20 Day Kettlebell Challenge

Workouts for Day 3 & 4

I hope you had fun with Day 1 and 2 of the kettlebell challenge! Here is Day 3 & 4. Remember, concentrate on executing each exercise move with the best form possible. Focus on your breathing. Focus on having good posture and contracting in your core during each exercise move. And as always, EAT CLEAN and make sure you are eating ENOUGH LEAN PROTEIN to feed your muscles the fuel they need to recover for your next workout.

Enjoy!

Day 3, Wednesday, Upper Body Workout:

Upper Body Workout

Day 4, Thursday, Lower Body Workout:

Lower Body Workout

Cauliflower-Carrot Patties & No Equipment Bootylicious Workout!

Oh boy did I do an amazing workout today! It’s SO beautiful out here in Baltimore, so instead of hitting the gym I worked out by my pool on my patio. This workout was just with my body weight for the most part, so you can get off the couch and do this workout while you read on to learn about Cauliflower-Carrot Patties! ‘Learn while you Burn’ baby!
Workout:

Part 1: (Strength/Toning) 1-3 Rounds (I did 3 Rounds)

1. 10 Reps/Leg Forward Lunge

2. 10 Reps Plie Jumps (Wide stance, toes point out, sit down into squat and power/jump up)

4. 10 Reps/Leg Reverse Lunge

5. 10 Reps Squat Jumps (Same as plie jumps, but feet are shoulder width apart and toes point straight forward not out)

6. 10 Reps/Leg Step Ups (Step up onto a chair, bench, or even from kneeling down on one knee-up to standing)

7. 10 Reps Side Bridge Lifts – 10 Reps Side Bridge Leg Raises (Right Side) (Lie on right side, on right elbow, right leg bent, left leg straight, raise hip up and down off mat for 10 Reps; then hold hip up (Side Bridge) while you raise left leg up and down 10 Reps)

8. 10 Reps Side Bridge Lifts – 10 Reps Side Bridge Leg Raises (Left Side)

9. 10 Reps/Leg of Elevated 1-Leg Hip Lifts (Lie on back, place feet/heels up on chair or bench, raise left leg straight up, now raise hips/butt all the way up by pressing right heel into edge of chair or bench, lower hips down and up for 10 reps)

10. 20 Reps/Leg Donkey Kicks (Get on all fours, come down onto elbows, flex both feet, now press heel back and up like you are trying to kick a door closed behind you, do 20 Reps w/Right leg than 20 Reps w/Left leg)

11. Perform a Wall-Sit for 100 seconds

Now do #1-11 for a second and third round.

Part 2: Cardio – Do each exercise for 20 sec effort, 10 sec rest interval twice than move onto next exercise. Perform 1-2 rounds of circuit below for a good cardio & fat burn after toning those bootays!

1. Pendulum Hops (Come into an ‘Upside Down V’ or ‘Downward Dog’, bring feet close together, raise one leg out to side, as you lower that leg to center hop other leg out to side, resembles pendulum on clock)

2. Pike Jumps (Come into ‘Upside Down V’ position again on mat, bring both feet to left side of mat, hop feet up and over to right side, keep hopping side-side of mat in upside down V for 20 sec)

3. Squat Thrusts (Come into plank up on hands, feet together, hop feet apart and up toward hands, then hop feet back and together, repeat)

4. V-Up Bicycles (Lie on back, hands behind head, knees up/feet up so legs make right angle, twist torso to bring right elbow to left knee as you extend right leg out and raise upper body up off mat to make V with body, return to start, now bring left elbow to right knee as extend left leg out and raise up, keep alternating)

5. Prisoner High Knees (Standing, hands behind head, do high knees)

6. Kick Ups (Sit on bum, place hands behind you flat on mat, raise one leg up and bum off mat, as you lower raised leg, hop other foot off mat and kick that leg up, alternate and repeat)

7. Plyo-Jacks (Do jumping jacks but reach down to tap ankles when you hop feet out)

8. 1-Leg Hop (Right Leg) (Balance on right leg, squat down on right leg and tap shin, power up and hop up)

9. 1-Leg Hop (Left Leg)

10. Sandbag Rotation Swing (Use KB/Sandbag/or Backpack filled with weight) (Stand in wide stance, hold weight, swing weight down between legs as you bend at waist, swing weight up to chin level as you squeeze your bum/core and bring upper body vertical)

Now on to the recipe!

