Mid Week Motivation: My Current Health & Fitness Routine

Hello everyone!

It is July 1st! Can you believe it?! Lets take some time and enjoy the view.

Felt this would be the perfect occasion to bring back the "Mid Week Motivation" series (if you missed the previous posts search "Mid Week Motivation" on the search bar to your right).

Today I want to chat about what I am currently doing for my health, fitness, and lets be honest- my sanity! I don't know about you but maintaining a fitness routine helps me be more focused, motivated, excited, and disciplined with pretty much everything going on in my life. As the saying goes, when in doubt, work out!

[Workouts:]

Honestly, I am not doing anything crazy. For the past several months (pretty much since the beginning of the year) I've kept pretty consistent with the cardio portion of my workouts. During the past month or so, I have been incorporating weights and strength training in to my routine, as noted in this post.

CARDIO: So basically, 5-6 times per week I am at the gym. I have found that hitting the gym at around 11:00 am-12:00 pm on most days is what works for me the best (I currently work from home during the first half of my day and then head out to my other job in the late afternoons). Find the perfect time that can work for you and make it happen. Remember that all you need is at least 30 minutes of high intense cardio. 

My routine is currently at 45-50 minutes plus a cool down. I use the elliptical for about 15-20 minutes and the treadmill for the remainder. 

I proudly wear my Spartan shirt to the gym when I want to feel fierce. Little do people know that race almost killed me. But I made it out alive :-D

WEIGHTS: I do workouts incorporating weight training and strength training about 2-3 times per week. Either Monday, Wednesday, Friday OR Tuesdays and Thursdays depending on what I may have going on in a particular week. I have been using my workout DVDs but strongly considering signing up for a gym class incorporating weights at a local gym. I enjoy working out at home but it would be nice to  break the routine a bit, and meet new people while I'm at it.

Post-workout shameless selfie

[Food:]

I dislike being strict with what I eat or denying myself anything. I simply made a decision to make a conscious effort to eat something that is good for my body each time I eat a meal. I currently eat 3 times a day (breakfast, lunch, dinner) PLUS snacks whenever I am hungry. I don't believe in starving to death waiting for a next meal- that's something that can simply set you up for failure. If you are hungry, eat something! Just remember to make a conscious effort to make it healthy.

I cook, I bake, and I love to eat {if you think I'm lying just scroll back to prior posts, there is a good amount of food involved, and more to come}.

Restriction is not for me and allowing myself to eat well is something that has worked for me tremendously in terms of getting fit, maintaining a healthy weight, and keeping cravings at bay (don't get me wrong, I still get cravings but definitely not as much as before). Plus, I never feel like I am depriving myself.

Just yesterday I was watching a show about this "new" diet that allows beer and drinks in moderation. Some idiot on the TV show (one of the hosts) said "oh wow that is genius". I am sorry, but having things in moderation is something people have known for....ever....some people just choose to ignore it seeking the easy way out. I know the word idiot sounds harsh but I'm just being honest. It's been common sense for a while. 

Ok peoples, thanks for reading. What is YOUR current fitness routine? Or, if you plan to start one soon, what are the plans??

Love,

Mabelle

Mid Week Motivation 9: My favorite strength training DVDs (and plan of action)

Good morning everyone!

Happy Wednesday hump day. Today's post is inspired by the fact that I've been doing a whole lot of cardio since the beginning of the year. Although I absolutely love cardio (endorphins galore!) and I've also been incorporating some strength training (weights) workouts almost every week, i've been feeling that I should be upping up my game a bit (or a lot).

Strength training is a type of physical exercise specializing in the use of resistance to induce muscular contraction which builds the strength, anaerobic endurance, and size of skeletal muscles. -Wikipidia

I may eventually sign up for a serious cross fit class or something similar but as with every goal I ever set for myself, I like to start with the basics (or sometimes not so basic- hello Jillian Michaels the muscle killer) and move my way up. And so, this week I gathered all of my favorite DVDs (the ones that I've actually look forward to doing) and I am ready to set up a plan for myself!

Here is the stellar collection of faves:

I've been a fan of workout DVDs since I was around 15 years old and only Jillian Michaels and Gilad have managed to create workouts that don't bore me to death and that I actually look forward to. And yes, I met Gilad in person a few years back and he autographed my DVD. #DontJudge ;)

I don't know about you, but I've found that setting specific goals and tracking progress as I go along is one of the best way to stay motivated and consistent with every goal we set for ourselves. I've reiterated this over and over again on the blog.

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Simple Three Step Goal Setting:

Target areas: Also known as body parts I look forward to 'tightening' more and see clear progress: Abs, arms, thighs (<--wondering if this is the same for every women in the universe?).

Consistency: My original plan will be fitting in a strength training workout 2-3 times per week on alternating days. Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturdays or Monday, Wednesday, Friday, depending on the week. I'll also keep visual track of consistency by writing down each strength training workout completed in my fitness calendar.

Tracking Progress: I will be taking before pictures, which I will post with the after pictures when I see more results feel more comfortable (I love my body dearly but there is something about showing my bare belly on the internet, just a bit weird for me right now). I'll also track my progress by how committed I stay with my consistency plan above.

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And that is all my loves! What fitness goal do you have in mind? How will you stay motivated? Hope this three step goal setting plan helps you in your own endeavors, whatever they may be!

Love,

Belle