Category: Soul
Living a Fit Lifestyle – Health Tips + Workout Swag
What do the lives of fit and healthy people look like?
Do they work out twice a day and drink liquid kale?
How do they have the time to be fit?
All valid questions.
Good news: I consider myself a fit person and I’ve never drank liquid kale.
But really, we are all SO busy. How can we make being fit and active part of our lifestyle? I’m not here to give you some secret magical trick that will instantly change your life without you having to lift a finger. But, I do want to offer some practical and simple health tips that work for me.
And I do believe that being fit and active DOES change your life. You know what else changes your life?
BALANCE.
I’m over counting calories and weighing myself every morning. I’m over feeling guilty for missing a workout and for eating a cookie. Let’s just do what makes us feel good.
Learn to listen to your body. Maybe you don’t even realize that you’re not operating at 100%. Or even 75%. Our bodies learn to adapt and work with what they have. They’re pretty good at it too. But we’re not actually meant to feel exhausted all the time, stressed, bloated or sluggish.
WHAT’S YOUR WHY?
If any of this is resonating with you and you want to make some changes, this is the most important step. Finding your why is the best health tip I can offer you as far as motivation goes. So why are you doing this? You’re not doing this for someone else. This is for YOU. It’s your story.
Maybe you want to be more fit so you can play with your kids. Maybe you want to have the stamina to travel and see the world. Maybe it’s weight loss. Maybe it’s for your psychological health and stress relief. Maybe it’s just so that you can feel good.
Take a minute and think about what it is. Write it down!
STAYING MOTIVATED
At first, making a change in your lifestyle requires some motivation. Eventually, your goal is to turn these health tips into habits; to make it almost effortless.
#1: Have a plan
Doesn’t have to be anything crazy. Could be as simple as walking for 20 minutes 3 times per week. Could be going on pinterest and finding a no-equipment, home workout you can do. PS – mama’s, have you seen those home workouts using your baby as weight?? I love it!
Most importantly, make it realistic. Don’t make too much of a drastic change all at once. Give yourself some time to adjust to the changes in your lifestyle before furthering your goals. That’s how you’ll make it stick.
Personally, I love going to classes. Barre, circuit training, spin, yoga etc. They offer a variety and I love the community. Sometimes it takes a little more time out of my day, but since I love it so much, I make time for it. It’s become a priority in my life and it makes me happy! That’s the goal here. A lot of boutique studios will offer you a free week or free class if you’re a new customer. Another benefit of group classes: you’ll learn good form and learn exercises you can do at home on days you don’t feel like going to a class.
#2: Tell someone
Or a few people. Especially friends or family that are also making it a priority to live active lifestyles. Bounce ideas off each other and hold each other accountable. Sometimes simply talking about it out loud is motivation enough.
#3: Remember your WHY
Whenever I’m slacking a bit or having a stressful week and I’m tempted to get off track, the most powerful way to stick with my plan is to think about why I’m doing it in the first place. Literally envision yourself running around with your kids, hiking the Grand Canyon, going on a bike ride with your family, or simply feeling good. It’s a powerful tool and it works. Don’t underestimate the power of the mind!
USEFUL TOOLS & SWAG
Seconds Timer App
Allows you to set up intervals on a timer for however many seconds you want and then a rest period. It will repeat for however many sets you choose. It’s perfect for HIIT or tabata workouts (which are in my opinion the best bang for your buck when you only have a few minutes).
*Use pinterest or youtube for HIIT exercise ideas. My faves: high knees, mountain climbers, jump squats, burpees, lunge jumps.
Group Classes
I already mentioned how much I LOVE group fitness classes. To me, being in a group class is the most motivating and fun way to work out.
-Check out groupon in your city for discounted classes
-Try new studios in your city and ask about a new client offer
–Try out ClassPass
My Favorite Workout Swag
Don’t underestimate the power of a great workout outfit! 🙂 I’ve linked some of my favorite gear.
Check out my RECIPES page for healthy meal ideas!
I’d love to hear what works for you! What’s your why to live a fit lifestyle? Comment below!
