This past month my workouts have been more consistent. I’ve been able to better manage my time to squeeze in some at home workouts in addition to the classes that I am currently teaching. Once I started putting myself first and getting in those extra workouts my mood increased dramatically. Fitness is a HUGE part of my life and it was on the back burner for a few months because of postpartum recovery and adjusting to my busy life as a mom of 2.

Now that my workouts are part of my daily routine again I feel like I’m functioning better all around. My mood has increased, my energy, and my fitness performance is getting better. My body isn’t quite where I want it to be but I have some big goals for myself these next 6 weeks.

I also stepped up my nutrition game and cut out sugar and processed foods. It makes a BIG difference in how I feel and I’ve seen a difference in my stomach.

I know I’m starting to ramble…

Anyways my workouts lately have been quick, intense & tiring. I have been teaching a few classes a week and besides that I do a couple at home workouts. During those workouts I try to pack in as much as I can in about 20-30 minutes so that I can get back to mom duties.

I have popped in T-25 Dvds, insanity Max30 Dvds, and have created some of my own workouts involving the kids. I find that mixing it up helps me to stay motivated and pushes me on different levels. I’ve started to incorporate Ava into my at home workouts again so that she sees how important it is to be active and stay healthy. We did a mix of yoga, squats, planks, boxing and jumping jacks. It’s fun to see her in action and she’s becoming a phenomenal counter.

I want her to know that fitness/health is my passion and hopefully one day she will find something she is passionate about herself!

Here is one of the at home workout that I created on a day when both kids were napping and I needed fresh air. I headed into the backyard to get my workout in.  This workout requires a Jump Rope, stairs, and weights.

FULL BODY BACKYARD BLAST

WARM UP with 5 Minutes of Jump Rope

10 PUSHUPS

15 STEP UPS (Each leg)

20 WALKING LUNGES

30 SQUAT TO PRESS

1 MINUTE of JUMP ROPE

Repeat 3-5x or as many rounds you can.

The jump rope warm up got my heart pumping and the blood flowing for this workout. You could always do some extra squats, lunges and stretching to increase the duration of this warm up. I will definitely do this workout again for sure

On Saturday I was looking to do a quick workout before Marc’s parents came in town for his Birthday but I didn’t feel like going to the gym.

I knew I wanted to use weights and I needed the workout to be quick and effective.

I started out with a 5 minute warm-up alternating between jogging, Jumping Jacks, high knees, butt kicks. I then completed this workout:

Quick Full Body Toner

10 SQUAT TO SHOULDER PRESS

10 PUSHUPS

15 SUMO SQUAT TO UPRIGHT ROW

REPEAT 4-6 ROUNDS (4 rounds is about 20 minutes, but you can always add on 2 rounds to make it about 30 minutes) Rest 30-60 seconds between each round and cool down at the end with some light stretching.

I really loved this workout because it was challenging, quick, and effective. My heart was pumping the entire time and by the last round I needed to switch to knee pushups because I was so fatigued. My legs were sore the next day and I didn’t like lifting my arms over my head because my shoulders were wiped.

I used 12 pound dumbbells during this workout, but next time I will go for the 15 pounders!

For all you moms out there this is a great workout to do during nap time!

Do you like full body workouts?

**Please consult your Doctor or Physician before beginning a new workout program**

Now that I think about it, the energy in our house has been all around not normal.  I really think the weather is to blame.

(Isn’t this picture cute? She’s been laying on him and hugging him more and more)

Ava’s also been taking longer naps and having a few lazy spurts here and there (I have no complaints about the naps!) and Cooper’s been lazy as well!

Every time we have walked Cooper this week he would lay down randomly. He did it quite a few times until I realized he’s not feeling the heat. So I shortened the walk duration and kept him in the Air Conditioner.

He does have a fur coat too so that could be the issue!

Yesterday it was 90 degrees. It seemed like every time I stepped outside or got in my car I felt the need to chug a glass of water. I was thirsty all day long. Does that ever happen to you?? I kept asking myself if I slept enough, if I needed a little more caffeine, but I just kept pushing through the day.

To Keep Hydrated & Energized: I took a multivitamin, drank at least 8 glasses of water plus some coconut water, smoothies 

I ate fruits & veggies high in water like watermelon, carrots, cucumbers, peppers, & apples. 

FINALLY, after Boot camp last night I actually got a big energy boost (thank you endorphins)!

When I got home from class I did a little extra stretching followed by a personal training session with Marc. He wanted to work out but didn’t want to do T-25 or Insanity.  Those DVD’s tend to have a lot of jumping and Ava was asleep so he didn’t want to wake her up. Our house is kinda old too so when you jump the floor creeks in certain spots.

I decided to have him test out part of my Outdoor Boot Camp Workout. This circuit had no jumping so it was perfect! Before we started Marc warmed up for about 5 minutes.

Here’s a sneak peak at one of the circuits I have planned for Saturday’s class:

QUICK FULL BODY BLAST 

INCHWORM

WALKING PLANK

PLANK DIPS

STEP UPS (with weight overhead)

REPEAT 3X

PERFORM EACH EXERCISE FOR 1 MINUTE BEFORE MOVING TO THE NEXT EXERCISE

It looks like today is going to be another hot one! I hope you all stay cool & hydrated. HAPPY FRIDAY!

