3 Week Core Challenge

 

 

***Before starting any workout please read the disclaimer! It can be found by clicking here! Thank you!***

 

 

Who doesn't want a better core? This is an easy to follow 3 week guide to a better, stronger core.  On the last day, you will test yourself to see how many you can do! Good Luck!  *This challenge is best suited for women who are not currently pregnant*

 

Week 1

Tuesday

     Plank- 25sec

     Sit-ups- 7

     Plank Jacks-7

     Straight leg Crunches-7

    Mountain Climbers- 25sec

 

Wednesday

     Plank- 30sec

     Sit-ups- 10

     Plank Jacks-10

     Straight leg Crunches-10

    Mountain Climbers- 30sec

Thursday

     Plank- 35sec

     Sit-ups- 14

     Plank Jacks-14

     Straight leg Crunches-14

    Mountain Climbers- 35sec

Friday

    Plank- 40sec

     Sit-ups- 19

     Plank Jacks-19

     Straight leg Crunches-19

    Mountain Climbers- 40sec

Saturday

     Plank- 45sec

     Sit-ups- 25

     Plank Jacks-25

     Straight leg Crunches-25

    Mountain Climbers- 45sec

Sunday- Rest

 

 

Week 2

Monday

     Plank- 1 min  

     Sit-ups-30

     Plank Jacks-30

     Straight leg Crunches-30

    Mountain Climbers- 1 min 

Tuesday

     Plank- 1min 10 sec

     Sit-ups-35

     Plank Jacks-35

     Straight leg Crunches-35

    Mountain Climbers- 1min  

Wednesday

     Plank- 1min 20 sec

     Sit-ups-40

     Plank Jacks-40

     Straight leg Crunches-40

    Mountain Climbers- 1min

Thursday

     Plank- 1min 30 sec

     Sit-ups-45

     Plank Jacks-45

     Straight leg Crunches-45

    Mountain Climbers- 1 min  

Friday

     Plank- 1min 40sec

     Sit-ups- 50

     Plank Jacks-50

     Straight leg Crunches-50

    Mountain Climbers- 1 min

Saturday

     Plank- 1min 50 sec

     Sit-ups-55

     Plank Jacks-55

     Straight leg Crunches-55

    Mountain Climbers- 1 min  

Sunday -Rest

 

Week 3

Monday

     Plank- 2 min

     Sit-ups-60

     Plank Jacks-60

     Straight leg Crunches-60

    Mountain Climbers- 1 min  

Tuesday

     Plank- 2min 15 sec

     Sit-ups-65

     Plank Jacks-65

     Straight leg Crunches-65

    Mountain Climbers- 1 min  

Wednesday

     Plank- 2min 30 sec

     Sit-ups-70

     Plank Jacks-70

     Straight leg Crunches-70

    Mountain Climbers- 1 min  

Thursday

     Plank-2 min 45 sec

     Sit-ups-75

     Plank Jacks-75

     Straight leg Crunches-75

    Mountain Climbers- 1 min  

Friday

     Plank- 3 min

     Sit-ups-80

     Plank Jacks-80

     Straight leg Crunches-80

    Mountain Climbers- 1 min  

Saturday- complete the minimum and the push yourself to see how many more you can do!  

     Plank- Hold plank at least 3 minutes

     Sit-ups- At least 85

     Plank Jacks- At least 85

     Straight leg Crunches-At least 85

    Mountain Climbers- At least 1 min  

Sunday -Rest

Plank- Get in resting push-up position and hold that for the above amount of time. Remember to keep your abs engaged by sucking your belly button in as far as you can to your spine. Control your breathing.

Sit-ups- Lay on your back with your knees bent and your feet firmly planted on the ground. Cross your arms across your chest. Keeping your neck in a neutral position pull your body up to a sitting position. Remember to keep your abs engaged!

Plank Jacks- In plank position with your hands firmly planted to the ground hop your legs out to a V shape and back in to plank position (that is 1 plank jack). Remember to keep your abs engaged!

Straight-Leg Crunches- Lay on your back with your feet in the air and tap your toes. Remember to keep your abs engaged!

Mountain Climbers- In plank position with your hands firmly planted to the ground bring your right leg forward and tap it underneath you and bring it back to plank position. Continue doing this alternating your feet each time. Remember to keep your abs engaged!

Good Luck!
-Brittany

"Its not easy but its worth it! Now repeat that everyday!"- Unknown

Tell us how your doing in the comments below! Have a question/comment/concern please email us at trulyfit.fishhawk@gmail.com or leave us a comment below. Don't forget to Like us on Facebook!

Birth Story of the week!

