KaraLee-Fitness

Hey beautiful people I'm sorry I've been so MIA on this page lately I've been so busy with organising my Running To SAVE LIVES page and event I haven't made time to keep you all in the loop if you want to see what I have been up to head over and check my Running to SAVE LIVES page out.
I hope you all are still smashing your goals. Watch this space for all things fitness soon enough 😘

WHO WITH ME!!! SQUAT-CHALLENGE DETAILS
Directions: Each week, pick a weight, and stick with that same weight every day that week. Add more weight in subsequent weeks. Beginners should start with no weight.

Wondering how much to weight to choose? Start conservatively on Week 1. By Day 7, you should have a pretty good idea how much more you can handle! One advantage of using kettlebells is that they come in 4-kilogram or 8-kilogram "jumps" that are perfect for many of people.

EXAMPLE 1 BEGINNER
Week 1: Bodyweight
Week 2: (8 kg)
Week 3: (12 kg)
EXAMPLE 2 ADVANCED
Week 1: (24 kg)
Week 2:(32 kg)
Week 3:(40 kg)
You'll figure out the right weight for yourself quickly enough. Your real job is to do the reps! Break them up into as many sets as you want. For example, if you are supposed to do 20 reps, you can do 4 sets of 5 reps or 2 sets of 10 reps. Just get them done!

21-DAY SQUAT CHALLENGE
WEEK 1 BODYWEIGHT OR STARTING WEIGHT
Day 1: 20 reps
Day 2: 25 reps
Day 3: 30 reps
Day 4: 35 reps
Day 5: 40 reps
Day 6: 45 reps
Day 7: 50 reps
WEEK 2 ADD WEIGHT
Day 8: 20 reps
Day 9: 25 reps
Day 10: 30 reps
Day 11: 35 reps
Day 12: 40 reps
Day 13: 45 reps
Day 14: 50 reps
WEEK 3 ADD WEIGHT AGAIN
Day 15: 20 reps
Day 16: 25 reps
Day 17: 30 reps
Day 18: 35 reps
Day 19: 40 reps
Day 20: 45 reps
Day 21: 50 reps

Who wants to join me in this challenge i'm starting Monday? Lets do this? :)

White Potato & Sweet Potato~ what do you prefer ? Read the information below it might change your mind about them both. 👌🏻

The sweet potato is 86kcal per 100g

The white potato sits at 77kcal per 100

White Potato lower in calories.

Fat content is a tie at 0.1g of fat per 100g.

The white potato wins the potassium battle at 421mg per 100g to the sweet potatoes 337mg.

White Potato more Potassium.

Carbohydrate wise the white potato is at 17g per 100g, the sweet potato is at 20g per 100g.

White Potato contains LESS carbs.

The sweet potato does contain 3g of fibre which is .8g more than the the white potatoes 2.2g.

Sweet Potato has more fibre by 4%..

Sweet Potato contains 4.8g of sugar compared to the white’s 0.8g per 100g.

White Potato has much less sugar content.

White Potato contains 2g of protein to the Sweet potato’s 1.6%

White Potato has more Protein.

White potato has 19.7mg’s of Vitamin C and the sweet potato’s only got 2.4mg

White Potato contains more Vitamin C.

White potato suffers a defeat as far as Calcium content with the sweet potato having 30mg compared to the white’s effort of 12mg.

Sweet Potato wins the Calcium battle.

White Potato also contains more Iron and Vitamin b-6 than the Sweet Potato.

So as you can see sweet potato doesn’t actually have that many, if really any tangible benefits on paper.

From the outside world, without bias you’d pick the white potato surely, right?

The main reason the fitness industry loves sweet potatoes is that they have more taste when cooked in a ‘healthy’ fashion.

However white potatoes will not ‘make you fat’.

You can eat them as part of your healthier diet
http://www.jstrainingonline.com

Taking all you Fitness People into the kitchen tonight! Meal Preparation Sunday! Protein Pancakes followed by Muesli Bars (No Sugar) Both perfect snacks for kids for School. Who would like to see the ingredients?

