Fitness Friday: Resistance Band Exercises

I got some cool stuff at Fitbloggin’ in the form of resistance bands and I thought that I should give them a try.  I never really did much with resistance bands in the past so I had no idea what to do with them.  My biggest motivation in using these bands is because I can’t really lift since I’m pregnant but this is a great way to get some strength work into my exercise routine.  I know I got a really great workout at the conference and that is something I want to duplicate at home.  I had no idea where to start though which got me to thinking that someone else might have the same problem.

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I’ll start with the basics:  resistance bands are cheap and work with your own strength and body weight.  Willie got me a set of resistance bands a couple of Christmas’ back but like I mentioned before, I never really used them.  This the set of bands I have and it seems like a pretty complete set, ($30), especially for the price.  I haven’t had much problems with these bands.

I also have my eyes on a set of resistance loops for some other exercise needs.  I’ll have to do some research to find out about these loops because I’m completely clueless on the matter.  I’ll report back to you when I find out.

It’s time for to cut to the chase, here are some beginner restistance band workouts.

Shoulders and Arms:

Short Full Body:

Total Full Body Workout:

Tone It Up: Band Workout:

If you try any of these workouts, please let me know what you think. From previous posts, you know I’m a big fan of the Tone It Up women but I wanted to give you some variety with your workouts.

Have you done much work with resistance bands? Why or why not?

The great things about Fitbloggin 2016

The great things about Fitbloggin 2016

My weekend was spent at blogging and social media conference, Fitbloggin, in Indianapolis.  I attended this conference two years ago in Savannah and was hooked.  This year I was invited back to the conference to speak about the highs and lows of weight loss.  Although I was speaking, I attended the conference to learn new things, to grow as a blogger and just become an overall better person.   Pre-conference excursions.  The early bird conference attendees could attend an outing to Lifetime Fitness.  My plane landed a bit late so I missed the facility tour but I still got to…

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My biggest motivation

My biggest motivation

There’s one thing I’ve learned about motivation over the past few weeks.  In my case, I definitely need that dangling carrot to chase. When I was on the weight loss journey, the carrot was of course losing the weight.  Motivation came in the mirror and just being able to move around better. Since losing the weight and experiencing a whole new world, I’ve constantly been on the go.  I’ve been running these races and traveling across the country with goals…and then all of the sudden I’m not filled with that.  That became my normal and all of the sudden it’s…

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Why must a black woman choose between her …

Why must a black woman choose between her hair and health?

Welcome to Transformation Tuesday and I wanted to talk about something different today.  I can’t and won’t deny the fact that I’m a black woman and once upon a time, I didn’t want to work out because it would mess up my hair.  This blog post may not appeal to you or be something you can’t relate to so it’s ok to skip this one if you want.  But for now, I must keep talking. (Afterthought inserted here) I want to preface this blog post by saying that our hair is not more important than our health. I am writing…

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Transformation Tuesday: Falling into running

Transformation Tuesday: Falling into running

I never thought I would be a runner. When we started our weight loss journey, I definitely didn’t think it would be something I would fall into or even love. I started running because I needed something a little bit more fast pace than walking and that slowly turned into a love for hitting the pavement. The only place I would run to before was the couch to catch the latest episode of my favorite show or to the kitchen table to eat. It’s sad to say, but that is the truth. I can’t really explain to you why the…

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My site was hacked but I still worked …

My site was hacked but I still worked out this week

Have you noticed that I haven’t been blogging?  Well it wasn’t my fault.  I scheduled out my posts but then a few days later I noticed that I wasn’t getting any comments or feedback on my posts.  Then I figured out that I was no longer in control of things happening with my site. I couldn’t login to change anything.  I was sad and I hoped that I wasn’t going to lose everything I had worked 3 years to build. I didn’t want to mention that I was locked out of my own site because I didn’t really know who…

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My week in recovery

My week in recovery

I’m probably being too cautious with my recovery but I don’t want to be injured again where I shouldn’t be running.  That’s a very scary things.  I felt like I lost my best friend and I don’t like losing my best friends.  It hurts and it’s sad.  No more sad faces in my life. Welcome to my week in recovery. So I’ve been really weird about my running.  I haven’t ran this week since I ran a lot last weekend.  I’m running the Austin Marathon in 3 weeks and I really want to do well.  Last year, I bailed out…

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You CAN make a healthy CHANGE

You CAN make a healthy CHANGE

Sometime after leaving the gym yesterday and the ride home, I got sick. I’ve been down and out and haven’t been able to eat anything. I woke up this morning feeling a little bit out of whack but I’m hanging in there right now. Thank you to everyone sending me the well wishes. I think I’m on the mend. This past weekend, Willie and I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary. It’s hard to believe that we’ve been married for six years because a lot of things have changed. Our wedding anniversary coincides with what people are now calling our “get…

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I’m battling an injury

I’m battling an injury

I’ve had a nagging injury that I kept running on for about a month. I’m pretty sure it started off as a sprained ankle and then turned into something else. Resting wasn’t something I was interested in doing. I was able to finish the races I wanted to do so I said I would rest. On New Year’s Day, I ran a marathon. Things were going well until my ankle brace really compressed the tendon on the top of my foot. The last 3 miles I was forced to walk because that tendon was so swollen which caused some other…

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All about being on the TODAY show

All about being on the TODAY show

Hey all!  I hope you’re having a great day.  I’ve been busy since we returned from New York and I’m trying to get a handle on things.  I really want to clean up and get things ready for the New Year.  Just in case you didn’t get a chance to catch our segment on the Today Show you can watch it here. It was a really great experience being on the show. It was exciting to sit in the green room and see all the stars come through. Willie spotted Eva Longoria and I was happy to see America Ferrera.…

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On the TODAY Show & come a marathon with …

On the TODAY Show & come a marathon with me

Good morning and Happy Monday! It’s the first week of the New Year which means we turn those plans into actions. This is your time to shine. Don’t just talk about doing something; make it happen. Willie and I spent yesterday walking around NYC and enjoying the sights. It’s been a great way to start off the year and it has really made us think about things. This morning Willie and I are on the NBC Today Show in the 4th hour. Please take the time to watch and hear about our weight loss journey which has now turned into…

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