***Disclaimer- This post was written by a guest blogger and are the opinions/ideas/views of the author and not necessarily that of Truly Fit. ***


On February 28, 2013, I spent the entire day nesting and preparing for our little one’s arrival. That day I was 37 weeks and 4 days pregnant. Surprisingly my water broke around 5:30pm. Contractions started within minutes. At the time, Cody (daddy) was at the commissary, and rushed home even though I told him to take his time. When he got home, I took some time to eat dinner (no telling when I would be able to eat again), while Cody got the entertainment stand we were trying to sell out of the car, and the carseat installed. Within an hour, we were at the hospital, strapped up, and monitoring contractions, which at the time were uncomfortable, but tolerable. At my first check around 6:45, I was 6cm dilated. By the time Cody came back from checking me in, 15 minutes later, I was already 8 cm dilated. Which, unfortunately for me, was too late for an epidural. The contractions were close and very painful. Even though I had to pee, my midwife would not let me up, and I had to use a bed pan and get my bladder drained. I tried anything to get comfortable, but the pain was so bad. Cody told me later I ripped is jeans (there were no bed rails to grab on to) and I could be heard all the way outside the maternity ward. Around 8:00 pm, I started getting the urge to push, and was 9 cm dilated. I pushed for nearly an hour and a half. Finally my doctor tells me the baby’s head was not coming down. He slapped me with the one thing I did not want to hear, C section. Thinking back, I wish I had tried more (walking, squatting, etc.) to get him to come down naturally. But at the time, the pain was so intense I quickly asked how long the spinal block would take, agreed and signed the forms. I was covered up and wheeled off to surgery with just a few minutes to say goodbye to Cody (husbands are not allowed in surgery here in Germany ). I was conveyered onto the surgical table and wheeled into the pre-op room. Still in extreme pain, I had to lie there flat on my back until all was set up, and my doctor came him. He held me as the anesthesiologist started my spinal block, the contractions went away, and my legs became warm and tingly. This was totally opposite from how my top and arms were feeling, which was an intense shivering cold. I was finally brought into the operation room and surgery began. At 10:13pm, Sean Michael Brown was born (18 days before his due date). He weigh 3310 grams(7 lbs 5 oz), was 50cm(19.7 in) long, and his head was 33 cm(13 in) around. Though I did not get to see him until a couple minutes later and then only a brief second before they whisked him off to be cleaned, and checked over. After what felt like forever, I was all stitched up, and taken to a recovery room to monitor as the block wore off. Nearly 2 hours after he was born, I was in my room, and in walks my husband with our precious little boy. 2 hours, and I finally got to hold, kiss, and snuggle the best gift in the entire world. Baby and I spent the next 5 days in the hospital recovering, and working hard to get him to breastfeed. On March 5th, we finally got to go home to begin our journey as a family.

Kristen is an Army wife and mother to 1 year old, Sean. She currently lives in Germany where she is learning to balance life between working, being a wife & mom, and getting fit. While the majority of her pregnancy was easy, she managed to gain 75 pounds, on top of already being several pounds overweight, and ended her labor with a c section. She has become determined to get healthy and fit for herself, her son, and future pregnancies. Not to mention getting beach body ready for their move to Hawaii. She is passionate about eating healthy and reaching goals, and is committed to make this a lifestyle change.

 

 

"There is no way to be a perfect mother but a million ways to be a good one!"- Unknown 

Total Body Chair Workout

***Before starting any workout please read the disclaimer! It can be found by clicking here! Thank you!***

This workout is designed to give you a total body workout using nothing but a chair and some running shoes and can be completed in under 1 hour (about 43minutes) There is a little upper body, lower body, core, and cardio in this workout. This is a great workout for both pregnant (can be done at any stage of pregnancy) and not pregnant women. This should be challenging but not painful, if you are experiencing any pain please discontinue the exercise. I also recommend putting the chair against a wall to stabilize it, safety first!

You will start with a 5 min run/walk, getting as much distance as you can in that amount of time, take a quick break(there will be 20 second rest times)  and then do the circuit 2x's through( each exercise lasting 30 seconds). This will be followed by another 5min run/walk, circuit 2x's through, followed by a final 5 min run/walk. I encourage you to get as many reps in for each exercise as possible and challenge yourself to do more each time through. Good luck!

• 5 min run/walk
• 20 second break
• Chair Squats - Squat down like you are going to sit in the chair without actually sitting down, hover over the chair for a quick second and come back to standing position. repeat as many times as possible in 30 seconds. *remember to keep your stomach sucked in- think of your belly button kissing your spine. Your knees should never go over your toes!*

 

• 20 second rest
• Chair dips- With the chair against a wall for stability, put your hands on the end of the chair with your feet straight out. Slowly bend your arms and lower yourself down and back up again. Complete as many of these as possible in 30 seconds. 