Tons of cardio is necessary to get even a little lean
Slow-and-low cardiovascular training is a great tool—in the right time, amount, and place. But if you want to lose fat, you probably need less of it than you think, unless you're already lean and looking to get leaner.
"I've found that the average person trying to get lean can accomplish that with just a good weight workout routine and diet'.
Yes, you can enjoy your life while you're transforming it. Don't let anyone convince you otherwise! Until then, you might get better results from blended cardio and bodyweight training.
Happy Wednesday Ladies.

Happiness is a choice, not a result. Nothing will make you happy until you choose to be happy. No person will make you happy unless you decide to be happy. Your happiness will not come to you. It can only come from you. || Always make time to do the things that feed your soul ❤️👌🏼

Rather than talking about how many hours you should spend in the gym or the exact diet you should follow, I want to highlight the other aspects of weight loss that many people seem to forget about. It’s not all about cutting out food groups, slaving away at the gym and following crazy regimes.
7 rules for weight loss are:
1. Always Eat Breakfast
This rule is non-negotiable in my books. Skipping breakfast may never help you lose weight because your body needs it to function throughout the day. Skipping meals may slow down your metabolism, which can impact everything you eat for the rest of the day, and may also put you at risk of overeating. Not only that but if you are exercising that day, you may find your energy levels lower than usual and no one wants to get half way through a workout and start feeling sick!
The type of breakfast you eat is important so make sure you are choosing wisely. Stick to complex (brown) carbohydrates and some form of protein as this can provide you with sustained energy and keep you full up until your next meal.
2. Set Weekly Goals
Losing weight can sometimes be overwhelming, daunting and hard. Let's be honest - changing habits you have had for a while isn't always the easiest task. My biggest rule when aiming for weight loss is to set yourself mini weekly goals. Breaking the big goal of ‘weight loss’ down into smaller ones will make it seem more achievable for you. It can also help you to stay accountable along the way.
These goals can be something simple like reducing the amount of junk food you eat or trying to get a workout in 3 times a week. Set goals that will help your overall goal, and make these realistic. That way if you have a bad week, you can move on and try harder the next one.
3. Don’t Be Too Hard On Yourself
Losing weight is not always the easiest journey and it can be very easy to surrender to negative thoughts and give up. One of the best ways to be successful in your weight loss efforts is by having a positive mindset. Yes - the hard work, sweat, healthy eating and exercise will play a big role, but your mental health is even more important. What we tell ourselves and what we believe about ourselves shapes every single aspect of our lives.
If you have a bad week, don’t take it to heart. If you eat a bit too much chocolate or don’t get to do any of your workouts because you were busy or felt tired, it’s okay. Pick yourself up and keep going. Having nothing but positive thoughts will honestly take you so much further than negativity girls!
4. Stick With It
One of our biggest downfalls when it comes to losing weight is being impatient. How many times have you eaten healthy and exercised for 2 weeks and then complained to your friend that it doesn't work and there must be something wrong with you? True weight loss doesn't happen overnight, especially if you are doing it in a way that is maintainable!
Have faith girls and the results will come, sometimes when you least expect them. This is also why I encourage everyone to take progress pictures rather than stepping on the scales. You will be surprised by how much your body changes over time, and it can be hard to see this unless you have a picture to compare it to.
5. Mix Up Your Workouts
If you are new to working out or haven’t done so in a while, it can be good to have a routine and get comfortable with it. However if you stick to the same workout day in and out, not only will you get bored mentally, but your body will also get used to it too. To see the best results, try to mix up your workouts and your workout schedule.
6. Stop Seeing It As A ‘Diet’
As I mentioned before, your mindset is everything. If you start your weight loss goals by seeing it as a ‘diet’ it can automatically put you on the wrong foot before you have even begun. Unfortunately, the word diet has negative connotations such as depriving yourself, being miserable and ‘getting through it’ so you can see the results you want.
As I always say, the best way to lose weight and keep it off is to make it maintainable. Going on a ‘diet’ may work for the short term, but once you lose the weight and resume your normal eating habits, the weight may come back quicker than you know it.
Start by making small changes and slowly introducing new ways of eating and living into your life. Don’t deprive yourself and allow the occasional treat. It’s all about balance.

