Total Bodyweight Workout

This total bodyweight workout will strengthen and tone your entire body as well as burn lots of calories with a mix of bodyweight and cardio exercises.

Equipment: None

Workout: For this workout each exercise will be timed for 30 seconds before moving onto the next one (so no need to count reps!). Just be sure to move quickly to the next exercise and limit breaks to keep that heart rate up! Circuit through each exercise before repeating the entire circuit. Beginners complete one circuit and more advanced exercises complete 2-3 circuits.

Exercises:

• Side to Side Push-up
• Plank with Alternating Knee-In
• Burpee
• Squat to Calf Raise
• Ski Jump
• Bicycle crunch
• Tuck Jump
• Scissor Kick
• Superman
• Lunge Hop
• Russian Side Twist
• Mountain Climber
• Side Plank

Bonus Challenge: Track how many reps you complete of each exercise during the 30 seconds. Repeat the workout weekly for 4 weeks and try to increase your number of reps for each exercise each time you repeat the workout.

Have you noticed the large collection of gluten free products at the grocery store lately? Or maybe you know someone who has celiac disease, gluten intolerance, or just a friend that has decided to go on a wheat free and gluten free diet and you’re not really sure what the big deal is. After working with clients with celiac disease in my fitness classes and reading the book Wheat Bellyby Dr William Davis I became rather intrigued with a wheat free and gluten free diet and decided to do more research. I am now even attempting the wheat belly diet myself to see what happens. I can tell you one thing all this fuss about gluten is no mistake.

• Stimulates your appetite. Yes, gluten products can make you hungrier, thus make you eat more food and calories, and make you fatter!
• Is addictive. Making you crave them more and eat them more, and even get cranky when you don’t have them.
• Causes inflammation. Celiac disease is inflammation in the small intestine where the intestinal barrier actually breaks down and leaks fecal matter. Yes POOH actually leaks into your body and bloodstream! Ewww! This can also lead to other autoimmune disorders and inflammatory responses.
• Disrupts the bodies PH balance. Wheat and gluten grains can be very acidic. To maintain balance, the body pulls calcium from the bones. This can lead to fractures and osteoporosis. And no, overloading on calcium supplements isn’t going to work here.
• Increases blood sugar and risk of diabetes. Wheat bread actually increases your blood sugar levels as much or more than table sugar. What does this mean? Here let me illustrate:

Ok I'll admit. I fell off the wagon. I started the Wheat Belly Diet a few months ago, did really good for a few weeks, and then started getting ready to move and travel and fell off the wagon. I'm a bit embarrassed but hey I'm human too. So I'm back at it and will be bringing you regular updates, gluten free tips, and more as promised! Today is Day 1 of the wheat belly diet and I'm going gluten free for good! And if you didn't catch my earlier blog post make sure you do so by clicking here!

Now before I saw some rather great progress in weight lost, inches lost, and energy levels so I'm hoping to see the same progress again!

Check out round one after only 2 weeks:

That's a huge difference in my tummy. And the funny thing is after eating wheat and gluten containing foods like crazy last week (because I really wanted to see the effects and changes in full force again). You can see how much my stomach bloated back up with my Day 1 pic here:

So I think that' s sufficient evidence to prove that wheat is making our bellies fatter! Don't you think?

Banana Walnut Oatmeal Recipe

This banana walnut oatmeal recipe was posted in the past but somehow when we loaded the new blog a few months ago some of the posts went missing! So good news, I'm re-posting them here for you again so they are handy whenever you need them. This is the last recipe so expect some fresh, new recipes starting next week.

Now I love oatmeal for breakfast with some eggs. This is by far one of my favorite oatmeal recipes and it's so easy to make.

Ingredients:

• 1 ripe banana
• 1 cup cooked oatmeal
• 1 Tbsp walnut pieces
• Stevia to taste

Recipe:

• Cook oatmeal according to package.
• Mash up banana and add to oatmeal.
• Add walnuts and stevia to oatmeal.
• Mix thoroughly.

