The Reality of Health and Weight Loss

Hey guys! I created a fancy-shmancy 30 Day Youtube Calendar — you can download it for free here! I’m doing the 30 days with you guys, and sharing my tips and tricks along the way. You can see all of my posts about the Youtube Workout here. Good luck!

Day 11: Lower Body Toning Better Booty by Fitness Blender

I’m going to be honest with you guys and tell you this straight: today’s workout is going to be TOUGH.

The point of circuit training and tabata intervals is to improve lean muscle mass and burn fat.

But you have to WORK for it if you want results!

The 30 Day Youtube Calendar does ramp up in intensity, and this workout will bring your fitness to the next level! I know you guys can handle it!

Time Required: 44 minutes

What You Need: Good shoes, a chair, dummbells.

Tips:

• Choose your weights wisely. I used an 8lb set and a 12lb set of dumbbells: the 8lb for the bridge and the step ups and the 12lb for everything else. Don’t overload yourself, and use a lighter weight if you need it to keep your form right.
• Stay strong! I know you can do this workout. Play some music in addition to this music to keep you motivated. These kinds of workouts are the ones that will kill you but you’ll definitely feel sore and see results, I promise! You just need to give it your all and you’ll do great :)

After your workout:

Eat some peanut butter, greek yogurt, or other protein, and relax! I’m so glad you decided to put in the effort and do this video today. 

I treated myself to some Starbucks after my workout.

What rewards do you use to stay motivated? Send me an ask!

See you tomorrow!

Hey guys! I created a fancy-shmancy 30 Day Youtube Calendar — you can download it for free here! I’m doing the 30 days with you guys, and sharing my tips and tricks along the way. You can see all of my posts about the Youtube Workout here. Good luck!

Day 10: Weight Loss Yoga: Fat Burn by Tara Stiles

It’s yoga time! I’m so excited, you guys. I’ve been craving yoga since I got back from college. Maybe it’s because I got new yoga pants? *thinks for two seconds* Actually yes, it’s definitely because I got new yoga pants:

#messyhairdontcare #alsoglassesareathing

Also someone please explain to me how bathing suits work because I don’t understand why it’s inappropriate to run around in public in your bra and underwear but then we go to the beach and all of the sudden bikinis are the norm? What magical threshold do we pass when we step on the sand that suddenly switches our mind to “little to no clothing time!” 

shhh amy back to fitness

What You’ll Need: A yoga mat, towel, or rug

Time Required: 9 minutes

Tips:

• Engage your abs to get through tougher moves. Side planks are my life in yoga class— they’re so tough but so good for you! By really engaging your abs throughout the entire workout, you can smooth out transitions and survive through tougher poses.
• Watch the video first before attempting. If you’re new at yoga, scroll through the video real quick and see what the moves look like.

After your workout:

I picked this video because it once again highlights yoga not only as a great way to improve your flexibility, but also your strength!

I encourage you to check out what other workouts Tara Stiles has to offer, and if you’re up for a more intense workout, go check out my supplemental list of workouts. 

See you guys tomorrow! :)

Hey guys! I created a fancy-shmancy 30 Day Youtube Calendar — you can download it for free here! I’m doing the 30 days with you guys, and sharing my tips and tricks along the way. You can see all of my posts about the Youtube Workout here. Good luck!

Day 9: 5 Minutes to Slim from Fitness Blender

Hey guys! Sorry today’s workout is so late, I was meeting up for coffee with an old friend from high school. It’s so interesting to see people change and find their calling, embracing new passions and goals, don’t you think? 

Anyways, today’s workout is HIIT! Maximum results in less time. This one’s a toughie, but I know you can do it! Lots of fat burning plyo, and what will become your “favorite” move of all time: burpee jacks!

What You’ll Need: Good tennis shoes

Time Required: 5-10 minutes

Tips:

• Don’t forget to warm up and cool down! I do dynamic stretches (walking toe touches, buttkicks, high knees) before nearly every intense workout, and a little bit of yoga afterwards. Just do SOMETHING to warm up your muscles, and then let them cool off. Even if it’s just jogging in place.
• I did this workout twice in a row, and it’s a challenge! See if, after a short active break, you can do this workout twice for a total of ten minutes :)

I’m sweaty and gross as I type this, but I feel awesome!

