December Favorites

Happy New Year friends! I hope you all had an amazing celebration last night, full of family, fun, and friends.

If not, I hope you at least enjoyed bringing in the new year.

I know lots of people set resolutions and goals for the New Year, but I honestly don’t like the idea. It’s just not for me. If I’m going to make a change, it will be because I want it to happen, not because it’s another Monday, or a new month, or year. That’s just how I look at it.

Let’s see all the wonderful things that happened in December.

parsnip fries

 This month the root veggies have taken over. Give me butternut, kabocha, turnips, parsnips, and rutabaga and you better bet I’ll be roasting it.

It’s so wonderfully delicious cooked in some coconut oil, until nice and crispy on the outside.

Love.

skinny tea

I also have a full blown obsesssion with tea.

Maybe not as much as Meg, but it’s pretty high up there.

ginger bread 2

And how could I forget about gingerbread!

A classic throughout the Winter months and I managed to finish this loaf rather quickly.

‘Tis the season after-all.

coconut-frosting2

I also showed you all my favorite coconut flour frosting, that I’m still continuing to eat almost daily.

I wonder what my foodie obsessions will be next month?

grateful mornings

 I can’t forget about my red cup Starbucks love, next month I have a feeling I’m going to be loving my new versimo, instead of the daily lines at Starbucks.

I went through a phase of adding peppermint stevia drops to my coffee and it was a lovely mixup every now and again.

This month, I also wrote two of my favorite posts about being happy where you are in this moment and beliefs we hold over our lives and how we can change them for the better.

Another favorite post had to be the vlog I did, where I really opened up about some struggles I’ve faced in the past.

Your ongoing support in me publishing this makes me feel so much better about making the decision to post it. I wasn’t sure I actually would, but I’ve gotten tons of comments and e-mails thanking me.

So, basically you all are fantastic.

Another thing this month has changed for me. I’ve stopped going super hard on the workouts.

arms and abs

Cutting back on tabatas, HIITs and incorporating pilates into my daily routine.

I’ve grown to love it, however, I do miss HIIT some of the time.

I know that this will only benefit me by holding back for now.

And now for some beauty favorites.

hot couture

I admit, I’m a little head over heels for hot couture by givenchy. I posted about it before, and I’ll say one thing everytime I wear it I get compliments on how good I smell, every.time.

No lies people.

I’ll stop here before this post gets super duper long.

What were your favorite things this December?

Any new obsessions you’d like to share?

How was your New Years Eve?

Happy Tuesday all!

Mini Delights

Happy freaking Monday! Hopefully your weekend was filled with lots of love and good times.

I hope everyone took a moment to tell someone how much you love them and how much they mean to you. We should be doing this more often, not just because tragedies occur.

For me, this was a chance to open my eyes and appreciate the love and life I’m blessed with each day.

What did everyone get up to this weekend? I tell you mine was spent with lots of good workouts, coffee, food, friends and family. In my opinion, the perfect equation to equal a fantastic weekend!

wake up HIIT workout

First up, weekend workouts. If I don’t have time to workout first thing in the morning, I’ll simply do a pre-workout that consists of 10 minutes of HIIT.

perfect protein pancake

I actually really enjoy “sleeping in”, followed by a quick workout to wake myself up and get my metabolism boosted first thing; always followed by a delicious breakfast.

On Sunday, this happened to be Gina’s protein pancakes. They really do turn out perfect looking. I was quite excited with that fact.

Later that afternoon, I did another longer workout that consisted of some planking and arms.

arms and abs workout

Lots of planks. My arms and abs were on fire. It was quite painful to get through.

Coffee with my Mom is always lovely. She even puts up with my super annoying blogging picture taking.

Now that is love.

starbucks
Could I be more typical?

I’m excited that this week we’ll have even more family at our house to spend Christmas with.

My Aunt and Grandma are heading over here from Toronto on Tuesday, so it will be exciting to see them!

Good eats happened as well, obviously.

pumpkin chili

I happened to have Chelsea’s pumpkin chili saved and I finally got the chance to try it this weekend.

So delicious!

I made a few small changes, instead of corn, I used zucchini and left out the onion and garlic as well.

