My Fitness Frenemies: Workout DVDs for the Advanced

A fitness frenemy: someone who you dread seeing, despise while in their "presence," and occasionally cuss at - yet whole-heartedly credit for your strength, stamina & health.

Take Jillian Michaels for example - she was one of my first workout DVD purchases, and I stalk her social accounts for any mention of a new DVD. Then, I spend a few times a week cussing Jillian to hell and wishing I had never "met" her. But I'm hooked, and I'll never give her up, no matter how much I hate her when I'm on my 18th burpee, and I'm contemplating throwing the kettlebell at our very nice TV.

But Jill {we're close like that} isn't my only Fitness Frenemy—I have an arsenal of personal trainers yelling at me in my living room. Weight Watchers taught me how to eat, my running-coach-BFF taught me how to run {and how to hate Shaun T}, and Jillian, Bob, Jackie, Chalene, Tony, Jeanette & SO many more taught me how to get strong, long & lean. I'm not selfish—I'll share my trainers, and I'll even let them spend time in your living room {given that you purchase them on Amazon, at Target, or through my go-to BeachBody coach...}. 

Running 
While I still follow Hal Higdon's schedules when training for a distance run - I like to keep things fresh, fast & exciting when hitting the tread on a regular basis. Enter my absolute favorite running workout - HIIT's, aka, high intensity interval training. Here are a few of my go-to HIITs that keep my mind occupied and my feet flying. 

HIIT-tastic {A gradual 2-minute increase}
Anything and everything by pbfingers {My favs are the 30 Minute Treadmill Workout, and the 30 Minute Intense Incline Treadmill Workout}
"Yellow Notepad 4 Mile HIIT" {As I dreadfully fondly refer to it as. I've made it through this to the T once, but I've attempted it many times!} 
Bess Be Fit - 30 minute HIIT {A back and forth killer that f l i e s!} 

 

Yoga
"You're almost always a beginner in yoga." Skinnygirl® Bethenny Frankel said it best—you are always evolving with yoga, always learning, always getting a workout. No matter how many times you do the same yoga routine, it can still leave you with a penguin waddle the next day. The key to yoga is to engage, BREATHE, and never give up. I will crow, I will wheel, and dammit, I will headstand one day. 

Bob Harper: Yoga for the Warrior {Yes, it's an hour. But I promise you it will become your favorite hour of the entire week.}
Jeanette Jenkins: The Hollywood Trainer's Power Yoga {Disclaimer: I have never done the full DVD in one sitting, because, ain't nobody got time for that. And also, I like to be able to walk. But, I will pair the 40 minute power yoga with the vinyasa or abs and call it one hell of a workout!}
Yoga Inferno with Jillian Michaels {This is the second in Jillian's yoga series and steps it up a notch!}
PiYo with Chalene Johnson {This is the Donny & Marie of workouts - it's a little bit pilates, and a little bit yoga. Confused? Don't be—check out my full review and breakdown {and love} of PiYo on the blog!}

Cardio
Although I'd love to complete every BeachBody program in full, I'm pretty sure it's impossible. But, it's not impossible to at least get a taste of every program, thanks to BeachBody On Demand! {Again, I swear I'm not a coach or rep, even though I sound like a programmed BB robot. I'm just that big of a devotee!} That's where I find some of my favorite go-to non-running cardio workouts. {Psst - it's FREE for a 30-day trial & then a tiny fee per quarter afterwards. W A Y worth it for the variety of programs offered.}

Turbo Fire: Fire 45 with Chalene Johnson {Kickbox meets dance meets Chalene? One of the most f u n workouts I've ever done! Pretty much all Turbo Fire workouts...}
P90x3 MMX with Tony Horton {Hella good & fast kickboxing workout. *SPRAWL!*}
Insanity: Pure Cardio with Shaun T {ONLY if you're actually insane - which, apparently I am.}

And some non-BeachBody workouts:
Kickbox Fastfix with Jillian Michaels {These are quick 20-minute workouts that each target a different area of the body. I like to pair up two of the workouts, or for a full-body blast I do all three for an hour total!}
Kettlebell Cardio Shred with Bob Harper {Think bootcamp with Bob...with a kettlebell. Sweat, burn, cuss.}   

Strength
You know how instuctors always say, "you won't bulk up by lifting weights"? Pssshhh. I was such a nay-sayer of this—I did not want manly arms. But, like I've done with the rest of my fitness journey - I put my arms into the hands of my fitness besties {fitnesties?}. And guess what!? My arms {legs, abs, bum} are longer, leaner & more toned than eva. And, how did I never realize how much you S W E A T and burn while lifting? #convert

BeachBabe3: Beach Bombshell with the Tone It Up girls {Who doesn't love Kat & Karena?!}
Hammer & Chisel: Total Body Chisel {Also available on BeachBody On Demand!}
Kettlebell: Sculpted Body with Bob Harper {Again with the kettles, again with the pain & sweat that feels oh so good} 

And, some of my favorite strength workouts come from Pins on my workout board! 

 
Workout Sets  
Nothing says dedication like committing to a 30, 60 or 90 day program. My advice? Partner up with a fitness friend & hold each other accountable with check-ins! Yes, even I, the at-home-workout-devotee, get tired of working out alone. But when you have a check-in buddy you feel like you're doing {bitching, sweating, agonizing in pain through} the workout with someone.

