Hi Everyone,

I hope your week is off to a great start! I have had a lot of people ask if I have any barre or Pilates videos available online so they can see what I'm always going on and on about. :)  I decided to try to start posting more short Barre and Pilates video segments here on the blog. They can be used for quick workouts, or maybe they will give my fellow instructors some fun choreography ideas. I know I am always on the lookout for creative and effective things to do in class. I also have a few videos posted on my YouTube Channel and at ToddPilate's OnDemand.

Anyways, here is my first Barre Breakdown video installment. Today, I filmed one of the cardio segments from my current barre class. The main exercise in this video is the curtsy lunge. I hope you like it!

Curtsy lunges can be a lot on your knees at the beginning, so modify your range of motion as you see fit. This workout is prenatal friendly, but my mommies be especially careful with your turnout since you have a lot of extra relaxin in your body. If you are on your smartphone and cant see the video, you can click here to watch it on YouTube



I'm linking up with Sara, at Lake Shore Runner, for Tried It Tuesday!

Would you guys like to see more videos like this? 

Anything else you would like to see videos of?

I hope you all have a wonderful day!

In health,

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Happy Monday!

I hope you all had a fabulous weekend! Mine was packed with fun events like my first half marathon since Belle was born, Annabelle's Christmas Pictures with Santa, and lots of family time, but more on all of that tomorrow. Today, we need to talk about our Happy Healthy Holidays Challenge workouts for this week. I have some fun and challenging workouts planned for us, and since I am done with my training for the 1/2, I will be able to fit them all in with my teaching schedule! Woohoo! I am ready to have more strength training in my life.

If you are new to the challenge, or you are looking for more workout ideas, check out week 1 and week 2.

This first workout, only requires one set of dumbbells. You will probably want to choose a medium weight (something you can do shoulder presses and bicep curls with). If you have multiple pairs of dumbbells, by all means, feel free to change out the weights as you wish! For a demonstration of all of the exercises in this workout, see the video below or head on over to my YouTube Channel!





Next up, we have our body weight only workout for the week. These are the workouts that are perfect to take with you if you are traveling because they require zero equipment and just a little bit of space. This workout is timed instead of counting reps to change things up a bit. You will perform each exercise for 45 seconds before moving on to the next one. Try to move quickly from one exercise to the next and then, if needed, rest at the end of the circuit. Depending on how much time you have, and how much of a challenge you are looking for, you can repeat the circuit 3-4x's!


Our next workout is a total body burner using the kettlebell and resistance tubing. You will perform 12 reps of each exercise and repeat the entire sequence 4x's. It should take you around 20-30 minutes depending on how much time you take to rest in between sets. Enjoy!

And there you have it, three great workouts for another kick butt week of the Happy Healthy Holidays Challenge. Don't forget to get in 10,000 steps every day and share your progress on facebook, instagram, or twitter using the hastag #hhhchallenge14! I would also love to hear how your challenge is going in the comments below!

What is your favorite workout you have done since Thanksgiving?

Do you prefer to workout at the gym or at home?

In health,

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Happy Workout Wednesday!

It's a pretty gross rainy day here in Austin, so I am excited to focus on something fun and exciting instead of dreary! For today's workout Wednesday, I combined 4 of my favorite kettlebell exercises into one butt kicking 20 minute workout! These 4 exercises are so effective because they all work multiple body parts at the same time which gives you maximum results in minimal time. You will notice I get winded just demonstrating the exercises during the video. They are that good! :) Here's a break down of the workout and what body part each exercise is working. I'm just going to list the major muscles worked; however, most of these work many more stabalizer muscles as well.

HIIT Kettlebell Workout:

1. Kettlebell Swing - glutes, hamstrings, inner thighs, back, & shoulders
2. Clean & Press - glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, inner thighs, shoulders, triceps, & biceps
3. Figure 8 - glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, inner thighs, biceps, core, & shoulders
4. Goblet Squat With Knee Lift - quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, inner thighs, biceps, & core

Perform 12 reps of each exercise moving as quickly as you can from one exercise the the next with minimal rest. When you reach muscle fatigue, rest until you have recovered enough to begin again. Keep repeating the round for 20 minutes and get ready to feel the burn!



Let me know if you give it a try! I hope you have a great Workout Wednesday. If you are looking for more great workouts for Workout Wednesday, check out Fearlessly Fierce! Alison has some awesome workouts on her workout page for your sweating pleasure.

Do you enjoy using kettlebells in your workout?

If so, what is your favorite move?

In health,

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Howdy Friends,

Happy Workout Wednesday friends! In honor of the Spartan Race Giveaway (you still have time to enter) I have going on this week, I wanted to give you a warrior worthy workout! On days that I do my training runs, I still like to squeeze in a little core and upper body work as well. In today's video, I share with you my four favorite exercises that work your arms and core at the same time with zero equipment. You can just plop down on a mat or in the grass right after your cardio session and Git-R-Done! These four moves would also be a great addition to the end of any strength routine or on their own for a quicky workout at home or while traveling. Plank is truly the perfect exercise because it works your entire body at one time. It doesn't get much better than that! 