What's your favorite breakfast food?

Pyramid Workout

This Pyramid workout of the week may not incorporate a lot of exercises, but it does incorporate a lot of reps which will definitely get your heart rate pumping so you can burn a lot of calories. So be sure to check out this pyramid workout, where Todd Gerringer, the Fox of the Month, will demonstrate the exercises!

The Workout:

Complete the ladder below for a total of 80 reps of each exercise. Start by completing 5 reps of each exercise, then 10 reps of each exercise, then 15 reps of each exercise, moving up the ladder to 20 reps and then back down the ladder to 5 reps. You must complete all reps before moving onto the next exercise.

The ladder will look like this: 5 reps – 10 reps – 15 reps – 20 reps – 15 reps – 10 reps – 5 reps

The Exercises:

• Floppy Burpee
• Double Crunch
• Push Up
• Plank V-Jump
• Squat Jump

Now for an extra challenge time yourself doing this workout and complete it again in 4 weeks to see how much quicker you can do it!

I have some of the most awesome clients ever! It's true, and because of that I want to share with you some of their fantastic success stories. So each month I'll be picking someone to spotlight and this month it's Todd Gerringer!! Way to go Todd (your trainer is proud)!

Todd has lost 22 lbs since starting with Get Foxy Boot Camp and the online Get Foxy Fit Club over 2 months ago! Can't you tell the amazing difference in his face above??!! If not you may want to consider a new pair of eyeglasses…But, anyway, Todd's clothes are looser, he has more energy, and just feels all around better. And to top it all off Todd used to have regular headaches which now are a rare occasion!

Todd works hard. He kicks butt in each class and makes a huge effort to eat clean (well except the occasional cheat meal which is OK and necessary to avoid going completely insane) by gathering different ideas and recipes online and through Clean Eating Magazine. And the most awesome thing is that his wife, Courtney Gerringer, is his partner in all this so they work as a team to push each other to be successful losing weight! I know that support can go a long way and it's been fun watching both of them transform.

Be sure to check out his testimony here:

So I asked Todd, "What are the major changes that lead to your 22 pound weight loss (besides going from not working out at all to attending boot camp 4 days a week)?" He had some great tips to share:

1. Log what you eat with a food journal.  By using a food journal, Todd has become more aware of what he's eating which can make a HUGE difference on the waistline. To learn more about food journaling check out this past blog on How to Keep a Food Journal for Weight Loss.

2. Cut out added sugars. Sugars are empty calories and can really hinder your weight loss goals. And not to mention sugars are rather addictive, so having just a little can make you want more or even cause you to binge. And Todd may kill me for this, but he's just like me, SWEET TOOTH galore and stopping at one cookie…Yeah right!! So by making an effort to cut sugar out of your diet you can make quick progress toward your weight loss goals.

3. Just make healthier food choices. Sometimes just small changes can go a long way toward weight loss success. Todd incorporate's small changes into his day to cut extra calories, fats, and sugars such as ordering a side of vegetables or fruit rather than a side of French fries when eating out. Those evil calories can add up VERY quickly and  so by swapping a few unhealthy items for healthier choices you can cut out those extra calories that are making you fatter!

So please congratulate Todd by leaving a comment below!

Belly Blaster Workout

Summer is coming soon and that means you'll be baring that tummy in a sexy bikini before you know it. This weeks workout with tone and shape that belly!

The Workout:

Complete 10 Reps of each exercise for a total of 2 rounds for beginners and up to 5 rounds for the more advanced exerciser.

The Exercises:

• Jack Knife Crunch – 10 reps on each leg
• Hip Raise to a Leg Drop – 10 reps
• Plank Hold – :20 – 1:00
• Side Plank with a Dip – 10 reps on each side
• Bicycle Crunch – 10 reps on each leg

Becky Takes on the Wheat Belly Diet and Goes Gluten Free

So I've decided to take on a new challenge and it's called the Wheat Belly Diet. This is based off a book by William Davis. So basically I've decided to give up wheat and go gluten free for the next 4 weeks. This includes whole grains (yes even whole wheat!) or any product with wheat or gluten. You'd be surprised how many items contain gluten! So it's not just the white breads, pastas, muffins, tortillas, pancakes, waffles, and all that sort of thing but whole wheat bread or pasta too.

