And you know what that means, time for another round of Fit Friday Fun!!!!

Today, I thought I’d we’d have ourselves a short and sharp, lower body workout  that you can do anywhere, anytime in around 15 minutes!

Get in, get it done, and get on with living!

So, here’s what we are going to do, a descending ladder  workout which simply means we will start by doing 10 reps of each exercise and decrease 1 rep per round until you get down to 1.

For example –

Round 1 we do 10 reps each, then repeat the entire sequence through doing 9 reps each , then 8, then 7 all the way down to 1!

We will do;

♦ Step Ups
♦ Reverse Lunge
♦ Squat
♦ Squat Jumps – Or Squat pulse if jumping isn’t your thing

The aim here is to move from one exercise to the next with minimal/no rest in between – That being said, I want you to listen to that beautiful body of yours and rest as needed.

Anytime you feel like you need to take a break to catch your breath and grab a little drink then by all means please do so, and take all the time you need. However, if possible try to wait until you get to the bottom of each round to do so but, do what you gotta do, OK?!

Nothing complicated, basic movements done with good form for a short but effective workout that is guaranteed to leave you feeling strong, energized and ready to take on the rest of your day!

Although it’s totally not necessary, simply using your body weight alone is challenging enough but,  for our fully functioning or more advanced lifters who might be wanting kick things up a notch feel free to grab yourself a weapon of choice – a set of dumbbells, kettlebells, your EmPack,  resistance bands or a combination would work. Just make sure you choose something appropriate for your strength but, don’t be afraid to challenge yourself.

But remember, 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 –

 
– 15 Minute –

Lower 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 onto our smoothie recipe . . .

How does a nice tall, subtly sweet, secretly healthy, deliciously indulgent, dark chocolate almond butter cup smoothie sound?

Heaven, right?!

You can’t beat a classic like chocolate and nut butter – especially when you add in a cheeky pinch of flaky sea salt!

Heaven in a cup I tell you!

This has got to be one of my all time top flavor combinations. Nut butter and dark chocolate are something I consume pretty much daily , in some form or other, and I hope that you love it as much as I do! Which, FYI – Is A LOT!

And I should probably mention that not only does our delicious, nutritious, smoothie taste like an absolute dream but, it also happens to be Dairy free (if you want),  BANANA FREE, DATE FREE, refined sugar free, Low Carb, Vegan, Keto and Paleo friendly – so much to love I tell you and love it you will!

It really is simply divine, the perfect way to treat yo’ self on this fabulous Friday – or anytime because, yummmmm.

Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Cup Smoothie

{Sugar Free – Dairy Free – BANANA FREE – DATE FREE  – Low Carb – Vegan – Keto – Paleo}

Makes 1 all natural, creamy, dreamy, subtly sweet, deliciously indulgent, secretly healthy super smoothie

Ingredients –

1/2 cup vanilla yogurt

1/2  cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or milk of choice) – more or less to desired consistency

1-2 Tablespoons of cacao – depending on how rich you want it.

1-2 Tablespoons of almond butter – depending on how nutty you’re feeling
* sub 2-4 Tablespoons of raw almonds, soak in boiling water for 10 minutes before blending if you don’t have a high powered blender – optional but highly recommended

1 teaspoon of vanilla

A pinch of salt

* If you like a sweet smoothie, add 1/2-1 teaspoon of monk fruit sweetener (or sweetener of choice) to taste.

1/4-1/2  cup of ice – more or less to desired consistency.

Optional add ins;

1/2-1 cup cauliflower or zucchini (pre-steamed & frozen works best)  – a great way to get an extra (undetectable) serve of veg & make your smoothie extra thick

1 teaspoon of maca – for hormone balance

1 teaspoon of uplift food – daily dose of prebiotics

1 teaspoon of flaxmeal – ground flax- healthy fats & extra fiber

1-2 scoops of collagen – for  gut healing goodness

1 scp protein powder – for extra protein (vanilla, chocolate or unflavored would work here)

Method –

1 – Place all smoothie ingredients into your blender and process until smooth, creamy and well combined.

2 – Pour into a chilled glass or mason jar then top with toppings of choice.

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

Now go, and remember;

and have yourself a killer day xoxo

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Question of the day –

Upper Body? Lower Body? Total Body? What’s your fave way to train?

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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