Independence ARMy

So if youre on instagram you know All about these fitness photo challenges…for the month of July I will be doing this one that was created by three awesome yogis from Instagram!
Now, of course I had to make up a couple days because I am starting late!

Here are days 1-3!

Day 1) Downward facing dog
Become an inverted V. Press the heels down towards the ground, chest reaches to the top of the thighs, and shoulders press firmly down the back and towards the tailbone.

Day 2) High plank
From downdog, push the hips forward and form a straight line from the heels to the crown of the head. Pull your bellybutton in towards the spine and keep your hips lifted.

Day 3) Chaturanga
From plank, with the crease at the elbows pointing out in front of you, bend at the elbows. Lower slowly until you form a 90 degree angle between the forearms and upper arms. Keep the elbows in towards your sides and the body in a straight line.

3 Day Refresh

WOW! I Have to share about this amazzzzing deal going on just incase the word hasnt reached you yet.

Beachbody may have outdone themselves!
What do you think when you hear the word “cleanse?”
I get uneasy and nervous that someones putting their body into starvation mode or severly lacking the necessary nutrients your body needs to function.
Or you might think of some hokey weight loss scheme thats just going to make you miserable and gain back any water weight lost during the cleanse.

Well Beachbody knows that! And it used that when making this brand new 3 Day Refresh.
The program is designed to aide in weight loss while kick-starting healthier eating habits in three days! It will do this by detoxifying and cleansing your system while helping you break bad eating habits. In just 3 days you’ll feel lighter and healthier, without starving.
That whole without starving thing is VERY important in my book.

Most cleanses are high in carbs (and sugar usually) and low in necessary fat and protein, right?!
Beachbody knows that, too, and lets you eat real food on the cleanse and makes sure you’re getting all the nutrients you need!
How?
Well a big component of this program is Shakeology!
So you basically get a killller deal on Shakeology when you get the refresh challenge pack, like SUCH a good deal!
It comes w a 30 day supply of shakeology, PLUS 3 individual packets, 6 packets of Vanilla Fresh Shake, and 3 packets of Fiber Sweep Drink that you drink during the 3 day refresh along with food.
So you’re not only getting the supply you need for the 3 days, but you’ll be all stocked up to continue your healthy journey with shakeology once the refresh is complete.

You’ll also receive a Program Guide. This comprehensive guide walks you through how this program works, what to expect, and how to prepare your shopping list, as well as your body, for the 3-Day Refresh. It also contains a menu planner with numerous delicious, easy-to-make recipes, along with lists of fruit, vegetable, healthy fat, and guilt-free flavoring options.
And we even throw in a FREE 30-Day Trial Membership in the Team Beachbody Club.

Enough Talk, lets the results speak for themselves:

To order the 3 day refresh:
Go to beachbodycoach.com/angelinafitness
Click “Shop”
Select the 3 Day Refresh Challenge Pack in the new window that opens! 🙂

WOAH Its been awhile!

Heya!

It’s been since January that I’ve made a post!
Wow!!!

SO much has happened since then! We got settled into our first house, I’m teaching even more fitness classes, and I got ENGAGED!!! YAY 😉

ALSO-just because its a new development, but I thought I’d share it here for any fitness-minded people or those trying to get back into fitness…BUT a new workout program called PiYo just came out for at-home workouts, and while I’m waiting for my program to arrive in the mail, I wanted to share a blog I’ve made on which I’ll be tracking my progress and providing daily information about the workouts for you!

The link is MyPiYoProgress Blog
I’d love for you to follow so you can get updates when the program actually starts 🙂
Here’s a video of WHAT IS PIYO until then!

Super Late Leg Challenge Exercises

WOW!!!
Whered September go?!?!
Here are some exercise ideas to throw extra Tabatas into your days!

9/26
Calf raises
Stand on the edge of a step/curb or flat on ground. Stand tall with your abdominals pulled in, the balls of your feet firmly planted on the step, and your heels hanging over the edge. Raise your heels a few inches above the edge of the step so that you’re on your tiptoes.

Reverse Plank
Sit on the floor with your legs extended in front of you.
Place your palms, with fingers spread wide, on the floor slightly behind and outside your hips. Press into your palms, and lift your hips and torso toward the ceiling. Look up to the ceiling, point your toes, and keep your arms and legs straight. Keep your entire body strong, and form a straight line from your head to your heels. Squeeze your core and try to pull your belly button back toward your spine. If your hips sag or drop, lower yourself back to the floor.

