1️⃣ Side (lateral) lunges
2️⃣ Crossover lunges (there are so many names for this one)
3️⃣ Reverse lunges
4️⃣ Walking lunges
5️⃣ Tic tocs
6️⃣ Front lunges
Happy lunging! 😂💪🏻
Lunge Variations
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Tag Archives: workout
Back day workout
Its back day! My back day workouts have changed as well as my other workouts (see previous posts). I love when I get to change them up. I get bored with the same thing after a while so for me change is good! Plus, I love the feel of soreness in your muscles when you change up a workout. It’s like your body gets a little shock, like what just happened!?! 😂
I typically do back and bi together but I only included a few back exercises in this video. I’ll post my bi’s on another day. 😉
These are a few exercises from my back workout for the next 6 weeks:
1️⃣ Reverse grip pull downs 4×10-12
2️⃣ Cable rope pull down 4×10-12
3️⃣ Single arm cable row 4×10-12
4️⃣ Standing cable row 4×10-12
Happy lifting! 💪🏻
Small Victories
I’ve said it before, even small victories should be celebrated! It’s not a huge visible change but it’s one I’m proud of and worked hard for! There is exactly one month between these two pictures. The difference is 5lbs, more muscle and me loving wearing shorts again!
The picture on the left was taken Aug 10. I weighed in at 130lbs at the time. The picture on the right was taken today, Sept 15, and I weighed in at 125lbs. My goal wasn’t to lose a bunch of weight. It was to lean out a little. Build more muscle and lose a little fat. I think I successfully achieved that! My legs are a little more defined than they were a month ago. I am incredibly happy with my progress.
How did I do it? Consistent workouts, fueling and hydrating my body and a HUGE load of support from my husband. Days that I had no energy and was so exhausted my husband would send me a text telling me to get after it, telling me I can do it and remind me how great I always feel after I push through. Sometimes I just need a little kick in the butt and he knows that. It always worked! And he’s right, I always did feel amazing after, even on my most tired days.😉
My goal now is maintenance! I’ll continue to eat healthy while occasionally treating myself! Like tonight! I’ll be enjoying a pizza, or burger or whatever my little heart desires as my celebration!
Everyone has different goals. But make sure you are rewarding yourself and celebrating even the smallest milestones!
Celebrate your small victories! 🎉
Steam for soreness
I woke up SO sore this morning! Since I changed up my workouts I swear I’m sore after every muscle group workout now! It’s one of those good sore feelings, like you know you pushed yourself just the right amount. It is however making me a little slow today. Bending over to pick up Ryder has been a struggle. I spent most of the morning on the floor with him so I wouldn’t have to do much lifting. 😂
Today will be a leg day so I can give my upper body a little rest to recover. Then I’ll hit up the Four Seasons steam room.
Did you know a steam room not only cleanses your skin but helps relax stiff muscles and joints, which aids in the recovery process! During a steam there is an increase in blood flow and circulation. This is due in part by heat causing the blood vessels in the skin to expand. Steam also helps boost your immune system and remove toxins from your body. What I wouldn’t give to have a steam room in my house! 😍
Shoulder Workout
Shoulder day! I changed up my shoulder workout last week. These are a few exercises from my workout. They had my arms burning after. I was actually quite bit sore the next day! I love that feeling. 💪🏻
1️⃣ Upright row with rope 4×10-12
2️⃣ Behind back lat raise 4×10-12
3️⃣ Cable front raise with rope 4×10-12 (my right arm burns out around 8-10)
4️⃣ Single dumbbell front raise 4×10-12
Happy lifting 💪🏻💙
Body Dysmorphia
I found this picture a few years ago and was shocked at how tiny I looked! My arms were so scrawny! I remember thinking back then I was “fat” and had weight to lose. I would spend almost two hours in the gym some days. I wish I could go back and slap my former self! 😳
When I was a teacher, I always started our mental health chapter by showing this picture and beginning the discussion of body dysmorphia. I would explain that sometimes you can’t see what others see, especially when it comes to your body.
Body dismorphia by definition is the obsessive idea that some aspect of one’s own body part or appearance is severely flawed and warrants exceptional measures to hide or fix their dysmorphic part.
This was a topic I actually spent two days on in both my health and leadership classes. Body dismorphia has become so prevalent, especially with the amount of social media channels now available.
Two days may seem like a long time to discuss a topic like body dismorphia but you’d be amazed at how into the topic they got! Kids will tell you the struggles of social media and how it affects their view of themselves. It’s brutal for kids now days. Its just my opinion, but I’m thankful I grew up in a time with no social media and cellphones that didn’t take pictures!
One of my favorite discussion questions to ask was “if we did away with social media (yes I know we never will but let’s just say hypothetically) would body dismorphia be less prevalent?”
