Weekly Food and Fitness: Food Prep Video!!!

**Hey there, I thought I'd bring back my rundown of my weekly workouts and menus to perhaps inspire others to prepare in advance for a week of healthy eating and give you menu and training ideas. Now that I have more of an established schedule and all, it's easier for me to organize.

I have been doing at least 30 minutes of exercise every morning, 6 days a week, alternating strength training and cardio days. And for cardio, I've been alternating steady state and interval training.

Workouts:

• Monday: 30 min Brittne Babe arms, abs and HIIT
• Tuesday: 30 min run
• Wednesday: 30 min BB legs and HIIT
• Thursday: rest
• Friday: 
• 30 BB chest, abs and HIIT
• 30 min walk at lunch
• Saturday: 35 interval run
• Sunday: rest

This week I started a new 21-day program from BrittneBabe.com just to switch things up a bit. She sells her programs for just $10, so it was an easy sell. I will do a full review when I'm finished, but so far I'm enjoying it. Brittne is a youngster with a solid business sense and ambition (not to mention a killer bod), which I find really admirable. You can follow along more of my workout journey on Instagram.

On the menu:

• Breakfast:
• My standby Superfood Smoothie
• Egg whites with spinach and mushrooms
• Lunch: Quinoa burrito bowl (see video description for recipe)
• Snack: Apple and almonds
• Dinners: Grilled chicken, burgers, subs, tuna salad, Easter feast!

I filmed a video of my food prep this week, and it only took about 1/2 hour to make. I hope this inspires you to prepare for the week! Food prepping really can be easy, cheap, super healthy and mostly clean!

What are your goals this week?

Weekly Food and Fitness: What To Do When You Didn't Meal Prep

**Hey there, I thought I'd bring back my rundown of my weekly workouts and menus to perhaps inspire others to prepare in advance for a week of healthy eating and give you menu and training ideas. Now that I have more of an established schedule and all, it's easier for me to organize.

I have been doing at least 30 minutes of exercise every morning, 6 days a week, alternating strength training and cardio days. And for cardio, I've been alternating steady state and interval training.


Workouts:

• Monday: 30 min upper fix extreme
• Tuesday: 30 min interval run
• Wednesday: 30 min Supreme 90 Day legs
• Thursday: 30 min TurboFire HIIT
• Friday: 30 min Tracy Anderson arms and abs
• Saturday: 35 min interval run
• Sunday: 30 min Shiva Rae Yoga Trance Dance

Meal Prep:
None!


Oh my goodness, this week was a bit "off" for me with no meal prep, but I'm hanging in there. We had unexpected company over on Sunday and didn't get the chance to grocery shop or meal prep like we always do. I definitely don't eat quite as healthy when this happens. But, I have a few tricks to share on what to do when you haven't meal prepped, so you can still maintain a healthy diet.

1. Always have some backup food in the freezer or cupboard. I always have a supply of Boca Burgers in the freezer and usually a can of Amy's soup in the cupboard. I also try to keep a few of those new Protein Steamers on hand. These are not entirely the "cleanest" meals ever, but they're still very nutritious and a much better alternative.

2. Grab just a handful of ready-to-eat things at the grocery store--or even Kwik Trip! We grabbed eggs, cottage cheese and bananas to fill in my snack gaps for the week. There's no reason to have to whip up something complicated every week.

3. Use dinner leftovers whenever possible. My hungry boys usually eat up everything we make for dinner, so this one can be a little difficult at times. But if I'm able, I will sneak away a few things before we start eating so I have food for the next day. This helps prevent me from having to go out to eat.


What do you normally do when you haven't meal prepped for the week?

Weekly Food and Fitness

**Hey there, I thought I'd bring back my rundown of my weekly workouts and menus to perhaps inspire others to prepare in advance for a week of healthy eating and give you menu and training ideas. Now that I have more of an established schedule and all, it's easier for me to organize.

I have been doing at least 30 minutes of exercise every morning, 6 days a week, alternating strength training and cardio days. And for cardio, I've been alternating steady state and interval training.


Workouts

• Monday: 30 min arms
• Tuesday: 30 min interval run
• Wednesday: 30 min legs (workout below)
• Thursday: 30 min run
• Friday: 
• 30 min Tracy Anderson Precision Toning arms, abs and butt
• 30 min brisk walk with a friend
• Saturday: 35 min interval run
• Sunday: 15 yoga from Slim Calm Sexy Yoga

Wednesday's leg day looked like this. I broke the workout down into

circuits of three moves each. I did two sets of each move.

Friday's workouts came from this DVD I just ordered on Amazon. I always like to do something different on Fridays, like barre or Pilates. Whereas, Mondays and Wednesdays are usually traditional strength training. The Tracy Anderson Method is one of those things I like to do on Fridays. Kills my muscles in a whole different way.