Cauliflower & Carrot Patty:

1. 1/2 C Grated Cauliflower
2. 1/2 C Cooked Mashed Millet
3. 1/4 C Grated Carrot
4. 1 tsp Dijon Mustard
5. A few drops Ume Vinegar or use Tamari/Soy sauce
6. 1 TBSP grated onion or chopped green onion
7. Dash oregano, basil & 1 TBSP fresh cilantro
8. Optional: 1 TBSP Vegenaise or substitute vegenaise for 1 TBSP ground roasted pumpkin, sunflower or flax seed OR 1 -2 TBSP mashed chickpeas
9. 1 – 2 dashes cumin powder
10. Combine all ingredients and make into patties.
11. Put 1 -2 TBSP Sunflower oil in pan over medium-high heat. Don’t let oil get so hot it smokes.
12. Pat a little bit of coconut flour (or any flour you want or have) on your cauliflower cakes (to help them brown).
13. Throw cauliflower cakes in pan when pan is hot. Cook until browned on both sides.

I served up my cauliflower-carrot patty next to a side of my zucchini pasta! So good!

Health & Happiness, Nat

Insankness – Upper Body Workout – New Video! Tone Up & Slim Down!

It’s time to bring it! This video is RatedRAW, I named it ‘Insankness’ because it is insane and sick…in a good way! Enjoy, as Tony Horton says, “Do your best and forget the rest!”. Health & Happiness, Natty Mac;)

Keep it Fresh, Make it FUN!

Change it UP!!! If you have recently implemented an exercise routine into your lifestyle OR if you have been exercising for years…this post is for you!

DO NOT LET YOURSELF GET COMFORTABLE WITH YOUR ROUTINE! Make it exciting and change it up often, now I don’t mean you have to every day or even every other session. But at least do a different exercise routine every week. You will see better results and you will feel it too!

SO…What if you runout of ideas? Be creative! Did you play sports as a kid or in high school? Do you have any hobbies? Download some new soundtracks for your workout. Use a different type of equipment (use a kettlebell or medicine ball in your next routine).

If you change it up, you won’t get used to your routine, and you won’t know what to expect or when to expect it. I know people all too well, and I do this myself as well if I do the same routine over and over…do you ever hold back because you want to leave some steam for what’s to come later on in your workout?! If you change it up, you won’t know what’s about to hit you later on in the workout and you will give each and every part of the workout your all, or at least I hope you will!!!

So in honor of today’s blog post I brought back some sport specific training into my workout. I used to play soccer a lot as a kid and absolutely loved it. So I took my soccer ball up to my local high school field and did a little training. I used some bodyweight techniques and meshed them together with soccer specific conditioning skills. It was a blast! I felt like a kid again and kicked my own butt while workin’ up a mean sweat. My favorite exercises of the day were soccer dribble sprints and soccer ball burpees!

Post your creative exercise routines here, I’d love to hear them!

Health & Happiness,
Nat

At-Home Work Out Equipment and Home Workout Video!

I love using my TRX® to get a quick workout in. You can do some intense versions of push ups, plank/crunch/pike, back rows, 1-leg squats and lunges…and this is just the start of it. The bundle I bought, which I think was the ‘pro’ bundle, came with a dvd to start me off which helped a lot. From there, I just used my creativity and YouTube to find out about more exercises. I posted a exercise video on this blog a while back, CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO. I jibber jabber in the beginning of the video for a while, but eventually get to the point lol!
Next, my Ultimate Dip Station. You can do way more than dips on this piece! I do hanging leg raises and oblique knee tucks, inverted rows, push ups, dips, use your imagination and have fun with it!

