Gold Medal Workout

By Katie

Dara Torres, Iconic Swimmer in Olympic Games 2012, during a Milk Ad.

Okay, not all of us are blessed with the talents and abilities that of the Olympic athletes, but that shouldn't stop us from working out like one! These five core strengthening exercises will work your core in more ways than one; the rectus "six pack" abdominis, transervse "belt" abdominis, internal and external obliques, and erector spinae will all be recruited, leaving you with gold medal worthy abs that you can flaunt in a red, white, and blue themed lingerie get-up!

 1. stability ball rollout (olympic abs 1)

2. jack knife (olympic abs 2)

 

3. super(wo)man (olympic abs 3)

4. back extensions (olympic abs 4)

5. t-stabilizations (olympic abs 5)

HIIT Lingerie!

HIIT-a quick way to look your best in lingerie.

By Katie

Saddlebags, muffin tops, spare tires, chicken wings-we've all heard them and probably have even pointed out these "flaws" on ourselves. How can we get rid of these problem areas so we can feel confident (link back to confidence post) and look sexy in lingerie (add photo of your lingerie)?

Your first daunting thought may be to spend hours in the gym doing millions of push-ups and squats in hopes to develop sculpted shoulders and toned gams to flaunt in lingerie. WRONG! Spot reducing, or targeting specific areas on your body that you want to lose fat from, has been a common myth in the fitness industry. Although those push-ups and squats are sculpting exercises, if there is a layer of fat on top of the muscle, you will see little (if any) definition. 

So what's a girl to do? High intensity interval training!

HIIT, a form of cardiovascular training, is alternating periods of high-intensity exercise (sprinting, hills, jumping rope) with lower-intensity exercise (jogging/walking, marching) for any desired amount of time. The benefits of HIIT are: improved overall fat loss, increase in Vo2 max (max amount of oxygen you can uptake during exercise), and a greater EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption), meaning you'll continue to burn fat and calories even after the workout is completed. Another great benefit of HIIT is you can complete a workout in 15-20 minutes and no equipment is required!

In no time, you'll be flaunting not only a confident and sleek body in lingerie, but a toned one too!

Exercise in Bed: Lingerista Style

By Katie

Fitness doesn't have an agenda. Whether you're scrambling to turn the alarm clock off in the A.M. or dying to crawl into bed at night, you have time to sneak in a little exercise! Remember that confidence-thing we talked about? What better place to boost your confidence (and libido) than right in bed?

 Pinterest: Lingerie and Fitness

Exercising in bed can be just as beneficial to you as if you were to exercise in a gym; the unstable surface of the mattress provides core strength and stability (similar to a BOSU or balance discs) and body-weight exercises are all fitness professionals talk about! 

(Before beginning this or any exercise program, please consult with your doctor)

 Pinterest: Exercise in Bed

1. Morning Bridge. Lie on your back, knees bent, and arms by your side. Lift your heals into the bed as your hips press towards the ceiling. Squeeze tight! Slowly lower back down and repeat 20 times.

2. Pillow Push-ups. Place 2 pillows side-by-side on the bed. Making sure your arms are right underneath your shoulders, place your hands on each pillow (you'll be slightly off-balance and that's what we want!) and lift into a plank position on knees or toes. Complete as many push-ups as you can (with good form) for 30 seconds.

3. Mountain Climbers. From the push-up position, alternate one knee into your chest, for 30 seconds.

4. Crab Dips. Sit on your bum and place your arms behind you, fingertips facing front. Lift your hips up so that you're in a tabletop position. Bend your elbows straight behind you, letting your bum hover over the bedspread, then press straight up. Repeat 15 times.

From KissTheGroom.com

5. Super(wo)mans.Lie on your stomach, arms straight overhead and legs straight behind you. Lift your upper body then lower body and hold for a couple of breaths, squeezing everything. Slowly lower and repeat 10 times.

6. Bed Squats. Time to get up! Swing your legs around so your feet are resting on the floor; toes, knees, hips, and shoulders facing front. Press through your heals and come to standing, squeezing hips forward. Slowly lower back down to the bed and repeat 20 times.

You DO have time to exercise! Who knows, maybe you'll motivate your significant other to join you. You know how the saying goes.

By Katie Evans

Confidence (noun): belief in oneself and one's powers and abilities; self-confidence; self-reliance; assurance.

The definition of confidence; so simple yet so hard to grasp for some of us. Why is it that we can ooze confidence in our careers, outfits, and with our girlfriends but once we're in an intimate setting, we freeze? Owning and embracing our self-confidence is the first step to looking and feeling our best! Fitness and confidence go hand-in-hand, and it's the one area that you have complete control over. 

 

Now, before we go parading around in one of Eve's skimpy little numbers, we need to own our confidence:

1. Stop comparing! We're all made to be different so embrace it; if everyone was alike, it'd be a pretty boring world.
2. Think positively. Instead of complaining about your "problem" areas, embrace what your body HAS done for you. Did you have a baby recently? Run a race? Defeat a sickness? Have a motto that you can use to lift your spirits up (like "Celebrate Your Inner Eve").
3. Except mistakes. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. 
4. Surround yourself with positive people. Just like sneezes, positiveness is contagious.
5. Do something you love. Everyday. Be greedy, put yourself first, and make sure you're happy before serving others because that positive energy will follow you.

Confidence starts with YOU. 

Next week, we'll discuss exercises that we can do right in our bed with our new confident-self!