Lower Body Workout Routine

Many people ask how to get started on a simple exercise routine. This great lower body workout and 2 minute abs video would be an excellent way to get started with no exercise equipment needed. From eDiets.com.

This routine uses compound exercises that work all of your lower body muscles for more results in less time! I would start with 10-12 reps and 2 sets of each exercise, working up to 15 reps and 3 sets, or the website has a detailed weekly plan you can follow.

I personally work out my lower body/abs twice a week, Monday and Thursday, as it is important to rest between workouts to facilitate muscle growth! Also, don't forget your protein!

2 Minutes to Tight Abs

Weeks 1-3 Better Butt routine

1. Walking Lunges - see video below

2. Extension Step-Ups - Grasp a pair of dumbbells or cans by your sides with palms facing the side of the body. Stand behind a 6- to 12-inch high step or bench (normally used in aerobic step classes) and keep your arms straight. Step onto the middle of the step with your right foot and then lift your left knee high (to hip height). Step down with your left foot, and then repeat on the right side. Perform one set of 15 steps on each leg -- two alternate days of the week.

3. Power Walking

Walking Lunge how-to video:

Weeks 4-6 Better Butt routine

1. Squats - see video below

2. Extensions Step-Ups

3. Bent Knee Push-ups - see video below

Squat how-to video

Bent-knee Push-up how to video

For more info, see eDiets HERE.

Viva La Veggies

Our family, ok -- it's really just my husband and I, are committed to healthy family eating. One goal that I have is to eat a minimum of 4 servings of veggies a day. And, salty corn out of a can does not count. : ) As a former junk food junkie, this has been a challenge. However, it is amazing how much energy I feel when I am eathing right. Oh, and I have also dropped 40 pounds so far. ; )

Here are some principles that have really helped us:

1) Get a simple vegetarian cookbook and use the ideas to make vegetarian lunches. Recipes like Brown Rice Salad can be made the night before! Barnes and Noble and Borders have these types of books in the sale aisles all the time; that's where I picked up mine.

2) Instead of potatoes or white rice with dinner, make a second veggie. For us, that often means one cooked veggie and one raw one. For example, cooked carrots with raw broccoli or mashed cauliflower with raw baby carrots. For men or teens, add a slice or two of flaxseed or whole wheat bread.

3) Make a rule that snacks will include a raw fruit or raw veggie and have these readily available. I love to keep a beautiful fruit bowl on the kitchen counter. Cheese, nuts or low-fat popcorn are optional.

4) Every time you leave the house, pack a cooler of food. Bring water, fruit, low fat cheese sticks, baby carrots, almonds, and other healthy snacks. This will prevent you and the kids from getting over hungry and stopping by the McYuck Drive Thru.

5) Get the junk food out of the house. Your kids don't need it, and neither do you. When your kids' palates are used to high salt and heavy sugar, it will take a few weeks to acquire a taste for clean, fresh foods. Persevere -- instead of following your children in their bad habits by enabling them, lead them toward better choices. This is going to take time if you are a junk food junkie like I was.

Eating more fresh fruits and veggies will lay down a foundation for a lifetime of healthy habits for your children and your grandchildren. We can serve the Lord better with healthy, strong bodies than with frail, tired ones!

Curves Alternative

The idea of circuit training is a good one - maximize your workout time by doing both strength training and cardio. However, not all of us have the time or money for a gym membership. A few years ago another homeschool mom shared her idea for home circuit training using your stairs. I absolutely LOVED it and have used it to this day.

The basic idea is to run (or walk) up and down the stairs 2-3 times, depending on fitness level, and do some exercise reps, like push-ups, at the top of the stairs. Repeat sets of strength exercises with running up and down your stairs. This circuit workout is based on this same idea. You can always switch it up by doing different exercises. I like to put on a Bible-related internet stream while I work out, such as New Living Translation (Dramatized) (I am studying 1 Kings currently) or "Renewing Your Mind" by RC Sproul at oneplace.com.

I haven't worked out in a couple of weeks, and I am feeling pretty feeble. Here is my plan for this week combining ideas for upper body/abs from the Bikini Workout and the at-home circuit idea. I figure that waking or running those stairs is plenty of work for my lower body at this point. : ) Exercises will be on a towel (since I don't own a real workout mat) at the top of the stairs, 10-15 repetitions.

First, stretch out and warm up. I like to also open in prayer and then turn my music or teaching on when the workout starts.

1. 1 set Ab Crunches
2. Walk stairs (up and down) 4x
   
3. 1 set Ab Crunches
4. Walk stairs (up and down) 4x
5. 1 set Push Ups
6. Walk stairs (up and down) 4x
7. 1 set Push Ups
8. Walk stairs (up and down) 4x
9. 1 set Oblique Crunches with Twist
10. Walk stairs (up and down) 4x
11. 1 set Oblique Crunches with Twist
12. Walk stairs (up and down) 4x
13. 1 set One-Arm Side Push Up
14. Walk stairs (up and down) 4x
15. 1 set Bicep One-Arm Side Push Up
16. Walk stairs (up and down) 4x
17. 1 set Tricep Dips
18. Walk stairs (up and down) 4x
19. FINISH BY MOVING QUICKLY BETWEEN EXERCISES: 1 set Tricep Dips
20. 1 set Ab Crunches
21. 1 set Push Ups
22. 1 set Oblique Crunches with Twist
23. 1 set One-Arm Side Push Up
24. 1 set Tricep Dips
25. Slowly walk stairs (up and down) 4x - recovering and breathing deeply
    

Stretch out and cool down a bit more if needed.

End with a prayer of thankfulness for at least 10 things today! Making a decision to get our bodies and appetites into submission is a choice to have greater energy and greater vitality in serving our King!

Fitness Tracker
Day 1: Did #1-18 followed by cool down. It took 20 minutes or so? Will have to work my way up! Listened to 1 Kings Ch 1-8 on audio.

(Not) Monday Menu Plan

Wednesday: Mega-Layered Chef Salad
Thursday: Honey Mustard Skillet Chicken
Friday: Grilled Ginger Flounder
Saturday: Seared Chicken on Spinach
Sunday: Crock Chops
Monday: Orange-Glazed Beef


For breakfast, snacks and lunches, I am following my own "Healthy Lunch" ideas and "Eat Clean" principles. Thank you, Katherine at Cornerstone Classical, for the the "Eat Clean" blog review! You can download a free 7 week Clean Eating menu HERE. I have also ordered a free issue of the magazine and can't wait until it arrives. Apparently it has menus and SHOPPING LISTS! This program closely follows what I have been doing on my own for the past couple of years. However, I have begun to slip a bit in the junk food and exercise areas and want to get back on track. It was inspiring and I think it will work well for me! For more info, click HERE and go to 'Clean Eating?'

For rainy days when I can't walk outside and for strength training, I ordered Billy Blank's Boot Camp DVD series. I love his original Tae Bo workouts, and hope the addition of the resistance bands will be good strength training. He is a motivating instructor and keeps me going! For another at-home strength training schedule with video how-to's, try the Bikini Workout.

What are your health and fitness goals this spring? Remember, "If it is to be, it is up to ME!"