Sunday is always rest/active rest day and I did an active rest day this past week with a few stretches from this book. I like how Tara Stiles creates routines for different desired effects, like anxiety relief or muscle toning.

On the menu

• Breakfast: smoothie, eggs and veggies
• Snack: grapefruit
• Lunch: rice salad (see below)
• Snack: two hardboiled eggs + apple
• Dinners: Asian drumsticks, broccoli chicken bake, hot dogs, chicken salad, etc.

My breakfasts always kinda look the same not only because I'm hooked but also because it's such a good way to get lots of protein and extra veggies into my day. Plus, grapefruit are in season and I'm happy to partake. I had to make an extra-large batch of hardboiled eggs because Kayne is a huge fan and wanted his very own carton, haha! I'm happy to oblige. Eggs were on super sale, they're easy to make, and I'm always happy when he requests a healthy snack.

I found this super simple rice bowl recipe in a recent issue of Shape Magazine I was reading on the treadmill. All it requires is white beans, tomatoes and rice along with a few ingredients for the dressing. The prep was so easy. It's such a simple, cool, summery salad that goes perfect with the unseasonably warm temperatures we've been having this week in Wisconsin--like 64 degrees today!!

What's it like where you live? How are you getting healthy this week?

Weekly Food and Fitness

**Hey there, I thought I'd bring back my rundown of my weekly workouts and menus to perhaps inspire others to prepare in advance for a week of healthy eating and give you menu and training ideas. Now that I have more of an established schedule and all, it's easier for me to organize.

I have been doing at least 30 minutes of exercise every morning, 6 days a week, alternating strength training and cardio days. And for cardio, I've been alternating steady state and interval training.

Workout Schedule

• Monday: 30 min 21 Day Fix Extreme
• Tuesday: 30 min run
• Wednesday: Rest, sick
• Thursday: Rest, sick
• Friday: 30 min Flashfit (my own workout)
• Saturday: 35 min interval run
• Sunday: Rest

This week was a bit of a bummer because I was sick for several days. The first day it hit, I had a wicked sore throat, and Hubster has been complaining about me snoring every day I've had the sore throat. Sorry Hubby!

On the menu this week:

• Breakfast: superfood smoothie, eggs with veggies, grapefruit
• Lunch: Quinoa Pecan Peach Salad from the Tone it Up Nutrition Plan
• Snack: A hefty serving of squeaky clean cucumber salad
• Dinners: we have clean parm chicken, ham and cheese sammies, homemade blueberry pancakes, pizza burgers, etc.

Look at this juicy bowl of goodness. #mealprep #cucumbersalad #cleaneating #eatclean

A photo posted by Jessica Collins (@boun_seejess) on Feb 28, 2016 at 2:57pm PST

Look at this beast! I get excited every day when snacktime comes around. I made my cucumber salad with 3 cucumbers, 1/2 onion, a carton of cherry tomatoes and 1 can chickpeas. For the sauce, I used about 1.5 cups of plain Greek yogurt, garlic, vinegar and dill. I'm tellin' ya, you don't miss the mayo!

This week I also had an appointment with my doctor and asked him about my weight, again. And again, they checked my thyroid!!! That's been checked so many times, my blood should have its own spot in the lab. I'm getting a bit frustrated. Thinking about doing a video about it, because I have a lot to say, haha! I'm eating pretty clean, working out 6 days a week, and my body is not responding whatsoever. My diet and food plan here would make anyone else lose weight...just not me. Oh well, will keep you posted on what I find out.

Weekly Food and Fitness

**Hey there, I thought I'd bring back my rundown of my weekly workouts and menus to perhaps inspire others to prepare in advance for a week of healthy eating and give you menu and training ideas. Now that I have more of an established schedule and all, it's easier for me to organize.

I have been doing at least 30 minutes of exercise every morning, 6 days a week, alternating strength training and cardio days. And for cardio, I've been alternating steady state and interval training.

Workout Schedule:

Monday: 30 minutes strength training with weights
Tuesday: 30 min Barefoot Cardio
Wednesday: 20 min TIU Hula Booty from Beach Babe 2
Thursday: 30 min steady state run
Friday: 35 Piyo Sweat
Saturday: 35 min HIIT run, 3 min/1 min intervals
Sunday: active rest, 30 min light yoga with Shiva Rae

On the Menu this week:

Breakfast: Shakeology Berry Smoothie, egg whites + tomatoes and mushrooms, TIU bombshell spell
Snack: grapefruit
Lunch: Romaine Thai Turkey Cups
Snack: Cottage cheese and chickpeas
Dinners: turkey dogs, tuna salad, broccoli ravioli, grilled pork chops


Hubster and I will be celebrating our 10 year anniversary this year and we are booking a trip for somewhere like the Bahamas or Cancun. Not sure yet. What I am sure of is that I need to get my butt in shape in the next few months. I have a check-in with my doctor this week again, because things aren't adding up when I look at calorie intake and workouts. I am not losing like I should be according to the math. Hopefully I can get some insight and tighten up my diet and see the weight budge.

