When did I become a runner?
Running has always been in my family. My mom was a distance runner in high school and she continues to run to this day. I had plenty of great memories growing up cheering my mom on once a year at the Indy Mini Marathon. Each year in elementary school I always looked forward to field day. I always looked forward to the running races. I ran both distance and sprinting events in high school and college. I later became a cross-country coach at my local school and I will still run with the high school team from time to time. I have run multiple half marathons and other races as well. I actually was named top 100 female in the Indy Mini Marathon the last time I ran. (100 out of roughly 14,000 females) Running is in my blood.
I have had such a great time here in Florida, but as my vacation slowly comes to an end, I know its time to get back into my routine. This week I am doing a mixture of cardio and HIIT. I even linked a partner workout that my sister-in-law created. (BLOG: FaithfullyFitARMY)It can be done on your own too. I am STILL sore from it.
If you are a subscriber this is already in your inbox (or in your promotions folder). You will get this email every week along with all of my workouts.
If I don’t see or talk to you all before next week, I want to wish you a Happy Easter! Jesus has Risen! He died on the cross so that ALL of us could go to heaven. There is nothing we can do to change His mind. You are enough.
This workout is probably my favorite HIIT workouts yet! It definitely one that will leave you dripping in sweat. I love it because you have 4 rounds that are 4 minutes long and you compete against yourself to see how many moves you can fit into each round. I love how I can track my progress and see my improvement each time I do this workout. The best part? No equipment needed and this workout can be done in your home in 20 minutes! I tracked and you burn about 300+ calories in this workout. Get me the 4X4 HIIT workout! >>>
We all can probably agree that we wish we knew of workouts that worked our lower abs and sides. For most women your lower abs and obliques are the areas that seem almost impossible to get trim. I have tried out dozens of lower ab workouts and this workout is by far my favorite and the most challenging. The most important thing you need to remember for this workout is to suck in your belly buttons and keep a straight back in plank position.GET ME FREE ACCESS TO THE “ALL THE RIGHT PLACES CORE WORKOUT.
HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) is a type of cardio /strength workout that has short periods of maximum effort followed by short periods of rest. Typically HIIT workouts are shorter so that you can give 100% effort the entire time. Because you are going 100% you are pushing your heart rate which means more calories burn that an average cardio workout.
HIIT workouts make your muscle lean and strong. They are only meant to be done 2-3 times per week. (While mixing in your regular workout routine in between) After several weeks you will start to know the difference in your breathing. For those of you that hate long workouts on a treadmill or elliptical or simply do not have the time to workout – this HIIT workout is for you. HIIT workouts give you fast and positive results.
What I love most about this workout is that there are HIGH AND LOW OPTIONS!!! This means that anyone, and I mean ANYONE can do this workout. I recommend starting out with the low options and make it a goal to get to the high ones. When I started doing this workout, I had to do all of the low options.
Just click on the link below to get instant access to the workout. Enjoy!
This recipe is fairly easy to put together. I did my own spin on it from the recipe from Craving Cobbler. Instead of using snow peas and cauliflower rice, I use sugar snap peas and butternut squash noodles . If you are not on Whole30, this recipe is also good on a bed of rice. I have even eaten it without the rice or noodles; like a soup.
I have been making this recipe for quite some time now and its a go-to in our household. (Yes, my husband approves) I love how versatile this recipe can be and you can really customize it however you want. This recipe has a sweet and savory flavor with a island twist. The most time consuming part is chopping up all of the veggies. Once you chop up the ingredients this can be done in 25 minutes.
*FOR PEOPLE WHO DON’T LIKE CURRY: I have never been nor will I ever be a curry fan; however, I LOVE it in this recipe and it is necessary!!! The main ingredients you should NOT take out are the ginger, the curry paste, and the GRATED carrots. I made it without these and it didn’t taste the same. You can find red curry paste in the international food section of any grocery store (along with the canned coconut milk).
You can buy already cut butternut squash noodles at most grocery stores.
2lb Boneless Skinless raw Chicken (cut into bite-size pieces)- I like using chicken thighs.
