Hump Day Booty Move: Cardio Drill - Scissor Hops + Jump Lunge

Today's Hump Day Booty Move is from this month's B Strong Challenge 30 minute At-Home HIIT Workout! Perform this movement - 2 Scissor Hops + 1 Jump Lunge - for 30-60 seconds as an interval in a HIIT routine. If you'd like to see the entire B Strong Challenge January 2016 Workout visit here. Check out my Instagram/Twitter to learn how you can win a prize as well!

Notes on form:
- Scissor jumps are always up on the toes.
- In the lunge, your front foot is flat and the heel of your back foot is lifted.
- Each time you jump down into a lunge, it should be the side opposite the one you did last rep.
- Keep your chest up tall through the whole movement. Even when you go down into the lunge. Your shoulders should be directly over your back knee.

Share how you incorporate this conditioning drill into your workout on Instagram/Twitter @cassiebstrong!

B Strong,

Cassie B.

Turn Up Tuesday: Whip It

I love high energy songs like this to take the energy of the room to the next level! Try throwing this song into your workout playlist and let me know how you like it! Follow me on Spotify cassiebstrong for entire playlists and more song ideas!

- DJ Cassie B

#DJcassieB

Momma B: An Alternative to a New Year’s Resolution - A New Journey

I was never great at keeping my New Year’s resolutions, so I stopped making them. It seemed like a waste of time if I never got anywhere with it. But in the last couple years, I've managed to achieve a lot of the goals I never followed through with in the past - and these achievements didn't start as New Years Resolutions. What was the difference? Just like you, my goals in the past were too big, and therefore not sustainable. But I wanted a change in my life, and I knew just changing 1 simple thing wasn't going to change everything. So instead of picking an overwhelming goal based on something I didn’t like about my life, I chose one word to symbolize the bigger picture of what I envisioned for myself: "wellness". I wanted to be happier, have more energy, and to look and feel healthy as I entered my 50's.

After I created my vision of what I hoped to become and chose the word to represent what I was working toward, I created mini goals. There were many things I knew I needed to adjust, but, as I'd learned from New Years Resolutions, changing everything all at once never got me where I wanted to go. So I only let myself focus on one thing at a time. After 1 year of making several, small adjustments, I had a whole new lifestyle. A year after that, I'm a whole new person.

Now let's figure out how to kick off your journey. First, envision who you want to be by the end of 2016. Next, come up with a word to represent your goal. If you have a specific goal - like you would like to lose weight - write down why you want to lose the weight. This will help you come up with a vision of who you want to be and determine a more positive word than "thin" - maybe it’s "confidence" or "independence", or, like me, "wellness" - this way you are inviting many different facets of confidence, independence, wellness, or whatever you desire, into your future rather than focusing on your external body alone. Now you're ready to choose your mini goals. Instead of being vague and overambitious with one goal, determine one mini goal for each month of the year that will all lead you to your more well/confident/independent self.

Let’s stick with the weight loss example. You may reflect on your goal and decide that what you truly desire is confidence. That's now your focus: your journey to confidence. Now, map out the steps along your journey that will help build your confidence by choosing your 12 mini goals. Some of these will be weight loss focused, but there will be other mini goals that you know will also help boost confidence that have less to do with your weight and appearance. This way, by the end of 2016, you'll grow into the person you desire to be.

Here are some examples of mini goals:

January – add vegetables to each meal.

February - participate in physical activity/exercise you enjoy 3x a week.

March – keep a bottle of water with you throughout the day to sip on.

April - spend 15 minutes a day outdoors.

May – stop drinking soda.

You see how it works! Come up with 12 mini goals that relate to your overall goal and put them on your calendar each month. It only takes 21 days to create a new habit, so by the end of 365 days you'll be a happier, healthier you!

Hard CORE: Plank Tuck Jump

This is a no excuses exercise because all you need is YOU to get it done!

The first variation, I walk my feet back to the plank. If this is new to you, or you have issues with your back, I'd go for that one. The next progression, I jump my feet back. As long as your hips stay at shoulder level and don't drop below, your back will be fine. Just be sure your hips don't go above shoulder level because that could create a lot of tension in your neck.

Try incorporating this into a HIIT circuit or performing the movement for 20-60 second intervals with 10-30 seconds of rest in between sets. Share when you incorporate this into your core workout on Instagram/Twitter @cassiebstrong #BStrong!

B Strong,

Cassie B.

Hump Day Booty Move: Stability Ball 1 Leg Hamstring Curl

Here's the progression of last week's Booty Move, the Hamstring Curl. If you're ready for it, try doing just 1 leg at a time. Prepare to feel the burn!!

If you've yet to do so - please try the "Stability Ball Hamstring Curl". The 1 leg hamstring curl is an advanced movement to help you mix things up when the hamstring curl has been a staple in your regimen for at least 3 weeks.

Try 8-12 reps per leg for 2-4 sets. Squeeze your lower belly super tight, keep your shoulders down, lats engaged, and squeeze the glute of the foot that's on the ball super tight when you've curled the leg in.

Share when you incorporate this into your Leg Day on Instagram/Twitter @cassiebstrong #BStrong!

B Strong,

Cassie B.