Challenge yourself and get that heart pumping as you sculpt your legs into sexy hawtness.

Legs On Fire Video Demo

Equipment Needed: Interval Timer or a steady eye on the clock.

Primarily Targets: Legs and fat-melting cardio.

Time Needed: Approximately 25 minutes or less.

LEGS ON FIRE (after a thorough warm up)

• 20 Reps: reverse lunge kick, right leg
• 20 Reps: reverse lung kick, left leg
• 20 Reps: alternating reverse lunge hovers
• 3 minutes speed rope intervals (45 secs skipping /15 seconds high knees jog in place). If you don’t have a speed rope or can’t use a rope in the house (due to carpeting), it’s no big deal. Just use your “invisible” speed rope instead!
• Repeat circuit 3-4 times  (very short rests only when absolutely needed).
  

Beginners: decrease lunge reps and/or skipping intervals. Maintain good form (no knees over toes), keep your body tight and stabilize your core. No flopping around!

More home workouts are on the way, so subscribe to my YouTube channel and snag yourself an interval timer.

Say hello to your sexy legs, baby!

I was dang near 185 pounds. Just take a look at me back then. But enough was enough. I refused to gain another pound, dammit!

So this is where it all started. I tried running at first, but it was a steamy summer. My body wasn’t used to the combination of increased heart rate, plus all that hot, humid air. On top of that, running caused painful swelling in my ankles. They couldn’t handle the pounding under all that extra weight.

But I had to keep on moving. So what to do instead?

Walking was the answer. I shed my first 20 pounds through a combination of watching my calories, occasional outdoor walking on lunch breaks and Leslie Sansone’s Walk At Home DVD’s. I promise you will NOT be bored when you’re walking with Leslie. Her energy and enthusiasm is contagious, and the miles fly by really fast.

Walking at home is definitely for people who are:

• Brand new to fitness.
• Dreadmill and elliptical’ers who need some variety.
• Fitness with the kids — they will love doing this with you.
• Postpartum chicks.
• Peeps on a comeback from injury.
• Any fitness level that wants to keep their body in motion.

Walking at home isn’t what you might imagine. There’s no smashing into walls or chasing your shadow around the couch 50 times. There’s brisk marching in place, forward & backward moves, leg kicks and arm raises, even strength training as you incorporate light weights and bands. All of these moves can be done in the smallest of workout spaces, taking you from 1 to 5 miles depending on which workout you choose. You’ll also increase your heart rate beyond what your average walk outside will do.

Check out the clip. It’s one of my favorites from Leslie:

Leslie has been at this for over 20 years (yep). She has a huge following and a ton of success stories to back it up. Walking at home works. And it’s just another reason why you can’t make excuses to not exercise. Keep that ass of yours in motion.

Some of the latest Walk At Home releases from Leslie Sansone:

Ultimate 5 Day Walk Plan

Burn Body Fat

5 Really Big Miles

Walking with Leslie Sansone 1 & 2 Mile Walk

Walk Your Belly Flat

Leslie made it easy for me to get on the road to fitness and helped me form habits that led to where I am today. I have at least 5 of her Walk At Home DVD’s in my collection. They are forever part of my Home Workout Essentials. Go on and give walking at home a spin.

Stay sexy, everybody! xoxo

WTH?!?!?!

Disclaimer: My advice is good, but I can NOT undo the image of the fabulous Tayshawwn Jones that you have gazed upon. You’re just gonna have to deal. If you now require eye bleach, no complaining in the comments.

Now please git to it with doing item’s 1 thru 8. They’re all important to your fitness. None should be left undone.

Excuse me, but if this is your gym, don’t even think about asking me to join. My breasts and booty need semi-proper coverage.

So anyway, how do you deal with going naked? As in, “naked” without your regular routine; without your regular fitness tools or fitness programs; without your favorite supplements or healthy foods?

Sometimes I screw up and end up naked.

Naked because I overslept. Naked because I can’t find my medicine ball. Naked because I misplaced a workout DVD. Naked because I’m running late or naked because, “where the hell is that sports bra?”

Is your own nakedness a free pass to do nothing at all?