• 20 second rest
• Chair push-ups- With the chair against a wall for support and facing the chair put your hands on the seat of the chair. Slowly lower yourself forward into a push-up position and back up again. Complete as many of these as possible in 30 seconds.  

• 20 second rest
• Alternating step-ups - With the chair against the wall for support (you can also do these from the side and hold on the back of the chair for more stability) step-up on the chair with your Right foot followed by your left. Step down and then alternate the next step with each foot. Complete as many as you can in 30 seconds. 

• 20 second rest
• Seated flutter kicks- Sit on the end of the chair and put your hands on the back of the chair for stability. Lift both of your legs in the air and kick your legs up and down about 5 inches. (If this is too challenging for pregnant women you can start with your feet on the ground and kick one leg up at a time). Complete as many as possible in 30 seconds. 

• 20 second rest
• Open/Close leg cross- Sit on the end of the chair and put your hands on the back of the chair for stability. Lift both of your legs and open them as wide as you can. Swing your legs back to the center crossing them in the middle. Complete as many of these as possible in 30 seconds (If this is too challenging for pregnant women complete the modified seated flutter kicks from above). 

• 20 second rest
• Right side leg kicks- With the chair against a wall for support hold onto the back of the chair for more stability. Gently swing your right leg out as high as you can and back down again. Complete as many of these as possible in 30 seconds. 

• 20 second rest
• Left side leg kicks- With the chair against a wall for support hold onto the back of the chair for more stability. Gently swing your left leg out as high as you can and back down again. Complete as many of these as possible in 30 seconds. 

• 20 Second rest
• Complete the circuit a second time through
• 20 second rest
• 5 min run/walk
• 20 second rest
• Complete the circuit 2x's through
• 20 second rest
• 5 min run/walk

 

 

Don't forget to drink plenty of water during this exercise! This can also be shortened for time purposes but completing the circuit 1 time through instead of 2. You can also extend your cardio time by running/walking for longer amounts of time or if running is too difficult you can do any cardio of your choice (swim, bike, elliptical, etc.)

 

-Brittany

 

 

Take a sweaty selfie and post it in the comments below! Have a question/comment/concern? Shoot us an email at trulyfit.fishhawk@gmail.com or leave us a comment below. Be sure to Like us on Facebook!

 

 

"Failure is not falling down, but refusing to get up"- Chinese proverb 

Infused Water Recipes

 

To help you all along in our Water Challenge (found here!) I thought we would add some recipes. Who knew you could even have a recipe for water! Here are a few yummy water recipes if you want a healthy little twist on plain water. These recipes have very few calories, if any, taste great and can help you detox.



To boost weight loss - 2L water, 1 medium cucumber, 1 lemon, 10-12 mint leaves. steep overnight in fridge and drink every day. Also great for general detox--including clear skin!

Courtesy of http://sitnoseckano.blogspot.com/2011/07/sassy-water.html (found on pintrest)

 

 

 

Infuse water with herbs and low sugar fruits for refreshing drinks. This basil, lemon, lime, cucumber, grape water is delicious! It gets better the longer it sits too :)

Courtesy of http://www.christelleisflabbergasting.com/2012/06/la-canicule-ne-matteint-pas-ou-presque.html (found on pintrest)

 

 

 

Detox Tea 1 cup hot water 1-2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar Squeeze of lemon 1 Tbsp of raw honey Dash of cinnamon

 

 

 





Courtesy of http://www.thankgodimnatural.com/recipe-fall-detox-tea/ (found on Pintrest)

-Brittany 

Want to share your own water recipe or have questions/comments/concerns? Feel free to email us at trulyfit.fishhawk@gmail.com or leave us a comment below. Don't forget to Like us on Facebook!

 

 

"You ain't gonna miss your water until your well runs dry."- Bob Marley





Water Challenge

Have you ever heard that your supposed to be drinking 8 glasses of water each day? Well I'm here to tell you that is a bold faced lie, you should actually be drinking upwards of 11 glasses a day (13 for men!) If you work out on a regular basis, you actually need to drink at least 2 more glasses of water on top of that. Live in a hot/humid/dry climate., go ahead and add at least 2 more glasses. So are you drinking enough water?

Most people don't realize just how deprived their body is of water. Headaches, hunger, and fatigue can all be attributed to not drinking enough water. Just by adding more glasses of water a day (water everyone, not-coffee, tea, soft drinks, alcohol, etc.- water!) you will see some serious health improvements. Adding just a few more glasses of water a day can alleviate headaches, hunger, and fatigue. Drinking 1-2 cold glasses of water before each meal will actually help you to eat less. Drinking more water can actually even boost your mood, and who doesn't like that added benefit?

