The Vitamin That’s Key To Take In Quarantine Now (It’s Not Vitamin C)

Yes, of course vitamin C is important for our immunity, but too few of us recognize the importance of vitamin D for immune systems.

In fact, we learned from Hum Nutrition that an estimated 1 billion people worldwide are deficient in vitamin D. Harvard's School of Public Health released a report citing several studies linking vitamin D levels with bone strength, muscle retention, heart health, and the immune system.

Why You Shouldn't Overlook Vitamin D for Immunity

Naturally, getting enough direct sunlight is key for vitamin D absorption, but even if you spend the right amount of time outdoors, cloud cover, air pollution, altitude, and skin color can all affect the amount of sunshine available to the body.

HUM Nutrition's Here Comes The Sun supplement contains 2000 IU's of Vitamin D3. D3 is the active form of vitamin D which the body can use more efficiently. It has been studied for its effects on the immune system, bone health, hormone balance and digestive health.

Studies have also shown that Vitamin D can boost elasticity and collagen production in the skin while also reducing the appearance of lines, dark spots and acne.

Vitamin D is so important to immune health that HUM Nutrition includes Here Comes The Sun in their Immunity Trio alongside Gut Instinct and Air Patrol.

We asked dietician, Alex Caspero, MA, RD, RYT to break down the importance of vitamin D for immunity a bit further. She shared with us, "Most of us are familiar with 'the sunshine vitamin' for its role in calcium absorption and as an essential mineral for bone health, but vitamin D also plays a role in cell growth, immune function and anti-inflammatory responses."

"While vitamin D is found in some fortified foods, it's only naturally present in a few select foods and must be obtained either through direct sunlight or through supplementation. Consider how most of us live: indoors for the majority of our day, or covered with either sunscreen or clothes when we do head outside. Reduced exposure, along with pollution and where we live can all affect how much vitamin D we actually get from the sun. It's why many people are deficient in vitamin D and require supplementation to help boost their levels."

Apparently, while vitamin D deficiency is quite common, signs of a deficiency are subtle. Caspero recommended checking vitamin D levels as part of a yearly physical and also told us that “bone pain and muscle weakness can indicate suboptimal vitamin D levels, but aren’t usually felt until someone is very deficient.” If you do find that you are low in vitamin D, a daily supplement of at least 2000 IUs/day is typically recommended.

HUM Nutrition’s Here Comes The Sun supplement contains the 2000 IU’s of recommended Vitamin D in the form of vitamin D3. Vitamin D3 is the active form of the vitamin which the body can use more efficiently. It has been studied for its effects on the immune system, bone health, hormone balance and digestive health.

Studies have also shown that Vitamin D can boost elasticity and collagen production in the skin while also reducing the appearance of lines, dark spots and acne.

On Gut Health + the Immunity Connection

Another key supplement for immunity that might not be as obvious as vitamin C is a good probiotic. Did you know that digestion takes more energy than just about any other function in the body? If the body is continually over-working to digest because of an imbalanced gut microbiome or poor digestive health, you could be unnecessarily over-taxing your body and draining your energy  on a daily basis.

HUM Nutrition’s Gut Instinct contains a combination of probiotics that are clinically proven to affect the adult immune system. There are 25 billion good-for-you bacteria in HUM Nutrition’s ten-strain, high-potency formula. Beneficial bacteria are key to keep the digestive tract healthy and growing and studies link combination probiotic blends to boosting the immune system for overall body and skin health.

Dietician, Alex Caspero also shared, “It’s estimated that roughly 70-80% of our immune system is housed in our GI tract. A healthy gut is essential for enhanced immunity. The gut microbiota found in the gastrointestinal tract help to regulate immune homeostasis — any alterations of these bacteria can cause immune dysregulation, which can lead to autoimmune issues and decreased immunity. The more diverse our gut microbes, the more effective they are for all aspects of health, including immunity. The average Western diet is very low in fiber, or food for our gut bacteria, and therefore a probiotic can be a beneficial boost.”

