The Most Insane Ab Workout Ever

Oh goodness is that ab routine intense. I completed this insane workout this morning after deciding to give my abs a major facelift over the next month. There have been plenty (and I mean plenty) of ab workouts on P+K already, so I took my three favorites and created an ab workout that could leave grown men crying.  

The workout is comprised of two of P+K originals and one from Pumps and Iron. I love all three of these workouts and doing them together makes it all the better. The entire workout takes 33-35 minutes, depending on your warm-up time. Complete each workout once, without any breaks. Then, break for 1-minute between workouts 1 and 2, and 2 and 3.

This workout is intense, but not terrible. The cardio training will help burn fat and increase your daily metabolic rate while the strength and resistance training will work all areas of your abs. This multi-workout will increase back, leg, and upper arm strength as well!

I suggest completing this workout at least 2-3 times per week for a total ab makeover!  

Workout 1: Crunch Free Core Workout

This workout is intense. To make it play a little better with the two others, I did some minor tweaking. Only warm-up for 1-2 minutes as needed, then complete two circuits with a one minute break between each.  Since we will be doing more Superman/Bananas in other workouts, swap out Superman/Banana with 1-minute Plank Toe Rolls.

Once both circuits are complete, rest for one minute, then go on to workout 2.  

Workout 2: Ten Minute Abs

This workout is great on it's own, but add it to our insane ab cocktail and you have a powerhouse. Complete the entire workout as directed, then rest for 1-minute and go on to workout 3.  

Workout 3: 8-Minute Abs 2.0

Nicole over at Pumps and Iron created an incredible 8-Minute Ab routine that is great on it's own, but goes perfectly as the finale of this Insane Ab Workout. Complete each exercise as Nicole directs, then cool down and stretch.

Foods with Lactose

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I have been slowly taking lactose out of my diet for the past few weeks. This process has not been the easiest since I love pizza and cheese, but the effects it has had on me make a lactose-free diet totally worth it. After researching and testing what foods I can eat, I have become quite surprised what foods have or do not have lactose. Of course, there is a broad spectrum of lactose intolerance- from those who cannot have any lactose product at all, to those that can have a few different lactose containing foods. I fall somewhere right in the middle. 

So, let's go over some things that have lactose in them, starting with the most and ending with the least lactastic of them all...  

High Lactose Products

Milk of course milk would be on this list, it's milk. This includes dehydrated milk and evaporated milk as well. No matter what you get, all milk has lactose and anyone with a lactose intolerance will have a hard time digesting it.

Creamers are a thicker form of milk. Flavored coffee creamers, half and half, and dairy shortenings tend to have high levels of lactose.

Meal Shakes  most meal shakes are made with milk, dehydrated milk, or evaporated milk. All of these are high in the sugar, lactose.  

Processed Cheese this form of cheese has the highest levels of lactose of any cheese types. Processed cheeses include cheese spreads, liquid cheeses (Velveta anyone?), and the cheeses most commonly associated with sandwich cheeses- especially those from fast food restaurants.

Ice Cream   desserts made with milk will have higher amounts of lactose. Ice cream, therefore, is one of the highest lactose desserts since it is almost completely made of milk. Even some soy ice creams have lactose in them; be sure to read the ingredients list.  

Soft Cheese  cheeses like ricotta are higher in lactose than other aged cheeses because of their liquid nature. This includes most cream cheese and sour cream as well.

Mid-Range Lactose Products

Aged Cheese  cheeses that have gone through higher fermentation will have less lactose since so much of it has been broken down. A good rule of thumb for hard cheeses is, the older the cheese, the less lactose it has.

 Salad Dressings  especially the creamier dressing run a high chance of having lactose in them. If you want to be safe all around, avoid creamy dressings and read the ingredients list for oil based dressings as well.

Automatic Desserts this includes the break and bake cookies, cake and brownie mixes, and pre-made desserts. All of these have a certain level of lactose, but only some people are affected by them.

Butter and Margarine these are at the bottom of the Mid range list because they are on the line between low and middle. Most of the lactose is taken out of butter while processing. Butters made with flax seed or clarified butter will have even less lactose.