How are you workout out/eating this week?

How to do the LiveFit Series at Home

For those of you that don't know, bodybuilding.com offers a bunch of free 30 to 90 day fitness programs for both men and women on their website. You can choose a program to lose weight, muscle up and everything in between. I have tried the LifeFit Trainer before in the past and enjoyed it. It's one of the most impressive workout and clean eating programs that I've seen anywhere for free. But, it requires access to a gym. Until now.

Hubster helped me film a video this weekend showing how to do Jamie Eason's LiveFit Trainer at home. I filmed substitutes for most of the moves that require specific gym equipment. To do the LiveFit Trainer at home, you need little more than a chair, weights, resistance bands and maybe an exercise ball. I did a few moves in the video with ankle weights, but you could even skip those and put a weight plate between your feet instead.

• Seated calf raise: use ankle weights and/or place a weight plate on top of your knees.
• Leg curls: wear ankle weights, lie on your stomach and bend legs behind you. Keep upper thighs off floor to make it tougher.
• Leg extensions: put on ankle weights, use a sturdy chair and do extensions. You may also put a weight plate between your ankles.
• Adductor: Squeeze an inflatable ball between the thighs.
• Abductor: wrap tubing around upper thighs and perform an abductor press.
• Back extensions: perform on ball
• Reverse Fly: belly on ball, do a reverse fly.
• Cable Rope Overhead Extension: Stand on one end of a resistance tube and perform a tricep extension with the other end.
• Leg press: it's difficult to do this move at home, but you can do heavy squats to get a similar effect. Use heavy weights or resistance tubing to intensify the squats.
• T-bar row: perform rows with similar arm position using a heavy dumbbell.
• Incline Press and Decline Crunch: any incline/decline moves can be done on a stepper. Put the risers under one side of the step to create the slant.
• Standing calf raise: hang heels off any step in your home and lift up onto the balls of your feet.
• Seated cable rows: I wind my rubber tubing around my treadmill and do them that way. Use thicker brands and choke up on the bands as you get stronger.
• Triceps Pushdown: anchor the stretch tubing a little higher and perform the move.
• Lat Pulldown: same position as triceps pushdown, perform a pulldown.
• Underhand Cable Pulldown: same as lat pulldown, but switch hand position to underhand.
• Cable Crunch: same anchor point, grab both ends of the tubing in your hands and perform a kneeling crunch.
• Straight Arm Pulldown: same anchor point, pull arms straight down to your sides.
• Cable Crossovers: I wound my tubing around both handles of the treadmill and did the crossovers kneeling.
• Donkey calf raises: my little boy happily obliged climbing onto my back to do these.
• Roman chair leg lifts: use the corner of your kitchen cupboards to rest your arms on. You can still pull your knees up to target abs.

Not shown:

• Hanging leg raises and pullups: use your pull-up bar or monkey bars at the park. I don't have these in the video because I didn't have the equipment readily available while I was filming.
• Lying T-bar row: belly on ball, perform a row

I hope this helps some of you tackle this excellent program at home. Let me know if you have any questions in the comments.

Weekly Food and Fitness--And the Easiest Pumpkin Turkey Chili Recipe Ever

Hey there, I thought I'd bring back my rundown of my weekly workouts and menus to perhaps inspire others to prepare in advance for a week of healthy eating and give you menu and training ideas. Now that I have more of an established schedule and all, it's easier for me to organize.

I have been doing at least 30 minutes of exercise every morning, 6 days a week, alternating strength training and cardio. And for cardio, I've been alternating steady state and interval training.


Workout Schedule
Monday: 30 min FlashFit (workout series designed by me!)
Tuesday: 30 min interval run
Wednesday: 30 min Supreme 90 Day total body
Thursday: 30 min steady run
Friday: 30 min Tracy Anderson workout
Saturday: 35 min interval run
Sunday: Rest



On the menu this week:

• Breakfast: My favorite Shakeology smoothie, Greek yogurt and egg whites with spinach.
• Lunch: Pumpkin turkey chili {below} and my own version of peanut butter balls
• Snack: cottage cheese with chickpeas (you've got to try this combo!!!)
• Dinners: Mini pizzas, turkey/green bean casserole, crockpot chicken, etc.

