Awesome Parenting Hacks

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Awesome Abs August Monthly Challenge

August is right around the corner and if you are starting your next semester of college, you may be emotionally eating due to the anticipation of it all!

Here is a month filled activity calendar for the month of August to help keep you lean & fit-everyday of the month! You can even do this workout in your dorm or living room! For maximum results, pair the August challenge with this mini workout that let's you choose your workouts!

Awesome Abs August Monthly Challenge

August 1

• 10 Bicycle Crunches
• 15 Russian Twists
• 10 V-Ups

August 2

• 15 Sit Ups
• 10 Scissor Abs
• 15 Second Plank

August 3

• 25 Bicycle Crunches
• 10 Russian Twists
• 5 V-Ups

August 4

• 20 Sit Ups
• 20 Scissor Abs
• 25 Second Plank

August 5

• 30 Bicycle Crunches
• 25 Russian Twists
• 35 V-Ups

August 6

• 40 Sit Ups
• 35 Scissor Abs
• 30 Second Plank

August 7

• 45 Bicycle Crunches
• 40 Russian Twists
• 35 V-Ups

August 8

• 25 Sit Ups
• 50 Scissor Abs
• 45 Second Plank

August 9

• 25 Bicycle Crunches
• 15 Russian Twists
• 30 V-Ups

August 10

• 45 Sit Ups
• 20 Scissor Abs
• 40 Second Plank

August 11

• 50 Bicycle Crunches
• 55 Russian Twists
• 40 V-Ups

August 12

• 45 Sit Ups
• 50 Scissor Abs
• 60 Second Plank

August 13

• 25 Bicycle Crunches
• 40 Russian Twists
• 50 V-Ups

August 14

• 55 Sit Ups
• 60 Scissor Abs
• 50 Second Plank

August 15

• 60 Bicycle Crunches
• 55 Russian Twists
• 60 V-Ups

August 16

• 40 Sit Ups
• 65 Scissor Abs
• 70 Second Plank

August 17

• 70 Bicycle Crunches
• 40 Russian Twists
• 45 V-Ups

August 18

• 35 Sit Ups
• 70 Scissor Abs
• 60 Second Plank

August 19

• 80 Bicycle Crunches
• 75 Russian Twists
• 40 V-Ups

August 20

• 25 Sit Ups
• 40 Scissor Abs
• 80 Second Plank

August 21

• 55 Bicycle Crunches
• 45 Russian Twists
• 30 V-Ups

August 22

• 55 Sit Ups
• 70 Scissor Abs
• 90 Second Plank

August 23

• 80 Bicycle Crunches
• 65 Russian Twists
• 60 V-Ups

August 24

• 85 Sit Ups
• 90 Scissor Abs
• 60 Second Plank

August 25

• 40 Bicycle Crunches
• 45 Russian Twists
• 40 V-Ups

August 26

• 65 Sit Ups
• 60 Scissor Abs
• 70 Second Plank

August 27

• 30 Bicycle Crunches
• 65 Russian Twists
• 40 V-Ups

August 28

• 55 Sit Ups
• 50 Scissor Abs
• 45 Second Plank

August 29

• 25 Bicycle Crunches
• 50 Russian Twists
• 65 V-Ups

August 30

• 40 Sit Ups
• 55 Scissor Abs
• 30 Second Plank

August 31

• 50 Bicycle Crunches
• 25 Russian Twists
• 50 V-Ups

Demos

Scissor Abs:

• Lie flat on your back. You can extend your arms so they're against the sides of your body with your palms pressing into the floor, or you can bend your elbows and place your palms under the back of your head.
• Bend your knees and draw them into your ribs. This will make it easier to pull your navel in towards your spine and actively press your lower back flat on the ground.
• Lift both legs straight up toward the ceiling, continuing to engage your abs and press your lower back into the ground.
• Keeping your core strong, slowly lower your right leg down toward the ground, until it is a few inches above. Then scissor your legs, so you lift your right leg back up as you lower your left leg down towards the ground.
• Keep the movements slow and steady, moving with control, and keeping your core engaged the entire time, and your lower back pressing into the floor.

Bicycle Crunches:

• Lie flat on the floor with your lower back pressed to the ground and contract your core muscles.
• With your hands gently holding your head, lift your knees to about a 45-degree angle.
• Slowly, at first, go through a bicycle pedal motion.
• Alternately touching your elbows to the opposite knees as you twist back and forth.

Russian Twists:

• Sit on the ground with your knees bent and your heels about a foot from your butt.
• Lean slightly back without rounding your spine at all. It is really important, and difficult, to keep your back straight, but don’t let it curve.
• Place your arms straight out in front of you with your hands one on top of the other. Your hands should be level with the bottom of your ribcage.
• Pull your navel to your spine and twist slowly to the left. The movement is not large and comes from the ribs rotating, not from your arms swinging. Inhale through center and rotate to the right. This completes one rep.

Plank:

• Start off on a yoga mat in the pushup position. Starting with the pushup position is the easiest way to get into the plank.
• Lower both your forearms to the ground so that both your elbows and fists are flat to the ground. Your palms should be balled up, and directly underneath your shoulders.
• Curl your toes under and engage your abs by tilting your pelvis and pulling your belly button toward your spine.
• Straighten your body but keep your neck and spine neutral. Imagine that you’re a plank of wood, and that you’re straight as an arrow.
• Flex your abdominals and squeeze your glutes. These are the two major muscle groups you’ll be working out in this exercise.
• Hold this position, also known as the plank, until after the burning begins. Keep your eyes on the floor in front of you. Avoid raising your behind. Your body should make a straight line from your heels to the back of your head.

