Work It Out Wednesday: Quick and Effective Cardio + Abs

Hi friends! How are ya today? We made it to our next destination last night and have had a pretty busy day thus far.

On our way in we stopped by Trader Joe’s to stock up our fridge and grab a quick dinner.

The monster zucchini made the trip…

 

…along with kale, spinach, broccoli, cucumbers, carrots, hummus, cinnamon raisin bread, almond butter, almond milk, flax meal, chia seeds, Greek yogurt, maca powder, baby beets, lentils, dark chocolate, apples, bananas, peaches, unsweetened shredded coconut, spirulina, etc.  There’s nothing classier than wine out of a plastic cup. Hey, do what ya gotta do!

I threw together a random dinner of garbanzo bean salad, baby beets, and a chopped veggie mix. Despite the randomness, it was pretty good!

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Today I hope to get a lot done on the work front (stay tuned), so I want to leave you with this ~20 minute cardio/ab workout in honor of Work It Out Wednesday.

I like to move my body every single day, especially when I’m having an extremely busy or stressful day. Something about getting my blood pumping always makes me feel better. This is a short yet effective workout that you can do anywhere. All you need is a jumprope (and a mat or at least somewhere to lay down for the abs). Yep, you read that right. A jumprope. Just like when you were a little kid.

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Apparently Rocky was onto something because jumping rope is an awesome cardio workout. It’s far more effective than a light jog: you can burn the same amount of calories in less time, pretty awesome right? Jumping rope blasts your heart rate, burns a lot of calories, tones your core, works your legs, forearms, and your shoulders too.

When I first started jumping rope a few months ago, I would get extremely frustrated because I wasn’t very good. I was slow and would trip up every few jumps. The hub really encouraged me to keep trying, and with time, he was right, I got much better, so it clearly works on your coordination too (or your “athleticism” as the hub says)! And apparently, I needed that.

I think my face says it all. Sorry for that awful, I’m dying look. I promise it’s not that bad. 

Need another reason to bust out your old jumprope? It’s a great for anyone – all ages are welcome. Whether you are five or 75, you control the speed and intensity so why not give it a try? If you have kids, I bet they would enjoy mom or dad working out playing with them too! They might even get a good laugh your first few weeks (at least if you are anything like me)!

Instead of hitting the pavement for another boring run, mix things up today and tell me tomorrow why little kids stay so fit!

(See photos below for proper form on ab exercises.)

1. Regular Crunch

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2. Bicycle Crunch

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3. Toe Touches

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4. Reverse Crunches

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5. Plank Holds

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I am definitely a firm believer in the saying, “abs are made in the kitchen,” but they are also a muscle so it’s important to build muscle to show through once you start seeing the effects of your clean eating!

So what about you? When was the last time you jumped rope? As a child? Or do you like to mix it in your workouts too? And what about coordination? Does it come naturally to you? It certainly didn’t for me!

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I’m off to tackle this page long to-do list. I hope you have a great Wednesday!

Good health!

 

Tagged as: ab workout, abs are made in the kitchen, burn fat fast, cardio and ab workout, cardio workout, jump rope, jump rope cardio, quick and effective workout, quick workout, rocky jump rope, work it out wednesday, workout