I am one lucky lady because I definitely have the cutest little production assistant ever! She stayed behind the camera and yelled out orders from her directors chair (aka bouncy seat) like a true professional.

I hope you enjoy the video and can incorporate these moves into your next workout. Let me know if you give them a try.

Do you do any core exercises after a run or skip right to the stretching? (Not going to lie, there are plenty of times I skip right to the stretching!) :)

How do you feel about plank? Love it? Hate it? What's plank?

In health,

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Howdy Howdy!

It's been a busy busy day. I taught a Mat class this morning at 7 AM, worked at the studio until 12:15 PM, and then headed to the doctor for my 24 week appointment. We got to hear Annabelle's heartbeat and the doctor said she looked like she was right on track size wise! Always good to hear. I made it back home in time to grab a quick snack and get a few things done before heading back up to the studio for my 5:00 PM class.

I have some extremely exciting news!! I had the honor of filming a Cardio Barre Fusion class for DestinationFit.com last week. DestinationFit.com is all about helping people find workouts they love and can do in the comfort of their own home. You can view any of the workouts for free as many times as you'd like and even vote for your favorite!



Check out Whitney's great form!

The one picture of me not talking up a storm!

Baby bump alert!

Bloopers!

I was lucky enough to have three of my wonderful girlfriends shoot with me, so it was an absolute blast!  Cardio Barre Fusion is designed to increase your cardiovascular strength while helping you to tone, sculpt, and lengthen your muscles from head to toe. We began with a 40 minute barre portion that focuses on toning the arms and sculpting long lean legs. Next, we moved to the mat to challenge our core in a way that only traditional Pilates mat work can do. We wrapped up our workout with a flowing yoga sequence to further challenge our bodies while stretching and lengthening our muscles. Don't worry, no prior dance experience is required for this workout! Just grab your equipment, be prepared to sweat, and get ready for a great time!



I hope you'll check it out! If you're not into Barre or Pilates, there are tons of other workouts for your sweating pleasure!

Today's IdeaFit word of the day was Inspiration, and my friend Alison, from Fierlessly Fierce, is a huge inspiration to me. She always has the most amazing attitude, is an incredible fitness instructor, and one of the best friends a girl could ask for! She wrote a great post today about how her pups inspire her to stay fit and included some fun workouts you can do with your dogs. Go check it out!


It looks like her workout definitely wore out the pups! I'm off to finish cooking dinner. Crock pot Mexican Chicken is on the menu for tonight!

Do you like to do workout videos at home?

If so, what is your favorite video?

In health,

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Howdy There,

It's day 2 or 2013, and I thought I would take a second to look back through some of my favorite workouts from 2012!

Lean Legs March Workouts!

No Equipment No Nonesense Workout! This one is perfect for when you are on vacation or don't have access to a gym.

Two Dumbbells and a Jump Rope Sweat Fest! No fancy equipment required here. All you need is a set of light and heavy dummbells and a jump rope.

Bikini Bottom Workout Grab a medicine ball and get ready to tone up that backside.

Step It Up Workout Step up your boring routine with this little doozy!

80's Inspired Cycle Class

HIIT - 15 Minute Sweat Fest! 45 seconds of work followed by 15 seconds of rest = fun, fun fun! Repeat the circuit as many times as you can for a total body workout you can do anywhere.

Grab your barbell, resistance tubing, and dynamax ball and get ready to sweat!!

30 X 4 Power Circuit! For this circuit, you will need a BOSU, Dynamax ball, tubing, and gliders!

You Vs. the Sand 20-15-10-5 Let the sand kick your but with this killer workout!

Get your booty burn on with this quick barre routine!


I have lots of fun workouts planned for you in 2013 so be sure to stay tuned! What would you like to see more of? Workouts? Videos? Recipes? I'm all ears!

In health,

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Howdy Friends!

How was your weekend and Monday? Mine was pretty dang good. E and I went to the beach on Saturday to take advantage of the beautiful weather before Hurricane Isaac took over! Luckily, it looks like we are going to miss the worst of it! Sending lots of prayers out to those still in the path of the hurricane.

A few weeks ago, I told you all about my trip to Atlanta for the QiFORZE Master Trainer Summit. It was truly an amazing experience, and I can't wait to start sharing this format with other instructors. I am rarely this excited about a new format, especially a new strength training format! It's like nothing else out there! Check out this video to see some of the choreography and what the Master Trainers had to say about their experience. This was all of our first times to experience the class. My interview starts at about minute 5:30 if you want a good laugh! :)


Pretty cool huh? If you teach group exercise and want to know how to bring QiFORZE to your club, shoot me an email at LaurenEGeorge@gmail.com! I can also help you find a QiFORZE class near you! 

