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Fitness programs, workouts and so much more to help you keep active, motivated and on track.

15-Minute No Break Core Workout

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Alright! We’re rockin’ and rollin’ into Workout #4 of my “No Break” Workout Series. Who’s excited?! This workout is all about your core and I’m going to flip you front to back like a piece of bacon. Mmmmmm…bacon.

I digress.

The Workout

Today’s workout consists of 15 exercises. You’ll complete each exercise for 1-minute and you will take NO BREAKS between exercises. Yup, 15-minutes of full-on core training. Can I get a woop woop!? 

Woop! Woop!

Looks delicious, doesn’t it?! Oh me oh my, you’re going to love it form the tips of your toes to the top of that beautiful head of yours!

And hey, if you’d like me to coach you through this workout via podcast, LISTEN HERE.

But wait! You need to know the exercises you’re going to tackle as you move through this workout! Oh yes you do! CLICK HERE to watch my quick how-to video for this workout. My dog helped with the video this round, so enjoy the ridiculousness that is my rotti named Sunny. She’s adorable, is she not? 

Alright…get to work. 15 exercises. 1 minute each. No break whatsoever. Lots of moaning and groaning. 

You got this! Off you go!

5 Reasons to Get Your Buns Outside to Workout

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Winter. It means, for a lot of us, indoor training. But with the arrival of spring and warmer temperatures, it’s time to start thinking about all the sweat and good times you can have outside. It’s time to bust out of your indoor workout regimen and expand your sweat-fest to include trees, fresh air and the many, many benefits of working out outside.

Listen, I know moving your workout outside can be somewhat daunting. As mothers, it often adds an entirely new layer of “work” (aka preparation) that has to be done in order to gear up for an outdoor workout. Hats, sunscreen, change of clothes (cuz you KNOW your kids will find water SOMEWHERE), snacks, toys, blankets and so much more. 

But, all that prep? It’s worth it.

Here’s why:

1) Fewer germs! Typically, most indoor spaces, no matter how often we try to disinfect have more germs than outside. They’re a bit of a breeding ground of germs and bacteria. Sick of being sick? Me too. Instead of being cooped up in a germ-infested indoor space, get your bad self outside and breathe in the less polluted outside air (yup, 2-5 times less polluted than your local gym).

2) Increase your calorie burn. By simply moving your workout to the outdoors you increase energy expenditure 5-7%. How? The varied terrain you’ll be working out on has you using stabilizing muscles that aren’t as engaged on flat terrain, mother nature can add some extra resistance (stupid wind) and temperature fluctuations will have your cooling systems working on overdrive. All this adds up to an increased caloric burn. Woop!

3) Fights depression. Numerous studies have shown that being out in nature compared to urban settings decreases depression. It’s not even the exercise part and endorphins associated with exercise that helps combat depression…it’s brain activity. One study shows that by simply being out in nature there is a decrease in the neural activity in the subgenual prefrontal cortex (active during thoughts focused on negative emotion). Think of nature as a natural mood-booster and negative-emotion-ninja-slayer. 

4) More energy. Alright, we all know that getting outside and into the sun gives you a Vitamin D blast, which not only helps you fight cancer, heart disease and type 2 diabetes, but it also helps you battle against depression and increases your energy levels on the whole. On top of the dose of Vitamin D desperately needed after a long winter, being out in nature has been proven to boost your mood by reducing stress, increasing self-esteem and rocketing mental power (pew, pew, pew…those are my mental guns firing). Imagine the energy you can have through not only the benefits of exercise but through stress reducing, putting on your sassy-pants and having your brain work more efficiently?! Energy. For. Days!

5) More creativity/space. Jogging, biking, paddling, hiking, outdoor bootcamps, obstacle courses…the world is literally your fitness playground when you open the door and step back outside! The opportunities are endless for you to get active in new and challenging ways. I know our Hot Mama instructors are just jonesing to get back outside because of the numerous activities and exercises they can incorporate into their workouts just by simply having more space, hills and obstactles to tackle! Free your mind from the four walls and get creative with your workouts! Fitness should be FUN…so do something you love…outside!

BONUS: Playtime with kids. I love getting active with my kids and the best part is that we’re away from electronics, we’re in nature, we talk, laugh, have loads of fun and it is some serious quality time I’m certain they’ll remember when they’re older. I know I remember it from my childhood. I love that I can take my kids to the park where they can run and play and I can burpee and pushup. It’s honestly a win-win. If you’re not sure what to do while your kids are sliding, swinging and frolicking, try this 18-minute Park Workout! You’ll all leave the park feeling recharged, refreshed and ready for a healthy snack! 

Who knew mother nature could be so good for us?! How awesome, eh? Right in our own backyards is a playground to get active, be role models and have fun with our workouts AND our kiddos! Oh, Mother Nature, you go, girl.

 

Parenting 101: Battling Disappointment with Fun, Laughter & Ice Cream

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Life can be utterly disappointing sometimes. As adults, we have learned strategies to overcome disappointment. Wine-drinking, bitching to girlfriends or my favorite, physical activity (i.e. exercise!!). But, teaching our children how to overcome disappointing moments in life is a tough lesson to learn, particularly when you are just as disappointed as them. As much as we’d like to yell, scream and/or overturn tables and chairs, this behavior is inappropriate and other coping mechanisms should be used (apparently). 

