Lunchtime Upper Body Workout

Working out your upper body may seem a little limited during lunch without weights, but there is plenty to do! For this 20 minute workout, I've thrown in a small bit of cardio to burn more calories while working the smaller muscles, hitting your shoulders, biceps, triceps, and back:

• Wall Press x15
• Burpees x5
• Push-ups x10
• Mountain Climbers x20
• Tricep Dips x20
• High/ Low Plank x10
• Superman Hold 30 seconds

Repeat 3-4 times

Here are some more cardio & upper body workouts to get you inspired:

Lunchtime Abs Workout

Since I'm no longer working in a gym full time, I don't get to walk 10 feet on my lunch to a squat rack or elliptical machine. Like a normal person, I won't have much time, nor access to a shower after - so a run along the marina is out of the question.
Whenever there's a shift in my life: A new job position, a new semester at school, moving to a new apartment, etc., I tend to fall off the fitness wagon for a week or two.
Having just finished a very successful second run of my 10 week plan, my hard work & efforts are quickly going out the door with scarce workouts and over eating. Time to get back on track! What am I going to do with 20-30 minutes and no equipment?

Let's start easy. This week I'm going to break down three workouts to do during the week focused on body weight exercises: Abs, upper body, and lower body.

Today, we start with abs:

Simple 29 Minute Ab Workout:

• 1 minute each.
• Rest 10 seconds.
• Repeat twice.

1) Basic Crunch
2) Right Oblique Crunch
3) Left Oblique Crunch
4) Bicycle Crunch
5) C-Sit Rotation
6) In & Out Teaser
7) Heel taps
8) Right Side Plank Lower & Up
9) Left Side Plank Lower & Up
10) Pilates Roll Up
11) Scissors
12) Diagonal Crunch
13) Kneeling Side Bends
14) Plank Hold

Here are some more ab workout ideas for inspiration!

 

Breakfast To Go

No, not drive-thru!

Not being a morning person & liking the length of time between my alarm going off and me getting out the door to be as short as possible doesn't mean sacrificing good eating habits. Take 5 minutes the night before to prep and it will take even less time the next morning to have a complete breakfast.

Here's what you'll need for a breakfast sandwich and coffee protein shake:

- 1 piece toast

- 1 egg or 1/4 cup egg whites

- 1 slice ham

- 1 slice cheese

- 6-7 ice cubes

- 1 scoop protein powder

- 1 teaspoon or packet instant coffee

- 1/4 teaspoon stevia

- 1/2 to 3/4 cup non-dairy beverage (I ise unsweetened vanilla almond milk)

- blender

- something to cook the egg in (I use a microwave safe container in a round sandwich shape)

For your breakfast sandwich:

- make toast

- put cheese on top, followed by cooked egg, followed by slice ham

- cut in half, fold & wrap

- store in fridge

For breakfast smoothie:

- put all ingredients in blender EXCEPT the non-dairy beverage

- store in freezer overnight

In the morning, open your breakfast sandwich & heat in toaster oven. Take out blender & add non-dairy beverage. Wrap sandwich & put smoothie in travel container.

You're good to eat healthy on the go! 

:)

Samantha 

Savory Colorful Veggie Recipe

Hi all!

I wanted to share for my first recipe, one of the very first things I cooked when I 1) decided to venture out cooking something besides grilled cheese & Ramen (both which I made fabulously btw) and 2) when I wanted to start eating healthier.

I'm one of those people who didn't know how to cook pasta until her mid-twenties, used to eat Bacon Ultimate Cheeseburgers from Jack in the Box three times a week, and still on occasion messes up hard boiled eggs. Obviously I needed something easy & delicious to start with this whole healthy cooking thing. Hopefully it is easy & delicious for you too.

*Disclaimer: I will explain in detail for those of us that are not accustomed to cooking. For those of you that are, you could probably read this once & know how to cook it in 30 seconds. Bear with us.

What you will need:

- 6 oz carrots (regular or baby)
- 2 medium zucchini (or 1 zucchini & 1 yellow squash)
- 3 to 4 baby red potatoes (approx. 10oz.)
- Garlic (either 1/4 cupped pre-crushed or chopped, or a whole clove if you're feeling awesome)
- Olive Oil
- Balsamic vinegar
- Earth Balance Organic Buttery Spread (or regular butter if you must)
- Basil in a spice jar
- Rainbow or Black Pepper in a grinder
- Large pan & pan cover
* bonus: olive oil spray &/or cayenne pepper


What to do:

1 - Wash all veggies & cut into approx. 3/4 inch cubes. If you're being awesome with a whole clove of garlic, slice it all very thinly. That part may be a bit time consuming but totally worth it.You can cut veggies in order you will put them in to save time: Carrots & garlic first, then potatoes, then zucchini/ squash.

2 - If you have olive oil spray, spray it in your large pan. If you don't, THINLY coat your pan with olive oil. Throw a few drops of water in there to thin it out.

3 -  Put stove on medium/ low. For example, if it goes 1-10, put it on 4.

4 -  Throw in cut up carrots evenly in pan first, then sprinkle garlic over.

5 -  Get your spices. Start with a pinch of cayenne over the garlic if you have it. Do NOT use any more. Put a couple twists of your pepper grinder over it. Move your veggies around a minute.

6 -  Throw in cut up potatoes. Repeat step 5, minus the cayenne & this time add a few shakes of basil.

7 - Your pan should be wanting more things to coat it & the veggies now. Put in 2 teaspoons (or 1 tablespoon) of Organic Buttery Spread, about 1tbs of olive oil and 3tbs of balsamic vinegar. Move your veggies around a minute.

8 - Throw in zucchini squash. Repeat the couple twists of pepper grinder & a few shakes of basil one last time.

9 - Cover pan for a few minutes. Check to see you're not burning it, move it around, and cover it a couple more minutes. Take lid off to finish cooking a couple mins & turn off stove.

10 - Eat it! YUM!