We then followed up with a question like….. “do you think social media makes kids/teens now days tougher or weaker?” This question led to a full day of back and forth discussion (most of the time). In my leadership class we actually used it as a debate question when we did our debate section.
I was so incredibly impressed by the raw honesty of some of the kids in my classes. I was pretty quiet in HS and was always afraid to share my opinion for fear of ridicule. Obviously that’s changed now! 😂
I have my moments where I’m critical of myself, but I think I’m more logical now. Maybe that’s something that comes with age. But I look back at old pictures vs current and I feel like I know what “healthy” looks like now on my body. I also use social media as a tool! I love to read what new recipes people are trying or how other moms are getting through similar struggles. Yes social media has negative aspects and some people use it to vent and complain. But if you ignore all of that there are some really fantastic people out there in the world talking about so many great things. Find those people who encourage you and follow them! Remember, positivity breeds positivity! 💙
Workout after being sick
Today I went to the gym to try to get my body moving. It’s been over 24 hours since my fever broke. I always press for people to avoid workout when sick or right after sick. However, light exercise right after being sick is ok, depending on the illness. I took to a spin bike and did light resistance. Just a little to get my legs moving and blood flowing. 💪🏻
Ever wonder why they say not to workout while sick or before your fever breaks? Here’s a brief explanation why……
Stress of workouts creates these microtears in our muscles. These microtears from the stress are a normal process of damage and repair. The body uses inflammation to signal and start to repair the damage caused by working out. Inflammation in the body is maintained by the immune system. When you workout while sick or before your body has fully recovered from being sick you are diverting the immune system away from fighting the infection. Instead it’s working to repair muscles. If you were almost over the illness, you can actually cause it to come back!
While working out is great for our health, in some instances it can be damaging. Listen to your body. If you don’t have much energy, or feel exhausted, the gym is obviously not a good idea. Wait until you are feeling a little more like yourself. Make sure you have an appetite, especially if you are like me and got that 24 hour flu bug! Make sure your body is ready to go back. When it is, ease into your workout to be safe. Better to start out slow than push yourself and do more damage! 😳
You only get one body in this lifetime! Take care of it! 💙
Bosu squats safety explained
Recently someone asked me why I do bosu squats because everything they read said they are horrible to do and can cause injury. This is semi true. You should NEVER do bosu squats on the ball side. There is not enough stability for your ankle and leg. Performing heavily loaded squats, lunges, hip thrusts, or deadlifts with your feet on the ground is risky enough. Stepping onto an unstable surface while performing big movements like those only increases your risk of injury. When you are on an unstable surface, your body is working to keep its balance and because of that your muscles are “distracted” from the task at hand
Bosu squats on the flat side are ok to do. This is because you have a flat (semi) stable surface. You aren’t fighting to keep your balance as if you would on the ball side. Placing the Bosu with the flat-side up is great for building core strength ( abs/lower back area) and improving overall balance while toning abs
Hope this gave a little more clarity! Happy Friday! 💙
Leg day exercises
•Bosu ball squats 4×12
•Side lunges (both sides) 4×10-12
•Cable bar squats 4×12
The bosu squats definitely take some balance. I would try them without a weight first just to get your footing and make sure your comfortable doing them. If it’s too difficult for you to balance with the bosu ball, forget the ball and just do regular squats! Better safe than sorry! 😂
Good Side vs Bad Side
Good side vs bad side. We all have them. No I’m not talking about good vs evil. I’m talking about your left vs your right side of body! We all have a side that “looks best” in our opinion so we typically turn that side to a camera when taking a picture. Some people do it without even realizing it!
My good side is my left. Which is weird because I have a big scar on the left side of my nose that I hate. That aside, I still like my left side better. If you notice, in pictures it’s always me turned to show my left side or my left arm is the one that’s out. That’s because I have nerve damage in my right arm and hand from years of gymnastics and cheerleading. It causes me a lot of pain making it hard to lift on that side. I strain a lot when working out because of the weakness of the arm and the pain from the nerve damage. My right side doesn’t build muscle the way my left does. So my left arm always looks more toned than my right.
I know it sounds ridiculous but it’s my little insecurity. We all have them and this is mine! Does my right arm look bad? No! Does it look oddly different from the left? No! I just prefer how the left looks to the right. So I know when I do pictures it’s always on the left side.
This may seem like a minor and stupid insecurity but it’s mine! Everyone’s insecurities are different. We all have them, we are human. The goal is to make sure you don’t fester on them. Work with or around your insecurities! Don’t let your insecurities, no matter how big or small, direct your life. God gave us two “cheeks” for a reason 😉💪🏻
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