How is everyone doing today?  If you are in the Pacific Northwest like I am, you are probably trying to stay dry!

Wanted to do a little post about planks.  You will want to read all the way to the bottom of this post though to check out some awesome workout gear.   I think the question I get asked the most is "what are the best abdominal excersises"  so I want to make sure you are all aware of planks.  I think planks are one of the most effective core exercises.  They are not just a yoga move people, they are for everyone and fit well and should be an important part of any exersise routine.  By forcing your body to stabilize itself in one position, planks work both your abdominal muscles as well as your back muscles.  The plank is also great for building strength for pushups, an exercise that requires quite a bit of core strength.

THere are a number of different ways to do a plank but I want to explain the basics to you.  For a standard plank you basically get in a pushup position.  You can do a plank on either your hands or rest on your forearms.  I personally feel they are more effetive on your forearms.  Hold your back completely straight while trying to hold your abdominals in.  Don't let your hips sink down and try not to pike your butt up in the air.  For beginners you can start on your knees instead of your toes.   If you are knees try to be completely straight from your shoulders to your knees...again being mindfull not to stick out your butt or drop your hips down.  I know it doesn't sound like much but the longer you try to perform a plank, the harder it will be.  DON'T HOL YOUR BREATH!  Keep breathing while you hold yourself in place.   You might start with a goal of 30 second sets and you can work your way up to a couple minutes.    These can be a great things to do doing a commercial break of your favorite show.  Here is a picture from exercise.com since the pics my 4 year old are taking right now of my plank aren't the best

I also wanted to tell you about a couple new awesome fitness gear finds!  First off, have you heard of Lucy?  They have some awesome clothes and they must have heard about my fantabulous backside b/c they named some pants after me...The Perfect Booty Pant, so naturaly they had to send me a pair to try out and tell you all about.  HAHA.   Man, these pants are comfi!   I want to highlite a couple of my favorite things:

• They stay in place!  All you ladies that work out know how important it is to have a pair of pants, capri's or shorts that stay put.  Nothing is worse then constantly yanking up your pants while you are working out.  I loved that these stayed where they were suppose to, even on a run!
• The are long enough!  Another huge plus and hard to find; these  pants come in a tall, which was a good length for me.  They also come in short and regular.
• They weren't too low in the mid section.  I have had 4 babies and my mid section is far from perfect and I don't want pants too low for my muffin top flappin around for all to see :)
• They are moisture wicking - another huge plus when working out!
• And of course as I mentioned above, they are comfi.

So I can say "I love Lucy" and I bet you will too and of course if you know me you already know these pants were not named after me but more so named after what I wish I had and perhaps they helped my bumbositer look a little better.  They also have free shipping, free returns and exchanges so if you aren't completely satisfied, just send them back.   They have a lot of great stuff, including tops, jackets, accessories, capris and more.  You should go check them out.   I would love to try out a jacket or capris from them sometime too.

The other thing I want to tell you about is my new Gymdoll tank!   Gymdolls mission is to provide high-quality, fashionable workout apparel that motivate and inspire you to achieve your fitness goals.  They are dedicated to continuous innovation, promoting the fitness community and delivering an outstanding experience by fulfilling our Gymdoll Promise.  I am in love with workouts tanks that have fun/inspiring sayings on the front.  When I saw this online I was sold.  It cracks me up. I read it and knew I had to have it. It immediately reminded me of my hubby... 

 Don't you love that this reminds me of my hubby :)  This is one of his favorite things to say to me and the kiddos....no he is not mean, he is just joking around but really I should have gotten it for him.  They have some other great tanks, tops and accessories too, you really need to go check them out.  Great news!  If you head over to their site they have a discount code for all of my readers so you can shop and get a 15% discount.  Just enter code DESIGNEDTOBEFIT  at checkout.   The tanks are super comfi and very light weight.   I like that they are nice and long....again don't need to scare people with exposure of my muffin top.  I am known to always be tugging down on my tank during a workout and I didn't have to do that with this one.   I also get super hot when I workout so I appreciate when things are light weight and breathable.  I highly suggest you try out something from their shop, you won't regret it!  Might as well make yourself smile when you are working out too right :)