Welcome to The Ultimate Wellness Circle April!
This month’s health and fitness topics include
Bonus Content: Aspen Fitness Trainer Alycia Gillis’s “The Minamalist Strength Workout” + Video Instruction!
Bonus Content: “Quarantunes” A new Playlist by Elizabeth Hill!
5 New Recipes - Focusing on immune boosting ingredients….Pick one new recipe each week!
My “Complete Core” Series: A 4 week program that targets abdominals and all the major muscles of the back and torso.
Scroll down to see all of your content for April
Love,
Lisa
Hello Friends!
This month, I have collaborated with some of my favorite people in the health and fitness industry to bring you some killer workouts, music playlists and lots of delicious recipes! ….I think you are going to love it!
Simply scroll down this page to access all of your recipes, workouts and Bonus material for April!
April Recipes
This month I’m sharing my usual roundup of seasonal recipes + some immune boosting foods as well.
The nice thing about spring time cooking is that since the ingredients are so wonderful, you don’t have to do much to them in order to make a great dish. Here are some of my favorites!
Download The Recipes
April Workouts
“Complete Core” is a 4 week series that targets the abs and all of the other major muscles of the back and trunk
For each exercise perform 1-3 sets of 15 reps.
Complete Core Week 1
Complete Core Week 2
Complete Core Week 3
Complete Core Week 4
April Playlist
playlist by Elizabeth Hill
“QUARANTUNES”
1. I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor
2. Let’s Dance - David Bowie
3. U Can’t Touch This - MC Hammer
4. Stayin’ Alive - The Bee Gees
5. Invisible Touch - Genesis
6. Gloria - Laura Branigan
7. Dancing With Myself - Billy Idol
8. Crazy - Seal
9. We Are Family - Sister Sledge
10. Shout - Tears for Fears
11. Faith - George Michael
12. Girls Just Want to Have Fun - Cyndi Lauper
13. Things Can Only Get Better - Howard Jones
14. Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You) - Kelly Clarkson
15. Don’t Stop - Fleetwood Mac
16. Eye of the Tiger - Survivor
17. Higher Love - Steve Winwood
18. Livin’ On a Prayer - Bon Jovi
April Bonus Content
Coach Alycia Gillis: “The Minimalist Strength Workout”
Athletic Director, Private Trainer and Group Fitness Instructor at The Snowmass Club - Alycia is an innovative trainer and teacher. Her workouts are always fun and challenging, and will push you towards reaching all of your fitness goals.
Alycia is an avid marathoner (She has run 8 marathons!) and enjoys skiing, biking and hiking in our beautiful mountain town.
Like most athletes, she loves to be outdoors running, riding or hiking....Yet she never underestimates the importance of building general strength and mobility—not just to support outdoor activities, but also for everyday health and fitness. That means strength training a couple of times per week!
So with that goal in mind, we have put our heads together to create the “Minimalist Strength Workout” just for you: 5 Exercises that will guarantee you have the strength for all of your favorite adventures…And you can do them all from home!
NOTE: 1 set for beginners, 3 sets for advanced exercisers. Complete 10-20 reps of each exercise. You will need light to moderate hand weights for some of the exercises in this program.
Renegade Rows
This one is a double whammy that works your arms AND your core!
1. Start in a high plank position with your hands holding a pair of dumbbells directly under your shoulders.
2. Place your feet about shoulder-width apart, and squeeze your quads, glutes, and abs.
3. While maintaining square hips and shoulders, pull your right dumbbell up towards your armpit and squeeze your shoulder blade back. Don’t let your hips rotate.
4. With control, bring the right dumbbell back to the ground. Reset your strong plank position, and repeat the row on your left arm.
5. If you start to lose your form during your set, take some rest between reps. Then reset your strong plank position and execute each rep with good form
2. Goblet Squats
Build your butt and tone your thighs without putting pressure on your lower back.
1. Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-distance apart, your toes angled slightly outward.
2. Hold a dumbbell in both hands at your chest. Bend your elbows so it is positioned right at the center of your chest.
3. Engage your core and look straight ahead—you want to keep your back neutrally aligned and your eyes facing straight ahead throughout the squat.
4. Press your hips back and begin bending your knees to perform the squat. Inhale as you perform this downward phase.
5. Focus on keeping your chest tall as you continue pressing your hips back and lowering down. Make sure your weight remains evenly distributed across your foot, or slightly more weighted toward your heel—you shouldn't come up on your toes as you squat. The goal is to get your hips below parallel with your knees.
3. LC’s Modified Pushup or Regular Pushup
The classic push-up comes close to a perfect exercise, challenging multiple muscle groups in the arms, chest, back, and core to build overall functional strength.
1. Start in a strong plank position, core engaged and legs very strong
2. Using your chest, arm and ab muscles (not momentum), lower your entire body to the floor
3. Bend your knees so that your feet come towards your butt. Perform a push up from this position.
4. Return to a strong plank. Remember to breathe during the exercise, exhaling as you perform the push up and inhale as you return to starting position.
4. Reverse Lunge
Compared with a basic lunge, this exercise places less stress on the knees while still toning your entire leg.
1. Stand upright, with your hands at your hips.
2. Take a large step backward with your left foot.
3. Lower your hips so that your right thigh (front leg) becomes parallel to the floor with your right knee positioned directly over your ankle. Your left knee should be bent at a 90-degree angle and pointing toward the floor with your left heel lifted.
4. Return to standing by pressing your right heel into the floor and bringing your left leg forward to complete one rep.
5. Alternate legs, and step back with right leg.
5. Single Leg Deadlift (Kickstand)
The kickstand deadlift is a single leg deadlift variation used to target the hamstring muscles. It will also work the whole posterior chain (Meaning it’s the best butt exercise!)
1. Position your feet in a split stance with the back foot off the floor and just the toes touching the ground.
2. Push your hips back and hinge forward until your torso is nearly parallel with the floor.
3. Drive through the whole foot and focus on pushing the floor away by extending the knees and hips.
4. Return to the starting position and repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