I have plenty of body weight and kettlebell videos on this blog for you to check out to get some good ideas for exercise routines, so make sure to watch some of those videos when you get a chance. BUT, I went ahead and made a NEW VIDEO for you all that includes some body weight exercises as well as exercises using my Dip Station, Sand Bag, Stability Ball, and Resistance Bands. The NEW VIDEO is at the end of this post:).

If you are aiming to get your heart rate up there in the ‘cardio’ zone and increase your metabolism and fat burning capability of your workout, then choose exercises that target large muscle groups and are compound exercises(squats, rows) that hit many muscle groups, those that involve 2 or more joints and large groups of muscle working together in a coordinated movement. Only do 2-3 compound exercises per workout, because they take a lot of energy and tire you out, also do them at the beginning of your workout. End with isolation exercises (involve the movement of a single joint), such as the bicep curl.

Also, you may count reps and sets or do the exercises in an interval format. For example, if you are doing squats, push ups, dips, and rows; you could do 3 sets of 10-15 reps of each exercise (enough resistance for each movement that you’re almost at point of total fatigue by 10-15^th rep). Or, you could time yourself while you perform each movement, and try to get in as many reps as possible (with good form) of each exercise during your ‘effort interval’ and have a short period of rest in between, before moving onto the next exercise. You can do the exercises in a circuit format (in which you move from one exercise to the next) and perform a given number of rounds of the circuit. For example, perform each exercise for 45 seconds of effort with 15 seconds of rest & move to next exercise, do all exercises in circuit for 45 seconds of effort with 15 seconds of rest, back-to-back until finished 1 circuit. Rest for 1-2 minutes at the end of each circuit and perform as many circuits as desired for your goals. I usually pick 10 exercises and do 2-3 circuits.

For my routines, I do reps and sets when I’ll be doing a lower number of reps/exercise because I’m lifting heavier weight that day. On the days in which I’m aiming to get more of a ‘High Intensity Interval Training’ effect, I do timed intervals and use lighter weight in order to get a higher number of reps and obtain a ‘cardio aspect’ to my strength training routine. It is great to change up the format of your routines day-to-day and week-to-week, not only to accomplish muscle confusion, but also to avoid boredom!

Exercise video is below!

Multi-Taskin’…Healthy Diet & Exercise No Matter How Busy Your Day Is!

A day in the life of Natalie!

Don’t fret, I don’t really think that you care what my day is like, I’m not that vain! I wanted to give you an example of how I fit in healthy eating habits and consistent exercise into a very busy schedule.

I usually wake up at 5am and don’t finish work until 7:30pm. So as you can see, I have LONG days…don’t be misinformed though, I LOVE what I do for a living and I DO get breaks here and there throughout the day. I use those breaks to eat healthy and exercise and it makes getting through my day all the better and easier! Exercise gives me stress relief and stamina, healthy eating gives me a clear mind and energy!

I wake up early enough so that I have at least 1 hour to get ready and eat breakfast before I need to hit the road to train my first client. Right out of bed I down 1 scoop of fiber dissolved in a 16oz. glass of water. Then, I usually eat oatmeal & Shakeology (for protein/vitamins/energy/health). I have a cup of coffee with a splash of unflavored almond milk. I head out to train my clients usually until noon or 1pm. Then I have my afternoon ‘break’. I eat lunch, which is either a salad with chicken or a ‘green smoothie’ (pics below) and get to work in my ‘office’. This is when the multi-tasking comes into play!

In my ‘office’ (which I’ve moved outdoors since the weather is beautiful right now in MD) I do admin, marketing, blog, emails, and anything else it takes to make my personal training business run! During this ‘office work’ I fit in intermittent workouts. I use my body weight, dip station, TRX, stability ball, kettlebells, resistance bands and sandbag. I will do a post tomorrow on exercises I do using these different pieces of equipment.

I also have a gym membership. I go there daily as time permits and do cardio on the arc trainer, step mill, treadmill, and spin classes. I also use the bench, barbells, smith machine, cable machine, kick boxing bags, dumbbells, and other equipment that I do not have at home. While I’m working in my ‘office’, I do exercises for the muscle group I’m focusing on that day that I can do using my home workout equipment so when I hit the gym, I can get in and out of there faster. For example, I do push ups/chin ups/dips/core work at home while working on my upper body days so that when I hit the gym I only have to do the remaining exercises on the equipment that I don’t have at my house, such as bench presses and cable rows and the step mill!

