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This workout comes to you from DailyBurn trainer Anja Garcia. You can find more high-energy moves daily at DailyBurn.com/365. 

What move is king of the bodyweight exercises? The one that leaves no major muscle group untouched? The almighty burpee, of course! This full-body movement delivers plenty of bang for your buck when you’ve got no equipment at hand. Think about it: You’re combining a squat, a plank, another squat, and an explosive jump. Both your upper and lower body are working hard each time you drop to the floor for a set.

Burpees target your quads, glutes, core, chest, back and shoulders, explains Daily Burn trainer Anja Garcia. And they’re great for cardio, too. Your heart rate will skyrocket as your endurance levels are put to the test. If the goal is going all-out, Garcia is a fan of Tabata-style burpees. That means eight rounds of 20 seconds of work, 10 seconds of rest. Just four minutes and you’ll be done!

RELATED: Daily Burn 365: New Workouts, 7 Days a Week

7 Burpees to Test Your Strength

The standard burpee is all about strength and conditioning. But why not take things up a notch? We asked Garcia to demonstrate seven burns-so-good burpees for those ready to graduate from the basics. Follow along with the GIFs below to push past your comfort zone or add variety to your next HIIT workout.

If you’re in need of modifying any of these challenging moves, Garcia recommends stepping instead of jumping back into plank position for each burpee variation below. This modification will still engage your core and help increase your mobility. Let the battle of burpees begin! Pick your poison from the seven exercises below, listed from beginner to more advanced.

RELATED: Hate Crunches? 6 Better Core Exercises for Beginners

1. Push-Up Burpee

How to: Stand with your feet hip-width apart, arms at your sides. Quickly lower into a squat position and place your palms on the ground about a foot in front of your feet (a). Shoot your feet out behind you so you’re balanced on your hands and toes in a plank position, with shoulders directly over your wrists (b). Maintaining a straight line from head to toe, complete one push-up by lowering your chest to the floor, then press upwards back into plank position (c). Next, jump your feet forwards so you are in a low squat (d). To finish of the move, jump straight up, exploding from the heels, while bringing your hands above your head (e). Land with your hands at your sides in the neutral starting position. Repeat.

2. Star Jump Burpee

How to: Begin by performing a standard burpee (minus the push-up) detailed above. After dropping down, hitting plank position, and hopping your feet back to meet your hands, prepare to tack on a little extra! (a) Instead of jumping straight up, in this variation, you'll generate enough power to jump into a star position, arms and legs spread away from your body (imagine your entire body forming the letter "X") (b). Land softly, bringing your feet back together and your arms by your sides (c). Repeat.

RELATED: 5 Advanced Push-Up Variations to Try Now

3. Superman Burpee

How to: Stand with your feet hip-width apart, arms at your sides. Perform a standard burpee, lowering your chest down to the floor after plank position (a). With your chest on the ground, take your hands off the ground and shoot them out in front of your shoulders. Your upper and lower back should be engaged here (b). Bring your hands back under your shoulders, press upwards back to the plank position (c). Jump your feet forwards so you are in a low squat (d). Explode through your heels, jumping straight up and bringing your hands above your head (e). Land with your hands at your sides in the neutral starting position. Repeat.

RELATED: The 5-Minute Ab Workout to Tighten Your Core

4. Side Burpee

How to: This move begins like the basic burpee: Lower into a squat position and place your hands on the ground about a foot in front of your feet (a). Next, instead of jumping your feet back directly behind you, shoot them out diagonally to the left so you’re balanced on your hands and your toes, with your shoulders directly over your hands. You should feel your oblique abdominals engaged on the right side (b). Jump your feet back under your body so you are in a low squat (c). Jump straight up and bring your hands above your head (d). Repeat movement and shoot your feet out to the right.

5. Mountain Climber Tuck Jump Burpee

How to: From a standing position, quickly drop down, placing your palms on the ground and jumping your feet back behind you so you’re in a plank position (a). Perform mountain climbers by rapidly alternating between bringing one knee up under your chest while keeping the other leg extended. Switch legs four times total and be sure to keep your hips down and your back straight. Your core should be engaged (b). Jump your feet forwards so you are in a low squat (c). Push through your heels, jumping straight up into a tuck jump. Your legs should come as close to your chest as possible (d). Land as softly as possible and repeat.

RELATED: The 20-Minute Tabata Workout You Need to Try

6. Dive Bomber Burpee

How to: Perform a regular burpee up until you reach plank position (a). From there, slide your hips back while shifting your weight until you reach down dog position (b). Next, do a “cobra” push-up: Bend your elbows and dive your upper body towards the floor. Let your hips follow your shoulders with the diving motion. Then, press your upper body away from the ground but let your hips stay close to the floor so you are in an “upward dog” position (c). Reverse the motion by bending your elbows and coming into downward dog position (d). Hop your feet forwards so you are in a low squat, then jump up while bringing both hands overhead (e). Land with your hands at your sides in the neutral starting position. Repeat.

7. Box Burpee

How to: Have a plyo box or access to a sturdy step or ledge? Stand with your feet hip-width apart, arms at your sides. Go through the movements of a regular burpee until you’ve jumped out of plank position and into in a low squat (a). Now, perform a box jump. With your knees slightly bent, hop up on a plyo box or stable, elevated surface (b). Hop or step down, and repeat from the beginning.

For more cardio and strength moves from Anja, head to dailyburn.com/365 — it's FREE for 30 days!

Note to reader: The content in this article relates to the core service offered by DailyBurn. In the interest of editorial disclosure and integrity, the reader should know that this site is owned and operated by DailyBurn.

Originally posted April 2015. Updated February 2016. 

The post 7 New Burpee Variations to Test Your Strength appeared first on Life by Daily Burn.

These exercises come to you from Daily Burn 365 guest, fitness professional and HGTV star John Colaneri. You can find more no-equipment workouts at DailyBurn.com/365.

We drop it like a squat on the reg at Daily Burn. But this week, HGTV star and King of Home Makeovers John Colaneri taught us a few new tricks to take our leg day to the next level. That’s right, in between filming episodes of America’s Most Desperate Kitchens, Colaneri is all about bringing fitness into your home.

RELATED: Daily Burn 365: New Workouts, 7 Days a Week

So when he stopped in to school us on some epic kitchen-themed exercises, things really got cookin’. Think: rolling on the ground like a rolling pin, flipping like a spatula and pretending to grate cheese with some fast “mountain climber” feet. You’ll work your whole body with these moves. Perform each for 60 seconds or however long it takes for your to feel a little burn. (No setting off smoke alarms, please!)

Want the whole 30-minute workout from today’s show? Click here to get free access to Daily Burn 365. 

Note to reader: The content in this article relates to the core service offered by Daily Burn. In the interest of editorial disclosure and integrity, the reader should know that this site is owned and operated by Daily Burn.

The post Toaster Squats and 6 More Kitchen-Ready Moves appeared first on Life by Daily Burn.

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This workout comes to you from Daily Burn 365 trainer Cheri Paige Fogleman. For more new, no-equipment workouts every day, head to DailyBurn.com/365.

Did you know that Teddy Roosevelt boxed? Or, that George W. Bush ran marathons? It appears that just like us, U.S. presidents often turn to exercise to work up a healthy sweat and maybe even kick stress to the curb. So this year, we decided to dedicate a Presidents Day Workout to the commanders-in-chief who knew how to throw a punch, swing a bat, bowl strikes and more.

RELATED: Hate Sit-Ups? Try the 5-Minute Plank Challenge

To help you sweat just like a leaders of the free world, Daily Burn 365 trainer Cheri Paige Fogleman has dreamed up two circuits that honor our most athletic presidents to date. But first, spend three minutes jogging in place to wake up your muscles (or try this longer dynamic warm-up), and then hop to it. Your presidential mission: Two circuits, 20 minutes start-to-finish.

RELATED: The 12 Move Total-Body Workout: The Daily Burn Dozen

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The Ultimate President’s Day Workout

Circuit I:
Perform each exercise for 44 seconds (one second for each of the 44 presidents!), then rest for 15 seconds between moves. Complete two rounds.

1. Football High Knees (Gerald Ford)
Recruited to play on the NFL Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions, President Gerald Ford could have been a gridiron star instead of a politician! Perform lateral high knees for five steps to the right, then perform them for five steps to the left. Repeat.

2. BBall Free Throw Squat (Barack Obama)
President Obama’s got game when it comes to basketball. Squat down and pretend to shoot a free throw as you stand up. Feeling good? Jump as you stand up and “shoot.”

3. Fast Feet (George W. Bush)
Did you know the “Dubya” once ran a marathon in less than four hours? Get speedy by sprinting in place.

4. Bowling Front Lunge (Richard Nixon)
Strike! President Richard Nixon loved bowling so much that he installed an alley in the White House. Lunge forward and pretend to bowl a ball with the arm opposite your front foot. Alternate.

5. Baseball Bat Chop (Jimmy Carter)
Navy veteran President Jimmy Carter swung for the fences in high school. Pretend you are holding a bat and lift your arms above your head, then perform a diagonal chop to engage your oblique muscles.

Circuit II:
Perform each exercise for 44 seconds (a second for every president), then rest for 15 seconds between moves. Complete two rounds.

1. Kneeling Swimming Strokes (Ronald Reagan)
President Reagan saved 77 lives when he worked as a lifeguard! Kneel down on the floor, and circle your arms back to front, like you’re swimming freestyle. Alternate sides.

2. Jiu-Jitsu Hips (Teddy Roosevelt)
Training with Japanese jiu-jitsu helped keep President Roosevelt sharp while he served his term. Make like Teddy and lay on the floor with arms extended to the side and your knees just slightly bent. Cross your right leg over the left thigh, digging your right heel into the ground and letting your right hip come off the ground. Now put pressure on your right heel and lift your bottom slightly off the floor, sliding your left leg out from underneath your right and preparing to twist your hips to the other side. Next, repeat on the other side by crossing your left leg over the right.

