Hi Everyone, Today is Day 19 of the DietBet Challenge. Are you ready to stretch out all of that hard work you have done this week? Your body is going to love this yoga flow! I worked up a great sweat, and challenged the muscles throughout my body. I incorporated movements with a lot of positive health benefits. The twisting movements enhance intestinal/digestive healthy and spinal suppleness/flexibility. Increased flexibility of the spine, and alignment means that your brain is able to transmit signals to your body more accurately. I also incorporated Plow pose which is linked to thyroid health and reduction of cellulite. It also improves drainage of the lymphatic system. Those are just a few of the benefits of this particular yoga flow. 🙂 I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! Gambit makes a guest appearance in the end of the video. Melissa
Day 18 of the DietBet Workout Program is focused on working the glutes.
This workout incorporates exercises that were scientifically proven to be most effective at activating all of the muscles that make up your butt. The number one, BEST, exercise for your butt is the one legged squat. It’s tough, but I show some variations in the video.
This workout was actually harder than I thought it was going to be. I planned on going through it 3 times, but I only went through twice (at 20 reps per exercise). This workout is my new favorite butt workout. 🙂 It will help lift, and shape your bum and thighs.
I hope you guys enjoy the workout! Melissa
PS You can find me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest. Let me know how you are doing with the challenge. Are you seeing results?
Jesse has also been posting sneak peek workouts moves/tutorials on his Instagram page.
Beginner: 10 reps Intermediate: 15 reps Advanced: 20 reps 1. 1 Leg Squat (right) 2. 1 Leg Squat (left) 3. Plie Squat (with or without weight) 4. Step Up (right) 5. Step Up (left) 6. Plie Jump (with or without weight) 7. Warrior 3 Crunch 8. Heel Press/Extension (right) 9. Heel Press/Extension (left) 10. Pendulum Squat 11. Romanian Deadlift 12. Weighted Squat Repeat 2X
Hi Everyone! It’s Day 17 of the DietBet Challenge! Are you ready to workout your core?
Don’t skip core day, strengthening your midsection helps protect your back and improve your posture. 🙂 The shorts I am wearing in this workout video are from Affitnity. If you registered for the DietBet Challenge you have a chance to win a $50 Gift Card to Affitnity, plus you can always get 15% off of your order by using the code BenderFitness at checkout. How are you doing with the challenge? I want to know! Tell me on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.
I took this workout to the track. This is a very challenging cardiovascular workout, that will burn fat, strengthen your core, and improve your speed. Even if you aren’t concerned with running speed this workout will help you improve your body’s ability to work at a higher level of effort and improve your V02 Max.
Make sure you do a warm-up before completing this workout, and finish with a cool-down. I did a warm-up jog (2 laps around the track, which equals 800 meters), and 1 mile cool down at an easy pace.
When I wrote the workout I planned on doing a 3 minute jogging warm-up and 3 minute jogging cool down. You can choose whichever suits your needs.
I included an alternate workout video below for those of you that aren’t able to incorporate the running aspects of this workout.
I hope you enjoy this one! It’s tough, but a great challenge!
All Levels: Max Reps during each 50 second interval, 10 seconds of rest between exercises. Followed by 1 mile run, or 5-10 minutes of cardio of choice. 1. Frog Hopper 2. Curtsy Lunge Twist (right) 3. Bicycle Abs 4. Curtsy Lunge Twist (left) 5. Jumping Jack Pushup
Today is Day 15 of the DietBet Workout Challenge! Get ready to Burpee! You should be noticing the results of all the hard work you have been putting in this month! You can choose to complete this workout for time or for reps. The breakdowns for both options are listed below. Some people find that they push harder for reps, and others benefit from going for time. Which do you respond to?
