Monthly Archives: May 2010
Blogging Black Hole & Eating Tour of NYC
| May 31, 2010 | Posted by Lauren under Misc |
As I’ve said many times on this blog, I believe that life is all about balance. Balancing work with play, exercise with rest, healthy food with huge 90-gallon ice cream sundaes…and life with blogging.
This weekend, I fell into a bit of a black hole in the blog world. I was actually in NYC with the HOTR-family for a weekend of celebrations – HOTR Sister #2’s graduation from her Master’s program (Congratulations Christina!!), my birthday, and HOTR Sister #3’s birthday! I thought I’d have time to blog, but that obviously did not happen. So while I loved hearing your thoughts about treadmill running, I’m sorry for the lack of replies. I promise that I read every one (with the help of my phone!) and really appreciate you taking the time share your experiences and feedback.
So what did I do instead of blog (hard to imagine there’s anything else, right? 
)? The weekend was spent walking around Manhattan until my feet were ready to fall off, eating lots and lots of amazing food, and spending time with some new friends:
All of these were taken at the Central Park Zoo. It’s crazy to think all of this exists right in the center of a busy city.
We also went to some amazing restaurants and ate delicious food that unfortunately went unpictured.
A quick confession. Up until a few days ago, I actually haven’t had a working camera. So with the exception of the few times I was able to steal borrow a camera from my mom or EC, I have actually been taking most of the pictures for this blog with my iPhone. I finally got a working camera for my birthday, and am excited to be able to take pictures with the ability to zoom! 
So if you are planning a visit to NYC and need some restaurant recommendations, I leave you with the following HOTR-family approved suggestions:
Patsy’s Italian Restaurant, located in the theater district. This family owned restaurant was apparently Frank Sinatra’s favorite. They have a large menu with lots of authentic Neapolitan dishes…and mouth watering desserts. HOTR-sister #3 (also known as Caitlin) and I split the Eggplant Parmigiana and the Linguine al Pesto. While we liked both, the pesto was definitely my favorite of the two. I’m pretty picky about my eggplant parm (it’s actually my favorite meal), and I found this one to be a bit too chewy for my taste. But the pesto was very flavorful. I loved that it wasn’t drowning in oil, which seems to happen at a lot of restaurants.
And even though we were all full from our large plates of pasta, it was impossible to say no to dessert when the waiter rolled an entire cart full of delicacies to the table.
Josie’s Restaurant (west-side location). For a lighter meal at a restaurant that offers many vegetarian and vegan options made with organic ingredients (as well as free range meat/poultry/eggs), I highly recommend Josie’s. I love going to restaurants where there are more than 2 menu items for me to choose between (a rare treat for a vegetarian!). I ordered their All Veggie Meatloaf, made with organic lentils, seitan, shitake mushrooms, and sweet potatoes and topped with a miso gravy…all over a bed of sautéed baby bok choy. It was delicious and packed with flavor. They also offer a variety of salads as well as their own homemade veggie burgers (also delicious). 
Maoz Vegetarian. This “quick service vegetarian” restaurant is actually an international chain. The concept is wonderfully simple. Their basic sandwich is simply a pita filled with handmade (gluten-free!) falafel. A standard pita comes with hummus, falafel, eggplant and greens. You can spice it up by adding a variety of toppings and sauces from their salad bar. Or you can skip the pita and get a salad instead. This was actually my family’s first time trying falafel and I was so happy that they all loved it!
And finally – dessert. If you’re ever in NYC, you really must visit Serendipity at least once. They have three locations in Manhattan. We went to Serendipity 3 on the Upper East Side, which is actually the restaurant that was featured in the movie Serendipity.
Because it’s so well known, the wait is long, but it’s totally worth it! I would suggest going early and putting your name in, and then going out for dinner someplace else while you wait. We put our name in early on Saturday night (around 5:30) and still waited for an hour and a half before getting a table!
Serendipity is most famous for their frozen hot chocolate, but they’re also the home of giant ice cream sundaes, including a world record-holding $1,000 sundae. Apparently this baby contains flecks of real gold (it better for 1,000 bucks!) and is served in a crystal bowl with a bejeweled spoon. Unfortunately you have to order it 48 hours in advance, and since my family did not plan that far ahead (and aren’t actually royal dignitaries or any sort of celebrity), we had to pass. The sundaes we did order, however, did not disappoint! We tried the “Can’t Say No” Sundae (humble pie [which is creamy pb with a graham cracker crust] + ice cream + banana + hot fudge + whipped cream) and the Forbidden Broadway Sundae (chocolate Blackout cake + ice cream + hot fudge + whipped cream). I loved them both equally. My only complaint is that I don’t get one of these every day of the week!