3. Wrestling Crawl (Abraham Lincoln)
Way over four score and seven years ago, President Lincoln was a talented wrestler. (Yes, it’s true!) Crouch on your hands and knees and crawl forward three steps, then move backward three steps.

Want more quick and easy workouts you can do at home? Click here to get Daily Burn 365, free for 30 days.

Note to reader: The content in this article relates to the core service offered by Daily Burn. In the interest of editorial disclosure and integrity, the reader should know that this site is owned and operated by Daily Burn.

The post The Epic Presidents Day Workout History Buffs Will Love appeared first on Life by Daily Burn.

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Looking for a quickie workout that will leave your whole body feeling the burn? We’ve got you covered. This 22-minute workout from Daily Burn 365 trainer Prince Braithwaite will work you from your biceps to your booty. Even better: Combined with a warm-up and cool down, you’ll be in and out of your sweat session in less than 30 minutes flat. We’re pretty sure everybody’s got time for that!

RELATED: Daily Burn 365: New Workouts, 7 Days a Week

The 22-Minute Total-Body Workout

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Circuit 1

Repeat 3X, rest 15 sec between moves

Jumping jacks (20 sec): Do full jumping jacks for 20 seconds. For a lower-impact version, step out with one foot at a time as you raise and lower your arms.

Quick feet (20 sec): Run in place, moving your feet as quickly as possible, for 20 seconds. Pump your arms as you go.

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Air slams (20 sec): Imagine you’re holding a ball and raise your arms overhead. Then squat down as you pretend to slam the ball towards the ground. Keep your torso upright and back straight throughout. Repeat.

RELATED: Hate Sit-Ups? Try the 5-Minute Plank Challenge

Circuit 2

Repeat 1X, rest 15 sec between moves

Squat to deadlift (60 sec): Perform a squat then return to standing. Hinge forward from your hips, keeping your legs straight and back flat. As you hinge, squeeze between your shoulder blades to raise your arms out to your sides. Lower your arms, return to standing, and repeat.

Lunges (60 sec): Perform forward lunges on alternating legs. Your hands can be at your hips, or you can extend your arms straight up into the air.

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Push-up reach (60 sec): Start in a full plank position then lower your body down to the floor. Extend your arms forward, keeping your core engaged, then pull them back under your shoulders. Return to plank position. To modify, lower your knees to the ground as you raise and lower your body.

RELATED: Need a Cardio Fix? Try This 5-Minute Kickboxing Workout

Circuit 3

Repeat 3X, rest 15 sec between intervals

Criss-cross jacks (20 sec): Instead of regular jumping jacks, criss-cross your arms (keeping them in front of your chest) and legs as you go. For a low-impact version, step instead of jump.

High knees (20 sec): Jog in place bringing your knees up to your chest as you go. For a low-impact version, step in place while bringing your knees up.

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Half burpees (20 sec): Start in a standing position, then walk your hands into plank position. From plank position, walk your feet towards your hands, then come up into a low squat position. Plant hands on the floor, then walk feet back into plank position and repeat.

RELATED: Pulse, Plank, Plie: The Barre Workout You Can Do at Home

Circuit 4

Repeat 1X, rest 15 sec between moves

Single-leg glute bridges (60 sec): Lie flat on your back, arms planted on the floor. Lift one leg, extending it straight, then engage your glutes to raise your butt off the ground. Lower back down to the floor, switch legs and repeat.

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Crawl to shoulder tap (60 sec): Start in standing position. Walk your hands out until you’re in plank position. Tap your right shoulder with your left hand, and then tap your left shoulder with your right hand, keeping your torso as still as possible. Walk your feet back to your hands, and return to standing position, repeat. 

Push planks (60 sec): Get into a plank position on your hands, then lower one forearm, then the other, so you’re in a forearm plank. Continue to alternate between forearm plank and full plank. To modify, keep your knees on the ground.

RELATED: The Louis Van Amstel Dance Workout You Need in Your Life

Circuit 5: Ab Series

Repeat 1X, rest 15 sec between moves

Crunches (30 sec): Perform standard crunches for 30 seconds.

Crunch hold (30 sec): Hold your crunch, with shoulders off the ground and core engaged, for 30 seconds.

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Russian twists (30 sec): Begin in a seated position, feet planted on the ground in front of you, knees bent. Clasp your hands in front of your torso. Raise your feet a few inches of the ground then pivot your torso to touch your hands to the ground on the right, then left, switching sides. Too tough? Keep feet planted on the ground as you twist.

Side plank (30 sec each side): Hold a forearm side plank, switching sides after 30 seconds. To modify, lower your bottom knee to the ground.

Swimmers (30 sec): Lie flat on your stomach, arms and legs extended. Squeeze your glutes and back muscles to pull your arms and legs off the ground, paddling your limbs in a swimming motion. Keep your gaze focused towards the ground throughout.

The post The 22-Minute Workout You Need to Try Right Now appeared first on Life by Daily Burn.

These moves come to you from Daily Burn 365 trainer Phoenix Carnevale. For the complete workout (and a new workout every day!) click here. 

Ronda Rousey isn’t the only one throwing punches these days. Here at Daily Burn, we channeled our inner fighter when Frankie Edgar, former UFC Champion, stepped out of the Octagon and into the DB365 gym. (Missed it? Head to DailyBurn.com to see the complete routine!) From jabs and kicks to blocks and uppercuts, check out the highlight reel above for a few of our favorite moves from Frankie "The Answer" Edgar and Daily Burn trainer Phoenix Carnevale. Then, read on for training tips to help get you closer to the real thing!

RELATED: Daily Burn 365: New Workouts, 7 Days A Week

Tap In: Why We're All About MMA

But first, you might be thinking: Why step foot in the cage? “I am constantly living out my action hero fantasies on a daily basis,” says Carnevale, who has been training in MMA for 10 years. “Honestly, it has nothing to do with the fighting and more to do with the fact that I watched way too many action movies as a kid!”

And all of that punching and kicking is good for more than self-defense — MMA training is a great way to keep your body in tip-top shape for whatever life throws your way. “You’re always working all of your muscles in multiple planes of motion,” Carnevale says. “Rather than being in a steady state [like when running on a treadmill], you’re adding power, speed and agility… It’s like being on a roller coaster ride as opposed to a long car ride.”

Even if you’re not ready to crawl into the Octagon, you can still include some MMA-style moves into your next sweat sesh. Fitness newbies, we’re looking at you, too. These three beginner-friendly moves from Carnevale will work your whole body while simulating the same offensive and defensive MMA movements that the pros use.

3 MMA Moves to Ramp Up Your Fitness

1. Glute Bridge
Targets: Glutes, quads
Fighters need a powerful base, and this move will hit up the glutes and legs like no other. Ground game, strong.
How to: Lift your hips off the ground and roll on to one shoulder while reaching upwards with your arm. If you feel too unbalanced, simply lift your hips up and down at a controlled pace and don’t worry about moving your shoulders. Repeat 10 times on each side.

2. Forward Lunge with Kick
Targets: Quads, hamstrings
On the offense, you’re going to want to be able to move toward your opponent. Pretend to do that here with the forward lunge.
How to: Holding your arms in front of your torso, step forward and perform a lunge. Shift your weight to your back foot and step back, lifting your front foot and kicking it straight out in front of out. Repeat 10 times on each side.

3. Roundhouse Kick
Targets: Glutes, hamstrings, core
Hi-yah! This devastating MMA move requires the whole body to work in tandem. Like swinging a baseball bat, you'll be using the rotation of your body to generate force.
How to: Step to the right side and perform a shallow squat. Bring your right foot back in and kick your left leg to the side, punching out your left arm at the same time. Repeat 10 times on each side.

Want more quick and easy MMA moves you can do at home? Click here to see the full 30-minute, no-equipment workout.

Note to reader: The content in this article relates to the core service offered by Daily Burn. In the interest of editorial disclosure and integrity, the reader should know that this site is owned and operated by Daily Burn.

The post 3 MMA Moves Even YOU Can Do appeared first on Life by Daily Burn.

You’ve seen her on Orange Is the New Black and That 70s Show, but now actress Laura Prepon is making a name for herself in a whole new arena — nutrition. With the release of her book The Stash Plan, Prepon and co-author Elizabeth Troy, R.D., aim to make healthy eating and meal prep accessible to everyone. “The first thing I teach my friends is kitchen confidence,” Prepon says. “Anybody can cook. If you can boil water and you have a pot, you can cook.”

Healthy eating didn’t always come so easy to Prepon, who spent much of her 20s struggling with weight gain, digestive issues and fatigue. “I was the queen of crash diets,” says Prepon, a recent guest on Daily Burn 365 (catch the complete show here). She’d tried everything from veganism to the cabbage soup cleanse — and before her first day shooting Orange Is the New Black, she writes, “I think I starved myself for a full 40 hours.”

RELATED: 20 Meal Prep Tips from the Best Preppers We Know

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Laura Prepon’s Meal Prep Plan

Long days on TV sets meant Prepon mastered the art of meal prepping early in her career. But it wasn’t until she met Troy — a nutritionist, yoga instructor and practitioner of Chinese Meridian Theory — that she found a way of eating that worked for her. Troy’s philosophy focused on the idea of eating and exercising in a way that support your liver and gallbladder. “The two organs responsible for burning fat and detoxing the body are the liver and gallbladder,” Prepon says. “…Once you go on The Stash Plan, you start healing and you start getting these organs to functioning properly.”

The gist of the plan: Meal prep so that you can eat minimally processed, organic, non-GMO foods 80 percent of the time. “We teach you to stash at home and bring your food with you so you’re in control of what you’re eating and how it’s going to make you feel,” Prepon says. “Eighty percent of the time you should be on your stash and know that you’re going to feel good and be healing yourself from the inside out.”

