Bridal Babes Have To Do Planks. Here’s How.

Written with love, by Jennifer Dene

Last week you learned three variations on the basic squat. Have you been incorporating these moves into your regular fitness routine? I hope so! Today we switch our focus to our arms and core muscles by playing with the full plank.

Planks are fantastic for strengthening your arms, shoulders, abdominals, back and even the legs. They are not easy but they are so worth the effort, in fact I do planks as my main abdominal exercise during most workouts.

A simple way to effectively build your fitness and change the shape of the body is returning to the basic strength training exercises and perfecting them over time. Once upon a time I could hardly hold a 30 second plank and now I’m up to 5 minutes (but it’s ok, I won’t make you do that one just yet).

On the days that I don’t have time for a full workout I will just throw down a couple of planks throughout the day as they elevate my heart rate and tone my body.

How To Do The Basic Plank

Step One: Plant the hands under the shoulders, about as wide as the chest, as though you are about to do a push up. Step the feet back with the toes tucked under so that you are in one long line from head to foot.

Step Two: Squeeze your abs, squeeze your butt and continuously press away from the floor with your arms and legs. Remember the saying: “Light as a feather, stiff as a board”.

Modification: If you notice tension or pain in your low back, drop your knees down into kneeling plank position. This is a great starting exercise.

The Variations

Forearm Plank Swivels

The forearm plank sculpts beautiful shoulders for your gown. Adding the pivot from the hips increases the abdominal workout, particularly focusing on those waist muscles called obliques.

Staggered Side Plank Lifts

One of my favorite variations is the staggered side plank lift, which focuses on the entire side of the body, including the upper arm, outer thighs and waist. Modifications include doing this on your forearm or keeping a knee down.

Reverse Plank

Reverse plank targets the triceps more than any other variation (those pesky muscles at the back of the arm) as well as the booty. It also stretches the chest which is amazing for bridal posture, especially if you’ve been hunched over your phone or computer using Pinterest.

I recommend starting with 5 repetitions for each of these new moves and adding on once you feel confident. Press play for the quick video tutorial to see exactly how to do these moves, and then let me know which one is your favorite and why by leaving a comment below!

I can’t wait to workout with you!
     Jennifer Dene

The Little White Dress Workout Series: Squats, Planks, Crunches, Oh My!

Written with love, by Jennifer Dene

Hey there you Beautiful Bride!

Are you ready to take your wedding fitness up a notch?

Over the coming three weeks I’m sharing new variations on some classic workout moves, which you can easily add into any of your current exercise routines.  Challenging your muscles keeps them strong and toned, and brings you closer to your bridal body goals. The more lean muscle you develop, the better your metabolism and ability to burn excess body fat becomes. It’s also vital to mix up your routine so you feel inspired to continue to workout.

Today I’ll walk you through three variations on the basic squat, and next week we’ll tackle planks and then it will be all about the abs!

Read on to learn about the importance of each of these new moves and then watch the video tutorial below.

How To Do The Basic Squat

Before we start playing around let’s perfect the basic squat, because no matter what variation you do it all starts with the same setup.

The squat is a full body exercise that particularly focuses on the legs and backside. It also mimics movements you do in real life, such as sitting and crouching, making it a really functional move to have in your workout repertoire.

Step one:  Stand with your feet slightly wider than your hips.  Your toes should be pointed slightly outward. Look straight ahead and keep your gaze focused throughout.

Step two: Pull your abdominals in to your spine, bend your knees and sit your hips back as though you are sitting in a chair. The weight is more in the heel of the foot than the toe and your knees stay aligned with the second and third toes.

Step three: Keeping your abs engaged and your knees in line with the center toes, squeeze your butt and return to standing.

Simple yet wildly effective! Now let’s have some fun …

The Squat Kick

This move adds a plyometric element as you lift one leg and kick it forward. It also helps to improve your balance and relieve pent up tension … “Take that, you expensive florist!”

The Squat Side Step

This move incorporates muscles on the outer and inner thighs and gives you even more of a booty burn as you stay low in the legs and travel from side to side. If you want to increase the challenge add a jump at the top of each squat.

The Squat Jack Plank Jack

That’s a mouthful! This move is more dynamic and becomes a full body workout as you hop forward and back between squatting and plank. Your goal is to never stand up until the end of your repetitions.

I recommend starting with 5 repetitions for each of these new moves and adding on once you feel confident. Press play for the quick video tutorial to see exactly how to do these moves, and then let me know which one is your favorite and why by leaving a comment below!

I can’t wait to workout with you!
     Jennifer Dene

Heathy Bridal Recipe // Green Goddess Dressing

Written with love, by Jennifer Dene

Wouldn’t it be nice to pack an even greater nutritional punch to your salads without having to eat more vegetables?

Guess what, you can!

This week I am showing you how to make Green Goddess Dressing, one of my favorite dressings for salads, meat and grain dishes, or even to drizzle on sandwiches.

So put that store-bought salad dressing back on the shelf (chances are it’s high in sugar and additives) and get in the kitchen to blend up this super quick and easy dressing.

5 Reasons Why You’ll Love Green Goddess Dressing:

♥ It’s a tasty way to pack more vegetables into your salad
♥  Being mineral-rich and alkalizing it helps to boost your immunity during all of those engagement events
♥  The healthy fats will keep you fuller for longer and will help to curb afternoon sugar cravings
♥  Adding this nutrient dense dressing to your diet will help to improve the appearance of your skin, hair and nails
♥  You can tweak the recipe to include your favorite vegetables and healthy fats (try it with zucchini and toasted walnuts)!

Get the ingredients list below and watch my quick "How To" video tutorial.

The Recipe:

●      1 ripe avocado
●      4 tablespoons full fat coconut milk
●      handful chopped fresh herbs (such as mint, parsley and basil)
●      2 tablespoon pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
●      juice of 1/2 lemon
●      water to thin if needed
●      salt and pepper to taste

Add avocado, coconut milk, parsley, seeds and lemon juice to a small food processor or high-speed blender and blend until combined and creamy. Add additional water to thin if necessary (approximately 1 tablespoon) and season to taste.

Keep dressing in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to four days, and use liberally on all of your savory dishes.

Now I’d love to hear from you. Have you tried adding vegetables into your salad dressing before? Are you willing to give it a try to boost your bridal beauty? Let me know in the comments below!

With Love,
     Jennifer Dene