dessert

Planks are one of my all-time favorite core exercises.

Source

(It looks like Vies!)

As I’ve mentioned before, one of the tricks I’ve learned is that the maximum amount of time you should hold a plank is 10 seconds, because after that you start to engage and depend on other muscles to keep you up (especially your shoulders). An effective way to plank is to hold it for 10 seconds, rest for 3, and repeat as many times as you’d like (I usually go for 6). Try it- you may find it’s a lot more challenging than holding a plank for a minute straight.

Some more planking tips:

-Try to keep your body in a straight line from your ears to your ankles

(gaze is best about a foot in front of your hands so your spine is straight. My head is up a little too much in the photo)

-If you’re not feeling challenged enough with a plank variation, raise one leg up

-Keep your core engaged- it’s tempting to let it all hang out

Here are some of my favorite plank variations:

And remember, friends, the best visible abbies are made on the track (or cardio machine of choice) and in the kitchen.

Last night we enjoyed a veggie-full meal over here:

 

“Bliss in a Dish” from “Let Them Eat Vegan!”

(Pinkie is still holding on… by a thread)

I made the recipe as the book instructed, and steamed the artichokes (which were originally frozen) and the potatoes in the steamer:

went for a walk while they steamed:

and then came home to put everything in the oven.

Drizzled the veggies with an olive oil impulse buy:

and enjoyed mine atop a bed of greens with Goddess dressing and the Pilot ate his with brown rice. It was pretty glorious.

This morning I’m off to work- it’s a Zumba day- and am taking my friend her food containers since she made me lunch on Saturday.

It somehow filled itself with raw chocolate tart

Hope you have a happy humpday <3

xoxo

Gina

Something to talk about: What’s your favorite plank variation? Any fun ones that I missed?

A challenge: 

pick 3 planks from above and bust them out (if you’re injury-free, of course):

-pick a stationary plank and hold for 10 seconds, rest for 3, repeat 5x (for total of 60 seconds of planking)

-pick a single leg plank and alternate right and left 12 times

-pick your favorite plank and either do one more minute of planking (with the 10 seconds on, 3 seconds rest) or alternate right and left 12 times

After you do it, leave a comment and let me know what planks you chose!! Plank you very mucho.

More:

-10 ways to crunch

-10 ways to lunge

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