I have decided to challenge myself to take on two different training plans over the next 16-weeks. I am still plugging along at my race training plan and I have also decided to try out Kayla Itsines Bikini Body (BBG) plan. I actually started the plan three weeks ago but I slacked on week three, had an over indulgent weekend away and just felt like I need to restart so I am starting the plan over again this week. So far I am really loving the BBG plan but it is crazy challenging – perfect really.
So here are the first few weeks of my plan:
I think I discussed it in a previous post but I am following the Jeff Galloway plan because it is what has worked for me in the past and I say why fix something that isn’t broken, am I right? I am using the Galloway 10k iPhone app and I am loving it.
Interested in following my BBG journey? I have create a separate Instagram (because I don’t have enough IG accounts already) to track my BBG progress – so check it out if you’d like! All of my running training progress will be posted on the blog and on my regular IG account.
It’s that time of year again when many of us are re-committing to eating healthy and getting fit. The holidays have come and gone and if you’re like me you say you are going to stay on top of your workouts and healthy eating and then December gets the best of you. So here we are it’s January, a new year and it’s time to refocus and get back on track. I am working hard to get back on track and lose the baby weight and get back to my old healthy self. Here are five things that I am doing to help get back on track:
1. Drink Water. I can’t stress this enough drinking water is so incredibly important. Drinking water promotes weight loss, increases our energy and aids in digestion among other things. For me it has taken years to really get in a habit of drinking tons of water but there are two things that really help and the first is to drink a big glass of water as soon as I wake up, it really helps to get my body started for the day and sets the tone for my day. The second is finding the right vessel to drink my water out of. I have tried so many things from pint glasses, to jars, to cups with straws and a variety of bottles but the vessel that works best for me is a Blender Bottle; I don’t know what it is but when I use one I drink tons of water.
2. Follow a plan. If I am left on my own to figure out my workouts I can get lazy and easily skip days. Give me a workout or training plan to follow and I am more apt to stay on track and reach my goals. Right now I am registered for a Spring race and have a training plan; only two weeks in and I am already seeing a difference in my activity level. Not a runner? That’s fine there are tons of workout plans out there for whatever you enjoy.
3. Get outside everyday. And no walking from your car into work, home, a shop, ect doesn’t count (unless it’s a good distance away). Being outdoors, in the fresh air helps to reenergize us, helps us to clear our mind and reduces stress. We have to remember that mental health is just as or some might argue even more important than physical health. I believe that they are connected so how about trying to get outside for 15 minutes per day? Take your workout outside, go for a walk, read or simply sit quietly.
4. Find a buddy. Working out with a buddy makes the time pass by more quickly. You have someone to support you and you can help to keep each other on track. Bonus you also get to make your workout a social event which also helps with our mental health. So ask a friend to join you for a workout, find a running group or group class or simply get your family involved in your workout.
5. Get more sleep. Our bodies need to rest and recharge. Most of us don’t get enough sleep and lack of sleep can result in lower energy, lack of focus and often causes us to turn to quick forms of energy such as sugar and coffee. I have settled into a routine that every night I am in bed by 10pm whether I think I am tired or not. I know I need to get more rest and just what a huge difference it makes for me. When I get more sleep I feel more motivated, focused, encouraged to eat healthy and I am less apt to skip a workout.
Bonus Tip: Get yourself some clothes both for working out and for everyday that you feel good in regardless of the size. Don’t wait until you are at your goal weight/size to buy clothes that you feel good in. When I have clothes that I feel I look good in I actually feel MORE inspired to keep up my healthy lifestyle. If you are looking for some great activewear gear to help to make you feel beautiful and motivated to get active I highly recommend Lands’ End new line of workout apparel. I love the quality of the workout apparel and how versatile the pieces are.
Disclaimer: As part of a FitFluential campaign, my hubby Neil received a pair of Saucony ISO-Series Triumph, in exchange for his honest review. The opinions shared are his own.
Before moving to Portland, I would surely have called myself an avid runner. It seemed I was always training for a different race, tailoring my workouts and strength training to compliment running and getting in my miles whenever I could. Things started to slow down a bit when Edith was born, but I was still running. I finished my 2nd half marathon of the year after she was born (the Rock and Roll Half Marathon in Montreal) as well as a number of 5k and 10k races as part of my training.
I started to lose my way a bit once we moved to Portland. I was working a less flexible job that didn’t allow for as many runs during the day and with no shower, we were spending a lot of time exploring the city and I didn’t have any running partners any more. My training started to fall off and I ran the worst of my 3 half marathons last October. Lately, I’ve had the itch to start running regularly again and to really take it seriously again. When Lindsay asked me if I wanted the opportunity to try out the new Saucony ISO-Series Triumph, I jumped at it!
