Weekend Fun!

This morning I had fitness training at the Y.  We had an training in kettle bells.  I love using kettle bells and the training was highly informative.  It will be fun to add kettle bell excercises into my classes.

Ava had basketball games today so Graig took her to the games.   After training I met Brock for a quick lunch at his favorite pizza place before he headed back to Brockport for his second semester.

After lunch I headed home to make Graig a pie for his birthday! His birthday was Wednesday and I finally had time to make one for him.  I made peach (his favorite!) using peaches I canned. 

This afternoon I had to go to work for the first recruitment event of the semester.  We had a lot of interested students come today so it was a great afternoon!

Tonight we had a little birthday celebration for my bestie Lisa.

Lisa is so happy and bubbly and we are like two peas in a pod.  It was great to celebrate her!

Tomorrow we have no plans so we are going to have a relaxing day at home.  

Xoxo

Being organized for your workouts

I think being organized is the key to a good workout. If I  have everything laid out and ready to go I  am more likely to actually work out.  The days I'm unmotivated to work out are the days when I can't find my excercise gear and I feel like it's easier to stay home.  It takes a little time to prepare the night before but it is SO worth it!  

Here are some tips for packing the perfect gym bag

-your tennis shoes

-ponytail holders, hat or headband 

-headphones, iPod

-workout clothes (don't forget your sports bra!)

-water bottle

-towel (if not supplied by your gym)

-gym membership card

-yoga mat,weights, etc.  anything that you need for a workout class 

-magazine/book for elliptical

-inhaler (I use one in the cold weather)

-Chapstick

It's also important to have your things laid out for after your workout.  These are some pics from Wed morning.  Wednesdays is a double workout day for me and it's the one day I get ready for work at my gym.  I put my outfit (including jewelry!) on a hanger so it's easy to take to the gym.   I also had to pack my make up bag and blow dryer.  I did all of this the night before so I ready to go to the gym bright and early.  

Another great organizing tip is putting your shoes in the same place after each workout.  Mine go in a big tin basket by our front door.  I would hate to search around for my shoes while trying to get put the front door.   Another tip is to make sure you have your water chilled and ready to go.  I always keep a few water bottles in our fridge for all of us.  It makes grabbing them on the go so easy!

What's your favorite excercise organization tip?

Coming up tomorrow-drinking your water!!

Deciding when to workout

Thanks for your kind words about my friend Michelle.  It's been an emotionally exhausting week and I'm thankful for the support and love of my family, friends and co-workers.  Her death has touched everyone in our community and I still can't believe that she is gone.

I'm going to pick up my 31 days series today.  I've missed writing these posts and I'm happy to be back writing about something that I love.

Today I'm going to talk about WHEN you should work out.  This is a tough decision for a lot of women, especially moms, because we our lives are SO full and busy and we are all going pretty much non-stop.

I'm going to talk about 5 popular times of day to work out and I want you to tell me which one is best for your schedule?

After dinner/after kids are in bed-this is a popular time to work out because your responsibilities and commitments are done for the day and you have time to fit in your workout.

Late afternoon before dinner-I know a lot of people like to work out right after work before they even get home.  My friend at work goes straight to the gym without going home first for her this is the best time to work out because it fits with her lifestyle and schedule.  She gets her workout done and then goes home to eat dinner and relax.

Lunch time-Many people like to squeeze in lunch time workouts.  I go to my gym  one time per week on my lunch hour to do a class that I love.   My gym is packed then.  A lot of people like this option because you don't have to wake up early and you can go straight home after work.

After kids are in school in the morning-I have stay at home mom friends who LOVE working out at 9ish after their kids are in school.  They don't have to get up early and they can get their workout in early in the day.

Early morning-This is my personal favorite time to work out.  I get up before anyone else is up in my family and head out the door.  I am home about 7am to say good-bye to Brock and Ava before Graig takes them to school and then I can shower and get ready for work.

Tell me what is your favorite time of day to work out?

Coming up tomorrow-being organized will help you work out more

Why work out?

I think it's important for you to figure out WHY you want to work out before you start working out.

Before I started I came  up with a list and if I ever get discouraged or want to give up I go back and look at this list to remind myself why working out is SO important to my overall health.

1.  Control your weight-we are a society surrounded by delicious food all day every day.   Exercise will help you keep your weight in a healthy range so you can enjoy the treats you love!  

2. Keep you healthy-working out will  help you fend off heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity. Heart disease runs in my family (both of my parents had heart attacks-my Dad at 58 and my Mom at 64) 

3.  Improves your mood-working out increases your endorphins which makes you happier :-). 

4. Better sleep-working out can help you fall asleep faster and help you sleep more deeply throughout the night.  You will wake up feeling refreshed and ready for another workout!

5.  More energy-regular activity will help build strength and endurance which will give you lots more energy to tackle errands, chores and daily life.  

It's important to write down the reasons why you want to start working out and refer back to it often.  You could put these on a post it, in a notebook or you could keep a list on your phone.  The important thing is to write them down!  Try to come up with one or two and you can add more as they come to you.  

Tell me what are your reasons for wanting to work out?  

Coming tomorrow-deciding when exercise fits in your busy schedule 

31 days to fitness!

I am going to join the Nester this month for her 31 day series.  Lots of bloggers will be writing about a variety of different topics each and every day during the month of October.  I loved reading about some of the 31 topics last year and I'm excited to join in as a writer this year.  I've thought a lot about what I want to write about and to be honest I don't feel like an expert in any topic but I've decided to follow my passion and write about working out.  

I started working out regularly in January of 2011 and though I'd still like to lose more weight I'm proud of the fact that I've stuck with it and it's become a part of my daily routine.  

Never in my life did I think that I would be able to run a mile.  I started couch to 5k in March of 2011 and since then I've completed 20 5k runs, a few 10ks, and 3 15k's!  In January I am going to begin training for a 1/2 marathon!  (I'm # 865, and #179)

This month I'll talk about starting and learning to maintain a fitness program.  I'll also talk about different types of exercises you can do and we will talk about weight training, eating healthy (I struggle with this daily!), and training for your first 5k race!  I also have met fabulous experts in the fitness field and they will be doing guests posts for me throughout this month.  I believe a training program should be balanced and most importantly FUN!  You are not going to stick with something you hate so this month I'll challenge you to find a training program that you love that you can stick to and be successful!  

Day 1-Why work out?

October 9 Day 2-Deciding when to work out?