Tag Archives: Fitness

PILATES FOR RUNNERS

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I am so excited that I am now an Ambassador for a company called Fitmark!  Fitmark specializes in sports bags that are perfectly designed for fitness without compromising style.  YAY!

Ok ladies, you know how the “shopping for a purse” routine goes:  First select it based on color, size, and style. Now ask yourself, “Will this look good with what I wear?”  Second, we must open it and inspect all the features of the purse:  “How will my wallet fit? Will this bag become a BLACK HOLE, or does it offer organization?  Where will I put my cell phone and will I be able to pull it out fast enough when it rings without making a scene in public?”  And third, “Is it a good fit for me?  Will it continually fall off my shoulder?  Is it the right length for me?  And on and on and on.  How happy are we when we find the perfect bag?  

Well this is why I love Fitmark.  Here we can shop for our sports/travel bag like we do a purse.  Cool right?  
 
You have to go HERE now and check out their bags!  
 
They published my article
Read it HERE on the FitMark blog!  
Go take a look and see how even just one mat pilates session can improve your overall run!

Ok, I must put away the computer and get outside and enjoy this lovely day. 
Bye for now 🙂

Pick-A-Stick Workout

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HERE’S A FUN WAY TO WORKOUT:
CREATE YOUR OWN ROUTINE! 
  1. Have a hard time getting to the gym
  2. Can’t find an hour to workout in the week
  3. Get board of your normal workout routine
  4. Want to learn some new exercises
These are the exercises I have added to my workout.  You should customize your exercises to work with your fitness level, access to equipment, and space.  
thePROGRAM
This can also be customized for YOU!  
Depending on the day, I will commit to
  1. Picking one stick every hour between 7 am and 7 pm.
  2. Picking 3 sticks in the morning and 3 in the evening
You get the idea.  Make this work for you!  
The goal is to stay active, challenge your body beyond its normal load and have fun!

WHAT’S ON MY STICKS…
Standard Squat 50
Squat Jumps 50
Wall Sits 1 minute
Tye4® Legs – demo video here

Calf Raise 15 slow/10 fast/ 3 foot positions

Reverse Lunge 30 each leg!
Walking Lunge 30 
Side Lunge 30

Standard Pushup 25
Military Pushup 25
Diamond Pushup 25
Tye4 Pushup 25
Skateboard Pushup 25

Plank 1 minute 
Tye4 Plank 1 minute
Mountain Climber 30 each leg
Burpees 25
Pilates Roll Up 25
Side Crunch 15
Tye4 Pilates Series – demo video here


Tricep Dips 25
Tye4 Dips 30

 

For workout videos and exercise demos, SUBSCRIBE to AshleyBensonFitness YouTube Channel!

Add the NEW TYE4 system to boost your workout.  Check this out for Tye4 exercises and click here for classes and info on the Tye4.
 TYE4 $75 
email ashley@ashleybensonfitness.com

 

FITNESS RETREAT… EARN A FREE TRIP!

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To book a Fitness Vacation

Email 
and I will send you all the details.
Check THIS out to see what the St. Augustine trip was like in November.
 
If you get a group of 10
 – including yourself – 
signed up for a trip,
THEN YOUR TRIP WILL BE FREE!!!
The house we will stay in!  
 
 
 The roof top where we will do all sorts of workouts!  
Oh, we will also enjoy the stars at night from up there as well.  Don’t worry, there is plenty of vacation to be had 🙂
   Pilates on the beach.
 You will learn how to feed your body properly with your exercise…
 pre-and post workout nutrition to support your body as it strengthens and repairs.

Jumpstart your health with a week of inspiration,motivation, teaching and fun workouts!

 

WEEKEND WORKOUT – Lunge and Lift

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Try this workout this weekend!  Do it at HOME OR AT YOUR GYM!
                                 
                                    theWORKOUT
  • Remember to warm-up & stretch 5 minutes before you begin.
  •  Be sure to use good form with each exercise.
  • Be creative with the resistance… if you don’t have dumbbells, then use something from your home like a gallon of water!  
 
1. Back Row w/Dumbbell – 30 sec.
2. LUNGE to the next exercise
3. Bench Dips – 30 sec.
 
4. LUNGE to the next exercise
 
5. Bicep Curl – 30 sec. 
 
6. LUNGE to next exercise 
 
7. Push-Ups – 30 sec.
 
8.LUNGE to next exercise
 
9.Squat Jumps – 30 sec.
 
10. LUNGE to next exercise
 
11. Up-Right Row w/Kettle Bell – 30 sec.
 
12. Sprint back to the beginning.
 
Repeat 3-4 times!
 
 the PHOTOGRAPHERS 

Fitness Vacation Recap 5: Sand Bag Workout & Seashells

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I’m finally finishing the Fitness Vacation recap.  I took last week off to rest and enjoy Thanksgiving with my family.  We had a great week- hope you did too!



theWORKOUT
As I planned for this trip, I tried to incorporate as much variety for our workouts as possible.  I absolutely love the resistance training up on the roof top with my gym equipment…


 but what about out on the beach?  
Well I wasn’t about to take my precious dumbbells out to the sand and sea, 
so I had to be creative!  
theSAND BAG
It only took a few minutes to put them together.
Here are some of the exercises we did:

SAND BAG SWINGS

Like the kettlebell, the SAND BAG provides uneven weight distribution:
  1. The muscles have to work together as one unit. 
  2. The stabilizers muscles must do their job in order to control the bag.
  3. The CORE must be engaged in every move. 
All good stuff!  
We could feel it after the workout!
 Now for a JOG ON THE BEACH.
So what’s next…
No question about it:  LUNGES!!!  
Oh, and why not?  
Now we are just having fun.

