STORY TIME
Save this Full Body Workout
I have absolutely no illusions with how busy you are and how many people demand of your time.
We’re busy.
I have absolutely no illusions with how busy you are and how many people demand of your time.
I also know that your health matters to you but the idea of figuring out how to workout regularly seems daunting. You have too many other things going on and when you sit down to watch Netflix on a Sunday night, you don’t want to plan out your week of workouts.
You want to, I know that, but you also want to stare blankly at a TV and that usually wins out.
That’s why I give you workouts. More importantly, that’s why I give you workouts you can use in a ton of different ways.
As standalone workouts or combining several workouts to give you a longer form workout.
Ultimately it means if you have 10 minutes, you use the 10 minutes.
Use this one today, save the email, and grab it for another day when you know you need to workout but a long workout isn’t in the cards.
3 Rounds
10 reps each exercise
Bridge hip taps
Single side bench press
Weighted roll up
Don't Be Scared
I see this ALL THE TIME. Clients telling me they waited to train with me until they felt “strong enough” because they felt like my class was too hard. Even though they had never been to it.
You can’t be intimidated by this sh!t.
I know that’s easier said than done. A lot of the times we tell ourselves we can’t do something because we’re scared. Not because we actually can’t.
Here’s the thing though: as soon as you tell yourself you can’t do something, you won’t be able to do it.
Then trying feels pointless because we think whatever we want to do is impossible.
I see this ALL THE TIME. Clients telling me they waited to train with me until they felt “strong enough” because they felt like my class was too hard. Even though they had never been to it.
Maybe they heard it was hard, maybe they saw part of a class and thought it was hard, regardless they convinced themselves that they couldn’t do it. It’s always “I have to train longer” or “I need more time” before they even attempt it.
Then they try it, they see that it didn’t kill them, and they come back. Again and again. Because that fear turns into curiosity about what they’re capable of doing.
But in order for that to happen, you have to get past the intimidation first
Here’s my Top 3 Tips for Embracing the Fear:
Embrace the learning curve. You’re not going to be an expert on the hardest exercises right off the bat and that’s OK. Celebrate how much you’re learning and how strong you feel as you go.
Accept the nervous tummy. I giggle with my clients all the time about how they have anxiety before a hard workout. Once the workout is over, they feel amazing. Recognize that nervous tummy for what it is: excitement about the strength you’re gaining from the workout you KNOW you’ll conquer.
Check your inner critic. A lot of the time, our intimidation comes from that little negative voice in your head telling you that you can’t do it. Instead of thinking about how hard the workout will be, think about how much a$$ you’re going to kick during it.
It's Harder Than It Looks
The lower half of your body encompasses the majority of your muscle mass. that means when you do lower body work, you’ll feel your heart rate rising faster because the lower half of your body need more blood flow and oxygen to make the exercise effective.
The deceptive a$$ kicker. My favorite kind of workout.
I remember back in the day, when I had all the hours in the world to go to the gym, planning my workouts by the body part for the session.
It would start and end with cardio, and it would be some sort of body part for the weight training part.
Now I don’t plan workouts by body part now as much as I used to (LOL remember leg day??), but when I do, it’s always lower body.
The lower half of your body encompasses the majority of your muscle mass. that means when you do lower body work, you’ll feel your heart rate rising faster because the lower half of your body need more blood flow and oxygen to make the exercise effective.
In reality, to do any form of exercise you’re going to be using your core to support the exercise so while this workout looks like a ton of lower body, it’s a lot of sneaky core too!
Pro Tip: your activation better be on point. Make sure to warm up your hinge in addition to your core!
3 Rounds
15 reps each exercise
Reverse Lunges
Deadlifts
Sumo Squats
Lateral Lunges
Find Your Joy
Not to mention, the amount of accolades for adults is significantly less than the sheer number of participant medals our kids will receive. We got to take the joy where we can find it, and nothing is more joy inducing that kicking ass on a workout you thought was going to own you.
Savor your joy.
Ahhh that post workout bliss. Even if it wasn’t your best workout, that feeling of “I did that” after a workout is something we need to hold on to.
The fastest way to establish a consistent workout routine is to fall in love with that post workout feeling. Falling in love with that post workout feeling will get you to fall in love with the process of growing stronger. Once that happens, you’ll begin to look forward TO working out. To taking the time out of your day to give to yourself.
But embracing that feeling is easier said than done.
After all, our days are busy af. The To Do List inevitably gets longer, people are constantly pulling for your attention and rarely ever do we allow ourselves to feel that complete sense of bliss.
That can lead to distractions when you workout. You’re not focused on what you’re presently doing, you’re thinking about everything you need to get done once the workout is over. Those things…they are NEVER going to go away.
Your days will never be activity free.
Not to mention, the amount of accolades for adults is significantly less than the sheer number of participant medals our kids will receive. We got to take the joy where we can find it, and nothing is more joy inducing that kicking ass on a workout you thought was going to own you.