Ok, on to the workout of the day! I am still loving doing super intense workouts since I am short on time but still want to challenge my muscles. Here is what last Thursday's circuit looked like!

Exercises Explained:

Squat Turn Jumps On BOSU - Place your right foot on the BOSU and your left foot on the ground. Lower yourself down into a squat and then push off both feet into the air and turn 180 degrees to land with the other foot on the BOSU.

Dynamax Throw Down - Hold Dynamax ball in both hands. Start with ball overhead and throw it down as hard as you can. Grab it on the bounce, and do it again! This one is great for stress relief!

Lat Pull Downs With Tubing - Hold tubing above your head with hands about a foot apart. Pull the tubing apart straightening both arms out to the side and bringing tubing towards chest.

I hope you all have a wonderful day!

How have you gotten your sweat on lately?

In health,

Lauren George

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Happy Monday!

This week I am going to:

If you can accomplish all of those things, you are doing pretty good if you ask me!

This weekend was busy, but productive. I went for a run on Saturday morning, and then E and I spent the rest of the day shopping for things we needed for the house.

The list included:

• A new couch
• A futon for E's office
• Curtains for the living room
• Barstools for the kitchen
• Something to set our TV on in the living room
• Patio furniture

We found everything on our list, and got pretty much everything on sale! Once we get it all in the house, I will be sure to share pictures of the sweet deals. By the time we finished shopping, we were exhausted!! We literally shopped till we dropped. We grabbed a quick dinner, and settled in to watch the Olympics.

On Sunday, I woke up and took Champ for a walk around the lake in our neighborhood. I just can't get over how pretty it is here. Take a walk with Champ and I!











It was a little bit humid but a beautiful 76 degrees and overcast. Champ made lots of friends along the way! :)

If you are in need of a little Monday workout motivation, try out this workout!


How was your weekend?

In health,

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Howdy!

How are you today? What did Tuesday bring you? I started out my day with a killer boot camp class (my glutes are already sore) followed by a Piloxing class. In the afternoon, I went to talk to new employee orientation about health and wellness. I rounded out the day with a core class and some more work.

In honor of hump day, I want to share with you a few things I am loving lately!

Source: http://savearecipe.blogspot.ca via kayla on Pinterest

Aren't they too cute? I want one so bad. I could build them a pool in my backyard right?

Another thing I am loving these days is this delicious Cinnamon Apple Detox Drink. You simply slice up a Fuji apple and throw it in a pitcher with a stick of cinnamon. It helps curb my sweet tooth, tastes great, helps me consume more water throughout the day, and the cinnamon can help balance your blood sugar.

Source: http://mom2mycrazy2.blogspot.com via Katie on Pinterest

Sometimes we all need a little motivation that we can succeed at our dreams no matter how big they may seem. With all of the crazy changes going on in our life right now, this little pin came along at just the right time!

Source: http://dangshefine.stockphotosweb.com via Shannon on Pinterest

This info graphic is an absolute life saver. We all know bread can keep in the fridge, but did you know it can last an entire year if sealed correctly? I sure didn't! I"m definitely keeping this graphic somewhere handy.


[Source: Daily Savings from All You]
Lastly, I love love love at home weekend workouts, and this one is a real gem! No equipment necessary, but totally but kicking and sweat inducing = my favorite kind of workout!

Source: http://pinning2fun4813.blogspot.com/ via Felicia on Pinterest

I'm headed off to work! I hope you all have a fabulous hump day?

What are you loving these days?

In health,

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Happy Friday!

Wooohooo it's Friday! I'm so ready for the weekend. We are off to Wichita Falls to watch E's brother Greg graduate from the ENJJPT (Euro NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training)! We are so proud of Greg and everything he has accomplished, and are extremely greatful for his service to our country!

What a cute couple huh? I'm so excited about getting to see these two this weekend and a lot of other family members! :)

Today's eats included a SunWarrior vanilla protein pack for my morning snack, a large salad + Whole Foods brand Greek Yogurt for lunch, and a Luna protein bar for my afternoon snack.



I don't know about you, but I'm not a big fan about giving up my precious weekend moments to go to the gym. Don't get me wrong, I love working out on the weekends, but I prefer to take my workouts outside or workout in the comofort of my own home.
My new goal for the blog is to include more videos for you to get your workout on at home. Today I want to share a quick barre workout you can do in your living room that really focuses on your outer thighs (bye bye saddlebags) and glutes! Who doesn't want to work those areas right. All you will need is a sturdy chair and about 8 minutes!



Let me know if you try it out! More videos to come soon!

What other types of videos would you like to see? Strength training, pilates, cardio, yoga?

What are you up to this weekend?

In health,

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