And, Yes, Take Your Vitamin C

While it’s not the only supplement you should keep in mind — yes, of course, vitamin C plays a crucial role in strengthening the immune system. Vitamin C is a powerhouse antioxidant that  protects our bodies from environmental aggressors like free radical damage, air pollution, and a multitude of toxins. It’s also critical in boosting collagen production for strong, healthy skin — our first line of defense against external pathogens.

Vitamin C is naturally found in citrus fruits. Tapping into nature’s wisdom, HUM Nutrition has included citrus bioflavonoids derived from lemons and oranges in their supplement, Air Patrol. These citrus-derived antioxidants help keep vitamin C from oxidizing to increase its potency, make it more bioavailable in the body and easier to digest.

Air Patrol contains a unique form of vitamin C called calcium ascorbate, a form of vitamin c and calcium that can “buffer” the acidity of standard vitamin C (ascorbic acid).

Research shows that vitamin C boosts both branches of our immune system: the innate and adaptive immune responses. Our innate immune response includes the immediate, non-specific reaction to any foreign invader in the body. The adaptive immune response is activated days later, once our body has learned how to effectively eliminate the threat and “remembers” how to quickly react in the future.

To Protect Your Immunity Daily

If you’re looking to protect your immune system this season, remember not to neglect the basics: eat fresh, nourishing foods, get plenty of sleep and manage those stress levels the best you can.

Go with HUM Nutrition’s Immunity Trio to support your immune system from all sides. The supplement set includes Here Comes The Sun with vitamin D3, Gut Instinct probiotic blend and Air Patrol with vitamin C in the form of calcium ascorbate.

TCM Reader Exclusive: Get 20% off your first HUM Nutrition order with code CHALKBOARD.

Sources: "Vitamin D and Health." Harvard School of Public Health. Robbins JA, et al. "Women's Health Initiative clinical trials: interaction of calcium and vitamin D with hormone therapy." Menopause. February 2014. PubMed. NCBI. NLM. NHI.

"Vitamin D - effects on skeletal and extraskeletal health and the need for supplementation." Nutrients. 2013. Wacker M, Holick MF.

This story is brought to you in partnership with HUM Nutrition. The Chalkboard Mag and its materials are not intended to treat, diagnose, cure or prevent any disease. All material on The Chalkboard Mag is provided for educational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified healthcare provider for any questions you have regarding a medical condition, and before undertaking any diet, exercise or other health-related programs.

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Plant Magic: Basically, Our New Hobby For the Year

We were so charmed and intrigued by the new book, Plant Magic: Herbalism In Real Life, that we're sending it to a bunch of friends while we're all at home. With most of us living at a slower pace lately, we've been craving more nature then ever before and this book has been teaching us to forage, make fresh tea, tinctures and generally look forward to being able to spend more time outdoors in the near future.

Author Christine Buckley explores the basics of herbalism in language we can not only understand, but actually enjoy. We can't say the same of all books on herbs which are sometimes so dry they snuff out our enthusiasm after page one.

Plant Magic is broken down into 3 parts: 'a crash course in herbalism' with charts and quizzes that help you understand a high-level view of things, part two - 'making friends with plants' (because, yes), and, most importantly, part three - 'your herbal arsenal' the bulk of the book that dives deep into twenty-two individual herbs from thyme and chamomile to dandelion and elderberry. There are charts for each herb and a few pages each on sourcing, the herb's helpful properties and a few ways to use each one (including recipes).

If you've ever dreamed of stepping up your herbal tea game or being able to forage or garden your own remedies and tinctures at home, this book is the perfect way to get started. Bonus points for all the stunning photography and a coffee table-worthy hard cover if you just want to seem like more of an 'earth mother' to your friends.

Here's an excerpt from Plant Magic: Herbalism In Real Life to give you a feel. I picked the section all about red clover, since I loved it when I was a kid and always dreamed about being able to make something with them. Don't miss the dreamy summer recipe for red clover iced tea...