How To Start Your Day Right With A Morning Routine
If you are a “morning person” who just pops out of bed at the sound of the alarm and gets right to it, I admire you. I seriously admire you.
If (like me), you DON’T consider yourself a morning person, don’t worry. I’m not trying to make you into a morning person. The reality is that most of us have to get up in the morning to go into work, maybe work from home, raise kids, clean the house, whatever it is that you do.
Wouldn’t it be great to start your day with a fresh, positive and focused mind?
How much more productive and HAPPY would you be throughout the day when you started it out intentionally and mindfully?
Why You Need A Morning Routine
Research has shown that people who meditate are more productive, show more positive thinking and can handle stress and conflict in a healthier way. Now before you get all freaked out about the word “meditate,” know that what I mean by this is intentional and mindful activities that ground us, make us feel joy and gratitude and give us a positive outlook for whatever comes our way.
Self care is becoming that much more important in our hectic lives. We all want to perform our best, have the energy and motivation to do what we do and have some left over to give to others, right? But how can we do all that if we’re not feeling rejuvenated, refreshed and inspired?
Before you start thinking you can’t do this because you’re not a morning person, take a look at what my mornings used to (and definitely still do sometimes) look like:
1. Alarm goes off at 5:00 am (so that I can work out before going into work)
2. Hit snooze as I laugh at the thought of working out right now
3. 9 min later: Snooze again
4. Think about doing squats and lunges…laugh to myself again
5. Start to feel guilty about snoozing into my workout time, but not enough to get out of bed
6. Repeat step 3 at least three more times
7. Finally get out of bed with 20 min left to get ready, inhale a breakfast and run out the door for work feeling rushed and guilty inside
Sound familiar?
I have made SO much progress by creating a morning routine. I won’t go as far as to say that I enjoy leaving my comfy bed at the crack of dawn and I definitely hit snooze EVERY morning. But…I’ve come to value these few minutes I leave just for me, to fill with something that I ENJOY before starting the day. I’m challenging you to make it a priority to make your days joyful, peaceful and full of gratitude.
I don’t care how busy you are or how early you have to wake up. You CAN make time for this. 15 minutes earlier won’t kill you.
Seriously consider doing this 30 day morning routine challenge. I promise you will only get good out of it.
How to Create Your Own Morning Routine
1. Make a cup of coffee or tea. There’s something so enjoyable about making coffee or tea in the morning. It also motivates me to get out of bed when I know I have a warm treat to look forward to. This is when I also love to put a few drops of lemon or peppermint essential oil into my diffuser to help wake me up!
2. Set the timer on your phone. Decide the amount of time you want to set aside for yourself each morning. It could be as little as 5 minutes if that’s all you can manage right now. I like mine to be 15-30 minutes. Setting your timer allows you to focus without having to worry about how much time you have left.
3. How do you want to feel throughout the day today? Maybe it’s peace or joy. Maybe you want to have patience or gratitude. Set your intention.
4. Choose your activity. Below I have a list of things you could do during your morning time. I usually pick a different one every day. Choose one or a couple of the things from the list or come up with your own. It doesn’t really matter what you do, just choose something and be intentional about it. It should be something that brings you joy, peace and / or expresses creativity or gratitude.
5. Start your day feeling refreshed and rejuvenated!
DON’TS
DO NOT start your day by:
-Looking at Facebook or Instagram
-Watching or reading the news
-Watching TV or playing video games
Reading a negative email or hearing something sad on the news etc immediately starts your day in a negative mindset. Watching TV or playing video games is a MINDLESS activity. We’re going for mindful. Do your mindful morning activity BEFORE you do any of these things.
30 DAY MORNING ROUTINE CHALLENGE
I’m challenging you to start and maintain a morning routine for 30 days and see how it changes your mindset, your productivity, your happiness and your days.
Some days it will come easier than others. Some days you can only do 5 minutes. But I challenge you to DO IT no matter what. And if you wake up late one morning and you just don’t have time for it, get 5-10 minutes in during the day where you slow down and do something mindful.
Let me know how you feel after this challenge! What kinds of activities do you like doing in your morning routine?
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