Back To Basic on the Floor Workout

Back To Basic Full Body on the Floor Workout:

What you need: 

-Water

-Yoga Mat

-Timer

Today's workout is intervals: Set a timer, work for 30 seconds, rest for 30 seconds. Repeat one exercise after another using the timed intervals and repeat for a total of 3x

WARM UP take 3 minutes to warm up

Exercise 1: Low Plank Hold

Tips: done on your knees, raise your feet this will take the pressure off of your knees! 

Exercise 2: Spinal Balance

Start on all fours, knees stacked under hips, hands stacked under shoulder, head up looking 3-5 inches in front of you: 

Next Raise your right arm out and hold for one second: 

Next raise left arm: 

Next raise right leg: 

Next raise left leg: 

Repeat in this pattern for the whole 30 seconds

Exercise 3: Floor Bridge

Starting laying on your back with your knees bent:

From here simply plant your feet into the ground and use your lower back to raise you hips, hold for a second and release and keep repeating for 30 seconds:

Exercise 4: Marching 

Start on your back with knees bent like the previous exercise: 

From here you will march, raise your right knee and then your left and keep repeating!

Exercise 5: Modified Side plank

Start on your side, line up your hips, bend your bottom knee and raise up, hold for as long as you can and then switch to the other side

And there you have it, you are using your entire body while working your core at the same time! I hope you enjoyed! Happy Saturday!

A Vision for Your Life

"Where there is no vision, the people perish..." Proverbs 29:18

Where we can not see a future we can not thrive. Where we can not dream we slowly waste away. Where there is no vision, the people perish...the people perish. Do you have a vision? Do you have a dream? Or is your life wasting away? 

God's words are always so powerful. It is in black and white, where one does not have a vision they will perish. We need to be able to dream and see things in our minds that are not yet tangible here on earth. Where would we be without vision? Imagine if all of the great inventors never had a vision for wanting to know more, or if scientist and doctors never had a vision for a cure for cancer, or if parents never had visions for how they wanted to raise their child. If we take away the vision...what would there be? Why would be motivated to do anything? Why would we want to care about how things work, or how to cure diseases or how to raise a well rounded child if there was no vision to drive the action? Just as God stated, it wouldn't be so...the people would perish.

As 2014 ends and 2015 begins a lot of us take this time to make resolutions. It really is a great exercise and its a great thing to reflect back on the year and get rid of what didn't work and figure out how to implement change where it needs to happen. The biggest problem with resolutions is that they hardly get kept long enough for one to truly see the finished product. And that is usually because most of our resolution list look like this:

For most people this does not actually work, and as you can see year after year it is the same resolutions. Well this year stop making resolutions and goals you can't keep and create a vision for what you want your life to look like. Find your purpose and great attainable goals to help you get to where you want to be. Don't live by chance, but live by choice! 

A fun way to work on your resolutions is to create a vision board instead of a list. A vision board gives you chance to see past the negative and into the future and the positive that lays ahead. A vision board gives you a vision and a plan for action to greet the new year with. Set yourself up for success. Don't let life beat you down! Grab it by the horns and take some control where you can!

Creating a vision board is fun. The first thing I would recommend is sit down and write out your goals. What I did was created the major categories in my life I wanted to focus on like Financial, Career, Spiritual, Home school, Fitness,  etc and there are many more to come up with. But pick you top 6-8. Then using SMART goals, write out some actual goals you want to attain under each category. For example: Financial: Get out of debt: start by getting student loan out of default by June. A SMART Goal is:

Once you have set SMART goals for each of your categories you can then prioritize those goals. The next step then is to go to www.picmonkey.com and create a vision board based on your goals. 

Here is my Vision Board 2015: 

Create a vision for your life! Don't be scared to DREAM BIG!!! God wants us to have vision and purpose. He created us for a purpose. Use your purpose and your vision to drive you! This year don't do the same old thing. This year make it the best year! This year see and know what you are working towards and how you are going to get there! That is a key to success! Don't let life happen by chance, make it happen bu choice! 

Muscular Anatomy and Posture

I can not stress enough the importance of your form and technique while working out. If your form or technique is off your exercise is ultimately having an adverse effect on you. To prevent pain and discomfort and further damage of the muscle, bones and joints we have to get back to the basics. We have to review the anatomy of the body, we have to review proper posture and we have to learn proper form when we workout. 

