Today we had a special guest at Bootcamp. One of our dear friends, Miss Shelbi.
She has been keeping up with the Bootcamp from home. But, decided it might be easier with a little more motivation. So, she came by and we all worked out together! It was fun! And I tried not to kill them too much :)
After our morning run, we did abs!
We started with 100 Jumping Jacks
3 sets of 20 Backward Crunches
3 sets of 20 Bicycle Crunches (per leg)
3 sets of 20 Flutter Kicks (per leg)
3 sets of 20 Russian Twists (each side)
3 sets of Partner Leg Lifts.
We each did 1min, then 50sec, then 40sec.
And that's it for today!!! My group worked hard! I'm proud! :)
Today, for Fun Friday, we started out by sleeping in just a tad! Everyone needs a little beauty rest every now and then, right? :)
We got up at 8 and started prepping everything we would need to make breakfast once our morning workout was over! Then, Sacha hopped on the treadmill and ran a mile, we grabbed our bathing suits and then we took off down to the river!
For Fun Friday, we decided to go swimming. Which is usually quite fun.. but, today... it was TORTURE! There's just something about exercising that ruins the whole idea of swimming! (I mean, for me anyway.. Sacha had a blast!)
Once we finished pretending to be fish, we went back up to the house and made "brunch".
We had Chocolate Banana Protein Pancakes!
These things were yummy!! (As long as you weren't expecting them to taste like a pancake!)
I stole this recipe from a girl named Susanna Backman whose Instagram name is @tastyhealth. She makes some of the best breakfasts EVER!!!
I keep meaning to post this recipe.
But, every time I think about it..
I get distracted!
So, here it is:
Fiesta Taco Salad!!
This recipe was a hit with my family!
They LOVED it (and that's very rare when I cook!)
I'm still learning!
I started by making the black bean salad found in a blog called once upon a chef
Then, I added lean ground beef, tortilla chips, and sharp cheddar cheese!
Black Bean Salad: (6-8 servings)
•2 15ounce cans of black beans(rinsed and drained)
•3 ears of corn, kernels cut off the cob. (I used a can, rinsed & drained)
•2 red bell peppers, diced
•2 cloves garlic, minced
•2 tbs minced shallots
•1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
•2 tbs sugar
•9 tbs extra virgin olive oil
•1 tsp lime zest (zest lime before juicing)
•6 tbs fresh lime juice
•1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 Hass Avocados
Mix everything except avocado in a large bowl. Chill for several hours. Add avocado right before serving. Serve at room temp! I put tortilla chips in a bowl, added the ground beef on top, then the black bean salad, and topped it with a little bit of sharp cheddar. It was delicious. They absolutely loved it! :)
Alyssa let me go wedding decoration shopping with her today!! We had a ton of fun :)
Then, we decided that since she is moving away in two months we need to spend as much time as possible together! So, we're having a sleepover at her house!
We started by making dinner for her family. Honestly, she did most of the work.. But, I helped! :)
We made black bean and corn turkey burgers with whole wheat buns and sweet potato fries! I swear, it was delicious! Her family loved it!
The burgers were made with lean ground turkey, black beans, corn, egg whites, chili powder, and salt and pepper. We added pepperjack cheese, mashed avocado, and sliced tomato. Alyssa did GREAT!
After dinner, we got to start working on some cute little wedding decorations.
These turned out so cute! I'm so excited to see how it turns out on her wedding day! :)
Oh, and then we all got a sweet tooth.. so, we made a healthier chocolate chip cookie. It was sooooo good. It called for old fashion oats, mashed banana, peanut butter, apple sauce, vanilla, cinnamon, and chocolate chips. Delicious!!!
Its been such a fun night with the Miller sisters!! :)
So, ever since Alyssa gave me a sample of her AMAZING homemade granola.. I have wanted to try to make some myself! I just kept forgetting to have her give me her recipe. But, I finally found one that I thought I could try! I altered the recipe just a tad! It turned out better than I thought it would!
7 cups old fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups of slivered almonds
3 Tablespoons of cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
3 tablespoons pure vanilla
1 1/2 cups of no sugar added applesauce
1/4 cup honey
This recipe makes a giant batch. But, its so yummy!
You can definitely alter the recipe to better suit you.
Check out the link above to see the original recipe.
