AHH, Portland sun fitness..

You never fail to lift my spirit :)

It's been unbelievably gorgeous out the past few days and I. AM. LOVING. IT!
Went on a nice 3.5 mile jog through our beautiful neighborhood today, then basked in the hot sun with a 30 minute yoga circuit. My body hasn't felt this happy in months!

My routine:
- Start in mountain pose> Fold  (Repeat  x 6)
*Keep a flat back and raise for lean back
- Fold> Pop into high plank (Hold 2 min)
- Chaturanga> Hold 1 min> Cobra pose
[This is one circuit - Repeat 2 x's]

Next: 
- Warrior Sequence. [See previous routines]

Core:
- High to low plank alternations for 1 song's duration. (I chose a 3 and a half long song and chased the rhythm) 

- Rest in Child's pose 2 minutes

- Lying flat to rounded back upper-core lifts. Start by lying flat on the ground, gradually lift and round your back so that each vertebrae rises in sequence. (Do this ALSO for the duration of one song)


*NOTE: This is a very mild routine and can be modified to be even more simple.
Yoga improves health in SO many transformative ways it's ridiculous to not even try.. So get off your butt and make a change!

Tough shit, Tuesday.

 No Excuses, today I will sweat until my hearts content. Work, school, baby, and life wont stand in the way of my goals this time.

My Cardio:
1.) Jumping jacks w/ alternating leg lifts
2.) Knee highs
3.) Skater jumps
4.) Burpees
5.) Alternating-leg plank crunches

My endurance:
1.) Calf raise squats

2.) Hip flexor/ Glute raises
3.) High-side plank crunches
4.) High-plank cross crunches

Dear Insanity followers,

I now, feel your pain.

Insanity people, you've made a believer out of me.
For those who are unsure whether they'll consider insanity or even follow the routine, consider these 2 moves in your active cardio recovery:

"Power knees" AKA Alternating knee highs
- If you do these already:
- Alternating knees w/out a skip
(Knee> ground> Alternate)


This next move is what insanity calls:

"Switch kicks" AKA Scissor kicks

Seems harmless, puts you to SHAME.



Try squeezing 70 of these in, in under 1 minute.
Not easy.
Start w/ your arms bent towards your head (defending face -  you may lower arms for momentum) and alternate kicking (In a can-can motion)
**Side note: For me it was hard to end this set without a standing breathing exercise, for others this may come as second nature.

Progression:

The unavoidable surmise of what change brings.

What a lot of people don't realize with all these: "Lose 20 lbs in 3 weeks" programs, is that our bodies will become more susceptible to relapse. The culprit is called: Over Conditioning.
The idea that the more you increase a routine or work-out's duration per hour and week, the faster your body regains. This is especially true with mom's trying to lose their baby weight w/ these "Get fit, quick" schemes.

I tried a 6 day, high-intensity/ explosive regimen to lose my weight. The result: 1-2 day breaks lead to a 5% increase in re-gain. I decided to cycle this idea more to see whether there'd be a real long-term change.
The Change: 2-3 lbs of regained weight (per week) per every 2-3 lbs lost.
It felt like I was on a hamster wheel.
I decided then to slow my workouts, keeping the intensity but decreasing duration to 30-45 minutes per day - 5 days a week. End results took longer to achieve but the change was LASTING.

Maybe some wouldn't see the change I've underwent but for me, it's huge. From 146 lbs to 116? That's an accomplishment.

The "Mom" Butt

Every woman should know this move...

My biggest motivator to get in shape after giving birth was to tone up my butt. Every mom knows how hard it is to avoid the annoying label: "Mom butt". I for one, hate that term. I'd like to convince myself that I'll never have one of those dreadful things. So, I shake my ass into high gear, amping up my cardio w/ high-intensity squat tracks and adding...
^^ These puppies.
Perfect for "Lumbar" muscle and "glut" tone!

Busy bee all week

Geez louise, I've been busy all week. Finally, enrolled myself back in school for my LAST term before externship.

Still, no excuse not to shake my body into shape!