Keep up the great work and I’ll see you lovely people tomorrow :)

Hey guys! I created a fancy-shmancy 30 Day Youtube Calendar — you can download it for free here! I’m doing the 30 days with you guys, and sharing my tips and tricks along the way. You can see all of my posts about the Youtube Workout here. Good luck!

Day 8: Victoria’s Secret Ab Workout from Blogilates

I hope you enjoyed your rest day yesterday and are ready to work today!

What You’ll Need: A yoga mat or a towel

Time Required: 14 minutes

Tips:

• Don’t slack! Ab workouts are worthless if you don’t give it your all! It’s easy to just lie on your mat and not do the moves, but you need to try your hardest to get results.
• Bonus challenge: pick another workout off of this list if you’re up for another workout!

Short post today because I’m doing some blog re-working to prepare for disaster if the Yahoo buyout affects Tumblr too negatively. If they take off my ads on my blog, I’ll probably move everything to my other website, RealityofYou.com and just use this Tumblr for Reality Checks and answering questions, and instead put most of my content on Reality of You. It’ll be a headache to move stuff over and still get you guys the best health and fitness motivation possible, but I’ll do my best :)

Anyways, go drink some water and pat yourself on your back when you finish this workout because it’s a tough one!

Hey guys! I created a fancy-shmancy 30 Day Youtube Calendar — you can download it for free here! I’m doing the 30 days with you guys, and sharing my tips and tricks along the way. You can see all of my posts about the Youtube Workout here. Good luck!

Day 5: Weight Loss Yoga with Tara Stiles

You’ve been working hard this week, so stay strong! Today’s workout is a little easier, but still a challenge nevertheless. Prepare for chair poses!

Tara Stiles has a ton of great routines, and I picked the beginner weight loss yoga video because it’s a great intro to how yoga can improve both flexibility and muscle tone.

What You’ll Need: A yoga mat or towel

Time Required: 8 minutes

Tips:

• Get low. Really dig into those chair poses!
• Focus on your breath. Yoga is all about linking breath with movement, so focus on keeping your breathing smooth throughout this whole routine.

After Your Workout:

If you’re looking for a good, protein-filled snack, try my Angelic Eggs — a healthy twist on the traditional deviled eggs dish!

BONUS CHALLENGE! Select a flexibility workout from my list of harder youtube workouts. I recommend Jillian Michael’s Yoga Meltdown Level 1 if you’re up for the challenge!

See you tomorrow!

Hey guys! I created a fancy-shmancy 30 Day Youtube Calendar — you can download it for free here! I’m doing the 30 days with you guys, and sharing my tips and tricks along the way. You can see all of my posts about the Youtube Workout here. Good luck!

Day 4: Fitness Blender Strength Training for Fat Loss

Hey guys! Today’s workout is a tough fat burner, and it’s going to sculpt your upper body!

What You’ll Need: dumbbells, yoga mat (optional).  I used 8lb weights for this one, and don’t go too heavy but make sure you’re challenging yourself!

Time Required: 26 minutes

Tips:

• Play Pump Up Music. Fitness Blender workouts don’t have a soundtrack, so turn on some tunes to keep you working hard and inspired!
• Focus on your form. Keep your back straight with the deadlifts to protect your spine. Good form is key!
• Customize the intensity. Don’t go too heavy, because that could cause injury. Don’t go too light, because then it won’t be an effective workout! Anywhere between 5-12lbs is a good range — if the later reps aren’t feeling really tough, you need to increase your weight, and if your form is suffering, choose lighter weights.

After your workout:

Stretch, eat some delicious Greek yogurt, drink water and sleep well in order to make sure your muscles recuperate!

I don’t know about you guys, but my muscles are quite sore from yesterday’s jump roping. Do some yoga if your muscles feel tight!

See you beautiful people tomorrow! :)

LINK TO: Day 5

Hey guys! I created a fancy-shmancy 30 Day Youtube Calendar — you can download it for free here! I’m doing the 30 days with you guys, and sharing my tips and tricks along the way. You can see all of my posts about the Youtube Workout here. Good luck!

