Spice Up Your Trail Run! Oh... and TABATA TUESDAY!

Even though it's getting colder outside, some days are just made for exercising outdoors! Running around the same trails can get boring and sometimes you want more than just cardio in your workout! My roommate and I hit the trails a few days ago and came up with this killer routine that can easily be used at your local trail! You'll notice the particular park we were running at has a lookout (which means STAIRS!) and many park benches throughout the woods (which you'll see we put to great use).

The key is to be creative with the surroundings! Take a look around you before you get started and you might just see some benches, chairs, or even "nature stairs" you've never noticed before that can easily up the intensity and variety of your workout!!

If you're going to do some circuits on the trail it is wise to choose one of the shorter or medium length trails. We opted for trail that was about 1 mile long and broke it up into 3 different circuits. When it was all said and done our circuit included about 3 miles of running with another 15-20 minutes of strength exercises.

Here's and example of the circuits we did:

Lap 1:
    >>  Run 1 mile trail
    >> 25 Tricep Dips

     

     >> Run Stairs in Lookout Tower (81 steps up, 81 steps down)

     >>  25 Plank Up-Downs
          

Lap 2:
     >> Run 1 mile trail
     >> 30 Second Side Plank Tip-Toes (Each Side)

     

     >> Run Stairs in Lookout Tower 
     >> 30 Second Single Leg Plank (Each Leg)

     

Lap 3:
     >> Run 1 mile trail
     >> 12 Walking Push-Ups

     

     >> Run Stairs in Lookout Tower
     >> 25 Tuck Jumps

HERE'S A BONUS!!!!

On our last lap we decided to stop at every park bench we passed and do a different exercise! Here are some great examples:

Decline Push-Ups

 High Mountain Climbers

Incline Push-Ups 

Split Lunges

(make sure to keep you knee behind your toes on this one)

Special thanks to my fabulous model brittany!!

As promised... your TABATA routine for the week!!!

Exercise 1: Mountain Climbers  >>Example

Exercise 2: Plie Squats  >>Example

Exercise 3: Inchworms  >>Example

Exercise 4: Ski Jumps  >>Example

Suggested Playlist:

"Flesh and Blood" by The Killers

"Holy Grail" by Jay-Z and JT

"Do What You Want" by Lady Gaga and R.Kelly

"Berzerk" by Eminem

Tabata Tuesday and a Skinny Smoothie!

This week let's do a Tabata that focuses on LEGS!

**Warning: after this Tabata there's a good chance you'll be sore the next day or two :)

If you forget how the cycles go, review them here >>> Tabata Cycles

Grab a stopwatch and let's go!

Exercise 1: 180 Squat Jumps >>  Example

Exercise 2: High Knees >> Example

Exercise 3: Lunge Front Kick >> Example  (alternate legs during this exercise)

Exercise 4: Jumping Jacks

Suggest Playlist:

"Ready Set Roll" by Chase Rice

"Drink to That All Night" by Jerrod Niemann

"Round Here" by Florida Georgia Line

"Days of Gold" by Jake Owen

(feelin' country this week!)

Now end your workout with a Skinny Pumpkin Smoothie!!!

Skinny Pumpkin Smoothie

1 Cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk

1/2 Cup or 1 container of Low Carb (I use Kroger Carbmaters) Yogurt

         **Use Pumpkin Pie flavored Yogurt for extra pumpkin or Caramel Yogurt for extra sweet**

1/3-1/2 Cup Pumpkin Puree

1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon

1/4 Teaspoon Ground Cloves

Add all ingredients in blender and blend together with a handful of ice until smooth. Enjoy!

This smoothie is approximately 130 calories!

Stay tuned for Ways to Spice Up your Trail Runs!!

TABATA TUESDAY!!! (and Cold Weather Workout Tips!)

It's that time of the week again! Since we focused on arms last week let's get in a good CORE workout this week! Remember if you forget how the cycle works just scroll down to my previous Tabata Tuesday post from 2 weeks ago!

