Kettle Bell Full Body Blast!

Happy Friday, friends! I don't know about you, but this week has gone by pretty quickly. At this time of year, all the way through summer, time seems to fly. The end of the year approaches so quickly, and we have quite the busy summer ahead...3 weddings, 5 showers, 1 big graduation, 1 couples vacation and several parties in the mix. Throw in a couple weekends at the lake and the new school year will be here before I know it. Phew! It will all be a blast, but quite busy.

Anyhoo, I've done pretty good with my weekly workouts, and I'm feeling much better about myself now that I have two solid weeks back in my routine. I'm feeling stronger and like I'm treating my body well.

Weekly Workouts
Sunday	Rest day…ahhh :)
Monday	Elliptical Incline Power Walking	50 mins 15 mins.
Tuesday	Elliptical “Feel the Burn” workout* Abs circuit	25 mins. 35 mins. 10 mins.
Wednesday	Elliptical Incline Power Walking	45 mins. 15 mins.
Thursday	Strength Training (legs|arms|core)	50 mins.
Friday	Elliptical Kettle Bell Full Body Blast (below!)	20 mins. 40 mins.

So, here is a new workout for you! You use kettle bells for the whole thing, which is actually a super fun way to mix up your workout. The wonderful Molly, my trainer and friend, turned me on to a bunch of these and I have loved playing around with the routines. For a lighter workout, complete the routine for a total of 1 to 2 times. I hope you have as much fun with this one as I do. You will definitely feel the burn. :)

Kettle Bell Full Body Blast! Complete each of the exercises with kettle bells at your current physical level. Repeat for total of 3 times.
Squat	12
Windmill	20
Hockey Lunge	16
Squat with Back Row *bonus for doing it on Bosu!	12
Bicep Curls	15
Lateral Shoulder Raises	15
Tricep Extension	15
Front Shoulder Raises	15
Plank with kettle on back	45 secs.
Hot potato *in V-position	45 secs.
www.laurenbrapp.blogspot.com

 
Some moves you may not be familiar with:
*Windmill
*Hockey Lunge
*Hot potato (not shown in V-position)

Have a wonderful Friday - and weekend, everyone!

WIAW: Feeling the Burn

Happy Wednesday, friends! I hope your week is off to a great start and that the prospect of the weekend - and being halfway through the week! - has put you in a good mood today. I am super excited for the weekend because my good friend Deborah's bridal shower is this weekend! I haven't seen her in so long (hello, NYC-dweller!), and I'm really looking forward to spending time with her and my other sorority sisters who will be there.

Anyhoo, thanks to Jenn for hosting another great What I Ate Wednesday. As you'll see, these are fairly Asian-inspired dishes. I don't know what's gotten into me, but I've been having some rocking meals, so I'm not complaining. Not to mention, two of the dishes are new-to-me recipes this week. I love sharing those with you guys, especially when they are as delicious as these!





Let's get down to it, shall we?

Breakfast: Spoiler alert! This is nothing new. I am a creature of habit, that is for sure. A strawberry Greek yogurt from Trader Joe's. Definitely not as good as Chobani, but I was all out so this made do.

Lunch: Leftovers! I love when I cook a great meal that can be an equally great lunch the next day. I had leftovers of Quinoa Chicken Fried Rice (adapted from Jenn herself!) with some sliced strawberries and splenda. Yummy! Note: this is not the picture of my lunch...it looked so pitiful in my tupperware that I had to share the picture from the previous evening (when I had it for dinner). Trust me, you didn't want to see the other picture.

Snack: I grabbed a fruit strip and some celery and peanut butter. Please note, I never put peanut butter in baggies...but I went on a field trip to the Zoo with the kiddos Monday, and we had to bring disposable lunches. I ended up not eating my celery and peanut butter then, and fortunately it fit in my purse. Hello, tasty snack!

My snack helped me get through an afternoon with meetings at school, and a tough workout at the gym. I started with 30 minutes of cardio, and then did Courtney's "Feeling the Burn" workout plus an ab circuit. Let me tell you, as I type this, my shoulders are definitely burning. It was a tough but awesome circuit. You know I love maximizing my workouts!

Dinner: Another new-to-us meal! Seared Scallops with Orange-Soy Glaze (recipe coming tomorrow!). These were soooo tasty. Light, crisp, fresh and packed with flavor. I had my favorite Teriyaki-Roasted Green Beans on the side, and I was feeling quite satisfied by the end of the meal.

Post dinner, I took a few taste-test bites of guacamole and quinoa to go with my lunch tomorrow - sweet potato + black beans + guacamole + quinoa (inspired by a lunch Ashley made a couple weeks ago). Also, I may or may not have jumped around dancing to the Glee Whitney Houston tribute episode, in lieu of folding laundry...I mean....it's Whitney!

Don't judge me! (For the Glee dancing or the excessive use of exclamation marks...!)

Maximize Your Moves Workout

Happy Fit Fridays! I have been so bad about posting these lately. Maybe because I haven't been feeling like I was doing such a great job of staying "fit" recently. I continued my workouts but not as frequently as I had been, and I was feeling blah.

Well, this week I definitely took control and changed that. I've been at the gym every day (including Sunday), and I'm feeling so much better about myself already. So, as I write this, I've decided to try something with fit Fridays...add a "Weekly Workouts" blurb, where I share the basics of my workouts for the week. I won't post all details (though I'm happy to if you're interested!), but I will share when I went, what I did (cardio, strength training) and how long I did it. I'm aiming for some extra accountability!

Weekly Workouts (4.14-4.20.12)
Saturday	Rest Day – in Chicago!
Sunday	Elliptical Incline Power Walking	50 mins. 10 mins.
Monday	Elliptical “Maximize Your Moves” Workout (2x through)	30 mins 30 mins.
Tuesday	Elliptical “Maximize Your Moves” Workout (1x through)	35 mins. 15 mins.
Wednesday	Elliptical Incline Power Walking	45 mins. 15 mins.
Thursday	Strength Training (legs|arms|core)	55 mins.
Friday	[Plan to get 1 hour in before *date night*!]

The workout I'm sharing below is one I noted above.  I love it because so many of the moves are dual - targeting arms and abs, or legs and arms, etc. By focusing on two areas I don't have as much time to dwell on how one area is burning or whatnot. Plus, you get a whole body workout with fewer moves. Score!

So, here it is...let me know what you think! :)

Maximize Your Moves Workout
Exercise	Reps
Squats with Barbell Press	15
Wall Sit with Shoulder Raises	12
Alternating Lunges with Bicep Curl	12/leg
Alternating Reverse Lunges with Tricep Extension	12/leg
Back Rows	12
Incline Push Ups	12
Plank Side-Side (Toe Taps)	45 sec.
Russian Twist with Medicine Ball	30
*Complete the exercises a total of 2-3 times.
laurenbrapp.blogspot.com