The new year is just around the corner so it's time to get to work in the gym.
Luckily, Massy "Mankofit" Arias, one of Instagram's most famous fitness trainers, has a selection of workouts you can do at home to help you snap it up and back just in time.
Mankofit's fitness journey began when she used exercise as a way to overcome depression. The Dominican beauty went from a slim 114 pounds, to a strong 152 pounds, all while documenting her fitness journey to her followers on Instagram over the past few years. Today, the certified personal trainer offers advice, inspiration, and a lot of challenging exercises to her 1.9 million followers on Instagram. She said to Cosmo back in 2013,
When I started sharing my fitness journey on social media, people saw me grow as an athlete and as a person. Now I want to encourage women to love themselves the way they are, because we come in very different shapes and very different dimensions, and we should be comfortable with who we are.
#Goals!!
If you're feeling her fitness journey, wait until you get into her Instagram workout videos. Here are six exercises that are sure to get some of those holiday dinner calories off of your butt. Check them out, and tell us which one you liked the best.
1. The "Coconut Booty" Challenge
Mankofit always refers to your butt as your "coconuts," and this squat challenge with a resistance band is sure to get you right. This exercise targets the hamstrings, the coconuts, and the the quads. Do 100 reps, or until fatigued, and rest 30-45 seconds. She says you should also remember this when doing the exercise,Squat jumps work the coconuts, hamstrings, and quads. The trick to these is to squeeze and contract the glues, a.k.a. the coconuts, when you read the bottom to help you activate as you come up.
You can purchase fitness bands at Academy Sports, Champs Sports, Walmart, and Amazon.
2. "The 50"
The person in this video is one of her followers, and she's getting it in! This set of modified pushups, mountain climbers, and twists will really work your abs, arms, hamstrings, and glutes. I did about 3 sets of 20 of each exercise, and was good to go.
3. "The Leg HIIT Challenge"
I had to do this routine last week when it was raining outside. I performed this exercise for time (30 minutes), and my legs were on fire, but that's because this workout was meant to build and burn at the same time. Here is how you should do this routine,CHALLENGE: perform circuit 8 times 1-2min rest in between sets.
Circuit: Weighted step ups superset with high knees + hip thrusters superset with side skies...Can be done with or without weight. If no equipment is available grab two gallons of water, get to the park and find a bench that will help you perform all these moves...
4. The "Mankofit Circuit Trainer"
This is is the kind of workout that will never ever get boring. Resistance bands, ball training, and weight training all in one circuit will get you back to right. Mankofit says this routine targets the whole body. All exercises are performed back-to-back with no rest in between. After each set is completed, take a 45 second to 1 minute res with 15 reps per exercise. Mankofit says that circuit training is her favorite style of training. She also says,
It is a form of resistance training that maximizes the volume of work dine in a short period of time, this means you will get the benefits of weight training and cardiovascular training all together.
5. "Around the world squat plate presses"
This exercise has been getting some great reviews on Instagram. Mankofit says that this move will be "working your quads, Jammies, coconuts, core, and arms. This is how the exercise is to be performed,Challenge: 10 sets of ATWSPP w/10 second hold (1-2 min res in between sets) Beginners: Perform with just your body weight. Add resistance as you progress.
6. "The Renegade Row with T-rotation"
This exercise is very challenging and fun. It works your core, upper back, and improves your shoulder stability. You can do this routine with no weights. Just remember to maintain proper form.
She also says this about doing this routine safely:
Keep your back neutral at all times, making a straight line from shoulder to wrist when planking, and also when holding the T position.
Bonus:
If you are really about that life. This push up situation that rotates from using your hands than forearms is sure to get your core and arms looking right while speeding up your heart rate.
Who is your favorite Instagram trainer? List them below so we can follow, too!
RELATED
Again, the answer never changes because, if there is one thing that Shellie Reneé Warren is gonna get, it’s 6-8 (sometimes nine) hours of sleep. However, since my chronotype (check out “Ever Wonder What Personality Traits Make Someone A 'Morning Person'?”) means that I like/prefer to write in the wee hours of the morning, sometimes I will sleep for the night for five hours and take a nap in the day. And y’all, that is just fine with me because I am well aware of the fact that napping does everything from give me more energy, heighten my alertness and even make me more creative to decrease stress levels, strengthen immunity, and reduce my chances of experiencing a heart attack or stroke.
My problem is I will oftentimes go “overboard” with my daytime zzz’s. What I mean by that is, in order to get the most out of a nap, they say thatyou shouldn’t sleep for longer than 25 minutes or so; otherwise, you could wake up feeling sluggish (I don’t but…). Also, it can make resting, soundly, at night a bit of a struggle.
So, what are you saying, Shellie? We should get quickies in? Yeah. And it’s funny that the word “quickie” would come up because just like a sex quickie can do wonders for you (and it can — check out “12 Super Solid Reasons To Have A Quickie Every Single Day”), it’s a full-circle moment when I say that something that can improve the quality of your sex life is to have a power nap (a nap that lasts between 10-30 minutes).
