Happy Friday!
This weekend looks like it will be a nice one, but while you are enjoying the crisp weather, don't forget your exercise and weight goals.
November and December are the junk food months of the year, rife with opportunities to mess up a perfectly good diet. Get ahead of the curve by upping your workouts now, so that you can enjoy those delicious winter morsels without too much guilt.
While losing weight is the best way to slim down, you can built the muscles underneath and focus your workouts to areas that bother you the most.
One area commonly hated - love handles.
We don't love them and we certainly don't want anyone using them as handles. Here are a two quick exercises you can do at home to slim down those side lumps.
Standing side crunch
Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, abs engaged and knees slightly bent.
Lift your right leg, bending knee 90 degrees and turning thigh out to side.
Place both hands behind your head and crunch your right elbow to right knee 15 times.
Switch legs and repeat.
Side bend
Start in the same position - standing with feet shoulder-width apart and abs engaged.
Place your right arm flat against your side. Bend your left arm at the elbow and place your hand behind your head.
Bend from your waist to the right side, while sliding your right arm down your right leg.
Slide your right hand up your leg in a controlled motion to straighten and return to the original position. Without any pauses, continue the side bends. Do about 20 of the bends on the right side.
Unbend your left arm and let it rest against your left side. Bend your right arm at the elbow and hold your head with your hand.
Bend from your waist to the left, sliding your left arm down your left leg as you bend. Return to the original position by sliding your hand up the left leg. Repeat 20 more times.
For more difficulty, hold weights or a medicine ball.
Finish the workout with 20 push-ups and 20 sit-ups.
Have a great weekend - remember everyone struggles, but with a positive attitude, we can all meet our fitness goals. Good luck!
-
Real Parents. Real Food. Real Fun.
Welcome to Adventures in Drool! Talking about green living, getting rid of plastics and toxic chemicals in our homes and raising happy kids on a budget. Join the conversation (www.adventuresindrool.com) and don't forget to Like us on Facebook!
Rachel Swick Mavity, author of the blog, lives with a reformed drooler (Droolface), who at age 3 loves to get muddy, drink homemade smoothies, giggle and flirt with old ladies. Her current drooler (Birdy) enjoys spitting up on work clothes and leaving drool trails as a way of showing her love.
Mavity previously worked as a journalist for seven years at newspapers from Pennsylvania to Maryland and Delaware. In Sussex County she worked for several newspapers, including the Cape Gazette. She lives in Lewes with her husband, Ryan Mavity, their son, "Droolface," and daughter, "Birdy."