Herb Spotlight: Red Clover

The Herb: Red Clover (Trifolium pretense)

Where it lives: Pastures, orchards, highway medians

Reach for this when: Your skin or eyes feel dry and irritated, you’ve undergone a course of antibiotics, you have dry, swollen glands

Sensation: Cool, moist | Flavors: Sweet

Super strengths: Alterative, antispasmodic, nutritive, tonic, expectorant, lymphagogue

Gather this: Flowers

Why I’m in love: Dense blankets of red clover’s bright pink flower heads dance over fields of green bordering two lane highways in the towns I frequent in upstate New York. Their fuzzy heads, which resemble fireworks, bob in the wind and stretch in the heat of the late summer sun. I also see them popping up in apple orchards or in sunny, forgotten patches of suburban or country yards. You don’t need more than a few flower heads to make a quick cooling drink to sip in the afternoon sun. It’s nutritive and soothing and it goes great with wandering around barefoot while you wait for the sun to set.

What it does best: If I’m looking to get a little bit more out of red clover, then I’ll let the flowers work their magic in water overnight. As I rest, water-soluble vitamins and minerals like vitamins A, C, E, and K, calcium, magnesium, and potassium, plus protein infuse the water and in the morning I have a super drink!

I like to drink red clover infused with other helpful plants at least once a week, or more if I’m experiencing dryness in or on my body. Red clover is also wonderfully moistening and is an excellent remedy for dry, unproductive coughs. Its antispasmodic action cools and relaxes airways and lungs, soothing irritation in your respiratory system. Another telltale sign that I need red clover is when dry patches develop on my face or the corners of my eyes feel parched. Anytime our skin suffers, something is most likely happening a bit below the surface.

Many skin conditions can be traced back to a sluggish lymphatic system. Red clover helps remove congestion in the lymphatic system after wastes accumulate in the wake of an illness, especially after a course of antibiotics or when we’ve been riding the sugar, alcohol, or caffeine train kind of hard. This, in turn, improves the quality of our blood, clearing away eczema and other skin irritations characterized bydryness or cracking. Taken internally as a nourishing infusion or applied externally as a poultice, red clover is soothing to dry, irritated skin.

How it grows: Red clover is a perennial that prefers fields and meadows. The characteristic purple- pink flower blooms on a separate stalk from the root. The stalks are hairy and bear slightly obovate, trifoliate leaves, most of which are marked with a white or light green chevron in the upper middle third of the leaf.

To recap: Red clover is both soothing and mildly activating to sluggishness in our bodies. It gently relaxes as it provides us with vitamins and minerals.

How to Make Red Clover Iced Tea

When my friend Cyd picks me up at the train station upstate she reports on the healthfulness of her red clover population. She has a beautifully kept garden and an equally pleasing wildness to her yard. I like to wander around her property barefoot and pop the blossoms off red clover plants to make us a simple infusion to enjoy with a sprig of peppermint and a squeeze of lemon over ice.
Makes 3ó cups.

2 dozen fresh red clover blossoms
4 cups hot water

Boil the water, turn off the heat, and let it cool for a few minutes. Put the blossoms in a glass quart jar or teapot and pour over the water. Let it infuse for at least 20 minutes and up to 12 hours before straining. I like to do this either early in the morning or in the evening while the sun sets. This way I am guaranteed tea in time for a post-lunch lounge on Cyd’s dock.

From Plant Magic by Christine Buckley © 2020 Christine Buckley. Photographs © 2020 Lawrence Braun.
Reprinted in arrangement with Roost Books, an imprint of Shambhala Publications, Inc. Boulder, CO.

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My Clean Skincare Routine: Yogi + Superfoodie Sophie Jaffe

We've long admired health and wellness expert Sophie Jaffe's holistic approach to wellness. She's a bad-ass babe who founded her company and wellness brand, Philosophie Superfoods, with the goal of making it easier, more inspiring, and more delicious to attain optimal health and radiant wellness. Done.

