Lately, I have been trying a lot of new-to-me group fitness classes at one of the gyms I am teaching at.  I like meeting the different instructors, seeing different teaching styles, and trying new workout routines.  Today, I tried a class called Bosu Discovery. In the class we warmed up balance exercises, exercises stepping onto the bosu and jumping onto the bosu, as well as a little core work.  I love working with the bosu ball because you are constantly working your core (abs and back) to maintain your balance no matter what exercise you are performing.

Here are some of my favorite bosu ball exercises:

Ab In and Out:  Balance your bottom on the ball.  Pull your belly button into your spine, engaging your abdominal muscles.  Rest your hands on the back of the ball and extend your legs as you lean back to a 45 degree angle.  Bring your knees back into your chest (starting position) for one rep.  To advance this move, simply hold a weight between your feet.

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Squats:  Flip the bosu upside down and stand on the flat side.  Engage your abs to find your balance.  Squat down as low as you can while keeping your heels on the bosu.  Try to get your butt down to your heels.  This one really challenges your balance and will have your legs shaking!  Hold onto one dumbbell in each hand to add a little extra resistance.

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Russian Twist:  Find your balance by siting your bottom directly in the center of the ball.  Tilt your upper body back to a 45 degree angle.  Either using just your hands holding onto a weight, rotate your upper body side to side while keeping your belly button pulled into your spine.  You can lift your feet off the ground to make the exercise a little more difficult.  Keep your feet on the ground if you are having trouble keeping good form.

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I love these exercises because they seem so simple, but adding in the bosu will really get your muscles shaking with fatigue!  At least mine do 😉

Breakfast

I then came home and it was breakfast time!  A couple of days ago, I made myself a bowl of baked oatmeal or “boatmeal” and instantly I fell in love.  I immediately want to try several different flavor variations and get creative in the kitchen.  Yesterday, my sister’s leftover Easter apple nachos were looking a little sad, so I decided to chop them up and make mini apple cinnamon baked oatmeal.  The result was delicious hot or cold, and great for a breakfast that needs to be eaten on the run. Baking the oatmeal in little muffin pan liners makes them easy to take with you to eat at the office or in the car.

Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal Bites

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of oats
• 1/2 cup of applesauce
• 1 scoop of protein powder (I use pea protein)
• 3 packets of stevia
• 1 cup of chopped apples
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 cups water (can use milk if desired)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Combine all ingredients in a medium sized bowl until thoroughly combined.  Divide the batter into 8 lined muffin tins.  Bake for 15 minutes.  After 15 minutes, turn the oven onto broil and bake for another 3 minutes to brown the tops.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes.  If you want to eat them hot…enjoy right away!  If you want to save them for later, package in a sealed container and store in the fridge.

2 bites equals 1 serving.

Nutrition per bite:

Calories:  104.2  Fat:  1.4g  Carbs:  30g  Protein:  5.6g

I hope you all have an amazing Friday…I know my brain is already in weekend mode…!