When I need a power packed lunch but will be working out within an hour or so and don’t want to feel ‘full’ or ‘heavy’ from undigested food, I eat a green smoothie! I throw 8 oz of water, a few dashes of cinnamon, a handful of spinach salad leaves, a scoop of my chocolate Whey protein supplement and 1/2 scoop of my Shakeology, a couple frozen organic strawberries, ice cubes in my Bullet Blender cup and blend. I LOVE the ‘Bullet’ because it has single portion cups that you throw all your ingredients into and blend and drink out of the same cup, then throw the cup in the dishwasher and go!

Finally, after my last personal training client, I come home to eat a light dinner. I won’t be doing anything quite physical after dinner so there is no need for a huge dinner, you just don’t need the fuel because you’ll be sleeping soon! Today, I trained a client outside at a park that overlooks downtown Baltimore City…it was BEAUTIFUL today! I came home and threw a salmon filet in my skillet and cooked it in 8 minutes on my stove top, I also threw together a quick side salad.

So that’s my day! Jam packed yet I get in my workout and healthy nutritious meals to fuel my body and help me achieve my goals!

If you find that your schedule is busy and it is hard to get a workout in or eat healthy food while on the go, YOU’VE GOT TO PLAN AHEAD. I prep meals the day in advance if I know the following day will not allow me time to cook or I won’t be home for lunch. I ‘schedule’ my workouts in my calendar so I know exactly when I am scheduled for my daily workout and don’t end up at the end of the day, out of time and no energy to exercise.

Hope this helps! Health & Happiness,

Nat

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Kettlebell Meltdown, Burn the LBS and Lose the Weight!

So every couple months I take a ‘rest’ week to rejuvenate my body, and everyone should. Your body needs a week to recuperate and recover from the stress and work you put it through week in and week out. When I say ‘rest’ week, this does not mean that I don’t workout. I do less intense workouts and take fun fitness classes like hot yoga, spinning, or zumba of course!! This way I give myself a ‘revival’ period, mentally and physically.
So today’s workout, I must admit…was not quite a ‘rest’ routine. But, I was giving myself a break from my usual 6 mile interval sprint training run which is quite brutal, so in my book this was a ‘rest’ workout from what I would have done today, lol….enjoy!

Check out my previous exercise video posts or YouTube for demonstration on how to perform these exercises.

Complete 4 Rounds of the exercises below as a circuit:
1. Kettlebell Step-Ups (10R/Leg)
2. Kettlebell Clean & Press (10R/Arm)
3. Double Kettlebell Swing (20R)
4. Kettlebell Single Leg Squat (10R/Leg)
5. Jump Rope/Scissor Shuffle/Jumping Jacks/Jump Squats (1 min; last round do 2-3 minutes)

Notes:
*Complete # of reps for each exercise, than move right onto next until you finish all exercises/reps which is one circuit. Take a short 30 seconds break and continue until you complete 4 circuits/rounds.
*Choose a weight heavy enough in which you max out at 10 reps for each exercise.
*Kettlebell Step-Ups- I held a Kettlebell in ‘racked’ position at my shoulder (same leg stepping up) and did step-ups on a chair.
*For #5- I did this workout to some dance music. So for #5 I would do Double Skip Jump Rope until the verse changed, go right into Scissor shuffle until music changed up, and so on. I usually did 10-20 jump squats per round.
*Scissor shuffle – Similar to what you do on a cross country skier machine but you are jumping as you scissor legs.

I was literally dripping sweat at the end of this workout but I really enjoyed it. The Jump Rope/#5 part was fun to do to music and I must admit it was quite a little dance party in my house! Try it out and challenge yourself to do all 4 rounds to burn off those pounds!!

Keep those fitness goals in mind, remember what you’re working out for!!! 🙂

Who Needs Rest Anyway?!