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After a wonderful weekend of food and family, it’s now back to reality. I haven’t forgotten about the Shape Up Summer Challenge. Stay tuned for the kick-off tomorrow!
Happy Memorial Day!
Mastering the ‘mill: How to Make the Treadmill Work for You (Part 1)
| May 26, 2010 | Posted by Lauren under Running |
The weather in New England is crazy. The beginning of May was cold and miserable, and now we’re having a sudden heat wave. Although I’m very happy that things are finally warming up, the sudden change in temperature has been a bit of a shock to my system on runs. Up until recently, my body has been used to running in cool cloudy weather. I haven’t had time to adjust to running in the heat.
So with today’s temperature smashing the old record high, I sought refuge in the air conditioned gym, spending a little quality time with many runners’ worst nightmare: the treadmill.
(Source)
A recent Runner’s World poll asked readers what type of workout they find the hardest to complete: treadmill runs, core workouts, speedwork, long runs, or tempo runs. Can you guess what they said?
Running on the treadmill was the clear winner, with 41% of respondents ranking it as the hardest. This was significantly more than those who said core workouts (19%) or speedwork (17%).
I find this somewhat surprising. Yes, I know…the treadmill can be incredibly boring. You run for miles and miles on a crazy machine, yet don’t get anywhere. Personally, I would much rather run outside than be stuck in a gym. But I really think that us runners shouldn’t fear the “dreadmill” so much! When viewed properly, this machine can be an invaluable tool that can actually help improve your running.
So next time you find yourself stuck inside on the ‘mill, embrace it. Use the time to improve one (or all!) of the following things: your form, your speed, and your mental endurance.
Making the Treadmill Work for You
(Source)
1.) Fix that form
The very first thing you should do when you get on a treadmill is to evaluate your running form. Having the proper form is important not only because of how it looks, but also because of the improvements it can make in your overall speed. Since you don’t have to pay close attention to your surroundings, treadmill runs are the perfect opportunity to work out any problems.
When I first started running, my form was awful – my elbows stuck out, my shoulders rode high, I had a very short stride, and duck-toes like you wouldn’t believe. Here are the tricks I used on the treadmill to change how I was running:
- Watch yourself in the mirror (or the TV/window for those of you who don’t have mirrors): At my gym, we have TVs attached to every machine. I often look into them to evaluate how I’m running. I focus on keeping my face relaxed, my shoulders down, and my arms low (your hands should be at about hip level). Periodically, I look back at myself to check my progress (especially when I’m getting tired).
- Look at those feet! Getting my toes to point forward when I ran instead of out was hard work. It took a lot of concentration to get to a point where this happened naturally. The treadmill helped me make the change, since I could pay more attention to the ground.
- Gradually increase your speed. To make my stride longer, I would start off running really slow and then gradually increase the speed by 0.1 mph. This subtle change helped me focus on keeping my leg turnover steady while lengthening my stride to keep up with the faster pace.
2.) Feel the need for speed
I will focus on this more in a future post, but the treadmill can help you become a faster runner because you can control your pace. Switch up your speed by:
- Running intervals (like these examples from
Runner’s World) - Completing a run at a goal pace that’s faster than your normal average pace
- Running negative splits (completing the second half of the run faster than the first half)
- Or going all out to work on your sprint
When I was in high school and trying to improve my mile time, I would go down to the basement, warm up and then pump the treadmill up to my goal pace, trying to hold it there for an entire mile. Even when I didn’t quite make it, the workout wasn’t a waste. Every time I practiced running at that speed, my body gained valuable experience about what it felt like to run that fast.
And as an added bonus, mixing up a run with intervals can make the time go by faster and help beat treadmill boredom.
3.) Get inside your own head
The mental game is by far the hardest part about running on the treadmill. 
The monotony of the run, the hot smelly gym…these things make it harder not to focus on how tired you are. But if you can get inside your own head and learn to improve your focus, your runs will become a lot easier and you’ll be able to stay on the treadmill for longer than you thought possible. Plus, this improved mental strength will be an advantage when it comes to completing those tough runs or races outside.