RELATED: 12 Brilliant Meal Prep Ideas to Free Up Your Time

You won’t be stuck in the kitchen all day, every day, with Prepon’s method, either. You’ll meal prep two days a week — on Sundays and Wednesdays — and have enough food to, yup, stash, for the rest of the time. Meal plans focus on a well-rounded mix of protein, carbohydrates (like brown rice and sweet potatoes) and vegetables. The Stash Plan contains complete meal plans and recipes for savory dishes like “No-Bull” Bison Patties, Garlic-Roasted Beets, Herb roasted Sweet Potato Home Fries.

Another important component of the plan: Consuming bone broth on the regular. Prepon says if she could only bring one food with her to prison, it would be, “Bone broth, hands down.”

RELATED: To Sip or Not to Sip: The Benefits of Bone Broth

You won’t find any hardcore HIIT workouts associated with this diet, either. For exercise, Prepon and Troy advocate 20 minutes of Troy’s Stretching Muscle Meridian Method per day (detailed in the book), combined with light cardio like running, biking or walking. Stick with the plan and 21-days later, Prepon says, “You actually have energy and you’ll [feel] healthy and vibrant.”

Want fresh fitness and nutrition tips every day, served up alongside a LIVE workout? Visit DailyBurn.com/365 for a free 30-day trial. 

The post The Stash Plan: How to Meal Prep Like Laura Prepon appeared first on Life by Daily Burn.

Think it would be easier to make it to the gym if you were, say, a celebrity? Taye Diggs, star of TNT’s Murder in the First and cult favorites like Private Practice and Will & Grace, begs to differ.

“When I was younger, I was that dude who could easily spend three hours in the gym every day, no problem,” says Diggs, who recently appeared as a guest on Daily Burn 365. “Between the workout, basketball and the steam room, I truly used my gym thoroughly.”

But as life got busier, his hours at the gym got shorter and shorter. “Now I’ve got a six-year-old kid and a baby mama!” Diggs, author of children’s books Mixed Me and Chocolate Me, says. “So it went from six days a week to three days a week, if I’m lucky — and from three hour workouts to 45 minutes workouts!”

RELATED: Daily Burn 365: New Workouts, 7 Days a Week

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Balancing Fitness and Fatherhood the Taye Diggs Way

To maximize his time, Diggs works out with a trainer who takes him through intense circuit workouts combining strength training, boxing (his favorite) and cardio. “I need to relieve stress and hit it hard, and feel like I’ve been to work afterwards. Or you know I’ll end up killing somebody!” Diggs laughs.

Like many parents, when it comes to mealtime, Diggs finds himself reaching for whatever his son doesn’t finish. He’ll supplement his breakfast with a protein shake and then will try to stick with chicken and salad for dinner. The one constant: “Definitely wine before bed,” Diggs says. (We feel ya, Taye.)

RELATED: The 5-Minute Ab Workout to Strengthen Your Core

Despite his hectic schedule, making time to eat healthy and stay fit helps him manage his stress — and maintain the physique he’s known for. “I’ve never been the type of person who’s thought he had to go to the gym and now I just have to or I can’t look the way I want to look,” Diggs acknowledges. “I’ve already made some compromises, but I will not let wine out of my diet!” Instead, he’s started swapping chips with nuts when snacking around the house, and tries to add a little extra cardio to his workout routine. “I’m very vain so that helps,” he jokes. 

Want to work out with more awesome guests like Taye Diggs? Click here for a free 30-day trial of Daily Burn 365.

The post What It’s Like to Hit the Gym with Actor Taye Diggs appeared first on Life by Daily Burn.

For most, the number zero implies emptiness, loss and maybe even heartache. But for Laila Ali, it’s the most glorious number in the world. With twenty-four wins and zero losses, the number signifies Ali’s perfect record untarnished by a single defeat, solidifying her mark as a boxing legend.

Equally important to Ali, though, is her legacy as a mom, a motivator and an advocate for women in sports. The daughter of boxing great Muhammad Ali is also paying it forward by getting kids interested in sports through initiatives like the USTA’s Youth Tennis. (That’s right, if she didn’t end up boxing, Ali says she would have given Serena and Venus a run for their money!)

RELATED: Daily Burn 365: New Workouts, 7 Days a Week

En route to World Tennis Day, the four-time World Champion boxer stopped by Daily Burn 365 to talk confidence, HIIT workouts and her number one motivator…cake. Plus get her favorite smoothie recipe, and find out how many push-ups she can do in a single workout. Spoiler alert: It is impressive.

What inspired you to first get into boxing? Did you feel pressure — or reluctance to — get into boxing because of the legacy of your father?

It’s hard to describe the feeling when you see something and you automatically just want to do it. I’ve always been the fighting type. I’ve always been competitive. All that and the fact that it’s in my genes; it’s in my blood. When I saw women’s boxing for the first time I was just automatically excited by it and wanted to do it. So I just went in there and started training.

You mention genetics — is it fair for people to credit so much of your athletic success to that?

Definitely. The speed at which I was able to learn and the way things came to me naturally definitely had something to do with that. It’s in you. The confidence that it takes, the mindset that it takes, the way that I’m physically built, my instinctual movement in the ring. There are certain things that can’t be taught, that you just have naturally, so that made it a lot easier. Obviously, it wasn’t just the genetics alone, though. It takes a lot of hard work, repetition, discipline and focus, all of those things.

RELATED: 19 Reasons to Work Out (Beyond the Perfect Body)

Would you ever get nervous before a fight?

No, that’s one thing thankfully that never happened to me. I usually get calm and abnormally relaxed. That said, anyone who’s going to be around you has to know there’s a certain way to act around a fighter. There are certain things you don’t talk about because you can get a little on edge.

Where would your mind go before you got in the ring?

To be honest, cake [laughs]. After a fight I’d always have a whole cake waiting for me in my dressing room. I’d have to make lots of sacrifices training for a fight, including eating food and sweets that I like in order to make weight. So I would look at my cake before I left the room and I’d be like ‘I’ll be back in 20 minutes or less. I’m about to go knock this girl out so I can come back and get that cake.’ And that was my inspiration. I would just envision myself winning and eating that cake…rum cake, red velvet cake, you name it.

[caption id="attachment_48331" align="alignnone" width="620"] Photo Courtesy of Laila Ali[/caption]

And it worked: 24 wins, 21 knockouts. Confidence is something that’s clearly worked to your advantage.

I used to always say before I fought that I’ve already won the fight. I would visualize myself in the ring and visualize myself winning. I really did feel like there was absolutely no way I could lose. In life, I’m not an overly confident person, but with boxing, it was different. I truly believed ‘this is my ring, it’s the one thing I own’ and I knew that for sure with every cell in my body. That’s a hard thing for people to compete against, that type of belief in yourself. Not to mention my bloodline and the fact that I had [so many resources] available to me an elite athlete. I had the best trainers, I had the best of everything. I was pretty intimidating, I’m not gonna lie. [laughs]

You’re a big fan of high-intensity interval training. What’s a typical workout like for you?

I like to mix it up. I have a home gym, which I love. I don’t need to brush my teeth or do my hair if I don’t want to. I’ll put my music on, and zone out. First, I’ll hit my heavy bag for about 15 minutes just to warm up — intensely though. Then I’ll get on my StairMaster for 15 to 30 minutes, taking it from level six all the way up to level 15 — I’ll just go up and down to keep shocking my body. I don’t stay at 15 long — 20 seconds max because you’re running up the stairs at that point.

Then I’ll get on my treadmill and do some sprinting or I’ll do some free weights, depending on what I’m working on. One thing I always incorporate are push-ups, modified push-ups, sit-ups, squats. If I don’t do weights then I’ll make sure to go hard with push-ups. I might do a burn out — 250 push-ups total. But not all at once, I might do sets of 20 and keep counting up. It just keeps my arms nice. At this point in my life, I don’t want to start something that I’m not going to keep up. When I was fighting I had to. But now I try to find ways that I can work out that are fun for me and that I enjoy. Some days that’s running, so I’ll get out and do five miles — sometimes you just don’t want to have to think.

RELATED: 3 Quick HIIT Workouts for Beginners

What does your diet look like?

I eat clean. I try to eat an alkaline diet, 70 to 80 percent alkaline foods just to keep my body’s pH balance right. I try to always have something raw and something fermented on my plate. And I try to reduce the amount of protein that I eat. From time to time I’ll do a vegetarian meal. A typical lunch might be a salad, with lots of colors in there: some red cabbage, asparagus, avocado, maybe salmon. I make my own salad dressing, too, so I know exactly what’s in there. When I do eat carbs I try to stick to sweet potato, brown rice, soba noodles — complex carbs like that.

What’s your go-to post-workout snack?

Smoothies are great — that’s what I have for breakfast, actually. After I work out that’s the first time I really eat during the day. I like to train on an empty stomach, to help burn more fat, and I personally just prefer not to have anything in my stomach [before a workout].

Laila Ali’s Post-Workout Super Green Smoothie Recipe

[caption id="attachment_48353" align="alignnone" width="620"] Photo by Perry Santanachote[/caption]

Ingredients

2 cups frozen organic kale or spinach
2 scoops protein powder (Laila likes One World Whey)
1 tablespoon coconut oil or almond butter
1 tablespoon maca powder
1 tablespoon cacao
1 tablespoon super green mix (optional)
1 cup water
4-5 ice cubes

Instructions

1. Blend in a Vitamix until smooth and creamy.

What do you say to someone who has trouble getting out the door and to the gym on busy days?

