Summer 5k Plan + Nutritional Tips

*split lunges in half, i.e. say 50, do 25 ea. leg AND on days that I have listed Walk/Bike/Run for a number of minutes, just pick one!

Above is a 28 day plan. You can make it harder by adding miles, start at 3 miles and work up to a 10k, as well as add a set of tri-cep/push-up/lunges/squats/planks,etc EVERY day, instead of every other day. To make it easier opt out of the body weight exercises all together and focus on only walking or only jogging. Try to throw in at least one rest day a week to keep you going! Right now, the calendar is at an basic/intermediate level that will be a challenge for this group, especially if you are new to running!

Form is EVERYTHING. Core stays engaged on all exercises(belly button pulled to the spine)! Squat with feet shoulder width and forward. Knee should not extend over toe on lunges. Keep tension out of your neck and shoulders and engage that core!

Nutritional Tips:

Avoid Sugar! Every 6 days allow yourself ONE sweet item.

Avoid processed foods! Enjoy all of the great produce. Keep your meals basic and fresh. Protein, Veggie and MAYBE brown rice/sweet potato/baked potato(eat half of one). No need for any type of white sauce or heavy sauce. Light seasoning on your grill outs will give great flavor to your protein of choice.

Use olive oil instead of vegetable oil when cooking!

Keep your portions small. One trip to the buffet and potluck or picnic, no more. Chances are you know exactly what that cookie tastes like.

Try small snacks instead of big meals. Go for walnuts, almond/peanut butter and apple, slice of swiss and apple, LARABAR or UBER bars(less ingredients, you know what’s in them!)

Printable Version, Click Below.

Printable outdoor plan

Simply Challenge: Overcome the Cold

We are at the beginning of our 28 day challenge(LINK BELOW) and guess what? The temperatures are 20 degrees below normal for this time of year! Here are some tips to overcome….

Of course you can hop on the treadmill, elliptical, stairclimber AND bike…but what if you are not a member of a gym OR your treadmill is broken?

Join a gym  for a week. Every gym has a free trial period. Maybe try a couple of them the next few weeks and you are out no money, you may even fall in love:)

Bundle, bundle, bundle. If it is 20 degrees where you live, dress for 40 degrees, if the the temp is 0, dress for 20 degrees.

Have a friend take you to their gym as a guest. It’s free!

Instead of the mileage, find a YouTube cardio video on-line. This one is great–no equipment required and it is a great non-impact pace for week one. Click here: Fitness Blender

Missed the first few days of the challenge, start today–there are no rules. Click below!

28 day challenge!

Simply Challenge : Monday has arrived!

Hey Friends! Monday is here AND you can check off 3 days– maybe 4 if you have finished today’s workout already. I have attached the calendar again, in case you missed it last Thursday. Begin today, there is no harm in that!

Reminder: You do not have to run the miles–just do something to get that mileage. Running of course is the best way to burn calories, but there are other ways to carry out cardio, ESPECIALLY if knees and joints prevent us from striding out on the road.

CLICK HERE FOR YOUR CHALLENGE–28 day challenge!

Simply Challenge: 28 days of cardio and strength simplicity

Simply(FIT) Challenge time!!! Spring is on the horizon–which means shorter pants and less layers. I love layers, I am always sad to see them go. So INSTEAD let us be happy about letting them go and try a 28 day until spring-time challenge! I could not make this challenge more straight forward and simple. Again, if running is not your ‘thing’ all the time, but you want to dabble in it–this is a great challenge! If you have knee issues or other injuries, feel free to apply this to biking–just add 2 miles  each week(3 miles biking is roughly the equal to 1 mile running). If you want to swim, subtract a mile from each week(a half of a mile is a lot in swim terms).

This challenge is unique because it begins on a FRIDAY(TOMORROW). I know, abnormal to begin something on the biggest slow-it-down day of the week, but I love shaking it up and starting a weekend right. The tendency is to let up on our bodies during the weekend, HOWEVER many times the weekend is when we have the most time to care for our bodies. Simply (Challenge) is beginning on a day against the odds–the weekend. Each week the challenge increases a bit but stays the same everyday that week. Throughout the 28 days(if you stay true) you will continue to grow in your fitness without a plateau and you will have an EXCELLENT base for summer  and spring activities.

Week 1–Friday to Friday:

February 21-28: Run/Jog/Walk 1.5 miles–During activity: pick up speed( walk to speed walk, jog to run, run to sprint )for 20 sec, 8 times during your mile. The first few days can be a mixture of walk run until you gain fitness. Find a place for a 30 sec. plank, bringing your belly button to your spine, arms under shoulders and hold. Push-ups–3 sets of 10 push-ups on knees or in plank position to begin engaging your core–use your entire body for your push-up!