I think hell naw.

When you’re caught with your fitness pants down and unprepared, don’t just eff it all. Unless your name is Perfection, being unprepared is gonna happen from time to time. I suggest some “bob & weave” action moves to improvise and make it work anyway.

Recently, my most repetitive nakedness has been oversleeping (gah!). And this means my pre-planned workout needs to be changed on the fly. I have to think fast, because if I don’t, I’ll lose whatever precious times remains in my morning to workout.

Last week I overslept and totally missed my chance for a 45-minute PUMP session, but I still had 20 minutes left in my morning to spare. So instead of laying around drowsy for second longer, I quickly decided on the Body By Burpees workout. It was short, sweaty and effective.

So do you get what I’m saying? Don’t let whatever kind of nakedness you’re experiencing to totally negate your opportunity for a healthy day. If you find yourself naked, just think fast and come up with an alternate solution. Improvise on the fly! It can be done.

And I already told you. I’m NOT joining your naked gym, so quit asking.

[related story: I Did Naked Yoga]

This isn’t cuddly panda mode or cute little fuzzy kitten mode. This is BEAST MODE, baby!!

“Beast mode is where the magic happens.”

But what exactly is this magic I speak of?

It’s the magic that YOU create and make happen every single day when you step out of your comfort zone to do the things that are guaranteed to transform your body. You did know you can guarantee your own fitness success, right?

It’s where fat melting is in full swing and you can feel your muscles burn through strength training. It’s where healthy eating takes a front seat, you’re getting enough sleep and doing all the other things you know dang well needs to be done for your own fitness-good.

Although everyone’s Beast Mode level is different, it always involves more sweat, more fitness funk and more consistency. Everything has gotta go up a notch. No more comfortable workouts. No more barely breaking a sweat. And no food sabotage (although that part does take practice).

So what’s it gonna be? You can either continue in Cuddly Panda Mode or get your booty into Beast Mode, pronto!

If you volunteer for Beast Mode, please raise your hands. I need to see hands raised.

Side note: If for any reason you feel yourself slipping into Rabid Deer Mode, please consult with your physician, because that’s not my department. I don’t handle that.

Equipment Needed: Interval Timer or a steady eye on the clock

Primarily Targets: Full body strength, fat-melting cardio

Time Needed: Approximately 20 minutes or less.

BODY BY BURPEES (after a thorough warm up)

You ready to bust out some Burpees and invisible rope skipping? Yep, me too. So choose your workout level below and decide which style of Burpee you will do (watch the video demo). This workout is designed to challenge you and can get intense, so please take short rests (approximately 15-45 secs) as needed throughout the workout. And make sure you have water nearby!

Level 1

• Round 1a ~ 3 minutes skipping intervals (50 secs skipping /10 secs low march in place)
• Round 1b ~ 5 Burpees
• Round 2a ~ 3 minutes skipping intervals (50/10)
• Round 2b ~ 5 Burpees
• Round 3a ~ 3 minutes skipping intervals (50/10)
• Round 3b ~ 5 Burpees

Level 2

• Round 1a ~ 4 minutes skipping intervals (50 secs skipping /10 secs high knees march)
• Round 1b ~ 10 Burpees
• Round 2a ~ 4 minutes skipping intervals (50/10)
• Round 2b ~ 10 Burpees
• Round 3a ~ 4 minutes skipping intervals (50/10)
• Round 3b ~ 10 Burpees

Level 3

• Round 1a ~ 5 minutes skipping intervals (50 secs skipping /10 seconds high knee jog)
• Round 1b ~ 20 Burpees
• Round 2a ~ 5 minutes skipping intervals (50/10)
• Round 2b ~ 20 Burpees
• Round 3a ~ 5 minutes skipping intervals (50/10)
• Round 3b ~ 20 Burpees

Happy burpee-ing, everybody!

Hey guys. I hope you didn’t forget that month this is. You’re a Badass, remember? This workout is dedicated to defining your abs AND burning off the fat in your midsection so the definition in your abs can be revealed extra sexy ‘n stuff.