At our house, we LOVE having smoothies for lunch. Especially during the summer. Lately, Sacha and I have been trying to make healthier smoothies(that don't taste healthy!). One that we like particularly well is our special strawberry smoothies. Here is our recipe:
2 cups of ice
1/2 cup of orange juice (or any other fruit juice)
1/2 cup of kefir probiotic (or a plain greek yogurt)
1/2 cup of lowfat strawberry yogurt (I prefer greek yogurt)
I thought this picture fit perfectly for Ilona's Intense Bootcamp because we never want to do leg day. We would rather do arms or abs. BUT.. Friends don't let friends skip leg day. So, you're welcome Sacha and Alyssa.
Anyway, we woke up at 6:30 and nobody wanted to work out(except maybe the dogs). We were all dragging around trying to get started. But, once we got going it wasn't quite so bad.
Exercise 1: Lunges
We did 3 sets of 10 walking lunges.
Exercise 2: Squat Kicks
Stand with legs farther than shoulder width apart, squat, and alternate kicking legs up.
We did 3 sets of 5 kicks per leg.
Exercise 3: Burpees
We did 3 sets of 5 Burpees.
Exercise 4: Donkey Kicks
On all fours kick one leg up multiple times, then switch legs.
We did 3 sets of 20 kicks per leg
Exercise 5: Push Ups
We did 3 sets of 10 push ups
Exercise 6: Squats
We did 3 sets of 10 regular squats.
Exercise 7: Tricep Dips
We did 3 sets of 20 tricep dips.
And that's it for leg day!!
After our workout I decided to try something new for breakfast.
Its called Banana Mugcake.
Its seriously super easy and super fast.
I loved it. It was soooo yummy!
Yall, have a good day! Eat Clean and Drink Lots of Water!!!
It almost looked like our trees were on fire. But, it was beautiful.
Today was definitely intense for us because we only had 45 minutes to do our workout. So, once we finished our run we jumped right into Ab Day!!
Exercise 1: Burpees
We did 3 sets of 5 Burpees
Exercise 2: Bicycle Crunches
Bring one elbow to opposite knee.
We did 3 sets of 20 crunches to each side.
Exercise 3: Flutter Kicks
Alternate bringing legs up and down. As you bring one up, bring the other down. We did 3 sets of 20 on each side.
Exercise 4: V-Ups
Lay flat on back, arms over head, then crunch up bringing your arms and legs up together. We did 3 sets of 10.
Exercise 5: Planks
You can choose to do them on your elbows or on your hands. Whichever way you are more comfortable with.
We did 3 sets of 1 minute planks.
Exercise 6: Partner Leg Lifts
Lay in floor, hold on to partners legs(or something sturdy) kick legs up and have them push your legs back down. Try to stop your legs from hitting the floor. We did 3 sets of 45 second leg lifts.
Exercise 7: Push Ups
We did 3 sets of 10 push ups!
Exercise 8: Russian Twists
Today we used a 10lbs weight. But, you can do it without the weight if you want to. We did 3 sets of 20 twists to each side.
And that's it! Good luck. I hope you have fun. Remember to drink lots of water throughout the day!
Oh, and check out the breakfast I had this morning:
Yummmm!! Alyssa made this homemade brown sugar cinnamon granola. I added the milk and strawberries and it was sooooo good! This is seriously the BEST cereal I've ever had. I'll have to get her to give me the recipe so I can post it on here.
Well, I went to bed last night with the intention of waking up at 6:30 and going for a run before I got ready for work. But, I'm kind of an idiot and I set my alarm to go off on week days instead of weekends. So, it didn't go off and I woke up at 8! No run for me today.
In a way, I was kind of glad I didn't. The weather is horrible again today!
It has been storming since 9AM!!
Since technically it's my rest day, I don't feel too bad about not working out today! I mean, you are suppose to rest on your REST day, right?!
Anyway, I have designed next week's workout schedule and we have decided to try something new:
FUN FRIDAY!! (This doesn't mean we aren't working out. It just means we are going to do it in a fun way!)
This week we are doing Zumba! Now, I am NO Zumba instructor. But, it should be interesting! I'm pretty excited about this week! :)
Day 13 of Ilona's Intense Bootcamp has already begun! As you've probably already noticed, it's Saturday.. Which means its rest day for me and Alyssa. As I'm resting, I'm working hard to plan for next week.
The plans are underway! We've decided to have focus days for legs/booty, abs/obliques, and we will be throwing some arm exercises in each day. We are working on being big(well, little really) and strong before this summer is over!
Sacha and Mom are suppose to be at home doing cardio sometime today.. Guess we'll find out later if they cheated or not!
