Top 5 Fitness Videos for Working Out at Home

First it was the snow. SO MUCH SNOW. Then ice...then snow & ice & wind. Then a little melt then ICE and some more snow. Ice and snow, ice and snow for about 5 months. This meant I did NOT get outside to run or really walk at all. It was so cold, so miserable and quite frankly, I had NO motivation. Sure, I could go to the gym *shudder* or hit an indoor track, but I just wasn't feeling it.

Then finally last week SUN! SUN, GLORIOUS, SUN! The snow went away, the ice went away, it was amazing. I went for a run, shook off the dust (both mentally and physically) and it was amazing. Running really is a cheap form of therapy, especially when the surroundings are right!

Then BAM! Allergies attacked me...along with a cold. Horray. My lungs BURN when it is cold outside at the best of times, so when it's cold AND I have a cold? No fun. Then, to top it all off - torrential rains & winds today. Again, I could go to the gym, but who wants to leave the warmth of their house?

I scoured the interwebs and found (& tried) some REALLY great workouts! I found FitSugar to be the best source. Their videos are high quality and the instructor talks you through the moves so you know you are doing it right. I also REALLY like workouts that are constantly changing because I get bored easily when I'm doing them by myself at home. So, I find 3 10 minute workouts and do them back to back. Not only do they go by quickly, but when you've done 3 videos, that's already half an hour!

Here are my picks for great indoor workouts when the weather outside is not cooperating (or if you just feel like staying home).


My FAVOURITE arm workout. Remember, if you don't have actual hand weights at home, you can use cans of food, bottle of water or any other cylindrical objects:


 
This is a great 8 minute ab workout for when you're short on time and requires NO equipment:




This is a CRAZY Ab workout that requires a little bit of equipment, but are objects you can find around the house:



 This workout is only 10 minutes long, but works a whole host of muscles & includes some cardio:



Finally, if you REALLY want to kick your butt, try this Tabata workout. My body hurts just watching it!



Let me know if you try these out & what you think! If you like this round up, let me know, I'd be happy to do more!

{Cleaned-Up} Banana Muffins

You know what's the best? Banana Muffins. I just love the taste and the texture and how perfectly they go with my morning coffee. What I don't love is the all the white sugar & refined flour that goes into them. It just feels a little counter productive to me.

So, as I stared at the 3 bananas going bad on my counter last week, I took to the Google to see if I could find a recipe that was cleaned-up a bit and found this AWESOME recipe for Maple Banana Bread. Instead of sugar, it uses REAL Maple Syrup (which has an surprising amount of health benefits). I tweaked the recipe a bit to "clean" it up a little bit more and they came out AMAZING. Light, fluffly, moist and sweet, but not too sweet.

On a side note, I had plenty of help with this photo shoot (NOT!) Molly the Beagle could NOT stay away from my muffins. I literally had to take about 100 photos because she kept trying to sneak a bite!

Anyway, if Molly the Beagle likes them, I'm sure you will too!

{Cleaned-Up} Banana Muffins

original recipe: Allrecipes

Makes 14-16 muffins
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup REAL Maple Syrup (not the Aunt Jemima stuff)
1 egg
2 ripe bananas
1/2 tsp vanilla
3 tbsp milk
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder

Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease or line 16 muffin tins and set aside.

Using a mixer, combine the butter and maple syrup on medium until fully integrated. Add the egg and FULL bananas. (NOTE: If you don't have a stand mixer, you can combine the ingredients by hand, but make sure you mash the bananas first) Mix until there are just little banana chunks left over. On slow speed, add the vanilla and milk until combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flours, baking soda and baking powder. Turn on mixer to "stir" and slowly add the flour mix until everything is JUST moistened.

Using a 2 tablespoons (or a cookie scoop), scrape out dough and transfer to the muffin tins. You want the dough to mound at the top of the liner. Depending on how the dough is disperesed you will have anywhere from 14-16 muffins. My muffins were NOT even at all, so I think I made about 18.

Bake for 20-25 mins, watching after the 20 minute mark. Muffins are done when you insert a toothpick into the middle of one and it comes out clean.

These are best enjoyed warm! You can also store them in an airtight container in the fridge. When ready to eat, and warm-up them up in the microwave for 30 seconds & they're just as good!

Enjoy!

Things I've Learned this Week: SPRING CLEANING EDITION

Guys....I don't want to jinx it, but I think spring is FINALLY on its way. It's about time too, I was about ready to pack up and move down south, just to avoid another snow storm! Fingers crossed that spring is here to stay because spring is definitely my favourite season of all time.

With spring, comes a lot of things: Spring Cleaning (which I'm starting this weekend), flowers blooming, sun shining, warm breezes, softball season (EEEK) and, my personal favourite, ALLERGIES! I'm a sniffling, wheezing, coughing mess right now. It's fine, I'm used to it, but for some reason it takes me by surprise EVERY YEAR.

Anyway, since winter looks like it's mostly over, I'm planning on starting my Spring Cleaning this weekend! For me, that usually entails, cleaning out the closets, de-junking, de-cluttering and giving the house a really, really good scrub. Obviously this can't all be done in one weekend, but I found some really great tips online on how the make the most of my spring cleaning efforts!

Things I've Learned this Week: SPRING CLEANING EDITION

1. If you have a limited amount of time on your hands, this is the ultimate 30 day, spring cleaning challenge:

 I really like this list because you can attack it daily, or, if you have more time, get a few things done in one day! Click Here for the printable version

2. Along with my clean eating challenge (yes, I'm STILL doing that!) I'm trying to live a little more "greenly" and use cleaners that don't have harsh chemicals in them. Molly eats & licks just about everything in our house, so I don't want her licking/eating chemicals. Here is an AMAZING list of cleaners that you can make on your own!

3. In our new place (which we've been at for almost a year now) we have a ceramic stove top that I constantly wipe & clear off, but always seems to have grunge & dirty bits on it. Thanks to Mom4Real, I have a new trick that I can try: Baking Soda and Water!

4. To make the process easier next year (and throughout the year) here are some tips on how to keep on top of 5 common messes, year round.

5. Finally, for me, this is the most challenging: cleaning out the closet. First of all, I don't really have THAT many clothes that I wear. I pretty much have 3 outfits that I mix and match for work and then I have my workout clothes. That's pretty much it. That being said, my closet is QUITE full of clothes that I never, ever wear, but keep for some reason. So, while I was on pinterest, I saw this & thought it was a GREAT idea:

Now, let's face it...at some point during the spring cleaning process, this is how you start to feel:

So take a deep breath and take it one room at a time! You'll get there, and trust me, you'll feel SO much better when it is done!

GOOD LUCK!

P.S. What is your favourite spring cleaning tip?