Small move to elevate your lower body workout

Lunges are a great lower-body exercise because they target large lower muscle groups, improve balance and stability, and burn fat. 

Lunges are unilateral exercises that work each side of your body independently 

• Correct muscle imbalances and improve hip flexibility 

• Boost metabolism and build lean muscle 

• Improve your coordination and agility 

Now let’s add a heel raise to the lunge.

A heel raise will engage more of the calf muscles and makes the move harder by forcing you to have more stability and balance.

Proper form is key and you should try this with low reps until you get more comfortable.

Golfing

One of the (very few) perks of the global pandemic is my new found exploration of the great outdoors. So many things have closed and I had to get creative on what to do in the outside world and still keep myself and my family safe.

Fore!

Being a native Floridian, golf has always been a thing. We have some of the best courses around. I took a couple lessons when I was in middle school but never picked up a club since. Until NOW! A local golf course started a beginner program with lessons, golfing with a pro and a ladies league.

I started with hitting some golf balls on the driving range. Less pressure than going straight into a game. The instructors give really great tips and really want to help you improve your swing and your game. Once I got comfortable, I went to one of the evening ladies league events. 9 holes of golf, a drink ticket and a chance to win some great prizes!

Products

UnderArmour golf shoes. Getting golf shoes that will dig into the grass will prevent you from slipping or hurting yourself.

Collared shirts. Some golf courses will require a collar on your shirt, here is a dry fit option I really like.

Golf skirt. I love the look of pairing the collared shirt with a cute skirt. Golf skirts have spandex shorts attached underneath so you do not need to worry about wind.

Tees. You will need tees to lift your ball up when you do to drive your first shot at each hole.

Golf balls. I like to get a colored golf ball so it is easy to find after I hit it and I’ll always know which one is mine if playing with others.

Golf glove. Having a golf glove helps grip the club. Remember the glove goes on your non dominate hand. There is also a cushion on the palm for comfort.

CycleBar

During the pandemic, I made the purchase of my own spin bike (https://rstyle.me/cz-n/ediyancrumx). While I do try to ride 3 times a week on my own, having the community ride is still so special. There is just a different energy in the room!

Opening Soon!

CycleBar Dr Phillips will be opening in December but until then they are offering FREE outdoor rides multiple times a week. I went the other day and had such a great class! All the bikes were brought outside to the parking lot (or parking garage if it is raining) and spaced six feet apart for social distancing. They also bring out some speakers so you get the same feeling of loud music in the studio to tune out the outside world and enjoy your ride.

Specials

Our instructor Dominc was great. Full of energy and so motivating. His music was fantastic too. So glad he is a part of the CB DP team! There will be a few more outdoor FREE rides available to keep checking @cyclebardrphillips on Instagram for dates and times coming up! Major bonus: they are offering some great membership deals on site! I got myself a few rides and I cannot wait to use them when the studio officially opens up!

Who else is planning to add on spinning to their workout regime?

Get Out & Run

Running is a great form of cardio exercise that's easily accessible. Since it improves aerobic fitness, running can be a perfect way to help improve cardiovascular health. Plus, it burns calories and can build strength, among other things.

OrangeTheory

I joined OTF as a way to challenge myself and my fitness journey. I was doing various group exercise classes and going to a local gym but I knew I was not pushing myself. I wanted to try something hard. OTF really helped me learn how to run the right way. I never considered myself a runner. I never enjoyed running. But the mix of treadmill blocks and weights gave my body the boost it needed. I learned how to pace myself and build endurance.

Fit for Shoes

Getting fit with the right pair of running shoes has been a game changer for me and critical if you want to take this seriously. I had severe issues with my ankle so started with a pair of New Balance 880v7. They had the perfect support and when they analyzed how my stride, this pair would take unnecessary pressure off my feet. You should change your shoes every year. My next pair of shoes were Brooks, I went with the Ghost 12. This brand is the fan favorite for most runners. They are a high performance running shoe. The support is excellent, the style is perfect and they have an online shoe finder to help you find the kind that is right for your lifestyle.

12 races in 12 months

In 2019 I made a New Year’s resolution to run 12 races in the year. I wanted to do one 5k a month. I thought, I can totally get out once a month to accomplish 3.1 miles. Signing up for a race held me accountable. Getting a medal at the end gave me a reward. It was perfect to keep me motivated! I started by asking friends to join but realized running a race could be done alone, at your own pace and your own push. I did a few 5k and then decided to sign up for a 10k

RunDisney

I have another blog post that really goes into the ins and outs of RunDisney here. The RunDisney Wine & Dine Marathon was the perfect first 10k for me. RunDisney is not highly competitive so it is great to pace yourself, have fun but still challenge your running.

Run Club

After moving to a new city, I wanted to find a way to make friends. I was looking to find like minded girlfriends. I knew I wanted to continue my run journey, so I started a run club. The first morning, I wasn’t even sure anyone would show up. To my surprise there were 6 other girls! We motivate each other, we challenge each other and we recently started to sign up for races together. December 2020 we tackle our first half marathon! The support of the run community is amazing and unlike any other.

Right now is the perfect time, considering the social distancing requirements, to go out and run outside. Try something new and find a new healthy passion in running. Need a run buddy? Hit me up, we can do virtual runs anytime!

Orange Theory

Orange Theory Fitness is more than a gym. It is a 1-hour, full-body workout, focused on training endurance, strength and power. It uses heart rate-based interval training, which burns more calories post-workout than traditional exercise. The beauty of this kind of workout is that the intensity is based on your own individual heart rate zones, making the workout effective for all fitness levels.

Tread Block

was so intimidating at first. I was never a runner. I’ve had a lot of issues with my legs and feet that made me shy away from running. One of my favorite things about OTF is the customization. You can be a power walker, a jogger or a runner. Each block’s intensity is based on which group you are in, the each have their own base pace range, push range and all out range. This ensures that no matter where you are in your journey you will get your heart rate in the orange zone and burn those calories! I have moved from power walker to jogger and hoping to get into the running range soon. I never thought I would be doing 5ks or signing up for a 10k but OTF helped me get there!

Coaches

The coaches of any workout (and their music) really make the classes. The coaches guide you and tailor the workout so you meet your goals, so you really do not need to think or plan for your workout. Every coach at OTF (all over the nation) are given the same workout but the workout is switched up daily so it never gets old and you continue to challenge your body. I also really love when coaches will document the workouts and put it on Instagram. It’s GRAM TIME!

Challenges

There are so many different fun challenges. Hell Week is one of the most difficult weeks but so much fun. OTF gives out prizes for participants and bigger prizes for the top winner. During Marathon Month I came in second place in my age group and got a medal. These challenges give members and extra boost to push themselves and get rewarded all while having fun together.

OrangeTheory Fitness is a pricer workout membership, but so worth it! I love going into the orange room, I look forward to my burn and racking up the splat points with my OTF fam jam!

Plank Up Downs

If you think a minute goes by really fast, you’ve never done a plank! One of my fitness goals is to improve my upper body strength and work on abs! Planks and their variations are really good exercises to add into your daily routine moves while working out.

A new favorite of mine are the plank up downs. I recently took a class with trainer Savanna in Jacksonville.  She’s super sweet and bubbly but also a workout beast!

Begin in a full plank. Lower your right elbow to the mat and then your left, coming into an elbow plank.

Put your right hand on the mat, and straighten your right elbow. Do the same on the left to return to a full plank.

She had us going up and down for an entire song! To say I was sore the next day was an understatement. Savanna also does a lot of booty band workouts, I’ll link some in a future post.