V-Ups:

• Lie on a flat surface with your lower back curvature pressed against the surface. Hold on to a fixed and sturdy object behind you (such as one of the beams from a squat rack) or you can just have your arms by your side with the palms facing the floor. Your feet should be straight in front of you and the upper torso should be aligned with the arms behind you holding on to the fixed object.
• Raise your legs to where they are off the floor. This will be your starting position.
• Raise your legs until the torso makes a 90-degree angle with the legs. Exhale as you perform this movement and hold the contraction for a second or so.
• Go back slowly to the starting position as you breathe in.

Sit Ups:

• Lie down on the floor placing your feet either under something that will not move or by having a partner hold them. Your legs should be bent at the knees.
• Place your hands behind your head and lock them together by clasping your fingers. This is the starting position.
• Elevate your upper body so that it creates an imaginary V-shape with your thighs. Breathe out when performing this part of the exercise.
• Once you feel the contraction for a second, lower your upper body back down to the starting position while inhaling.

The BEST Pre & Post Workout Snacks and Why!

There is no secret why fitness enthusiasts choose to eat certain foods before and after a workout-they each serve their purposes! What you fuel your body with can really make a greater impact in your health &  fitness goals, even more than you may realize. The goal is also to control your insulin or blood sugar levels to keep your workouts successful! Insulin conrtol also makes a great impact in getting rid of your stored fat such as the muffin top.

Let's start with pre-workout snacks. You may have heard about the great big debate on whether or not its a good idea to eat before a workout. Here are some of the benefits to having a little pre-workout snack: less fatigue, more energy, and decrease chance your blood sugar will be low enough to make you faint!

Instead of aiming for a full meal right before your workout, try these snacks below. They are designed to give you the energy or carbs you need to make your workout count!

Pre Workout Snacks

• Dried fruits
• Fresh Fruits
• Oatmeal
• Quinoa
• Rice Cakes with Nut Butter
• Banana with Almond Butter
• Smoothie
• Whole grain cereal with a cup of almond milk
• Granola or fruit & nut bar such as KIND or Larabar

Post workout snacks are just as important. After all that work that you have just put your body through, it needs some refueling to recover. Think of your body like a tank filled with gas. That gas or pre-workout snacks fuels you up for that intense workout. After the workout, you feel worn out! Your body is simply low on fuel or gas and needs a snack!

After a workout, your body craves more protein to nourish those muscles that have just been put to work. Protein not only helps the muscles recover, but they encourage and facilitate new muscle growth! You don't just need protein post-workout though-you also need some carbs for more energy! Here are a few great classic post-workout snacks that have been tried & true.

Post Workout Snacks

• Chocolate Milk
• Boiled Eggs
• Protein Shakes
• Protein Bars
• Cottage Cheese with Berries
• Greek Yogurt with Berries
• Peanut Butter on Wheat Toast
• Hummus with Baby Carrots
• Cheese & Whole Grain Crackers
• Nuts

Next time you fuel up for a workout, think about what you are putting into your body and whether or not it can help or hinder your routine!

Got Smelly, Old Towels? Here’s How to Refresh Them!

Most people never really think about cleansing their towels. After all, towels are primarily used to wipe water off of a CLEAN body. However, most people use the same towel for a few days in a row. The towel keeps absorbing and holding in the water, day after day. Then you wash the towels with fabric softener and detergent, which can cause build up with every wash.

The end result? A mildew-y smell and less absorbency-not to mention your towels begin to feel like Brillo pads on your soft, smooth skin! YIKES!

Have no fear, you won’t have to purchase new towels. All you have to do is refresh them a little! It is recommended to do this every 3 or 4 months to keep your towels smelling and feeling their best.

Here’s how:

What you will need:

• 1 cup baking soda
• 1 cup white distilled vinegar
• 3 tbsp lemon juice

What to do:

1. Combine the vinegar and lemon juice.
2. Wash all of your towels on one normal hot wash with the white distilled vinegar and lemon juice mixture.
3. Wash for a second time on a normal hot wash with the baking soda only.
4. Dry as usual.
5. Enjoy the freshness!

6 Month Postpartum Update + PHOTOS

Today makes 6 months since I went into labor. Tomorrow will be 6 months since I have given birth to my angel. Wow, does time fly! I decided to take some progress photos to compare my pregnant and immediate postpartum bodies to my current postpartum body now. 

As many of you know, I worked out 5 times per week for about an hour-all throughout my pregnancy. I gained 30lbs total. This did not keep my body from losing muscle mass or getting soft-because those two things TOTALLY did happen and I am STILL battling those two main issues (thanks, hormones!).

Here I am at 38 weeks!

Immediately postpartum, I lost my baby weight. However, I was still left with the soft spaces that pregnancy had left behind. I was definitely bloated from the IV fluids (thanks 22 hour labor!).

I liked my postpartum body. After all, it carried a HUMAN BEING! I thought I looked pretty great, considering just given birth and working out the whole entire time-but, I had a long ways to go to get back to where I wanted to be.

 Below are my 3 days postpartum photos!

Since giving birth, I did not continue my regular workouts until around 12 weeks-though I was given the all clear at my 6 week check up. Why, you ask? My husband had to have surgery 5 weeks after we gave birth. Then we decided to move. Then we had a family emergency that we had to travel for immediately after that. It felt like one thing after another! But, I was in no rush. I did walk around the track wearing my son and I ate very strict. This helped tremendously.

For the last few months, I have been hitting it hard, but only 2-3 times a week. I have not made it to a gym since March-instead, I built my own home gym to workout while my son sleeps. I am really enjoying this transformation and taking things slow. I am still not at my goal, but I am getting there :)

Here are my official 6 month postpartum photos! Please note, I took these on my cell phone so nobody could argue that I photoshopped myself... yesssss.. I have had those comments before! LMAO.

 No re-touching needed :)

And there you have it!

Until next time...