Fitness Friday

I am a firm believer that you don't need a gym to get a good workout. I am fortunate enough to have a gym in our neighborhood that is actually pretty decent and a membership to the YMCA. But I honestly don't use them that much! I feel like I can better fit a workout into my day when I'm doing it at home. I would say 90% of my workouts are either running outside or at home. I love working out at home, because we can blast whatever music we want on Pandora and our dog is always entertained by us working out in the living room.

Pinterest is a great way to get workout ideas and that's where I find most of my moves. Feel free to follow my Fitness Board on Pinterest and please don't judge me for the amount of pins I have :)

Lately, I have been running 3x week and focusing on toning. I have been reading a lot about how building lean muscle helps boost your metabolism and I'm all for that! The moves below (in no particular order) are pretty much what I have been doing for the last month or so. I think it's a good mix of core, arms and legs. Once I get my arms exhausted with bicep curls for examples, I switch to lunges and work an entirely different muscle group. 

I try to throw in the jumping jacks whenever I feel like I need to get my heart pumping! I forgot all about jumping jacks until I saw a friend post about them on Instagram. They really get the blood pumping! I also like this series because it incorporates standing abs. I have never been a fan of lying down and doing tons of crunches. It's just too boring for me and I never feel like I have the right form.

Here are a few modifications that I sometimes do:

• Push-ups standing up with your hands on the wall. This is great for me, because I have trouble going all the way down in traditional (or knee-down) push-ups. This really helps me get the whole range of motion, which I think is great for my shoulders.
• You can always add weights to your lunges (I have small hand-held 5 lb. weights and smaller wrist weights)
• There are a million variations of squats, but I really like the ballet squat, where you turn your feet out and take a larger stance. This really works different glute muscles.

Sometimes I break this up and only do the standing ab moves or only the lower body workout, depending on what other fitness I am doing that day. But if you do this whole series through with only 1 rep of 15 each, it should take you 20-30 minutes, depending on your pace. When I have more time, it's nice to add additional reps, but I'll take what I can get!

Since I am participating in the 14-Day Sexy Arm Challenge, I've been trying to take it easy on my arms, so they aren't jello by the end of the day! The challenge mostly consists of push-ups, dips and planks. I am the worst at push-ups, so this challenge is helping!

Let me know if your try this out for yourself! I would love to hear your feedback. Any other body weight exercises that you can't live without?