In addition to drinking more water, there are some added beauty benefits that I think everyone will love. After taking a nice warm bath/shower, which can help alleviate aches/pains and melt away stress, turn the water down. Adding the cold water to your hair will leave it looking more shiny. Before you put your makeup on splash some cold water on your face, this will help shrink your pores. Drinking more water can even leave you looking younger!

So here is this weeks challenge, it is a 3 part challenge.

1. Drink at least 11 glasses of water a day (13 for men)
2. If you drink anything other than water you drink another glass to compensate. For example, say you drink 1 cup of coffee in the morning and a lemonade at lunch, you now need to up your water intake by two glasses totaling 13 glass.
3. Drink at least 1 glass of water before each meal.

Continue this for one week and let us know how you feel after the week is up! Need a reminder? Tie a blue string around your wrist, set a reminder on your phone, put an empty glass in a place you frequently go (if you sit at a desk for work, put an empty glass by your computer) anything that will remind you to drink more.

- Brittany

Have a comment/question/concern shoot us an email at trulyfit.fishhawk@gmail.com or leave us a comment below. Don't forget to Like us on Facebook!

"There is magic on this planet, it is contained in water." - Lorah Eisely

Frittata

A healthy morning favorite for my family is this yummy frittata. It is very easy to make and the best part is, you can practically use any vegetables or meat you have on hand to throw in there. I am a vegetarian and my husband is not. Sometimes I make a meat version but on this day I decided to just keep it a veggie frittata. You could easily make this with meat any meat inside (if it is a raw meat such as sausage brown it in a pan before adding it to the dish). My husband loves this dish so much I didn't even have time to snap a picture of the complete dish before he had already served himself a plate.

Easy Frittata

Ingredients:
    Eggs (1 whole egg, 3 egg whites)
    Shredded cheese- 1/4 cup (I used a cheddar Colby blend)
   Peppers- 1/2 red, yellow, green
   onion -1/2
   tomato- 1/2
   squash- 1/2 small
   zucchini 1/2 small
   salt
   pepper
   1 tablespoon milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Oil medium size baking dish and set aside
3. chop all of your vegetables and place in a large bowl
4. Add cheese
5. in a separate bowl whisk 1 whole egg, 3 egg whites together, and 1 tablespoon milk together.
6. pour egg mixture in the veggie bowl and mix add salt and pepper to taste.
7. pour mixture in pan 
8. bake in preheated over for about 25-35 minutes (it is done when the middle is firm to the touch and does not jiggle.)  

We made this over the weekend and as usual my 2 little helpers were busy helping me in the kitchen. I have found if they help me make it they are more likely to eat it. I hope you all enjoy this as much as we did/do. You can also cut the rest of all of the other vegetables and then put them in a freezer bag and put them in the freezer and use next time.


Chopped up veggies

 

Happy to help Mommy cook
 



Egg and Egg whites

 



Add the eggs to the veggies

Pour it in the baking dish

Mix mix mix



And that's all that was left!


Have a recipe you want to share, leave us a comment below! Questions/comments/concerns please email us at trulyfit.fishhawk@gmail.com or leave us a comment. Don't forget to Like our Facebook Page!

"Health requires healthy food!"- Roger Williams







Felt Ice Cream Sorting

This is an easy craft that you can make with your kiddos (although it requires hot glue so it may be best for you to make and your kids to play with). My girls spent almost 45minutes playing with these and they were learning at the same time. Its a great toddler/preschool activity for sorting and learning colors.

Materials:

• hot glue gun and glue sticks
• felt (assorted colors)
• popsicle sticks
• crayon/marker (assorted colors)
• scissors

Instructions:

1. Using a marker, draw the desired shape of a popsicle onto a piece of felt.

2. Cut the shape out and use it as a stencil to draw an identical piece on the same color of felt and cut it out.

3. Hot glue 3 of the edges of the popsicle, leaving the bottom part open (this is where the stick will go)

4. Using a marker or crayon write the name of the matching color felt on one of the sticks. Cut out a small piece of felt and using the hot glue, glue it on the end of the stick.

5. Insert the stick into the open part of the popsicle.

6.Repeat these steps for as many color of felt popsicles you would like to make.

How to play:

There really is no right or wrong way to play with these. I give them to my girls as finished popsicles and they quickly learned that the sticks and the popsicle separate. We talked about the colors and what each stick said and how they go together. My 2 year old, Sophia, then started matching them together while my 8 month old had more fun chewing on a stick :) oh well, its still sensory development and fun for everyone! Enjoy!

 

- Brittany 

Have a fun craft you want to share, email us or leave us a comment below! Have a question/comment/concern, please email us at trulyfit.fishhawk@gmail.com or leave us a comment below! Don't forget to Like us on Facebook!

"Let them be Little because they are only that way for a Little while"- Unknown