Equipment Needed: “invisible” jump rope (we all have one)

Primarily Targets: Abs, Cardio

THE WORKOUT (after a thorough warm up)

Part 1) Abs: 12 rep straight-arm planking circuit (watch the video demo below):

• 4-count leg raises
• 4-count air climbers
• 4-count knee to opposite elbow
• Jump feet towards hands, stand up, then jump back down into plank position to repeat 12-reps.

Video Demo

Complete this series 3 times with no breaks (if possible), then move onto Part 2.

Part 2) Cardio: 3-minute intervals circuit

• 45 seconds: rope skipping (use your invisible jump rope)
• 15 seconds: high knee jog

Set your interval timer for 3 rounds of 45-secs/15-secs and give it your all. Engage your core and keep your body tight. No half-assing allowed.

Then take it from the top with Part 1 and complete the entire Workout (Parts 1 & 2) two more times.

• Modifications for planking series: do as many reps as you can and then hold static plank pose for remaining rep count.
• Modifications for cardio intervals: 45 seconds brisk-paced walk in place; 15 seconds high knees march.

Enjoy your workout!

…and let me tell you why.

I’ve tried a lot of Yoga DVDs. Too many to count. I have a useless stack of ‘em buried in the basement where I make the husband sleep. Some of the DVDs were a let down. Others left me wanting. And then there’s the Yoga flicks that put me in contorted, uncomfortable poses and made me feel like a Yoga loser.

But I am not a loser, dammit.

I was about to abandon Yoga until I discovered that cool Asian dude, Rodney Yee. He brought out the best in me with Yoga benefits that are truly priceless. You can’t buy this stuff:

• Mental clarity and lower stress levels.
• The feeling of a weight off my shoulders
• Faster “rest day” recovery.
• Restorative ability to aid in injury.

My top Yoga DVD pick is Rodney’s Ultimate Power Yoga. This DVD comes with 5 workouts, ranging from 15-20 minutes long. Do one, or combine a few for a longer Yoga experience.

Greedy Kid #2′s Ultimate Power Experience:

My kid used Workout 1 (Power Foundation) to recover from a painful hip injury during his first season of Cross Country in his 9th grade year. As a new distance runner, the season was pretty rough on his body. Greedy Kid’s hip would howl and not even the fancy Orthopaedic doctor’s advice made it any better. The dang kid was still in pain under medical care and could barely walk normally at times, so I forced asked him to try the DVD (he was brand new to Yoga).

When his running was manageable, he would come home after practice and jump right into Power Foundation. The DVD’s restorative magic went to work and Kid #2 made a complete recovery over the course of a few weeks. Go figure.

My Own Ultimate Power Experience:

In 2002 I was hit by a car while crossing the street and came out with a back injury. Physical therapy was a bitch. I was repeatedly cold-packed, heat-packed, back-cracked, electrical muscle stimulated, and way more. The infliction of treatment was so bad one day that I almost passed out. They had to pull out the smelling salt to bring me back to full consciousness.

In addition to my doctor (a rehab specialist), I was treated for nearly 9 months by two different Chiropractors and two different physical therapists before medical benefits ran out. I was definitely doing better than on day one of the accident, yet still in a level of pain that caused daily discomfort and sadness…for 9 long years. Remember, that accident happened in 2002, but I didn’t find Rodney’s Yoga, and Workout 5 (Ultimate Power Restoration), until early 2011.

Workout 5 focuses on a series of forward bends and elongated stretches that restored my back and prevents the pain from returning. If I stay away from Yoga far too long, I sometimes start whining when I feel small inklings of pain and tightness return, but one session of Workout 5 is enough to get me into maintenance mode so I can enjoy a pain-free back.

I also made big time progress with general flexibility of my entire body that “athletic-type stretching” never delivered.

Here are some quick sample clips from the DVD to get a feel for Rodney Yee’s awesome style and instruction.

If you haven’t tried Yoga yet, go get on the bandwagon. And if Rodney’s Ultimate Power Yoga isn’t part of your own Home Workout Essentials, it’s time to seriously consider it.

Have a fabulous week, you guys. And don’t forget to Yogaaaaa !!!