Thanks for the awesome recipe Chelsea! I’m pretty excited to have leftovers of this awesomeness!

protein muffin + coconut flour

I also made my favorite snack as of now, a protein muffin (made with a mix of teff and almond flour) with a side of coconut frosting.

I’ll leave you with a thought provoking quote, that I love.

“All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think we become.”

-Buddha

I hope you’re making this Monday a marvelous one.

marvelous monday

What was the best thing you ate this weekend?

Do you love Starbucks as much as me? ;)

Do you like early morning workouts or later in the day?

Sending love your way!

It’s The Little Things

I don’t think this statement can be said enough. We are so blessed in life.

Even though I’m not celebrating Thanksgiving this week, all this thankful talk has got me looking at the big picture.

These days we seem to be aware that our lives feel out of control, and don’t actually take the time to be thankful for those little things we have that add some meaning to our lives.

I want to share some of my favorite joys in my life, they are simple little things but I appreciate them.

I’m grateful that I’m able to have access to these things.

Sometimes, I find myself wishing for bigger things to happen in my life, but right now I appreciate the little things in life because they add up to fantastic things.

It’s opening a new can of pumpkin to make a different kind of protein coconut balls.

(2 tablespoons coconut flour, 1 tablespoon peanut flour, 3 tablespoons pumpkin, stevia, ~3 tablespoons almond milk)

It’s being able to give yourself an at home afternoon manicure just because.

Especially perfect on those rainy days where you’d like nothing more to do than just curl up inside with the fire on and pampering yourself, just a little bit.

It’s discovering that David’s Tea banana nut bread tea is simply amazing.

If you have access to David’s Tea, you’ve got to try this blend. It’s basically the ingredients for banana bread in tea form. The other flavors I bought are equally as amazing. Banana Nut and Santa’s Secret are probably the top two though!

It’s being able to complete a workout at home without your body rebelling because you’ve been honoring your health.

I’m happy to report workouts have been able to be more intense since things have been improving with my health, I’m no longer feeling fatigued after every workout and I just feel much better in general.

It’s about not letting myself not be influenced by the anti-grain movement, and eating some pumpkin “cookie dough”.

(I used 1/4 cup oats, 1 tablespoon coconut flour, 1/4 cup pumpkin, 2 tablespoons almond milk, and stevia)

It’s about lighting a new candle that makes my whole place smell like a little piece of heaven.

I’m officially obsessed with Bath and Body Works candles. I think everyone I’ve tried out smells so good! It makes me really wish we had a store here.

It’s about picking up a coffee and being able to buy the persons in line behind me, just because it makes me feel a little happier if I can do so every now and again.

Even though it’s not a huge thing, I just feel a little bit better about the day if I’m able to improve someone else’s by simply buying a cup of coffee. It’s not hard to do and it makes me happy to see others smile.

It’s about being blessed enough to be able to communicate using a cell phone and shamelessly taking selfies with it.

I sometimes complain about my phone not working, or the internet not connecting, but honestly I’m just appreciative of the fact I even own a cell phone, I sometimes take it for granted but in the long run I really feel blessed to have access to a phone and a lap top and other things people could only dream of owning.

So yes, these things aren’t anything to go crazy over, but they are simply little things that add a little bit of happiness to my day.

What’s a little thing in your life that you appreciate?

Have a happy and blessed Tuesday!

Things I Know

Morning everyone!

I hope everyone is having a great day and is thankful that another week is upon us.

As much as I love how fast these months have gone by, I’ve had little time to actually appreciate the fact that I’m so lucky in my life everyday. For those simple things I take for granted.

Especially when a lot of the world is going through pain and suffering. We all have so much to be grateful for.

All those simple things add up.

Today, I’m honoring those facts.

* brown rice tortilla, tomato paste, oregano, nutritional yeast, sauteed spinach in coconut oil, plain spinach, goat cheese *

I know that my tortilla pizza I made for dinner last night was delicious.

Even if it wasn’t all that gourmet.

Lazy wins, sometimes.

* view from my room when I lived in Calgary for school *

I know that I’m super jealous of everyone who is getting snow right now.

As much as I hate being cold, I dislike rain way more than snow. Yep, I love snow!

Too bad Victoria is lame and we never get any.

* a trial run of gingerbread with cashew butter *

I know that in despite of the snowless weather, I’m getting prepared for lots of holiday baking.

Bring on the gingerbread and peppermint flavored goodies!