The holistic mama and co-host IGNTD podcast shares her ultimate clean skincare routine below (and we want everything, superfoods and all)...

My skincare philosophy: Beauty begins within, 100%. I keep my routine simple and pay attention to the ingredients in the products I use, but the most important part isn’t actually about what I’m putting on my face, but rather making sure that I’m getting enough vital nutrients into my body so that I’m glowing from the inside out.

Favorite daily products:
Chrysalis Water + Chrysalis Healing Face and/or body oils
Tammy Fender Body Lotion
True Botanicals Cleanser + Face Masks
Eminence Lavender Night Eye Cream
Osea Vita Sea Serum
CocoKind My-Matcha Moisture Stick
Naturopathica Cleansing Balm
Liquid Sunshine chlorophyll drops (heals skin from the inside out)
Fré Protect Me SPF 30
Protocol retinol + vitamin C serums

My daily Clean skincare routine:
AM routine: Huge glass of alkaline water with liquid sunshine and fresh lemon to start my day! This is key for hydrated skin. I also walk to the mirror and while holding my baby daughter, we point to ourselves and smile and say how much we love ourselves and kiss the mirror. This is also key. Self-love is what creates confidence, and confidence equals beauty. Period. I then wash my face by just splashing water to wake up and hydrate, spray Chrysalis Water on it to lock in the moisture, and then put Fré SPF on (it’s for active peeps so it doesn’t sting eyes when you sweat or clog pores).

PM routine: My PM routine is a bit longer because I can take my time and because I know all night long it will be absorbing the magical ingredients.

First, I cleanse with True Botanicals cleanser, then spray with Chrysalis Water to lock in moisture. Then I put on my favorite retinol cream (from Protocol) on which has been helping me lessen the pregnancy/malasma spots from my face. Then Osea Malibu yummy Sea Serum, which feels like a drink of water slathered on my face. Then I use Chrysalis Healing Face Oil and my rose quartz roller to absorb the face oil, followed by eye cream from Eminence. Once a week I’ll do a face mask from True Botanicals or I’ll mix my Philosophie Superfood Honey with Philosophie Green Dream Powder and slather it on while in the bathtub.

Why clean beauty matters to me: You may have heard me say this before, but what you put on your skin is just as just as important as what you put in your mouth. Your skin is your body’s biggest organ, so it’s important to take care of what you’re “feeding” it. Wellness is a combination of all of the thoughts that you think, the foods that you eat, and how you treat your body. There have been so many times when someone has walked up to me when doing a demo in a store or a workshop and asked what I use on my skin. I always say, what I use on my skin is less important, it’s how I nourish myself with superfoods, water and sleep I am most focused on.

Beauty treatment or tool I'm obsessed with now: I love micro-current tools like NuFace and I’m currently obsessing over lymphatic facials and massage.

Health habit for beauty I swear by: Simplify. Unless you’ve been prescribed by a dermatologist, then you have no reason to slather on a ton of creams, masks, gels, oils, etc. Keeping your skin fresh and clean will allow it to breathe and generate its own oils, which is the best medicine than any prescription for your skin.

Hydration is also super important. When you’re dehydrated your skin gets dry, and you’re more prone to blemishes. I used chlorophyll in my water (currently loving Philosophie Liquid Sunshine), which not only boosts hydration but also hydrates and heals the skin.

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In the Kitchen with Greg Arnold of Dark Horse Organic

In my experience, when you begin eating more whole foods, condiments become crucial. You're dropping the processed products and starting from scratch meaning that the flavor of everything you make becomes more custom and more interesting. Chef Greg Arnold is a veteran of the healthy dining world and when he launched Dark Horse Organics we were immediate fans. Dark Horse condiments include a charcoal vinaigrette, umami ketchup and some of the best mustards out there. 

We asked Greg to join our In the Kitchen series (explore it here - it's so good!) and he didn't disappoint -- get his complex, but worthwhile kitchari recipe below. 

