For most of us, taking time to rest is a difficult task. We usually carry around a lot of stress on a daily basis without ample time to recover from it. The stressors we endure at work and at home greatly affect our training quality. The key here is balance, if we can balance our stress with ample recovery, it will in turn improve our training!

Rest and Recovery can mean different things for different people. Most of us picture lounging on the couch with a bag of chips and a beer. Well, that is ok in some instances but in order to really recover and keep your healthy lifestyle going, throw out the chips and beer Some great ways to relax and recover are; meditation, naps, stretching, recovery exercises, foam rolling, proper hydration and a balanced diet. So many people walk off the trail or leave the gym without stretching! This is something that only takes a few minutes and it feels great so please, stretch after you train!

Make it your goal- Recover! Take the day off from training, get a massage, take a nap, stretch and most importantly, RELAX!

2 rounds, 10 exercises, 50 sec intervals, 10 sec rest in between exercises

1. Kettle ball or dumbbell swings

2. Jump squat with push-ups

3. Roll ups (I added jump squats for a little more “umf”)

4. Crab kicks

5. Super wide side lunge (Right leg)

6. Super wide side lunge (left leg)

7. Knee tucks with a hop (alternating legs)

8. Mountain climbers

9. Sumo squat with back lunge

10. Sumo squat with side crunch

If you have any questions on the exercises, leave me a comment! I’d love some feedback also so, let me know how you like it! ENJOY

5 exercises, 5 rounds of 20 sec intervals each with a 10 sec rest in between

1. Mountain Climbers

2. Plank/back bend (alternating sides)

3. Plank with rear leg lift (alternating)

4. Jump squats

5. Sumo squat with leg tuck (alternating)

If you have any questions on how to do the exercises listed, please leave a comment below or send me an email at info@trainingwithnatalie.com

***You will need a timer, I use the one on my cell phone***

This workout has 4 parts, it’s a tough one!

Part 1- 4 min, 8 rounds of 20sec intervals

You will be alternating 20sec rounds of squats and plank/ jump/ push ups

Part 2- 5 Sets as fast as you can (10 sec breaks in between)

10 Pendulums (5 on each leg)- Start in an upside down V, for my yogis, downward facing dog. Then you’re going to alternate kicking each leg out to the side (like a side kick), use momentum so the transition between legs is smooth.Next, you’re going to lower down to your stomach and roll once to the left. Press up to your hands (plank), and complete a push up.Drop down to your elbows (forearm plank), bring your feet together and hop with both feet from side to side 10 times. Lower down to your stomach and roll to the right. Now, repeat 4 times

Part 3- 8 rounds of 20 sec intervals. You’re going to alternate “mini” squats (same as a regular squat but you’re not coming up or down all the way, your just “bopping”) with “girl push ups” (push ups on your knees)

Part 4- Repeat everything one more time!

Please share your likes, dislikes and experiences with this workout in comments below!

The toughest part about staying committed is keeping focused. This is where most people fall off, they start something, it gets tough, the get distracted and start something else. Where do you fit in? Are you a committed person? Can you stay focused when everything around you is falling apart? This is what it takes to be above, to be of the strongest, to achieve and conquer!

We all have had times where we couldn’t stay committed and that should have been a time for trial and error for most of us. No work equals no reward, it’s really a simple concept wrapped in a complicated bow. I can say from my own experiences that when I stayed focused and committed, the end result was success. What is success to you? It’s not always winning the race but rather just showing up for it and giving it your best, knowing you did all you could. To me, success is completing and conquering, but that doesn’t have to mean being “better” than anyone else.

Stay committed in what you do, be strong and conquer!

 I have put together a basic grocery list to help get you started on your journey. Learn to shop in the perimeter of the store. There are only a couple things that you should have to go into the aisles for. This list is pretty basic, it includes, proteins, fats, fruits, carbohydrates and veggies.  So… here you go!

• Romaine lettuce
• Baby spinach
• Baby carrots
• Tomatoes
• Onions
• Bell peppers
• Broccoli
• Asparagus
• Green beans
• Sweet potatoes
• Red skin potatos
• Eggs
• Bananas
• Strawberries
• Blueberries
• Peaches
• Apples
• Plums
• Oranges
• Chicken breast
• Salmon fillets
• 99% lean ground turkey
• 2 cans of light tuna
• Red wine vinegar
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Brown rice
• Plain whole oats
• Raw almonds
• Raw cashews

Ingredients

I’m starting a super shred down diet today!! I will be posting pictures and daily updates on my progress! If you would like to join me on my quest, please let me know and I will get you all of the details.

So far today at 11:30 in the morning, I have already worked out once and have eaten two of my meals! I’ll be eating again in about an hour!

Stay tuned!

Try this-Yummy Peanut Butter Banana Frozen yogurt!

Ingredients- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt, 1 ripe banana, 1 tbsp all natural peanut butter (you can add a scoop of whey protein if you’re using this for a post-workout treat).

Directions- Mash the banana and peanut butter together into a smooth paste and mix well with the yogurt. Store it in a freezer safe container and let it freeze for a couple hours to make it slightly frozen or over night. If you freeze it overnight it will have the consistency of Italian ice. A couple hours in the freezer freezes it half way through so it has an “ice cream” consistency.

I hope you all enjoy! Please feel free to share your healthy treat recepies here!

“It’s a lifestyle – train like there’s no finish line.”

If you’re in the gym for 3-4 hours you’re most likely in a catabolic state (muscle burning). When we workout in the gym we want to burn fat, not muscle, right? So tonight when you get to the gym, think quality and not quantity. It should roughly take you between 30-45min to complete a strength training session, followed by a 30min cardio session. That puts you at about 1hr and 15min in the gym!

Quit the chit chat sessions and get serious with your workouts, make your time in the gym count! Let’s see some results!

“If it is important to you, you will find a way. If not, you’ll find an excuse.”