Here's a quick recipe for the chili I made for my lunches. It is adapted from several of my favorite chili recipes in one. I took ingredients that I loved and were super easy to assemble (mostly canned--still healthy) and came up with this:

Easiest Pumpkin Turkey Chili
1 can black beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can pumpkin
2 lbs lean ground turkey
your favorite chili seasonings (I used garlic powder, chili powder and cumin)

1. Brown the turkey, drain the oil.
2. Dump in the rest of the ingredients and warm through.

Yes, that simple!!! I also would've added one diced onion if I had remembered to pick one up. The pumpkin may sound weird, but it really makes the chili so rich and creamy without any added cheese or sour cream. I actually went with a 15-oz can of pumpkin rather than the larger can shown in the picture. You don't really taste the pumpkin taste either, but do you know how brilliant pumpkin is for your health? You should definitely look it up!

I had my entire house clean on Saturday and my entire work week of food prepped by Sunday afternoon. I proudly read and relaxed the rest of Sunday after this was all prepared, for the first time since we moved. I haven't done that in a loooooooong time. Ever since we've moved, the projects and piles have prevented me from even wanting to relax. So, this type of simple food prep really helped get me to the point where I actually felt like I could relax and read.

How about you, what does your week of food and workouts look like?

1 Minute Work Meditations

Hey Guys, I am jumping into the world of YouTube videos right now, and I'd love to have you check it out and tell me what you think!


So, I came up with two one-minute exercises that you can practice at work. They seem really simple and shruggable.

But.

Let me give you the lowdown on the profound, far-reaching benefits of mindfulness meditation:

1. Addresses muscle imbalances (that you might not even realize you have): I specifically designed these exercises to stretch the chest and work the back and combat that hunched upper crossed syndrome that desk workers usually have. Here's a really good article if you'd like to read more about this chest/back imbalance.
2. Oxygenate: deep breathing exercises increase blood oxygen levels. If people with asthma can benefit from deep breathing, then that's really saying something.
3. Energize: at the same time as your blood oxygen is rising, your energy is increasing, but it's a calm energy, not a frenzied one.
4. Anti-anxiety: I have struggled with anxiety-related issues and one thing that kept coming up for potential treatment options was mindfulness meditation. I thought, huh, what's that gonna do? Then, I saw it over and over and over, and with my arms crossed, I thought "fine, I'll try it." Turns out, it's a pretty darn effective treatment, especially for OCD. It lowers your threshold for anxiety, provides an alternative to rumination, dampens fight-or-flight mode, and keeps your body in a much more relaxed state on a regular basis. The root of anxiety often is bad thoughts (something's wrong with me, I'm not good enough, etc) that have too much power, and mindfulness meditation reduces that power. But you don't have to have an anxiety disorder to benefit as it reduces stress and frenzied thoughts.
5. Increased work productivity. Seriously, a regular meditation practice can restructure your brain! Don't believe me? Read this. Benefits listed in the article also include improved attention, reduced stress, more compassion, and on and on. These mind-clearing exercises should be boss-approved.

Do you get the idea? I could go on... Meditation might sound new-agey, but it's becoming more mainstream, and for good reason. If you're still not sold, here are 100 Benefits of Meditation. If that doesn't convince you, I don't know what will.

There's no reason you can't reap some of these benefits in one minute! However, you'll get a more profound effect if you practice longer, regular meditation.

Here are my brand-new videos. I would appreciate it if you'd ever so kindly check them out, subscribe to my channel and/or leave a comment and let me know what you think. 

Let's Talk About New Years' Resolutions

But it's only December 15!!! Right?

Well, I propose that you start drafting your new years' resolutions right now. In fact, I propose you even consider starting on them right now. The reason is simple: ANY DAY is the right day to start following your dreams.

What is the direction that you want your life to go? That is the most important question you could consider when it comes to exploring your life's purpose. And the question takes a lot of consideration and brainstorming to answer.

So, get out a pen and paper and start. Give yourself a solid 30 minutes to 1 hour to really dig in. Write out a list of the things that you value most: your family, God, your home environment, helping people, etc. Write out what your goals are as they pertain to each of your values. Your goals and values should be aligned so you're not just starting new projects arbitrarily. In other words, don't adopt another goldfish if your life's ambition is to travel and don't spend an extra hour at "work lunches" every day if your family life is a priority for you to cultivate.

The benefits of defining your goals right now is that you'll have a head start come the new year. You can get all the details prepared, you can "test" out your resolutions and refine them, you can narrow your focus, and you can build up your excitement and motivation.

I would also strongly recommend going through Chalene Johnson's 30 Day Push to refine your goals. It's a free online program that will push you toward your life's goals. It will help give aim to your ambitions.

Now, if you have fitness goals for this year, please contact me and I would love to help you reach them.

Free Fall Fit Club

Because I love fitness so much and I want to help people as much as I can, I am offering a free 21-day fitness club.

It’s so easy to start slacking on your fitness goals when fall rolls around, so it’s the perfect time to re-commit to your health goals. With this 21-day fit club, you’ll have access to workouts, meal plans and ME as your fitness coach.

