Since we haven’t been travelling much lately (or at all) I decided to put my many Aeroplan points to good use and picked up an Apple Watch with them in January. It’s been a huge motivator for me to leave my desk chair more often and get a sweat on – even if it’s just dancing like a maniac in my living room.
For the past week, I’ve been a heated, neck-and-neck Apple Watch fitness challenge with my friend Katie. I’m pleased to announce that I emerged victorious, it was a narrow margin but I was relentless in my pursuit of maximizing the daily point allowance. Points are earned by achieving and surpassing your daily fitness goals for number of hours standing, minutes of exercise, and active calories burned.
This post is sponsored by Georgian Bay Spirit Co.
The free virtual Smash It Saturday workouts put on by Georgian Bay Spirit Co. and The Krate have been really awesome in motivating me to get my blood pumping before brunch. There are still two weeks left – Saturday, May 8th and May 15th at 10 a.m. ET – and you can sign up here to get your sweat on with us.
Each week features different instructors leading us through 40 minutes of high intensity interval training, followed by 20 minutes of yoga. The first week was a heart-pounding At-Home Athlete themed session with lots of explosive plyometric movements and the second had a major focus on core engagement.
The no-equipment-needed sessions are hosted via Zoom and you can choose to have your video on or off depending on whether or not you want an audience. I love the group class feel that we get even though we’re all joining in from our own homes. I’ve been doing it with my friends and cheers post-workout with the new Georgian Bay Spirit Co. Half Smash drinks – it’s almost like pre-pandemic boozy brunch. The Half Smash comes in either Peach or Citrus and are gin-based ready-to-drink beverages with just 100 calories and 2.5% ABV.
To get you in the mood for a rise and grind session this Saturday, here is a challenging bodyweight circuit that can be modified by replacing some of the jumping with stepping up or side-to-side. Be sure to watch the video embedded above to see what each of the movements looks like.
Do 3 rounds of 45 seconds on, 15 seconds off of this circuit:
– rainbow leg lifts (30 sec per leg)
– sprinter lunge jumps (30 sec per leg)
– bird-dog plank
– skaters
– drop squats
– high knees
– kneel-squat-tuck jump
Make sure you warm up beforehand and get in a good cooldown afterward.
When I’m not doing HIIT or lifting weights, dance is definitely my favourite form of physical activity when I want to burn some calories without feeling like I’m *working* at it. It compliments the muscle-building work I do with my personal trainer three times a week. While we’re limited by the lack of heavy weights and bar bells, we manage to do a lot with a 35 lb kettlebell, a pair of 15 lb and 20 lb dumbbells. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to build one of those dump truck butts that all the girls on TikTok have until I can lift heavy again.
Nevertheless, you’ll be able to find me doing endless variations of squats trying in vain to get a JLo inspired ass. This series of movements I’m doing in this Instagram reel are all great ways to get your heart pumping and work on those glutes. Maybe we’ll even do some clamshells in this week’s Smash It Saturday – only one way to find out!
Hope you’ll join us this Saturday for a great sweat sash!