9/27
Walking lunge with twist
Stand with feet about shoulder width apart. Hold a medicine ball (optional) in front of you with elbows bent about 90 degrees. You may want to begin this exercise with no weight and build up your strength over time. Step forward with your left foot into a lunge position. Be sure to keep your knee over your left foot; don’t twist at the knee. From your torso, twist your upper body to the left. Then, reach across your left side with your arms out-stretched. (Think of pointing to the left from your belly button). Maintain a slow and controlled movement throughout the exercise. Slowly move your arms to center and step forward with the opposite foot and twist to the other side.

Straight leg glute lift
Start on the ground, on all fours and lift one leg up bent at the knee. Now extend that leg straight out and point toe. Raise leg up toward the ceiling and back down, but never releasing the leg extension.

9/28
Diamond Jumps
Begin in a comfortable standing position with your knees slightly bent. Hold your hands in front of you, palms down with your fingertips together at chest height. Rapidly dip down into a quarter squat and immediately explode upward. Drive the knees out so the balls of your feet touch, making a diamond shape. Reach arms above head and touch palms together, making diamond shape. Jump as high as you can, raising your knees up, and then ensure a good land be re-extending your legs, absorbing impact through be allowing the knees to rebend.
Plank
Lie face down on mat resting on the forearms, palms flat on the floor. Push off the floor, raising up onto toes and resting on the elbows. Keep your back flat, in a straight line from head to heels. Tilt your pelvis and contract your abdominals to prevent your rear end from sticking up in the air or sagging in the middle.

9/29
Basketball jump shot
Stand feet shoulder width apart, knees bent. Jump straight up, arms moving like they are shooting a basketball. Land gently back in start position.

Deadlift
With feet flat beneath bar, squat down and grasp bar or dumbbell with shoulder width or slightly wider over hand or mixed grip. Lift weight by extending hips and knees to full extension. Pull shoulders back at top of lift if rounded. Return and repeat.

9/30
Calf Raise/Reverse Plank
Walking lunge w/ twist/Straight leg glute lift
Diamond Jump/Plank
Basketball jump shot/deadlift

Strong Leg Challenge

AH!!! Late late late😔
I let life get the best of me & ended up fairly “unplugged” from the social media world for the past couple days!
SO here are days 16-20…a little delayed.
Comment w any questions below!😃

9/16
Tabata 1: Squat Bicycle

Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, hands on hips. Squat, then stand and forcefully bring right leg across and in front of body, leading with heel, as if kicking a ball, left arm swinging in front, right arm behind. Return to start. Switch sides and repeat.

Tabata 2: Plank Tap Out & In

Start in plank position, hands under shoulders, core tight. Bring right leg out and to right of the body. Tap the floor with foot and return to plank position. Switch legs and repeat.
9/17

Tabata 1: Clock Lunge

Complete a traditional forward lunge, then take a big step to the right and lunge again. Finish off the semicircle with a backwards lunge, then return to standing.

Tabata 2: Prone walkout

Beginning on all fours with the core engaged, slowly walk the hands forward, staying on the toes but not moving them forward. Next, gradually walk the hands backwards to the starting position, maintain stability and balance.

9/18

Tabata 1: Jump Rope

Using a jump rope or imaginary rope, move feet as quick as you can off the ground.

Tabata 2: Wall Sit

Slowly slide your back down a wall until the thighs are parallel to the ground. Make sure the knees are directly above the ankles and keep the back straight.

9/19

Tabata 1: Curtsy Lunge

When lunging, step the left leg back behind the right, bending the knees and lowering the hips until the right thigh is almost parallel to the floor. Remember to keep the torso upright and the hips square.

Tabata 2: Inchworm

Stand up tall with the legs straight, and do like Lil’ Jon and let those fingertips hit the floor. Keeping the legs straight (but not locked!), slowly lower the torso toward the floor, and then walk the hands forward. Once in a push-up position, start taking tiny steps so the feet meet the hands.

9/20

Tabata 1: Squat Bicycle

Tabata 2: Plank Tap Out & In

Tabata 3: Clock Lunge

Tabata 4: Prone walkout

Tabata 5: Jump Rope

Tabata 6: Wall Sit

Tabata 7: Curtsy Lunge

Tabata 8: Inchworm

Strong legs in Sept Days 11-14

Here we go!!!!💪💃👍

9/11
Tabata 1: Mountain Climbers
Tabata 2: Elevated Squats (Alternating Leg that’s Elevated each 20 secs) Keep one leg elevated on something while squatting-A step, bench, stack of books, anything to lift one side up about 6-18″

9/12
Tabata 1: Lunge back (tap down to ground, if you’d like for a little extra) and bring back leg’s knee in (add a jump as knee lifts, if want extra) Alternate sides lunging back/knee lift every 20 secs
Tabata 2: Downdog straight leg lifts to plank (keeping leg lifted as shift forward to plank), alternate legs when in plank to lift other leg back into downdog.

