting started. I assume everyone’s read them so I’m putting them at the bottom from now. If this is your first day, be sure to read them before you start.

Set your timer to 30s. Each round lasts 5 minutes. You will do 3 rounds. Note that I’ve not left any time for rest intervals. If you need extra rest, add some as needed and do a longer workout or more likely, complete just 2 rounds. Remember everyone can do this and I expect everyone to work to their current fitness level. If you need to know how to bring it down a notch, make sure you ask me!

  1. 30s Quickouts
  2. 30s Mountain Climbers
  3. 30s High Knee Lateral Run w/ Squat Jump at each end
  4. 30s Walking Lunge
  5. 60s Walkout Spiderman Plank
  6. 30s Walking Lunge
  7. 30s High Knee Lateral Run w/ Squat Jump at each end
  8. 30s Mountain Climbers
  9. 30s Quickouts

Ok…video links and modifications below:

  1. Quickouts – These should be done fast and hard, abs tight, glutes will burn
  2. Walkout Spiderman Plank
  3. High Knee Lateral with Squat Jump
30 Day Cardio Commitment day 4
30 Day Cardio Commitment day 4

Now before we get started, keep these things in mind:

  • Any uninjured/reasonably healthy person should be able to do this. Remember to listen to your body. If it feels like you can work harder, you probably can. If it feels like it’s too hard or something is causing pain, you probably should not be doing it. Be aware of your fitness level when starting this program (not where you once were 10 yrs ago or where you think you should be). Work hard enough to challenge yourself, but not so hard you injure yourself.
  • If you don’t like, or can’t do, a specific movement, try to think of an alternative before you get started. For instance, I have an injury to my left arm. I can not bend my wrist or put pressure on it. That means all movements like pushups, planks, burpees, mountain climbers, etc need modifications because I can’t put my hands flat on the ground. Holding onto a set of dumbbells or holding onto the side of a step or table allows me to do the exercise without furthering my injury.
  • Burpees and mountain climbers become easier when you place your hands onto a step or sturdy chair instead of all the way down on the the ground, or if you simply slow down the movement. Plank variations can be done on elbows and/or knees until you build up the strength to do them from hands and feet. I will post more modifications alongside each exercise.
  • To make an exercise harder you can hold onto a medicine ball or any kind of weight you have around the house (water jug works well). Hold it at chest level or overhead. You can also increase the speed with which you move to increase the difficulty. To ensure you are not slacking in your 15 min session, count your reps for each exercise and match or exceed them on subsequent sets.
  • To make an exercise easier, slow it down. We use timed intervals to avoid having to do a certain number of reps. Beginners will get 5 reps out in 40s while advanced will be able to bang out 15 but everyone is working hard for their own level…right?! So slow the movement down, step or shuffle instead of jump or hop, walk instead of jog, jog instead of run, remain stationary instead of travelling or jumping.
  • If you are doing your session first thing in the morning, like straight outta bed, do yourself a favour and add an extra 5 minutes at the start to do some leg and arm swings and some light dynamic stretching before you get started. This is a good idea regardless of the time of day…so you prevent injury and can actually train hard during the 15 minute session…but it’s super important if it’s the first thing you do in the day.
  • Lunges are a great exercise but many people do them wrong and hurt their knees. If you are a beginner, if you have a weak core, if you have bad knees…step BACK into a reverse lunge. And if even that is too hard, keep it stationary, both feet planted, and move yourself up and down. If you are more advanced, and have a good strong core, you can do forward alternating lunges if you have a small space. Walking lunges if you have a hallway or the space to move forward. Make sure the heel of the front foot is planted with each rep…if it doesn’t touch you need to take a longer stride.
  • If you can not keep up to the timed interval and need extra rest, that’s ok, take it. Just keep at it, keep challenging yourself and working at it and little by little you will improve. By the end of the 30 days, if you repeat work out #1, I’d bet money you’ll be able to keep up and not need the extra rest.
  • If you are going to share this to a friends wall, or pin it, please link back to the page and not just the image so that they have the benefit of these modification tips just like you do.
Blog, Fat Loss, Free Workouts, Home Workouts, Training, Women's Fitness

30 Day Cardio Commitment Day 3

Day 3! Today we are skipping and planking. If you don’t have a rope or the space to use one, just skip without it. You can also sub jumping jacks or lateral shuffles if you can’t jump.

Now before we get started, keep these things in mind:

  • Any uninjured/reasonably healthy person should be able to do this. Remember to listen to your body. If it feels like you can work harder, you probably can. If it feels like it’s too hard or something is causing pain, you probably should not be doing it. Be aware of your fitness level when starting this program (not where you once were 10 yrs ago or where you think you should be). Work hard enough to challenge yourself, but not so hard you injure yourself.
  • If you don’t like, or can’t do, a specific movement, try to think of an alternative before you get started. For instance, I have an injury to my left arm. I can not bend my wrist or put pressure on it. That means all movements like pushups, planks, burpees, mountain climbers, etc need modifications because I can’t put my hands flat on the ground. Holding onto a set of dumbbells or holding onto the side of a step or table allows me to do the exercise without furthering my injury.
  • To make an exercise harder you can hold onto a medicine ball or any kind of weight you have around the house (water jug works well). Hold it at chest level or overhead. You can also increase the speed with which you move to increase the difficulty. To ensure you are not slacking in your 15 min session, count your reps for each exercise and match or exceed them on subsequent sets.
  • To make an exercise easier, slow it down. We use timed intervals to avoid having to do a certain number of reps. Beginners will get 5 reps out in 40s while advanced will be able to bang out 15 but everyone is working hard for their own level…right?! So slow the movement down, step or shuffle instead of jump or hop, walk instead of jog, jog instead of run, remain stationary instead of travelling or jumping.
  • If you are doing your session first thing in the morning, like straight outta bed, do yourself a favour and add an extra 5 minutes at the start to do some leg and arm swings and some light dynamic stretching before you get started. This is a good idea regardless of the time of day…so you prevent injury and can actually train hard during the 15 minute session…but it’s super important if it’s the first thing you do in the day.
  • If you can not keep up to the timed interval and need extra rest, that’s ok, take it. Just keep at it, keep challenging yourself and working at it and little by little you will improve. By the end of the 30 days, if you repeat work out #1, I’d bet money you’ll be able to keep up and not need the extra rest.
  • If you are going to share this to a friends wall, or pin it, please link back to the page and not just the image so that they have the benefit of these modification tips just like you do.

This session will take 13 minutes if you keep to the rest intervals.

  • 60s skip
    >>> 30s plank
  • 60s skip
    >>> 30s plank
  • —->>> 60s jingle jangles

20s rest

  • 60s skip
    >>> 30s hip drops, left side
  • 60s skip
    >>> 30s hip drops, right side
  • —->>> 60s jingle jangles

20s rest

  • 60s skip
    >>> 30s seated twist
  • 60s skip
    >>> 30s alternating plank reach or tabletop
  • —->>> 60s jingle jangles

  • Hip Drops video. Alternatives if this is too hard…keep a stationary plank or bend your knees.
  • Alternating plank reach video – drop to your knees and do a tabletop if this is too advanced
30 Day Cardio Commitment Day 3
30 Day Cardio Commitment Day 3
Blog, Fat Loss, Free Workouts, Training, Women's Fitness

30 Day Cardio Commitment Day 2

Day 2 of our 30 day commitment to cardio! In today’s session we will use the stairs. If you don’t have a staircase you can run up and down, you can do step runs on an aerobic step or any single stair you may have in the house. If you don’t have that, run in place.

Keep in mind a few things before you start:

  • Any uninjured/reasonably healthy person should be able to do this. Remember to listen to your body. If it feels like you can work harder, you probably can. If it feels like it’s too hard or something is causing pain, you probably should not be doing it. Be aware of your fitness level when starting this program (not where you once were 10 yrs ago or where you think you should be). Work hard enough to challenge yourself, but not so hard you injure yourself.
  • Burpees and mountain climbers become easier when you place your hands onto a step or sturdy chair instead of all the way down on the the ground, or if you simply slow down the movement. Plank variations can be done on elbows and/or knees until you build up the strength to do them from hands and feet. I will post more modifications alongside each exercise.
  • To make an exercise harder you can hold onto a medicine ball or any kind of weight you have around the house (water jug works well). Hold it at chest level or overhead. You can also increase the speed with which you move to increase the difficulty. To ensure you are not slacking in your 15 min session, count your reps for each exercise and match or exceed them on subsequent sets.
  • To make an exercise easier, slow it down. We use timed intervals to avoid having to do a certain number of reps. Beginners will get 5 reps out in 40s while advanced will be able to bang out 15 but everyone is working hard for their own level…right?! So slow the movement down, step or shuffle instead of jump or hop, walk instead of jog, jog instead of run, remain stationary instead of travelling or jumping.
  • If you are doing your session first thing in the morning, like straight outta bed, do yourself a favour and add an extra 5 minutes at the start to do some leg and arm swings and some light dynamic stretching before you get started. This is a good idea regardless of the time of day…so you prevent injury and can actually train hard during the 15 minute session…but it’s super important if it’s the first thing you do in the day.
  • If you are going to share this to a friends wall, or pin it, please link back to the page and not just the image so that they have the benefit of these modification tips just like you do.

If you are using a staircase, you will run up and down 3 times. And by run down I mean safely walk and do not trip down the stairs! If you are doing the alternatives of a step run or on the spot running, set your timer to 30 seconds.

Set your kitchen timer to beep at 15 minutes. Move through this sequence continuously until your timer goes off. You are done when your timer is done. Rest only when you need to and for as little time as you can manage.

Run up and walk down 3x

  • 30 squat jacks

Run up and walk down 3x

  • 5 burpees (no pushup)

Run up and walk down 3x

  • 20 soldier planks

Run up and walk down 3x

  • 5 burpees (no pushup)

Run up and walk down 3x

  • 30 squat jacks

~~~
—->>>Check the comments to this on facebook!< <<----
~~~

Alternatives to the burpee if you can’t do it: Stand-up Sit-up or a Med Ball Slam

Alternative if you don’t have a staircase: step run

What’s a solider plank: AKA up/down plank (make sure you do not do the pushup in the video.