Day 3: Jump Rope Training Circuit

The actual workout starts at the 1:45 mark, so you can skip to that point in the video if you are so inclined!

Today’s your first day of circuit training, which is a type of HIIT that involves strength moves mixed with cardio. (Most HIIT is usually just cardio done at different speed intervals.)

If you find today’s workout too easy and want more of a challenge, select an additional workout from this list. If this workout is too difficult, or if you don’t have a jump rope or dumbbells, you can also find an alternative on that same list. I recommend the Yoga Cardio Blend from the “easy” column if you don’t have any equipment, since it’s a comparable workout in terms of integrating both strength and cardio.

Here we go!

What you’ll need: A jump rope, dumbbells, a chair, and good shoes! Jump ropes are the perfect fitness tool. They’re cheap (usually less than $5!) and make for a great fat burning workout!

Time Required: 12 minutes

Tips:

• I picked this workout because it’s a challenging, total body workout! You WILL see results from circuit training because it’s the best of both fitness worlds, cardio and strength.
• This workout may be overwhelming for some — she talks a lot about technique of jumping rope. Honestly? Just jump rope. Fast. That’s all you need to do to get a good workout. Trust me, you can worry about all the jump rope techniques later.

After Your Workout: Today’s workout was tough, so make sure you drink plenty of water and eat something with lots of protein! Protein shakes, peanut butter — all good options! See you tomorrow :)

LINK TO: Day 4

Leave a comment or send me an ask:

How’d your workout go today for day one?

What kind of thoughts are running through your head about fitness, committing to working out, and staying motivated?

Hey guys! I created the fancy shmancy 30 Day Youtube Calendar — you can download it for free here! I’m doing the 30 days with you guys, and sharing my tips and tricks along the way. You can see all of my posts about the Youtube Workout here. Good luck!

Day 1: Interval — HIIT Fat Loss with Fitness Blender

Welcome to the first day of the program! Come in, sit down, let me grab you some green tea and brief you on the awesome fitness journey you’re going to embark on!

Today’s workout isn’t too challenging — it’s about on the same par as the first day of the 30 day shred, if not a bit easier. Just do your best. If you need to take an additional ten second rest break here and there, go ahead, but try and push through!

What you’ll need: tennis shoes! There’s some plyometric moves in today’s workout, so you’ll want some padding. These plyo moves are great for building strength and torching fat, but you need good shoes — or at the very least a yoga mat — to protect your feet.

Time Required: 21 minutes

Tips: 

• This is a great introduction to High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). HIIT is great for fat loss and boosting your metabolism, and it’s much better than steady state cardio for weight loss.
  
• For those of who who are more advanced, make the moves more challenging by either adding weights, going faster, or going deeper into the lunges. 
• Turn on some music as well in order to improve your endurance by 20%! Moves Like Jagger got me through the hellish last set of mountain climbers :)

After your workout:

When you’re done, eat some almonds or peanut butter and chill out!

• Was this workout too easy for you? Check out my list of more advanced workouts, and do it in addition to today’s workout!
• Was this workout too hard? Were you unable to complete more than half of the workout? Instead, try a workout from my list of easier options. 

Drink lots of water, sleep well, and I’ll see you guys tomorrow :)

LINK TO: DAY 2

photo by lululemon athletica

There are days where I’m up at 6am to type a paper, then off to eat at 7am, and then class from 8-4pm, followed by yoga class and grocery store errands and then homework until I collapse into bed at ten or eleven.

Yet somehow I’m still keeping up with my studies and making the Dean’s List, carving out time to ironically attend the Birdemic 2 world premiere with my awesome boyfriend, and do yoga three times a week, ballroom dancing three times a week, strength training twice a week, and running twice a week. Oh, and then I somehow also update four blogs and do graphic design work on the side, while also writing scripts and novels year round and still managing to get eight or nine hours of sleep most nights.

I know a thing a two about time management. And getting tickets to dorky premieres. (Did you know Birdemic 2 not only has killer birds, but — gasp — zombies??)

Anyways, I’m here to help you navigate your crazy schedule and still find ways to be fit and healthy year-round! Here they are:

read more

Other articles:

6 Ways to Sleep Better

4 Reasons to Do Yoga

4 Ways to Kickstart Your Fitness Life