You read that right! You get the benefit of being coached by an NASM certified personal trainer for FREE, so don’t pass up this opportunity.

The fit club consists of an accountability group on Facebook, led by me. We’ll share slimmed-down comfort food recipes, cheer each other on, participate in challenges and reach toward our goals together. But you have to be committed to participating.

Yes, it’s completely free. You don’t have to buy anything! Just comment or email me if you'd like to join. Share the post if you know anyone who might be interested.

A Trip to the Trampoline Park

My little boy turned 7 at the end of July (what now?!?! Ha!). Instead of a party, we treated him to a special day at a new trampoline park with one of his good friends from school. I didn't even realize we had one of these parks in the area, but I'm sure glad we found it! I've been seeing trampoline parks on Pinterest and Instagram and thought how we'd love to try one, but we're always the last place to get these kinds of things.

The boys played for an hour while Hubster and I each enjoyed a half-hour while the other was taking care of Rayna. I'm so glad we did! We had tons of fun ourselves. And holy workout! I didn't realize how sweaty I would get! We jumped, we raced, we played games and we all played like kids.

Not only did the park have tons of trampolines, they also had trampoline basketball, trampoline dodgeball, a slackline and foam pits. They had a huge pillow thing you could jump into off a diving board. And they had a climbing wall for only $1 extra.

When I asked if he had a good birthday, Kayne replied: "A good birthday? I had an awesome birthday!"

Before

 And After

After jumping, we treated the kiddos to pizza and treated Kayne to some of the best cupcakes in town. All in all, I'd say it was a successful celebration of our boys' birth. Love that kid!

**If you have a trampoline park near you, do give it a try!!! It's the most fun we've all had in awhile, and it's a really great workout!

Weekend Highlights: A Quick Glimpse of Spring!

**I started this post several weeks ago on my phone, but still thought these memories were worth recording:)



Well, we were finally reminded of what 60 degrees feels like here in Wisconsin this past week after what has felt like a cold desolate winter. Is that dramatic? Well, that's how it feels. The sidewalks are literally swarming with dogs on leashes, bicycles, strollers and roller blades. You fellow Wisconsinites know exactly how the first heat wave of the year phenomenon works! People. Everywhere.

Titus and I took advantage of the temps and went out for a morning sunrise run. My first outdoor run of the season!!! We've also been picking up Kayne from school on-foot, with the baby in the stroller. And we even happened upon one of these neat lending libraries we've seen finally popping up in our city.

Our family spent an entire weekend letting our cheeks tilt toward the sun. After enjoying a lunch out on the town this past weekend, we headed over to the dog park, but the mud up to the armpits of every dog out there made us reevaluate our plans. After trying another dog park that didn't look any better, we finally made our way to a local park with pet-friendly trails. Earlier, we had stopped at a cheese factory and picked up some fresh cheese (the freshest WI cheese possible), sausage, crackers and jam to picnic on.

I dabble in babywearing every now and then. Trail walking necessitates it. Rayna isn't usually very content facing me, so we're still adjusting and trying to figure out what works for us.

The trees out on this trail were exceptional for climbing!

And someone had built this super amazing fort thing among some of the trees. This is the kind of hideout my kid dreams were made of! We'll be back here, for a picnic or spring break or something.

Another little lean-to someone built. Makes me wonder who's been hanging out here.

After church the next day, the kiddos and I headed out to another favorite trail along the river to get a good leg stretch in again. We know that we are not out of the woods yet with snow being only March, so we get our leg stretchin' and sun soakin' in while we can. These little reprieves in the weather are always just enough to make the last few weeks of winter/early spring seem tolerable.

See what I mean? Wednesday we woke up to white stuff, but by the afternoon it had all melted. Spring, you little tease.

I can't wait for summer! To say the very least...

Ultimate Tone it Up Bikini Series Printable

Anyone else super excited for the annual TIU Bikini Series? Last year, I was unable to participate because I was very pregnant and very mobility-challenged. This year, I intend to rock it! Basically, the Bikini Series is an 8-week workout plan that leads right up to summer. You follow the workouts that are posted by Tone It Up each day. If you have the Nutrition Plan, you'll be choosing recipes and following along with that (or just eating clean). Their are daily prizes and huge incredible grand prizes for the winners. Check out last years' winners!

What I love most about Tone It Up is their community of women. They're all about making girlfriends for life and it's like a close-knit group of friends, bringing each other up. Everyone is encouraged to make connections on Twitter, Instagram, the TIU community pages, in real life, etc.

By the way, I will be doing daily/almost-daily check-ins on Twitter/Instagram. Let's follow each other! Twitter: @BounSee_Jess, Instagram: @Boun_SeeJess. The hashtags for the series are usually #toneitup, #BikiniSeries #100bysummer, #150bysummer, #tiumeals, etc.

