Memorial Day Workout

Before you hit the beach, drink booze, and eat barbecued food, get a quick workout in this Memorial Day! Celebrate the start of summer.

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Home Gym For Under $75

If the idea of a home gym is appealing to you but you don’t have the space or the money for machines. I have good news for you, it doesn’t take much to work out at home. In fact, if you are just doing bodyweight exercises you don’t need anything at all. I have some great ideas for a workout in this article. The best part is it costs zero dollars! Yay! If you do want to get some equipment you can do it for less than $75. Here are the recommended items to get your home gym started for under $75:

Sliding Disc

Sliding discs really amp up the difficulty of your favorite exercises. It’s as though you’re able to super-charge any basic move by requiring 100% of the muscles in charge of a specific movement pattern.

Cost: $9.99 at Walmart

Loop Bands

These are inexpensive and easy to use. You might see long ones or circular ones. They provide great resistance and you can get them in a variety of thicknesses to suit your needs.

Cost: $6.95 at Walmart

Foam Roller and Massage Stick Muscle Roller Combo

A must have for anyone who works out regularly. Rolling out on a foam roller after a workout (and before, too!) can help with soreness by helping prevent lactic acid build up. There are these trigger point foam rollers that have grooves in them so you can dial in on more specific areas. If you are doing it right, it will hurt like hell but it will feel so good afterward and your body will thank you. This combo is sold at Walmart. ".Use the Foam Roller to prime your muscles for a killer workout session. The wide surface area and pressure grid promotes healthy circulation and relaxation of your muscles. Then use the Muscle Roller Stick to target key areas and instantly relieve pain and soreness, increase mobility, and help prevent injury while working out. These products were created together in the R&D lab to ensure that they work in perfect harmony to give you maximum results consistently. The high density foam roller gives the ultimate deep tissue massage while the massage roller stick targets those hard to reach areas and pressure points that the foam roller can't."

Cost: $22.95 at Walmart

Yoga Mat, Block & Strap

Not only is this good for stretching out and doing some down dogs, but it is great to have for any of your home workouts. The Calm Yoga kit from Walmart "has the basic essentials to sculpt muscle, improve posture, and increase flexibility. The lightweight 3mm thick yoga mat is textured to provide both comfort and stability, which is key for transitioning between yoga poses. During intense yoga sessions or in humidity, the mat towel provided in the kit can be used to cover your mat in order to absorb moisture."

Cost: $8.97 at Walmart

Kettlebell

If you want to distribute weight more evenly use a Kettlebell. If you tend to favor one arm over the other a Kettlebell will help you. They are great for kettle bell swings, thrusters, weighted sit ups, and arm rows. This set is called Tone Fitness Kettlebell set and it's at Walmart "Kettlebell training not only develops power, endurance and balance, but also sculpts and tones the entire body. This is because lifting and controlling a kettlebell forces the entire body to build both strength and stability at the same time. It is a great option for getting a total body workout in a short time. Kettlebell training is a demanding, results-oriented, strength and fitness regimen that helps develop power and balance. The Tone Fitness Kettlebell set comes with 30 pounds of weight and includes a five-pound, 10-pound and 15-pound kettle bell. These are optimum sizes to work through as you begin to advance your routine.

Cost $23.99 at Walmart

If you add all these items, the cost would be:

Sliding discs $9.99

Loop Bands $6.95

Yoga Mat $8.97

Foam Roller $22.95

Kettlebell $23.99     

Total: $72.85

In health,

Jessica Bailey

Fat Burning Foods

Foods That Burn Fat

If you are what you eat, then what are you?​ Are having a hard time losing weight? The answer might be as simple as "you aren't eating the right kinds of foods." Here are my top 8 Fat Burning Foods:

​Eggs

​Whether it is sunny side up, fried, hard boiled or scrambled, eggs provide you with choline, a nutrient that burns fat. Eggs are also crammed with lean protein which fills you up without adding a lot of fat in your body. I'm sorry NYC but eggs fill you up more than a bagel.

Boiled Potatoes

​No, you shouldn't avoid potatoes if you are watching you weight because boiled potatoes fill you up like few foods can, and they are also among the most effective at burning fat. Boiled potatoes is one of the few white foods that is good for weight loss.

Bananas

​Bananas are rich in fiber and low in fat so it’s good for weight loss. I eat a banana every day. Why? Well, because a medium sized banana contains 15% of the RDI of manganese, 5% RDI copper, 8% RDI of magnesium, 17% RDI of vitamin C, 20% RDI of vitamin B6 and 12% of potassium. Aside burning fat and helping you lose weight, bananas also improve bowel movement and digestion.

​Salmon

​Salmon is my favorite way to get protein! More protein equals more muscles and faster burning of fat. Salmon happens to be filled with protein and it also has omega 3 fatty acids that stimulate fat burning, weight loss and prevent fat storage. The healthy fats and protein in salmon also cuts back on hunger pangs.  Fat loss aside, salmon also maintains the function of your metabolism.

​Oats

​I couldn't give you a list and not include my favorite breakfast. Oatmeal! Whole grains are among the healthiest foods around, good for weight loss and all around wellness. Daily servings of oats and other whole grain foods stimulate fat loss, so much so that people who eat it regularly have at least 10% less body fat.

​Quinoa

​Quinoa grains are what you need to remove stubborn belly fat and get a slimmer waist.  What makes quinoa so potent is that it is a complete protein source, essential for fat loss and calorie burning. It is ideal for Vegetarians!

Nuts

​It is true that nuts are high in fat, but contrary to popular belief it doesn’t make you as fat as other foods. Nuts actually make for a healthy snack as it has good fats, proteins and fiber. Eating a appropriate portion, not just snacking on a full sized bag.  Eating nuts speeds up metabolism and stimulates weight loss.

​Broccoli

​Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower and other cruciferous vegetables fills you up and reducing your hunger cravings. Broccoli is also full of fiber so it improves bowel movement and digestion.

Make sure to include some of these foods into your diet to be a fat burning machine.

In Health,

Jessica Bailey

Sassy Girl Gets Published

I am super excited! My workout has its own article. It's something I've always wanted and it's all thanks to you! You have been a faithful reader of this blog and it's because of you sharing my workout tips that I have an article from REAL SIMPLE magazine. So, a big thank you for helping me live a dream. I am grateful! If you haven't seen it already, here is the article:

In Health,

Jessica Bailey