Want more from Arnold? Join his online cooking club with our friends at Conscious City Guide here. 

In my kitchen you’ll find plenty of: Water in glass bottles. All water coming out of the tap tastes bad. Even if you have a filter, I don’t think people change the filters enough. They really need to be changed rather frequently.

Recipe staples always on hand: Broths & stews. Knowing how to make a handful of great go-to soups & stews is an amazing way to always use everything in the fridge before it goes bad.

Ingredient that makes everything taste better: Salt!!! Kosher salt, fleur de sel and maldon salt. Also, tamari.

Best food memory: The first time I went to Chez Panisse back in the day.

Essential cookbooks: The Noma Cookbook. Manresa. Preserving the Japanese Way. If you want a book that you can really learn a lot of techniques from I would say Bar Tartine.

Food philosophy in one sentence: Food for The Light Body

Fave ingredient lately: Leeks from the farmers market & fresh thyme.

Midnight snack perfection: Peanut butter out of a jar with a butter knife.

Food you love to eat with zero prep/additions: Fresh sourdough with organic butter.

Most impressive dish: I believe it would be my ramen. I have been working on the broths & stocks for years now & they just keep getting better every time.

Healthiest habit in the kitchen: Mise en place. Everything in the same place every time I cook. Everything super organized, organization is key to success in the kitchen.

Fave condiments: Dark Horse Organic, our umami powder is amazing on pretty much everything & I really love our fermented dijon, which has smoked onions, chardonnay, and wildflower honey. Kewpie mayo is pretty great too!

Best bargain tip: Go to the farmers market right before closing. Also, make sure to eat all of your stems (kale, beet, chard, etc.)... either saute them or slice them up & pickle them for later. Pickled stems add so much brightness to rich and savory dishes.

Fave veggie + what you make with it: Is bacon a veggie? But seriously, my favorite vegetable is the humble carrot. I like to use it as an aromatic in the base of soups & stews, I grate it & use it as a base for tomato marinara, I love them pickled, & they are so great roasted with za’atar, honey & labneh. You can use a carrot in a hundred different ways & the juice is great too.

Must-have munchies: Roasted & salted sunflower kernels. I can eat whole bags of those.

Craziest thing I buy at the market: $16 '10,000 year journey' water from Erewhon

Favorite splurge: Chanterelle & porcini mushrooms when in season.

Your idea of an ideal dinner setting… A nice warm summer night in our backyard, cooking on the yakitori grill with Lindsay & Peggie.

For last minute entertaining, I… make sure we have plenty of natural wine on hand.

Signature cocktail: Lillet spritz with a natural white, ice cubes, & a little lemon.

Go-to recipe... 

Spiced Kitchari with Pistachios + Mint

Spices:
2 t cumin seed
1 t mustard seed
1 t ground turmeric
1 t ground fenugreek
fresh ginger peeled

Soak for 45 min:
1 cup white basmati rice
1 cup red split lentils
1 large piece kombu

Garnish:
Large handful of pistachios
1 t sesame seeds
1 t cumin seeds
A few slices of leek
1 T chopped fresh cilantro
1 T chopped mint
Granola

Make clarified butter (ghee):
Melt 2 sticks organic butter on low in a saucepan.
Once melted & slightly bubbling, turn off the heat. After 3 minutes, begin to skim the milk whey. Then slowly pour your clarified butter into a bowl, while leaving the white, milky fat solids. Set aside.

Instructions:
Return to your soaked rice, lentils, and remove the kombu & strain the water.

In a Dutch oven, warm a few tablespoons of your clarified butter & start to warm your fried spices. Now, grate in your ginger. Stir. Then add in your rice and lentil & stir to allow the butter & spices to coat everything. Stir for a minute to slightly toast then add in 6 cups of spring water and1 bay leaf. Turn the heat up to bring to a gentle boil. Skim the scum, turn down to a simmer while leaving the lid slightly open. Check in 20. Remove bay leaf. Set aside once cooked. Season with dark horse black lava sea salt for optimal detoxification and some black pepper to taste.