In my mind, I’m always thinking: ‘You’ve got to pay the cost to be the boss.’ I tell my friends who are like, ‘You look so good!’…if you want to look good, you have to work. Anybody fit is putting in work. They’re making the sacrifice. If you want to sit around and slather butter on your bread and complain about your muffin top — I say there’s got to be balance. Anyone who knows me knows that I love to eat. On Fridays if I’m ordering pizza for my kids, I’m eating pizza, too! And that’s OK because I know I eat clean the majority of the time, and I work out. I was on the plane on my way here eating the sourdough bread. I’m not going to beat myself up about it because I don’t do it on a regular basis. You’ve got to have a cheat day here and there, or find a way you can enjoy food in your life. You don’t have to eat food that tastes like cardboard.

I try to encourage people to pay attention to why they should be eating healthy as opposed to just trying to be thin. When you understand how important it is to eat whole foods and the nutrition that you get from it, then you’ll be more likely to think about the good things you can add into your diet to crowd out the things you don’t need to be eating.

RELATED: 7 Days of Clean Eating, Made Simple

What’s the biggest lesson your father taught you?

When I think about my dad, the one thing I’m most proud of is that he stands up for what he believes in, no matter what it is, and no matter who agrees or disagrees with him. He didn’t need an army of people or an entourage behind him. He did what he knew was right and he had faith to know that no matter what he was going to be OK. That took a tremendous amount of courage back then, to always be able to look yourself in the mirror. And now he’s one of the most loved, respected men in the world… For me, the biggest lesson he taught me was to stand up for what you believe in and do what you know is right.

To watch Laila Ali’s complete appearance on Daily Burn 365 (and try the workout!), click here.

The post In the Locker Room with Laila Ali appeared first on Life by Daily Burn.

[caption id="attachment_48238" align="alignnone" width="600"] Photo (left): Ryan Kelly / Daily Burn 365[/caption]

For fitness instructor and Daily Burn 365 trainer Erika Shannon, eating is all about satisfying her palate — and powering through the eight workout classes she teaches each week. “I need it for brainpower and physical stamina,” Shannon says.

But just because she eats clean most days, doesn’t mean she’s immune to cravings. “Like a lot of people, I’m an emotional eater. I eat because I think I ‘deserve it’ or I’ll eat because I’m tired,” she says. That’s why she tries not to banish anything from her diet — and makes sure to eat a little chocolate every single day. “If I deprive myself, I’ll want to go overboard,” she says.

Being a fitness instructor doesn’t give her license to “eat whatever” either, she notes. “I eat often because if I wait to long I get hangry and impatient and will eat whatever’s there,” she says. Carefully measuring her portions — a habit she’s picked up as a lifelong member of Weight Watchers — helps her avoid going overboard on trigger foods like cereal, too.

Want a peek inside her pantry? Here’s what this fitness instructor (and mom!) eats in a typical day.

RELATED: Daily Burn 365: New Workouts, 7 Days a Week

My Food Diary: Daily Burn 365 Trainer Erika 

Breakfast: Egg with hot sauce on top of sprouted grain bread with a piece of bacon and an orange
Talk about a breakfast of champions! “Breakfast is an important meal for me,” Shannon says. She calls this plate her “ultimate combo”: Something functional (protein-packed eggs), something that makes her feel like she’s getting a treat (bacon!) and something that satisfies her sweet tooth (the orange).

RELATED: 21 Meal Prep Pics from the Healthiest People on Instagram

Coffee: Black, mixed with a teaspoon of coconut oil
Reading about the anti-inflammatory benefits of coconut oil inspired Shannon to start mixing a teaspoon of it with her coffee every day. “Healthy fats and healthy oils are really essential to good health,” she says. Blended in her Magic Bullet, she says this mixture is frothy and sweet — and tastes great.

RELATED: Bulletproof Coffee and the Case for Butter as a Health Food

Snack: Apple
This trainer’s rule of thumb: Always have a snack on hand. Fruit often satisfies her dessert cravings, too. “I don’t keep a lot of sweets in my house, today an apple was sweet enough for me,” she says.

Lunch: Romaine salad with tuna, cannellini beans, tomatoes and lemon-vinaigrette dressing with a green juice
“Lunch is usually on-the-go or at home working, so I want to keep it on the lighter side so I can still move my body, nothing too heavy,” Shannon says. Working from home makes it tricky to avoid snacking all day, so she makes sure to include a filling protein in every meal. “The refrigerator and cabinets are really close by but I eat and walk away,” she says.

RELATED: How to Stop Food Cravings in 10 Minutes or Less

Snack: Chocolate chia pudding
“I ate the whole thing, because YOLO,” Shannon says of this sweet snack. By eating a little bit of chocolate every day, Shannon says she never feels bad about indulging.

RELATED: 10 Delicious Chia Seed Pudding Recipes

Dinner: Slow-cooked chicken fajitas with onion, red pepper and black beans, topped with light shredded cheese and a side of avocado and a quinoa/brown rice blend
Dinnertime is a two-part production as Shannon typically feeds her three-year-old daughter first and makes a separate meal for her and her husband to enjoy later. “I chew gum while I make my daughter’s dinner,” Shannon admits. “She doesn’t eat everything on her plate so it’s very easy to have those little bites of Annie’s Mac and Cheese, which I call ‘Crack and Cheese!' ...I need to call in the Trident troops!”

For her meal, Shannon tries to avoid eating red meat or anything too heavy or she finds it interferes with her sleep at night. “And my main goal is to sleep well!” she says.

RELATED: What RDs Really Eat: Daily Burn Coach Nora Minno’s Meal Plan

Dessert: Six dark chocolate-covered almonds
The key to dominating dessert without feeling guilty: “I take six almonds at a time and put the thing away!” Shannon says. “If I keep it in front of me, I’ll mindlessly eat them.”

Want to work out with Erika Shannon? Head to DailyBurn.com/365 for your free 30-day trial.

Note to reader: The content in this article relates to the core service offered by Daily Burn. In the interest of editorial disclosure and integrity, the reader should know that this site is owned and operated by Daily Burn.

The post What This Trainer and Mom Eats in a Day appeared first on Life by Daily Burn.

[caption id="attachment_48683" align="alignnone" width="620"] Photo: Pond5[/caption]

The following moves come to you from Daily Burn 365 trainer Gregg Cook. To try his complete workouts, head to DailyBurn.com/365.

Ever launch into a workout prematurely, only to become hyper-aware of every…single…ache and pain in your body? (Slowly raises hand.) Because when time is short, it’s natural to want to jump right in and skip your warm-up. But don’t! Many studies show your strength, mobility and speed might suffer.

RELATED: The 5 Keys to a Perfect Warm-Up

Enter: DailyBurn 365’s mobility guru Gregg Cook, and the five-minute dynamic warm-up he lives by in preparation for every workout. These seven moves will keep you loose, mobile and ready to take on just about any sweat session, whether it’s True Beginner, Black Fire or just about anything in between.

According to Cook, his signature warm-up is a “gentle, joint-by-joint progression that’s great for anyone just getting up in the morning or someone’s who has been sitting at a desk all day.” In both situations, he explains, you’re left with tight, stiff joints that need dynamic stretching to relax a bit.

“With these seven key moves, you’ll warm and prep your muscles, tendons, joints and fascia for your upcoming workout, in addition to practicing fundamental movement patterns and increasing mobility within those patterns,” Cook says. So don’t expect to hold a quad stretch for minutes on end. In this style of warm-up, the goal is to “move in all planes of motion, with an emphasis on increased range of motion,” he says. Better mobility, better workout, better results, right?

RELATED: Daily Burn 365: Get New Workouts, 7 Days a Week

Your 5-Minute Dynamic Warm-Up

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1. Shoulder Rolls
Kick tension to the curb by rotating shoulders in big, circular motions; first forward, then back. Be sure to stand tall while keeping your upper body relaxed.

RELATED: 5 Essential Benefits of Mobility Training

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2. Chest Openers
Keep your core engaged and chest wide open as you counteract any hunching (like if you sit at a desk all day) with this stretch-strengthening combo move.

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3. Lateral Reaches
This long reach, completed on each side, give you a deep stretch through the rib cage and down to the hip. Avoid collapsing on the downswing!

RELATED: The 5-Minute Ab Workout You Need Now

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4. Standing Hip Rotations
Get your heart-rate and keep knees bent as you reach across your body, loosening your obliques while getting your heart rate up.

[caption id="attachment_44195" align="alignnone" width="620"] GIF: Daily Burn 365[/caption]

5. Sumo Squats
Activate your entire lower body with this wide-stance take on the traditional squat. Since you drop lower, it also requires you to work your core — and focus on your balance.

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6. Runner's Stretch
Getting deep into your hips — as well as your hamstrings — keeps the movement fluid. For a greater challenge, start with your back leg raised.

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7. Mini Fencer to Crab Reach
The first part of this stretch focuses on activating your lower body — just make sure the activated knee is ahead of the toe. Then, reach under to engage your shoulders and lats, finishing the move with twist to open the chest.

Ready for your first sweat session? Head to DailyBurn.com/365 for new workouts every day — free for 30 days!

Originally posted October 2015. Updated March 2016. 

The post The Dynamic Warm-Up You Aren’t Doing (But Should!) appeared first on Life by Daily Burn.

Real talk: It can be hard to prioritize self-care. But that’s exactly what acclaimed yoga teacher and inspirational speaker Kathryn Budig hopes you’ll do after picking up her new book, Aim True.

This is far from your average self-help book, though. Budig, a recent guest on Daily Burn 365, created her workbook-style book to be truly interactive. Within its pages, you’ll find quizzes, mad libs and other activities designed to help you work towards goals while banishing negative self-talk from your vocabulary. Bonus: There are tons of yoga sequences and 85 downright delicious recipes, too.

We got the scoop from Budig on healthy traveling, why body positivity is so important and her vision for a more body-positive fitness industry. (Plus, if you want to work out with her, you can here!)

