This week's abs challenges, some maths AND exciting news for you...

Ran with the buggy this morning, 6.2km. It was a there and back run and on the way back I had a head wind. Here is a maths equation for you (and you don't even have to be smart at maths to get this one)...

Head wind + Buggy =

The reddest face you have ever seen - this photo actually makes me look good (as in not so red, but trust me I was).

I love that it is a quarter of the way through winter and it was still something crazy like 18° while I was out running. Just enjoying this weather before the cold snap kicks in.

Yesterday was the plank challenge and I managed to get up to 2 mins but I was a shaking! Still using the excuse of housing a baby for 9 months for why I can't hold a plank for any longer (even though I've never really been a good planker).

Here are the rest of the challenges for this week... You're welcome!

Day 18 (Tues): Sneaky Toner: Flex Time
Maybe you’ve heard of muscle memory: the way your body learns to do a physical activity (like riding a bike) and never forgets. Well, your abs have a memory, too. If you consciously keep your abs firm throughout the day, they’ll tend to stay firm even when you’re relaxed.
When you’re sitting in your car or at your desk, tense your middle as you would at the start of the crunch. Sit up straight and pull your abs in for 60 seconds at a time, at least once an hour. Anytime you feel them going slack throughout your day, tighten them up again.

Day 19 (Weds): Slim-Down Strategy: Drink More Green Tea
"It's the closest thing to a metabolism potion," says Tammy Lakatos Shames, R.D., author of Fire Up Your Metabolism: 9 Proven Principles for Burning Fat and Losing Weight Forever. The brew contains a plant compound called ECGC, which promotes fat burning. In one study, people who consumed the equivalent of three to five cups a day for 12 weeks decreased their body weight by 4.6 percent. According to other studies, consuming two to four cups of green tea per day may torch an extra 50 calories. That translates into about five pounds a year. Learn more about the health benefits of green tea!

Day 20 (Thurs): Core-Sculpting Workout: Flat-Abs Pilates Routine
You've probably read about celebs extolling the virtues of Pilates (lean legs, a supertaut tummy!), or maybe even heard the hype from mat-class–obsessed friends. If you're still skeptical, keep reading: "Pilates puts your muscles—especially the smaller, stabilizing ones—under constant tension over a large range of motion to create that enviable long, lean look," says Lauren Piskin, owner of Physicalmind Studio in New York City.
What's more, one study found that women who swapped their usual routines for two 60-minute Pilates sessions a week saw significant increases in abdominal endurance, hamstring flexibility, and upper-body muscular endurance. Try the flat-abs pilates workout or see a video of the routine!

Day 21 (Fri): Sneaky Core Toner: Pushups
The pushup may well be the best exercise for women. Why? Regularly adding pushups to your workout won't just strengthen your chest. It will also shape your shoulders, triceps, and glutes while toning and tightening your entire core. Working all those muscles at once torches tons of calories and can even help give your girls an extra boost. Really, could you ask anything more of a single exercise? Try these eight pushup variations!

And here is a pic of the cutest boy in tights and ugg boots ever...

I promise he does have a face but this picture was to show off the tights and boots... Too cute!

My husband thinks that boys shouldn't wear tights (probably true) but I think at this age it is ok, especially when the tights look like little jeans. Plus he was at work so couldn't stop me!

Oh and here is a bit of excitement for all my Kiwi readers out there, The Colour Run is coming to NZ... Yay! It is a super fun 5km run where you dress in white at the start and end the race looking like this:

I've always wanted to do one since seeing it on other people's blogs from all over the world, now it is coming to NZ... Yaaaah!

Have you ever done a colour run?

Would you be keen to do the colour run?

Do you go bright red when you run?

I blame my genetics on the red face business, hopefully I don't pass that one on to our children!