RX Bikini Bod: Mix it up.

If your weekly workout routine has not changed in the past 4 months, or 4 years, it’s time to give your plan the old switch-a-roo. Why? All your body ever wants to do is recover and recuperate. If you are doing the exact same things week after week. Well, your body probably knows what’s up and all you are gonna reach is a plateau.

Also when you try something different or challenge your muscles in a new way, it gives you an added bonus called… motivation.

So, instead of just devoting another 20 minutes to the elliptical, or another set of crunches, try out some of these tricks to spice up your workout week.

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RX Bikini Bod: The SPAZ

Gotta give credit to my sister in law, Jill, for naming and coming up with this workout. She took me thorough it. It was a blast, got my heart racing and was a much needed sweat session after a fun night of wedding festivities which resulted in consumption of a 6lb breakfast burrito in 5 minutes the next morning. Yes, I needed a butt kicking and this worked.

Workout: The Spaz

Why: It gets your body moving in a bunch of different ways, gets your heart rate up, is in no way boring, and feels fantastic.

Total Time: 36 minutes

The Schpeal: 6 sets total, done twice for a total of 12. Each set = 3 exercises done as fast/intense as you can for :50 straight with :10 rest, 2 times. Can be done at home, on the beach, or in a park.

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RX Bikini Bod: Back on Track

Sometimes the junk food, fried food, or deep dish pizza gets the best of your will power, and you just feel gross. Like I do right now (loco moco and macadamia nut haupia pancakes in one sitting, but totally worth every calorie) Well, there is a great place to go, and a great workout to help you feel better and get back on track. A track.

Venture on down to the nearest high school, middle school, or university, and let me introduce you to tempo runs, a fun, mixed up, sweat-filled cardio workout.

Track Tempo Runs:

-  Jog once around the track slowly then stretch & do whatever you have to do so you are warmed up enough to sprint.

- It’s easy: sprint the first straight segment, then without stopping, slowly jog around the bend, then sprint the next straightaway. Now you walk the last 1/4 of the track (the second bend) and take your time walking…this is your rest time. Start your next lap once you reach the next straightaway

- So it goes: sprint, jog, sprint, walk. Capish?

- Try to do this 4 times in a row (that’ll be 1 mile, 800 yds of that spent sprinting) then each week add one more lap. Pick a number of laps, and work up to it over time. The most I’ve done is 14…I know someone out there can beat me. Bring a friend to race, bring your dog (they like to sprint too), have some good tunes, and in the end…feel great.

Trust me. After a good tempo run workout, they last thing you’ll be craving is Cold Stone or Taco Bell - you’ll be dreaming of coconut water & and fruit.

RX Bikini Bod: Beefed Up Cardio

In honor of Fat Tuesday, I thought I’d pass along a few tried and true ways to take a leisurely cardio session, and beef it up a bit. You will do more for your bod than simply burning calories, time goes by faster, and helps switch things up a bit if you are feeling unmotivated or bored. Happens to me regularly. And the answer is yes, I do have attention problems.

1. Go on a run, but bring along a jump rope. Every 3-5 minutes minutes, stop and jump rope 100-150 times, (throw in a some double unders if you want bonus points) and keep going for however long your run is.

2. Jog to any park with a bench. Sprint about 100 yards in the opposite direction of the bench, jog back, and do ten bench jumps, repeat ten times. Yup, no rest in between. Run home. (This is my workout today)

3. Along your running route, find reoccurring markers and sprint to every other one. (every other block, light post, Honda Accord, guy in a speedo who shouldn’t be - if you are on the beach, etc.)

4. If you are on a stair master or elliptical machine, grab a medicine ball or dumbbell ball, and every other minute keep exercising, but hold the ball over your head with straight arms. (LOVE this one)

5. If you are listening to your ipod, go as fast as you possibly can for the chorus of each song. Option #2: stop (or get off the machine) and do burpies for the chorus of the song. Choose songs wisely. Free Bird can be a beeyotch.

Ok, now you can get excited for bikini season already.