RELATED: Daily Burn 365: New Workouts, 7 Days a Week

[caption id="attachment_48663" align="alignnone" width="620"] Photos: Ryan Kelly / William Morrow[/caption]

Kathryn Budig: A Journey to Empowered Living

On her mission of spreading body positivity…

I lived in Los Angeles for eight years, and body image is such a big deal there. It’s a city that focused on aesthetics. In the health world, you are praised if you look a certain way. And I found myself feeling really bad about myself even though I was in good shape. I saw people around me who were torturing themselves and who were treating their bodies in unloving ways. Seeing other people struggle is what encouraged me to speak up about it and to plant these seeds of body positivity…We aren’t these "meat suits" — we are the essence that animates it. We need to stop focusing so much on how we look.

RELATED: 5 Ways to Banish Negative Self-Talk for Good

On yoga’s effect on body positivity…

The yoga practice is incredible because it really encourages you to accept exactly who you are and where you are with life. It’s a practice that encourages non-judgment. It was really great for me because when I got into teaching yoga in California, I was going on all these auditions in Hollywood. It was remarkable to see the difference between the two worlds. Hollywood was telling me to lose weight and be prettier, and the yoga practice was telling me ‘hey, you’re great, you’re lovely exactly as you are.’ Plus, it makes your body feel so good. By the end of a practice, I always, always feel better. Taking time out of your day to move and breath and set intention…It’s really nice to have a “mind douche” where all the stuff that’s bothering you gets flushed out.

On how to combat insecurities…

When we allow ourselves to make comments about ourselves, it radiates a negative energy. Take your power back! Be really careful with your words. You saying something about yourself isn’t going to get you anywhere except farther down this self-deprecating spiral you’re already on. At the end of the day, [staying body positive] is work. It’s not like you can say, “I love myself” and feel better. It’s a conscious decision to watch what you say out loud. Retrain your brain. You might not be 100 percent happy with how you look right now but that doesn’t mean this is permanent or that there’s nothing you can do to feel good.

"I would love to see people in the fitness world speak more openly about what healthy actually looks like."

RELATED: Don’t Think You Have a Yoga Body? Here’s Why It Doesn’t Matter

On aesthetics in the fitness industry…

I would love to see people in the fitness world speak more openly about what healthy actually looks like. It’s not abs. It’s not a certain weight or dress size. We are getting a little better about it … But at the same time, I would like to see more role models not change the way they look in order to be on the cover of a magazine. What we are putting out there are these highly polished versions of people who have been dieting for 30 days, and acting like they work out regularly and eat well. Go get photographed and be OK if it doesn’t look 100 percent perfect. That’s still really beautiful.

On staying healthy while traveling…

I pack a lot of goodies with me. I bring my essential oils, enzymes and probiotics. I’ll always have a reusable water bottle with me to stay hydrated. It’s hard eating on the road but you know, I enjoy food, too. I can’t be as strict with my eating regimen but I don’t focus on what I can’t have. I like to enjoy regional cuisines.

On staying balanced with social media…

I’ve been making a concerted effort to only be on my phone when I need to. I’ll try to cut off a chunk of time and dedicate that to emails. Those will be my “office hours.” Then I’ll try and step away for the rest of the day.

As far as social media goes, I try to post things that are interesting. I never feel pressures to stay up to date. I think social media is a beautiful way to spread messages, but it’s a dangerous place because people are negative and often quite rude. I just refuse to let that get under my skin. It’s a waste of energy for me to allow people to hurt me. It’s not taking any power away form me unless I allow it.

Missed Kathryn Budig on Daily Burn 365? You can catch her appearance (plus a full, no-equipment workout!) at DailyBurn.com/guest/kathrynbudig.

The post Kathryn Budig on Body Positivity and Aiming True appeared first on Life by Daily Burn.

She might be pint-sized, but Tony-nominated actress Shalita Grant packs a punch. Best known for her role on CBS’s NCIS: New Orleans, the 27-year-old is no stranger to the gym (deadlift proof here). And her commitment to fitness isn’t just about looking good as NCIS Agent Sonja Percy.

“By doing my own stunts, I’m saying ‘Hey women, I see you. We can do this and we’re just as good,’” she told host JD Roberto before breaking a sweat on Daily Burn 365.

RELATED: Daily Burn 365: New Workouts, 7 Days a Week

“In my industry it’s important for women to look a certain way. But I said to myself I’m not going to play that game. I’m going to be strong — I’m not going to be skinny.” And Grant isn’t afraid to go hard to reach her goals. “I lift weights — heavy weights — and I lift my own bodyweight doing pull-ups.” Kicking down doors, taking names — it’s just par for the course.

Watch Grant’s strength, speed and survival skills get put to the test in the #DB365 Obstacle Course challenge above. And for new, live workouts daily, head to DailyBurn.com/365.

The post NCIS’s Shalita Grant: Stealth, Smart and Strong as Hell appeared first on Life by Daily Burn.

[caption id="attachment_48854" align="alignnone" width="620"] Photo: Ryan Kelly / Daily Burn 365[/caption]

You’ve snapped a selfie before. But have you ever sent your selfie to over 400,000 people? Perez Hilton has, and he does it every single Sunday on Instagram. Yup, Hilton, creator of the massively popular, eponymous celebrity gossip site, posts a shirtless selfie every Sunday to hold himself accountable to his fitness goals.

RELATED: Daily Burn 365: New Workouts, 7 Days a Week

A recent guest on Daily Burn 365, Hilton wasn’t always so disciplined with his health. When he was working on PerezHilton.com from a New York City coffee shop during the site’s early days, Hilton started gaining weight from extra snacking. Over time, he began feeling more and more demoralized about his appearance, not to mention his energy level. Hilton knew he needed to make a change. But it wasn’t until 2008 that he really committed to fitness. (Want to work out with him? You can right here.)

Now Hilton’s lifestyle is pretty different from some of the party-hardy celebrities he covers on his site. Booze-fueled benders are few and far between for this father of two. Hilton works out five times a week and prioritizes eating real foods.

“For me, it’s about showing up. Some days I have the worst workouts ever, but at least I know I put in some effort,” said Hilton, after hitting a full-body workout on Daily Burn 365. “So long as I’m there and I’m eating healthy, I’m good.” So good, in fact, he had time to finish things off with this no-nonsense circuit, dreamed up by Daily Burn trainer Prince Brathwaite. Its name: "PEREZ," of course.

Fit Perez, IRL: Perez Hilton's Weight Loss Journey

But wait — how’d the famous blogger get on board with fitness to begin with? For Hilton, the first step was literally all about steps. In 2008, he challenged himself to walk for 30 minutes a day, five days a week. “I tried so many times before…I wanted to approach it in a real, achievable way,” Hilton told Life by Daily Burn. “After a month, I saw results, and results are the greatest motivator.”

RELATED: Power Walkers: 3 Treadmill Workouts Just for You

Next, he changed up his eating habits. “I would cheat so much because it was really hard,” said Hilton. But with positive results, he remained energized and decided to take things up a notch. He started hitting the gym for real and committing to eating clean. “Somebody else might get away with working out every day and eating pizza,” says Hilton, “but that’s not me. I need to work out and eat healthy. Eating healthfully works for me, but everybody’s different.” Now, he rarely strays from his whole foods-focused diet. (Margaritas and alcohol are an occasional treat!)

The hardest part of maintaining progress? “After a while you stop getting compliments,” said Hilton. And nobody’s congratulating us for not gaining weight, either. With a busy schedule full of travel, staying on track can also be tough. That’s where balance comes in: Hilton maintains a healthy diet at home, but allows himself an indulgence or two while on the road.

RELATED: 12 Things Nobody Told Me About Losing Weight

At home, he has two kids to think of, too. “It’s about learning a healthy approach to balance,” said Hilton, who lets his son have not-so-healthy foods at birthday parties and on special occasions, but keeps sweets and fruit juices out of his kitchen. This is a far cry from how Hilton grew up himself, he says. “For my mom, her idea of salad was iceberg lettuce with mayonnaise!”

Today, Hilton has one major fitness goal: Continuing to gain lean muscle. “One of the things people don’t like talking about is, when you lose a lot of weight — and I lost close to 80 pounds — everybody has loose skin,” said Hilton. For him, that means prioritizing resistance workouts that build strength and size.

You can bet he’ll be showing up tomorrow. And the next day. (Just check out those selfies if you need proof!)

Want to work out with Perez Hilton on Daily Burn 365? You can catch the whole no-equipment workout at DailyBurn.com/guest/perezhilton.

The post Why Perez Hilton Posts a Shirtless Selfie Every Sunday appeared first on Life by Daily Burn.

Advertisement: Get inspired by these Daily Burn success stories, which showcase real people who committed to fitness and saw results that were way beyond average.

It was only after trying an extreme three-day fad diet that Danial Winston decided she was done with dieting — for good. The plan, which advocates eating less than 1,400 calories a day— comprised of crazy food combinations like hot dogs and bananas — claims to melt pounds fast. But for Winston, it only made her feel sick. “I thought I’d try it and I did but the sad thing was I wasn’t getting enough calories so it made me light-headed,” Winston says. “I only made it a day-and-a-half and I decided I wasn’t going to do that anymore!”

Weight has been a life-long struggle for the now 31-year-old Winston. “My family has a history of not taking care of themselves,” she says. Despite a pretty healthy diet, and even a consultation with a nutritionist, Winston saw her weight steadily increase throughout her 20s and after getting married.

The one thing that seemed to help: Sticking to a regular exercise routine. So she stocked up on workout DVDs — from dance cardio to Pilates and yoga — and committed to working out. “I constantly changed the DVDs, but my body got used to what I was doing,” Winston says.

