Workout Wednesday - Upper Body & Core!

Happy Hump Day! How's everyone's week going? We're halfway there! I wanted to share an Upper Body & Core Workout with you that I did one night last week after work and it left my muscles feeling tired!

Last week after my long run I really screwed up my foot. I think I strained my Peroneal Tendon. This is a new fun running injury. I just can't win! Basically the outside of my right foot was just killing me and it hurt a lot to even walk. For the past week and the rest of this week I am NOT running, but focusing on upper body strength and cross training! 

Here's an upper body and core workout I put together - injured foot or not, this workout is sure to make you sweat.

Upper Body & Core Workout with an added HIIT challenge!

My intention for this workout was to hit all the major muscle groups in the upper body. Twelve reps is a good rep range to really tire out those muscles. Try to use a challenging weight! By the tenth rep, you should be ready to put the weight down. If your form starts to get compromised, lower the weight and finish the reps. I chose to program some extra HIIT on the rower at the end because 1.) I'm a cripple and can't run. 2.) The rower is very low impact. 3.) It also works your upper body! 

Exercises:

Single Arm Kettlebell Clean and Press

Pike Push-ups (move at :24)

Elevated Plank Rows (move at :30)

Plank Walk-ups

Stability Ball Hip Bridges

Enjoy!! 

- Rach

Who's ready for the weekend?!! The pope will be here this weekend so I'm either escaping town or camping out in my apartment - Philly is expecting 1,000,000 people!

Time To Reflect & Set More Goals.

Setting goals and reflecting on the past year. What did you get accomplished and what do you want to achieve? Tonight begins one of the Jewish high holidays - Yom Kippur. If you're not Jewish or if you just don't know what Yom Kippur stands for, it's a time right after the Jewish new year to reflect and 'atone' for your "sins." 

I'm not a very religious Jew, I don't go to synogogue often, but I do practice Jewish traditions and I especially like to observe for Yom Kippur. I don't like to think I'm a sinner, and I'm definitely not a perfect being, but for me it's a good reminder to reflect on the past year, set a tone for myself for the upcoming months ahead and really set some intentions of where I would like to see myself in the next year. 

Get out of your comfort zone.

Working  full time now and adjusting to adult life has me even more so 'reflective' at this time of year. I feel SO lucky every single day that I get to come into work every day with a group of extremely talented people and then I can go home and teach my fitness classes and hang out with my main squeeze. It's a fun life, but I tend to get in my little 'comfort zones,' and I think that it's important at these times to realize why it's so important to get OUT of my comfort zone - personally and professionally.

This is the perfect time for me to start setting some new goals, not only because it's Yom Kippur, but also because my second quarterly review at work is coming up very soon. I've been working at Group Two for 5 months now (how did it go so quick?!) and I finally feel that I'm really getting the hang of things! It's time to challenge myself a little more. I'm excited to grow my knowledge in the advertising industry and keep learning new things. I have some specific goals but this isn't a work blog so I'll spare you the many specifics. 

In terms of personal goals, I have a few. I definitely want to grow my experience in the fitness industry. I've been teaching consistently about 1-2 times a week, but lately I've just been craving more. I don't know exactly what's next, but I want to eventually get my personal trainer certification and start networking a little bit more to take advantage of the awesome fitness scene in Philadelphia. Last night I met an instructor who teaches spin at a women's prison. How cool is that?! I also am determined to finish my first half marathon on October 31!

On another note, I'm determined to keep family on top. We're all spread out now. Womp. It's not so easy to hop in the car to drive home anymore, so I have to be more conscious about picking up the phone. Family is everything. 

Reflect.

With all of the above being said, I always like to take time to appreciate the past year and think of everything that I was able to accomplish. I'm happy with where I ended up after graduating and who I get to spend my days with. Life is really such an adventure! #RachelsDeepWordsOfWisdom.

Real time now - the Pope is coming to Philly this weekend and it's already a mad house here. There are porta-potties lining JFK Blvd. We're expecting 1,000,000 people. YIKES! The preparation is intense.

XO - Rach

Let's chat!

What are you excited for in the next few months?

How do you plan ahead and make goals? 

How often do you talk to your family?

First Foodie Swap!

Helllooo there!  Today I'm sharing something new - a foodie swap! What the heck is a foodie swap? Well, if you're into blogging, you may have found that it's really about growing your community, growing a following and connecting with other bloggers. However, what I think a lot of us fail to do on the reg (I am totally guilty,) is blog in our own little bubbles - not quite connected with the other talented and unique bloggers. So Georgie created this fun concept called a "foodie swap" where a group of us bloggers are paired up with another (blindly) and we go out and put together a fun little food care package. 

Packages are fun, and so are letters - especially when they include surprises! I couldn't wait to find out who my foodie pen pal was and eagerly checked my mail every single day after work until my package came!

My Swap Box:

My foodie swap buddy was Liv, from healthy-liv.com! I was so happy to open my package to find it filled with a few of my favorite things plus an adorable note. Trader Joe's caramel cheddar popcorn is kind of amazing, and I'm SO happy she included it because I would usually go for the plane Jane popcorn and not buy this kind. As you can see from the photo, I couldn't even wait to take a photo without tasting it...

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I'm also so happy Liv re-introduced me to Trader Joe's fruit bars. The only ingredients are fruit. In fact, I picked up like ten more today when I went shopping! I also received some Larabars, Kind Bars and Trader Joe's Brownie Crisp (amazing!!!)

THANK YOU Liv!! I hope you enjoyed your swap box! 

You can check out what I sent to Liv in her post. You should also take some time to check out her blog - she's a college student at UNC, an inspirational runner and she makes delicious recipes!

XO - Rach