Let's Get FIT - no equipment needed Circuit!

Let's get FIT.

I know it's a holiday weekend, which means friends and family are around, vacations, concerts, road trips, etc are all happening as well, BUT, here's a QUICK WORKOUT that you can do tomorrow and monday (and a couple times a week throughout the summer) to keep you on track.

I'm ALL about a healthy balance of having fun and staying on top of your fitness, so enjoy yourself and make your workouts fun. It's the ONLY way for a workout routine to stick.

Here's how I roll....NO EQUIPMENT NEEDED!

FIRST: Get warmed up!

Warm-up ideas:
2 minutes jump rope or jumping jacks
Jog or speed walk for 5 mins on treadmill
High knees and butt kickers for a minute each

Do each exercise for 1 minute, repeating the whole thing 3 times

1. Fast body weight squats
2. Pushups
3. Ab bicycles (abs tight and controlled!)
4. Side plank (30 seconds on each side) --SQUEEZE THOSE ABS IN!
5. Step-ups (on a bench or chair, start with right leg then after 30 seconds, start with left leg) --AWESOME for your tush!

Almond Banana Oat Muffins

Almond Banana Oat Muffins

These TASTY moist muffins were fun to make and you'll get about 2 dozen muffins out of this recipe! I brought these to work, snacked on them in the mornings or after a workout, and they were super filling! They also passed the hubby-approval test....I lost count of how many he ate this past weekend! :)

These would be fun to bring to a work meeting or brunch with friends as a healthy option and they pack well, too. Feel free to add nuts to the recipe as I only put almonds on top before they baked. Chopped walnuts or pecans would be delicious or if you're a raisin or dried fruit fan, go ahead and toss 'em in with the chocolate chips!

Recipe inspiration from: nutritiontwins.com

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups rolled oats

•      ½ cup honey or vanilla Greek yogurt

• ½ cup Almond milk

• 1 cup whole wheat flour

• ½ cup all purpose flour

• ½ cup light brown sugar

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 2 teaspoon baking powder

• 2 large, ripened & mashed banana

• 4 tbsp canola oil

• 2 beaten egg

• ½ generous cup chocolate chips (I used mini chips)

• ¼ cup sliced almonds (for topping)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 410 and spray muffin tin or put in cupcake liners.

2. Mix the rolled oats and yogurt together; add the milk and let the mixture sit for 10-12 minutes until oats get soft and absorb milk.

3. In a medium bowl, mix the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda and baking powder until evenly combined.

4. In yet ANOTHER bowl, mash the bananas then whisk in the egg and oil. Using a spatula, mix in the oat-yogurt-milk mixture until combined. Gradually add the flour mixture until combined – do not overmix!

5. Stir in chocolate chips (and any other dried fruit or nuts you want to add)

6. Fill muffin cups about ⅔ of the way full and sprinkle sliced almonds on top of each muffin. Bake for about 14-16 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean! 

Happy Baking! YUM!