Week 31: Living Clean and Protein Timing

HE BEST AB EXERCISE IS... stop eating so much crap!
I got your attention there, didn't I?! Everyone always wants to know what exercise they can do to flatten their abs.  The truth is no ab exercise will give you flat abs; they come from a combination of burning fat through full body exercise AND eating the right foods regularly. When asked what it means to "eat clean", my simplest answer is always to stick to the perimeter of the grocery store. Your diet should mainly consist of fruits, vegetables, natural lean protein and whole grains.  These are essentially limited to the produce and meat section of the grocery store (or what you can find at your local farmer market).  Go to the grocery store next time with the goal to walk only the perimeter.  How difficult that is for you will be a good gauge of how clean you regularly eat.  Good Luck!

As always remember, YOU are STRONGER than you think! 
<3 Alison

Live Clean                                
Most people understand the importance of eating clean but clean living extends beyond your diet. Now lets think about those middle aisles of the grocery store for a minute, where you buy your laundry detergent, toothpaste, lotions, cleaning supplies, shampoo, the list goes on and on.... Did you know there are healthier, "cleaner" options for these products as well? Free of necessary fillers and harmful ingredients? That work better AND cost less? I shop online for all of these things through the largest online wellness company in North America.  Through tomorrow (8/18) you can join the shopping club for only $1 (regularly $29). See for yourself and start shopping smarter now>

Protein Timing                 
In the fitness world we see protein supplement everywhere, how do you know if its right for you? Bottom line: you need 20-30 g of protein delivered to your muscles within 90 minutes of STARTING you workout.  Typical whole food protein sources take some time to digest.  After a 30-60 minute workout add another 60-90 min to digest, it just doesn't add up. Therefore, I recommend everyone use a protein supplement post workout for simple fast delivery of the necessary nutrients to your muscles.  Whey protein is the fastest delivering while casein has a slower more sustained delivery.  I use a blend of both (which, by the way, I buy from the same wellness company mentioned above) . Learn more about protein timing now>>

This Week's Workouts
Unless otherwise specified, you will need a set of dumbbells for each workout. Click to find out how much weight you should be lifting. As always, don't forget to warm up and stretch.

#43 Gliders
I just love these glider workout to change it up every once in a while! This is a lower impact (not lower intensity!) glider workout. All the moves will use gliders so grab your paper plates (or towels if you have hard woods). No dumbbells this time. Even without the impact, you will feel the burn!

#46 4-3-2-1 Full Body 
This 4-3-2-1 style circuit incorporates a four minute set of heart rate building moves. The spinal rocks are lower intensity than the other moves but by no means rest. Make sure to engage your core throughout. Then a 3 min set of lower body work, 2 min of upper body, and finish strong in a 1 min plank! Rest of no more than 20s between sets.

#47 Full Body Mini Circuit
I adapted this one from one of my favorite boot camps I did this week. It really does a good job toning and tightening while stretching out the lower body muscles we used intensely in LRWOC #46 :) This circuit consists of several mini circuits of upper body, lower body and abs.

Don't forget to sign up for the weekly email updates to receive free custom timers for each of these circuits!