Week 2–Saturday-Friday:

March 1–7–Run/Jog/Walk 2 miles –During your run–add 10 speed increases at 20 seconds to wake up your body so it doesn’t get idle in your jog/walk/run. Plank for 45 seconds! 4 sets of 10 push-ups!! 3 sets of 10 triceps dips: find a bench, feet extended, dip down with your elbows bent and push up.

Week 3 Saturday-Friday:

March 8-March 14–Run/Jog/Walk 2.5 miles!! YES. During your run add 12 speed increases throughout of 10 seconds each throughout your run/walk/jog. Plank for 1 min.!! 50 PUSH-UPS. 4 sets of 10 triceps dips. 10 burpees–get into a plank position on the ground, step or jump feet forward and then reach or jump to the sky, return to plank position and repeat.

Week 4 Saturday-SPRING:

March 15-20–Run/Walk/Jog 3 miles. WOW!!! During your run add 14 speed increases of 10 seconds each throughout your run. Plank for 1 min. 30 sec. AND 60 push-ups. 50 triceps dips. 20 BURPEES. YAY!

**It is okay to alternate exercises and break them up in sets of 10s, i.e. 10 push ups, 10 triceps dips, Plank, and repeat until you meet the day total!

IMPORTANT: If you miss a day, it’s okay, just start up where you left off. AND if you need a break one day, just run a little less so you can get after it the next. It’s a challenge, so yes it is everyday, but that’s the point!

Printable Calendar–28 day challenge!

Let’s conquer what the winter did to us this year and finish strong!

Love,

Simplyfitgirls

A fresh take on Fridays

The week is done, the mind is shut down and ready for the weekend. It’s time to transform the old Friday outlook and embrace Fridays differently. “Letting go” on Friday because we deserve it, is asking for a binge weekend of no activity and sugar highs. NO, our body does NOT deserve that.

A fresh take:

Plan a consistent, unchanging workout for Friday. As much as you can, rain or shine, snow or wind commit to that workout every Friday. The catch: make it as simple as possible but make it a favorite. This will end the wondering of what to do– which leads to procrastination and avoidance. If it’s not a workout, switch your mindset and focus on eating a healthy lunch or breakfast on Friday AND make it a must(instead of that cupcake).

Fresh Friday (SIMPLE) Ideas:

Run or Walk 3 miles every Friday–perfect amount and you can be done in 25-40 min depending on your pace.

Bike 40-45 min. every Friday

Do Yoga or class that excites you–most gyms offer classes or you could try one for free OR find a clip online.

Make a smoothie for lunch with a handful of greens(spinach), (1/4 scoop) of chocolate protein powder, frozen strawberries, blueberries and peaches(1-11/2 c. total), (1tbsp.) of almond butter, and almond milk(1c.)

All of these options will boost your mood and add to your motivation to stay healthy!

HAPPY FRIDAY!

Love,

Roxanne

Summer(Sizzle)

YAY. It’s summer! I wanted to extend an invite to the women out there that know someone in or near Milford, NE OR maybe you do yourself!  My mom, Brenda, (resident of Milford) is graciously donating her DECK twice a week–she has a GREAT space there for restorative and functional workouts. The details are in the flier! Remember this is NOT a boot camp, if that’s more your style-PERFECTLY OKAY! These 40-50 minute sizzler workouts will tone and strengthen while improving flexibility and balance.

Click twice on the link below to learn MORE. All ages and fitness levels welcome, bring a friend!(May have to limit it OR make it more available depending on the turn out or demand for different times)

Summer(SIZZLE)

Don’t miss out on this affordable opportunity to get your body back!

Love, Roxanne

The “I don’t” diaries.

Be confident this week and change how you approach healthy living with your words. According to the Journal of Consumer Research–EIGHTY percent of people(in this case women) committed to their health aspirations for TEN days by changing their mindset from: “I cannot ” to “I do not”.

Here are some phrases to practice this week for a Simply(FIT)girls challenge:

I don’t eat that. I don’t eat like that. I don’t skip my workouts. I don’t sit for more than two hours w/o moving.I don’t buy those cookies. I don’t drink that sugary drink.

Such a high stat is definitely worth an attempt the next TEN DAYS to see if it works!  You are halfway on your way to creating a habit if you reach the 10 day mark!

BREAK THROUGH.

