New year, new vibes, hangovers and those dreaded resolutions!

New year, new vibes, hangovers and those dreaded resolutions! Every year, everyone makes a new resolution that they plan to follow through with for the rest of the year. Some of us post them for all of social media to see, while others keep them to themselves because they are honest with the fact that  they won't follow through with them. What if I told you, you could actually follow through if you just went about them differently?! It isn't because you are a horrible person, who has no self control. We ALL are guilty of failing at these "resolutions." How can anyone commit to a resolution that gives you a year, 12 months, 365 days to complete.... Any one of us is bound to fail. The first secret is to look at it as a goal first of all. Goals are something you can actually achieve. The second secret is to set small goals throughout the year as you go, that will ultimately lead you to your overall goal! Most people will say, "My New Years resolution is to become healthier," or "to lose weight." While these are great goals, they aren't specific enough. If you set this as your overall, ultimate goal then you need to set smaller goals throughout the year to achieve this. It can be a weekly goal, for those that need reassurance every week that your one step closer, bi-weekly, or even monthly! My favorite way to achieve a goal is to sit down and figure out steps to getting there. For example, My Goal: I want to lose 15 lbs this year, and become a healthier person.

How do I do that?
-manage calorie intake
-watch what I eat
-implement new food into my diet
-eliminate certain foods in my diet
-exercise more
-reward myself

Every week I will set a new, realistic goal for myself.:

As you continue, you will increase your goals. Your steps will increase, your physical activity, the amount of junk food will decrease, the healthy habits will come naturally! Rewarding yourself is a fun way to keep yourself motivated towards these goals. By the time your year is up, you will have lost 25lbs, you will have increased your ability to run long distance, you'll be a regular at the gym, look great while being there, have achieved a great deal of self control, and be well beyond your goal! Don't believe me? Give it a try! ;) 

Join me in the Plank challenge!

Challenging yourself can be so much fun! I think it's more fun to compete with yourself and set new goals than to compete with others sometimes. Don't get me wrong, this one is definitely fun to do with a partner as well, and I always try and hold out a little longer than my boyfriend when we do this together ;) 

The challenge is to pick a few and do them in this sequence everyday for a week. You can do them before your workout, when you wake up in the morning, before bed, on break at work, or anytime that fits into your schedule. It doesn't take a lot of time, just a lot of dedication! 

Plank Type	Time
Classic low plank	0-1:00
Rest	1:00-1:30
Spiderman Plank	1:30-2:30
Rest	2:30-3:00
One-legged Plank	3:00-4:00
Rest	4:00-4:30
Side Plank with lift (left)	4:30-5:00
Side Plank with lift (right)	5:00-4:30
Rest	4:30-5:00
Classic low Plank	5:00-6:00

You can change the table completely, by adding in your favorite variations of planks, and taking out ones you dislike. I always like to have a more traditional plank to start and finish. If your not yet able to do this for 6 minutes, you can always go with one less plank and as you strengthen from this workout, you definitely should add a few in. The point is to hold a plank for a minute and give yourself a 30 second break in between. The side planks, or the planks where you are using only one leg or arm you will divide the minute between the two sides, and as you get stronger you can do each side for a minute a piece. 

When doing the plank, try and hold everything in. You will be using several muscles throughout your body to maintain this form and your spine should be in complete alignment when you are in good form. 

Plank one is the classic low plank, you just hold this position. 

Plank two is the top of a push-up plank, you just hold this position.

Plank three is the low spiderman plank, you alternate bringing your knee to your shoulder.

Plank four is the mountain climber plank, you alternate bringing your knee to your chest. You can do this slowly and target your abs with each time you pull your leg in, or quickly. 

Plank five is the lifting side plank, in this image I am lifting and going back down to starting position, using my ab muscles to lift. Another variation is to just hold in the lifted position on the side for the side plank. 

Plank six is the single-leg plank, but you can add a pulse to make it harder or hold position two and add a donkey kick. 

There are so many ways to do a plank. Have fun with it, mix it up and challenge yourself! 

Check out these booty and leg workouts done in the gym!

I am always trying to help people with workouts at home, but most of my workouts are done in the gym. Sometimes you can't get to the gym, and thats understandable and why I do have so many at home workouts, but I would like to help those of you interested in workouts at the gym. If you do both, then this is great for you as well! These are some of my favorite toning workouts for your legs and butt in the gym. They target many muscles within your thighs and your glutes. You will feel the burn instantly if your challenging yourself, and if your consistent with your goals, you will see results from these workouts! I hope you enjoy and I hope they are helpful!

Workout one: You will use a smith machine for this workout. Grab a platform that is a few inches off of the ground. Set it up so that you can stand directly below the bar. Start out without using weight, so that you can make sure you are stable and your form is good. Step back at an angle. So, if your stepping back with your right foot, you are stepping more towards the left behind your opposite foot (as shown). Really flex your glutes and hamstrings as you push yourself back into starting position. As you get the hang of it, add weight that will challenge you. Do this 10-15 times on each leg. Take a short break and repeat 4-5 times. 

Workout two: You will use the hip adductor machine for this workout. I am not using it in the traditional way here. I place my knees where your butt would go, and I am using my glutes and hamstrings to pull the weight in. Again, start with very little weight to find one that challenges you, but doesn't hurt you. Really focus on your glutes and try less weight if you find yourself compromising form.  Do this as many times as you can. Take a short break and repeat 4-5 times. 

Workout three: You will use the hip abductor machine for this workout. Here I place my knees where your butt goes, again. This time you are pushing out instead of pulling weight inward. Its just going to work different muscles within your glutes and thighs. Challenge yourself, but don't hurt yourself. Do this as many times as you can. Take a short break and repeat 4-5 times. 

