Fit Friday

Fit Friday! Do you like it? I think it might become a regular thing… What do you think?! It kind of seems counter-intuitive; nothing about Friday says, "I'm dying to work out after a 40+ hour week". If you are, A: good for you and B: I need some of what you're smoking! But, chances are, you're probably like, "TGIF! I'm gettin' me a drank after work!". Whether you're motivated or thirsty, use Fit Friday for Friday workout inspiration or next week's workout inspiration.

Let me warn you now: many of these will not be my original creations. They'll most likely be where/what I get inspiration from (i.e., blogs, websites, magazines), but I'm sure I'll occasionally throw in something that my awesome brain came up with.

So, for today, our very first Fit Friday (yay!)… I'm sharing something I found last night that I'm totally going to utilize. The October issue of  Women's Health Magazine showcased some awesome 15-minute workouts for arms, legs, and abs. Today I'm sharing arms and legs. The two workouts are appropriately named "the skinny jeans" and "bye bye arm jiggle" workouts -- oh how I wish I could be that clever. (Tip: I like to print out these workout "sheets" and bring them to the gym with me so I have something to reference if I'm not totally sure on how each workout is done)

BYE BYE ARM JIGGLE

SKINNY JEANS

Enjoy and have a groovy weekend! :)

Work it Out

This is a health & wellness blog, so I guess I should probably start blogging about some "health" stuff, right? I'll start with what my workout schedule is usually like... Fun, right?!

Weekdays are KEY in my workout schedule. I'm literally chomping at the bit to do anything active after sitting in a cubicle for 8+ hours. I've realized that physical activity after a long day really keeps me sane and, without it, I would be totally miz. No matter how tired (or hungry) I am, I always make it to the gym or yoga after work - ALWAYS. Because I know that I'll always regret not working out but I'll never regret getting off my butt and into the gym.

Are you having fun yet?!

Weekends I'm usually pretty lax about my workout schedule, but I try to do something active at least one day out of the two. I would actually prefer to work out both days but, for some reason, I just can't get my butt in gear -- I'm human, not a robot! I actually find it harder to work out on the weekends;  I think it has something to do with the lack of a concrete schedule. I should make a better effort to be active on the weekends (New Years Res, anyone?). Sometimes Rob and I will go hiking, biking, or some other kind of physical activity (skiing........ winter is coming! And we got season passes!!).
 

winter 2011 shredding (PS. I know, I'm not wearing a helmet. I got one for this season though!)

And I'll end this gem with a special gift for you... You're welcome :)


Lessons I've Learned on Working Out While Employed:
- Make working out a priority -- shopping isn't as important as your health. Remember that! 
- Try to be active as often as possible - you'll never regret it!
- Plan your workouts to fit your schedule -- you're more likely to follow through with what works for you, not someone else (i.e., if you're a morning person, you might like working out in the AM better than at night).
- If you're working out at night, be sure to prepare dinner the night (or weekend) before so you're not too tired to prepare a healthy meal when you get home.
- Bring your gym/yoga/running/etc. stuff with you to work (or whatever you're doing that day) so you can go directly do the gym - no stops required.
- Pack said stuff the night before so you don't forget in the AM
- If you're usually pretty hungry after work, bring a snack or pack some gum. I've found that gum is a pretty good appetite suppressant when you don't have enough time to eat before your workout sesh.
- If it's impossible to squeeze some kind of physical activity into your day, don't beat yourself up about it -- just don't forget about it and make it a priority to go the next day.

Sorry for the novel, I hope you're not mad! Do you have any tips for work out success? Do share!

Make the Best of What You Have

I found myself repeating the mantra "make the best of what you have" more than once this weekend. With car troubles and a cold creeping in, the weekend wasn't exactly what I had planned, but I made the best of it. Rob and I decided to ignore the nasty weather and the fact that we were sick and kept busy all weekend. We tried a recipe from our new cookbook, spent time with family, and watched the Patriot's football game.

Making the best of the rainy weather at Joe's on Newbury

Sometimes things don't go your way -- stay positive and power through.

Halloween Weekend

I don't know about you, but this week felt extraordinarily long so I'm P-U-M-P-E-D it's Friday!

Typically, I'm not into the whole Halloween thing... I don't like stressing about what to wear, where to go, who's going, who's not going, so I'll probably be doing a lot of non-Halloween things this weekend -- unless Rob convinces me otherwise (definitely possible). I was hoping to run the 6.66mi Devils Chase in Salem this weekend, but it's predicted to snow on Saturday and I'm definitely not hardcore enough for that, sooo I'm gonna sit this one out.

My [Non] Halloween Weekend Line-Up:
Bike ride or run if the weather cooperates, hot yoga if not
Watching the Patriots game from home & take-out Chinese
Date night at Highland Kitchen
Purchasing new [possibly hipster] eyeglasses via Warby Parker
Museum of Science "Pompeii" exhibit

What are you up to this weekend? Are you planning any outdoor activities?

Challenge

Do you challenge yourself enough? I don't, but I know I should. I even know that people who take risks and challenge themselves are always more successful than those who don't and I still find myself complacent with certain things in my life (grad school and blogging are two specific examples). So what's the deal? Am I scared? Afraid of failure?

Someone once told me, "you can't live in fear", and it really resonated. You can't live in fear -- you have to live life with a fearless mentality. I even take it one step further and often use the word shameless. You have to be SHAMELESS to get places in life. You want that promotion? Be shameless. You want that smokin' hot guy to be your boyfriend? Be shameless. Of course this "be shameless" ramble should be used within reason. After your first day at work you're not going to ask for a promotion and after one date you most certainly shouldn't presume that the guy will be your boyfriend. But what do you have to lose? If your boss says "no, you're crazy", ask how to improve your performance. And… If the guy's not into being your BF, then see ya later, it wasn't going to work anyway.

And after all that preachy talk I'm taking my own advice and starting up this sweet little thing right here.  Do you know how long it took me to actually START this blog? I’d been tossing around the idea of a blog for a while now, and at one time I even thought the whole “blog” thing really wasn’t for me. I thought blogs were like movies: fun to watch, but not something I would want to recreate myself (producing a movie does not sound appealing at all.. Dealing with celebs? I don’t think so). But through all my blogging doubts, this crazy force came over me and one day I finally decided to take the big plunge into the blogosphere. Of course, it wasn’t long after setting up my account and finding the perfect URL when the panic set in: What am I going to write about? Who do I think I am writing a blog about being fit? Will people like me? How will I capture my audience? Blah blah blah blah blah. I could go on for days. BUT here I am… blogging. Blogging because I want to. For fun. For me.. And hopefully other people will enjoy!

So I challenge YOU to do something out of your comfort zone. Set a goal, establish a plan, and make.it.happen.

Ready… Set…. GO!