Good morning! How did you do with Week 1’s challenges? I had so much fun seeing your check ins and participating in the challenges myself! I’m finalizing a few more pieces of the prizes with companies for the top 2 participants, so make sure you’re tagging me (@burpeestobubbly) or posting to my facebook page, otherwise I won’t be able to see you’re participating!

*Monday 12/8: 1 minute burpee challenge– Yup, a full minute of burpees! Set your timer and see how many you can complete in a minute. You can decide the level of intensity you want to do- you can step back into the high plank and step back in and skip the jump at the top, you can just jump back into a plank and back in with jump at the top, you can add in a push-up or drop your chest all the way to the ground OR you can get fancy and try one of these variations. Have fun!

*Tuesday 12/9: Lower body workout- While I may not love lower body workouts as much as upper body ones, I know it’s equally important to work both. Plus, one benefit from working the lower body is there are lots of big muscles, which makes it harder, gets your heart rate up and helps burn more calories. Win, win, win, right? I’ve posted a bunch of lower body specific workouts on my blog, so you can pick from one of these:
Wednesday Workout: Tight Buns! Without squats or lunges! {video}
Wednesday Workout: Tone Your Tush! {without equipment!}
Wednesday Workout: Booty Burner (including a video!)
Wednesday Workout: Booty Burner #2
{Holiday Series} Wednesday Workout: 20 Minute Buns Burner

*Wednesday 12/10: Bring your lunch to work. For those of you who work outside of your homes, it’s so easy to just grab lunch somewhere, right? I challenge you today to take the time and pack yourself a healthy lunch to bring to work. This is a way to help you save money AND save calories. By packing your own lunch, you know exactly what goes into it and can intentionally leave out the chips/soda/treats/etc. that are all too easy to grab when you’re getting lunch out. Try making a big salad filled with lots of healthy fats and proteins: nuts, chicken, avocado, goat cheese, etc.

*Thursday 12/11: 15 minute HIIT workout. I’ve posted a few of these on the blog lately, so if you’ve been looking for a time to try one, today is your day!
Wednesday Workout: 15 Minute Full Body HIIT Workout
Wednesday Workout: 20 Minute Bootcamp HIIT Workout
Wednesday Workout: 15 Minute Step 360 HIIT Workout

If you’ve done these and are looking for something new, try this:

45 seconds on, 15 seconds rest. repeat 3 times:

• squat & overhead press
• weighted squat jumps
• lunge & bicep curl (alternating)
• push-up w/ knee tuck
• burpees

*Friday 12/12: Get up 15 minutes earlier for some light yoga or stretching. If you’re like me, foam rolling and yoga are two of those things I know I SHOULD do, but rarely do. Today, I want you to specifically schedule time to do one or both of these. Maybe do some sun salutations (check out this video. It’s a slow moving flow, but really great to wake yourself up! Beginner 10 Minute Yoga Flow) or just foam roll. Maybe you just lay in savasena for the 15 minutes and welcome the day slowly and quietly. Whatever you do, I think you’ll notice you start your day on a softer, quieter note, which is always a nice thing on a Friday, right?

*Saturday 12/13: Donate. There are so many ways to donate, but I’ll be honest and say I don’t do this nearly enough as I should. Here are some ideas:

• donate at Walgreens/CVS/etc. as you’re cashing out- they always seem to have a cause they are asking you to donate to
• donate to the Salvation Army door welcomers at various stores. Throw in your extra change or even a few bucks!
• go online and donate to a cause you are passionate about
• donate your time by volunteering
• throw your spare change to a homeless person

*Sunday 12/14: Try a new recipe. I have so many pages in various magazines and cookbooks dog eared as a “must try”, so many print outs from the internet and so many blog posts favorited, but somehow, I’ve barely made a dent in all of these recipe resources. Today I challenge you to pull out a recipe that you’ve been wanting to try and give it a shot! If you need some ideas or recipes to try, feel free to check out my recipe page.