Try to watch your behaviour and how you act next time you are stressed out or bored. Replace emotional eating with other activities such as going for a long walk or calling a friend - it may make all the difference!
Remember weight loss is a process girls and it will take time and patience. Do the right things by your body and it will reward you!

If you're relatively new to the weight room or not yet fully comfortable under the weight of the barbell, don't worry. This glutes-and-abs workout tweaks traditional compound movements like squats and deadlifts by having you use dumbbells and one leg at a time.

Don't try to complete this workout as quickly as possible; take the time to focus on feeling your muscles work. Keep your movements controlled and your core tight!

SINGLE-LEG LEG PRESS
3 sets of 10 reps per legs
SINGLE-LEG ROMANIAN DEADLIFT
3 sets of 10 reps per leg
BULGARIAN SPLIT SQUAT
3 sets of 10 reps per leg
CABLE KICK-BACK
3 sets of 10 reps per leg
HANGING KNEE TUCK
3 sets of 10 reps per side
CABLE TWIST
3 sets of 10 reps per side

Enjoy. :)

"You can start over again! Don’t even think about quitting now! It is easy to replay in your mind how things did not work, how much you lost, what you are going through, how angry you are. There is no amount of conversation or magic that is going to wipe the slate clean. You are wasting valuable time and energy that could be used to regain a new normal and start another version of your life. Even though you are hurt and you may be feeling down, stop kicking yourself! Face what has happened. Make the decision to start over again." ~KB 👍🏻

Want to train your glutes and thighs in minimal time, with minimal equipment, and still get great results? Check out this killer 15-minute workout!!
If you want to shape up your glutes and thighs, but you're short on time and space, this workout is for you. Most of us don't have all day to train, but this 15-minute session targets those major muscle groups quickly and effectively so you can get your workout out of the way and get back to your busy day!

In this workout, you'll go through a circuit of five different exercises as many times as you can in 15 minutes. The time cap helps you have an end goal in sight and push hard for the entire duration. These exercises are fun, but they're not easy. The combos will elevate your heart rate and target the biggest muscles on your body.

If you want to make these 15 minutes count, it's important to push as hard as you can and do as many rounds as possible. As you get tired, remind yourself that you can handle anything for a mere 15 minutes. The extra effort will pay off, and you'll love how you feel afterward!

Don't get scared off by these exercise combinations, either. You can modify these movements as much as you need to, so just do your best to nail each version. The ability to scale this workout and go at your own pace means you have no excuses. Now, let's get fit!

15 MINUTES LOWER-BODY WORKOUT
BACKWARD LUNGE KICK-UP
10 reps per leg
SUMO JUMP SQUAT AND LEG LIFT
10 Reps
PISTOL SQUAT TO DEADLIFT
10 reps per leg (alternating)
CURTSY LUNGE TO SIDE KICK
10 reps per leg
SQUAT TO LUNGE JUMP
10 reps

Enjoy.

THE BASE GRANOLA RECIPE
Ingredients
5 cups nuts and seeds (almonds, walnuts, cashews, chia seeds, sesame seeds, pepitas, sunflower seeds) – I like to keep it at 4 cups plus 1 cup flaked coconut.**oats are great too if not GF
1/2 cup chopped dried fruit (dates, figs, goji and white mulberries are my pick!)
2 Tbsp. cacao*optional
1 Tbsp. Maple
2 Tbsp. coconut oil
Splash vanilla
1/2 tsp Himalayan salt
METHOD: If toasting, preheat oven to 180C roughly process your '5 cups' on a chopping board or using food processor - keep it chunky. Add in coconut, dried fruit and cacao. Combine with coconut oil, vanilla and maple until the mix is all coated evenly. If you are leaving it raw, then it is DONE! If toasting add maple and water to the mix. Lay out on baking paper on a cookie tray and bake for 20 mins, check for browning and add another 10 minutes if necessary. It will harden, and cluster, on cooling so you just want it to be toasting it nicely. Leave to cool completely and store in air-tight container! Serve with yoghurt and fresh fruit, or a simple chia pudding....and there you have it. A delicious and time friendly recipe that you can tailor for your own tastebuds in no time at all.