I wanted to create this document to just dig a little deeper into understanding the basics of our body. One way to help you increase your awareness and ability to execute exercises is to become familiar with the muscles of your body. Having an awareness of what muscle is working creates a mind body connection. I truly believe this connection is a key component to finding either success or failure. When you are focused and aware of what you are working you are planting seeds into that exercise as opposed to just going through the motions with no awareness, this method plants no seeds. When you plant seeds you reap a harvest. And if you don't plant seeds you can't reap a harvest. That is why I believe it is so important to know some of the major muscles and when you workout no matter how intense , slow, fast or whatever...you pay attention to your muscles and you listen to them and you learn when to contract and which way your body has to move to feel a certain stretch...this awareness allows you to maximize the potential that already exists within you! 

Below are some picture of some of our basic muscles. Take some time to look them over and get to know your amazing body!

The other thing I want to talk about for a moment is your posture. I know I talked about it in my video and I wanted to share this picture with you that shows you all the points where you can either have good posture or bad posture. Remember working on correct posture can greatly reduce pain and discomfort, it corrects muscle imbalances,and it makes you look taller and slimmer! 

Stepping out of my comfort zone!

I was on the phone with a girl friend when all of a sudden I heard the baby wake up from her afternoon nap with a startle. She usually wakes up pretty happy, so I ran to her quickly, worried what could be wrong. When I got to her crib there were no signs of struggle or blood...she just still looked tired. So I shrugged it off, wiped away her tears and took he out of the crib.

Moments later as I was feeding her a snack, it dawned on me...I have been expecting a package all day...maybe Fed Ex came and the knock on the door is what woke her up...I quickly ran to the front door and flew it opened and wouldn't you know there was my package!

YAY!! What new program is inside???

What does it look like??

I can not wait!

Oh!! it is soo pretty!!! Right away I loved it! I know it sounds silly to get so excited about a program...but when I look at this I am looking into my future. I am looking into what I one day may be capable of accomplishing and doing! This program holds potential for my life. It holds promise and it holds health! 

I mean who doesn't want to be able to do that? 

I was so excited I couldn't wait. I sat down and read the Quick Start from cover to cover. The more I read the more excited I got!

See I LOVE yoga, but I have the mindset where if I am not working hard, sweating and lifting weights, am I really working hard?

Attempting this program is a challenge for me because it goes against the grain of what I am used to doing to stay fit. It scares me, I won't lie, that I will loose the muscle definition I am starting to get back. That it won't really challenge me at all. But then I think to myself if we also do the same thing we will always get the same results...so maybe this change will get me new results I never thought possible! and that excitement trumps out my fears!

I couldn't wait I had to at least try the Alignment video and get an idea of what this whole Piyo thing would be about.

Just practicing the moves and getting an idea of what is to come was fun! These are just some of the basic things we went over!

So what is Piyo? 

PiYo is a low-impact, high-intensity body-transformation program. It uses 

the most effective Pilates- and yoga-inspired moves set to a fast pace to 

help you burn fat while you sculpt long, lean muscles. 

You’ll carve every inch of your body without jumps, without weights, 

and without straining your joints. And rest assured, there’s no complex 

choreography to learn. Chalene Johnson takes you step-by-step through 

the moves where you’ll use your body weight to lose weight and get 

intensely defined! You get your strength, your cardio, and your flexibility 

training all in one program.

So I will start this new program on Dec 1....if I can wait that long LOL!

If this sounds like something you would be interested in, I would love to have you in my next challenge group! But act fast there are only 2 spots remaining and it starts this Monday! you don't want to miss out on this life changing program! 

To join my next group simply go to: http://www.piyochallenge.com/

For questions, help or direction please contact me on FB or email me at Lethbridge18@beachbodycoach.com

Love you guys! Have a great day and HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

FREE Workout!

So I did a killer workout yesterday! It was short and sweet and to the point...and I wrote it myself. Which I think actually makes it harder. The whole time I know what it is coming, I know I have to push, and I am the only one there to push myself. It would be easy to give up. I mean no one is looking. But then how would that help me? So I did it the whole thing! LOL And I wanted to share it with you and challenge you to try it and just let me know what you think! Its only 30 minutes! here is out it goes:

warm up 3 minutes, jog in place, jumping jacks, windmills, hamstring stretch

Main Workout: 4 Sets /Each Set has 2 exercises, each exercise will last for 1 min with a 20 second rest in between. You will do each set two times. (you can download a free Interval Timer on your phone and set it up and it will time your entire workout!)  

