Bringing Sexy Back

Hello my little love ducks!  Today's post is regarding exercises to do to strengthen your back muscles, because so many people just focus on wanting the six pack abs that they neglect the muscles in the back which can lead to poor posture, back pain, as well as not having the rippling muscles to show off in a backless dress.  I am always scouring the internet as well as magazines and workout videos for exercises that target this area and I have found a few that I am happy with.  So let's get started!!  Remember to keep your neck in line with your spine otherwise you will strain your neck. do about 2-3 sets per exercise unless noted otherwise.

Rear Lateral Raise: with a pair of dumbbells, bend forward at your hips until torso is almost parallel to the floor.  With the dumbbells hanging straight down from the shoulders, with palms facing each other, extend your arms straight out to the sides until in line with your body.  Pause, then slowly return to start.  That's 1 rep.  Do 12 reps.

Swiss Ball Y Raise: Lie facedown on top of Swiss ball with your back flat and chest off the ball.  Let your arms hang straight down from your shoulders, with palms facing each other.  Raise your arms at a 30-degree angle from your body until they are in line with your body, forming a Y.  Pause then slowly lower back to the starting position.  That's 1 rep.  Do 12 reps.

Superman: Lie face down with arms extended in front of you.  Raise both arms and legs off the ground hyperextending the spine in order to raise the chest.  Pause and hold for 30 seconds then lower to the starting position.  Do 5 sets.

One-Arm Dumbbell Row: With one dumbbell in right hand, kneel on a bench with your left knee and left hand.  With your right palm facing the bench, lift your elbow up and toward the ceiling as you exhale.  Keep your arm close to your body and chest facing the floor.  Do not allow your elbow to go higher than an inch or so above your body level.  Hold up for 1-2 counts then lower weight.  Do 12-15 reps.

Spinach Lasagna Roll Ups

Hey there my little daffodils!  I hope you all had a fabulous week and that your weekend is going just as wonderful.  Alrighty, down to business.  I found this recipe on Pinterest which is a recipe from Budget Bytes and I am completely obsessed with it.  I made these delectable little roll ups a couple of weeks ago and they were delicious!  I hope you all enjoy them as much as I did!  Just a warning... it makes 14 roll ups and 2 roll ups is a serving.

Ingredients:

• 14 whole wheat lasagna noodles
• 15 oz ricotta cheese
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan
• 1 egg
• 10 ounces frozen spinach
• 2.5 cups marinara sauce
• salt and pepper to taste
• non-stick spray

Directions:

1. In a large pot of boiling water, add the lasagna noodles and cook until they are soft but not soggy (12-15 minutes).  Drain in colander.
2. While the noodles are boiling, prepare the filling.  Thaw the package of frozen spinach in the microwave and then squeeze out as much excess liquid as possible.  Combine the spinach in a bowl with the ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, egg, and some salt and pepper.  Mix until well combined.
3. When the noodles and filling are ready to go, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Prepare a glass casserole dish by spraying with non-stick spray.
4. On a clean surface, lay out a few noodles at a time.  Place a few tablespoons of filling on each noodle and spread to cover from edge to edge.  The filling does not need to be thick.
5. Roll the noodles up and place in the prepared casserole dish.  Repeat until all of your filling is gone.  Pour the marinara sauce over the rolled noodles making sure to cover all surfaces.
6. Cover the dish in foil and back for 30 minutes.
7. Enjoy!!

There are picture steps on Budget Bytes if you need visual cues.

 

Booty Burners

Happy Sunday fabulous people!  I just got back from NETA's FitFest where I learned all these wonderful things about teaching classes and what-not.  It was a blast and very exhausting to where I was falling asleep at 8pm last night, but I made myself stay awake until 10pm.  Anyways... I found this routine on Pinterest and it works wonderfully.

You are going to go through all the moves on one side with no breaks, then switch to the other side to finish out the set.  Do 12-15 reps per move and repeat for a total of 2-3 sets.

Leg Lifts 

On all fours, straighten right leg and lift straight up behind you as far as you can go

Ceiling Push

On all fours, lift and bend right leg at a 90 degree angle.  Push your leg to the ceiling while keeping your leg bent and bring it back down.  Continue pulsing.