But those are healthy right so what the heck?! In the Wheat Belly book, there are some very good arguments for why wheat, even whole wheat and grain IS NOT good for you (I'll write more about those arguments in the blog at a later date so be sure to check back). So, I want to test it out and see  how eliminating wheat would make me feel and look, thus the reason for this challenge!

So why would I torture myself so you ask? Good question! Well there are a few reasons:

1. I keep hearing about gluten intolerance, celiac disease, the Paleo diet and realized I didn't know anything about it. So I started reading to learn more about it so I could better understand it for my clients.
2. Also, I want to lose about 14 pounds to get to a weight of 140 lbs and get la leaner, fit appearance. Summer is on it's way and I'm planning to do another fitness competition later in the year so why not kick start it all. Dr Davis' main argument is that wheat causes you to store belly fat which is the unhealthiest of all places to store fat and to me one of the least sexy, so I'm excited to see what it does to my tummy.
3. I've been feeling rather tired lately and I know diet can do that to you so I'm up for anything that may give me more energy and make me feel better!
4. I'm always up for a challenge. It keeps me on track and makes me push myself to the limit. So I'm ready to kick some butt!

So where am I now? Well I started this diet on Monday, February 13th, so I'm three days in at this point:

• Day 1 – I weighed 154 lbs and my measurements were 36 chest – 29.5 belly – 30 hips
• Day 2 – I was already down 2 pounds to 152. Debloating already!!
• Day 3 – Down another half pound for a total of 2.5 lbs.

Here's what I looked like on Monday:

Now so far things are going well. Day 2 I was super fatigued and am still craving something sweet today. Luckily, the horrible withdrawal symptoms haven't kicked in too much, but we'll see. I'll just keep telling myself, I can do this. This first week is going to be ROUGH but it's supposed to get better after that and actually give me more energy and make me feel fantastic!!

Now maybe you'll consider joining me for this challenge….It could be interesting! If so do check out the Wheat Belly book here:

I'd love to hear your thoughts or experiences with a gluten free diet, so please tell me about it below!

Banana Snack Wrap Recipe

This banana snack wrap recipe was posted in the past but somehow when we loaded the new blog a few months ago some of the posts went missing! So good news, I'm re-posting them here for you again so they are handy whenever you need them, so expect to see them over the next few weeks.This banana snack wrap recipe makes for a quick tasty snack without all the added sugars and fats found in many sweet treats.Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• whole wheat tortilla
• 2 tbsp natural peanut butter
• 1 tbsp slivered almonds
• 1 medium banana
• 1 tsp honey

Recipe:

Lay tortilla on a plate, spread evenly with nut butter and top with almonds and banana slices. Drizzle honey over top and roll tortilla. Cut in half and serve.

Chicken Fajita Recipe

This chicken fajita recipe was posted in the past but somehow when we loaded the new blog a few months ago some of the posts went missing! So good news, I'm re-posting them here for you again so they are handy whenever you need them, so expect to see them over the next few weeks.

So I LOVE chicken fajitas. It's one of my favorite meals ever! I think because I just love chicken and pepper so mix them together and yummy!! Anyhow, I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into strips
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 1/2 package fajita seasoning
• 1 sliced onion
• 1 1/2 sliced red, yellow, green or orange bell peppers
• 1/2 cup pico de gallo
• 4 whole wheat tortillas
• Shredded lettuce or spinach
• Salsa

Recipe:

• Heat coconut oil in a pan over medium heat. Add chicken and fajita seasoning. Cook until no longer pink in the middle.
• Add peppers, onions, and pico. Cook until vegetables soften.
• Load chicken and veggies onto a tortilla. Add lettuce and salsa or leftover pico.

What's your favorite Mexican dish?