Now, because I'm a super Type-A organizer type, I just had to design a printable for the upcoming Tone It Up Bikini Series. I've designed a few others in years past, but wanted to make a fresher, more comprehensive printable. I like things concrete, on paper, in front of me, especially when I'm doing my daily planning and goal-setting. 

So, I designed the ultimate Tone It Up Bikini Series printable. You can print the entire set of printables HERE. It includes eight trackers:

1. Workout Planner
2. Daily Checklist (Bombshell Spell, Booty Call, Workout, Check-in)
3. 100 by Summer Tracker
4. 150 by Summer Tracker
5. Meal Planner
6. Goal Tracker and Reward Sheet
7. Summer Bucket List
8. Measurement Tracker

Hope this printable helps you achieve your goals. Please Pin and Share away! If you use them, I'd love to see pictures. Tag me or leave a message so I can see! 

These are just for personal use though, not intended to be sold or distributed. The logos belong to Tone it Up.

Summer Bodies Weight Loss Challenge

I'm hosting a fitness challenge group over on Facebook and wanted to extend the invitation here on the ol' bloggy.

It’s true! The time to start working on your summer body is right now! Picture yourself lighter and leaner in your favorite summer vacation spot this summer. Now let’s make that dream a reality!!!

I’m starting a fitness challenge group on March 23^rd for three weeks. What you’ll get is an entire package for transforming your body:

• Fitness: doable yet challenging at-home workouts with such variety that you’ll never be bored. I'll help you find the perfect match for you!
• Food: you’ll get a meal planning book, additional help with meal planning, and 30 days’ worth of easy nutrient-dense breakfasts.
• Support: not only do you get me, a certified personal trainer and fitness coach, for support, but you’ll also be cheered on and guided by the other participants. It’s amazing how something as simple as an accountability group can have such a profound impact on goal achievement!

The support group takes place in a secret, confidential Facebook group. My last few groups have been a huge success—people reported everything from losing weight to managing pain to simply feeling better—and I can’t wait to help more people. I’m still on a weight loss journey myself after having a baby and I myself get so much out of these groups, it’s really my passion!

Because small intimate groups really have the most impact, I am opening up the group to only FIVE people, so secure your spot right away if you want in!

Message me if you’re interested in more info.

Tone it Up and Workout Tips During Pregnancy

I'm a huge fan of Tone it Up, it's no surprise. I talk about them frequently on here. But once I became pregnant, I sort of started to ignore the workouts and motivation that K&K provide religiously. I just kind of shied away from anything that wasn't pregnancy-specific. And let's face it, their workouts are geared toward young, single or newly married women looking for a beach body. Preggos/moms aren't really their target market:)

However, during pregnancy I started to miss Tone it Up and I realized I could still incorporate a lot of their workouts into my prenatal routine, with some modifications.

Here are a few general pregnancy exercise guidelines (but always, always ALWAYS talk to your doctor first):

1. Avoid lying flat on your back or tummy, especially after the second trimester. You may still be able to do booty bridges and things like that while propped up on a pile of pillows, but if anything feels uncomfortable, stop.
2. Don't go too intense. I enjoyed taking my workouts down a notch during pregnancy. If your doctor recommends it, you can continue with the types of workouts you were doing before becoming pregnant. However, huffing and puffing isn't always safe. It's usually recommended that you keep your intensity at a level where you can still speak conversationally. And you also don't want to be working on gains during this tender period.
3. Twisty positions are kind of hard to manage in later stages of pregnancy. You may want to avoid them or modify them as necessary.
4. Don't get up/down really fast: blood pressure drops and blood flow changes can really mess with a pregnant woman. Moves like surfboard jumps and burpees may not be best.
5. Jumping around: not only would this be super uncomfortable, but it can be unsafe. Moves that are jumpy or have the potential to cause you to fall are not advisable.
6. Don't stretch too far: the hormone relaxin can really mess with a pregnant woman's body and stretching too far is definitely a danger. Be careful to stretch only to the point where you just feel it and be careful not to go too deep.
7. Balance is tricky. During pregnancy, a woman's balance is compromised. Now, that doesn't necessarily mean she shouldn't do any balance moves at all, but she should be extra cautious.
8. Different goals. Most pregnant women are not working on their beach bodies or running endurance races. We're preparing for labor, trying not to gain over the recommended pregnancy weight, trying to feel better/have more energy, and wanting to bounce back after baby. That being said, the workout needs to be tailored to those goals.
9. Getting too hot can be dangerous for a pregnant woman. Now, our bodies are super efficient at regulating temperatures and keeping baby safe, but getting too hot is still a concern. Bikram yoga and running on a 104 degree day are probably not in the cards. Drink lots and lots and lots of water and stay cool.
10. Preventing diastasis recti: Anything that pushes the stomach out rather than pulls it in is probably not recommended at this point. Pushing out (as during crunches) can actually increase that gap in the abs, so you need to be careful with ab moves.

