My Wellness Journey Part #3 – Fitness

Well, this post is beyond overdue!  I had every intention to post this last year but Fall and then holidays and more Covid and all the things, so basically it just fell by the wayside.  If I’m completely honest, my workout routine did as well.  Maybe the delay was my subconscious telling me not to write it just yet because I wasn’t in the right mindset.  I’m always transparent with you guys and does it really make sense to write a wellness post if I wasn’t really following what I was telling you guys?  That does not seem very authentic to me, so it never just felt right.

If you are new to this little Wellness Journey- Hi! Thank you for being here!  You can check out my Wellness Journey Part #1 (The Motivation)  and Wellness Journey Part #2  (The Nutrition)here!

I’m happy to report, I am back on track and feeling good about my progress lately.  I would like to note that this is a prime example of the ebbs and flows of life.  With the aforementioned stressors, my commitment to my wellness journey started to take the backseat.  I wish it didn’t but this is reality and it happens.  The key to this is recognizing it, giving yourself grace, but then picking yourself back up again. THAT is one of the very important keys to success, in my opinion.  I’m not saying to allow yourself excuses, because I don’t believe in excuses, but GRACE is entirely different.  It’s been a very difficult couple of years for everyone.

Wellness Journey Part #3- Fitness

Let’s talk about now.  My most asked about topic on Instagram is always about my workout routine and what I eat.   I’m not a professional so I honestly don’t feel 100% comfortable turning my page into a fitness page, but I am happy to share the tools I use.  Fitness has been a big part of my life ever since I was a child and while I might not be an expert I have learned some things along the way and I have a few great resources I use to keep me on track.

1. My Fitness Pal – I love this app so much.  I never thought I would be one to track my meals or calories, but let me tell you the minute I did, it was very eye opening. I thought  I was eating healthy.  I thought I was not overeating and I was wrong.  This app actually made me realize how much of a problem my evening snacking had become.   Additionally, I’m a visual person, so to actually see the numbers really helped motivate me to make some adjustments that I needed to make in order to achieve my goals.   Eventually, I was able to judge how much a serving of fish or sweet potato actually is and know roughly how many calories I was consuming so I started using the app less and less.  Now, I’m tracking my macros so I’m back to using the app consistently.
2. Fit by Katy App – This is my go-to for workouts.  If you want to know what workouts I’m doing, download this app.  I have been a Katy Hearn fan for literal years- like before she even had an app, a gym, and all the things she does. The app is wonderful because you can choose what area you want to work and it will customize and show you exercises.  I personally love doing the 8 week challenges because there is no guesswork.  It is lined out for you exactly, working each area as needed.
3. Pure Barre –  I’ve also been doing Pure Barre once a week.  I love it because I’ve noticed it’s really helping me sculpt my muscles as well as hitting the muscles I wouldn’t normally get at the gym, like focusing on my under arm area, inner thighs, the part right under your bum (the Pure Barre Ledge), while also working your entire body.  It’s a low impact workout and I plan on keeping it in my routine.
4. Orange Theory Fitness – I did OTF consistently for several years before COVID.  I haven’t joined back simply because my schedule isn’t allowing it at the moment.  However, this is one workout I highly recommend.  You wear a heart rate monitor and the screens allow you to see what zone you are in.  By seeing this you are optimizing your calories burned in a session as well as benefiting from the after burn (IFYKYK)
5. Hot Yoga –  I am not a yoga person because I tend to get bored.  There is only one yoga instructor I loved (she actually would play some rap music) and I love her, but she moved to SC so I took up hot yoga.  I do this once a week because it’s such a good workout, mentally and physically.  It also really helps some of my back issues and I love that it forces me to stretch.
6. Cardio – I do some form of cardio at least 3 times a week.  My go-to is running.  There is so much you can do on the treadmill to get your heart rate up.  Intervals, jogging, raising your incline. You can have so many combinations.  I also use the Peloton and HIIT classes as a cardio option.  It just depends how I’m feeling that week and what I’m in the mood to do!

Summary –  Overall I workout 5-6 days a week with cardio in there 3 days a week.  I combine the cardio with a shorter weight workout.  For me, I like to switch things up.  It keeps me interested and gives me less of a chance to get bored.   It’s important to always listen to your body.  If you NEED a rest day, take the rest day.  Don’t overdo it either because that is an actual thing that can prevent you from achieving your goals.  Proper nutrition is also important.  Your body needs fuel and if it’s getting too much or too little that will also affect your goals.

One thing I think is really worth keeping in mind is not every fitness journey is a one fits all type of journey.  I think a key to finding success is finding out what motivates you.  If weighing yourself each week motivates you and keeps you going, then by all means do that.  However, if doing that feels toxic and makes you feel terrible about yourself then do not do that!  There are other ways that you can track your progress that are healthy both physically  and mentally.  You just have to find out what they are.  Mental. Physical. Spiritual health.  It’s all a journey and we are all different.

I realize that after putting this into words, it all seems like a lot, but living it on my day to day it’s truly my lifestyle now and I don’t think twice about any of it.  You just have to START.   It’s not going to be easy, but once you turn your motivation into consistency, then that becomes a habit, and that becomes your life.  Simply start.

What motivates you the most?!

Photos by Julie Kahlbaugh