Be Fit series: Walking Lunges

We've been posting some of our Be Fit series memes lately on our social media pages.  We felt that with any exercise, it is important to know exactly what muscles you are working out so that you know if it is an exercise that is safe for you to do or if it is in line with your overall goals.  Also, we talk a bit about proper form so that you ensure you are working out the right muscles.  We are passing all of this information to you mamas only because we plan to share some workouts that we do at home (ALL created by Christelyn and then tested/used by both of us).  Some of these workouts that she put together were just workouts that she created or learned during her journey.  A lot of them we use when we can't get to the gym because as busy moms, that is not always possible.  And we wanted to share these with you in case you needed some ideas for what kinds of workouts are out there.

Some of the exercises that you see in the Be Fit series will be combined into ONE workout.  The Be Fit series is meant to pass along information so that when you see it is time to do a plank in one of the workouts we share, you already know what we are talking about. 

#Walkinglunges are a great functional exercise because they mimic everyday activities: picking up the baby from the floor, picking up bags of groceries, etc. Like most of the exercises we love to do, this one targets a lot of different muscles, saving us time. It targets all four muscles of the quads and also your hamstrings and its also great for building stability, endurance and strength. 

We add hand weights to increase intensity. You can even add a bicep curl to this to work out your arms. 

Proper form is important so that you don't hurt your knees. Stand straight and then take a step forward. Lower hips to the floor. Your back knee should always face the ground; it should come close to the ground but never touch the ground. Your front knee is directly over the ankle, never veering off to either side; it should not go over the toes. Both knees are almost at a 90 degree angle. Push off with your back foot and come back to start position. This is one rep. Alternate legs, moving forward. Complete 2-3 sets of 15 reps each. 

Stay tuned for more from our Be Fit Series and some Fitness Mama workouts!