Some tips to improve your mental strength and stay focused during a run:
- Cover the screen. I always cover the screen of my treadmill with a towel so that I stop focusing on how slow my tiny virtual dot is moving around the track, and start focusing on enjoying my run.
- Daydream. Look ahead of you at a spot on the wall (or the towel) and let your eyes glaze over while your mind takes you to another place. You don’t have to pay attention to where you’re going. Sometimes I even close my eyes for a few seconds to really help myself zone out (just be careful not to fall off!).
- Watch yourself run. I know it sounds a bit vain, but staring at yourself running can really help you zone out. As I mentioned above, I often look into the TV screens to see how I’m doing. If I focus on looking strong, the girl I see looking back at me with a determined look on her face gives me motivation to keep going
- Count songs, not seconds. With my screen covered, I don’t have the timer to tell me how long I’ve been running. Instead I focus on how many songs I’ve listened to and try to get excited about the song that is coming up next on my playlist.
- (and then) Don’t let yourself look at the screen until a certain number of songs have passed. This is a big one for me. I always play little games with myself, especially when I’m feeling tired and want to stop. I usually have a set number of songs I want to run through that corresponds to how many miles I want to run (I estimate 1 song = 1/2 mile…usually an underestimate, but it’s close enough). This helps me zone out and focus on the music instead of how tired I’m feeling. And when the urge to look at how far I’ve gone (or stop) becomes almost overwhelming, I tell myself that I can look after just one more song.
When you focus on using the treadmill as a tool (and not viewing it as a punishment), your treadmill runs will become more enjoyable. And your running will improve as well!
I plan to continue this little mini-series next week, when I’ll share my favorite treadmill workout with you. This is how I run on one 90% of the time, and it’s a great approach to the ‘mill that improves both your speed and your mental focus…and helps the time go by faster. I know the suspense is probably killing you, but hopefully you can wait for that, along with a few more tips on how to be a master of the ‘mill.
And finally – an announcement: on Friday, I’m going to share the official rules and regs of the Shape Up Summer Challenge! Entry is going to be on a rolling basis, and there will be a couple of different ways to participate (along with a couple of different prizes!), so if you haven’t checked out The Core yet, now’s your chance!
Any tips you have on how to master the ‘mill? And what’s the longest you’ve ever run on one? While I typically don’t do more than 7 or 8 miles on the treadmill, my record is 15 — a run I did last winter when the weather was awful.
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For another positive view on treadmill running, check out Kelly’s post here!
A HOTR Breakfast
| May 24, 2010 | Posted by Lauren under Breakfast, HOTR Eats, Nutrition |
They say you can tell a lot about a person by looking in their pantry. Well, what about their cereal cabinet?
My Cereal Addiction
My shelf is currently stocked with 9 different types of dry cereal…all open, and all just for me. This is in addition to a container of oat bran (from the bulk food section) and some rolled oats.
While I do appreciate the sticking power of oatmeal, cereal is my true love. I tend to eat oats most days of the week only because they fill me up for hours…whereas an equally calorie-dense bowl of cereal will leave me wanting to snack away the morning. But that doesn’t stop me from buying multiple types of cereal every time I go to the grocery store. A girl’s gotta have options — especially when a typical bowl means a mixture of at least 3-4 different types!
So what do we have in this cabinet? From left to right:
Front row: Grape Nuts, my two absolute favorite varieties of granola: Trader Joe’s Just the Clusters Maple Pecan and Just the Clusters Vanilla Almond, and 3 varieties of Bear Naked cereals: Bear Naked Fit Vanilla Almond Crunch, Cranberry Raisin cereal, and Banana Walnut cereal. In the back, we have Barbara’s Shredded Oats, Barbara’s Shredded Spoonfuls, TJ’s lowfat Honey Almond granola, rolled oats, and a container of oat bran.
Here are a couple pearls of my cereal wisdom:
Go to Joe’s
Not only does Trader Joe’s have an amazing selection of delicious cereals, but they typically have the best prices. The Just the Clusters granolas were under $3. And I typically find the Barbara’s cereals in bigger boxes at a lower price (compared to a regular supermarket). If you live near a TJs, you should definitely check out their cereal selections – and experience first-hand how hard it is to limit yourself to buying just one (last trip it was all I could do to stop at 5)!
