Workout/ New Years day Challenge!!

This time of year I always feel so cooped up! Here in Utah its freezing and smoggy and I crave going outside to do something! Anything! Hence the pic.. But I will stay positive and maybe take a trip down to Vegas soon to thaw my frozen feet :) 

My sister-in-law gave me this workout and its a butt-kicker!! Do it as fast as you can because the faster you do it, the more cardio you get :) This is a full body workout! 

50 sit-ups

40 push-ups

30 box jumps (use your stairs)

20 pull-ups (use your kitchen table)

10 bench dips (use a chair)

40 sit-ups 

30 push-ups

20 box jumps

10 pull-ups

30 sit-ups

20 push-ups

10 box jumps

20 sit-ups

10 push-ups

10 sit-ups

AMAZING people! Do it with a friend to help motivate. I find when I am with someone I don't cheat as much and I go faster! 

New Years is always a good motivating time to start working out! SO START! I am going to give you a challenge and you have all day long to do it :) I'd suggest not leaving it until 5:00 PM :) 

100 burpees

100 sit-ups

200 squarts

Do them 1 at a time if you want to. Just get it done! Bring the new year in with love for yourself and for your body. It's going to be a great year! 

Sweet Delicious Granola

Here is my really yummy granola recipe! This granola is a little scary because YOU make it as healthy as you want it or as horrible as you want it.. but here is how you make it healthy :)

2 cups of cereal (I use cereal with some nutritional value ex: Special K, Wheat Chex, Bran, etc.)
2 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup flax seed, wheat germ, nuts (pick any of them or you can mix them to make up a cup)
1/2 cup peanut butter
2/3 cup Honey
1/4 cup brown sugar

Mix the first 3 ingredients together in a large bowl. In a medium sauce pan, heat the peanut butter, honey, and brown sugar together. Heat until the sugar in dissolved and then pour over your dry mixture. Stir until coated well. Pour that mixture into a greased 9x9 pan and press down just a little. Cook at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until top is golden brown.

I usually add this to cereal in the morning, or yogurt, or pretty much anything. I love putting flaxseed in it because it keeps you regular. This stuff kicks your metabolism into high gear in the morning!

** Cinnamon is good for your metabolism so you could even sprinkle that on top



Recipe by Tawyna Monson

Day after Christmas Workout

Merry Christmas everybody!! If you are anything like me, I may have eaten a few too many caramels this week... and it was my son's birthday and I made a super delicious chocolate cake for him. So in short, I NEEDED this because I LOVE chocolate! So here it goes...

I am going to give you 14 activities and you choose 10 that you'd like to do (or more if you like). You then do 30 reps of each. Most of these exercises are linked to a Youtube video.
1. Switch kicks (30 on each leg) starts 14 seconds into the video
2. Jump squats
3. Sumo squats
4. Burpees
5. Plank mountain climbers (30 each leg)
6. Lunges (30 each leg)
7. Wall sits (30 seconds 3 times)
8. Ball pass
9. Pike on ball If you need to on this one, start with the ball up on your shins more.
10. Bicep curls (30 each arm)
11. In & out abs
12. Squigley obliques (30 each side and yes I named those myself :))
13. Ski abs (30 each side) The first 15 seconds of the video
14. Hamstring extension on ball

 Work hard and focus! Its so hard to start but once you finish you will feel amazing and so proud of yourself!

I'm a snacker... and that makes things hard.

Anyone ever try to count calories and make it to your limit before dinner just from snacking? Yup thats me. I am home most days, all day. My kids are seriously always eating.. which means I am always eating! And we all know kids snacks are nothing but empty carbs. So that leaves us not full with lots of calories. Well I have constructed a list of snacks for moms. Most of them take 2 minutes to make and they leave you more full! If anyone has anything they'd like to add to my list email me or comment!

A healthy snack every 2 or 3 hours is usually how my day goes now! I hope these help a little. Especially during the Christmas season with all those yummy neighbor gifts!

Snacks:

·      hummus w/ pita chips or carrots

·      piece of cheese and pickle wrapped in turkey

·      Laughing Cow Cheese (light) with wheat thins

·      Mozzarella cheese stick w/ wheat thins

·      edamame (buy frozen at Costco)

·      Veggie chips (buy at Costco)

·      Apple with 2 Tbsp. of peanut butter

·      handful of nuts (avoid candied or salted)

·      light yogurt with low sugar granola

·      popcorn- tbsp. of oil in a saucepan with a ½ c. of popcorn kernels. Add a little salt and butter after they are done popping.