After the birth of her first daughter, Winston discovered Daily Burn — and decided to give it a try. She quickly got hooked on Cardio Sculpt, marveling at instructor (and mother-of-two) Judi Brown’s flat abs.

RELATED: Daily Burn 365: New Workouts, 7 Days a Week

Getting Back on Track After Babies

But, as with many of us, life got in the way of Winston’s efforts to stay fit. She suffered a miscarriage before becoming pregnant with her second child, a boy, born in May 2014. After dealing with cravings for sweets and red meat throughout her pregnancy, Winston, 5’7” realized she’d hit her peak weight of 294 pounds.

Determined to get back in shape again for the sake of her children, Winston decided to start over with Daily Burn’s True Beginner program. And it wasn’t always easy. “My hips felt broken!” Winston says. “Every time I moved them, they were so stiff…My body was like ‘Owww, owww!’” But after a few weeks, Winston got used to moving again — and soon she was back into the routine of doing Daily Burn every day.

By February 2015, Winston had gotten down to 273 pounds — despite the stress of moving her family (her husband is in the Navy) from Florida to Virginia. “I was happy since when I get stressed, I gain weight,” she says. “Doing Daily Burn every day really helped.”

RELATED: This Mom Lost Weight But Her Non-Scale Victories Are Even Better

Fighting Through a Weight Loss Plateau

After dropping the first 21 pounds, Winston hit the dreaded weight loss plateau. “My body fights me along the way…I don’t get discouraged, but it just becomes kind of annoying,” she says. So when Daily Burn 365 debuted in the fall of 2015, she decided to change up her routine. “If I don’t switch it up, my body gets used to [a workout] in two weeks,” Winston says. The idea of doing brand new workouts every day sounded like the perfect solution.

After tuning in, Winston was hooked. She loved that the daily sessions offered a challenge — but weren’t quite as difficult as some of Daily Burn’s advanced or intermediate workouts. And what really appealed to her was the fact that the 365 class members looked just like her. “There are women there who are shaped the same way as me,” Winston says. “I’m like, ‘Look, look, it’s a real person! Not all of them look all toned and you can tell they’re real people with actual jobs that don’t involve going to the gym!”

RELATED: 5 Easy Ways to Burn Calories at Home

Celebrating Non-Scale Victories

Nearly one year after hitting her plateau, Winston now weighs 234 pounds and has dropped from a size 24 pant to a size 18. “I only have 59 pounds to go to get to goal weight of 175, which I was at when I first met my husband,” she says.

Though she weighs herself every now and then, she doesn’t like to measure all her success by the number on the scale. “Sometimes I take a measuring tape and measure how much my waist or arms have shrunk,” Winston says.

Even more impressive: Her serious strength gains. She can carry around her 22-pound son with ease, and lifting her 50 and 60-pound dogs is no longer a major struggle. Plus, she recently found a new strength training partner when she discovered her newfound ability to “bench press” her 26-pound daughter. Winston laughs, “I was able to do 25 reps of her in the air!”

To learn more about Daily Burn 365 or to try a free 30-day trial, head to DailyBurn.com/365. 

Note to reader: The content in this article relates to the core service offered by Daily Burn. In the interest of editorial disclosure and integrity, the reader should know that this site is owned and operated by Daily Burn. Always talk to your doctor before beginning any exercise or weight loss program. Daily Burn users who worked out for 30 minutes or more at least five times a week for 60 to 90 days reported an average weight loss of about one pound per week.

The post How Daily Burn 365 Got Me Through a Weight Loss Plateau appeared first on Life by Daily Burn.

[caption id="attachment_48942" align="alignnone" width="620"] Photo: Ryan Kelly / Daily Burn[/caption]

This workout comes to you from Daily Burn 365 trainer Cheri Paige Fogleman. For more no-equipment workout moves you can do anytime, anywhere, head to DailyBurn.com/365.

It’s no secret that exercise can be a powerful tool to help you stay healthy (and happy!) during your pregnancy. Plus, it can be a huge help in preparing you for delivery day. “Ultimately, we are training for the major athletic feat of driving through labor and pushing out a baby,” says Cheri Paige Fogleman, Daily Burn 365 trainer who is certified in prenatal fitness through the National Academy of Sports Medicine. “Core strength, breath awareness, cardiovascular health and body awareness all play a role in labor.”

RELATED: Daily Burn 365: New Workouts, 7 Days a Week

But as that baby bump gets bigger, it can be difficult to find exercises that are safe and doable. Fogleman says that many doctors recommend pregnant women stop laying flat on their back during the second trimester since the weight of the baby can compress an important vein (the inferior vena cava) in your back. And of course, you’ll want to stop laying directly on your belly (no more supermans!) since your bump will start getting in the way!

Your best bet for a fit pregnancy: “A feel-good, mobility-based workout that gets the blood flowing and the heart pumping,” says Fogleman. “I’ve found that my balance did shift every day,” she says, noting that regular exercise has made her more aware of her body, while improving her equilibrium, too. Since your body is getting heavier in the front, it’s important to focus on strengthening the your posterior chain (think: glutes, lower back and upper back) so you maintain good posture. These six moves demoed by Fogleman will help you stay energized through pregnancy — no equipment required.

RELATED: 5 Fit Pregnancy Tips from Moms and Moms-to-Be

5 Exercises for a Super Fit Pregnancy

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1. Bird-Dog Variation
Targets: Upper middle back, lower back, glutes, shoulders and hamstrings
This exercise recruits your back muscles without requiring you to lay on your stomach. Inhale while on all fours and exhale as you lift your arms and legs outwards.

[caption id="attachment_48937" align="alignnone" width="620"] Photo: Ryan Kelly / Daily Burn[/caption]

2. Standing Abs
Targets: Obliques and hips
You’ll get extra bang for your buck by doing this exercise standing, since it will require extra stability and core strength. Try to draw your belly button in and exhale as you lift your knee towards your elbow. (“Don’t worry, you aren’t crushing the baby!” says Fogleman.)

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3. Wide Mountain Climbers
Targets: Abs, upper body, hips and quads
Give your bump room by performing slow and deliberate mountain climbers. Remember to breathe, says Fogleman. “Coordinate one exhale for every lift of your knee.”

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4. Side Rotation
Targets: Obliques and upper body
Don’t stress about trying to lift your legs high, says Fogleman. Make sure your knees are drawn up towards your chest, and press your upper arm into the ground to help yourself hover your lower body above the floor. Roll your top shoulder down and away from your ear, so you keep your neck long.

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5. Bench Push-Ups
Targets: Chest, shoulders, abs and quads
This modified push-up allows you to maintain strength without hitting your belly on the ground. Keep a long spine and roll the shoulders away form your ears, says Fogleman. “Think about pushing the bench away from under your armpits.”

Want more no-equipment workouts from Daily Burn trainers? Head to DailyBurn.com/365 for new workouts every day (free for 30 days!). 

The post The Pregnancy Workout You Can Totally Do appeared first on Life by Daily Burn.

[caption id="attachment_49116" align="alignnone" width="620"] Photos: Ryan Kelly / Daily Burn 365[/caption]

We all get by with a little help from our friends, but last week, we met two friends who are doing a little better than simply getting by. Figure skaters Ashley Wagner and Adam Rippon have had a beyond stellar season — Wagner earned the silver medal at the World Championship in April, ending a decade-long medal drought for the American women, and Rippon won his first National title in January.

RELATED: Daily Burn 365: New Workouts, 7 Days a Week

En route to the 2016 Skating With the Stars Gala to benefit Figure Skating in Harlem, the duo stopped by the Daily Burn 365 set to work out with us. Check out their epic rotational squat workout in the video above, then learn how these fierce friends keep each other motivated when the going gets tough.

Off-Ice With Champion Skaters Ashley Wagner and Adam Rippon

Do you think your friendship gives you a competitive edge?

AW: I think so. To be at this level of any sport is incredibly stressful, and so few people really understand what you’re going through. Unless you’re in the middle of it, it’s hard to gauge how difficult it is. To have Adam there and to be able to support him, it makes things a lot more manageable. We push each other, and we keep each other in check. When one person is really stressed out and having a tough day, the other one can bring the other one up. We feed off of each other’s energy and motivate each other.

AR: In a competitive sport, you use a lot of external factors to motivate you. The kind of skate you want to have, a certain placement. It’s good to have those external motivators, but the core reasons really need to be personal. And we remind each other of that daily.

You posted an awesome double unders video on Instagram a while back. Do you train together?

AW: Yes, every morning we warm up with 100 doubles in a row before we get on the ice. It gets the blood flowing, loosens us up and gets the muscles engaged and ready to go. Jumping rope is a full-body exercise and it’s really underrated for how hard it is! It took both of us a while to get to 100.

RELATED: The 15 Most Underrated Exercises, According to Trainers

What else do you do off the ice?

AW: A lot of plyometric work. We do a lot of off-ice drills and jumps to really get the lower body going.

AR: We do a lot of cardio, too. We try to incorporate [cardio and plyo moves] together. On the ice, you want to be as fast and light as possible, and you want to have really good stamina. So that’s really where we put a lot of our energy. We work with a lot of dance choreographers off the ice, and stretch to prevent injuries and to increase flexibility. We want to be really well-rounded athletes.

What makes someone a good workout buddy?

AR: Somebody that keeps the workout fun but also will buckle down and get the work done. If someone feels too focused, it can feel too intense sometimes. But if they’re all over the place, then you won’t get anything done. When we train together, we have a good balance of keeping it light but we also focus in on ourselves.

AW: I’d totally agree with that. You also need someone who’s going to tell you when you’re being a wimp. You can be mentally exhausted but physically you have more left.

How do you get yourself motivated to practice when you’re feeling tired?

AW: The best motivation is to know that if you don’t do it today, it’s going to be twice as hard tomorrow, and the day that, and the day after that. It’s only uphill. So getting it done today is ultimately the lazy option because you’re choosing to make it easier for yourself. I make sure I keep that momentum because it’s 10 times harder once I slow down.