I know that I’m blessed to have my health and will never take that for granted again.

* isn’t this just the most fun (giant) wine glass? It’s my friends not mine, but I heart it *

I know that as much as eating healthy is important to me, enjoying a glass (or two) of wine every now and again is perfectly healthy.

Obsession isn’t healthy, balance is.


I know that coconut butter is the greatest roasted squash topping ever. Or any topping in general.

No other nut butter can beat its delightful flavour.

I know that Zuzana’s newest workout kicked my booty.

All her workouts are seriously amazing, and all can be completed with minimal equipment and time.

There’s no excuses to not get a good workout in.

I know that David’s Tea cocomint tea is oh, so scrumptious.

A lot of people asked me about this flavour, and I definitely recommend it!

I haven’t tried the other 2 flavours I bought yet, but I’m assuming their equally as good!

The perfect Winter tea for a chilly night.

I know that kale chips make a perfect side dish.

Especially, when they are cooked with nutritional yeast, coconut oil and dill.

I know that today is going to be a good day, and I hope yours is too!

What is something you know? 

How do you make your kale chips?

What’s your favorite at home pizza toppings?

Fit Friday #5

Morning friends! Happy Friday the 13th!! Anyone superstitious about this day?

Luckily, nothing bad has happened yet. Here’s hoping it keeps up.

Thank you all so much for the comments on yesterdays post. You all are the sweetest and so supportive!

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It’s been a while since I’ve incorporated my favourite protein powder into breakfast.

The Fitnessista’s Protein Cookie

1/2 cup oats, 1/2 serving sun warrior, 1 tablespoon coconut flour, 2 teaspoons almond butter, cinnamon, stevia, 1 frozen banana (melted), 1/4 cup frozen blueberries, ~1/4 cup almond milk. Topped off with a dollop of greek yogurt and a tad more almond butter. Delicious.

It was my first time trying out a breakfast cookie, and it is definitely really tasty, but it didn’t keep me full for very long. For some reason oats don’t seem to do the trick for me, oat bran seems to work though. Odd.

MondayElectra’s Firework Workout + Jen’s 10-1 rep workout

I ended up switching both of these workouts up a bit.
For the Firework Workout, I changed the ab star bursts into tuck jumps, star-crossed abs into jumping lunges, and the full body fireworks into dive bomber push-ups.
In the 10-1 Workout, instead of squats I completed squat jumps and did barrier jumps instead of sit-ups.
Finished up with 5 minute plank.

This whole routine was killer.

Tuesday – spin class


As I said, I went to the gym early. I was just going to do my own solo spin workout, but nope, the gym doesn’t open until later. How lame.

Wednesday -

I believe this workout took me about 25 minutes. I forget now, but around that time.

Thursday – spin class

FridayZWOW #4

(Source)

These style of workouts are always a favourite of mine, I think every week I do at least one of Zuzana’s workouts. They are high intensity, and just what I love to be doing in a workout routine.

Saturday – Pilates

I ended up doing a pilates class last weekend, and absolutely loved it. I actually started out taking pilates classes about 3 times a week when I was first losing weight and really enjoyed them. Once it started to get too expensive, I stopped doing the classes.

Now, I am going to be doing pilates classes as often as I can. For sure once a week, but will most likely be doing videos from home because of the cost. Yes, I’m cheap. I’d rather save up for attending a crossfit class at some point.

I love blogilates site, she posts awesome workout videos. And is my go to gal for pilates routines.

Sunday – rest day

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Looking at this week of workouts, I believe I may need to do some adjusting. I mentioned yesterday about the problems I have been facing with getting stuck in my comfort zone, I think I need to re-evaluate my current exercise routine.

I do a lot of high intensity workouts and even though they aren’t long maybe I should be putting my focus on something other then working out. I know it is very beneficial to workout obviously, but I do not want one obsession with clean eating to turn into another with over exercising.

(Source)

This will be tough for me, and I don’t believe I will cut out all exercising. Implementing more pilates, yoga, TRX training, and strength training may be more beneficial for me at this moment.

It’s not the end of the world if I give these type of workouts for a month, two, or however long I need. I will try and go into more detail about these thoughts in a post next week!:)

What was your workout today? Or your favourite workout of the week? Links welcome!