Workout four: Here you just need a weighted bar. I am using 40lbs in this image. Standing still, you will step back into a lunge and as you push yourself back up you will add an additional leg lift backwards. Really focus on getting deep into the lunge and use your glutes to lift your leg in the leg lift. Do this 10-15 times on each leg. Do this as many times as you can. Take a short break and repeat 4-5 times.  

Try out this fun and high intensity treadmill workout!

It's important to work your heart, just like any other muscle in your body to live a healthy lifestyle. I tend to get cardio in 3-4 times a week! I love mixing it up, to confuse my body and constantly challenge myself! The treadmill is one of my favorite machines to work on when it comes to cardio. This is a high intensity, 25 minute cardio workout. I like to hit the weights, and finish with this one! Make sure you have water on hand, and really push yourself. Remember, its only 25 minutes, you can do it. Really try to breath and focus on getting your heart rate down during the jog. I didn't include a speed for the jog or the sprint because everyone is different. Test out what your jog speed and sprint speed are and work on increasing them. If this mights be a tough one for you, you can keep it at an incline of 0 your first time around and incorporate the inclines the next time you do it. The incline will really help tone your legs during this workout. Challenging yourself and beating your old numbers is part of the fun. I hope this one is as fun for you as it is for me! Enjoy!

Cut your waist line by following these four great ab workouts!

Abs can be so tricky to get defined, or "cut up". You have to be very consistent. They are not only made from constantly working them out, but more so in the kitchen. These workouts will only help you out so far. Push yourself to target these muscles, but remember that if your not consistent with your diet as well, these workouts will not be as helpful as you may think. Also, make sure that you are mixing it up as much as possible. Don't do these everyday, maybe incorporate them into your routine twice a week or so and try out some of my other ab workouts that I've posted previously. I hope that these are helpful!

Workout One: While sitting, slightly lean back while extending your legs, then sit up and bring your legs into your chest and squeeze. This is one rep. Do this as many times as you can. challenge yourself. Then move onto workout 2. 

Workout Two: While standing, hold weight in one hand. I have an alb medicine ball in this picture, but if your at the gym, really strive to push yourself to use more weight if you can. Bend slightly towards the side with the weight and using your ab muscles, contract them to bend in the opposite direction. Do this as many times as you can, and switch sides. Always do the same amount on each side. You may then proceed to workout 3. 

Workout Three: While lying down, you can either keep your arms at your sides, as in the picture, or hold them behind your head for added difficulty. Using your lower ab muscles, raise your legs up toward the ceiling and slowly lower your back down to the ground. Repeat this as many times as you can and proceed to the last workout. 

Workout Four: While standing, bend one leg and bring it up to your opposite elbow, as in the picture, making sure to contract your abdominal muscle with each reach. You can either alternate sides with this one, or do as many as you can on one side and then switch, always making sure to do the same amount on both sides. When finished, repeat the circuit 3 more times! 

Make sure to stretch out your abs when you are finished. As always, I hope you enjoy!

Tone your arms with these 4 simple moves!

It may be winter ladies, but that doesn't mean we can't tone our arms up for the summer! These are four simple moves you can do at home or in the gym. All you need is a resistance band. Im using a 20b resistance band. I use my feet to help control how much resistance I would like to use for each workout. 

Workout One: Stand slightly bent, feet together. Stand on the resistance band on one end to control how much leeway you will need, and hold the other end in one hand. Using your triceps, extend the band backwards, making sure to flex in this position. Return to start and repeat 15-20 times, then repeat with the opposite arm. When your finished, proceed to workout 2. 

Workout Two: Stand straight up, with your feet on the band again. Making sure to give yourself enough leeway to work your muscles. Raise your arm straight up at your side and slowly return it back to start. Repeat this workout 15-20 times, then repeat with the opposite arm. When your finished, repeat workout 1. 

Do these first two workouts together, back and forth 3-4 times. Then proceed to the next two workouts. 

Workout Three: Standing straight again, stand on the center of the resistance band. If there isn't enough resistance, wrap it around your feet in the center. Holding the ends of the resistance bands, pull straight up to your chin, making sure to bring your elbows up as high as you can, and slowly return to starting position. Repeat this workout 15-20 times, then proceed to workout 4. 

Workout Four: Get down on your knees, and wrap the resistance band around your ankles behind you. Hold the ends of the resistance band behind your head, and making sure to keep your elbows close to your ears, extend your arms upward toward the ceiling, then bend them back down toward your feet. Repeat this 15-20 times and then proceed to workout 3. 

Do these two workouts together, back and forth 3-4 times, before finishing. 

I hope you enjoy these workouts. They can definitely be modified by using a higher resistance or even with hand weights! 

Super simple moves to target your core and butt: at home or in the gym!

Girls are always asking me tips on how to target those glutes and their abs. I thought I would make a short post on some very simple moves to target both! Im wearing 5lb ankle weights during these workouts, for added difficulty.

 On the first workout you will start out on your hands and knees. Raise one leg straight back and return to starting position. Do this 15-20 reps, and on the last rep pulse straight up and down for 15 counts. Then switch legs. 

On the second workout, you will also start on your hands and knees. Keep your leg bent, and kick back. Do this one for 15-20 reps, and again, on the last rep pulse it straight up for 15 counts. Then switch legs. 

On the last workout, you start in straight arm plank position. Bend your knee and bring it into your chest, really targeting your abs while performing this move. Then you will extend it straight back, as you did in the first workout. You can either continuously do this leg for 15-20 counts, and switch legs, or you can alternate legs, making sure to get at least 15-20 reps on each separate leg. 

The last move, I like to add in a plank. Try and hold the plank for a full minute, then repeat the entire circuit 2 more times! (Planks are a perfect full body workout! You should feel this everywhere.)