The January rut, as Simplyfitgirls likes to call it, may be knocking today. How do you know? Maybe it goes without saying but we have listed some indicators below:)

January Rut Symptoms (if any of these resonate with you, keep reading!!)—

1. You’re sore from working SO HARD last week, maybe you’ll take some days off this week.

2. You’re freezing. Possibly because the windchill is -22 and if you are outside for more than 30 min you are at risk for frostbite. You want to nap in a warm blanket and not move.

3. You want comfort food! (Because it’s cold) Cheesy, warm, carb-loaded comfort food with hot cocoa.

Simplyfitgirls wants to challenge and encourage you to push past those real and very relevant and normal feelings. A breakthrough of these thoughts MUST happen to actually transform your overall wellness and avoid the January Rut!

So maybe you feel like you have given in to some of those symptoms–it’s never to late to bounce back.

Here is a simple BREAKTHROUGH workout:

Jump rope(can be imaginary) for 5 minutes–2min both legs, 2 minutes side to side, 1 min. alternating legs

45 seconds of Plank

30 Tricep dips

25 Squats

1 min. of Mountain climbers

REPEAT 3-4x

BREAK THROUGH COMFORT FOOD CRAVINGs

“Healthy” Comfort food–Easy Chicken Fried Rice

Ingredients–In no particular order:

Brown Rice, Rotisserie Chicken(savory or regular–Hy-Vee has GREAT ones, 1 small pkg. frozen pea &  carrot medley, 2 cloves garlic, minced, 1 green onion, diced, 3 egg whites, scrambled, 2 tbsp. olive oil, 1 tbsp. low sodium soy sauce, salt and pepper to taste.

Cook rice to package directions and drain. Remove chicken from bone and chop into pieces. In cast iron skillet scramble 3 egg whites, remove from skillet and set aside on plate, wipe out skillet.  Pour olive oil in same skillet and saute for 2 min., diced onion and garlic. Place in skillet chicken, pea and carrot medley, heating through or until peas and carrots are no longer frozen and heated all the way through 3-4 min.–keep on medium heat. Season with salt and pepper. Add brown rice, eggs and low sodium soy sauce(to taste, don’t go overboard, you can always add more at the table)–blending until combined 2ish min, you’ll know:). Now eat! Soooo easy!

The BEST thing is all of these things are affordable and easy to get at the grocery store. You may already have them in your pantry! The rotisserie chicken and frozen veggies are a great way to cut down on time and keep healthy. Frozen veggies are just as good for you! Some experts say they are a little better because the nutrients are frozen right away and not left to depreciate on the produce shelf.

FRESH START. Simplified journaling.

Journaling is a life-changing discipline. To look back on your life is a great tool to transform and grow–if it only were that easy to take the time!  I believe one to three days after we begin a new journal the majority of us give up(maybe not a true statistic, but seems like it could be;). I also believe  the main reason for deserting our journals is because for some odd reason we think  our writing needs to be eloquent and equally inspirational, maybe even compared to C.S. Lewis. Journaling compliments and enhances our lives when it comes to things like prayer, health and wellness goals, ideas, dreams and frustrations. However- journaling is daunting. With that said, try a fresh outlook on journal writing……

Simplified Journaling guidelines-

Journal one sentence a day for the rest of January. Kind of like Twitter but keep it to yourself:)  No more, no less. Journal about ANYTHING. Keep is short.

Be transformed in a simple and achievable way.

“You are never too old to set another goal or dream a new dream” -C.S. Lewis

FRESH START. From the inside out.

Close your eyes. Think of your mid-section–did negative thoughts come flooding??  The reality is, a 6-8 pack core may never happen, but that doesn’t mean one cannot get close. A strong core is possible AND so important for your health.

Mid Section from the inside out–

1. Nutrition, Nutrition, Nutrition.

Cut out overconsumption of alcohol, sugary and salty foods. Sometimes a little reminder helps:) A great option could be 7 days of cleansing from all of these things as much as possible.

2. Don’t fear beginning your ab work. Just decide to begin and do it.

3. Core Workout:

• Plank for 30-45 seconds.  Start in a push-up position either on your elbows or hands.  Keep your hips elevated so your back doesn’t dip but not too high in the air.
• V-sit. for 30-45 seconds.  Sit on your glutes with your hands behind you.  Lift your feet off the floor with knees at 90 degrees.  Crunch your legs in and out.

• Side plank.  Lay on your side up one elbow or arm extended.  Stacking arms and hips on top of each other.  Feet can be stacked or staggered.  Lower down to knees if it is too intense on your feet.  Hold for 30-45 seconds each side.

*Do every morning or before you go to bed at night it only takes a few minutes!

Repeat at least 3x and do 3-4 times a week for the rest of January!