I have secrets to share and you can NOT be tellin’ the Health-hater Husband. Okay?

I already mentioned that my 39th birthday is coming up fast, so I started buying myself gifts ((insert sinister laughter here)). Shhhh! If the husband knew, he might say I already got my gifts. Shhh, I said! If we all just keep quiet about this, I’ll get extra gifts that HE buys me, too. muwhahahahhaaaa!

So in honor of Home Workout Whoredom and the wonderment that goes along with it, I bought two awesome tools that I wish the mailman would hurry the hells up and deliver to me faster:

First, the VersaFit Sandbag

The VersaFit Sandbag comes in 10-pound, all the way up to 50-pound weighted options. I chose the 40-pound sandbag. This thing goes behind your neck and rests on both of your shoulders. It’s gonna take my squats, lunges and step-ups on the bench to the next level. You can also perform swings and other dynamic weighted movements. I’ll shoot some video of me using it once I get the hang of it, so stay tuned.

Next, I purchased PUMP

I’ve been hearing about this awesomeness for years, and Beachbody recently teamed up with Les Mills for this in-home PUMP workout series. BodyPump is literally a worldwide movement. They offer it at a gazillion gyms, including mine, but I just can’t seem to ever get there. So I bought the system and I’m ready to Pump it to enhance the muscle definition in my body.

I’m Beachbody Coach to some of you already (howdy, ya’ll!), but EVERYONE is welcomed to explore PUMP in my Beachbody shop to see if it’s right for you. Here’s a PUMP video snippet that pretty much sums up why I’m so dang excited to start doing this program for the sculpting of sexy woman-muscles. I’m gonna look so hawt this summer.

So there’s my birthday shopping secrets! I highly doubt the husband will read this post, and I know my secret is safe with you. ((wink-wink))

Hey guys, here’s the first of many Hot Body Home Workouts to come! If you can’t get to the gym or if home workouts are simply your thang, it’s time to get up off your booty and get it moving.

After a thorough warm-up: Select your circuit level (Level 1, 2 or 3), consisting of basic moves that only get tougher depending on which level you choose. Then move onto the optional “Hotter Body Challenge” to top off your workout on an extra sweaty, fat burning note.

LEVEL 1 equipment needed: optional exercise mat or carpeted area

• 3-5 knee push-ups (on mat or carpeting)
• 8 squats (feet slight wider than shoulder-width)
• 8 alternating reverse lunges

Complete this beginner’s circuit 2-3 times.

• Level 1 Hotter Body Challenge (optional): After finishing your circuits, set your interval timer for 5 rounds of 45/15. Each 1-minute round  = 45 seconds brisk march in place + 15 seconds slow march in place.

LEVEL 2 equipment needed: one 8-10#dumbbell, optional exercise mat or carpeted area

• 5 full body push-ups + 5 knee push-ups
• 12 squat jumps
• 10 alternating reverse lunges, holding one 8-10# dumbbell in both hands close to your chest.

Complete this intermediate circuit 3-4 times.

• Level 2 Hotter Body Challenge (optional): After finishing your circuits, set your interval timer for 5 rounds of 45/15. Each 1-minute round = 45 seconds “invisible” rope skipping + 15 seconds brisk march in place.

LEVEL 3 equipment needed: one 8-10#dumbbell, optional exercise mat or carpeted area

• 10 full body push-ups
• 15 squat jumps
• 16 alternating  reverse lunges, holding one 8-10# dumbbell or medicine ball overhead. Keep that core tight!

Complete this advanced circuit 4 times.

• Level 3 Hotter Body Challenge (optional): After finishing your circuits, set your interval timer for 5 rounds of 45/15. Each 1-minute round = 45 seconds brisk high knee jog + 15 seconds march in place. Get those knees up!

Josie’s finishing time: 4 rounds of Level Three in 7.18 minutes.

your Interval Timer setting

Post-workout breakfast ideas:

• Steel cut oats.
• Chobani Greek yogurt and whole grain toast with peanut butter.
• Strawberry banana smoothie with scoop of organic whey protein powder.
• Shakeology with scoop of organic whey protein powder.