Set 1: Squat and press (palms facing in) 60 secs        rest 20 sec

          Mountain Climbers 60 secs   rest 20 sec                                                   2x

Set 2:Side lung to a back lunge - stay on the same leg - 60 sec  rest 20 sec

          Push ups              60 sec rest 20 secs                                                       2x

Set 3: Single Leg Squats - stay on same leg -  60 sec  rest 20 sec

          Deadlifts                                              60 sec    rest 20 sec                     2x

Set 4: Squat with a lateral raise (shoulders out to the side)  60 sec 20 sec rest

          Tricep kick backs                                                   60 sec 20 sec rest     2x

Cardio Set: 1 minute Burpees  20 sec rest 2x

Abs: plank hold 60 sec  side plank hold 45 sec/side  bicycle crunches 30  3x

Stretch/cool do

Let me know how it goes for you!!

Passing the Test

Phew! I can breathe a HUGE sigh of relief! I am so happy that is over. Why I always wait until the last possible second to get things done I will never know. It is in my DNA to procrastinate I guess. But I don't really like to think of it as procrastinating, but more it is like waiting for the appointed time that an appointed task must get done. I would actually like to think that since my deadline for getting re certified was November 2, getting it mailed out by October 31 is like, way ahead of schedule! LOL. And its not like I waited until today to start...so with that being said...PHEW! I am so glad that is done and I passed my test, I got my CPR/AED done in  time and God blessed me with the money to pay for it all. (It is NOT cheap to get re-certified). It is all in the mail, in the mail box waiting to arrive at its final destination.

I can now relax. For two more years I am a certified personal trainer and I can continue to make money. God is so good.

I mean really He is. He never NEVER fails. He always provides and what ever He does not provide you with, is obviously something you really don't even need. Because even without it, you survive.

 So once again I have faced another test of my faith in Jesus Christ. I am finding with each pasting test it is getting easier and easier to rest in Him. I am discovering through things like having to get re certified how God provides each and every step of the way; how not to worry about the future but just take care of today. For example, the first part in getting re certified was finding the right course, for the right price, and for the right amount of CEU's. I couldn't worry or doubt that if I spent money in September, that it would mean I wouldn't be able to pay the re certification fee come November. I also had to pay for the CPR/AED class (maybe I should mention here I live on a very tight budget, I am very blessed to make a little bit of money from home allowing me to homeschool, however, having to pay to continue to make this money was not in my budget) with that being said, God made it all work within my budget.

And even now I am taking a big hit to my budget to pay the ultimate fee. But I have over and above 100% faith in God that He will provide everything I need, and even though this may feel like a hit financially...it never is with God. Because as long as I rely on Him, He will ALWAYS provide what I need. And it is so amazing to be tested and see Him in action.

Even though I wait until the last possible second to get things done, even if I look in my bank account and it doesn't seem possible, I know that with Christ all things are possible and He always gets the job done. So even the little bit of stress I felt working on this was minor with Christ because it was only due to just making sure I passed the test. He provided the money and the way, I just had to walk the path!

And continue to walk is what I have to do. With my head held high and my eyes up! Living a healthy life and being a personal trainer is more  than exercise and counting calories, it is a way of life. A way of life designed by the Creator himself. A design for us to live to our maximum potential, to live out the calling He created specifically for each and every one of us. It is scary at first, but with time you begin to learn to trust and enjoy...and that is the freedom in Christ.

Phew! I am so glad that is over! LOL

Until Next Time!

Happy Friday!!

The Results are In!

The results are in. The 21 Day Fix is over. In only three weeks I lost a total of 6lbs and 5 inches!! I went from having a pooch, to a flat belly. I went from jiggly thighs to not only tightened and toned legs, but I also lost an inch on each thigh!

The reason I did the 21 Day Fix was I was tired of being tired and I desperately needed to get back into shape. I was tired of looking at the fat on my legs and being out of breath from chasing the kids around. So I dove in and tried the program.

And I am thrilled with the results!

Through this challenge this is what I learned: 1. Working out daily is a conscious choice, and the days you don't feel like working out are the best days to workout. Those are the days you always learn something valuable about yourself.  2. Eating breakfast makes a huge difference in how you feel throughout the day. During the fix I felt alive and full of energy. I have even began naturally waking up earlier on my own and getting more things done throughout the day. 3.The last thing I learned is: The healthier your are, the healthier your family is. By me eating healthier everyone around me has been eating healthier. By me getting out and exercising the family wanted to join too. I have learned that sharing my story actually HELPS others and by keeping it to myself, I can help no one.