·      Frozen grapes

·      Triscuits w/ cheese

·      Chunky salsa- 2 Roma tomatoes, 1 avocado, a little onion, ½ can of corn or black beans or both, salt and pepper

·      Caramel rice cake w/ 2 tbsp. peanut butter, dusted with cinnamon and a sliced banana on top

·      plain rice cake with peanut butter and jam

·      plain rice cake with turkey and cheese

·      cottage cheese w/ fruit

·      Toast w/ tuna or chicken and tomato

Desserts:

·      sugar-free jello with raspberries or any kind of fruit w/ a little whipped cream

·      graham cracker with a few chocolate chips

·      frozen Gogurts



Picture by epSos.de

Workout Monday plus a nutrition tip :)

I am needing some extra energy today. Getting ready for Christmas is so hectic! This workout will not only give you energy (because exercising releases endorphins), but its super quick and effective! Just give me 20 Minutes!

5 Burpees
10 Push-ups
20 Squats

No thats not all you have to do...

You repeat that for 20 minutes and see how many reps you can get! 1 rep = 1 set of those 3 exercises. Workout with a friend and see if you guys can beat each other!

** Tip of the day: Oranges are amazing this time of year! They have tons of Vitamin C,  tons of fiber, and the smell of an orange seems to always make me happier! So put down your neighbor treats... those, unless you have tons of will power (because really, who can eat just one bon bon?), will not make your body happy!

You are strong and you are beautiful!

Lasagna Soup

Recipe time! This one is approved by my husband who sticks his nose up at a lot of things (love you honey but seriously) :). I make this one ALL the time. Super easy, warm for the winter, and my kids love it! 

The Deen Bros Lasagna Soup

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 pound Italian turkey sausage, casings removed
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (32-ounce) container chicken broth
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
4 ounces broken whole-wheat lasagna noodles (about 4 noodles)
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup reduced-fat shredded mozzarella cheese

Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large nonstick saucepot or Dutch oven. Add the sausage, onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the sausage is crumbled and browned, 8 – 10 minutes. 

Add the broth, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, salt, and crushed red pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the flavors are blended, about 20 minutes. Add the noodles; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the soup thickens slightly and the noodles are tender, 10 – 12 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in mozzarella, basil, and the Parmesan. Serve with the breadsticks, if using. (whole-wheat lasagna noodles take a little longer to cook.)

Per Serving (1 cup) 225 Cal (27% from Fat, 42% from Protein, 31% from Carb); 23 g Protein; 7 g Tot Fat; 2 g Sat Fat; 2 g Mono Fat; 17 g Carb; 2 g Fiber; 4 g Sugar; 108 mg Calcium; 3 mg Iron; 826 mg Sodium; 53 mg Cholesterol

Burpee Challange/ Question of the Day

The workout for today is quick. My workout group has only made it to about 11 or 12 minutes. So its a great one if you have a crazy Christmas schedule or crazy kids (or both like me!). I got this workout from a trainer that works at US Synthetic (where my husband Sam works) and it has been one of my favorites! Not because it is fun but because its quick and affective!

The Burpee Challange
Start at minute 1: Do 1 burpee- Go down into plank, do a push-up touching your chest and thighs to the ground, jump out of plank, up and jump in the air. Mostly likely after this one you will have about 55 seconds to rest.

Minute 2: do 2 burpees and rest the rest of the minute

Minute 3: do 3 burpees and rest the rest of the minute

Minute 4: do 4 burpees and rest the rest of the minute...

I think you get it now. See how many minutes you can go until you cant do the amount of burpees you need to in that minute. So my group got to 11 burpees in 1 minute.

This video will demonstrate how to do a real burpee.

My question of the day is: What is the most frustrating thing about exercising for you? I'd really love lots of responses! Me and the husband are working on a little something special that I will reveal soon hopefully! Thanks!

Strong is the new Skinny

Thank you to everyone for the amazingly positive comments on my first post :) I have the most amazing friends and family. 

This is my first workout post and I hope I am good at this.. mainly for the readers sake :) I used to be obsessed with cardio cardio cardio!! But now I have realized and there has been research done saying if you add cardio with strength training, you actually get better results! So all of my workouts are cardio with strength training. And guess what?! I actually have muscles now... weird. My family didn't believe me until I actually did a real push-up for them. Strong is the new skinny people!!