Wanna know how the two things correlate? Honestly, it’s no secret that sleep and sex work together to optimize both (check out “6 Fascinating Ways Sex And Sleep Definitely Go Hand In Hand”). Today, though, we’re going to tap into how a nap, specifically, can have you partaking in some of the best sex that you’ve experienced in a minute. I’ll explain.
Naps Reduce Stress
GiphyIf you’re feeling super stressed out right now, you are not alone. There is plenty of data out here that says that most of us are stressed for at least a couple of reasons at a time — and that can impact your sexual health on a few levels. For one thing, it can bring about feelings of depression and/or anxiety. Stress can also throw your hormone levels off (including your cycle) which can weaken your libido. Stress can make you want to put distance between you and your partner (yes, literally).
Stress can also make it challenging to get aroused or to have an orgasm. And just what can help to decrease stress? Taking a nap. Since sleep has a way of helping you to “get off of the clock” and relax a bit, that can lower your stress levels and “reset” your body so that you are calmer — and that, in turn, can do wonders for your sex drive and ultimately your sex life.
Naps Improve Your Mood
GiphyThere is one person in my life, and fairly 80 percent of the time, she’s in a super good mood. Oh, but let that girl go without sleep, and…who is this woman? LOL. There’s research behind why this happens. When a person is sleep-deprived, it messes with their brain chemicals, and that can amplify emotions like anger, restlessness and sadness. In fact, one study revealed that people who had their sleep disrupted throughout the night, they ended up having their positive outlook on life reduced by about 30 percent.
And geeze, who wants to have sex when they’re not feeling very good? Anyway, since serotonin is a neurotransmitter that helps to regulate your moods, your sleep patterns, and your libido and sleep is what helps to keep it in balance — by taking a nap, not only can it help you to feel better, it can also increase your desire for sex (it can also build up your endurance which is also…sexually beneficial).
Naps Increase Your Focus and Concentration
GiphySomething that some of my clients bring up is how, when it comes to having sex, sometimes the flesh is willing while the spirit is weak because, although the desire for intimacy is there, so much is going on that they aren’t able to get still enough to focus on experiencing copulation with their partner. This also tracks because, when you don’t have enough rest, your brain finds itself not working in harmony and that can make it hard to do everything from approaching life with a sense of flexibility to making necessary decisions.
Certain data also reveal that a lack of rest can cause you to have a really poor attention span and not process things in context (the more you know). So, if you really want to get some yet it’s hard for you to focus long enough to make it happen, ask your bae to lie down with you and take a nap. Between the sleep and the snuggling (check out “Fall's Coming: 8 Wonderful Health Benefits Of Cuddling”) — you may wake up with your mind and body totally on the same page. #wink
Naps Can Make You Feel Better About Your Body
GiphyEven if, overall, you feel really good about your body, I think that we all have moments when we feel less attractive than others — and who wants to have sex when they don’t really feel…very sexy? Well, something else that sleep, in general, can do is increase your confidence in your body.
For one thing, if you want to lose a few pounds, sleep can actually make that happen by helping your body metabolize the glucose (sugar) that’s in it so that you can better manage your appetite. Other studies go on to share that since sleep deprivation can impact one’s mental health and emotional stability in a negative way, of course, getting enough rest would increase body positivity.
Shoot, science even goes so far as to say that insomnia can cause people to have an elevated level of dissatisfaction when it comes to their body image. Don’t take their word for it, though. Look in the mirror before a nap. Then look in a mirror after waking up from me. Do you feel better? I’d be surprised if you don’t.
Makes Your Brain Bigger…Which Could Make Your Orgasms Better
GiphyI saved the best for last by design. Now if you’re wondering how in the world a nap can improve (and possibly increase) your orgasms — oh, there is a method to the madness…trust. For starters, the saying that your biggest sex organ is your brain? That isn’t a myth. Long story less long, the brain is what houses your central nervous system and that is what controls how men and women sexually function (yes, literally).
And since the brain also releases feel-good chemicals like dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin during sex and brain activity significantly increases in women during sexual activity (especially right before she orgasms) — well, would it trip you out to know that when you take a nap, your brain actually expands? A bigger brain (that’s healthy) can potentially intensify your sexual experiences (and your climaxes) — and who doesn’t want that to go down?
____
Like I said earlier, I never have to be convinced to get a nap in. However, if your sex life has been a bit stagnant lately, you’ve been feeling a little sluggish and you’re not sure what to do — I’m hoping that a nap can get you right.
There’s enough science to prove that it can. All you need to do is give it a shot.
Now where’s your pillow and sleep mask, chile?
Let’s make things inbox official! Sign up for the xoNecole newsletter for love, wellness, career, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.
Featured image by FG Trade/Getty Images