Body Revolution by Jillian Michaels {This is one of my favorite, hardest & most evolving Jillian workouts yet. Week 1 & 2 are a little easy for the Advanced, so I jumped in at weeks 5 & 6. But, weeks 11 & 12, yeaaaa, I may or may not have done those workouts once, before resorting back to weeks 9 & 10. They're that tough!}
P90x3 with Tony Horton {Look, who has an hour+ a day to workout? Maybe once a month? Maybe. Good thing Tony figured out you can get it done in 30 minutes. And get it done he does. Yogax3 and Pilatesx3 are two of my fav yoga-esque workouts!}

While I wait for the next BeachBody program release, I'll be dabbling more in Hammer & Chisel, Turbo Fire & Cize!. Heck, maybe I'll even fully commit to taking one of them on for 30, 60 or 90 days in the New Year. While also stalking for the next Jillian Michaels program that she drops. 

Always evolve, always keep pushing, and never, ever give up.

XO,

Nik 

Psst...Need more fitness inspo? How about: 

10 Health Hacks: How I Changed my Body, My Life

 

My Fitness Journey: A Beginner's Guide to Workout DVDs

 

A Love Affair With Fall {And Loft Pants}

 

Is it just me, or have even pumpkins stepped up their fashion game?! The best thing about pumpkins is that they're no longer a Halloween-thang—they're a Fall-round decor game changer. Porches, coffee tables, mantles - you name it, they're adorning it. And seeing as how Fall is my favorite season, I'm certainly not going to complain about endless options for decorating all season long.

Another thing I'm not complaining about? Loft pants. Jeans, cords, flares, skinnies, joggers, capris, leggings—I. Am. Obsessed. I have professed this on my Instagram multiple times. It's borderline sales pitch, but I assure you that I do not work for, nor am I affiliated with The Loft - other than the mass amounts of money I spend on their soft, stretchy, bum-covering pants. 

Ya see, when you have a born & bred badunk, and then you "juice" it up with some PiYo, finding pants to comfortably cover said badunk without that awful back gap is near impossible. I now own 7 pairs of pants, all different styles & fabrics from The Loft and not one gaps, droops, overly stretches throughout the day, or loses it's color or softness after each wash. They are worth every penny—especially when they offer sales-on-top-of-sales, and therefore less pennies ;-)

 

Side Loft note: I know what you're thinking... "Isn't that a store for...my mom?" Au contraire. The Loft has majorly stepped up it's trendy game and is now one of my favorite places to peruse {and buy} this Fall. Trend meets comfort A N D quality?! The Forever21 teen in me cringes, while the now 30-year-old in me says, "Give me all the comfort & quality." So, don't fear, just Loft.

 

 

 

Pants: The Loft {I'm wearing Modern Straight, but they also have these in Modern Book Cut & Modern Skinny!} // Shirt: H&M {Oldie, but similiar & similar with flair} // Scarf: The Loft {What?! I couldn't pass it up! Also: similar & and tribally; and how cute is this animal print?!} // Booties: Old Navy // Purse: Nordstrom Rack {No longer available, but similar & similar} // Bracelet: The Loft {no longer available, but super similar}

 

 

Even Paris the pup got to take in some Fall festivities, and I think it's safe to say that she had a blast...and even met a friend! 

 

If you're local to the DMV and looking for an A M A Z E pumpkin patch, check out Councell Farms on the Eastern Shore. Fashion pumpkins galore! 

 

 

 

 {Feel free to save, pin or print for great backgrounds, fall prints & more!} 

 

 

XO,

Nik

Psst...some more Fall & Winter inspo! 

 That 70's Fall Style: Two Ways

 

Flippy Floppy Hat

Peanut Butter Banana Cream Pie Shakeology

 

Growing up, I was never a fan of bananas—not banana cream pie, banana foster or even {gasp} sliced bananas in my cereal. I've since come to realize that I am a very picky fruit eater in that they have to be the perfect ripeness. Bananas are the biggest culprit of not-ripe-enough or too-dang-ripe. You have your too-green bananas that are actually painful to eat and leave your mouth somehow stuck like peanut butter. And then you have your spotted and mushy 'nanners that don't belong anywhere but in banana bread or the freezer.

Luckily, 1.) I've come to love bananas, and 2.) This ShakeO gets most of it's banana flavor from a delicious {yet healthy!} banana cream Greek yogurt. So, for all of my {now} fellow banana cream pie and banana foster lovers - dig in, because this is 'nannerlicious without all the calories of the aforementioned decadent desserts. My secret ingredient that helps to cut the calories by 75%? PB2. Yes, it's powder - no, you can't tell it's not real PB when it's swirled into your smoothie. Don't you worry your peanut butter-lovin' heart.

 The star ingredients in all of their glory

The recipe is as easy as {banana cream} pie! {P.S. Why do people say that? Have these people never actually made a pie?! Because, pie'in ain't easy.} Toss the following ingredients in the blender:

• 1 packet Vanilla Shakeology
• 1/2 frozen banana
• 1 Light and Fit Banana Cream Pie Greek Yogurt
• 1 Tbs. PB2 {25 calories opposed to it's "real" counterpart, which would come in around 100 calories}
• 1 cup raw spinach
• 1/2 cup unsweetened original almond milk
• Ice to preferred consistency

And, what's a pie without some whipped cream on top?! It's not a real pie - that's what. I used fat free Reddi-Whip for a whopping 5 calories—so. totally. worth it. I also used to have animosity against whipped cream, but that lapse in judgement is long gone.  

XO,

Nik 

Psst...More decadent Shakeology recipes to melt into:

Banana Oatmeal Raisin Cookie ShakeO

 

 Chocolate Covered Berries Milkshake-O