Do you sometimes feel less energized during really hot days? 

What do you do to keep your energy level up?

**Although I am a Certified Personal Trainer you should always consult your Doctor or Physician before beginning a new workout program**

Today I have the 2nd half of my CPR course at the YMCA. We will be completing the hands on training session. You get to use dummies and real life scenarios to practice CPR & First aid.

I will be happy once the training is over! Tomorrow I will be heading to Lululemon to demonstrate a Bosu Ball workout and give trainer tips to customers from 12-1pm so if you are in the Greenwich area pop in and say hi

Last night in Boot Camp one of our 3 circuits was a Body Weight Workout that you can do anywhere. I figured I would share it with you.  This Full Body circuit will touch all the big muscle groups in a short amount of time and it will leave you feeling energized!

Make sure to take 5-10 minutes to warm-up properly: jog in place, ride a bike, go for a walk, jump rope, etc.

FULL BODY 15 MINUTE WORKOUT

10 Hand-Release Pushups

20 Front Lunges or Reverse lunges if you have knee issues

30 Mountain Climbers 

40 Squats 

50 Jumping Jacks

Set a timer for 10 or 15 minutes and Complete as many rounds as possible! (Rest as needed)

Here are demonstrations of a few of the exercises:

HAND RELEASE PUSHUPS

FORWARD LUNGES

SQUATS

To make this workout harder, add in weights for the lunges & squats or extend the amount of time!

 HAPPY FRIDAY!

Are you doing anything fun this weekend?

Whats your favorite bodyweight exercise? mine is either pushups or burpees!

**Make sure to contact your Doctor or Physician before beginning a new workout program**

You perform 20 seconds of each exercise followed by 10 seconds rest.  In this circuit you complete 2 rounds in 4 minutes. I know you are thinking 4 minutes “piece of cake!” Butttt if you are working hard you should be SPENT when your 4 minute timer goes off… and if you aren’t  you should complete another circuit. Tabata’s are great cardiovascular training and you can finish your workout in no time.

SWEATY BODYWEIGHT TABATA

Warm up for 5 minutes before beginning the Tabata

How it works: complete as many reps as quickly as you can while maintaining good form

1. Pushups

2. Squat Jumps

3. Mountain Climbers

4. Jumping Jacks

Repeat 2x for a 4 minute workout. If you are up to a challenge repeat 2-3 more rounds.

For more information on Tabata’s or different variations of Tabata’s see the links below

How to burn Fat Fast

What there is to know about tabata

**Before participating in a new exercise program please consult with your Doctor or Physician**

10 MINUTE BODYWEIGHT WORKOUT

10 BURPEES

10 JUMP SQUATS

10 MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS

repeat as many rounds as possible in 10 minutes

I have done this workout several times before when I am pressed for time or when I don’t have time to head to the gym on the weekends. There’s really no excuse because it only takes 10 minutes. I love the challenge that this workout brings. It combines both strength and cardio, but because your heart rate jumps up quickly I really think the biggest challenge is catching your breath!

Good luck  

Whether I am teaching a boot camp class or training my clients, whenever I say the word burpee I usually hear a sigh or a complaint. My question for you is, why? This body-weight exercise gets the heart rate up and is a full-body movement. Therefore you are working so many more muscles with just ONE exercise!

There are a few different variations of a burpee. You can do a burpee with a pushup and a jump at the end, or you can do just the simple squat thrust. This movement can be altered to you based on your athletic capability.

Image 1 shows me lowering down towards the floor, image 2 demonstrates me kicking my feet back into a pushup position. You would then lower into a pushup

Image 3 shows me jumping back into a wide stance (you can also do a narrow stance with your feet on the insides of your hand)

Image 4  did not make the cut! It was too blurry, but that last step is a nice explosive jump into the air. Then you repeat with another burpee.

So.. now the workout! My Thursday challenge for you is to complete as many burpees in 1 day as possible. Whenever you have a free minute get down and do some burpees. Record how many you complete!

Please share your numbers

I am happy to let you know that last night I taught my first Group Power class since my collarbone injury. It felt awesome to workout in the group setting again! I am looking forward to gaining strength with my class in the next couple of months.

Besides teaching classes, I find that lately most of my other workouts are completed in my own home. I am sure that will change once Ava gets over this cold and the weather warms up but for now I have been enjoying some quick at home circuit workouts.

Today I have a fun Chair workout to share with you. The best part is that you can do this at home and on your own time. Depending on how much time you have, you can cram this workout into 10 minutes or stretch it out to 20 or even 30.

This workout contains 4 exercises. You will complete 20 repetitions of each exercise… set your time for however long you have, and complete AS MANY ROUNDS AS POSSIBLE!! Make sure to warm up with some jumping jacks, jump rope, or jogging in place to get those muscles warmed up.

CHAIR WORKOUT

SQUATS

TRICEP DIPS

SWING KICKS (kick your leg up and over the top of the chair)

STEP UPS

Cool Down with some light stretching! 

**always consult your Doctor or Physician before beginning a new exercise program**