AR: When Ashley and I train together, sometimes I’ll be more tired than her, and I can see her working, and I’m like, “she’s not letting up today, I can’t let up.” I think we feed off of that competitive fire to keep pushing. Before we know it, we did the workout for today, it’s over and we’re better for it.

RELATED: 19 Reasons to Work Out (Beyond the Perfect Body)

What would you tell to someone who has trouble getting out the door to go to the gym on busy days?

AR: The hardest thing is getting started. Just push yourself to make it happen once. And then the second time is easier. And then before you know it, you’re in a routine. We have our low times and getting back into our high season, the hardest thing is getting started again. You build that first workout up so much in your head that it becomes scary. But once you get that first one out of the way, it becomes manageable and realistic.

AW: [And] you don’t have to get into a gym — there are so many things that you can do at home. We’re on the road a lot, and there’s not always a gym available to us. We do [workouts] in our hotel room. You really have to work with what you have. If you have a couple spare 10 minutes during the day, use those 10 minutes. It doesn’t have to be one big chunk of training.

What has been the highlight of this past season?

AW: For me personally, getting that silver Worlds medal. It had been a 10-year drought since the US ladies have been on the podium. I had a season of highs and lows and to really push through a rocky season and come out on top — especially when it felt like so many people had written me off — was incredible. And then, to be in the area and watch [Adam’s] performance at Nationals, and watching him win his first national title. We both are kind of comeback kids. So many people have said that we’re too old, and to do this together, and to see him be able to achieve this — it’s icing on top of the cake.

AR: Winning my first national title has been the highlight of my own skating career but the highlight of my season was definitely watching Ashley win the world silver medal… It’s funny because you get nervous for your own performance but you also feel in control of the situation. You’re the master of your own destiny at that point. But watching somebody who you really care about go through that, it’s so stressful because you can’t control anything!

Adam, your signature move is the “Rippon lutz,” where you raise both your arms above your head while doing a triple lutz. What’s the origin story there?

AR: It was a time where a lot of quads weren’t being done so a lot of men were doing the same triples. I wanted to do something that would set me apart. 1988 Olympic Champion Brian Boitano was famous for doing a lutz with one arm over his head. And I wanted to build on that.

It’s a pretty cool legacy. Ashley, do you have any signature or favorite moves?

AW: No signature moves, but I really love split jumps. That’s my moneymaker. And I love triple flips.

What’s next for you both?

AR: We have the Stars on Ice tour coming up, and we have one more competition, the Team Challenge Cup Competition. We’ll both be competing on Team North America.

AW: And then vacation! We need a vacation!

AR: Then we’ll be training for an even better season.

AW: We’ll start training in July… and we’re both planning on working through the next Olympics. So that’s what’s on our horizon.

Like Ashley and Adam’s rotational squats? Try full, no-equipment workouts at DailyBurn.com/365, free for 30 days.

The post Train Like the Pros: Ashley Wagner and Adam Rippon appeared first on Life by Daily Burn.

[caption id="attachment_49266" align="alignnone" width="620"] Photo: Ryan Kelly / Daily Burn 365[/caption]

These moves come to you from four of our top Daily Burn 365 trainers. For a new, 30-minute workout every day, head to DailyBurn.com/365.

When it comes to the ultimate ab exercises, crunches top the list. From runners to yogis to CrossFit buffs, athletes favor this simple, no-equipment move to strengthen the abdominals, obliques and hips. But the basic move can become, well, routine. So to help you kick up your core game, we rounded up these killer crunch variations, guaranteed to tighten and tone your midsection. As Daily Burn 365 trainer Justin Rubin says, “Crunches work your obliques, your sides, your lower abs, your upper abs. It’s a total-core workout.”

RELATED: 5 Standing Ab Exercises for People Who Hate Crunches

5 Crunch Variations to Sculpt Your Abs

1. Modified Bicycle Crunch
If you have trouble keeping your legs lifted during a bicycle crunch, this modified version helps ease discomfort on your lower back and keeps your neck supported — all while toning your obliques. Your upper body will also benefit from a fuller range of motion as you move from one side to the other.

How to: Lay flat on your back on an exercise mat and place your hands behind your ears on your head, keeping your arms in a straight line (a). Lift your head with your hands in a 45-degree angle to the floor and bend your knees in front of you with just your heels touching the mat (toes pointed up) (b). Lift your right knee to about a 90-degree angle to the floor as you bring your left elbow to meet it. Now switch opposite sides with the same motion, engaging your core muscles the whole time (c). Repeat for eight reps.

RELATED: Hate Crunches? 6 Better Core Exercises for Beginners

2. Standing Crunch
Standing crunches are great as part of a dynamic warm-up because they activate the muscles in your abs, arms and legs while getting your heart rate up. But they’re also ideal for an active recovery mid-HIIT workout when you transition from one set to the next, or when you want to slow down your heart rate as you switch from cardio to strength training.

How to: Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart (a). Bring your arms up with your hands reaching for the ceiling and your palms facing each other (b). Engage your core to lift your right knee to hip height. At the same time, lower your arms at your sides, bringing them by your waist (c). Return to starting position and repeat on the opposite side. (d). Do eight reps.

RELATED: 5 Stability Ball Exercises For a Crazy Strong Core

3. V-Sit Crunch
In addition to strengthening your core like crazy, this challenging move will help elongate your body. Did we mention it helps stretch your hamstrings, too? (We’re looking at you, runners!). If your hands can’t meet your legs, keep your feet flat on the floor and bend your knees as you lift your hands to your feet.

How to: Lie flat on the floor with your arms by your head and your hands reaching for the wall behind you. Keep your feet straight out in front of you (a). Engage your core as you lift your right leg straight up into the air, until it’s perpendicular to the floor (b). At the same time, pull your upper body toward your leg so your hands meet your ankle or shin (c). Return to the starting position and repeat on the opposite leg. (d). Repeat for eight reps.

RELATED: The Pilates Ab Workout to Sculpt Your Core

 4. Reverse Crunch
This variation of reverse crunches borrows the pulsating movements of barre with the bridge pose. The trick is to keep your upper body still as your core and lower body do the work. In this reverse crunch variation, the spine is also lengthened and strengthened (win-win!).

How to: Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor hip-width apart. Your hands should be at your sides and your palms facing down (a). Press your feet against the floor and use your abdominal muscles to lift your hips up. Hold this pose for two seconds (b). Bring your hips back down to the floor and lift your legs as you pull your knees toward your chest. Avoid using momentum from your legs to pull them in and engage your core muscles instead (c). Hold the crunch for two seconds before bringing your feet back down to the floor (d). Do eight reps.

RELATED: Need a Cardio Fix? Try This 5-Minute Kickboxing Workout

5. Kickboxing Crunch
Add some pep and power to your standing crunch with this kickboxing-inspired move. For those looking to strengthen your balancing skills, this is the exercise for you. This kickboxing crunch offers the right combination of strength training and cardio, working out your core and arms while building endurance, too.

How to: Get into a kickboxing stance, standing tall with your hip-distance apart. Keep your left arm bent high at your side. (a). Jab with your right arm to the side from the bottom to the top. At the same time, engage your abs and do a squat. Then, pull your right knee towards your chest to do a crunch. (b). Next, kick with your right leg out in front of you with your hands at your sides (left arm bent high and right arm at waist-height). (c). Repeat this motion for eight reps before switching to the other side.

Want more quick and easy moves you can do right at home, head to DailyBurn.com/365 — it’s free for 30 days!

The post 5 Crazy-Effective Crunch Variations appeared first on Life by Daily Burn.

Holding a plank is tough, but doing push-ups on your toes? It can seem near impossible if you’ve been on a fitness hiatus. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to modify the movement to build strength. Case in point: This fun and effective variation from Gregg Cook, trainer for Daily Burn 365.

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If child’s pose and push-ups had a baby, it’d look something like this. The half-kneeling split push-up (now ain’t that a mouthful!) will work your chest, shoulders and triceps, says Cook. Why do this move instead of lifting weights to pump your upper body? This modified push-up “can help to increase the strength of the muscles involved in pushing,” Cook says, noting that many gym-goers can’t perform a full range of motion for a regular push-up. (Looking at you, people who only lower themselves a few inches!) If that sounds familiar, you could be seriously cheating yourself during workouts. 

RELATED: Can’t Do a Push-Up? Here’s Where to Start

With this move, everything changes. Since you’re on your knees, you’ll decrease the amount of bodyweight you’re pushing off the floor. “It lessens the load compared to a full push-up,” says Cook, which can help you finally lower all the way down to the floor and successfully push back up. It’s that range of motion that is integral for increasing your strength, he says.

RELATED: THIS Is How to Do Perfect Push-Ups (Even on Your Knees)

And don’t forget about the quasi-child’s pose you do once you’ve pushed off the floor. That offers a bit of a break for your muscles to recover, says Cook. Plus, sitting your hips backwards with your arms extended over your head will give you a nice stretch in your inner thighs and your back (specifically, your lats).

[caption id="attachment_49346" align="alignnone" width="620"] GIF: Ryan Kelly / Daily Burn 365[/caption]

Try It Now: Half-Kneeling Split Push-Ups

How to: Using a mat underneath you, start on your hands ands knees, with your arms straight and your wrists directly under your shoulders (a). Extend your right leg out to the side. Your hips should be over your knees (b). Next, lower your upper body down towards the floor as you inhale. Slowly bend your elbows and lower your chest to the floor, while maintaining a straight line from the crown of your head to your knees (c). Next, exhale and press upward by engaging your chest and core. Think of pushing the floor away while keeping your elbows close to your sides. (Don’t let them flare away from your body too much.) (d) Now, sit your hips backwards into child’s pose, keeping your right leg out to the side. You should be as far back as you can, while keeping your arms fully extend to get a nice back stretch. Raise yourself up to the starting position (e).