If possible grab a medicine ball and a stability ball. If not, no worries, there's variations without equipment! Here's your exercises for this weeks Tabata:

Exercise 1: Stability Ball Knee Tucks with Push Ups >>  Example
                    (Do Froggers with Push Ups if you do not have a stability ball... Example )

Exercise 2: Crazy Ivans >>  Example
                   (Hold a medicine ball during exercise to add a little more challenge!)

Exercise 3: Stability Ball Transfers >>  Example
                   (Do V-Ups if you do not have a stability ball... Example )

Exercise 4: Suitcases >>  Example
                     (You can do this exercise without a medicine ball if you do not have one)

Suggeted Playlist:

"Counting Stars" by One Republic

"Miss Jackson" by Panic! At the Disco

"Ride" by Timeflies

"Celebration" by A$AP Rocky

Alright I promised some good Winter Weather Exercising Tips!!

It's getting much colder out but that doesn't mean you can't still get in a good workout outdoors. Being prepared for the elements is the key because you definitely won't be enjoying your workout if you freeze!!

Here's some great things to remember weather you're going for a walking a trail, training for a turkey trot race, hitting the slopes, or just going for a walk around the block:

Know what materials you're wearing...
          Windproof jackets and pants are great for blocking that blustery winter wind, however, windproof materials usually do not let sweat evaporate. (Yes, you still sweat even when it's cold out!) Water-wicking  or moisture-wicking materials are important to wear even in the winter because they will pull the sweat from your skin and keep your skin dry.

Layer up... 
           Layer to keep your core warm, so, your upper body is the most important to focus on layers. Layering knit gloves is an effective way to keep your hands warm and you can easily remove a layer if they get wet from snow or soaked with sweat. They're usually really cheap and somewhat breathable. My favorite product for keeping my upper body warm is my Mizuno Breath Thermo Stretch Long Sleeve Running Shirt ( See It Here ) ...It wicks away moisture and turns it into warmth as you exercise.

Watch out for slippery shoes...
          If you know you'll be around snow or ice make sure you have some good tread on your shoes that will keep you from slipping. Trail running shoes tend to have better treads.

Protecting your ears and face...
         Make sure to wear a hat or ear warmers to keep your ears warm. Wearing petroleum jelly on exposed skin on your face can protect it from the cold wind, but it can attract a sunburn. Believe it or not you can still get a sunburn even in the winter. If you know you'll be out in the sun for a while make sure to still put sunscreen on exposed skin.


For more information on these tips visit this great article found on American College of Sports Medicine's website..... What to Wear for Winter Exercise

Happy November!

 There's a lot of exciting things happening this month and it's the start of the holiday season! Keeping track of your exercise is hard enough especially if you get burnt out on the same routines. Trying new things and staying motivated is all part of creating a healthy lifestyle. Challenge yourself to do more this month. Feel free to use the calendar below as inspiration to your routine and also a reminder to do something each day!

For a downloadable version of this calendar Click Here

Don't worry about this cold weather coming in..... bundle up and go for a nice trail walk or run in a local park! Stay tuned for some Winter Weather exercise tips!! 

(I guess Ohio's not that bad!)

Tabata Tuesday!

If your week is as busy as mine it's probably already off to a crazy start! Here's a quick Tabata workout with a focus on ARMS this week! Remember a full Tabata workout can be done in 10-20 minutes depending on your endurance level. For a refresher in how the Tabata cycles work scroll down to my "Tabata Tuesday" post from last week.

Grab your stop watch and crank up the music... Let's Go!

Exercise 1: Froggers with Push-ups   example

Exercise 2: Inch worms   example

Exercise 3: Decline Push-Ups   example

Exercise 4: Plank Up-Downs    example

Suggested Playlist:

"Safe and Sound" by Capital Cities

"Love More" by Chris Brown Feat. Nicki Minaj

"Clarity" by Zedd

"I Wish" by Cher Lloyd Feat. T.I.

Football Feasting!