Until now, I’ve jumped around from shoe to shoe and hadn’t been able to settle on one that was right for me. A neutral, cushioned shoe has always been what I’ve found works best for me and the Triumph fits that bill. As soon as I put the Triumph on, I knew I was going to love them. The new PWRGRID+ cushioning technology made for a really comfortable ride and minimized the stress on my knees and legs that I’ve experienced with other shoes. Despite the cushioning, the shoe was incredibly light and responsive. The inner sock on the shoe provided a lot of great stability while running as well. The shoes felt great on the runs I took them on, both on the road and the treadmill. I felt fast and my legs didn’t feel like they had taken the same pounding that they did in some of the other shoes I’ve tried that were a similar weight, but less cushioned.
I’m really looking forward to running many more miles in the Saucony Triumphs as I make my way through the next step in my training and fitness journey. Now on to finding a new race to run! Also don’t forget to check out my WOAH face over on Lindsay’s Instagram account!
I have to say my very first postpartum outing sans tot and husband (Alder came as he is attached to da boob) couldn’t have been better. A solo(ish) outing to try on new workout clothes without chasing a toddler? Yes please!
I was running a little late because rain + Portland drivers = slow as molasses so I called to let the ladies know I was running late. Alisha was nice enough to take my size and pull some outfits for me so that they would be ready when I arrived. Well thirty minutes later I finally arrived to the beautiful Lorna Jane Bridgeport store and was greeted by Alisha and Alisha.
I was familiar with Lorna Jane prior to my style session and followed Lorna Jane on social media but had never tried the clothes myself. I have read tons of reviews and features on other blogs but I honestly have never taken the plunge into buying anything because from everything I had read Lorna Jane isn’t known for having clothes that fit plus sized bodies. Now this 3.5 month postpartum body is far from where I want it to be but I’m working at it so I honestly debated canceling my session all together because I didn’t know if I could handle not finding any clothes that fit me. In the end I decided that I just needed to go and if nothing worked I’d at least leave with an outfit that could be my goal outfit and a better understanding of the company.
Well let me tell you ladies I was pleasantly surprised to find that there were many items that did work really well for me especially bottoms. I had a little harder time with tops because well I’m a little top heavy right now due to nursing but I did find some great tops that worked and honestly rather than leaving with an outfit that would be a goal outfit I found an outfit that I feel great wearing. I also left with a greater knowledge of the Lorna Jane and the philosophy behind her brand; oh and a list of items that I want to go back and buy.
While I ended up finding three different outfits that I loved I decided to go with the one below and add the other two outfits are on my ‘to buy list’.
So Lorna Jane isn’t only about cute workout clothes for women it is also about creating community and inspiring women to move, nourish and believe in themselves. One addition to the Lorna Jane Bridgeport store that I can’t wait for is the Active Living Room. Lorna Jane Bridgeport will be hosting two FREE classes per day in their active living room. Eventually they hope to have more classes including pilates, yoga, bootcamp, barre and so many more fitness classes as well as nutritional classes. The Active Living Room is set to open in late December and you can bet I’ll be back for classes which inevitably means that my wallet will be emptied as well (I mean I need to go back for those two other outfits).
Until the Active Living Room opens I’ll be trying out the workout from the Lorna Jane Active magazine and the Move Nourish Believe website. Have you checked out the Move Nourish Believe website yet? Seriously one of my favorite sites for to go for workout, recipe and lifestyle inspiration. You can check out my favorite posts and quotes from Lorna Jane on my Pinterest Board.
Have you ever been nervous to do something to find yourself pleasantly surprised? Have you ever tried Lorna Jane clothes or checked out the Move Nourish Believe Website?
Disclaimer: Via my Sweat Pink ambassadorship, Fitapproach invited me to a Lorna Jane style session and I was gifted a complimentary outfit in return for this post. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Happy Fitness Friday on Saturday! You’d think I’d get myself in a better routine so I wasn’t posting a day late but alas a day late is better than never right? Or maybe I should just change this post to [fill in the blank] Saturday – leave your ideas in the comments.
So Monday marks the end of my DietBet game and well I’ll just come out and say it I didn’t win. I had to lose around 9 pounds to win and that being said I knew it would be a long shot. That all being said I did lose 4 pounds! That’s 1 pound per week which I think it is a pretty healthy amount of weight. On top of losing a few pounds I have also got myself back into a semi-regular fitness routine and have improved my diet. While I have made improvements over the past four weeks there is still a long way to go before I reach my final goals.