Complete the Workout for Reps: Beginner: 10 reps Intermediate: 15 reps Advanced: 20 reps or All Levels: Max reps for 60 seconds, 30 seconds Max Rep Burpees in between each exercise. (High Knees or Mountain Climbers can be substituted if the Burpees become to intense). *You can set your interval timer to 6 rounds of 60/30 second intervals. 1. Walk the Plank 2. Burpees 3. Rock the Boat 4. Burpees 5. Right Leg Circles 6. Burpees 7. Left Leg Circles 8. Burpees 9. Leg Series (right) 10. Burpees 11. Leg Series (left) 12. Burpees
This meal plan is approximately 1450-1950 calories, and can be adjusted based on your own needs. It is a sample plan to give you an idea of how to structure your day. You will notice I included some options for sweets. I am better at sticking to a meal plan when it incorporates all of the foods I love. If I view it as to restrictive I have a tough time sticking to it.
You know yourself best. If something is a trigger food for you try to avoid it. (For me it’s Wheat Thins and Hummus. If I sit down in front of the TV with new packages of those two items I can polish them off! PS Don’t eat in front of the TV-it is directly linked to increased calorie consumption). Learning to recognize portion sizes and how they relate to “serving sizes” listed on the packages of your food is one of the most important steps to creating a healthy diet.
Good luck! I can’t wait to see all of you hit your goals! You can find plenty of other healthy recipes HERE. Remember, this is a guideline, not a rule book.
Melissa
PS A diet isn’t about being hungry! You should be eating enough to stay satisfied throughout the day, while focusing on making healthy choices.
Water with all meals. Aim for 7-8 hours of sleep per night. Not getting enough sleep can raise cortisol levels, increase inflammation, and cause increased belly fat.
Hi Everyone! You are at the Half Way mark of the Diet Bet Challenge! Take an Active Rest Day today to recover and prepare for this week’s workouts. You have been working hard all week and your body progresses when you let it recover. It’s a great time to take stock of what you have accomplished so far. Are you seeing the results that you want? How have you been doing with the dieting aspect of this challenge? Melissa Don’t forget to check in on Facebook, Instagram and/or Twitter!
Hi Everyone! You are at the Half Way mark of the Diet Bet Challenge! How are you feeling? Hopefully you are seeing results and feeling stronger and healthier. Today’s workout is focused on the arms and back (the video is below). I get a lot of requests for exercises that target the back of the arms, and the bra area of the back. This routine will assist with building strength and tightness in those areas. I have also included my video on how to Build to a Pull-Up below, along with the link to the original post. I hope you enjoy today’s workout! Melissa Don’t forget to check in on Facebook, Instagram and/or Twitter!
10-12 Reps Per Exercise
1. Pull-up/Bent Arm Hang 2. Bicep Curl 3. Tricep Drop 4. Plank Row 5. Shoulder Press 6. Decline Push-up 7. Dip 8. Tricep Push-up (right) 9. Tricep Push-up (left) 10. Walk the Plank 11. Chest Press Plank to Down Dog
It’s Day 12 of the Dietbet Challenge! Today’s workout is a yoga flow. If you are feeling very tired from the workouts we have done so far you can choose to use today as an extra rest day and do some gentle stretching or walking on your won.
The Yoga video is below.
This flow is designed to build strength while sculpting long, lean, and flexible muscle.
Benefits: Can help relieve low back pain, sciatica, osteoporosis, menstrual discomfort and constipation.
This pose works the ankles, legs, knees, groin, chest, shoulders, spine and abdomen.
Warrior III/Stick Pose (variation)
Warrior III/Stick Pose:
Benefits: Strengthens the ankles, legs, shoulders and back. Tones the abdomen. Improves balance and posture.
This pose works the thighs, hamstrings, calves, ankles, hips, shoulders, core and spine.
Bridge Pose/Half Wheel Pose (variation)
Bridge Pose/Half Wheel Pose:
Benefits: Extends the thoracic spine, lengthens the hip flexors. Strengthens the legs, opens the shoulders and chest. Tones the upper-back muscles. This pose can help improve pelvic position and muscle imbalances caused from long periods of sitting.
