Burn 300 Calories in 30 Minutes

by Jenni in


I love this workout. I created it a while back and have become addicted to it ever since. After I realized that the intervals are kicking my calorie burn up to 300+ in thirty minutes, it became my go to for cardio. Quick workouts are awesome and quick workouts that have great results are my bread and butter.

This work out has five moves that are completed in three sets. The exercises are from  P90X, high school gym (weird, I know) and random things I have learned along the way. Each set should take a total of ten minutes done three times with a bonus at the end. Here we go!

1) Warm up jump rope: One minute of jump rope. This will start to get your blood pumping and your heart rate increasing. This is the only time that we will be doing jump ropes since you should already be warmed up in your second and third reps.

2) Jogging in Place: Do this for two minutes with thirty seconds going to knee ups and thirty seconds going to kick backs. You should alternate four times total.

3) This puts a little extra into the normal push up. After completing the push up, you will jump both feet between your hands and stand straight up, clapping your hands together above your head. If jumping seems like to much for you after one or two tries, just stand and keep everything else the same. You can also do the cheater push ups if really needed. Do twelve of these in one minute for a great core and interval cardio workout.

4) Chair Kicks: These are some of my favorite things! Do two sets, alternating from right leg first to left first. All you want to do is get a chair and kick one leg, then the other over it. You should be kicking about thirty inches off the ground. Do 30 kicks (fifteen per leg) on each side... 60 total.

5) Plank Runs/Mountain Climbers: This is another exercise that is great for core, arms, and cardio. You want to get into a plank position and alternate pulling your right, then your left leg in. You should be doing this fast enough that is is close to a run. Keep this up for one minute.

6) Kempo Kicks: Last Exercise! For this, you want to kick you leg forward, then back for one minute. Make sure to turn back when you kick back. Alternate to the next leg after one minute. If you want to bring up the difficulty, do not let your foot touch the ground!

Bonus: Place a towel on the ground and jump from one side to the other keeping your feet together. Do this for one minute then, go on to your cool down. If jumping with both legs together is too much for you to do for a minute, try thirty seconds together and thirty seconds hoping from one foot to the other. This bonus is a great way to keep your heart rate up and work your legs!

Cool Down: Between each complete workout set, you should have a thirty second to one minute cool down. Make sure to keep moving during your cool down. Something like walking in place or back and forth while moving your arms is perfect.


Meat Free Monday

by Jenni in ,


I am a huge supporter of the meat free Monday movement that is going on right now! Being able to go one day a week without meat is a wonderful change-up for family meals and keeps a little extra in your wallet, but the best perk is the low impact on the environment. Believe it or not, but going meat free one day a week does more environmentally than nixing the car and riding your bike. This is because the gases that the cattle industry put out is the largest contributor to greenhouse emissions- passing up the entire transportation sect. Shocking, right? There are a few reasons this is true, let’s start with the one I expected the most. It is a pretty common known fact that cows emit a lot of gases, like a ton. Cattle emit nitrous oxide and methane; both of which are more caustic that CO2. Even crazier, these gases remain in our atmosphere for, up to, decades longer than carbon dioxide.
A somewhat more surprising fact about the cattle industry is how much corn it consumes. It is pretty obvious that we feed cows a lot... Who wants to eat a skin and bones cow, right? But the amount of food that goes towards the cattle industry is staggering. A third of the cereal crops produced in the US are currently going toward feeding cattle. That is a lot of farmland for non-human consumption. Then, we must remember how big cows are- they take up a bit of space. Brazil is the largest meat producing country in the world and is also going through massive deforestation. Can you guess why... the livestock industry is responsible for most of the deforestation happening there. By having one day a week set for veggies, we could free up a ton of farmland and field space for other needed things!                                                       

For more information about meat free Monday's, check out the article posted on goop.com by Paul McCartney here or learn more at meatfreemondays.com

Now, for the doing

When I talk to most people about a meal without meat, they are usually most concerned about two things 1) will they get enough protein 2) can they make something that will be good and not just carbs. The answer to both these questions is yes. There are plenty of resources for vegetarian recipes online, some of which are even better than their meaty counterpart in taste and protein levels. Flowering veggies like broccoli, cauliflower and brussel sprouts are great sources of protein. Mushrooms and black beans are two more that work wonders as meat replacements! Here is one of my favorite recipes that go meatless while being delicious, high in nutrients and protein, and a friend to your wallet!

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Strawberry, Banana, and Kale Smoothie

The kale is a great source of vitamin A, vitamin C, Vitamin K, Manganese, and has 2.2 grams protein per cup with only about 30 calories and is strongly anti-inflammatory! Bananas are great for potassium but have lots of carbs for the size. Since fruit is so high in carbs from sugar and has fewer nutritional benefits, keeping the main ingredient as the kale is great!

  • 2 cups Kale
  • 3 medium strawberries
  • 1/2 a banana
  • 4 cubes of ice
  • Some water for mixing

Add the two cups kale, sliced strawberry and banana, and some water into blender. Blend until smooth. Add in ice cubes and blend again. Poor into cup and enjoy!

If you are interested in know who else goes meatless once a week, here are a few celebrities that have gotten on the meat free Monday train: Jamie Oliver, Gordon Ramsey, Sir Paul McCartney, and Gwyneth Paltrow.

Source: http://www.goop.com/journal/make/68/meat-f...

Disney Fitness Events

by Jenni in


While perusing the internets today for some good workout encouragement, I came across a few great races and scavenger hunts over at the happiest place on earth. Most people know that Disney does a half marathon and marathon weekend along with the Disney Princess half marathon, but this Disney lover had no idea about everything else they do for runners. One of the things that seems absolutely awesome is the Expedition Everest Challenge. I am not a real runner, so this 5k with scavenger hunt sounds like just the right amount of work mixed with fun. The race starts at night, perk in Florida, and even has a post race party in the Animal Kingdom. Expedition Everest sans the line, yes please!

Next up on the things I must accomplish at Disney list is the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 10-miler Weekend. This weekend has everything from family 5k’s, perfect for our little three year old niece, to a 10 miler going through Lights, Camera, Action Extreme Stunt Show! and ending at Tower of Terror. A free-fall on The Tower of Terror sounds like the perfect adrenaline kick after 10 miles! This run also has a late night party at the park, Villain style.


Let’s end with something I will have on the books for 2013. Yep, a nice round year to work up to a half marathon... That should be enough time ;) Before I go into why this seems perfect, I should say that Stephen and my favorite festival at Disney is the Food and Wine Festival. We have this one down to an enjoyment science. That said, the Disney Wine and Dine Half Marathon is right up our ally. The half marathon goes through Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, and ends in Epcot. More perks, the race is at night and can be divided between two runners if needed. We will be there anyway, why not work off some of that delicious food we will be eating way too much of.