Want full, no-equipment workouts from Cook? Catch him on DailyBurn.com/365, free for 30 days.

The post Hate Push-Ups? You’ll Want to Try THIS Variation appeared first on Life by Daily Burn.

Advertisement: Get inspired by these Daily Burn success stories, which showcase real people who committed to fitness and saw results that were way beyond average.

Even though Alicia Taylor was active growing up, she found herself gaining weight after the birth of her second child. “Life slowed down, and I was working three jobs,” she says. Parked in front of the computer for all of them, Taylor was sedentary for much of the day. “I started gaining weight to the point where I got almost 60 pounds overweight.”

Unsure of where to start, Taylor tried to get her nutrition on track. First, she restricted herself to less than 1,000 calories a day. “I was hungry all the time!” she says. Taylor soon abandoned her so-called “starvation diet” for Slim Fast, but that didn’t help much, either. She felt like the shakes weren’t filling enough, and she was always hungry and tired. Next, Taylor tried supplementing her diet with chromium pills, rumored to accelerate fat loss, but the pills only made her jittery, she says. Still not getting the results she hoped for, she quit trying and put her goals on hold for a few years.

Living in South Florida, Taylor and her then-husband would stroll around the Disney parks for an hour and a half each week. But since she was riding on the back of her husband’s motorized wheelchair, she still wasn’t getting a whole lot of exercise. “I would periodically try exercising and then two weeks later, I got frustrated or [would] not have time for it so I’d quit,” she says.

RELATED: How Daily Burn 365 Got Me Through a Weight Loss Plateau

Then in 2004, it was back on the diet rollercoaster. Taylor became a vegetarian and also started following the low-carb Atkins Diet. “With the Atkins Diet, I felt weak all the time,” she says. She found the diet too restrictive when combined with her vegetarianism, and abandoned it after four months. Her foray into the South Beach Diet wasn’t much better. “I was already bored of dieting so I didn’t last long,” says Taylor.

Getting Off the Diet Rollercoaster

When Taylor, standing at 4’10” and 158 pounds, had a hard time bending over to put on her shoes, she knew it was time to make a change. “I couldn’t do a lot of daily things…I felt like I was 90,” the 44-year-old says. So when a Daily Burn commercial came on in January 2015, Taylor figured she had nothing to lose. “I signed up for it the next day and I never quit,” she says.

Her first program: True Beginner with trainer Justin Rubin. Taylor was surprised at how difficult the movements were, but she was able to hold on to a chair to stay balanced during many of the exercises. But signs of progress came quickly.

“I was able to reach behind me,” she says, noting that her flexibility started improving right off the bat. Then, she didn’t need a chair to balance on one leg. “I started feeling much younger and energetic even though it was just True Beginner.” After finishing the program, she went on to complete Move!, Cardio Sculpt, Total Cardio and DB15. She estimates that she lost about a half a pound each week.

RELATED: This Mom Lost Weight But Her Non-Scale Victories Are Even Better

No Gym Necessary

"Daily Burn has taught me to rethink the meaning of unobtainable."

Workouts at home are a must for Taylor, who suffers from agoraphobia, an anxiety disorder that makes it difficult to be around crowds, and thus attend a regular gym. “I used to go late at night because I don’t like being around a lot of other people,” she says. “Basically, I have panic attacks when I’m out in public.”

One major fear she had was that someone might take her photo at the gym and turn her into an Internet meme. “That kind of thing terrifies me, so it was perfect for me to do Daily Burn at home,” she says. “I love the variety. I feel like I have a gym because it’s not just a selection of five DVDs.” She especially likes Daily Burn 365, which features a new, no-equipment workout every single day.

RELATED: Daily Burn 365: New Workouts, 7 Days a Week

Hooked on a Healthier Lifestyle

As she gained strength, her energy levels started to skyrocket. But 12 weeks into Daily Burn, she felt frustrated since the scale stopped moving. “My husband told me, ‘If you’re not gaining weight, you’re still moving in the right direction,’” Taylor says. That support kept her going.

Clean eats were key, too. Before Daily Burn, Taylor and her husband ate out a lot, and Taylor hated to cook. But with her newfound energy, Taylor was inspired to overhaul her diet, too. The couple stopped dining out (at Olive Garden and other local restaurants) and began meal planning with an online service that sent her recipes. Plus, she took all meals seriously. “I stopped skipping breakfast,” says Taylor, who likes eggs, high-fiber cereal and oatmeal in the mornings these days. Her favorite meal prep secrets? Chopping vegetables on the weekend so she has them on hand to cook during the week, and loading up her freezer with healthy meals that can be reheated. “I always make enough to freeze so I have some for nights when I don’t feel like cooking,” she says.

"I feel like doing things. I feel like going outside. I have the energy to actually get up and take care of my home."

Stronger Every Day

The progress Taylor has made during her 15 months with Daily Burn has kept her motivated. When she first started out, “I flipped through the programs and I saw Inferno and thought, ’I’ll never be able to do that,” recalls Taylor. Fast-forward one year and she has completed the entire Inferno program. “A year ago, I thought that was an unobtainable goal. Daily Burn has taught me to rethink the meaning of unobtainable,” she says. Taylor is now 105 pounds, which she says is right in the middle of the healthy weight range for her 4’10” frame.

But weight isn’t her main concern any more. “For me, it’s more than just the number on the scale,” says Taylor. She feels more energized after completing a workout than she does after drinking a cup of coffee. “That’s been major,” she says. “I feel like doing things. I feel like going outside. I have the energy to actually get up and take care of my home.”

RELATED: 12 Awesome Ways to Measure Non-Scale Victories

Taylor’s husband saw how empowered his wife had become and decided to convert an extra bedroom into a workout room, just for her. “He liked the changes he saw in me,” says Taylor. Inside and out.

To learn more about Daily Burn 365 or to try a free 30-day trial, head to DailyBurn.com/365.

Note to reader: The content in this article relates to the core service offered by Daily Burn. In the interest of editorial disclosure and integrity, the reader should know that this site is owned and operated by Daily Burn. Always talk to your doctor before beginning any exercise or weight loss program. Daily Burn users who worked out for 30 minutes or more at least five times a week for 60 to 90 days reported an average weight loss of about one pound per week.

The post How This Agoraphobe Found Fitness Without the Gym appeared first on Life by Daily Burn.

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Take off your shoes but don’t get too comfortable. This barefoot barre workout will leave you sweaty and feeling the burn all over your body.

“This is a really, really great way to work the entire body in a low-impact way and to pretty much touch on every single muscle group, especially a lot of those little muscle groups that tend to get forgotten when we focus on the larger muscle groups,” says Daily Burn 365 trainer Becca Pace.

While most barre workouts require an actual bar, you can do these moves using just your bodyweight and a yoga mat. Plus, you’ll be happy to know you won’t be doing any burpees. Barre workouts are all about tiny movements that require you to focus on form, stability and balance. Need a break? Feel free to pause to roll out your your wrists or take a breather in child’s pose, Pace says. And prepare to work muscles you didn’t even know you had!

RELATED: Try This 12 Move Total-Body Workout

The 5-Move At-Home Barre Workout 

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1. Walk-Down Planks
How to: Start in down dog, then walk your hands out into plank pose, letting your left leg float up a few inches off the ground as you move forward (a). Think about zipping your belly button in towards your spine and reaching the crown of your head forward. Your shoulders should be over your wrists, with your fingers spread apart (b). Keeping your elbows straight, hold the plank for 30 seconds (c). Bend your knees and slowly walk your hands back into downward dog and repeat on the opposite side.

RELATED: 3 Fat-Burning Circuit Training Workouts

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2. Half-Moon Leg Lifts
How to: Get on your hands and knees, arms straight, knees bent at a 90-degree angle (a). Straighten your right leg and lift it off the ground. With your foot flexed, tap your toes out to the right side, off your mat (b). Then, engage your glutes to lift your right leg up and over your left leg, tapping the floor on the outside of your left foot (c). Repeat for 30 seconds, then switch legs.

RELATED: The Louis van Amstel Dance Workout You Need in Your Life

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3. Forearm Plank Knee Taps
How to: Get into a forearm plank, shoulders over elbows, heels pushing back, spine long. Pull your shoulders away from your ears (a). Tap your right knee down to the floor, then your left knee. Alternate for 30 seconds (b). Then, tap both knees to the ground for 30 seconds.

RELATED: The 5-Minute No-Equipment Back Workout

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4. Plié Pulse Series
How to: Stand upright, feet positioned wider than hip-width apart, toes pointed out at a 45-degree angle. Raise your arms straight out to your sides, holding them at shoulder-height, or place your hands on your hips (a). Bend your knees to go into a plié squat, then return to standing. Repeat for 30 seconds (b). Then, bend into a plié squat and pulse for 30 seconds (c). Repeat both variations one more time.

RELATED: Tone Your Thighs: 3 Moves for Awesome Legs

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5. Inner Thigh Lifts
How to: Lie down on your left side, left forearm planted on the floor perpendicular to your torso to support your body. Lengthen your neck to avoid collapsing into your supporting arm (a). Bring your right leg over your left leg, bending the knee and planting your right foot in front of your left knee (b). Keep your left leg straight and foot flexed, and rotate your foot so it’s lying flat against the mat. Then rotate the foot so your toes point into the air, and lift your leg about six inches off the ground (c). Repeat for 30 seconds, then switch to opposite side.

Want more no-equipment workouts you can do anytime, anyplace? Sign up for Daily Burn 365, free for 30 days. 

Originally posted December 2015. Updated May 2016. 

The post Pulse, Plank, Plié: The Barre Workout You Can Do at Home appeared first on Life by Daily Burn.