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! 

Sexy Strong Core!

It is so important to have a strong core. Your core helps to maintain balance and posture. Not to mention how great it feels to have a solid core and abs! These are four of my favorite ab workouts. They really target your entire core and you will feel the burn if done properly. Do the workout in the order written, one through three and we will end it with thirty seconds of scissor kicks. All of these workout are meant to put an emphasis on the lower abs, while still targeting your entire core. 

Workout one: Start as position one, raise your shoulders up into position two, hold position two but lower your legs a few inches off the ground into position three. Bring your legs back to position two, lower your shoulders back to position one and that is one rep. Repeat 10-15 times. 

Workout two: Start out in the position shown in the image, and bring the ball up towards your toes with your shoulders lifted off the ground. This is one rep. I am holding a 6lb medicine ball, you can go lighter or heavier and even skip using the ball until you are able. Repeat this 15-20 times. 

Workout three: Start is position one, lying on your back and your right arm raised past your head, using your opposite leg, raise it up to meet your arm and back down again. This is one rep. Repeat this 10-15 times, and switch to your opposite side. 

End with 30 second scissor kicks

Repeat 3 more times!

Burn several muscles at once with this squat!

This squat is so much fun and you will feel the burning in your thighs days after! It is a simple squat with a lateral leg raise to the left, another squat and a lateral leg raise to the right! I repeat this sequence as many times as I can until the burn is too much. I have added ankle weights for optimum muscle strength in the lateral leg raises and a 6lb medicine ball for some resistance in the squat! You can do it without the weights if its too much for you, but as it becomes easier I definitely recommend adding the weight and resistance! The squats are great for your glutes and quads of course, but this leg raise is really going to target those inner and outer thigh areas that are really hard to reach! TRY not to do this too quickly, feel the burn as you go in and out of each movement. I definitely worked up a good sweat at home with this one! Trying several different variations of squats are great because you don't want your muscle to get used to the same things. Changing it up will help target different areas, and push your muscle harder.

Healthy protein packed smoothie to help you slim down!

Smoothies are my go to before, and after the gym and also when I need a light snack. They are great for providing the nutrients that you need to keep going but are low in fat and added sugars. They can be made with frozen or fresh fruit, and pretty much any combination that sounds good to you! Try to steer away from any frozen fruit that has added sugars because this will defeat the purpose of being healthy and it will not help you slim down.  If you are going to have one before or after the gym, I recommend adding one scoop of your favorite protein to the mix. This will help with muscle recovery and prevent soreness. If you are using it as a meal replacement, I also recommend using the protein, so that you are getting enough nutrients and calories in your diet. This is low fat and delicious smoothie recipe thats very simple to make and I just wanted to share it will everyone! You can get fancy with flavors if you'd like, but again fruit has calories and if your plan is to slim down, be careful not to add too much!