Happy Monday-

This six-move circuit will rev your motor while leaving no muscle group untouched. You'll sweat, get stronger, and have fun doing it. This is how full-body training should feel!
Women start their path to fitness for all kinds of reasons—sometimes the wrong ones—but often discover their true motivation later in the journey. With every weight lifted, crunch completed, and rep logged, they discover a growing sense of accomplishment and self-worth. And this confidence comes in different forms. Yes, it's cool to be able to lift 50kg off the ground—and I like to do it—but it's also cool to jump around, sweat, and just feel good. There's room for all of this and more.

Today, I do a little of everything: bodybuilding, CrossFit, yoga, running, powerlifting, and circuit training.

My fast-and-dirty circuit is how I think circuits should be: quick and effective. This workout gets your heart rate up and can be either the cardio portion of a heavy lifting day, or stand alone as a total-body fat-burning workout. You'll work in different planes of motion while also having a full fat burning exercise.

This circuit comprises 3-4 rounds of six total-body complex movements. It's going to be fast: 20-25 minutes with minimal rest. All you need is a set of dumbbells, a bench for your feet, and a good attitude.

FAST-AND-DIRTY CIRCUIT
PERFORM 3-4 ROUNDS WITH AS LITTLE REST AS POSSIBLE BETWEEN MOVEMENTS.
1
BURPEE WITH SIDE-TO-SIDE SHUFFLE
8 reps

SPLIT SQUAT WITH SHOULDER PRESS
8 reps

DECLINE PUSH-UP WITH CROSS CLIMBER
8 reps

DUMBBELL FRONT SQUAT TO ROTATIONAL PRESS
8 reps

RENEGADE ROW
8 reps per arm

OVERHEAD REACH WITH TOE-TAP LEG EXTENSION
8 reps per leg

Enjoy!

SQUAT!
Of all the bum-friendly exercises to add to your workout routine, the squat should be number one.. True, it's the queen exercise of butt-building.

Before each leg workout, I do 4 sets of 25 reps of bodyweight squats. I focuses on squeezing the glute muscles to get them firing and ready for her heavier lifts ahead.

GO "WIDE AND HIGH"
Puzzled about how to grow your glutes without also building massive quads? Go "wide and high". "When doing any glute-focused exercise, like squats, take a wide step forward to take the weight away from your quads. Or, if you're doing step-ups, add more elevation. Both adjustments will add more focus on the glutes specifically."

BUILD A GLUTE BRIDGE
One of my favorite exercises is the glute bridge. To perform this one, sit on the ground with your upper back against a bench, your knees bent, and your feet flat on the floor in front of you. Squeeze your glutes as you raise your pelvis high enough off the floor to create a straight line between your knees, hips, and shoulders.

TRY SINGLE-LEG SQUATS
Because this exercise puts your body in an unbalanced position, you'll have to recruit often-untapped muscle fibers in order to maintain balance. This added challenge will get even the most stubborn glutes to grow.
Whatever you do, squat down as low as you can.

DO SPLIT SQUATS
The split squat is an excellent butt-building move. When you do it, think about pushing up from the bent-knee position through the heel instead of through the ball or toes of your foot. By shifting your weight to your heel, your center of balance will instantly move slightly backward and will better activate your glutes.

I recommends concentrating on form rather than weight. "Focus on feeling the form through all of your exercises rather than using the heaviest weight possible, "It's important to feel that mind-muscle connection."

Happy Butt Building. :)

DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY!!

Most of you know this is something I'm really passionate about and love helping others get the best out of life no matter what life has thrown your way. (Saying that you will start seeing more post like this)

Doing regular physical activity is a good way to help prevent or manage mild depression. There are many views on how exercise helps people with depression, but it is not yet known which kind of exercise is best or whether the benefits are lost if exercise is stopped.