This pose can be used to reduce anxiety and build toward a full back bend. Are the front of your body lengthens and becomes more flexible you will be able to lift the chest more in this pose. This is a great pose for building strength and flexibility in the back. As flexibility grows you will be able to reach your hands closer to your heels.
Welcome to Day 11 of the DietBet Challenge! Good job sticking with the challenge and the workouts!
Today we are doing a Lower Body Workout. This one uses some great moves to sculpt and shape the lower body from every angle. To get the best results both functionally and aesthetically it’s important to create muscular balance in your body and strengthen all of the supporting muscles. These exercises are super effective for toning, strengthening and sculpting.
Melissa PS You can check in with your progress during the challenge on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
1. Plie Squat Press 2. Down Dog Cross (right) 3. Down Dog Cross (left) 4. Side Lunge Lift (right) 5. Side Lunge Lift (left) 6. Runners Lunge Kick (right) 7. Runners Lunge Kick (left) 8. Leg Series (right) 9. Leg Series (left) 10. Forward Fold Stretch Repeat 1-3X
Plie Squat Press: Turn Toes Out. Plie Squat until thighs come to parallel. Press through the heels to lift and press the weight toward the ceiling.
Leg Series: Keep the Hips Lifted through the Exercise. Lift the Leg Toward the Ceiling. Drop the hips toward the floor and then lift pressing through the foot.
Runners Lunge Kick. Start in a Runners Lunge Holding a Weight in front of your forward foot. Bend the elbow to lift the weight to your shoulders. Press through the front heel to lift to standing position. Kick the back leg in front of you. Return to starting position.
Welcome to Day 10 of the DietBet Challenge! Today’s workout is focused on the core.
Having a strong core is important year round. Your core supports your spine, impacts your balance, and helps maintain the alignment of your hips. If your core is weak your entire body is impacted.
This workout combines cardio intervals to maximize your fat burn, with strength training movements to work all of the muscles in your core. To reveal your abs it’s important to combine both aspects (cardio and strength) during your workout.
You are currently 10 Days into the 30 Day Challenge! I hope you’re feeling stronger and healthier than ever!
Enjoy!
Melissa
Don’t forget to check-in on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter once you have completed your workout!
This is a great fat burning, and toning workout. I paired it with a running workout, so I only went through it one time. If I hadn’t paired it with a running workout I would have repeated it up to three times. Choose whichever method works best for you! If you are running go for 1-2 rounds of the workout. If you aren’t running repeat the workout 2-3X.
This series of exercises utilizes compound moves for a full body workout. Keeping the rest time in between each exercise short also increases the calorie burn of this workout.
I paired this with an 800 meter repeat workout. I completed my run in 800 meter (half mile) increments. I chose a challenging pace, and ran this on the treadmill. It can also be completed outside. If your local high school or college has a standard sized (400 meter) track that would be two loops around the track.
I ran six 800s, with short rest breaks in between each half mile. I kept my rest breaks in between each interval to about 1:30 to 2 minutes. When you are first starting with this type of workout you should keep the rest breaks equal to the running time. For example, if you run an 800 in 4 minutes, rest for 4 minutes before the next one. As your cardiovascular system progresses you will be able to decrease the amount of rest time in between intervals. It is important to select a pace that is challenging to you. I followed my run with a walk to cool down.
My workout breakdown was as follows. Remember, if you try this workout select an appropriate pace for you. Also, be sure to warm up! (.5 Miles=800 Meters)
I find that I always have more energy as the run progresses so I picked up the pace a little bit. The first mile or so of a run is the hardest for me, as my body warms up and transitions into running mode. Jesse tells me that is the sign of a true distance runner. 🙂
I hope you guys enjoy the workout!
Melissa
Don’t forget to check-in on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter once you have completed your workout!