9/13
Tabata 1: Switchkicks
Tabata 2: Downdog bent leg lifts (Alternate sides each 20 secs)
Begin in downdog, lift one leg, bend at the knee. Squeezing glutes, lift the leg pulsing up and down only about 1-2″ (its a small, but powerful movement)

9/14
Tabata 1: Frog hops in & back
Begin in plank, hop legs in & wide out to the sides-wider than hands. Then hop legs back to plank. Repeat for each segment of the tabata hopping up and back.
Tabata 2: Squat and roundhouse kick (alternating leg that kicks each 20 secs)

I love Burpees!

Yes, you read that correctly…I just love burpees.
I think they are one of the most perfect exercises out there, they incorporate the whole body, get the heart rate up, and improve strength!
But if you know me, you know I get bored with the same exercise too quickly, and need to find ways to mix things up.
SOOOO without further ado…Here are some BURPEE VARIATIONS!!! (aka the most fun you’ve ever had in your life 😉 )

1. Traditional Burpee (without a pushup)
-Begin standing, squat down, place hands on ground, jump feet back into plank position. Jump feet back in towards hands, and jump up!

2. Burpee w/ Pushup-Complete the traditional burpee, but while out in plank position, complete 1 pushup.

3. One-Legged Burpee
-Begin standing, squat down, place hands on ground, jump one foot back into plank position with other leg lifted off ground. Jump back in on same foot. Make sure to alternate sides after each set.

4. Tuck Jump Burpee
-Complete the traditional burpee, but when jump feet back in towards hands, jump into a tuck jump, then land squatting down ready to go into your next burpee.

5. Dumbbell Press Burpee
-Using a dumbbell in each hand, complete a traditional burpee, but when you stand back up, bring dumbbells with you and do a shoulder press up. You can hold onto the weights as you place hands on the ground and jump into plank, as well (it even helps some people because it keeps your wrists straight when you’re down in plank).

6. Modified Burpee
-Have no fear, anyone can Burpee! To take out a jumping component and make it lower impact, squat down, place hands on the ground, step one foot back, then the other, into plank position, then step one foot in towards hands, then other foot in, and come to standing.

7. Side Burpee
-Complete a traditional burpee, but instead of jumping feet straight back behind you in plank position, jump them out to the side, and then back in towards your hands.

8. Lateral Jump Burpee
-I like to place something down as a guide for doing these (sometimes I’ll use a body bar or even a resistance band just laid down on the ground straight). Standing on one side of the line (made by a body bar, band, jump rope, whatever you find), place hands to ground, jump feet back into plank, jump feet back in towards hands, and instead of jumping straight up, leap to the side over the bar/band/rope/etc. and complete a burpee on that side. Keep leaping from side to side between burpees.

9. Plank Jack Burpee
-Complete a traditional burpee, but while feet are out in plank complete a plank jack (jump legs out wide and then back in together), and finish the burpee.

10. BOSU Burpee (My personal favorite)
-Holding a BOSU, flat side up, bring BOSU down to ground while you squat, jump legs back into plank, jump feet back in towards BOSU, and jump up lifting the BOSU overhead as you jump up.

11. Superman Burpee (I suggest doing this one on a mat, if you’re picky about laying on the ground)
-Squat down, hands to ground, jump legs back, lay body completely down on ground, reach arms up overhead & lift chest off ground while simultaneously lifting legs off ground (you will be in a “Superman” position), lower arms and legs, return hands to ground, jump feet in, jump up, and repeat.

12. Frog Burpee
-Squat down, bring hands to ground, jump legs back into plank, jump legs in WIDE keeping hands to the ground and squatting the booty down to the ground, jump legs back out into plank, jump legs back in wide, jump up, and repeat.

13. Around-the-world Burpee
-Complete a standard burpee, but as you jump back up, jump with a 90 degree or 180 degree turn (depending on the intensity and impact you want with the jump). Keep turning with each jump up at the top of the burpee. (Don’t get dizzy 😉 )

14. Side Plank Burpee
-Bring one arm down to the ground, jump legs back and to the side into a side plank, jump legs back in and then jump up. Don’t forget to alternate sides. (This ones tough!!!)

AND I think that’s it for now! I know there are SOOOOO many other variations you can complete on the standard burpee, so this may absolutely be something I will come back to with more ideas for ya in the future!
I’ll update the blog when I get a Youtube video of each of the above BURPEES 🙂

Have fun and stay strong, friends!!!

Abs in August Video

Sorry I didn’t put this on here earlier! But here is my video showing the exercises to be done for Abs in August on 8/1, 8/3, 8/5, and 8/7.
Please see my previous post for additional information on the Challenge!

Let’s do this and get Six Packs before September 😉