Spring Countdown. - Lauren Schwaiger

Hiya! Hope you all had a very happy Monday and enjoyed an extended weekend if you had the day off. Normal, full day of work for me, plus, some exciting things!! 1) We have exactly 2 months to go until the first day of Spring — March 20th — if there were ever a day to mark a Spring Countdown — today would be the day! Absolutely gorgeous, sunny and a oh so lovely 65 degrees. Ahhh This of course was just a teaser considering the temps are only going to continue to drop as the week moves on. All good tho…. 2) Thursday. I’m off to London!! yesssss. I can’t tell you how over the moon excited I am for this trip! London has been on my list for quite some time and I can’t tell you how ecstatic I am to get there! Going to be amazing. 3) Came home this afternoon to a package — ordered some cool, new accessories online and they were delivered today! yayyye I was afraid this wasn’t going to arrive in time to enjoy on my trip, but I got lucky! Will do a post to share my new loot with you.

Monday Gym Sesh

Warm Up:
Jump Rope. 5 minutes + Treadmill. 15 minutes walking

Leg Ciruit:
– Side Lying Leg Raises (resistance band around calves): 30 sec x 3 (each side)
– Lateral Jumps: 1 minute x 3
– Glute/Ham Kickbacks: 30 sec x 3
– Unilateral, Squat/Upright Row Combo: 1 minute x 3 (30 seconds each side)
– Core exercises:
1) Double Crunches: 30 sec
2) Side Planks: 30 sec each side
3) Mountain Climbers: 30 sec

Followed by lots of stretching & foam rolling. I had so much energy today but when it came time to workout, my body felt tired & heavy. I hate this feeling, but pushed thru and felt great afterwards.

About that Spring Countdown….

Warmer weather and yes, less clothing to hide under is right. around. the. corner. What changes are you making to achieve YOUR summer body? Remember, small victories. CONSISTENT changes daily, weekly all add up to make for some BIG results. “One bad meal isn’t going to make you fat, just like one clean, healthy meal isn’t going to make you fit” make the commitment to yourself to the best YOU that you can be.

NOW is the time to start making changes to your diet and pushing yourself a little bit harder with workouts — not, once Spring (and summer) arrives. Winter has a way of making us crave warm, cozy, comforting foods, which unfortunately, for most, tend to lean more towards the unhealthy side. There is a way to comfort & nourish your body in winter without eating heavy, starchy & processed carbs, unhealthy fats & extra sugars.
Luckily, here in CLT we are starting to get those random warm days (that I LOVE so much!!) mixed in with our crazy-cold, winter weather which makes the winter more tolerable for us in the South-East. But I know many of you are still experiencing some intense winter temperatures & conditions that will last at least a couple more months. You can read my Warming Winter Detox, here, to learn more about warm & nourishing foods that give you that cozy/comforting feeling while detoxing your body & perhaps help you shed some winter weight.

As hard as it may be, begin to swap out your bowls of oatmeal & other carbs like brown rice or quinoa, for lighter, lean eats! All of the above carbs are super healthy for you, however, when its time to start leaning out for warmer weather, I’ll go thru a period of cutting out all carbs to produce some awesome changes in my body, and quickly! Start small, 2-3 days a week to start seeing changes in your body.

Here are a meals to hopefully help inspire some clean, lean eating! xx

Much Love, Health & Happiness,