Goals + Two Killer Strength Training HIIT Workouts!

Hey, hey, hey! I hope you are all enjoying 2019!

So far, I’ve been loving the goals I’m working on and what I’m doing right now. I’m just trying really hard to be mindful, consistent and more deliberate with my choices.

I’m seeing and feeling some good results, which makes me happy. It’s been slow and steady, but that’s exactly how I want it to be! I’m feeling very committed and “in it” for the long haul. I’m excited to see where it takes me!

I’ve been trying hard to eat less food and listen to my body. I know it’s a basic concept, but it’s been great and I really think it’s the driving force behind my results and behind weight loss in general.

I also made myself a goal to add more weight training into my life. I gotta say that over the years whenever I’ve made a concentrated effort to consistently and effectively work my muscles HARD, I always love the results I get!

IMO, weight training is where it’s at folks. It is just so good for the body! It increases muscle (obviously) and in turn raises the metabolism which helps to burn fat and lose weight! It also improves our mood and can reduce depression and anxiety. Weight training also decreases the risk of osteoporosis by strengthening the bones and reduces the risk of injury because it makes our bodies stronger! It also just feels so darn good to be strong!

So, with that being said, right now I go to three classes at the gym each week. I go to Pilates on Mondays, a HIIT class on Tuesdays and a Full Body Weight Lifting class on Wednesdays. Each of these classes work my muscles in different ways and I love it!

However, in keeping with my goal to add more weight training into my life, I think I’m going to add a little more weight training in after my classes. I’m talkin’ like a few extra sets of exercises for ’bout 10 minutes or so. Nothing too crazy.

I also gotta say, that starting this week on Thursdays I’m going to try out a new yoga class that my church is offering the next few months. I really, really hope it’s good because I’ve been wanting to find a good yoga class! I’ll let you guys know how it goes. Yoga will be the perfect “workout” after three hard classes in a row.

On Fridays and Saturdays I’ve just been coming up with my own workouts. I usually try to do one day of upper body and one day of lower body. I’ve also been trying to fit in a short run each week too!

I went on a run on New Year’s Day and it felt awesome!

I only ran three miles, but it was just perfect! I’ve actually been loving running in the cold this year! It feels so refreshing and the snow was so beautiful!

In all reality, I’ve been running more for the mental therapy lately as much as anything. Running is just so darn good for my mind, mood and mental state. That’s why I’ve just been loving going on shorter runs! It just feels so good and makes me happy!

Obviously, most weeks I don’t fit in all of these workouts. It’s a pretty intense schedule, BUT I love and look forward to each one! I love how they are all so unique and challenge me in different ways! I usually miss at least one or two workouts a week, but I don’t sweat it (pardon the pun, ha!) I just do the best I can and listen to my body.

Well, today I thought I’d share a couple workouts that I came up with recently. I told you guys on Fridays and Saturdays I like to come up with my own thing! I usually just head over to my gym, go into the usually empty classroom, put in my headphones and do my thang. I love it!

When I go to the gym, I’m all about maximizing my time and getting the most out of my workouts! I love to workout in a circuit or superset style because it’s a lot more time effective. I also like to add a little HIIT in as well for the added cardio benefit.

FYI, HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) is also an incredible way to workout! It’s one of the best ways to burn fat and still retain or even build muscle. It’s been proven to be one of the more effective ways to workout (less time, more calories and fat burned.) It’s just awesome. If you care to learn more, you can Google it and read about aaaaaaalllllll of the benefits! Love HIIT!

With that being said, here are two workouts I came up with that will kick your boo-tay! I love doing workouts like these! If you’re short on time, you could just do two rounds of the workout (or hey, even one would be a great quick workout!) or if you want a challenge, you can do 3-4 rounds!

All of the moves I listed are fairly basic moves. If you’re not familiar with a move, you can Google it and see a zillion examples of how to do it! I also created these workouts so you can do them at home if you want to! All you will need are some dumbbells and a step (or step stool, chair, etc.)

I recommend using weights that challenge you, but still allow you to do the move with good form. I hope you enjoy these workouts!!