Low Lactose Products

Yogurt  although yogurt has milk and dairy in it, it has been fermented. The live bacterial cultures found in yogurt have already broken down a lot of the lactose sugars. In fact, this is one dairy product that the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends those with lactose intolerance trying.

Hard, Aged Cheese cheese falls into every category of lactose we have. This is because there are so many different amounts of lactose depending on the cheese. Hard, aged cheeses like Parmesan, Swiss, and Blue Cheese have the lowest levels of lactose of all the cheeses. Most people with lactose intolerance can eat these in small quantities and be fine. 

Cottage Cheese like hard, aged cheeses, cottage cheese has very low amounts of lactose. This is due to the fermentation process.

Processed Foods there are so many processed foods that it would take four pages to list them all out. Even foods that do not have milk naturally can have milk additives in them when put through processing. A few examples of processed foods would be potato chips, sausage, hot dogs, gravy, gravy stock, certain beers, etc.

Breads  although it is very low, some breads (especially processed breads) can have the lactose sugar. If you are extremely sensitive to lactose, be weary of store bought breads.

Mayo and Tartar although it may sound silly, I was not sure if these products had milk in them. Turns out, they do not. Mayo is made with eggs and oil and tartar is made with mayo, dill pickles, onion, hard boiled eggs, chives, and a few other things. Phew, sandwich lovers everywhere can breath again!

 

Things I am Currently Loving

It has been a while since we have talked about the products, shows, or blogs that I am currently loving. I have found myself missing all of these things when we are on vacation, are forgotten to pack, or I am away from my house for more than five minutes at a time. Hermit, yes.

Since we have been away from home for a while now and will not be getting back for a while longer, some of these are extra missed and will be tightly embraced when I return to them. I should also warn you that we are getting to the nostalgic stage of my being away from home. This means we are bound to have a post completely comprised of pictures of the two cutest cats ever quite soon. Prepare.

Hommemaker

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Hommemaker is a blog created by Emily Henderson's assistant, Orlando Soria. This is easily the funniest blog I have ever read. Somehow, Orlando is able to get me wanting to cry in one sentence, then bursting out laughing in another.  

Orlando, like Emily, also posts pictures of recent projects and his own home. His home is beautiful and has a bit more of a masculine, refined style when compared to Emily Henderson's. If you are wanting some great style tips and quite a few laughs, check out his blog. He does not update daily, but it is totally worth it when he does.

Keurig Vue

I ordered this beauty for our cat sitter to use while we were out of town a few months ago. Turns out, I have found my new love/obsession/addiction. This thing is incredible and I am pretty sure it loves me back.  

One of the neatest features about it- other than the massive water storage and super nice touch screen interface, is that all k-cups are recyclable. Score! Once the cup has cooled, you remove the coffee bag inside and recycle the outer cup. You're welcome, environment.

This coffee machine of awesome also makes iced coffee, iced tea, lattes (yes, lattes), and multiple size and strength coffees. Oh, and did I mention that it has an auto-on? Well, it does. Maybe I am too new to the Keurig market and all of these features are not super impressive, but I am super impressed.  

Inside the Magic

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I know that we have talked about Inside the Magic before, but being this far away from Orlando for so long has helped me realize how much I enjoy the podcast and site. The creator, Ricky Brigante, is literally, my only contact with Disney while we are away. Somehow, Ricky is able to bring a bit of Disney magic into every story he does. Besides, the podcast and articles on his site help me better plan and anticipate our next trip to Disney in August. Yes, that is how much we/I miss Disney- we are willing to go during the hottest month of the year!

Victoria's Secret Cami Sport Bra

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I got this sport bra a few months ago on a sale and my only regret is not getting more. The bra is super comfortable, looks good with everything, and does not move- at all. This has quickly moved to the top of my list for must-have workout attire. The back is also super cute and has a sweat wicking mesh-like material. I got mine in the gray, but will definitely be getting a few more of the brighter colors as well!

Extra perk, it has a nice neck line that looks good, but is not super revealing. It also fits really well with a heart rate monitor band underneath!  