Here is goes!! 

3 Sets of 30 seconds continuous with no water breaks until the round is over.

*Start slower on the first one so you don't burn yourself out but push yourself.

Round #1 

Burpees (Yes guys all the way down to the floor)

High knees

Reverse Plank Dips (Triceps dips but your legs are straight-- You can make it harder by lifting one leg up at a time)

Heismann

Round #2

Plank Mountain Climbers

V Push-ups (butt in the air so your body is shaped like an upside down V and when you go down your elbows go outward instead of parallel to your body)

Butt Kicks

Football Sprints

Round #3 was special tonight :) Find the song "Flower" by Moby on Youtube. It says "up" and "down" a lot. 

1. Squats: every time the song says "up" you stay up. Every time the song says "down" you stay down... and hold until it says up again. 

2. Sit-ups: every time the song says "up, you stay up. Every time the song says "down" you go down until your shoulders are a couple inches off the ground... and hold until it says up again. 

This workout only took us about 25 minutes with water breaks and everything! 

You can do anything you set your mind to do. And its so much easier if you have a friend to do it with!

*If I am not good at explaining workouts let me know and I'll try to find pics next time*

    

My Story: Best feeling in the World!

         

I am new at this. But I have a passion for something and I need to voice it! I absolutely love making people feel beautiful. Inside and out. I am a hairstylist and I am working towards being a personal trainer. I love helping people love themselves. And this is why.

            4 years ago, I had my first son Cohen. He was such a perfect baby. Fortunately, I got some pretty dang good genes (thanks mom) so I was back to my normal weight fairly quickly and with nursing, I lost about 10 extra pounds within the first 6 months. I’d never been that weight before… it went straight to my head.  I was burning tons of calories nursing, going on bike rides every day with Cohen, doing insanity every day, going on walks every day and I had so much energy. I was doing as much cardio as I possibly could. It was so wonderful. I started weighing myself every day as well. I wanted to see if I could loose 2 more pounds. So I started eating little amounts at every meal, not snacking at all. I was wasting away. Everyone I knew that saw me told me “You don’t look so good. You need to eat more” That comment right there almost drove me to be worse. People were noticing. It was then a sickness. When I looked at myself in the mirror I didn’t see a mom who had this amazing little boy and a wonderful husband, I saw a roll here and there. Imperfections. It got worse and worse. I was always feeling “fat” in my clothes. I thought a lower weight would make me happy.  

    My little boy Cohen was such an amazing baby that my husband and I decided to start trying for another one when Cohen was 10 months old. I stopped nursing and my body had a little freak out moment. My periods were so bad; I got the flu every month. I believe it was because I was so unhealthy that my body couldn’t function properly. After 3 months of that, I went to see the doctor. He did a bunch of blood tests and told me my hormones were not at the right levels AND he thought I needed to gain weight. Only a few pounds he told me.  “I’ll just try the hormones first” I told my husband. “I don’t want to get fat BEFORE I get pregnant!” So I tried the hormones. They didn’t work. So I went on more hormones. Clomid. The worst thing you could ever put your body through. It was so incredibly hard! I started Clomid 8 months after I started trying for a baby. I was heartbroken. I didn’t know why I wasn’t getting pregnant. My mom sat me down one day and said “Erica, you need to gain at least 10 pounds. And then I think you will get pregnant.” OK! OK! I tried the entire time I was on Clomid to gain those 10 pounds. It was so hard emotionally and mentally (definitely not physically!). Every day was a battle in my head. I finally gained the 10 pounds. I looked so much healthier although I was very unhappy with myself. I took a break from the hormones because they were so hard on my body and I had been on them for 3 months.  The next month, after I had gone off the hormones, had gained 10 pounds, and was doing less cardio; I got pregnant with my 2^nd little boy Westin. I realized something. I could either be the mother I’ve always wanted to be, or I could be sick and unhappy - ALL THE TIME.

**Moral of the story: I may be new at this blogging thing but I have an experience that I think a lot of women experience but no one ever talks about it. I will. And my goal in life is to make all women - no matter their insecurity - feel better about themselves. Loving yourself is so much more fun than being obsessed with a number. I want everyone to learn to love themselves like I have learned to love myself. It is the best feeling in the world!