Wednesday Workout: Five 4th of July Themed Workouts

Hi, friends! In honor of the 4th of July on Friday, I’ve decided to dedicate this post to some fun, 4th of July themed workouts! I am sure there are others who will be traveling for the holiday, and thus not able to get to your normal classes or workouts at the gym (I won’t have equipment and won’t want to dedicate as much time to my workouts when I’m on the Cape!), so I thought it would be helpful to put together a list of quick, efficient, no or little equipment necessary workouts. I’m always on the hunt for new at-home workouts to do, so hopefully we can all benefit from this 🙂

4th of July themed at-home workouts

Wednesday Workout: 4th of July Workout!– I made this workout up last year and remember doing it on the 4th of July- I liked it. Star jumps are killer 😉

4th of July Stars & Stripes Workout– I also did this workout last year! While it requires equipment, it’s a great workout

Red, White & Burpee– Definitely trying this!!!

Tone It Up Stars & Stripes Workout– There are 2 workouts in this link and I think I’ll be doing the first one since it doesn’t require equipment!

Fourth of July Firework Workout– Super cute names for the moves in this workout, including some all together new-to-me moves, so I’ll definitely be incorporating some, if not all, of this workout into my weekend!

I am really looking forward to trying out some of these workouts. Sometimes, one of the best motivators for me to get a workout in (and be excited about it) is to find NEW ONES to try! Let me know if you try any of these… or, if you found a good one that you’d think I’d like, please link me to it in the comments!

Cheers to a happy and fit fourth!

This Week: Workouts, Schedule, Things I’m Looking Forward To

I hope all of you had a nice and relaxing week last week. I know I sure did! As I’ve said before, there’s just something about being home in Maine that always relaxes me. I still have some catching up to do with you, which I hope will happen over the next few days. I am trying to relax a bit more, stress less and be less regimented, which might mean my posts aren’t as “timely” as they usually are.

But, with that said, let’s get to the workouts! Last week’s ended up being awesome, which is always a nice surprise during a holiday week when I am home in Maine for most of it.

Last Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- I had dinner plans after work, which meant I needed to get up and workout before work. I got up and did this workout and was happy with my choice! I tend to forget about workouts after I post them on here or teach them in class, so it’s always a nice surprise when I decide to go back and dig up an old workout to do.
  • Tuesday- I thought it might be a rest day since I didn’t get up to workout before heading north, but after lunch, I was able to sneak in a quick 25 minute workout at my parents house. I did this workout, 6 times through and some other stuff at the end. It was perfect!
  • Wednesday- Does playing Santa’s Elf, drinking champagne and napping constitute as a workout? Nah, I didn’t think so! Rest day 🙂
  • Thursday- My sister, mom and I all went to the local YMCA for a strength class, which was awesome!! I ran 1.25 miles before the class and was so happy with how great the class was. We did all sorts of fun things using toys that I don’t get to use at the BSC- and, it left me quiteeee sore for a few days. Success! But the best part? Having my mom and sister in class with me 🙂
  • Friday- I went to another class at the local YMCA because I love the instructor (old family friend). It was an Athletic Cardio and Core class and we did tabata cardio, 9 mins of abs (3 exercises, 60 seconds each, 3 rounds) and repeated that 3 times. It was great!
  • Saturday- I wanted to go to the Circuit class at the Y before heading back to MA, but I woke up VERY sore so I decided to rest. Well, that was before I got home and realized it was 50 degrees and still light out at 4pm after I finished unpacking, so I decided to go for a quick jog (5K). I needed to clear my head of a few things and a run always helps that. It was pretty speedy, too, which is always nice.
  • Sunday- I still felt sore from Thursday/Friday so rather than going to a muscle class, I went to a spin class. Remember how I said I didn’t feel like I worked that hard in the other spin class I went to? I realized why… the instructor wasn’t that great! Sunday morning’s instructor was awesome! She gave us ranges for our levels and RPM’s and we did all sorts of fun things. I worked really hard and left there feeling amazing! I followed up my ride with upper body strength and some core work. Solid start to my day!

This Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- I am subbing the 6:30 kickboxing class at the Watertown BSC again. I hope it’s a good crowd and I hope people don’t leave 😦
  • Tuesday- I don’t have NYE plans at the moment, but I will probably still get up and workout before work so that I’ll have that out of the way in case something comes up!
  • Wednesday- Not sure! Could be a rest day, could be a workout…
  • Thursday- FINALLY back to my “regular” teaching schedule with my two a day Thursday. Can’t wait!
  • Friday- Again, not sure. Might be a rest day since I like Friday’s as rest days.
  • Saturday- Teaching kickboxing at the YMCA- come burn off your holiday calories 😉
  • Sunday- Per usual, my Sunday workout will be determined based on how my other workouts for the week went. I’d love to get a strength workout in, but we will see.

Schedule

It’s funny. In years past, I have stressed about my NYE plans with my friends, trying to figure out if we should go to a bar (and what bar we should go to) or if we should go to a house party, but this year I am just letting things happen. Tuesday night could be spent with friends or by myself, and to be honest, as long as I’m not out at a bar (really not interested in that this year), I don’t care what I do:) Other than that, I have work and teaching. It will be nice to ease back into a somewhat normal schedule this week.

Things I Am Looking Forward To

Hmmm. To be honest, I am a little “blah” going into this week. Part post holiday blues, post I-don’t-know, but I am hoping that once I get back into the swing of things today I’ll be back to my normal self! I’m looking forward to teaching this week- big time! And I am looking forward to the start of a new year. I am not one for “resolutions” (all that stuff makes me totally turned off. It’s like whenever I make a resolution, I immediately want to break it, so I just don’t make them!), but for 2014, I do have some things I want to change/incorporate. I’ll share them with you soon!

Questions for you: Did you get any good workouts in over the holidays? When’s the last time you went to a class that left you super sore? Do you have NYE plans? What are you looking forward to this week?

Wednesday Workout: My Favorite “At Home” Workouts

Hi! As the nicer weather and summer season approaches, so doesn’t a busier schedule, right? I doubt I am the only one who feels like I am always on the road in the summer months, so I figured that it would be a good idea to post some of my favorite “at home” workouts or hotel room workouts so they could be easily accessible if you’re looking for something quick and effective to do in the comforts of your own home, hotel room, or anywhere else that’s not a gym. Most of these are “equipment free,” but if you have weights, feel free to incorporate them for a more intense workout.

Got 20 Minutes?
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V-Sits and Leg Lifts and Planks, Oh My!”
V Sits and leg lifts and Planks, oh my!

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Weekly Workouts and a WFH Workout
WFH workout

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Easter Recap
Easter Workout

Jump Rope & Strength Circuit Workout
Jump Rope and Strength Circuit

mom's workout

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Wednesday Workout: Discussion time! Compound vs. Isolation Exercises?
run + strength training

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NYC in a Flash
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My key for making an at-home workout effective is to do timed intervals, mixing in Plyo HIIT cardio and body weight exercises (squats, lunges, push-ups, planks, triceps dips, etc.). If you pick 10, do them for 60 seconds each and then repeat 3 times, you’ve got yourself a nice 30 minute workout! Or, if I am looking for just a core workout and some cardio, I will do alternating intervals- 60 seconds core, 60 seconds cardio. They don’t have to be fancy, they just need to incorporate moves to get your heart rate up!

Did I miss any? What is your favorite workout to do at home if you’re short on time?