Fitness Tip of the Day: Tuesday's Trunk and Core -- Ab Power Workout -- Hard Core Training

It's Tuesday!  Time for some core work!  Some of the exercises in this workout may not seem like core exercises to you. We tend to think of crunches and planks when we do this kind of muscle work, but once you try doing squats and lunges while holding a weight overhead, your core will be saying, "Oh yeah, I'm feeling it!"

This workout is from Befit's 30 day 6 pack abs.  Once again, sculpted abs are more than just core exercises, they are about healthy eating and cardiovascular work as well.

As far as form goes, I agree with her, faster is NOT better.  Slow and controlled is always better when doing core work.  He goes a bit fast on some of the exercises.

On the lunges and squats, don't take your knees past 90 degrees and keep them in line with your ankles.  Don't drop your bottom lower than your knees--you want your thighs parallel to the floor.  Bending more than this is really hard on your knees and the benefits just don't outweigh the risks as far as I'm concerned.

As usual, do a warm up first and a lower body stretch afterward.

Fitness Tip of the Day: Monday's Muscle Work -- Butt Workout 3 -- Firm Extreme

Today's workout focuses on your lower body.  It is from the 30 Day Butt Lift series from BeFit.

This workout is called Firm Extreme.  You will need a sturdy chair to do this workout.  Make sure you always keep your knees in line with your ankles and sit back into your heels while doing any kind of squat-type of movement

No warm up is provided, please do one on your own.  

Want more?  Here's a bonus challenge for you.

Whether you do the challenge or not, make sure to stretch your lower body when you are finished.

Fitness Tip of the Day: Sunday's Recipe Share -- Chocolate Zucchini Bread

I've decided to try to eliminate grain flours from my diet.  I've got a long history with gastrointestinal issues (don't worry, that's all the info I'm giving) and I'm reading more and more that not just wheat, but all grains can wreak havoc on your digestive system if you are sensitive to them.  Oh, yeah I've also eliminated cane sugar.

I thought sadly that my bread eating days were over, but, as I posted earlier, I've been exploring the Paleo and Primal way of eating...again, I'll post more on this later.  In my exploration, I've come across all types of recipes for grain-free breads.

When I saw this recipe for Chocolate Zucchini Bread from PaleOMG, I knew I had to try it.

Here's the end result.

They actually came out pretty good--it's definitely a recipe I'll keep.  It is not a super sweet bread (there's only 1/3 cup of honey).  It makes a great snack or addition to my smoothie or egg at breakfast.

I think next time I'm going to experiment and sub out some of the sunbutter (I made my own from roasted sunflower seeds--super easy in a food processor) for mashed banana and maybe add in 1/2 c. of dark chocolate chips (they are allowed because they don't have much sweetener and the antioxidants in the dark chocolate are worth it) this should sweeten it up a bit more--I might try making it into muffins as well.

Here's a link to the original recipe:  Moist Chocolate Zucchini Bread (nut free)