Hello lovelies!

Thanks for all of your lovely comments on my Canada Day Pops yesterday! I’ve still got a few leftovers in my freezer and they’ll definitely be disappearing after work tonight! I can’t wait for the weekend to start. It’s been a while since we’ve had a holiday (May 21st to be precise) so I’ve been looking forward to this one for a while! Over to today’s usual subject matter… Fit Bit Friday!

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Work It Out

There are a lot of core-related challenges popping up in the blogosphere these days, and while I ellipticized at the gym on Tuesday, I was thinking that I’d like to start my own. More details will be coming at ya later next week, but for now, I’ll give you the first part. My favourite core exercises certainly not standard crunches, so don’t expect to find any of those here!

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The No-Crunch Core Workout (Part 1)

Not only will there be no standard crunches done in this routine, but you can also do each move with very little equipment – most of which you may already have at home. I’ve included suggestions to make each exercise harder, so no matter how strong you already are, you’ll still be able to challenge yourself! There are 6 exercises in total, and you’ll move through all 6, one after the next, until you’ve completed every rep. The last move should bring your heart rate up, then rest for 60 seconds. Add this core blitz to the end of your other strength training for the day, and if you’ve got time, feel free to repeat the sequence for a better burn!

Click here to print the PDF.

In case you’re unsure of the moves, here’s some help:

Straight leg v-sits: Start lying in a straight line, arms and legs extended, then contract abs and lift to form a V.

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Hi-lo plank: Move from high plank pose (on toes and hands) to low plank (toes and forearms), by moving one arm at a time. One round of up-up-down-down is one rep. Keep your arms and legs as straight as possible!

Windshield wipers: Lay on your back with legs extended up toward ceiling, somewhere between 45 and 90 degrees. Keeping ankles together and hips as square to the floor as possible, lower feet to the left side (at 90 degrees to your torso), then contract abs to rotate them over to the right. A rotation left or a rotation right counts as 1 rep.

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Sliders: Kneel down on all fours and position a towel under your hands on a smooth surface. Keeping hands flat on the towel and knees on the ground, push the towel out so that your torso is almost lying flat on the floor. When you can’t stretch out any longer, reverse the motion, contract the abs, and return to starting position.

Flutterkicks: Lay on your back with hands tucked under hips, legs extended. Lift feet a couple of inches off the ground and perform flutterkicks as you would if you were doing backstroke.

In-out plank hops: Start in high plank. Push off on your toes, and draw knees in, landing in a crouched position. Hop feet back out to start. One in-out is a single rep.

Turn It Up

Last week my spin class had the pleasure of doing a tough climb to my latest Rihanna find. This one is called Breakin’ Dishes, and I’m not too sure what she was thinking when she wrote these lyrics, but something’s telling me she was a little angry. Nevertheless, I find it rather entertaining, so it’s this week’s featured tune.

You know how there’s always one line of a song that gets stuck in your head? For me, it’s the bit where she goes “I’m roastin’ marshma-ll-owwwz on the fi-yah!” Thank goodness for modern day appliances, or I’d probably be singing “I’m washin’ dishes, washin washin  dish-dish-dishes.”

Have A Read

Alrighty, I hope all of you have a wonderful weekend! I’ll see you back here on Monday, but before you go…

  • What are your workouts looking like these days?
  • For long weekend celebrators: What’s in your plans?
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