So what’s next? Like I said I have got myself back on a semi-regular fitness routine and my goal is to make it a regular routine. To do so Neil and I are going to sit down this weekend and come up with a workout time plan so that both of us are really able to take time during the week to workout without guilt. I say without guilt because as parents of two small children it can sometimes be mentally really challenging to make time for yourself and commit to that but we both know we need to so we are making it a priority.
I also have been doing okay with drinking enough water but I sometimes have days when I completely forget about it and just don’t drink enough. Lately I have been having a harder time because Neil “stole” my Blender bottle aka my favorite water bottle and so I haven’t been drinking as much as I should be. That being said I am going to get myself a new Blender bottle and make it my goal to drink at least 4-28oz bottles by 7pm.
Lastly, while eating healthy is going pretty well I am focusing on eating well about 75% of the time and I would really like it to be more like 85-90% of the time. I am all about eating in moderation so I do think that there is a time and place to indulge a little but I know that sometimes I indulge more than I need to. To help me be successful I am making it my goal to do bi-weekly meal planning and weekly meal prep. I also am going to make sure to buy more healthy snacks to have in the house because that is one of my downfalls. I don’t buy enough healthy snacks and then I am feeling snack-y and pick up rice chips or bean chips from Whole Foods and Neil and I eat an entire bag – not good!
If you have been following my social media you know that I on the West Coast team for the Shape & Men’s Fitness Fitbit Blogger Challenge. I have to say it’s pretty intimidating being on a team with some pretty well known bloggers who run many more miles than I do per week but here I am working away on increasing my weekly miles via running and walking. We are only four days into this challenge and I have had some really great days 9000-10500 steps in others closer to 5000 steps. I have to say that this challenge has ignited the competitor in me and I want our team to win but more than that I want to achieve my personal goal of 70,000 steps per week.
The challenge this week is take take my workout outdoors and so far so good! I got out for a walk with the kids on Monday afternoon and then we headed back outside after dinner with Neil for another walk. Tuesday we did a short and cold outdoor walk after dinner again. Today I took the kids out with a friend and we did a pretty decent walk, I think that this walk got me around 5000 steps however it probably should have been more but pushing the double BOB seems to interfere with tracking but oh well I guess it just forces me to be even more active on days I push the BOB.
I had hoped to get out for a hike with the kids this weekend but alas PNW weather can be less than ideal and right now the forecast is rain for the next 10 days. WhompWhomp. Hopefully we will have some clear periods and I’ll be able to get back outside because honestly outside workouts are superior to indoor. There is something about the fresh air and being surrounded by nature that makes the workout so much more relaxing. On days I can’t make it outside I can be thankful that I have a gym across the street from my house so that I can make sure to get in as many steps as possible per day.
So cheers to my West Coast teammates. Let’s do this!
Do you prefer to workout inside or outside? What is your favorite outdoor activity?
Check out the Shape Magazine/Men’s Fitness East vs. West Coast Fitbit Blogger Challenge at Shape.com/Fitbit and enter to win your own Fitbit charge!
This post is sponsored by the Shape/Men’s Fitness FitBit Charge Challenge.
Happy Friday Friends and Happy Halloween! What is everyone doing to celebrate? We are heading to meet up with friends and take our littles trick-or-treating tonight. Tomorrow night we are hosting our annual pumpkin beer tasting party with a small group of friends. So excited- this is my favorite time of the year!
Okay so let’s talk about the workouts this week….
The Goods.
I started back at running this week and let me tell you it feels good but it hurts so bad. I am having to do runs with the kids in the BOB Dualie or get up early/head out late for a run on the treadmill. This week I have only done runs with the stroller and I forgot how much harder it is and I’m feeling sore in a good way. So I have done two runs (Wednesday & Today).
I have also been going out for a number of walks with the kids and Neil in the evening. We went out for a Sunday evening and Wednesday evening (and tonight we will as well). I also took the kids on a nice long 3+ mile walk Thursday.
The Bads.
No yoga this week. I just didn’t make it this week and I didn’t do any at home practice.
No strength training this week. I didn’t plan for it and now I am wishing I had because I know I need to do more of it.
Only two runs. I would really like to try for three runs per week. P.S. my weeks are Saturday-Friday for the purpose these of these Fitness Friday posts.
Next Week.
Plans –> three runs, (at least) three evening family walks, one yoga class, and two days of strength training.
What are your fitness goods and bads of the week? What are your plans/goals for next week?