Get Bear Naked
(The cereal, I mean…)
Bear Naked Fit Granola boasts less fat and sugar than typical granolas. Per serving, it contains 2.5g of fat (no saturated or trans fat) and only 4g of sugar. I have seen a lot of bloggers raving over Galaxy Granola, but honestly I like this better. I find it a lot more flavorful, which is probably due to the fact that it’s sweetened with brown rice syrup and cane juice instead of fruit.
As an added bonus, the Bear Naked company has a really cool packaging project: The Bear Naked Sustainable Packaging Project. Basically, the company is trying to collect its empty cereal bags in an effort to effort to cut down on how many end up in landfills. The used bags will then be made into new products such as umbrellas, shower curtains, and tote bags. All you have to do is collect a certain number of bags and send them in to get cool gear (each size bag is equal to a different number of points). I’m almost a third of the way to a new reusable grocery bag, just with the cereal in my cabinet right now.
The only downside is that it’s a little pricey. I think this bag cost me somewhere around $5, and it’s not very big.
Bear Naked Cereals are much more reasonably priced. I love them because they are jam packed with goodies! I love cereals that have more “add-ins” than flakes. And these bags are also part of the company’s Sustainable Packaging Project.
An Ode to Oats
But, as much as I love my cereal, most days I just use it as a topping for my oats. As I mentioned earlier, oatmeal just sticks with me for so much longer. I know this is nothing novel in the blog world, but I figured it was worth mentioning my typical weekday breakfast.
I’m a creature of habit. which means that most mornings I have some variation of the same, semi-boring mixture:
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1/2 cup rolled oats (old fashioned, not instant!)
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1/2 cup almond milk
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1/2 cup water
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Ground flaxseed
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drop of vanilla
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huge sprinkle of cinnamon
Sometimes, I’ll add fruit (typically frozen mixed berries or half a banana…or fresh strawberries if I have them), and if I’m feeling really adventurous, cocoa. The toppings are what I like to have the most fun with.
Oats in a Mug (OIAM)
When I eat hot oats, my favorite thing to do is have them in a mug (or, because they should have a cool acronym: OIAM). The mug keeps the oats warmer longer because it’s small and insulated. I like to layer it like a parfait: a layer of nut butter, granola, and fruit; then a layer of oats; another layer of granola/fruit; another layer of oats; and then topped with more nut butter/granola/fruit. This way you get goodness with every bite.
I probably should’ve used a clear mug to give you a better picture!
And every morning, I have my breakfast along with a cup of coffee and a cup of water.
Ready When You Are Oats (RWYAO)
But now that it’s getting warmer, I find I’m craving warm oats less and less. In this situation, it seems like the most common solution is to make overnight oats. However, I’m not much of a planner when it comes to doing things the night before. Even though I know it’ll make my life easier, I rarely pack my lunch or lay out/iron my clothes the night before, instead choosing to run around in the morning like a crazy person. So it goes without saying that overnight oats is not something I eat very often.
The good news? You don’t have to wait all night for your oats to get soft and creamy! All you need is a few minutes, and you’ve got yourself a nice refreshing bowl of cool oatmeal. Just mix up your ingredients, set it on the counter and go about getting dressed. Once you’re ready, your oats will be too!
This really is the simplest breakfast you could ever make, besides pouring yourself a bowl of cereal. I generally use oat bran, because it’s smaller than rolled oats (and so becomes softer quicker). All I do is combine 1/2 cup of oat bran and a very generous 1/2 cup of milk (I usually use almond), plus a big sprinkle of ground flax, a little vanilla and cinnamon. Mix so that the oats are covered and walk away. It only takes 5 minutes for the mixture to get creamy, though you could give it longer for good measure.
Top with your favorite toppings and enjoy!
Topped with Bear Naked Banana Walnut cereal and nut butter.
Of course when I have extra time in the morning or am looking for a treat, I try to mix up my breakfasts with fun meals like pancakes, or banoatcakes, or stuffed French toast.
As you can probably tell, all of these meals have a good amount of calories, and contain fat and fiber to keep me full. I’m not going to spend time drilling the benefits of breakfast into your head, since I’m sure it’s nothing you haven’t heard before. However, I will say this: not only should you eat breakfast every morning, but it should also be something substantial. A great breakfast will jump-start your metabolism after a night of not eating. Plus, when you stay full longer, you’ll be less likely to snack during the day.
