Time to Step It Up: Fitness 201.

It has been about a month now since my post on Mom-ivation and Fitness 101.  I stressed the importance of taking some of that drive and energy that we so easily spend on our children, and applying it to ourselves.  I hope that you have taken that to heart and started your journey…..  I know that I have.

In addition to the workout schedule that I shared with you, I went on a “date day” with my husband this weekend and got the first hike of the season under my belt.  It was awesome!  The weather was perfect and the scenery was absolutely breath-taking….  Add that to 2,350 calories burned, 117 floors, and 5.2 miles recorded on my FitBit, and I would say that’s a pretty successful day 🙂

Now….  June is here.  This is the time of year that I kick it up a notch.  Time to bust out the shorts and bikinis….  Anything extra hanging around from winter – Has got to go!  Also, it is time to start training for Tough Mudder….  My husband and I, along with a couple of our friends, completed our first last year.  It was super challenging…. and maybe the most fun I have ever had!  This year, we are going BIGGER.  In addition to adding a few more friends to the roster… we are making it a family affair.  We are still convincing our oldest to run it with us (he is understandably nervous about it)  and my younger son and his buddy are doing the Mini Mudder.   So it is full on “Family Training Camp” starting tomorrow!  I’ll share more about how that is going at the beginning of July….

So let’s get into it…..  Fitness 201:

• Have a plan – You need to know what you want to accomplish before you jump into it.  Do you want to lose weight?  Are you trying to build muscle?  Wanting to just “tighten up” what you are already working with?  Increase your cardio and endurance?   Begin with the end in mind.
• Tailor your workouts to meet your goals – Not everything you see is going to work for you.  All of our bodies are completely different.  Find workouts that have given results to people with your similar body type.  Or meet with a personal trainer to get headed in the right direction.
• Keep track of your calories –  This shouldn’t be an obsession thing.  But it is important to know what you are taking in versus what your burning….  If you are muscle-building, for example, you should be taking in more proteins than normal.  You have to ensure that you are fueling your body properly for the extra expended effort of your workouts.  (I use the MyFitnessPal app for this)
• Make the time – This might be the most important one of all.  It is the easiest excuse we have to get out of doing the work.  Now, your entire day should not have to change or shift to fit around your workout, but you have to make it fit somehow.   Know what works best for your family’s schedule and commit to it.  I prefer to work out in the morning because I have more energy and no distractions.  My husband likes to work out at night after we put the kids to bed, and we can exercise together. So I mix it up through out the week….
• Drink plenty of water –   I am really bad at this one…..  I have no problem drinking water while I am exercising, but not so much the rest of the day.  It is so important to keep your body hydrated.  I track my water intake along with my calories now so that I am reminded constantly to drink more!
• Don’t be delusional – I can’t stress this enough…..  Every single work out routine or system you see has a fabulous, beautiful, fitness model attached to it.  Now that doesn’t mean you can’t get great results from it,  HOWEVER, do not expect that photo to be your result.  Real talk – I am 44 years old and I have given birth to 3 children.  I am probably in the best physical shape of my adult life…. but I don’t look like a 20-year-old fitness model.  And I don’t expect too.
• Use Fitness Motivation – I have a bunch of sayings and pictures saved on my Pinterest Motivation Board to get me moving.  And my Pumped Up Playlist always gets my blood flowing…..  You may like to watch videos of Fitness enthusiasts on You Tube.  Whatever works for you here….  Do that.

“Our bodies are capable of anything….  It is our minds we have to convince.”

Time to get out there and kick it up a notch!  Start with a great plan.  That is always the first step.  Give yourself a break if you don’t accomplish everything you set out to right off the bat.  Make changes if you need to….  But never, ever, ever give up.  You will see results…. And it is so worth it!

Cheers!