My Favorite Home Workout Exercises

First Saturday in April! Let’s go! So excited because this weekend the weather is actually supposed to be SPRING-like! Give us all the outdoor time!

On any given week, I try to make it to the gym 3 times a week for my workouts. If I get 4 in, thats a really good week (that has yet to happen since I had Sammy lol). The other days I either run, or work out at home. In my basement I have kettlebells and bands …which have been a lifesaver to be honest over the last year or so. Its so hard to squeeze as many workouts in as I want with work, kids, etc. The biggest challenge I think with home workouts for me (and for many people) is what exercises to do! So, I wanted to share my favorite go-to exercises that I do ALL of the time. These exercises are mostly compound (where I use my whole body) which allows for a higher energy expenditure, calorie & fat burn. When I only have 30 minutes, I want the most bang for my buck!

1. Squat to Push Press. This is a simple exercise where you have two kettlebells, hold by your shoulder. Squat down, squeeze the glutes as you stand, and push press the KB’s when you stand. Here is an example of the exercise. Anything with a squat is a great exercise because it tightens that booty.

2. Broad Jump: You need NO equipment for this. Gets the heart rate up, is an explosive movement and you only need about 6 feet of space! Example here.

3. Kettlebell swings. These are fantastic for not only strength, but conditioning. Sometimes I use two, sometimes just one and hold with both hands, sometimes I use a heavier weight for less reps, and other times I do high rep (like 30) for conditioning. The key is the slight bend in the knees, thrusting the hips, and squeezing the glutes during the forward motion. As seen here!

4. Row. A row is an easy way to incorporate some upper body work into your body. Lean on a bench or table…as seen here.

5. Dead Lift. This has to be one of my favorite exercises of all time. Key is slight bend in knees, feeling the pull in your hammys, and squeezing the glutes on the way up. As seen here. The footage shows a bar, but you can use KB or free weights! Such a good exercise!

6. Last but not least, I love lunges. Whether you do reverse, lateral, or just standard ones, these are fantastic. If you’re advanced, you can do a lunge to a step up, or a lunge to a bicep curl. Crucial in your form for the lunge is keeping your chest up, and front knee at 90 degrees. As seen here.

I noticed that there are some HUGE sales this weekend and I’m always down for some new workout clothes or athleisure. SO I rounded up a few of my faves! Keep in mind Old Navy has a huge 50% off sale right now!

Have a great weekend! xo

Alex

Meal Plan Monday: 3/11/19

Happy Monday!

Anyone else super happy about Dayoght savings? I know a lot of people hate it because you “lose” n hour of sleep…but when you’re used to losing sleep it means nothing— ! I know it can cause a lot of havoc on sleep schedules to parents all over the nation but right now I will take that over darkness any day! This winter has honestly lasted 49053 days and I’m ready for SPRING.

Our big kids were off at their grandparents this weekend so I actually went grocery shopping on my own #score. I wanted to share my meal plan for the week with you all!

Sunday: I made Arugula Chicken - you can find my recipe linked here. I like this meal because its a two for one- meaning I don’t need to make an extra meal for the kids (HECK YEAH). I just give them the chicken plain and then just steam some veggies and pair it with some noodles. This meal is SO good, fast, and you can make it ahead of time (like I did today-I just put it in the fridge and when it was time to cook, popped it into the oven!!).

Monday- I have two Sunbasket meals arriving this week. The first is a Crispy tofu stir fry with sweet Sichuan sauce. The second we will be having on Tuesday night and its a Chipotle turkey chili with cucumber sumac salad. For those interested you can use my code to save money on your first order with Sunbasket!

Use this code: https://sunbasket.com/invite/Alex398281

Wednesday- I’ll be falling back on the trusty chicken pepperoni meal-the kids love it, and its easy!

Thursday- I’ll be making this cheesy chicken bake . This is another good recipe that can be made ahead of time & thrown into the oven, the kids like, and I substitute plain greek yogurt for mayo to make this pretty healthy. Yes, it has cheese in it, but this meal HAS been part of my rotation when I’ve been in the process of leaning out! Because when I’m leaning out, this works because I tend to focus on high fat/high protein! *Also, I have had this WITH mayo and honestly I don’t even like mayo and it still tastes good. I obviously prefer the greek yogurt because it packs extra protein and is lower fat/cal and just all around healthier!

Friday- Will be your standard Friday fish day! Salmon with good ol Paul Prudhomme’s spices!

I can’t think as far as Saturday so that is it for meal planning! ha! I wanted to share every week a few of my favorites.

This Weeks Faves:

1. Teriyaki Wegmans Chicken: I really like their pre-seasoned chicken. Yeah, its more expensive but for the season I’m in I need something easy, fast, healthy, and convinient that I can just make ahead of time and warm up on the go at home or bring with me to work. TIP: Cut these in half before cooking!! This will help give it an even cook. I always found it hard when leaving it whole to get it cooked just right. Either the outside would get burned, or the inside would be raw! Added bonus: Both of my boys like this chicken and I give it to them for dinner/lunch one or two times a week. I always make these ahead of time and put in the fridge for a fast meal in a pinch!

2. Wegmans Turkey Bacon -This stuff has great flavor, is awesome paired with eggs, or in an omelette!

3. Eggs are a big staple in our house. May-October we get eggs at the farmers market, but in the winter we rely on the grocery store options. Wegman’s came out with these this past year and they are worth the extra money. The flavor of them is AWESOME.

Lastly, I wanted to share these Lara truffles. Only 7 ingredients (and all goodies) make these a great snack.

Have a great day peeps! xo
Alex