With these recommendations in mind, and after a talk with my doctor, I was able to sift through the Tone it Up workouts to find some that were both tolerable and safe for me.

A few of my pregnancy favorites:

Arms: there's not much need to modify with arm exercises, and your tummy doesn't interfere too much with them. Here are my top arm picks:

• Bikini Arms
• String Bikini Arm and Thigh Workout
• 3 Moves for Sexy, Sculpted Shoulders
• 3 Moves for a Sexy Upper Back

Legs:

• Love Your Legs (I'd skip or modify the bridges in the 2nd/3rd trimesters)
• Tone up Your Thighs
• Love Your Legs (different than the above one)

Total Body

• Sweet & Sexy Valentine's Workout (most of these are doable, but you may have to modify/skip some, such as Fly Like Cupid)
• Frisky Fall Full Body Routine (the plank row and pike I'd swap out for standing rows)
• Tone up Every Part in 30 Minutes
• Quick 10 Minute Routine
• Gettin' Slim Without the Gym

Now, I wasn't able to follow the TIU nutrition plan at all. Pregnancy threw off all my food habits from the beginning, when morning sickness left only Culver's mashed potatoes and Pop Tarts to be tolerable. I wasn't able to meal prep because thinking about preparing food made me nauseous and grossed me out big time. Later in pregnancy though, I was able to maintain a relatively healthy diet, but it definitely wasn't all clean and Hubster had to prepare most of our dinners (which turned into leftover lunches the next day). I was totally ok with that and enjoyed the break, but I sure did miss some of the recipes from the plan!

Aside from TIU workouts, I also have a few workouts other workouts that I recommend for expecting mommas:

• Full-Body Prenatal Workout on video and tear sheet
• Full-Body Prenatal Circuit
• And my 3 Favorite Prenatal Workout Videos

Weekend Highlights: Home Shopping and Lotsa Babies

The first thing I did Saturday morning, after feeding the kidlets of course, was Kenpo X from P90X. I had the cutest little workout partner who did pretty much the whole thing with me. And by "whole thing," I mean the whole 30 minutes that my DVD actually played. There's a glitch in my DVD that sends it back to the beginning after 30 minutes. And here I was ready to pound out an hour! Oh darn.

This weekend, Hubster wasn't feeling well. At. All. I'm pretty sure we're at the point that we should see a doctor. But you know boys... Anywho, we did make a quick trip to peek at a house on Saturday. It was the perfect house, in the perfect location, with the perfect garage/workspace and everything. It was on 7 acres with a wooded area and a creek. I mean, the stuff of dreams (well, mine at least). If it sounds too good to be true.... As the realtor put it, the foundation "needed some attention" Once that TLC (read: all new foundation) was taken care of, we'd be too far over our budget. And that wasn't even counting fixing the cracks in the walls from when the house had shifted.

But the realtor also had another listing for us to peek at, so it was good that we went. We were in full-on house hunting mode earlier in my pregnancy, and now that Rayna is past the crazy newborn stage, we're back at looking again. On our way home, we swung in to visit some family that lived close by so they could see Rayna, you know, before she heads off to college.

Sunday, I volunteered in the nursery at my church. I was wondering how it would go with taking care of other babies AND my own. Let's just say I actually broke a sweat. I was serving with a 14-ish year old girl and at one point, there were 7 babies in the room, 3 of which can't even sit up yet. AND it was during the Packer playoff game, so I was very surprised! I finally tried Rayna out in an exersaucer. She's still a wee bit small, but it was adorable. She needed a pillow under her feet. But at one point, all the babies surrounded her and they were all playing with the toys on it.

Check out this adorable upcycled outfit from our neighbor friends.

I love ruffle butts!

After church, we picked up Hubster and hit up the Chinese buffet. As if I needed this temptation after a whole week of hardcore training and eating clean. Well, at least they had some tasty healthy options so I didn't completely blow my progress. But I did have a little bit of the peanut butter chicken and some stuffed mushrooms.

Sunday prep day also happened. I'm currently working my way through P90X in this amazing Challenge Group that me and 4 other coaches are leading. I've already noticed some changes in my body after only 6 days and can't wait to see what happens by month's end. Anyway, I will be doing a post mid-week about how I meal prep, so you can see exactly what I'm eating to keep me on track. And I'll also be doing a review of how P90X and our Challenge Group is going soon.

Later in the evening, my parents came over to soak up some of that delicious baby love. It was nice to just have a laid-back weekend with visits with family and time together.

What did you do this weekend?