For the garnish: In a cast iron pan, warm 1 T of clarified butter and add in your pistachios, sesame seeds and leek. Toast slightly. Then add in your fresh herbs to slightly soften.

Plate the kitchari on the bottom of your plate and use your cooked garnish and granola to your liking.

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Staying At Home: Inside the Tiny Canal Cottage with Whitney Leigh Morris

We've honestly been having a great time producing our first IGTV videos during quarantine. On one hand, we've actually wanted to watch more IGTV ourselves and, on the other, lowering the stakes on quality while we all deal with the limitations of being at home has made the videos way more fun to make!

Last week, I asked author and consultant, Whitney Leigh Morris to hop on to IGTV to give us a few insights about living well while at home. Many of us are living in more constricted spaces, whether that means carving out more home office space or just sharing more communal living time with friends or family members. Whitney, her husband, son and a two adorable rescue beagles know a lot about small space living. The foursome live in the 'Tiny Canal Cottage', an incredibly beautiful, under 400 square foot home on the Venice Canals that we have featured many times here on TCM.

Whitney offered all of the above clever, creative ideas for making the most out of small spaces and if you're feeling that monochromatic, natural look she's got going on, you can check out more of it here on her Instagram feed.

Enjoy her tips in the video above, then check out all these stories we've done with Whitney in the past!

BIG SNACKS, TINY KITCHEN: AN EPIC CROSTINI BOARD INSIDE THIS ADORABLE COTTAGE

 

HOW TO DECORATE A SMALL SPACE WHEN YOU HAVE BIG SPACE TASTE

 

SMALL SPACE, BIG STYLE: BRUNCH AT HOME WITH A VENICE DESIGNER

 

THE HANGING SHELF: A BOHO LOVER'S FAVORITE NEW HOME ACCESSORY

 

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Ever Tried To Make Sauerkraut At Home? Here’s Why You Should

Tangy. Crunchy. Teeming with gut-friendly bacteria. Sauerkraut is one of our favorite probiotic-rich foods. Not into it? You probably haven't tried it homemade!

This homemade sauerkraut recipe from our friends at Free People is as delicious as it is pretty -- and she's definitely a looker. Anti-inflammatory turmeric gives the kraut a gorgeous golden hue. An assortment of veggies make this recipe more fun than your standard, and the addition of apples is a bright and delicious surprise. 

Make a batch of this homemade sauerkraut when you're feeling crafty or have extra farmers market veggies that need to be used up. Pile it high on veggie bowls, in wraps and by the forkful...

Not just a condiment anymore, this sour shredded cabbage dish is perfect for accompanying sandwiches, salads, to top off rice, or to savor on its own.

Before beginning your batch, keep in mind that cleanliness throughout the fermentation process is very important. Hot water and soap is sufficient for cleaning jars and measuring tools, but ensure that they are rinsed completely. Soap residue can inhibit the growth of the beneficial bacteria that you are trying to manifest. (This process is different then “canning” when you are pasteurizing and killing all of the beneficial bacteria that naturally occurs on vegetables. In that process it is important to completely sterilize jars.)

An equally important consideration when making your own fermented foods? HAVE FUN! Your only assurance should be utilizing the correct ratio of salt in your ferment. Feel free to experiment with different vegetable and spice combinations as you grow more comfortable. Our friend and local chef Greg Glowatz generally ferments at a percentage of 2.5% Celtic sea salt. Using a digital kitchen scale with a kg setting (he finds it much easier to make the calculations in grams and kilos than in pounds and ounces), simply weigh your prepped vegetables in grams (minus the weight of your jar or bowl) and then multiply that by .025 to find how many grams of salt you should add to your mix.

