The Abdominal Exercises I Hate (Love)

These are some of my favorite abdominal exercises that I feel are some of the most effective. After doing these exercises I'm always sore. I've included a couple instructional youtube videos that will help you to know how exactly each exercise works. When doing these I usually do reps till failure with a 15 second break in between each set. Do whatever pace feels best for you but, make sure you are challenging yourself! Push your limits!

1. Bicycle Crunches:

2. Planks:

3. Reverse Crunches: 

4. Declined Sit-ups:

Consistency

      One of the most important factors of maintaining a healthy lifestyle is consistency. You can't just eat really unhealthy and not workout one week, then go really hard at the gym and eat well another week. You have to find a way to motivate yourself to continue your fitness path everyday. It's one of the most difficult parts of the process but it's also a crucial part. So work hard and stick with it.. Good luck!

Quick, Healthy Breakfast

As they say, breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. When I don't have a good breakfast I feel lethargic and I'm more likely to reach for unhealthy-sugary snacks throughout the day. I do understand that sometimes there's just not enough time in the morning to make a healthy breakfast, and while grabbing a sugar coated pop tart on the way out might seem like a good solution... it's not. So I've put together a list of healthy breakfasts that should take more than 10 minutes at most to make. 

1. Scrambled eggs on Toast

There is about 6.1 grams of protein in each large egg. I usually scramble two and put it on a piece of toast. This is SO easy. I'm not going to go through the steps of scrambling an egg because you should already know how to do that and, if you don't, youtube it. 

2. Peanut Butter Banana Bagel 

While this might sound weird to some, the combination is AMAZING. Slather a whole wheat bagel with creamy (or chunky--whatever you like) peanut butter and top it with a sliced up banana. Peanut butter is your source of protein in this breakfast and you'll get some healthy carbs from the whole wheat bagel. This will keep you energized well into lunchtime. 

3. Oatmeal with Brown Sugar and Strawberries

Make some  oatmeal in the microwave or on the stove top and top it with a little bit of brown sugar and a whole bunch of strawberries, blueberries, craisins, whatever you want! There's really not much protein in this and quite a bit of sugar but oatmeal is healthy grain that will keep you full for a large portion of the day and will prevent you from reaching for unhealthy snacks. Plus fruit is so yummy. 

This 3 breakfasts are my go tos and so easy to make. My day really changes for the better when I start it off with a healthy and enjoyable breakfast and I'm sure yours will too. 

Fun (and active) Places to go!

I recommended in my previous post that something easy you can do to be a little bit healthier is to go outside and do something fun. However, fun places to go to that will keep you active are hard to find nearby Newark, DE.  So I've put together a list of place that are in the area that are a TON of fun:

1. Kilgore falls, PA

Kilgore falls is a really cool waterfall about an hour and half (it's so worth the drive) from Newark, DE. The water is crystal clear and if you're willing to do a little bit of hiking and looking you can even find smaller and more private waterfalls in the state park. Make sure to pack a lunch because you won't be near anything but nature of you go! 

2.  Newark reservoir

Go for a run at this giant-mountain-looking thing. It's somewhere different to go if you want to change up your normal running route or just want to go for an easy scenic walk. It's right in downtown Newark so, there's no reason not to go! 

3. Lum's Pond

Go kayaking and Lum's pond! It is so cool and a great light arm workout. Kayaking is great for you! You can take a couple friends if you want or just go alone. Even fish off the kayak if you're brave! Although, I can't guarantee you'll catch anything, check it out!