So, here is the beginning of my story. The place where I decided I wasn't going to just lay down and let the world take me by storm. But instead here is where I chose to stand up for myself and for what is right and true. This is when I took back my life and started the process of molding it into what God has called of me. This is only the first 21 days. I still made a lot of mistakes and have a ton to learn.

But I happy now with my results and will take this week to continue to workout and eat right and figure out my next move!

If you feel like I did, If you need a change in your life, want to get back to being healthy, or just simply want to take time out for yourself  but don't know where to start. Contact me @ lethbridge18@beachbodycoach.com or Message me on FB or visit the link below to learn more about the 21 Day Fix. www.beachbody.com But don't hesitate, don't wait any longer to live the life you have always dreamed of! Contact me today! I can help you find the right solution to help you achieve any fitness or health goal!

Standing Firm

"Don't let anyone ever break your soul. You have to stand on your own two feet and stand up for yourself. There are those that would give anything to see you fail, but you must never give them the satisfaction. Hold head your head up high, smile, and stand your own ground." -Not known

"Personal power is the ability to stand on your own two feet with a smile on your face in the middle of a universe that contains a million ways to crush you." - J.Z. Colby

A dear friend of mine pointed out to me this morning, during one of the biggest storms of my life, that the enemy was out really out to get me. It shocked me for a second...to think of all of the attacks and disrespect that I have to deal with lately done by the Devil's hand to try to stop me...Me? It got my wheels spinning.

Why would the Devil care so much about what I do to try to stop me? ... Unless...It's not necessarily me he is trying to stop. It is the God in me he wants to prevent. If I was willing to be greedy and do things the enemy's way he would love to see me flourish. He would set me up so high just to watch me crash and burn twice as hard. He wants to prevent me from living out God's plan for me,to prevent me from working for a life that will not fail. He wants me to think I am not capable, no body likes me, I am a horrible person, that I don't have what it takes. That what I am working for is not possible.

Well, I have news for him: I am a child of God, the one true king Jesus Christ. The enemy can attack me all day long, and I won't budge. I will fold my arms and look him right in the face and call him out. I will stand firm on what I believe and what I know God has called me to do. I will stand firm and grounded in God's sovereignty and will over my life. I know I am meant to home school, which means I need to be at home. I know that I am now facing being a single mother of two, so I also need a way to make money. I know God has provided me a way to do both. Becoming a coach for Beachbody is scary yet completely thrilling. It is such a positive and uplifting position and at this moment in my life, where I feel like if I let go for one second my life might completely un-ravel. It is helping give me focus and intention and giving me something to hold onto. I am getting healthy again and finally starting to feel comfortable in my skin for the first time in about three years. I feel like I am finally starting to live for myself again and not just for the people around me. I will not fold or cower in the corner when the enemy comes in to try to knock me off course. When he tries to tell me I can't home school if I am single. Or that what I am doing isn't enough. I face all of these fears with confidence in my God that none of those factors truly matter. It doesn't matter if I am single, it doesn't matter what people say or think. If God  has called me to Home school and Coach then He will provide a way. And it may mean things getting re-adjusted and re-arranged. And maybe even loosing some things along the way.

Life looks a little fuzzy right now. Left is right, down is up...and I am trying to figure out which way I am going. I may feel scared but I won't act on it. I know better. If I stay focused on the good, on working hard, motivating, on being consistent and helping others the storm will soon pass. I may come out the other side with less than before. But I think that is ok. Because I believe in other ways I will come out with so much more.

Save the Drama for your Mama

So, I got into a fight this afternoon with one of my boyfriend's relative...through Facebook :( (boo). We are dealing with a very serious issue that happened with his son. We are trying to handle it the best way we know how. Well a certain family member doesn't like what we have decided and thinks she knows better. I have said something to her before asking her to stay out and so has my boyfriend. She has not respected us in any way and due to that more people than necessary have been hurt. (Got to love family drama) And it got to the point where I had no choice but to say something. 