3 Large Bell Peppers (thinly sliced)
1 Medium Onion (diced)
1 head Broccoli (cut into bite-size pieces)
1 head Cauliflower (cut into bite-size pieces)
1-2 cup Sugar Snap Peas (trimmed)
1 1/2 tablespoon Ginger (minced)
1 1/2 tablespoon Garlic (minced)
3 Small Carrots (peeled and shredded)
3 tablespoons Cilantro (freshly minced + more for garnish)
Juice from 1 large Lime
1 can LITE Coconut Milk
1 heaped tablespoon Red Curry Paste
3 cups Chicken Broth
Coconut Oil (about 2 1/2 Tbs total)
Salt & Pepper (to taste)
Butternut Squash Noodles. (This is NOT the same as spaghetti squash. You can buy this in the vegetable section in most grocery stores already cut into noodles. I buy it at Kroger.
DIRECTIONS:
Prep the first set of veggies by washing and grating the carrots and ginger.
Prep the other set of veggies by washing and chopping up the onion, peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, and garlic(mince); cut the ends off of the sugar snap peas.
Cut up your raw chicken. (I used chicken thighs). – season with salt, pepper, and desired spice blend. (I like adding red pepper flakes)
Heat one heaping tablespoon of coconut oil in a LARGE dutch oven or wok on medium/high heat. This recipe makes a large amount so get the biggest skillet you have. We used a wok (shown in pictures)
Brown your chicken. Once chicken has been browned remove from pan and set aside onto a plate.
Add the broccoli, coconut milk, broth, and curry paste. Stir thoroughly (especially with the curry paste) Keep in mind curry paste is spicy; you can always add more in later, but you cannot take it out.
Increase the heat and bring to a boil. Then reduce to medium low and simmer for 15 minutes
Squeeze in lime juice and snow peas and simmer for another 5 minutes.
This hip workout was initially created not as a workout, but as an injury preventer when I ran track in college. I was a sprinter, mid distance runner, steeplechase, and triple jumper in college. My hip flexors have always been a big pain for me. I always had the worst groin and hip pain in high school and college from running. It got much worse when I knocked my hips out of alignment while triple-jumping in college. I could not sit down for longer than 5 minutes for over a year. I tried many treatments, went to the chiropractor, but nothing worked. I changed my perspective and instead of trying to treat my hips, I started to find ways to strengthen my hip flexors, thighs, and glutes. I started doing this workout 7 years ago and I have seen a MAJOR difference in the discomfort in my hips and groin that I struggled with for years.
Although I am a big fan of cardio and HIIT workouts, I do know the importance of weight lifting. I was not a regular weight lifter until maybe a couple years ago. I now try to fit in a strength workout twice a week on top of my HIIT workout and cardio workouts. A lot of women are scared of weight lifting because they are afraid it will make them huge. THAT IS A MYTH!! Unless you are lifting huge amounts of weight with small reps or doing some sort of body building, that’s not going to happen. Weightlifting builds muscle and muscle helps you burn more calories and fat. Since I am a runner and want to work on my cardiovascular endurance, I do more reps with a lighter weight. I am not afraid to go up in weight!! If it is easy than I am not pushing myself hard enough which means I am not burning calories and toning muscle. You should feel a burn in each round. I have taken you through my cardio workout, my core workout, and my 30 minute HIIT workout; now let me introduce to you my strength workout provided with tutorial videos too!
What is HIIT? HIIT, or high-intensity interval training, is a training technique in which you give all-out, one hundred percent effort through quick, intense bursts of exercise, followed by short, sometimes active, recovery periods. This type of training gets and keeps your heart rate up and burns more fat in less time. (Source: DailyBurn)
This workout suitable for ALL fitness levels and ages.To decrease the intensity either go down in weight or take the LOW options.To increase intensity increase the weight. It is very important to stay on time with the rests. The goal of this workout is to give it 100% effort during your moves followed by rest. Make sure you stay on time with your rests. If you rest too long or too short you will not get the proper workout. You are supposed to feel out of breath in this workout. What I do to keep track of time is to set my stopwatch on my phone and sit it next to me or to wear a stopwatch.