And, me.. I'm just conquering the world; One video store at a time!!
I seriously just love my new top!!! :) I got it from Trendz Clothing Boutique. I feel adorable! Which is important, right? "When you look good, you feel good!" That's what my momma always tells me!
Y'all have a wonderful Saturday! Do something active today! Go for a walk. Swim. Yoga. Something! You're doing great!!! :)
Summer is probably my favorite time of year! I really enjoy being able to actually sit down, breathe, and not worry about deadlines or the places I need to go next.
Today was one of those extra good days :)
I got up early and worked out with Mom and Sacha.
Then, I made us some yummy breakfast..
Thin sliced cinnamon raisin bagels with strawberry cream cheese and sliced strawberries!
Sacha made a motivation board to go on the wall behind her treadmill. I think it was a great idea to keep her motivated while she runs! I'm so proud of her! :)
Oh, and I didn't mention this morning.. But, mom and I added some distance to our run this morning. We are going to go a little farther each day! She's really pushing herself. I'm one proud daughter!!
Anyway, a couple hours later I worked out with Alyssa!
We decided to go layout at the lake after our workout.
It was beautiful. But, the water was WAY too cold!!
So, we layed out on the beach!! :)
Then we came back to the house and watched Safe Haven!!!
I absolutely love that movie. I narrorated most of the last 30 minutes of the movie. But, it was fun!
Then after Alyssa left, I was asked on of the biggest questions of my life...
Ashley(One of my roommates from Freshman year, who now goes to dental hygiene school in Little Rock) asked me to be her Maid of Honor!!! I can't even begin to tell you how excited I was. I almost cried. (I would've cried if I hadn't been in the grocery store with Mom)
Of course I said yes! I am honored to be her Maid of Honor!
Later, when we got back home.. I worked out with Matthew(Sacha's Hubby). It was fun! I think he secretly enjoys working out with me. Which makes me happy! Quality time with my Brother in Law.
Sacha cooked dinner. Lemon and Parmesan Tilapia, with broccoli, and beans!
It was yummy!!
Now, I'm relaxing on the couch with Mom. Watching movies, and working on some graduation photos that I took a few weeks ago!
It was an absolutely beautiful morning to go for a run! I just love watching the sunrise!!
And some of our precious doggies decided to join us! :)
Anyway, today we decided to change things up just a little bit. It was ab day, and we decided that instead of doing 3 sets before moving on to the next exercise, we would do them all in 3 circuits. So, we did each exercise back to back, and once we finished we started over 3 times! It was actually kind of nice.
You can do it however you want. Either in circuits or in sets!
We started with the Plank Sequence!
--Regular plank with arms bent 90 degrees, elbows on the floor.
--Arms extended.
--Legs spread shoulder width apart.
--Right leg under left, bent 45 degrees.
--Left leg under right, bent 45 degrees.
Do each plank back to back for 20 seconds each.
Then we did Backward Crunches.
Lay on back with arms by sides, legs up and bent 90 degrees.
To do the crunch, lift booty and legs off the ground.
Up and Back down is one!
We did 20 in each circuit.
Next we did Burpees!!
Jump down and bring hands to the floor while bending knees.
Kick your legs back behind you.
Jump back in bringing your feet toward your hands.
And jump back up!
We did 5 each time.
Then we did Bicycle Crunches.
Lay on back with legs about 6 inches off the ground, hands behind head.
Bring Right Elbow to Left leg and Left Elbow to Right Leg.
We did 20 Crunches in each set.
Next we did Partner Leg Lifts
Hold on to your partner and lift your legs straight up as far as you can. If you have a partner, have them push your legs down but do not to let your feet hit the ground. If you don't have a partner, hold on to something sturdy and bring your legs up and down slowly without hit the ground.
Lift legs for 30 seconds each set
Then we did Flutter Kicks!
Lay with your legs 6 inches off the ground, arms by sides.
Rotate legs in air for 30 seconds in each set
(Here is a video that might help explain!)
And last we did Butterfly Crunches
Lay with arms out, legs up and spread slightly more than shoulder width apart.
As you bring your chest up, bring legs and arms together.
Crunch 20 times in each set
That's it!!! Remember, you can either do these exercises in circuits or in sets. If you do sets, do 3 sets resting a few seconds before each set. If you do Circuits, do one set before moving on to the next exercise and when you've done them all, start over until you've done each 3 times!
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.JPG)
.JPG)