In all my years alive I have not ever felt so much disrespect from someone who really had no right to be saying what she was saying in the first place. I know for a season I am just going to have keep my distance and go about my life. Its been a rough year for his family and we have had a lot of hard times ourselves. Everyone needs time to heal. I am in a place where I really need a chance to heal. Time to take care of myself. My boyfriend and I need to rebuild trust and work on actually doing life together. I know I need to find it in my heart to truly forgive his son and his aunt. And I believe with time and peace that will come.

But for now its time to let go. I have learned over the years to keep my mouth shut. That there are times when you have to walk away and let the water under the bridge. I had wanted to say something sooner than I did. But I didn't. And being quiet paid off. The opportunity was presented to me in a way where I was able to say what I needed to say without attacking...there was just no resolution. And now I have confirmation that this is a time where I have to put all drama aside and focus.

God has called me to do big things, and two weeks into my own business (! yes my very own business!) I feel more confident and empowered. I am dead serious when I say this. The few weeks of Beachbody Training has been so inspiring and uplifting. It helped me today, even in a crazy situation, I stayed on course. I didn't get too distracted and wouldn't fall for the game. I was confident in where I stood and knew (and know) I have every right to stand up for myself and for what is right. I know with all my heart what God has called me to do. Right now I can't have distractions. Right now my mind can NOT be clouded by emotional drama. God needs me focused and clear headed. I have people to help, a family to raise and a big God to serve.

I know in time this whole mess can be worked out. But for now it is what it is. And like our message in church this last week : I will rest in the freedom of Christ. I will not fret in worry or anxiety as God works this out. I know he makes all things, the good, the bad, the ugly work out for the good for those that love him. We just sometimes have to sit back, be quiet, stay focused on Christ and rest and let God be God and do what he does best! While I do what he has called me to do: Get my life on a better track. 

Like Pastor Kerri asked on Sunday, "If you can't rest are you truly free?"

So before I analyze this anymore and fret instead of rest: I lift it up to God and now it is time for me to put my mind at ease and rest in His loving arms. Tomorrow is a new day! And today is almost done! (LOL)

A New Beginning

I have only been a part of Beachbody for a few days now, and started the 21 day fix 2 days ago. I don't have a full story about what Beachbody has done in my life, but I have a vision for  what I would like for it to do and I CAN tell you that it looks promising.

My story starts from when I was a little girl. My mom says that I used to wake up every morning religiously and do my mousercises! I used to do my mom's workout videos. I started playing softball in third grade and when I was older I also played basketball, and soccer. I played sports all the way through college. My college lacrosse team and I even won the NCAA Championship, the last game of my senior year. It was an amazing journey. I learned so much about exercise, getting shape and working hard. Playing sports all those years was amazing.

Then I graduated college and returned home. I felt lost and confused. Without my team I didn't know where to go, how to make friends or how to keep myself in shape without getting bored. For years I have struggled with being consistent, pushing myself out of my comfort zone, eating right and now that I have two kids making time for myself at all. I became a personal trainer a few years ago , and I loved it, but the hours didn't work well with being a mom.  The money didn't add up to the time away from my kids.  And then this summer as my son was entering into Kindergarten we decided that I would home school him.

I began to realize that one of my biggest callings in life was to raise my children. I realized as I started home schooling that this was meant to be for our family. I love it and so does my son. But we are struggling financially. So as much as we love it, there is pressure on my fiance to financially carry all the weight. It has caused a lot of strain for us. I have been presented with the opportunity to be a Beachbody coach three times! and I turned it down all three-out of fear-.

So here I was a week ago...out of breath from dealing with the kids (what?), not eating until 2 in the afternoon and eating frozen pizza at that (are you serious?),not making money and looking around at what we seriously need to move forward in life. Then it occurred to me, maybe I should try the 21 Day Fix. Something to get me back on track and keep my accountable. Then I thought maybe as I go through this process I should take this opportunity to also become a coach. I see this as my opportunity to use all of the skills God has given to me. I can raise my kids the way I have always dreamed of. I can stay home and home school and run a successful business.  I can be in shape the way I have always dreamed of and I can help others the way I have always dreamed of. I don't have to be out of breath and broke. I can change that. I can be the positive change my family needs.

Today is day 3 and so far so good! I feel sore from the workouts, but I like it! I am getting used to eating right again...I have an awful sweet tooth...but I am winning! I feel better mentally just knowing I am doing the right things to take care of myself. And by taking care of myself I can take better care of my family. And no matter what I know this is a step in the right direction.

PS-Today I made my first sale!!!