Keeping active can:
help lift mood through improved fitness and the release of natural chemicals in the brain
help improve sleeping patterns
increase energy levels
help block negative thoughts or distract people from daily worries
help people feel less alone if they exercise with others.
Physical activity increases your wellbeing. The current recommendation is at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity on most, and preferably all, days of the week. However, people with depression may find it difficult to get started or get motivated, or continue to exercise on a long-term basis.

Compared to people without depression, people with depression generally have lower fitness levels. Exercise may also change levels of chemicals in the brain, such as serotonin, endorphins and stress hormones.

Start simple – increase your activity levels gradually to improve your self-confidence and build motivation for more energetic activities. Start with simple activities such as shopping, driving, gardening or small household tasks.
Do what is enjoyable – people with anxiety or depression often lose interest and pleasure in doing things they once enjoyed. Plan activities that you used to find enjoyable, interesting, relaxing or satisfying with friends or family – with time the pleasure you feel from doing these activities will return.
Include other people – people with anxiety or depression often withdraw from others, but continuing to socialise is an important part of recovery. Staying connected with friends and family can help increase wellbeing, confidence and provide opportunities to socialise.
Make a plan – planning a routine can help people become more active. Make sure some form of exercise is included each day. Try to stick to the plan as closely as possible, but be flexible.

I'm excited for another awesome day of heavy lifts and hard-core circuits. Are you?
Lifting heavy doesn't make you huge! It makes you and don't miss your workout tomorrow 😜

Who has trained today? No excuses! 👌🏻👌🏻

WHO UP FOR A CHALLENGE!!!

Look no further than the simple – yet challenging – hill sprints! You can easily get a one hour session out of hill sprints that is challenging enough for you.

The benefits of hills training are substantial:

It lends itself to effective HIIT training, as quite often you sprint up the hill and walk down
Great to improve your speed and sprinting technique
Great for improving muscular endurance
The Workout
Set-up:
Put three markers on the hill, one at 40% to the top (1), one at 70% to the top (2) and one at the top of the hll (3).
Drills:
1. Sprint to (3) with a walk back down each time x 2
2. Sprint to (2) with a walk back down each time x 3
3. Sprint to (1) with a walk back down each time x 4

Enjoy. :)

(BootCamp Clients this will be one of your workout)

Whoever said rest is for the weak couldn't be more wrong. In fact, it's essential to building muscle and gaining strength. Take it easy today if it's your rest day!! 👍🏻💪🏽

Morning one of my good friends Kathy is doing her first half marathon this Sunday and she needs our support head over to her page and donate today Every little bit counts.

https://runningfestival2016.everydayhero.com/au/kathy-flanagan

Help Kathy Flanagan make a difference Please show your support by giving through Kathy Flanagan 's Supporter page and sharing to spread the word about Australian Cancer Research Foundation

This is me today? Lol How are all you feeling on this cold Monday Morning?

The feels are real. 😭

www.doyoueven.com

Perfect snack ideas for a busy week ahead. Who done there meal plan for the week?

ASSESS YOURSELF TODAY

Did you prepare over the weekend?

Preparation, both meal prep and training schedules will help you succeed during the week.

Use Sunday evenings to prepare yourself, set goals and start the week organised!

YAY for success!!!!

👌🏻👌🏻

Building muscle isn't rocket science. With the right mindset, a straightforward approach, and these 6 simple tips, you can surprise yourself in just a few weeks!
It's cooler than ever for ladies to have muscle and show it off. That's music to my ears! But building it continues to be a mystery for far too many of us, and particularly for beginners.

A lot of people begin with an excess of enthusiasm and a lack of knowledge, which only leads to disappointment. They jump right into advanced training, thinking that muscle can be built quickly—it can't. Or they use too much variety, thinking they'll "confuse" their muscles into growth—they won't. One more that I guarantee will hit home for a lot of you: They hope to build muscle while their training and diet are really all about fat-loss.

So let's be clear: You can have it all, but not all at once. The key to building your very first Instagram-worthy flex isn't to reduce your enthusiasm for a better physique, but to put your effort into a long-term program that you can follow consistently. This tempered mindset will allow you to progress with your physique and keep you going for the long haul.

Here's how to make the most of your first—or latest—quest for muscle!