So eat your breakfast!
‘Sour Cream’ Fudge Cupcakes
| May 22, 2010 | Posted by Lauren under Desserts, HOTR Eats |
{First I just want to thank you all for the wonderful, supportive responses to my sister’s guest post about her experience in Haiti. I’m so very proud of all that she’s done. If you haven’t read it yet, I really encourage you to check it out!
Secondly, I was so happy to get enthusiastic responses to the Core Shape Up Summer Challenge! I’m going to give this a little thought, and then set an official start date for the challenge, as well as the less-than-official guidelines. I’ll keep you updated.}
Last week while I was at home, I was excited to find a new (to me) product in my Mom’s kitchen: Quinoa flour.
I love quinoa. I’ve talked before about it’s benefits as a complete protein, and since I’ve tried both quinoa as a grain and quinoa pasta, I figured it was about time to try out the flour.
And what better way to experiment with flour than to bake something delicious! When I saw the recipe on the back of the bag for Sour Cream Fudge Cupcakes, I immediately knew what I’d be making.
The only major substitution I made to the recipe was to use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream. Mostly because we didn’t have any sour cream in the house. But did you know that plain Greek yogurt is actually a really good, healthy substitution for sour cream? Now, we also didn’t have any plain yogurt. The closest flavor we had to plain was honey – so that’s what I used.
I almost cut back on the amount of sugar the recipe called for since there’s sugar in the yogurt, but then I remembered my almost tasteless vegan brownies, and decided against it. In the end, I was really glad I did.
‘Sour Cream’ Fudge Cupcakes (Gluten-free)
[Slightly adapted from recipe on back of Bob’s Red Mill Quinoa Flour bag]
Makes 12 Cupcakes
- ¼ c unsalted butter
- ½ c water
- ¼ c cocoa powder
- 1 c sugar (I used Florida Crystals Pure Cane Sugar)
- 1 ¼ c Quinoa Flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill)
- ½ tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 eggs, separated
- ½ tsp vanilla
- ¼ c Greek Yogurt (I used Chobani Honey Flavored)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line your tray with cupcakes liners.
In a small saucepan, bring the butter and water to a boil. Once the mixture is boiling, whisk in your cocoa powder and set aside to cool.
Next, whisk together the quinoa flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
A quick note about quinoa flour – it smells really quinoa-y. As in, as soon as you open the bag, you can smell the grain. I have to admit that this made me a little nervous. I know I said I love quinoa, but I also love when my cupcakes actually taste like cupcakes…and not like dinner.
But, I decided to trust the process, and soldiered on.
Separate the eggs, setting the whites aside. Add the yolks to a large bowl, along with the sugar, vanilla, and Greek yogurt. Mix well. Slowly stir in the flour and cocoa mixtures.
Beat your egg whites until stiff and then fold into batter. At this point, the smell of quinoa was less overwhelming, but this batter definitely smelled different than that of “normal” cupcakes.
Finally, spoon the batter into a cupcake tray and bake for 20 – 25 minutes. You’ll know they’re done when you stick a knife in the center and it comes out clean.
Now, I’m sure these are perfectly tasty on their own. But cupcakes without frosting are…well…muffins. And I wanted cupcakes.
So it was time to whip up a batch of simple chocolate butter cream frosting. This is where all semblance of this dessert actually being healthy went out the window.
To make the frosting, I used the leftover Greek yogurt, 1/2 a stick of butter, powdered sugar, cocoa, and a couple capfuls of half & half creamer. I beat this with an electric mixer until it was nice and fluffy, and then spread generously onto the cupcakes.
The Final Verdict: Fortunately, the end product did not taste like quinoa. The cupcakes were really light and fluffy. Even with the abundance of frosting, they didn’t taste heavy or overly rich.
However, you could definitely tell they weren’t made with good old all-purpose flour. I think I would have liked them to be a little denser, and just a little moister. They didn’t exactly deliver on the fudgey-ness that the name promised. (Maybe adding a little more Greek yogurt would fix this?) So if you’re looking for a rich, fudgey dessert, these are probably not the cupcakes for you.
That being said, I still thought they were a great treat, and (added bonus) the whole family liked them too. So I declared the quinoa flour experiment to be a success!