Fit Friday 4

Good morning, friends!

Happy Friday!!

This week has just flown by in a blink of the eye, but I’m still ever so excited that Friday has graced our presence.

We have finally got spoiled by the weather gods and have a full week of sunshine. I can’t wait.

Sometimes, foods that once appealed to me no longer have that desired effect. I have experienced these phases several times. I go through food obsessions for a while and then come out of them. I had taken such a long break from toast at breakfast and decided to bring it back for some experimentation.

This little number was 2 slices of ezekiel bread slathered in protein frosting and topped with fresh strawberries!

Definitely good, but nothing compared to my usual oat bran breakfast. Its good to mix it up every now and again though. Maybe some pancakes tomorrow, now those were darn delicious.

Later, I got my daily coffee.

When does this turn into a problem? I think its quite possible I’ve gone too far on my addiction.

I thought that since I got such a horrible sleep I’d get a quad americano. Um, awful idea. Not good. I was basically a jittery, spazzy mess for half of the day.

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This week in fitness, or how I was sweating dirty this week.

Monday – 4 minute plank, followed up with this workout. Since I had done abs earlier, I replaced the toe taps with barrier jump overs and the scissor abs with jumping lunges. That workout took me about 15 minutes so after I completed Zuzana’s ZWOW #16.

Tuesday – spin class
I can’t get over how excited spin makes me, I just love the energy that comes from the class! Am I a nerd or what.

Wednesday – I wanted to complete a similar workout to the one I did on Monday, since I loved it so much. I completed this little number that I made thanks to the wonderful inspired workout above. And then did this quick workout from Amanda Russell after.

Thursday – spin class
I wasn’t planning on going to spin, I went to bed at 2 and the night before only got 5 hours sleep. As luck would happen, I woke up right at 5 so decided to just get up and get ready to go anyways. It felt great to get moving and it ended up being an awesome class, as always.

FridayZWOW #23 Burpee Torture. 100 Burpees = Death. Especially because they were 50 in a row. I was a complete sweaty mess after this one.

Saturday – I think I am actually going to try out a pilates class. I’ll either go to a class or find something online. I think I should probably round out my week of intense workouts with something more low key, like yoga or pilates.
I mean its doing some good for Miley Cyrus, might as well try it out for me;) Sorry to those that dislike her, I happen to be a fan.

(Source)

Sunday – planned to have a rest day

I think it’s so important to workout with how it works for you. If you don’t like intense workouts, don’t feel inclined to do them because others are doing them. If you loathe running, don’t do it because other bloggers like it.

I always tried to live up to the ideal of someone else, but it never worked because it wasn’t something I was dedicated or passionate about. And then would get frustrated when it didn’t work out.

When you are trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle its important to view exercise as a positive experience for well-being. And that it is a source of stress relief and something that makes us feel good about ourselves. It is meant to let us live longer and happier lives because of the benefits it brings to us, not about the calorie burn you get afterwards.

Once we start dreading exercise, its time to take a step back and reevaluate why you are exercising in the first place.

That’s it for today. Also honest opinions here, do you like having the Fitness Friday’s every week or would you rather me include my workouts in daily posts and then do another normal post on Friday? Seriously, feel free to be honest. If you hate it, let me know and I’ll switch things around. I just want to make sure you enjoy what you read!

And on that note is there anything else you’d like to see on this blog? Say whatever, I won’t be offended;)

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The rest of my day look like it will be filled with more blood work! Eek, I always hate this. I bruise like a peach, so its really fun when I walk around looking like a heroin addict for a few days. And to also get my passport picture re-taken. Guess that must be done before HLS!!

Have a great weekend!

What was your workout today?
Do you workout for the calories burned or the benefits of exercise?

Fit Friday

Hey, lovelies! Happy Friday to you all!

Hopefully you all have fun plans for this weekend!

I can’t believe the weekend is finally here, unfortunately the weather isn’t looking that great, but that doesn’t mean it still won’t be fun.

Backing up to last night, I finished the day off with a favourite I forgot about for a while. GREEN protein muffin. Love. Spinach is a magical food. It can go into just about anything and you can’t taste it. I swear!

In some exciting fitness news this week, I was accepted as a Fitfluential Ambassador! After reading one of my favourite bloggers, Tessa’s post about the program, I finally decided I should send in an application. A few weeks later I was notified that I was accepted.