Comfort foods and Sunday Football go hand in hand, especially on a chilly fall day! Comfort food doesn't always have to be "bad for you" or considered a "cheat meal". The key is moderation and making smart choices for your ingredients. Avoid the fried foods and pay close attention to your portions.

Mac and cheese has always been a favorite of mine and football always calls for buffalo chicken....so I thought why not put them together!! To cheer on my Bengals (WHODEY!) my boyfriend and I whipped up this great Sunday Funday Meal.....


Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese with Honey Cinnamon Glazed Carrots

Buffalo Mac & Cheese

Ingredients:

     -1 box Annie's Shells & White Cheddar Macaroni & Cheese

     -3 Tablespoons Skim Milk

     -2 Cups Grilled Diced Chicken (cooked)

     -Bolthouse Farms Classic Ranch Yogurt Dressing to Taste

     -Frank's Red Hot Wings Buffalo Sauce to Taste

     -Whole Grain Bread Crumbs (optional garnish)

Prepare Annie's Mac & Cheese to the directions on the box adding the 3 Tablespoons Skim milk (no butter needed!) Cook diced chicken or heat up precooked chicken. I added some buffalo sauce to the chicken while it was cooking. Once chicken is cooked and macaroni and cheese is prepared, add chicken to pasta along with ranch dressing and extra buffalo sauce to taste. Add whole grain bread crumbs if you desire an extra crunch on top. I toasted a slice of whole grain bread and made my own bread crumbs!

Important adjustments in this recipe:

     *Using skim milk for mac & cheese is important because it is fat free! 

     *Bolthouse Farms Classic Ranch is made from a yogurt base and contains only 45 calories per serving!

Honey Cinnamon Glazed Carrots
Ingredients:
     -2 cups Baby Carrots
     -3/4 Teaspoon Cinnamon
     -1/2 Tablespoon Honey

Cook baby carrots in pan with a drizzle of olive oil until carrots tender. Add cinnamon and stir, then drizzle honey on top and stir again.

Enjoy Your Football Sunday!! 

Introducing.... Tabata Tuesday

What is Tabata?

Tabata is a form of High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). Sounds intimidating right?? Wrong! Is easy to adapt to every person and perfect for busy schedules. Tabata is done in 4 minute rounds so an entire workout can be finished in 10-20 minutes with minimal or no equipment! You also set the pace in this workout, so you can choose what you feel is your high intensity.

How does it work?

Each round consists of 4 exercises and last 4 minutes long. Intervals are 20 seconds of exercise followed by 10 seconds of rest. Grab a stopwatch and keep track of your time.
     Choose your 4 exercises and the cycles look like this...
               0:00-0:20 - Exercise 1
               0:20-0:30 - REST
               0:30-0:50 - Exercise 2
               0:50-1:00 - REST
               1:00-1:20 - Exercise 3
               1:20-1:30 - REST
               1:30-1:50 - Exercise 4
               1:50-2:00 - REST
               2:00-2:20 - Exercise 1
               2:20-2:30 - REST
               2:30-2:50 - Exercise 2
               2:50-3:00 - REST
               3:00-3:20 - Exercise 3
               3:20-3:30 - REST
               3:30-3:50 - Exercise 4
               3:50-4:00 - REST

     Rest for at least 1 minute in between each time you repeat the cycle!

Beginners: Try doing 2 full cycles (8 minutes)
Intermediate: Try doing 3 full cycles (12 minutes)
Advanced: Try doing 4 full cycles (16 minutes)

Let's Get Started......

Try these exercises for your Tabata round:
     Exercise 1: Mountain Climbers   example
     Exercise 2: Box Jumps  example (you can also use the bottom stair on a staircase if you don't have a box)
     Exercise 3: Walking Push-Ups example
     Exercise 4: Scissor Lunges    example

Suggested Playlist:

 "Timber" by Ke$ha & Pitbull

 "Heart Attack" by Enrique Iglesias

 "Earthquake" by Labyrinth & Tinie Tempah

 "TKO" by Justin Timberlake