Lastly, how to do a squat jack.

30 Day Cardio Commitment Day 2
30 Day Cardio Commitment Day 2
Blog, Fat Loss, Free Workouts, Home Workouts, Training, Women's Fitness

30 Day Cardio Commitment Day 1

1 Comment

Today marks the start of our 30 day cardio commitment. The goal is to make cardio a habit again. I’m posting a new 15-minute cardio conditioning session every day that can be done with no or minimal equipment. Feel free to post a message below or on facebook to let me know you got it done and what you liked or hated about it!

Now before we get started, keep these things in mind:

  • Any uninjured/reasonably healthy person should be able to do this. Remember to listen to your body. If it feels like you can work harder, you probably can. If it feels like it’s too hard or something is causing pain, you probably should not be doing it. Be aware of your fitness level when starting this program (not where you once were 10 yrs ago or where you think you should be). Work hard enough to challenge yourself, but not so hard you injure yourself.
  • If you don’t like, or can’t do, a specific movement, try to think of an alternative before you get started. For instance, I have an injury to my left arm. I can not bend my wrist or put pressure on it. That means all movements like pushups, planks, burpees, mountain climbers, etc need modifications because I can’t put my hands flat on the ground. Holding onto a set of dumbbells or holding onto the side of a step or table allows me to do the exercise without furthering my injury.
  • Burpees and mountain climbers become easier when you place your hands onto a step or sturdy chair instead of all the way down on the the ground, or if you simply slow down the movement. Plank variations can be done on elbows and/or knees until you build up the strength to do them from hands and feet. I will post more modifications alongside each exercise.
  • To make an exercise harder you can hold onto a medicine ball or any kind of weight you have around the house (water jug works well). Hold it at chest level or overhead. You can also increase the speed with which you move to increase the difficulty. To ensure you are not slacking in your 15 min session, count your reps for each exercise and match or exceed them on subsequent sets.
  • To make an exercise easier, slow it down. We use timed intervals to avoid having to do a certain number of reps. Beginners will get 5 reps out in 40s while advanced will be able to bang out 15 but everyone is working hard for their own level…right?! So slow the movement down, step or shuffle instead of jump or hop, walk instead of jog, jog instead of run, remain stationary instead of travelling or jumping.
  • If you are doing your session first thing in the morning, like straight outta bed, do yourself a favour and add an extra 5 minutes at the start to do some leg and arm swings and some light dynamic stretching before you get started. This is a good idea regardless of the time of day…so you prevent injury and can actually train hard during the 15 minute session…but it’s super important if it’s the first thing you do in the day.
  • Lunges are a great exercise but many people do them wrong and hurt their knees. If you are a beginner, if you have a weak core, if you have bad knees…step BACK into a reverse lunge. And if even that is too hard, keep it stationary, both feet planted, and move yourself up and down. If you are more advanced, and have a good strong core, you can do forward alternating lunges if you have a small space. Walking lunges if you have a hallway or the space to move forward. Make sure the heel of the front foot is planted with each rep…if it doesn’t touch you need to take a longer stride.
  • If you can not keep up to the timed interval and need extra rest, that’s ok, take it. Just keep at it, keep challenging yourself and working at it and little by little you will improve. By the end of the 30 days, if you repeat work out #1, I’d bet money you’ll be able to keep up and not need the extra rest.
  • If you are going to share this to a friends wall, or pin it, please link back to the page and not just the image so that they have the benefit of these modification tips just like you do.

After you warm up, set your interval timer to 40 seconds of work, 20 seconds of rest. If you do not have an interval timer, just use your watch set at 40s and reset your rest at 20s. There are 5 exercises so each round takes 5 minutes, and you will complete 3 rounds without rest between rounds, for a 15 minute workout. See modifications below.

40s work, 20s rest, 3 rounds

  1. Jumping Jacks
  2. Squats
  3. Stationary High Knee Running
  4. Step Lateral
  5. Jingle Jangles

  1. Shuffle side to side if you can’t jump
  2. Hold a stability ball overhead or add a hop to increase difficulty
  3. Just march in place if the running on the spot is too intense
  4. Mark a spot on the floor and hop-step laterally if you do not have a step. Step Lateral Video
  5. Run back and forth between two spots, touching the ground at each end

~~~
—->>> Read the comments for this post on facebook! < <<---- ~~~

30-Day Cardio Commitment Day 1
30-Day Cardio Commitment Day 1
Blog, Feature, Nutrition, Recipes, Women's Fitness

Homemade Hummus Recipe

I got a new food processor for Christmas so I made hummus for the first time. So much yum, so easy to make, and so much cheaper than storebought. The amount it made would have cost at least $8 in a store if not $10. Since it was the first time I made it I read several recipes just to get a feel for it. I didn’t have any tahini and I’m not even sure if the storebought stuff I buy has it so I ended up searching for recipes without it. I settled on using this one as a base just to see all the ingredients that go into it, but I didn’t measure anything. Continue reading Homemade Hummus Recipe →