I love the message they are trying to spread with awareness to health and fitness goals and passions. I am so excited and honoured that I was accepted as an ambassador and am truly excited for what this positive community will bring along for me. Especially, since I’ve only been blogging for a short amount of time.

As you all know I am very open in my recovery process, and I hope I can help others with their recovery or to even not get involved in an eating disorder in the first place. It is a truly awful and deadly disease. I want to provide insight and advice to others that want it, and want to encourage everyone to get to their happiest and healthiest. Being healthy is the main priority and that looks different on everybody.

I am definitely not perfect, but am working on creating balance in my life with fitness, nutrition, and all it takes to be a healthy individual. I still have my struggles, but am being proactive in working on them.

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This morning started off with the usual, this workout, breakfast, and coffee…

Now, the past week my workout routine has drastically reduced because I was feeling quite ill at the beginning of the week. I still managed to get in a great workout this morning though.

As you all know by now I love my quick and effective workouts, HIIT or Tabata mainly, and also love circuit workouts as well. They make time fly by and they are so efficient. It’s fun and effective. And remember, you don’t need a ton of equipment to get in a superb workout!

So, I got into my new workout pants, grabbed a timer, and got my booty kicked in this workout.

Have fun and try this out :)

Yesterday, I also had the chance to try out the Fitnessista’s Tabata Workout. It was great. I was huffin’ and puffin’ by the end of it. It’s definitely a great Tabata workout, and you should give it a go!  It’s only 4 minutes, so no excuses ;) I forgot how hard jump tucks were.

Have an incredible day and a great weekend!

What was your workout today?

xox,
Lisa

Friday Fitness

Hey Bloggies! Happy Friday!!

Hope you all have some lovely things planned for the upcoming weekend!

Don’t you love those mornings when you can leisurely wake up and slowly emerge yourself into the world, taking your time to enjoy the start of the day. Unfortunately, yesterday wasn’t one of those mornings. ;)

I spinned, showered, got ready, went to 2 appointments, and finally sat down for my coffee. Ahhhh. It was needed at this point.

I even had a date with Flat Kitty. He tried stealing some of my Starbucks, and I wasn’t having any of that nonsense ;) Check out Flat Kitty Friday, and get yourself one; he’s a pretty cool friend to have.

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So after taking a week off from fitness, I definitely realized I do feel guilt when I miss my “gym time” and didn’t feel like I did anything productive with my day. You know what though, there are WAY more important things to life than working out everyday of my life. My family and friends get me through my hardest days and tough times through life.

The relationships that I build with these people is a lot more important and valuable than spending time in the gym. Of course I love getting in my gym time and getting my sweat on, but it shouldn’t run my life or have all my attention focused on.

(Source)
*whoopsy, just purchased these pants off the lulu site yesterday. I couldn’t resist, they are so adorable*

I found myself truly missing my weekly trips to spin class, but also understand I still have exercise issues that aren’t going to overcome themselves overnight, I still have a lot to work on in that sense. I definitely need to learn that relaxing is okay every once in a while and finding the balance between healthy and obsession.

*******

With all that being said, I jumped back into my workouts this week.

This week I am all about getting back into HIIT. I love the shorter workouts and the intensity, but I’m thinking I may still need to be backing off on the intensity of my workouts. I’m going to see how I feel after this week and if I’m still feeling tired I’ll change it up.

Monday I wanted to try out Lindsay’s Tabata Workout. So completed that, it was a doozy! Got my heart rate up and loved every minute of it! Great workout Lindsay! :D

Spin was done Tuesday and Thursday. It was nice to get my spin groove on and jammin’ along to those tunes that were playing during class. There was great music this week, which is always a plus!

I’m loving Zuzana’s ZWOW #4. I ended up doing this on Wednesday, and was feeling the burn. Lovely.

(Source)

I love doing my HIIT workouts while watching some Real Housewives or The Bachelorette, I don’t feel so guilty for watching it this way and it takes my mind off the pain I’m experiencing ;)

This morning, before breakfast I got my sweat on and completed this workout of mine:

Phew. My arms are now dead.
There’s nothing better than getting your workout in before most of the world has yet to get out of bed, don’t ya think?

With that, I’m off to get some errands done.