Hamstring Curls

On all fours with right leg straight back, curl at the knee to work the hamstrings

Booty Circles

Straighten right leg out and draw circles with your leg.  The bigger the circle the bigger the burn

Switch legs and repeat on left side to complete 1 set

Fettuccine Hungry Girlfredo

  

Hello beautiful people!  I hope all is going well.  So I have been experimenting with cooking instead of baking and so far it is going well.  I bought "Hungry Girl: To the Max" cookbook which has over 650 healthy recipes so I will be sharing my adapted versions of what I make.  So here you go; my adapted version of Fettuccine Hungry Girlfredo.  It makes 1 serving and has less than 5 ingredients, which is perfect for college life or anyone on a budget.

Ingredients:

• 1 serving of whole wheat fettuccine pasta
• 1 wedge The Laughing Cow Light Creamy Swiss cheese
• 2 tsp. parmesean cheese
• 1 tsp. fat-free sour cream
• Optional: salt and black pepper for seasonings

Directions:

• Boil noodles until they are done then drain water from them
• Bring a skillet sprayed with nonstick spray to medium heat.  Add all ingredients, breking the cheese wedge into pieces.  Cook and stir until cheese has melted, mixed with sour cream, and coated noodles (2-3 minutes).
• Enjoy!

Out of Hibernation

Hello FitnessMisc readers!  I don't know if you have noticed, but I have been absent from this blog for a few months.  I apologize for being in hibernation.  My Fall semester back at school was a little hectic.  I took 19 credits (never do this), I joined a sorority, and I had to work as well.  It was a stressful semester, but I had many great experiences and met so many ah-mazing people.

Anyways... I bet you are all wondering "Why are you blogging now?" Well my answer to that is I will be taking 13 credits this semester, I got a job as a group fitness instructor, and I am the new Health & Wellness chair in my sorority.  Oh! and also I am going for my Group Fitness Certification next week.  I have been studying my butt off, but I am a horrible test taker, so hopefully I will pass.

Now, down to business, my goal for this blog is to have at least 1 post per week (one of my many New Year Resolutions).  I will do my best with this, but be patient with me as I step back into the ring.  I am unbelievably excited to get back to blogging, and hopefully one day I will get my blog up and running the way I vision it to be.  Hopefully you all haven't abandoned me thinking that I abandoned you!  Here is to the New Year and I hope 2013 will be a healthy and promising year for all of you!

~Stay Strong, Stay Focused, Stay Disciplined, Stay Determined
<3 Larissa

Music Monday

Happy Monday everyone!  I am seriously obsessed with this weeks music!  I keep replaying them over and over on my iPod.  I hope you all enjoy them as much as I do!

1. We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together - Taylor Swift
2. Pound the Alarm - Nicki Minaj
3. 50 Ways to Say Goodby - Train
4. Don't Wake Me Up - Chris Brown
5. Ready or Not - Bridgit Mendler

Fitness Friday

Happy Friday everyone! Wow this week just zoomed by.  It is my last day of work, and I'm so excited to jam a little bit of summer fun before I head back to school.  I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!!

Facts:

• A woman's heart beats faster than a man's
• You burn 26 calories in a one minute kiss
• The average life of a taste bud is 10 days
• Feet have 500,000 sweat glands and can produce more than a pint of sweat a day

Fashion:

It's no secret that Forever 21 is ah-mazing and fantastically affordable!  My shopping cart is filling up with so many wonderful picks or activewear and other cute items that keep jumping out at me!  Happy shopping!

Micro-Striped Racerback Sports Bra - $9.80

Colorblocked Athletic Jacket - $24.80

Brushstroke Waist Athletic Capris - $17.80

Weekend Challenge:

This weeks challenge is something that I do often in my room.  After you get your head out of the gutter... the weekend challenge that I propose to you is always a mood lifter and usually has me laughing at how silly I look.  Throw on some dance worthy music and bust-a-move!  Not only does dancing like a crazy person make me smile, it also burns 539 calories in an hour!!  If you don't feel like dancing in your mirror for an hour straight, dance while you clean.  Being productive while being a complete dork will have you burning your way to a fit bod and a spotless residence! It's a win-win!