Full Body Workout – Take it to the plate!

If you get off work at 5 – chances are by the time you hit the gym -it’s jam packed with those gym members: the text-on-the-machiners, the heavy grunters and the dumbell hoggers. 

According to my online resources (and experience) the gym is most packed when people get off of work around 5:30-7pm. That’s not so convenient considering I myself get off of work at that time! 

Whenever I find the gym to be very busy, I try to find workouts that require as little equipment as possible. I found this weight plate workout from Men’s Health to be very effective when modeled for females. All you need is a 10-20 lb weight plate and an open space and you’ll tone your whole body in under 20 minutes!

Move 1: Overhead Squat – Press plate overhead and stand in traditional squat position. Stand tall while squatting. That’s one rep. 

Move 2: Plate Swing – Hold the plate in front of your chest with hands on both sides of the plate. Using your waist, thrust weight overhead and back down in front of chest. 

Move 3: Upright Row: Hold plate with both hands in center in front of chest. Your chest is upright. Move plate upward as much as possible (elbows go out) – then lower plate back down. (View video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8agsN3RfG8) 

Move 4: Plate press and crunch – get down into a crunch position, knees bent with feet on the ground. Then, crunch while pushing plate up at an angle. (View video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWa3Fri_xiY)

Move 5: Around the world shoulders: Hold plate in front of chest, then circle plate in rotations around your head. (View video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qHUUo3VJ3s)

Have a wonderful day and be well 🙂

-Jordana

9pm – Quick but killer arm workout (I’m sick but want to inspire you!)

While resting may seem easy, it’s always been difficult for this on-the-go girl.  So I first of all wanted to thank all of my friends who have kindly reminded me how to slow down, drink fluids and most importantly: stay in bed! While I have taken time out of the gym to heal, I haven’t stopped brainstorming short and effective workouts for you, my followers! Here’s a workout I tested recently and found to be an effective and speedy workout.

This workout will have your arms feeling stronger, leaner and more toned! Start with a 5-10 minute cardio warm-up. Be sure to alternate each strength exercise with a cardio-boosting exercise to increase calorie burn. Not challenged enough? Up the cardio exercises to 1-2 minutes! Be sure to challenge yourself.

• 5-10 minute run on treadmill (alternate  medium to high speed intervals)
• Dips – (3×8-12)
• 30 seconds of high knees
• Lat pull down (3×8-12)
• Mountain climbers
• Dumbbell lateral raise (3×8-12)
• 30 seconds of burpees
• Tricep pulley pushdown (you can do a lying tricep extention if limited on equipment) (3×8-12)
• 30 seconds of plyo lunges
• Cable bicep curl (3×8-12)

How did it go? Be sure to let me know in the comments. PS drink lots of water!

-Jordana

7pm Celebrate Earth Day – Bake A Healthy Kale Inspired Recipe

Happy Earth Day! As many of you have the environment in mind, I wanted to inspire you with a new green food I recently discovered at the local market: It’s fresh. It’s crunchy, and it’s all the rage with fitspo bloggers and health enthusiasts around the world – kale.

I discovered the new green when I was at the local market. A man took a heaping mound of kale and placed it in his basket when I asked how he would suggest preparing it. He suggested using it for juicing, but has seen others use it as a lettuce alternative in salads since it packs in more nutrients. I thought it was worth a try and took some home myself.

I later learned that kale was not only more nutritious, but it also had the following benefits:

• It’s high in vitamin K – a necessity for preventing various cancers
• It’s great for cardiovascular support and can lower cholesterol levels
• It’s filled with fiber and sulfur and can detox your body and keep your liver healthy

And so much more!

It’s very easy to prepare and add to various dinner dishes. However, this versatile food also makes a great snacking alternative. Kale chips are growing in popularity as a healthy, low-cal alternative to potato chips and other high-carbohydrate snacks.

This Parmesan kale chip recipe from Do It Delicious is easy to make and requires ingredients you probably have sitting around at home. It requires kale, olive oil and Parmesan cheese! Simply place kale on a baking sheet and cover with olive oil, bake at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for 20-25 minutes until crisp, let cool, then sprinkle with salt and Parmesan!

Have you ever made anything with kale? Let me know in the comments, I’d love to hear!

Jordana

6pm: Reflect on Runs For The Agenda- 2013

The Color Run is in Orlando tomorrow. I’m sad I missed it this year but it’s definitely on the agenda for years to come!

Here are my running goals for 2013:

1) Complete a super sprint triathalon- I haven’t trained or even thought of doing a triathalon until this month! I know I can do a super sprint but my goal is to do a sprint series of some sort.

2) 10k by July 2013

3) Half Marathon by November 2013

Wish me luck!

12:30pm: Do A 10 Minute Victoria’s Secret Angel workout (keeps you on track)!

Today I had what others might call “computeritus.” After sitting at the Macbook  glaring at the ever so interesting spreadsheet, the last thing I wanted to do was sit down during my lunch break.

I found this FitSugar workout over the weekend and decided to give it a shot. It may only be 10 minutes long but it will get your heart rate racing within the first three minutes.

If you’re looking to target trouble zones such as your midsection, this may be a good start. I’m not sold that it’s a model workout, but it’s enjoyable nonetheless.

Give it a try. What do you think?