Enjoy your weekend all!

Any plans for this coming Father’s Day?
What was your favourite workout this week?

xox,
Lisa

Sweat It Out

Good Morning, lovelies!

Hope your Friday night was great and your Saturday is going well so far!

This weekend will be fab because we have a long weekend over here.

(source)

Bahaha, so true.

Reasons why I’m a fan of today

1. I cleaned my whole place yesterday, I love being in an area that’s been nicely cleaned.

2. It’s Saturday. Duh.

3. After this post is done, I’m heading out for my daily coffee. Addicted.

4. My workout is done, so I now have the whole day ahead of me.

I’d say that’s pretty decent.

After this mornings workout, I needed something quick to eat, enter baked oatmeal. I baked it the night before so it would be ready to consume when I came home.

oats, coconut flour, stevia, baking powder, banana, egg whites, almond milk, topped with protein frosting.

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Let’s talk workouts this week, shall we?

As you probably know by now, I love HIIT workouts.

I love that they help to kick things up a notch, you get more bang for your buck this way. HIIT is demanding and hard, as long as you PUSH yourself. Get yourself out of your comfort zone. That is the key to HIIT workouts, you need to push yourself to the maximum to get the benefits and results you want from your exercise routine.

It’s easy to mix things up, you don’t need to perform high intensity on exercise equipment. You can do this at your house with absolutely no equipment, or do it while on a run outside. Wherever, whenever.

The best part, for me, is that HIIT is short and sweet. I feel like I don’t have time to get bored, because the exercises or intensity change so often. Quality over quantity, my friends.

Today I give you a workout that will work every inch of your body and it doesn’t take long to complete. It is quick and effective. Yeahhh, buddy.

The plyometric’s in this workout will help to switch things up, keep the workout challenging, take your workouts up a notch, get that heart rate up fast, and you don’t need any equipment. Awesome, right?

I do these workouts at home mostly, because as much as I love to jump around like a crazy person, I do look odd at the gym flailing all over the place, sweating my face off ;)

I also want to note that I do realize that doing these workouts take a lot of energy out of me. I have been trying to add a little weight to my frame and know that I am burning calories by exercising, so do not fret, on days I exercise I increase my calories to an intake that suits my activity level.

Thanks to Stefanie for hosting Sweat It out Saturday

Monday – was this HIIT workout.

Tuesday – spin class!

WednesdayLori and Michelle’s Plank Challenge (I made it to 4 minutes), followed by Zuzana’s ZWOW #17. Another good one.

Thursday – A workout recommended to me by Katy.
5 rounds of  30 kettlebell swings, 30 jump lunges, and 30 ball slams, for time.
It was awesome. Thanks Katy!

Friday – I had another spin class, followed by a foam rolling session. This was done with the class as well.
It was a great way to make sure I got my stretching in. Ah, feels so good after. I need to be stretching more, that is for sure.

Saturday – This old BodyRock workout. An oldie but a goodie. I did this 4 times though, for a total of 16 minutes.

*Remember to check out my giveaway

Have a good one beauties!

xox,
Lisa

Fit Friday

Good afternoon friends!
How is your Friday going?

It has been a productive day so far, getting everything set up from moving. Finally, it is all almost done. Running some errands, and doing laundry.

Despite getting to bed a little later than usual, I was still up and ready at 6 this morning. I got on some workout clothes and completed Zuzana’s newest workout. It was a doozy.

A little while later, I prepped myself breakfast. Trying to switch things up just a tad. I had a simple bowl of raw oats, coated in almond milk and a mixture of peanut flour and almond butter mixed throughout the bowl. I then topped it with some fresh blueberries I bought at the market.

Earlier this week, I was inspired by some bodyrock and ZWOW workouts and came up with a combo of the two that would help me get in a killer workout fast. Get ready for a challenging HIIT workout.

Changing exercises every 30 reps made the workout fly by, even though I was super sweaty by the time this was over. This was completed while watching the new episode of The Big Bang Theory. Love that show.

*hop overs
*reptile push-up
*180 jump squat
*pike press burpee

I just want to thank you on your comments from yesterday’s post, sometimes it takes outside perspective to realize that your eating habits are still a bit skewed.

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Of Interest:


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Any fun plans for the weekend?
Do you watch TV shows while working out?

Have a good one!