Fresh Start Fitness Challenge

It's never too early to get a jump-start on your New Year's resolutions. Here's a call for participants for a challenge group that I'm starting up on January 1. If you're interested, leave a comment or email me and I will get in touch!

I’m looking for 5 people who are tired of looking back year after year, wishing their bodies would change and riding the weight loss roller coaster. Or maybe you’re like me and tend to hit plateaus that last…years! This year, we do it differently. This year, we lock arms on Jan 1 and forge into the New Year with renewed dedication, as a team!

The New Year is the PERFECT time to make healthy changes. It takes just 21 days to form a new habit, so we’ll spend those crucial first 3 weeks of 2015 together to set you up for a fit, successful new year. It’s only 21 days!

I myself need to lose some baby weight and I’d like to support you through whatever challenges you! From meal planning to motivation to workout support, let me give you my complete attention, guidance and support. The added bonus is that I’m a certified personal trainer and sports nutrition specialist in training, and I will be coaching you through the whole thing. I’m ready to change my life and I can’t wait to help you too!

You’ll be able to pick your challenge of choice from several rewarding options. And you can do any one of them at home! And make sure to get back to me quickly, because there are only 5 slots available and the clock to join is ticking.

If this interests you, Comment below and I’ll get in touch with you.

Together, let’s make 2015 your BEST year ever!

Three Best Prenatal Workout Videos

I'm very partial to the prenatal workouts that I picked out for this pregnancy. I did a lot of research and checked out a lot of Youtube clips in order to narrow down and pick the workout DVDs that would be best for me. I wanted workouts that were challenging enough for my already-conditioned body. It seems like a lot of workouts get "dumbed down" for pregnancy, when really, most of us are told that it's ok to do whatever you were doing pre-pregnancy (to a certain degree). I have slowed waaaaay down, but I still want to maintain some muscle tone for birth and after.

So, I wanted some real strength workouts that would still challenge me, not leave me feeling like I just did a glorified stretching routine. Even some of the mainstream pregnancy magazines print workouts that are just too effortless. There's a time and a place for stretching and gentle workouts. I especially love the stretching ones right before bed, but I don't appreciate these easy workouts for my everyday routine.

That being said, here are the three I picked out and have used over and over again this pregnancy. They are tried and true.

1. Tracy Anderson Pregnancy Project:

I know there is a lot of controversy, and alternately, a lot of hardcore fans, of Tracy Anderson. I sometimes incorporate her workouts into my routines, but I don't wholeheartedly agree with her overall approach to exercise (girls get bulky with weights over 3lbs, say WHAT???) However, all that aside, I found her pregnancy workout compilation to be amazing. There are 9 DVDs, one for each month of pregnancy. This is fantastic since I tend to get bored, and each workout is tailored specifically for the nuances of each month. They're all completely different. I may just continue doing some of these workouts even after the baby comes.

Basically, every month you'll do a 30-45 minute workout consisting of an arm segment and a leg segment, and core is incorporated into the moves by default. You still won't use anything larger than a 3lb weight, which was definitely enough to work my muscles. And Tracy doesn't do her typical 50 reps per leg thing. You will do at most 20 reps per leg and 10 reps per arm.

2. 10 Minute Solution Prenatal Pilates

Occasionally Pilates videos, especially prenatal Pilates, don't challenge me enough. This one does! Sometimes I find that I can't finish all the reps. You can choose among 5 total 10-minute workouts, either stacking them together or doing them separately. I loved how I could tailor the length of the workout to how much time I had to exercise. And on days when I was falling apart or sick, just the flexibility segment was enough for me. There is also a bonus post-natal core workout to get your belly back into shape. I used this video when I was pregnant with Peanut and eagerly busted it out again this go-round.

3. Summer Sanders Prenatal Workout

Oh my gosh, thanks to this video, I am now in love with labor lunges! (Basically, a side-to-side lateral lunge where you stay low). And I love Summer's personality. She's so cute and approachable on the video. The workout is great and can be adjusted to your workout level. For example, there are a lot of moves with exercise bands. You can use thicker or thinner bands or hold them with more or less resistance to modify the exercise. There are three workouts, one for each semester. From there, you can either do the full workout or the express version, giving you plenty of options. You work the entire body in these workouts, which is just what a fit momma wants.


Have you seen theyogatreehouse.com? It has free prenatal yoga workout videos that aren't too bad either! I found this website late in the pregnancy game, so I didn't have a chance to preview them all, but I would also give this website a shot, if I were you:) There are quite a few non-birth-related workout routines too that I will be much obliged to try when I get the green light from my doctor.


Having this selection of workout options is paramount for keeping me interested in my daily workouts. By alternating workouts based on my energy level and mood, I was able to keep my workout schedule fresh and motivating. I bought all the videos above on Amazon. What are your favorite prenatal workouts?