It takes time to get to that point. Quite frankly there’s a lot that goes into shifting that headspace as well. We’re geared towards finding the negative about our own performance, we are more likely to be our most negative critics in every facet of our lives, including our workouts.
You have to take the steps necessary to realize that embracing your inner badass after a workout does NOT mean you have a huge ego or that you’re a narcissist or selfish. It’s ok to be prideful when you work hard and you gain as a result of your own hard work.
So when you feel that endorphin rush after a workout and it leaves you feeling like a bad ass with a good ass, hold onto that feeling. Take it into your day with you and savor it. When the day gets hard or overwhelming, remember it.
You did that for yourself. You took time out of the chaos that is YOUR day to serve yourself so you can in turn serve those around you more effectively and with more love and patience.
Approach is Everything
Working out is the place where I can focus my emotions and tune out the rest of the world. Let’s be honest, sometimes all that noise can be overwhelming AF, and deserves to be pushed into a corner so you can focus on YOU.
I didn’t always approach my fitness as a means to grow mentally stronger. Fitness for me initially was a means to get past trauma. Be it the trauma from my foot, the trauma from delivery, the trauma of injury…it was always my way to push past something negative so I could regain my strength.
Working out is the place where I can focus my emotions and tune out the rest of the world. Let’s be honest, sometimes all that noise can be overwhelming AF, and deserves to be pushed into a corner so you can focus on YOU.
However my journey with my strength continued and the injuries became a thing of the past, I began to use my workouts as a way to push my own boundaries. I adapted with my strength as my body adapted to being strong.
I figured that no little hour long (or whatever) workout was going to own me, so I might as well see what I can do. Like a scientist in a lab, I started pushing my boundaries so I could see where my strength truly rested. Sometimes I succeeded and felt like a freaking olympian. Sometimes I failed. Even in those moments of failure, I took it as an opportunity to see where my starting point was and what I needed to do to get to the next point.
I began to push my boundaries. In part because I know my workouts are a safe space TO push my boundaries and in part because I was curious about my own strength.
Mostly, I pushed my boundaries so I would know on an intrinsic level that I am not limited by my boundaries. I know that I can continue to expand the limits of those boundaries, I can push the edges until I am eventually where I want to be.
I also know that if I can push my own limits, I can move mountains for everyone around me. If I can show up for myself, show myself how resilient and mentally fit I am, then everyone around me will benefit because I’ll be able to show up in a bigger way.
So don’t stress about the workout not being cute or comfortable. Don’t stress if a complicated exercise gets the best of you this time, don’t stress if your workout leaves you feeling occasionally frustrated. You’re growing, you’re changing and you’re getting stronger, and as you adapt and change, so will your fitness.
I Just Need to Sweat
I know you have those days. When the workout is serving a bigger purpose than just moving your body.
There are some days where I just need to sweat. It doesn’t even matter if I’ve been on my feet all day working, and I’m totally exhausted, sometimes I just need to move.
Maybe it was a tough day, maybe I just need to burn off some steam, or I need a place to put my stress. Regardless, it’s those days when I know without a shadow of a doubt, I’ll feel better when I’m done.
I know you have those days. When the workout is serving a bigger purpose than just moving your body.
To sweat and be able to leave my day in a puddle on my mat.
On days like those, I know I need workouts that are going to push me. I need the workout that has me focusing on nothing else except the work that I’m doing.
That kind of challenge.
I need a workout that was hard enough to forget about all BS.
To give me space to breathe, to focus on something other than all the things I need to take care of or things that are pulling at my energy.
All the laundry, the dogs need to be walked, and dinner that needs to be prepped, I just needed a minute from it all. Sometimes I know that I need to walk away for a minute so I can actually get those things accomplished.
Before, I used to neglect that need because I didn’t think I had enough time to get a good workout in if I only had 20 minutes. Shoot, being honest, more like 10 minutes. But then I found myself getting frustrated at everything. My fuse was super short and I had NO patience for anyone or anything.
Now I know I can get a quick little burn in if I’m smart about my time and how I’m utilizing it for my workouts.
HIIT workouts are my Go To workouts for those times. They’re designed to be short and if you push yourself hard enough (and pair it with some sold post workout nutrition), you can continue burning calories AFTER the workout is over.
It’s a process called Excessive Post Oxygen Consumption or EPOC. When you go into a HIIT workout, your body goes into oxygen deficit. As a result, when the workout is over, your body works harder to restore that loss of oxygen, so you can return to your pre-exercise state. Your body does this process by increasing your metabolic rate and burning more calories.
That process kicks in once the workout is over, which is why you can continue to burn calories POST workout. It’s an awesome thing our body can do and one of the reasons why people gravitate to the harder, more intense workouts. Because they know results will keep coming.
Today’s Workout
Tabata
10 Rounds
Even number rounds: swings
Odd number rounds: push press
