Ab Exercises

Minestrone Soup

It's been pretty rainy here lately so, I thought I'd make some simple soul food to match the cozy mood! You can find the classic recipe online but I've tweaked it a little to match what I like! Feel free to switch out ingredients with similar Items that are more to your liking as well! This only takes about 45 minutes and is even better the next day.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 1 large carrot, diced
• 1/3 pound lentils (cooked)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 28-ounce can no-salt-added diced tomatoes
• 1 14-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 1 15-ounce can low-sodium kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup shell pasta
• 1/3 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
• 1 rotisserie chicken, pulled and shredded 

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent. Add the garlic and cook about 30 seconds. Add the celery and carrot and cook until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the lentils, dried oregano and basil, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste; cook 3 more minutes.

Add the crushed tomatoes and the chicken broth to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer 10 minutes. Stir in the kidney beans and pasta and cook until the pasta and vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and add the chicken. Ladle into bowls and top with the parmesan.

Enjoy!

Quick BodyWeight Workout

Today I kicked cardio to the curb in favor of a classic 50 count. This workout is meant to be quick and easy for those of us with a busy day, and the only weight you use is your own. You should go up in increments and then back down (so once you get to 50, go back through the workout until you get to 10). This workout focuses mostly on legs with some arm and ab to balance it out. 

10 push ups

20 squats

30 hip raises

40 leg extensions (20 each side)

50 sit ups

The Quick Fix

When people realize that their body wasn't what it used to be, they immediately turn to the "quick fixes," like miracle pills or extreme dieting. While these may work short term, they are by no means the final fix; People loose the weight in the first month and either plateau, become unhealthy, or gain weight back because they reverted back to old habits. So let me be the person to tell you,

It doesn't work.

There is no such thing as a final fix, and, as hard as that is to swallow, that doesn't mean you can't loose the weight you want to, or tone your trouble areas! Weather you're 28 or 82, developing good health habits is beneficial to all. The trouble is, you need to develop a habit, and that takes about 2 weeks. Here are a few tips on how to keep yourself on track for those first 14 days, and more. 

Tips for Your First 14 Days

• Throw out the sugary cereals, fruit snacks, cookies, candy, unnecessary carbs and anything else that might entice you. The first few days are hard
• Move. Every day. Go for a walk, jog, or anything you can do; Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Move for a minimum of 30 minutes
• Meal prep. I know that cooking after a long day or cooking early before work can be hard, but it's the little things (like coffee instead of breakfast, or McDonalds instead of a home-cooked meal) that make or break a habit
• Track your calories. Sometimes all it takes is being aware of what you're eating to drop those winter pounds
• Allow yourself ONE cheat day. No one is perfect, and we can only ignore cravings for so long (Track your calories for this day)
• Replace unhealthy foods with healthy alternatives
• Do this with someone for motivation, or leave motivational messages for yourself
• Don't let the cravings be stronger than you are

Back and Biceps

Just because you're a lady doesn't mean you should skip arm day! Just like men look disproportional when they repeatedly skip leg day, the same can be said of women who skip arm day. Don't be that person. For today's workout, we're focusing on strength training.

Warm up with a 1 mile run/jog/walk
Then,

• 500 meter row
• 3x7 deadlift (refer to deadlift video for instruction) 
• 4x10 pull ups 
• 4x12 lat pull downs 
• 4x10 bent over dumbbell rows
• 3x12 hammer curls 
• 3x12 regular curls 

Today's Arm Workout

• 3 rounds 
• 15 inverted push ups 
• 10 single arm presses (each side) 
• 10 suicide planks 
• 10 lemon squeezes 
• 15 dead bugs (each side)

Strawberry Banana Smoothie!

• 1 cup strawberries
• 1/2 medium banana 
• 1/2 cup milk 
• 2 tbsp peanut butter 
• 10 cubes of ice

Blend and Enjoy!