Monday's routine: 6 Song set-list cardio:

1.) The Black Key's Strange Times
- Jumping jacks
- Pivoting - punches w/ squat and twist
- Knee Highs
- Mountain Climbers (Repeat x's 2)

2.) The Black Key's - Remember when (Side B)
- Jump rope (Every other skip double under)
- Knee highs w turned leg and pump

3.) Electric Guest - This head I hold
- Jump squats for first 2 stanzas
- Burpees for chorus
- Lunge w/ a twist for hook(s) (Repeat 2x's)

4.) SBTRKT - Wildfire (Squat track)
- Drop squats
- Plie squats
- Gyrating dips
- Pop-n-lock dips w/ squat

5.) Conor Maynord - Animal (It was free in iTunes!)
- Jumping/ Squat Jack combo
- Lunge w/ a kick (Do this to the rhythm, built that HEAT!)
- Pivoting- upper cut w/ a twist and squat

6.) Frank Ocean - Pyramids (10 minute song)
- Pop-n-lock knee highs
- Side to side jumps
- Dip jumps (Burpee minus ground motion)
- Step up kicks * Requires a step/ chair/ stool
- Elbo plank kick-backs
- Elbo plank side-to-side dips
(Repeat x's 2-3)

For Christie w/ Love.

A Co-worker of mine inspired me to start posting more of my routines to follow from home. So here I am! 

1.) Side lunges w/ a Dip.

* Great for inner thigh muscle build

* Do this routine to a high-pace song for a high-intensity work out!

- 8-10 on each leg alternating w/ a wide-stance squat between each lunge.

Skater Jumps:

* ALSO great for inner thigh muscle build and a great high-intensity work out.

- Do 10 on each leg 

- 1 set after each cardio set (IE: 60 jumping jacks> 10 Skater Jumps> 20 mountain climbers> 10 Skater Jumps. Etc.)

* TIP: Do not let your non-dominant leg touch the ground when landing (It slows your momentum and takes the focus off your balance, core strengthening and form)

Squat leg lifts:

THESE ARE FUN!
Put on your favorite bass-slapping workout jam. This is what I like to call "the eloquent pop and lock" :)
(See image: Notice I'm not wearing shoes in one photo - Shoes are optional)
- Try not to take this one so seriously.
1.) Drop into squat
2.) Pop into a leg lift
3.) Repeat
** TIP doing this to the beat of your favorite song is not only FUN, but it builds those booty muscles, incorporates core, balance, and gives a foxy cardio glow.

I call this the "Super man that hoe"
(Bay arean joke)

1.) Do this standing, or kneeling
2.) Give a slight bend back ward
3.) Lift one arm above your head at an angle
4.) Trace raised arm w/ lower arm and bend back

** Do as many of these as you can!

This is a great active recovery move for post yoga.

Good for arm strength and latissimus dorsi muscle (Back of your oblique muscles)

Lady gaga

Sometimes being dragged out of the house on a Tuesday, isn't so bad. Not a big Lady Gaga fan....at all. But fun times!

Gradually improving yoga form

It takes time and effort to improve yoga stance. I took it upon myself to bring myself back to yoga. It's easy to lose your breath in many of it's poses. Although I'm still working on progression, what I've found is that remembering the mountain pose in each, regains control. Also, remembering that all strength originates from my inner core brings all necessary heat to the desired areas of my body.

Side core plank> Chaturanga> Cobra pose

*Maintaining core even when arms are incorporated relieves strain on your wrists. It also adds the benefit of improving core strength.

Padangusthasana *sp* (AKA: Forward bend)> Basic inversion

*A simple modification to this would be to interlock fingers. This would give triceps, shoulders, and back a particularly good stretch while incorporating tricep heat.

Warrior II> Side angle > Triangle
*Angling your knee above your ankle eliminates unnecessary pressure. This is especially useful for people w/ Patellofemoral, aka "runner's knee" - like myself.
*Holding this pose for a 5-10 minute count in warrior II builds inner thigh strength and fire.

"Flight" / Warrior III

*Doing this sequence builds heat and improves balance.

**Warrior III to a standing split is an amazing inner thigh stretch and glut tone.

Yoga ball - "Table top"

*Excellent core sequence.

-20 reps, 2-3 sets

*Rotating the ball gives a stronger core incorporation.

Ball: Jackknife

*Obvious core arm/ core sequence.

-I do 24 reps 3 sets.

*Doing a full sequence (All three sides) will give a good yoga glow.

Having some fun:
Rajakapotasana: 
**Advanced modification would be to reach back w/ arms to grab toes.

Bakasana (crane) 
-When I first discovered this pose, It was in the advanced class at yoga source. I'd never done yoga before. I set out to master it!

Chair 
-Great for gluts and balance, the twist is an added benefit for circulation.

Upward bow
-Great arm/ leg strengthening and stretching pose. Also gives core a good pull.
*Straightening the arms is key.