Hi Everyone! Welcome to Day 8 of the DietBet Challenge! Today’s workout is a combination of weighted exercises and a 5 minute interval round. The entire workout can be repeated 1-3X. If you don’t have weights you can improvise by using canned foods, milk jugs, or completing the movements with body weight. Adding weighted exercises can help improve the calorie/fat burning aspects of your workout. I went through this routine once, and followed it by a 3 mile run outside. It felt great to get outdoors and put in a few miles. If you don’t run, don’t worry! You can substitute cardio of choice, or go for the higher repetition of rounds.
Melissa Don’t forget to check-in on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter once you have completed your workout!
Beginner: 10 reps Intermediate: 15 reps Advanced: 20 reps Interval Round: Max reps during each 60 second interval, 10 seconds of rest Click the link to get your own Gymboss Interval Timer! Reps: 1. Reverse Lunge with Dumbbell Raise 2. Romanian Deadlift with Row 3. Weighted Temple Tap Abs 4. Back Extensions on Stability Ball or Supermans 5. Squats with Lateral Raises Intervals: 1. Rainbow Climbers 2. Knee Tuck Squat 3. Bicycle Abs 4. Hip Lift and Press 5. Burpees
Hi Everyone! Welcome to Day 7 of the DietBet Challenge! You have earned your active rest day. What is an active rest day? An active rest day is a day when you don’t do a full out workout, but you stay active. You might go for a light walk or hike, jog, ride your bike at a leisurely pace, or do a gentle yoga flow. Your heart rate might become slightly elevated during these activities, but you shouldn’t be overly challenging your cardiovascular system. Research has shown that engaging in low intensity exercise reduces lactic acid build up in muscles more quickly than complete rest (this means less muscle soreness and faster recovery). This study also showed increased power in workouts after active recovery. What do you enjoy doing on your active rest days? Here are some fun ideas: Active Rest Day Ideas! Melissa PS Let me know how you’re doing with the challenge! Check in on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
Welcome to DietBet Challenge Day 6! You can join the challenge up to 2 weeks in, so if you want a chance to win $$$ and prizes for losing weight check it out here: www.dietbet.com/BenderFitness.
This is a fun, but challenging 19 Minute workout. I did this workout HIIT style, but you can also choose to do it for repetitions. If you’re feeling wild you can do a round of HIIT and a round of repetitions. 😉
This is a great fat burner that will help shape and sculpt your entire body. I found it challenging and I hope you do too. It’s the challenge that changes us.
This workout can be repeated 1-3X. You can choose to go through it once and pair it with 30-40 Minutes of cardio of choice to keep total workout time between 20-60 minutes.
Welcome to Day 5 of the DietBet Challenge! It’s a yoga day! Time to stretch out all of those muscles and get rid of any soreness and lactic acid build up in your body.
It’s been a great week of workouts so far. Stretching can actually improve your body’s ability to recover and build lean muscle. Yoga has also been shown to improve your awareness of your bodies hunger signals, and is linked to decreased appetite and more mindful eating.
Yoga also lowers your stress and cortisol production. Higher Cortisol levels have been linked to increased belly fat, and difficulty losing weight.