Thank you, Kay, for taking this picture at the very second I look like I have it all under control!  LOL
theSHELLS
I love shells and always have – I still have my shell box full of beach memories from my childhood!  I’m fascinated with the fact that each shell has a history.  Every single one has its own unique story!  What a miracle!  I also feel a need to know what each one is.  I realize that’s a big undertaking for me, but I found some help from iloveshelling.com 
Being this was my first time to this area, I didn’t know what to expect, but I was really happy with our treasures!  I think we may have found some extra special beach bling on the count of HURRICANE SANDY.
 We found a whole sand dollar EVERY DAY we were there!

 We also found the most beautiful Pin Shells!  I couldn’t stop collecting them.

Ok, I think these are shark teeth or something????  
If you know, PLEEEEASE tell me!
 And what in the world is this???????
 A local on the beach told me this was a dolphin vertebra.  I saw an image online of a shark vertebra that looked like this. 
What do you think?

The rest of my collection…

If you know about any of these shells, PLEASE share! 
 What did I find?  
They are all so unique and beautiful.
theEND
This was the end of this awesome week, 
but THE BEGINNING of a 
NEW outlook. imagination. skill
& motivation 
towards a healthy life.

 Thank you 
– KAY – 
for documenting and sharing the wonderful memories made on this trip 🙂
If you have a group interested in coming on a 
Health & Fitness Vacation, 
contact me and WE WILL TALK!


Fitness Vacation Recap 1: PREP-WEEKEND

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Last week I hosted my first Health and Fitness Vacation!  
I took a group to St Augustine, FL for the week.  Can I just say that it was awesome???  Well, it was!  
This week I will recap our experience, 
so be sure to check back in each day to get a look at some of 

the EXERCISE

 the FOOD

&  the FUN   

that happened on this 
Fitness Vacation.

the WEEKEND PREP

Saturday – 5:00 AM! – I pulled out of my driveway and headed towards the beach!  My car was LOADED with exercise mats, stability balls, bands, rings, a kettle bell, skateboards, and plenty of dumbbells.
It was early, but I love driving at that time of day. 
 From where I live, the drive took 8ish hours.  
Since I homeschool, I was able to bring my son, Iver, along.  
It was “bring your son to work” week.  LOL.  
And I have to say he LOVES my work!!! 
I’m so thankful he is such a good kid.  I loved having him there.


Thanks to Siri, my iPhone got us to the house with no problem.  This house was so much more amazing than the pictures showed online.  We first took some time to explore the house.  Actually, that took a while because it is HUGE!  

the HOUSE
The second floor is the living space WITH A VIEW!

Off of the living space is the most beautiful balcony overlooking the ocean.  We kept those doors open most of the time.

On the other side is the KITCHEN.

Out the kitchen doors is the pool.
 the BASEMENT  
There is one bedroom and a bathroom down there.  It also has an Xbox 360- which my son was excited about- and a ping pong table.  There are double doors that led out to a water front patio.


the 3RD FLOOR
There are 5 bedrooms on this floor.

the MASTER SUITE



These stairs lead up to the ROOF TOP balcony.  
This was by far one of my favorite spaces!
 Oh Yes!  
This is where the workouts can happen!


SUNDAY:  I woke up early to the sound of crashing waves!  Great way to start the week!  
 I enjoyed breakfast with my little man on the balcony. 
*SMOOTHIE*

 We watched the SURFERS enjoy the bigger than usual waves, thanks to hurricane Sandy.
I spent some time getting focused on the workouts and meals for the week… 
while enjoying my ADVOCARE SPARK :)))  
Oh, and we ended up down at the beach for a while!

 I prepared quiche for the week.  I made 8 pies for an optional breakfast for my crew.  
I sautéed the garlic, onion and vegetables I got from 
MELISSA’S PRODUCE 
in coconut oil from 
TROPICAL TRADITIONS
and have to say they turned out great!



That evening my group arrived at the HOUSE.  I loved seeing their reaction to our home for the week!

Here is a video tour I made… Check this out!


St Augustine house from Ashley Benson on Vimeo.

We got to know earchother over food and lounging that evening.  We definitely went to bed excited about the fun week ahead.


Check back in tomorrow to find out what what our
 MONDAY was like………………………

Super Healthy Tropical Smoothie

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IT’S GONNA BE GOOD! 

 If you order by clicking on any of my links and have never ordered from Tropical Traditions in the past, you will receive a free book on Virgin Coconut Oil, and I will receive a discount coupon for referring you!