1 DON'T LEAP INTO AN ADVANCED BODY-PART SPLIT
Many advanced physique athletes use splits that are specific, to say the least. They focus on just one or two parts of the body and hammer them into submission. For the beginner, this is just a recipe to feel awful.

If you're so fatigued after a workout that you can't move the next day, you're overdoing it. On the other hand, you should have a sense that you trained—a moderate amount of muscle soreness in your target muscles—but not so much pain that it impedes your ability to train during your next workout.

Tip: Start with a two-day body-part split, and perform each of these twice a week for four weight-training days per week. Perform no more than two moves for any body part, and a limit of 3-4 sets per exercise. And save the dropsets and other intensity boosters for the future.

For now, just hit your reps, aiming for 8-10 per set with the last couple being somewhat of a struggle.

2 EAT FOR MUSCLE GROWTH
You may be able to get away with not eating enough when your goal is losing fat, but not when you're trying to add muscle. It's crucial to feed your body the proper nutrients so that you have plenty of energy to train, but also so your body has the raw materials necessary to build and repair muscle tissue.

This is a time to take your diet seriously. And by that, I mean eat enough, but cut out the junk. This is no time for fast food or processed carbs such as bleached flour and sugar. Emphasize lean protein sources, fruits and vegetables, slow-digesting carbs (beans and legumes, oatmeal, sweet potatoes), and healthy fats (olive and canola oil, fatty fish, and avocadoes).

3 FOCUS ON WHOLE-BODY MUSCLE, NOT "PROBLEM AREAS"
One mistake many beginners make is to overemphasize "problem" areas in their training. This is particularly bad for newbies because they haven't trained that area enough to give it a foundation to grow from. You're more likely to cause injuries or imbalances by doing this than "bringing up" your weak spots.

For at least the first eight weeks of your training, your best bet is to focus on building muscle mass overall rather than zoning in on one underdeveloped muscle group.

This will not only increase your overall improvement, it will likely improve your area of concern better than when you target it.

4 PUNCH THE CLOCK
While it's great to have a positive attitude, it's even more important to be dedicated and disciplined—particularly early on. Eight weeks, four workouts a week—that's 32 days you need to go get it done. Each of them is as important as any other. The same applies to your healthy meals.

Sure, you'll have days where you're not enthused about going to the gym for another leg workout or home for another meal of protein and veggies, but muscle is built through consistency. Put those words on your dashboard, your phone, or wherever else they'll really sink in. The people who get results are the ones who stay consistent day in and day out, because building muscle takes time.

Tip: Program yourself to get to the gym without considering whether or not it's what you want to do at that time. If you're truly crunched for time, find ways to shorten your workout without sacrificing effectiveness.

5 BUILD MUSCLE MASS BEFORE YOU GET RIPPED
When your goal is to get more muscular and ripped, you have to get more muscular first. Why? Because if you diet to shed body fat, you're likely to lose your hard-earned muscle tissue! That's the last thing you want to do.

Plus, beginners are often severely lacking in muscle mass and need it more than they realize. If they try to get ripped, they'll end up disappointed with the shape—or lack thereof—they find underneath. Remember, muscle gives a body shape. You need to add some meat to your bones!

I get it—nobody wants to see the scale going up. But you have to trust the process and get comfortable with the idea of gaining now to lose later..

6 CHANGE THINGS UP ONCE YOU'VE EARNED IT
Building muscle is a lifelong journey, and results accrue over time. While many fad diets and training programs target 30 days or 12 weeks or whatever, the goal is to continue to make progress.

But of course, no one follows the same program forever. Not only is that boring, but you'll begin to see diminishing results after about 8-10 weeks on the same program.

For instance, you could add cardio in the form of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) between weight-training sets to encourage fat loss while maintaining muscle mass.

Keep in mind that even the most experienced bodybuilders and fitness athletes overhaul their training about every two months so they can keep making gains, too. Some of them will do it more often than others, but for most people, 8-10 weeks per phase is the sweet spot to keep you stimulated and progressing.

Soon enough, you'll find yourself committed to this for a lifetime. Good luck!