Favorite At-Home Workouts + Week 15 Update

- December 13, 2014

Before E was born, I was a regular at the gym in our old hometown. I really enjoyed being around the people there and all of the equipment available. Now, since moving to a much smaller town and becoming a mom, I'm all about at-home workouts.

At-home workouts have really grown on me because 1. They are free, 2. There is such a variety available, and 3. No childcare required! My at-home "gym" consists of a treadmill, yoga mat and 2 10-lb. dumbbells.

Here are a few of my favorite strength workouts to do at home:

5 Favorite At-Home Workouts

G-Fit Workout of the Day - Gina Aliotti shares great strength training workouts with videos.
Ctollerun Training Tips - Olympian runner Carrie Tollefson shares runner-specific workouts with accompanying videos.
CrossFit Home WOD's - Melissa at Fit N' Well Mommy has a variety of CrossFit circuits on her blog.
Fit From Home - On the "Workouts" page of this blog, I share a variety of at-home-friendly workouts and also workouts to spice up treadmill runs.
DIY Strength Training - This month, Runner's World shared tips for designing your own strength training program! Pick six exercises: two for each major muscle group (upper body, core, lower body), with one working the front side (ex. planks) and one the back side (ex. bridges). Do them two or three days per week.

P.S. I have to share a picture of my new favorite sweatshirt! I won a drawing over at Winks & Eye Rolls for a $50 gift card to use at Motivated Tanks N Tees. Jo-Anne made this comfy custom sweatshirt for me with part of one of my favorite verses on it!

Hebrews 12 is one of my favorite chapters in the Bible! It does help that they mention running...

Pregnancy Week 15: Baby #2

Baby's Size: Naval Orange, average fetus size: 4.0 in, 2.5 oz.

Cravings: I'm still craving Chinese food and now oatmeal has been another favorite. The cravings seem to change each week!

Aversions: Most meats haven't looked so good lately... unless it's General Tso's chicken!

Eating: Nothing new here. I'm just hungry most of the time.

I'm Feeling: Tired but recovering from the sinus cold.

Sleep: E has been up again at night one or two times, but other than that I'm sleeping really well at night.

Weight: Up 5 lbs. from pre-pregnancy weight.

My Prayer for Baby: "Lord, thank You for helping me get over this sinus infection and get some rest! I pray that You are with baby as he/she is continuing to grow and develop and also be with E, preparing him for big brother-hood. Help my body to carry this body to full-term and listen to the cues when I need to rest! Thank You for caring so deeply for each of Your children that You have the hairs of our head all numbered! Amen."

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. MATTHEW 10:29-31

Last Week's Workouts:

Monday: Still sick with a sinus cold! Cut the run short. 2 miles on the treadmill, 10:00/mile average.
Tuesday: G-Fit Workout of the Day.
Wednesday: 3 miles on the treadmill, 10:00/mile average. Starting to feel better!
Thursday: G-Fit Workout of the Day. Shoulder presses, planks, and lunges, oh my!
Friday: 3.1 miles on the treadmill, 9:48/mile average.
Saturday: 4 miles on the treadmill, 10:00/mile average. Freezing rain outside... no thanks.
Total Mileage: 12.1 miles

If you plan on doing any baking this Christmas, I highly recommend these oatmeal chocolate chip cookies after a workout or whenever! These are so good and they disappeared quickly.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 stick butter

1 cup peanut butter

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 egg

1 t. vanilla

1 cup quick oats

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

3 cups oatmeal

2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Beat the butter and sugars together until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Add flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir in oatmeal and chocolate chips; mix well. Form dough into cookies and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 12 minutes.