Alright party people time for another round of fit Friday fun, are you ready?!

I sure hope so because today I’m sharing a short and sharp total body workout that you get done in just 20 minutes!

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, with the right combination of exercises you can have an awesome workout in next to no time at all, and that my friend is what we are going to do today!

In today’s workout we are going to do  5 simple exercises that incorporate most of your major muscle groups which means you get serious bang for your workout buck!

Just because your workout is short doesn’t mean it’s not effective, trust me. When you’re done with this workout, your heart rate will be pumping, endorphin’s flowing, metabolism firing!

Ah how I love that post workout rush!

So, here’s what we are going to do –

5 basic exercises – Deadlift – Bent over row – Squats – Overhead Press and Reverse lunges – we will do 8-10 reps of each exercise and repeat the entire sequence through for a total of 3 rounds, got it?

Nothing complicated, basic movements done with good form for a short but effective total body workout.

We will move from one exercise to the next with minimal/no rest in between then once we have completed all reps of each exercises we will take 1 full delicious minute of rest and recovery – catch your breath, grab a drink then we get straight back into it and repeat for a total of 3 rounds, deal?

Grab yourself a weapon of choice – a set of dumbbells, a barbell, kettlebells, some resistance bands or any combination you like. Make sure you choose something appropriate for your strength but, don’t be afraid to challenge yourself.

Although, we want quality not quantity, always! Never compromise your form, ever! If your form starts to fail your done, got it?

Take your time, concentrate, focus and breathe through each and every exercise. You are strong, you are amazing, you have big energy! You’ve totally got this!

And because nothing makes a workout challenge more fun than getting a buddy to join you. Why not grab your BFF or a family member or your fave workmate and have them join you, power in numbers baby!

Don’t forget to come back and let me know how you did once you’re done. Either leave me a message in the comments below, or you can give me a shout on the Facebook page or tag me (@EmSwanston) on Twitter , or Instagram (@emsswanston) . I mean it, I wanna hear how you did!

Ok enough chit chat time to work –

 20 Minute Total Body Workout

As always make sure you are nice an warm before you start your workout – Run on the spot, do jumping jacks, jump rope, dance around your living room, anything to get you warm then it’s time to get serious.

Finish with a nice little cool down and stretch, maybe take a walk or something anything to help bring your heart rate down. Finish with a few of your fave stretches. Please don’t skip the stretch people, its like dessert for the body.

Now for our post workout refuel – Smoothies are a great option for your post workout refuel, they make it super easy for the body to absorb and digest those precious nutrients, they are seriously convenient, quick and easy to prepare and, a great option for those of us who don’t have much of an appetite post workout.

It’s so important to nourish and re-energize your body post workout, you want to make sure you give those muscles some fuel so that they can rebuild and repair themselves after working so hard.

How does a nice tall, light, fresh, ice cold, delicious, nutritious, coconut mocha smoothie sound?

This bad boy is packed with protein, and low GI carbs will help refuel and re-energize that beautiful body of yours.

It also happens to be vegan, dairy free, gluten free and paleo friendly but, most importantly, it’s downright delicious.

It’s all natural, quick, easy, light and refreshing, deliciously creamy, subtly sweet and seriously satisfying with a decadent hint of chocolate and an extra boost of caffeine because well, why not?!

Coconut Mocha Smoothie {Vegan, Dairy Free & Paleo Friendly}
Makes 1 ice cold, light, fresh, subtly sweet, deliciously creamy coconut mocha smoothie.

Ingredients –

1/3 cup coconut or Greek style yogurt

1/2 cup coconut milk (or milk of choice + 1/4 teaspoon of coconut extract)

1/2 an overripe banana (preferably pre-frozen)

1 shot of espresso (or 1 teaspoon if instant espresso)

1 Tablespoon of cacao

1 teaspoon of vanilla

1/2 teaspoon of coconut extract

1/2-1  cup of ice – more or less to taste

Optional extras –

A scoop of your favourite protein powder

Great lakes gelatin

Optional but recommended for serving –

Cacao nibs or some roughly chopped dark chocolate chips – I actually use this cacao crunch by Power Superfoods ♥

Shredded coconut/coconut chips

Method –

1 – Place all ingredients into a blender and process until smooth and creamy.

Note – If you prefer a sweet shake feel free to add in a Tablespoon of maple syrup

2 – To serve, pour into a chilled glass or mason jar and garnish with cacao nibs (or chocolate chips) and coconut chips if desired.

Enjoy xoxo

Don’t forget to give me a shout out when you’re done – hit me up in the comments below via the Facebook page on Twitter or on Instagram

Remember –

Now go have yourself a killer day xoxo

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Question of the day –

What’s your favorite way to refuel after a workout?

Feel free to share recipes, or links to your fave recipes in the comments below or on the Facebook page and please for the love of all that is good in this world when you do make this smoothie (or any of the recipes you find on this blog of mine) go ahead and snap a pic and share it either on the Facebook page, or tag me on twitter or Instagram. Sharing is caring remember.

Do it, do it You know you want to 🙂

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