Workout Wednesday: Lower Body Toner and $50 Goceries

Ohhhhh Boy,

What a whirlwind weekend...I'm beginning to think that's normal for me! LOL. Now that I've finally recovered. I'm planning for vacation....vacation, that magical, wonderful land of adventure... anyway. It's one week away, I think I'll make it! I thought it would be fun to give you a sneek peak at one of the moves from the PiYo Challenge I'm going to be doing over the next 60 days! I'm so excited about doing this program, because after teaching the live version, I've experienced much better fitness levels. It's going to be like Christmas in July! hehehehe....Anyway, after finishing Les Mills, my body is ready for a change of pace. PiYo combines strength and flexibility and cardio, and allows you to get a great workout without all the pounding on your joints, because let's face it, even the toughest of us needs to take a break. You are not invincible, so be teachable. PiYo takes moves from pilates and yoga, and cranks up the speed, and is totally modifiable, so yes, common sense is welcome. :-) One of my favorite things about this class is that the music is fun, but it's also clean too, so the kids can tag along. I also love that Chalene Johnson understands those who've been injured because she's recently recovered from an injury too.  Today, I want to show you a video of a running lunge. This is a move that I love to tweak and use in my classes, and it give you some serious toning bang for your buck in the legs and glutes. I've had clients tell me they can see a difference after a week of this! I thought it would be nice to share. Add a few sets of this onto the end of your next lower body workout for a change of pace.

I like to change up my workouts often. Even if it's tweaking a move each time, I think it's the little things that can make a big  difference...you don't have to do a completely new workout each time, but variety keeps your body from overtraining.
If you'd like to join us, reach out to me via this form: I'm interested in PiYo  I'd love to meet and interact with more of my readers, and see more of them actively taking steps to be active and eat better! I'll be there for you to encourage you every step of the way, and so will the rest of the group!

Oh, and as not so much of a side note. Here's what $50 of groceries looks like this week!

I can't resist a deal on Brussel Sprouts or Watermelon for that matter! Tip: Buy produce (that you know you and your family will eat) that is on special each week. You'd be suprised at how much money you'll save! 

That's all for now! :)

-Jules

Friday 5, Giveaway Winner, and Strength move of the week!

Hi Everyone!
It's been a fun week, and trust me, I've been enjoying the snow holidays for all their worth, because the last time I saw snow like this in the Carolinas was in 1992! Micah and I  and our adorable German Shepherd, Orion, played in the snow for quite awhile, and the best thing was watching Orion trying to "fetch" snowballs. HAHAHA My dog loves to entertain! I thought it would be appropriate to list 5 things I did in the snow, well, here they are. My brave husband has over a 30 minute drive, and he gave me a scare, when it took him 2 hours to get home driving through the snow, but when he got home, he had a red rose for me! What an awesome man I have!

For my Friday Five, I thought it would be appropriate to list 5 things I did in the snow, well, here they are.


1. Snowballs! Our dog thinks it's fun to "fetch" back a piece, so, we'd toss them up in the air, and he'd go for it!
2. Fixed a really yummy Santa Fe soup recipe
3. Planned my first fit club for 21 Day Fix! (It's going to be so much fun!)
4. Lots of workouts!
5. Clutter removing...I'm doing the 40 Days = 40 Bags of Clutter challenge

I'm changing subject rapidly, but I feel like I have a lot of ground to cover.  Last Friday, I hosted a giveaway for a Mash Up Conditioning Tempo Dvd....is (drumroll please) Courtney Fields! Congrats Courtney! Thanks for visiting the blog, and I hope that you'll continue to do so in the future!

Now, onto the strength training move of the week: the squat. This is an essential move, and it's super important that you start out with the correct form, because trust me, it's tough to correct improper form on a squat, I've had to do this with many clients. The good news is, it's doable. Today's challenge is to do 1 minute of the squats described in this video. Pick a squat style, then go for it. Think quality, not quantity. Some extra pointers: 1. Keep your abs engaged throughout the entire movement, and exhale as you stand. 2. Squeeze your glutes at the top of the movement and pause for 2 counts. This will help prevent squats from hurting your knees.
Squats are important for your metabolism in general, think large muscle groups burn more calories, and it's a functional movement. SO without further ado, here it is. The squat!

This is my first video tutorial, and I'd love your feedback!

Have a wonderful Friday! Stay Warm!

-Julie











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All or Nothing

So, this week has been a strange one...and when I say strange, I mean...STRANGE... phone not working, email not working. You name it. Miscommunications right and left, people showing up early, late, or not at all...*sigh*. One of THOSE weeks. It's one of those weeks where my prayer life has been dramatically increased by 200%. Those of you who are reading are probably laughing hysterically by now, at least some of you are...unless this week has been that way for you. Between planning a major fundraiser for work, balancing home life, and trying to carve out just a little time for myself, between wasted hours waiting for people...who don't care...my "grace-o-meter" is just "plumb tuckered out". Friday, I went into the gym, determined to work hard and fast...I only made it through 2 sets of three exercises before I had to clock in for work, but man have my glutes and lower body been sore today...mission accomplished. The point is when you put your mind and heart into your training, you can make it work, no matter how little time you have, but if you just mindlessly work your way through exercises, it doesn't matter how many you do...you won't feel that "reward" the next day, and by reward, I mean delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). A study by the University of South Carolina Upstate states that when told what muscle to squeeze during an exercise, participants experienced 25%  more muscle gain from their workouts. Amazing! 25%! That's a huge number! The bottom line is it's all or nothing. You can't go through life giving 80%, if that's your philosophy, then you will fail at careers, marriage, parenting, relationships (with God and others), but if you truly commit with your mind, not just going through the motions (no pun intended), then the rewards are endless.
"I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength" Phil. 4:13

Try this exercise for easing low back pain and strengthening the muscles surrounding (glutes and hamstrings).
Hip lift/Bridge
Lie on your back, palms down and  heels pressing into the floor, close to seat, with feet hip-width apart.
scoop your abs in,and squeezing glutes, lift hips into the air.
Hold for 2 counts then lower, barely touching the floor.
(This exercise also stretches the hip flexors/psoas.)

This blog is no substitute for supervised exercise. Always consult a physician before beginning any physical activity regimen.