When Cardio Meets Strength Training
| May 20, 2010 | Posted by Lauren under Fitness, Strength Training |
Strength training is an important part of any balanced exercise routine. Building and toning muscle helps you better control your weight (your metabolism increases as you build more muscle), build stronger bones, increase your overall endurance, reduce your risk of injury, be more efficient in your workouts, and even sleep better – not to mention the physical effects it can have on your body and the boosted self-confidence that goes along with it.
But even though I know strength training is good for me, I will still pick cardio over weights 99.9% of the time. This is mostly due to the simple fact that I’d much rather go for a run outside than travel to the gym.
My hatred for lifting began back in high school, when my cross country and track coaches would make us spend time in the smelly, football-player infested weight room, claiming that doing leg exercises would make us stronger runners. Being a 16-year-old who clearly knew just about everything, I proclaimed this a load of crap – my legs were already tired from running…why should I lift with them too??
Then I entered college, and realized maybe I wasn’t quite as smart as I had previously thought, and that just maybe my coaches were actually onto something when they claimed that regular lifting would make me a stronger, faster, more efficient runner. But although I gained a new appreciation for how strong it made me feel (and look!), I never really loved it. I found myself spending hours in the gym, trying to balance cardio with doing endless inane repetitions on a million different machines. It’s no surprise that I soon came to resent lifting just as much as I had before.
But then, The Core Was Born
Fortunately, my Mother swooped in to save me from a lifetime of lifting boredom. Shortly before winter break during my second year of grad school, she called me up to excitedly tell me about this new eBook on abs she was reading, and how it made her change the way she looked at strength training. No more static, isolated movements done on silly gym machines. Instead, she was taking up free weights, in a routine that combined cardio and weight training. And the best news yet: it only took 20 – 30 minutes!
The only catch? It was the hardest lifting routine she’d ever done (and that’s saying something – my Mother is my fitness inspiration!)
This quick, high intensity workout was actually put together by my Mom, and utilizes squats to not only get your heart pumping, but also to work out multiple muscle groups at one time. Because, although I’m no expert, I do know that our muscles don’t move in isolation. And that when you only do one-joint exercises at a time, you aren’t burning all that many calories, and could even put yourself at risk for injury – or muscle instability.
This is what I look like when I try to pretend that my grimace is actually a smile
On the other hand, this workout gets your heart rate up right from the start, and keeps it there through a series of dynamic movements that work every part of your core – your abs, back, butt, and hips. These muscles are important for stability and posture – and a strong core can do wonders for your running.
Shape Up Summer Challenge
I try to incorporate this core workout into my exercise regimen as often as possible. But as I mentioned earlier, from time to time I still have a problem with letting lifting fall by the wayside. So, it’s time to re-commit myself to regular weight lifting.
I have hereby declared it to be “Shape Up Summer.” The Challenge: to do The Core at least 2x per week for the next two months.
Want to join me? If so, visit the new Core Workout page I’ve created that lists the 7 different exercises, along with some wonderful pictures of yours truly modeling the moves. If you’re a cardio-addict like myself, you will not be disappointed with this workout. I promise that it’ll make you sweat. In fact, when I’m pressed for time, I sometimes do this as my only workout for the day.
I also promise that it’ll make you sore. To be honest, if you haven’t done this type of lifting before, it’s going to make you so sore for a couple days that you’re probably going to curse my name whenever you’re walking down stairs. Last week was my first time doing it in many months, and I will honestly admit that I hurt everywhere the following day – my stomach, my legs, my back. (Though this may have been partially due to the fact that I think I was a bit too overly ambitious with the weights.) I took the next day off completely (besides waddling around) and then forced myself to do it again two days later. That second workout was much more painful than the first. But — the good news is that the following day, my legs had been stretched out and I started feeling better. I’m now in my second week and while it still hurts, it’s starting to be more satisfying than excruciating.
I’m not telling you this to scare you. I’m telling you this to (hopefully) convince you that this is simultaneously the best and worst weightlifting workout you’ll ever do. It’s quick, extremely efficient and will make you stronger by building lean muscle (and give you rock-hard abs just in time for swimsuit season!).
So…have I convinced you to try it yet?? Seriously, if you’re looking to mix up your current lifting routine, or need some motivation to pick up the weights and want to join my Shape Up Summer Challenge, let me know! If people are actually interested, I can come up with some sort of fabulous prize for those of you who stick with it for the full two months.
Ready to see the moves? If so, click here.
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