Gather Your Tools

A German Style Fermentation Crock with Weights is Chef Greg’s preferred vessel for fermenting shredded sauerkraut — it keeps the light out which enables you to keep a crock on your counter. Also, this style of crock has a water seal in which you simply pour water and top up every few days. It keeps oxygen out of the crock while allowing gasses from the fermentation process to be released. Check Out

You will also need a knife and cutting board to shred up your veggies. You can also use slicing attachments on your food processors or mandolin slicers but a knife will do just fine. Check OutYou will need a digital kitchen scale that weighs up to 5 Kg. Check Out

You will need a pickle packer or wooden tamper to compact your kraut into its fermentation vessel. Check Out

One final necessity is a large mixing bowl in which to mix your shredded veggies with salt. Check Out

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The 10-Minute Lower Ab Routine You Should Add To Every Workout

We first ran these workout tips from Karena and Katrina years ago, but this little routine is still great - with your workout or on it’s own!

Stand tall. Having a strong core gives us a sense of power and stability that hits body and mind alike. Karena and Katrina of Tone It Up are showing us how to make it happen -- turns out, it's not just about popping out those planks. We asked these pros -- who are about to launch a national tour -- to show us their fave quickie lower ab workout, and to dish on a few ways to make our hard work really shine. Bathing suit season may be ending, but the season for strong abs is here to stay...

A tight and toned core feels strong, confident, and healthy. A combination of nutrition and toning workouts is your best bet for a slim and sculpted center! Today we’re sharing our top tips and a 10 minute lower ab workout to reveal your sexy core.

Get your slimming foods in.Bloating can hide all of the hard work you’ve put in to tone your core. Filling your meals with foods that naturally de-bloat can help reveal your gorgeous muscles! Asparagus, lemon juice, and ginger are all slimming, delicious, and can easily be added to your meals! Try grilling some asparagus with your dinner or making ginger lemon tea.

Tone your center in every workout.With proper form, you 'll tone your core with every workout you do. Your midsection helps to stabilize your body and protect your spine. Pull your belly button toward your spine while performing deadlifts, squats, bent over rows… pretty much any move you do! You’ll help keep your balance while sculpting your core, too.

Bump up the intensity. High intensity interval training - aka HIIT - is great for boosting your metabolism all day long. Adding a HIIT workout into your routine 2-3 times a week can help reveal those gorgeous ab muscles. Try our Sandy Sweat HIIT routine HERE!

Lower your stress levels. Cortisol is your body’s stress hormone. Increased cortisol levels can cause your body to store fat in your midsection. Not getting enough sleep can put your body and mind on edge. Aim for 7.5 to 8 hours of sleep per night to decrease your daily stress levels.

10-Minute Lower Ab Workout

High Knees | Raises your metabolism and tones your lower abs!

Jog in place, bringing your knees up to your belly button. Make sure to land softly on your feet.

Continue for 30 seconds.

 

Down Dog Toe Tap | Tones your entire core and shoulders!

Begin in a down dog position. Touch your right foot with your left hand. Return to start. Touch your left foot with your right hand. Continue alternating sides.

10 reps on each side, 20 reps total.

 

Alternating Plank Knee Taps | Tones your lower abs and shoulders!

Begin in a plank position with your hands directly below your shoulders and core engaged. Slowly lower your right knee to tap the ground. Return to start and repeat with your left knee. Continue alternating sides.

Complete 15 reps on each side, 30 reps total.

 

 

Weighted Toe Touch Crunch | Tones your lower abs and core!

Begin laying on your back with arms and legs extended, hands holding onto a light weight. Lift your legs and upper body off the ground at the same time and meet your feet and hands at center. Slowly lower back down.

Complete 15 reps.

 

Tabletop Swing | Sculpts your lower abs and booty!

Begin in a reverse tabletop position with your booty pressed up into the air. Swing your hips down and back, making sure to use your core to keep your booty from touching the ground. Reverse the move to return to start.

Complete 20 reps. 

Repeat the entire workout twice!

Discover more workouts
and pro fitness tips from the Tone It Up girls here.

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