Transform your body at home while watching your kids!
If a photo could share a thousand words, then here you go. I know what I am talking about. The left was me before I started using my supplements to help with energy and weight loss. After I started losing weight, I began doing classes at my local gym. They were helpful, but I was not getting as strong and toned as I would like. I also had to have a hysterectomy and knew from my research and from my physical therapist that I needed to build up my core and pelvic floor as soon as possible to avoid any complications. I will write more about that in another post to help those facing a hysterectomy as I found out this information all on my own and was not successful in finding other blogs about it.
During the Covid quarantine I didn’t have a gym to go to and I got in the best shape of my life using this band and other bands-while watching my small children ages 6 and 2! There are free exercises you can find on Instagram, and that’s what I did. I made a goal to do five exercises a day. Sometimes I would use my kids’ playground equipment to strap my bands to work out with while watching them play. Other times I would put on a movie or show and workout in the living room with them while they watched it. I made it part of my routine to workout 30 minutes a day. Slowly that became an hour a day as I got better at it and the kids got more used to it.
I don’t do any cardio. I have bad knees and I always joke that if I am running, then you’d better run too because I’m being chased by something scary-haha.
There are two pieces of equipment that have transformed my body into what it is.
The first is the “booty band”. Here is the link:
The second is a set of larger loop bands. Here is the link:
Ok, first let’s talk about the booty band. There are so many exercises one can do with these that do tone your butt, thighs, and lower abs. I use mine almost every single day. You can look up the fire hydrant exercise, donkey kicks, clamshells, lunges, etc. If you did this every day you would see a big difference. I also use the booty band in conjunction with the other loop bands to do booty exercises, but until I get the time to make a video about it, I would suggest searching on IG for it.
I will eventually be making workout videos, but until I do, here are some photos to help you with your booty band exercises. As always I’m keeping it fun with my vintage 80s look!
First here is one where you move your top leg up and down. It works your booty on the sides as well as back, and front.
After this you switch sides and repeat everything you did. You will want to do this all for three sets. That means you’re lifting your leg 30 times per side per set making it add up to 90 times altogether.
Second, here I am doing donkey kicks. You just pump your legs up and down to work the backside of your booty. The lower your band is, the more resistance you will get.
Third, here is the best overall glute exercise ever! Seriously I rarely do leg presses anymore bc this works better! You will need the longer bands, a stool or chair, and something to anchor your bands onto. In these photos I am using these bars at the gym. At home I have used the bottom leg of my couch. Here is the link for these bands again:
There are these muscles around your hips/upper thighs that look amazing when they are toned and add more shape to your curves. They also provide support for your pelvic floor and will help you not have prolapse issues in the future. Here is the quickest and most effective exercise to target these using the lightest version of your booty band. Now, your booty band could be too much for you to do this with at first, so I recommend buying these elastic bands to use first:
Clamshells were introduced to me by my pelvic floor therapist. I feel the stretch in the sides and back of my glutes. This not only makes your booty look amazing, but again is paramount to your overall pelvic floor strength. All you need are your booty bands.
I used to be shy about showing my booty in public. It was not shapely and was kind of saggy. Well, take a look at how it has changed in a year of using my booty bands almost every single day minus the few months I had to take to heal after my hysterectomy! I seriously feel like a new woman! Also, I can’t stress enough the health benefits of having strong glute muscles. One perk is that my legs and knees no longer ache like they used to.
The loop bands can be used for your legs and your arms. If you have one of those pull up bars for your door, you can loop one on there and do pull ups. Because I did this so much during quarantine I can actually do a real pull up now without assistance and I’ve never been able to do that in my life! You can even use a broom stick with these bigger loop bands to work your biceps and triceps, etc. I use my bands with my living room furniture to anchor it to but you could also purchase a door anchor if you need one to workout at home.
I looked up lower ab exercises on Instagram as well and incorporated those into my workouts. I actually can’t believe my results. I surpassed my expectations! Here are some people I follow on IG to help get you started. And no, I’m not getting any sort of compensation to share who they are.
Senada.greca
lisafittworkouts
hunnybunsfit
kimfrench87
Which Supplements Will Help?
First check out my “Need More Energy Post” this has a lot of helpful resources for you. You can’t work out if you’re tired, right?
I do highly recommend Creatine for building muscle. It’s been around a long time and really it’s just muscle food. I take two teaspoons a day and mix it in my amino acid drink. I’ve noticed a difference in my workouts that this gives me the extra push I need to make it through.
This bag will last you 2 years so it’s an incredible investment at around $40. Here is the link:
Get Bonnie-fied! 
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