Hi Everyone! Welcome to Day 4 of the DietBet Challenge! You can still sign up for the challenge and your chance to win your portion of the Jackpot (which is over $13000!) at www.dietbet.com/Benderfitness. Today’s workout is all about the lower body. I did this workout for reps and one round took me about 30 minutes. You can choose to repeat the workout or pair it with some gentle cardio (about 30 minutes). In this workout I use dumbbells, but I also demonstrate body weight variations for each exercise. If you’re ready to increase the challenge try adding some weight. Always choose a weight that you can use while maintaining good form. If you don’t have weights it’s okay! You can still get in a great workout! I hope you enjoy Day 4! Don’t forget to check in! The daily check-ins are a great way to stay motivated and accountable for your workout. You can check in on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. All you have to do is comment, like the post, or tag in in a picture of you (or your weights, etc) once you have completed the workout! Have fun! Melissa
10-20 Reps Each Exercise 1. Squat or Deadlift 2. Split Squat (right) 3. Split Squat (left) 4. Burpee Tuck Jump or Bear Complex 5. Side Lunge Lift (right) 6. Side Lunge Lift (left) 7. Chair Lunge Twist 8. Burpee Tuck Jump or Bear Complex 9. Curtsy Lunge Twist (right) 10. Curtsy Lunge Twist (left) 11. Deadlift or Flat Back Lift 12. Burpee Tuck Jump or Bear Complex 13. Flying Seagull (right) 14. Flying Seagull (left) 15. Dancing Goddess
Day 3 of the DietBet Challenge is focused on sculpting a tighter tummy. A strong core is imperative to a healthy lifestyle. Your core impacts the biomechanics of your entire body.
One round of this workout takes 15 minutes. If you want to increase the intensity you can incorporate 30-45 second intervals of jump rope or high knees between each exercise.
You can also choose to pair this workout with 30 Minutes of Cardio of Choice for an added burn. If you are running keep it at a comfortable talking pace today.
Today is the first official day of the DietBet! It isn’t to late to register (over $11,000 in the pot, plus a chance to win gift cards to Total Nutrition and Affitnity (Don’t forget you can always get 15% off at Affitnity by using the code BenderFitness)! You can sign up for the challenge here: www.dietbet.com/BenderFitness
Hi Everyone! Welcome to Day 2 of the BenderFitness DietBet Challenge! It’s not to late to sign up for the challenge! Today is Day 2 of Weigh-Ins and the pot is over $9000! You can sign up here: www.dietbet.com/BenderFitness. One round of this workout takes 15 minutes, but it can be repeated up to 3X. This is a very dynamic routine, with plenty of kicking, punching and jumping. As with all of your workouts you get out, what you put in. So focus on form, and committing to the full range of motion for each movement. Listen to your body, but push yourself through the workout. This workout outfit is from Affitnity. If you have signed up for the DietBet Challenge you have a chance to win a $50 gift card to Affitnity (plus you always get 15% off with the code BenderFitness at check out!) New workout clothes always motivate me to get moving and get my workout done. Plus this sports bra is definitely one of my new favorites. It’s ridiculously comfortable. I hope you all enjoy today’s workout! This week is going to be fun! Melissa
Welcome to Day 1 of the BenderFitness DietBet Challenge! The challenge doesn’t officially start until September 3rd, but weigh-in’s start today so why not get a head start with the workout program?
We are starting off strong with a Bender Boot Camp Workout. This is an actual routine that Jesse and I have taught in our Boot Camp Classes.
You can choose your format for this workout. You can complete the workout for Reps or HIIT style. In my Boot Camp class we complete the workout HIIT style so everyone can work at their own pace to maximize the challenge.
This workout can be repeated 1-3X. Total Workout time should be between 30-60 minutes.
Beginner: 10 reps, 30 seconds timed exercises Intermediate: 15 reps, 45 seconds Advanced: 20 reps, 60 seconds Or: Go for Max Reps during each 50 second interval, with 10-20 seconds of rest between exercises. Round 1: 1. Jumping Jacks 2. Frogger Hip Thrust 3. Pendulum Squat 4. High Knees 5. Side Plank Hip Lift (right) 6. Side Plank Hip Lift (left) 7. Jump Squat 8. Temple Tap Abs 9. Burpee 10. Russians Round 2: 1. High Knees 2. 1 Leg Hip Thrust (right) 3. 1 Leg Hip Thrust (left) 4. Lunge Kick (right) 5. Lunge Kick (left) 6. Mountain Climbers 7. Twisting Situp 8. Plank Crunch 9. Prone Heel Tap 10. High Knees Repeat 1-3X