Who Needs Rest Anyway?!Perform 2-3 rounds of the following exercises.
Do each move for 40 seconds of ‘all out’ effort, move to next exercise with no rest in between. Take a quick 5-10 sec break between rounds.
1. High KB Swing/Double KB Swing
2. 1-Arm KB Swing
3. 1-Arm KB Swing
4. KB Figure 8’s
5. KB Squat-Tri.Ext.
6. KB Side-Side-Overhead Press
7. KB Suitcase DL’s
8. DBL KB Burpee, SGL KB Diag Press
9. KB Wide Halos
10. KB Wide Halos
11. KB Upright Rows
12. KB Knee Repeater
13. KB Knee Repeater
14. KB Thrusters
15. Push Ups
16. KB Russian Twist
17. KB Hip Raise + Press
18. KB Side Bridge Raise
19. KB Side Bridge Raise
20. KB Leg Raises

Keep up the GOOD WORK:) – NAT –

Lower Body Pump it Up!!

Strength Training to start and ending with my version of some cardio kickboxing moves, one of the best ways to get your body into fat burning mode:)Strength Training Circuit
Warm-up: Jump Squats – 15 reps; 2 sets
Circuit: Perform each exercise below for given # of reps, go from one exercise to next until completed all exercises once, this is 1 round. Complete 3 rounds of below exercises.
1. Plie DB/KB Squat (10-12 reps)
2. Squat Clean (10-12 reps)
3. BB Side Split Squat (10-12 reps)
4. 1-Leg KB Racked Squat (10-12 reps/leg)
5. Seated Leg Curls (10-12 reps)
6. Leg Extensions (10-12 reps)
7. Calf Raise (10-12 reps/leg)
—–
Cardio Training (I will post video for the cardio section in next few days) [30 Minutes]
Circuit 1: Do each exercise for 45 seconds of all out effort, then rest for 15 seconds before moving to next exercise. Perform each exercise back-to-back. Do 2 full circuits of below exercises. I put # of reps I did in 45 seconds for each exercise so you know approximately how many reps you should hit.
1. KB Burpee Swing Up (10 reps)
2. DBL KB Front Squat (21 reps)
3. KB Russian Twist (feet elevated) (30 reps)
4. Jumping Jacks (50 reps)
5. Side-Side Pike Jumps (34 reps, 1 rep = 1 jump R + L)

Circuit 2: Do each exercise for 45 seconds of all out effort, then rest for 15 seconds before moving to next exercise. Perform each exercise back-to-back. Do 2 full circuits of below exercises. I put # of reps I did in 45 seconds for each exercise so you know approximately how many reps you should hit.
1. Dynamic Jump Squat Duck Unders (2) + Shuffle Jab L+R (10 reps)
2. Twist Boxer Shuffle (25 reps, 1 rep = 1 jump R+L)
3. Knee-Up Jump Kicks (R) (18-20 reps)
4. Knee-Up Jump Kicks (L) (18-20 reps)
5. Plank Side Jump Tucks (18-20 reps, 1 rep = 1 jump R+L)
6. Split Squats (3) w/Kick Up (R) (13 reps)
7. Split Squats (3) w/Kick Up (L) (13 reps)
8. Sumo High Knees (40-42 reps, 1 rep= 1 knee-up R+L)
9. Front-Side Kicks (R) (15-17 reps)
10. Front-Side Kicks (L) (15-17 reps)

Tell me how it went! How can I help you?! – Nat – 🙂

Cardio Hoopla

A little bit of body weight mixed with kettlebells will tighten up your physique and help you work toward your fitness new year’s resolutions! Do 2-3 rounds of the exercises below. Perform each exercise for 45 sec of effort and 15 seconds of rest in between exercises.1. KB Vertical Swings
2. Pendulums
3. KB Swings (Single or Double)
4. Plank Rows
5. Plank Rows
6. Power Jacks
7. Stability Ball Pike-Push Up
8. Airplane Jump Lunges
9. Double KB Front Squat-Press
10. 10 Mountain Climbers + 1 Push Up
After last round completed, do jump rope for 1000-1500 skips or 12-15 minutes.
Enjoy!

=Nat=