Recently, I was reminded that although disappointing moments in life are well, disappointing, they can also lead to incredible days filled with laughter and joy. It’s really how you frame the day and react to the moment.

My kiddos and I were recently away for Spring Break and after a week away, my kids were absolutely ready to head home. They missed their friends, their beds, their dogs and their Dad. We were all set to wake at 5 am and head to the airport when I received an email notification from Westjet saying our flights had been canceled due to “Crew Issues”. Le sigh. 

I managed to get us on flights the next day and went into the bedroom to tell my kids. My son has some fairly severe anxiety issues and he handles his days best when he knows what the schedule is for the entire day. So, this change in plans was going to throw him for a HUGE loop. I crawled onto the bed where I saw his little shoulders shaking as he hid under the blankets. He knew things had changed. 

I broke the news to my kids that we wouldn’t be heading home that day. My daughter, she’s pretty easy going, said “OK!”. My son…started sobbing under the blankets. As my own disappointment coursed through my body, I had to fight the urge to crawl under the blankets and join him in a sob-session. Instead, I pulled the blankets back, dried his tears and told him I understood how he was feeling. I told him I felt the same way he felt, then asked what can we do to make disppointment…well…positive?

He shrugged.

I shrugged.

Then I said, “Well, I guess we make this the best damn day we’ve had here, don’t we?!” (he likes when I swear a bit, I think it makes him feel more grown up). 

And THAT is what we did. We made a disappointing day one of the best damn days we had on vacation. We went mini-golfing with my Dad. We went swimming with my Mom. We got ice cream and laughed and talked about the fun we were having. We went for dinner with a friend I hadn’t seen for a long time and my kids made new “best friends”. 

The entire day was a reminder to me that disappointment happens. It happens all the time. All. The. Time. But, how we respond and what we do with that disappointment can pivot disappointment into memories we will have forever. Granted, as adults, mini-golf, swimming and ice cream may not alleviate all of life’s disappointments, but maybe reframing our thoughts, taking more positive steps and believing you can make things good again is a step in the right direction.

My kids certainly taught me that disappointment can lead to the best damn day ever. If I learned anything from my son from this experience it’s that disappointment can cripple you. But, with the right support and enough love and determination from the people around you, disappointment can easily be turned into understanding and joy…it’s not what he expected to be doing that day, but he was the most grateful he’d been in a long time.

That being said…if we’d been delayed another day…we would have absolutely been f**ked. Cuz…when a boy loves his dog this much…no amount of ice cream can dissolve that disappointment.

 

15-Minute No Break Cardio Workout

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I’m back with Workout #3 in my “No Break” Workout Series. This workout is all about getting in your cardio workout quickly, efficiently and absolutely, 100% effectively! Fun, right?

As with the other workouts in this series you’ll go through 15 exercises, each for 1 minute with NO BREAK in between exercises. It’s a well-named workout, non?! Woop, woop!

The Workout

There is no equipment other than your body, a sweat towel and your water bottle for this workout. So find some space in your living room, backyard, garage or at the gym and get to work! 

15 exercises. 1 minute each. No rest between. Yup, 15-minutes of consecutive cardio joy! 

Alright, let’s get to work! Be sure to watch THIS VIDEO so you know what each of the above 15 exercises are. If you need a little motivation, be sure to check out this workout on my Dig Deep with Dr. Lindsay Gee PODCAST and I’ll coach/motivate/talk/shout you through this workout. You don’t have to worry about timings or knowing what’s next with this podcast…you just get to listen to my sweet, sweet voice! BOOM! 

If you haven’t checked out the other workouts from my “No Break” series, you’re missing out! We’ve done a No Break Upper Body Workout and No Break Lower Body workout. Each workout is the same format at this and will leave your muscles a little shakey, but definitely getting stronger! Give them a whirl and let me know how you’re enjoying the workout. 

I love hearing from you, so don’t ever hesitate to email me at lindsay@lindsaygee.ca or find me on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. I absolutely love connecting with each and every one of you! Your support and love mean more to me than you could ever know. 

My readers are THE BEST! Woop! 

Have fun! Let me know how it goes, won’t you?!

Off you go!

15-Minute No Break Lower Body Workout

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Welcome to Part 2 of my “No Break” Workout Series! Today we’re hitting up your lower body with 15 minutes of pure, booty-lovin’ goodness. There are 15 exercises included in this workout, so be sure to watch THIS VIDEO so you know exactly what each exercise is before you start — ain’t nothin’ worse than getting partway through your workout and realizing you don’t know what the next move is!

The Workout

For this lower body workout, you’ll complete each of the 15 exercises for 1 minute. You move from one exercise to the next to the next to the next with ZERO breaks in between…hence the reason it’s called a “No Break” workout! Woop!

If you prefer to have me coach you through this workout, please CLICK HERE and you’ll be taken to the Dig Deep with Dr. Lindsay Gee podcast! Grab your headphones, plug me in and bicketty-bam…my voice in your ears watching timing, correcting form and motivating you to keep pushing through. 

Enjoy the workout, Mamas! And, please be sure to let me know how it goes! I love to hear all about your booties…wait…what? 

Off you go!