What I Do For My Workouts
I get a lot of people that ask me what I do for my workouts and there is not one answer I can give you. I have the problem where I get bored if I stick with one thing for too long so I'm constantly switching things up and trying different things. I have gone from going to Urban Active and working with a trainer, to trying online workouts, to boxing, to running, to T25, to yoga...you name it, I've probably tried it. I try to plan out my week ahead of time, but some days I'm just not in the mood for the daily workout that was planned so I improvise a lot.
The majority of the time I follow the Tone It Up girls and have their app on my phone so I can do the daily workout just about anywhere even if I don't' have my computer. If you haven't checked these girls out or heard of them click here. They have daily workouts that are completely free as well as a nutrition plan (that you have to pay for).
If I'm not doing one or two of their workouts then I'm usually going outside for a run and doing a yoga routine from Do You Yoga. I discovered this website when I was looking for new workout ideas and was thinking about incorporating yoga into my daily routine. They have challenges that you can do for free and they send you the workouts to your email every day. I have recently gotten into meditation after doing a meditation challenge and combined that with a yoga challenge. The combination of those two things in the evening has helped my sleep tremendously. And who doesn't need a few quiet minutes alone to quiet your thoughts and relax from the craziness of our days?
The majority of the time I follow the Tone It Up girls and have their app on my phone so I can do the daily workout just about anywhere even if I don't' have my computer. If you haven't checked these girls out or heard of them click here. They have daily workouts that are completely free as well as a nutrition plan (that you have to pay for).
If I'm not doing one or two of their workouts then I'm usually going outside for a run and doing a yoga routine from Do You Yoga. I discovered this website when I was looking for new workout ideas and was thinking about incorporating yoga into my daily routine. They have challenges that you can do for free and they send you the workouts to your email every day. I have recently gotten into meditation after doing a meditation challenge and combined that with a yoga challenge. The combination of those two things in the evening has helped my sleep tremendously. And who doesn't need a few quiet minutes alone to quiet your thoughts and relax from the craziness of our days?
If you read my post below, you know that I've gotten into running in the past few years. There's just something I love about going out with nothing but my headphones and playlist and just running. Sometimes I use my Map My Run app on my phone to track my distance and pace, but other times I just go run until I don't want to run anymore or until my body tells me to stop.
I work at a women's dance/fitness studio a few evenings a week so naturally when I'm not working and can find the time to make one of the classes then I will take one of the hour-long toning or cardio classes. If you are in the Dayton area I highly recommend you check out MVP Dance Fit. There's sure to be a class that you would enjoy.
If I'm in the mood for lifting weights (I typically use weights in most of my workouts, but if I'm in the mood to lift heavy) I will use one of the programs from Bodybuilding.com. They have a short quiz you can take for what you're looking for and it will give you the best programs for you. You can also download their app for your phone and do the workouts from home if you want. This proved beneficial to me over the winter months. My favorite programs are from Jamie Eason and Erin Stern.
I work at a women's dance/fitness studio a few evenings a week so naturally when I'm not working and can find the time to make one of the classes then I will take one of the hour-long toning or cardio classes. If you are in the Dayton area I highly recommend you check out MVP Dance Fit. There's sure to be a class that you would enjoy.
If I'm in the mood for lifting weights (I typically use weights in most of my workouts, but if I'm in the mood to lift heavy) I will use one of the programs from Bodybuilding.com. They have a short quiz you can take for what you're looking for and it will give you the best programs for you. You can also download their app for your phone and do the workouts from home if you want. This proved beneficial to me over the winter months. My favorite programs are from Jamie Eason and Erin Stern.
Bit By the Running Bug
I was never much of a runner...to be honest, I always thought the idea of running (for fun) was completely ridiculous! I've always been athletic and played three sports in high school, but to just go out and run? No way, not happening. Especially since I have gotten shin splints since I can remember. When I was married, it was to someone in the military and every year there is an Air Force Marathon at Wright Patterson Air Force Base. A couple year ago I was persuaded to run in the half marathon, obviously in support of the Air Force and just for something fun to do because I would be running along with family. So it seemed like something I figured I would try. Now that I look back on it, I probably should have set my sights a little smaller with a 5K or 10K at the most, but no, I had to start off training for a half marathon. For those of you that don't run, that's 13.1 miles!!! Back to the shin splints...I knew there was no way that I was going to be able to train and run that far without getting the right shoes for my feet. I am so flat-footed and most shoes that I love (that I thought looked the best) were not the best for my feet. I went to a store that specializes in measuring your foot and arch and putting you in the best shoe for you. Best idea ever! I have not gotten a shin splint in almost 3 years! I highly recommend that to anyone that's looking to take up running. It's a lifesaver. So I started my training with the help of my Map My Run app on my phone and I haven't looked back since. My goal for the first race was 2 hours and 30 minutes. I'm proud to say that I finished it in 2 hours and 15 minutes. In the months to follow, I signed up for the Half Marathon the following year and went through a divorce so with all of that stress and moving, I didn't get much training done. I still managed to run the Half Marathon that year and was only a couple minutes off the pace of my race the year before so I was more than happy with that. I did not sign up to run it again this year, but since starting out that first year, I have actually enjoyed running and actually WANT to go out and run. I do not like running on a treadmill so I don't get much running done when it's the winter, but it was absolutely wonderful to get out this morning, now that spring is here, and go for a run. I'm a little rusty, but it's so nice to have the wind in your face and your thoughts to yourself or just run along with a good mix of music and just go!