Women's Health Next Fitness Star Workout Review

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Women's Health Magazine is holding a Next Fitness Star competition with female personal trainers from around the US. The July issue of Women's Health Magazine has a quick bio along with a favorite workout for each contestant. So far, all of the ladies seem equally matched in skill and likeability, with a few having much more interesting back stories and all having different ideas of fitness.

I am quite excited to try out each contestant's favorite workout move, but have already been forced to dwindle my options. Since we are in Michigan for the time being, I do not have any weights here with me. This takes Stacie out of the running for me since she uses a weight. Too bad since she seems to be the most built of the five. But, not having weights is a pretty good representation of the average home-gymer, so her being out first in my book could be a pretty good representation of America as a whole... We will see...

For that reason, we are not even going to talk about her. Next time, contestants, don't use weights.  

Tarrah

Tarrah's favorite move could easily be mine as well. It will work the glutes, legs, and core since it is a combination of a squat and a lunge. Yes, the two most hated leg moves have been combined (insert evil laugh). Tarrah started her fitness life after her father passed away. She realized that her health needed a turn around and is now 92 pounds lighter. 

I love these stories. The fact that she has been able to loose and keep 92 pounds off makes her an inspiration already. She can be my trainer any day of the week.  

MC

MC looks like a giant ball of energy who could also kill me. She is super fit and, most likely, has abs of steel. Her favorite workout is Modified V-Ups that will have you unable to laugh for a week and give your inner thighs reason to cry. Get ready. Although MC is the second-oldest of the five, you would never guess it. She started her career as a fitness model and could definitely be one today.  

If you are the type that needs tough love (cough, cough, me) then this could be your girl. Just to give an idea, her best tip is to "toughen up". Yea, flash-forward five years and she is the new host of The Biggest Looser. 

Jam

First off, do you think Jam is her real name? I am not sure. "Jam" was raised in a family of pro athletes, so her career choice is no great surprise. She seems like one of the nicest trainers and her favorite workout move could be the most fun. I am honestly not sure how much you will get from it in the results departments, but at least you will have some fun while you work! This High Kick Punch will definitely get your heart rate going if nothing else.

Kit

Kit owns a Pilates studio in LA and is one of the youngest contestants, being four years older than Jam. So far, she seems to be the most peaceful out of the five. Her workout move uses a band and will do a massive number to your oblique abdominals. Mix this Plie Squat with Side Bend with MC's Modified V-Ups and you are sure to be a pile of sweat on the floor.

Kit may not be my favorite on an introductory surface level, but her workout move and her workout ideals may match up with mine the most. She is all about working out for more than the scale and warns against pushing one's body too far for the sake of results. Yep, I like her. 

Ok, fine, let's talk about Stacie... 

Stacie

She seems super cool and ridiculously built. She also looks quite happy and a bit like a Kardashian on steroids- only in the best way. Promise. If Stacie had not used weights, she may have been my favorite. But she did, so she is not...

I tried doing her workout with a resistance band instead of the weight. Although the resistance band worked, a weight would have been so much better. This Sumo Squat with Rotation works the legs, arms, back, and core. It is a full range of motion move that will work your entire body.  

Oh, I should probably also mention that she is 40. Yes, 40. This is crazy, this girl could pull off 30 without a second thought. Stacie looks crazy strong and super lean. If you want to be She-Ra, this trainer is your girl.  

Drum Roll Please, 

I did each move ten to fifteen times, depending on the trainer's direction. Each move was done directly after the other without a break between. This was sweat inducing! If you really want to get a workout, try doing all these workouts without a break between, then resting for one minute and doing it all again 2-3 times. Phew!

Although they were all great workouts, I did have two favorites. Kit and Stacie's moves worked my entire body with a bit of extra focus on the legs. The Plie Squat with Side Bend and the Sumo Squat with Rotation are the two that I could easily see incorporating into my weekly workout routine. My vote is that Kit and Stacie will continue on!

Try these moves and let me know which trainer you would bet on as the Next Fitness Star!