I put my thing down, flip it and reverse it
I’ve had music on the brain today!
As promised, I am doing a fitness post tonight! I thought it would be fun to show you some of my favourite indoor resistance exercises (with a focus on abs as requested by Jenn :D). These are great because you can do them in the comfort of your own living room!
They are perfect for the chilly winter months when you don’t feel like bundling up to go outdoors or to the gym.
Some of my tried and true favourite ab exercises:
1) The Plank (arrrr…. matey!)
The key to the plank is to keep your body as straight as possible. In hindsight, my body could even be straighter to make this perfect, but I have to admit I am hella sore from my runs this week and it was killing me!
2) The Wide Plank
The Wide Plank simply changes it up a little and targets the muscles a bit differently!
3) The Side Plank
hehe sorry about the strange face….like I said, I was in pain! Ouch!
I like to do each variation of the plank for at least 60 seconds each.
4) Extended Reverse Crunch
Lie down on the floor expending your legs out. Slowly count to five raising your legs up to a 90 degree angle. Hold. Count to five as you slowly lower your legs to starting position.
Now for my favourite BUTT exercise!
5) Squats
- Slowly lower your body, as though you are sitting in a chair.
- If you can, go down until your butt is in line with your knees (knees at 90 degree angles). If you can’t go down that low, go as low as you can.
- Take a moment and look down make sure your knees are BEHIND your toes.
- Keeping the weight in your heels, slowly push your body back to starting position.
(I use a 24 pound exercise bar when doing squats and lunges, but they are still highly effective without extra weight!)
The best part about these exercises is that you can do them anytime, anywhere. I tried to squeeze some of these moves in when preparing for my wedding and honeymoon. Every little bit helps! With consistent cardio and occasional resistance training, I was able to get into great shape for my wedding and honeymoon. I could have done much more resistance training, but it is good to know that even 10-15 minutes a week consistently can be effective!
I’d love to hear what your favourite exercises are!
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Poll recap:
The results of the poll are in!
Jessica Alba is currently in the lead for best fashion on the red carpet!
My personal favourite is Jessica Alba.! I find she always looks classy and put together when on the red carpet.
Just stunning!
Thanks for voting in the first OSG’s fashion poll :D
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Sketchie says only 49 days til Christmas!
I leave you with a great quote:
You can’t do anything about the length of your life, but you can do something about its width and depth. – Shira Tehrani
Hope you had a great night! Thanks for all your wonderful comments! :D I love the energy on this blog!
Thanks for the fitness post. I plan to fit in exercise during my honeymoon as well.
And I absolutely adore jessica alba. She is smoking hot!
love the ab workout!!! i’ll have to add these into my routine!!
I agree, I love the blog more everyday! Thanks for the ab workouts! I really need to add that to my day. Do you generally do this every day, morning or night around the runs? I am trying to figure out my best schedule. :)
I agree with a previous commenter, what are your lunches like? Mine usually range from turkey sandwiches, salads, to frozen Kashi meals. any ideas appreciated!
the cat is too cute for words!
also! (sorry) does anyone else have a hard time getting motivated to shower in the morning? my hair takes forever because it is long.
Hey Alicia! Thanks for your comment! I truly think that when I committed to a healthy lifestyle- it truly became a lifestyle- that’s why I don’t see the need to stop exercising when on vacation! I enjoy it, and I actually feel better when I am getting activity most days of the week. NOw mind you, I didn’t workout every morning of the honeymoon as we often walked on excursions up to 6 hours a day! So as long as I was active, I was happy :) And I agree with you about Jessica Alba- so naturally gorgeous! Now she really glows!
Mariposa I am glad you like them! Let me know how it goes!
Jenn Your comments are too sweet. ABout the ab workout- I must admit, I haven’t been doing them as of late! I really would like to increase the resistance training in my workouts. I am going to try to do these moves a few times a week. Since my mornings are tight for time, I typically do resistance moves at night time in front of the tv! I will probably start off with 2 sets of each, so for the plank- that would be 2 sets of 60 seconds for each variation. For squats, lunges and the like I would do about 2 sets of 25 reps.
And yes I have a hard time getting motivated to shower too! My hair is really long and takes forever to dry.
About the lunch questions- I will try to do a post about it sometime today!
Love Jessica Alba! gorgeous! (You are absolutely gorgeous too, by the way!)
I tried the wide plank when I was doing some regular planks after my run tonight. It was different, but a good different. Thanks for sharing! :)
Lindsey Aww you are too sweet and put a big smile on my face! Thank you. :D I am glad you liked the wide plank! I am off to do some myself…
in regards to the squats…nice butt! haha jk. Great exercises.
Jessica Alba is so classy and great. She is my favorite actress, always smart and beautiful.
You are fabulous! I am just about to venture on a 12 week cleanse because my body is not feeling 100 percent. Everything you post inspires me and makes flirting with veganism much more appealing. Thank you!