I'm obviously not going to have SUMMER ABS this year...well my sweet husband did say, "technically you never lost your 6 pack and you never will". hehe! I guess he is right. 
Here is a great ab routine you can do at home or at the park if you have a play date setup with your kiddos. Pre-baby I tried to work my core for 5-10 minute 3x a week. I never had a dedicated "ab" day because you use your core all the time when working out...well you should be!

If you know me at all, you know I don't enjoy a simple, light run. After a few minutes I find myself bored and wanting to head home. I need a cardio routine that changes every few minutes to keep my mind engaged and my heart pumping and this routine does just that!

Take your sweat session outdoors or hit the treadmill and TORCH some major calories with this Stars & Stripes Cardio Blast! You will be alternating runs with sprints and for an extra bonus I have added in some leg work! #yourwelcome 

Check back in and let us know how many calories you burn! @thewholesomeway

Today you have Total Body Circuit to complete at home or in the gym. Add weights for an extra workout challenge! Complete 2-3 rounds!

Confession time. I bought a TRX strap two years ago and NEVER learned how to use it. Then recently I decided to try a TRX class at the downtown YMCA and now it is my new favorite! Here's why:

• It's great for ALL fitness levels. You can add a weight to make it more challenging or modify any move to scale it back.
• You can work every major and small muscle group with no extra equipment.
• It is portable! I keep my straps in the garage but I can also take it to the beach or travel with it. Also, its light so I don't have to worry about carry around heavy workout equipment with me.
• You work your CORE the entire time. 

Life has been crazy lately and I have not been able to strength train as much as I would like. Today I don't have a workout video but I do have an AWESOME strength training leg day routine! I did this routine on Monday and I can still feel it my legs! 

Enjoy! Summer is right around the corner!

Pick 3 commercial segments during the Super Bowl and see which exercises you can get in!  Video your workout and submit it to thewholesomeway@gmail.com. I will feature one video for my "Work It Out Wednesday" blog post! 

Your legs and bottom half will be thanking me tomorrow!

Check in with me after your workout @Thewholesomeway #thewholesomeway #sweatyselfie #legday

Arctic Blast coming to Houston? It is no secret that I love the outdoors but HATE cold weather. I prefer to run outside to get my cardio in but during this time of year the treadmill becomes my best friend.

Indoor cardio routines don't have to be boring! Spice up your cardio routine with a HIIT workout. You can do this routine on a bicycle, treadmill, elliptical, or my favorite, the stair master. 

Somehow my health and fitness blog has turned into a health food blog! Which is not a totally bad thing…..I mean, did you try the homemade dark chocolate almond butter?! Wow!

Today I want to change directions and talk about MACROS. I REALLY want to talk about Flexible Dieting but it is important you understand the basics of Macros before I take you down that path.

Macros?

Macros is short for macronutrients and consists of protein, carbs (my favorite!), and fat. These 3 elements are the main source of calories that make up your diet. Macros help you perform important functions such as building and repairing tissue, regulating your metabolism, and giving you energy.

Protein provides 4 calories per gram. What does that mean exactly? Well, if your favorite protein bar has 20 grams of protein, then 80 of those calories that make up the protein bar are specifically from protein. Protein is important because it is a part of every cell, tissue, and organ in your body. Protein is constantly breaking down so we need this macro to help build, repair, and maintain our body tissue.

Carbs, like protein, provide 4 calories per gram. Carbs are extremely important because it is our body’s main source of energy.  This energy gives us the “fuel” we need to get through our workouts.

Fat provides 9 calories per gram. If your favorite almond butter has 8 grams of fat, then it makes up 72 calories.  Fat is double the amount of calories provided by protein and carbs. The different types of fat include saturated, trans, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated. I wont get into the details here but know that monounsaturated and polyunsaturated are the better fats. In fact, fat is used to protect your organs, muscles and bones. If you have ever had too little of body fat, you probably froze all the time and that is because fat also helps regulate and maintain body temperature.

I’m not a fan of diets that restrict certain macronutrients such as no carb or no fat diets because, as mentioned above, protein, carbs, and fat each provide our body with different health benefits and with the right distribution of macros our body can function at an optimal level. The proper ratio is not the same for everyone and is dependent on body type, weight, height, health and fitness goals, etc. 

If you are interested in counting your macros, I suggest downloading and using one of my favorite FREE apps called MyFitnessPal.  I always tell my clients logging your food is an eye opening experience and will make you a “smart” eater. You will become aware of which foods contain more carbs vs. fat, more protein, etc.