This is me with Jaxon at the pool today and I felt great with the huge exception of that belly skin you can see hanging around. Oh well, I suppose I am just a huge work in progress.
I'm a Libra and I constantly strive for balance, but dang it if sometimes balance feels like an impossible goal!! Right now I am trying to balance work, family, fitness, hobbies, marriage, and house work. As far as my workout routine goes, I am trying to balance group classes, weight lifting, cardio and running as well as now adding in CrossFit foundation classes for the next three weeks. I just cannot nail down the best, balanced weekly schedule...but I am still trying.
Is anyone out there just totally gung-ho about one type of exercise? Maybe you love running all day every day? Or you hit the stationary bike religiously? Maybe you are completely devoted to a yogi lifestyle?
Me...I am the total opposite! I want to dabble in each type of activity and balance them all in perfect harmony! So, here is the only thing I want to talk about on this day in which I feel like a fraud: what types of activities I enjoy and why, also why I think it's important to balance a bunch of different activities.
1. My true love is weight lifting. I am not sure how I got so addicted to it, but I love the feeling and effects of lifting weights. It makes me feel strong and I can count the numbers on the dumbbells and see that as progress in my journey. I also love the feeling of being able to shape a certain part of my body that I focus on while weight training.
Yep, I tried to squat a person. Well, a tiny person!
2. Group HIIT classes. Sam (seen above acting as my barbell) teaches a HIIT cardio class Tuesdays and Thursdays at the rec center. I love group classes because it gives you a core group of partners. Women who will push you and encourage you and also hold you accountable. I love my IG group, but there is just something to be said about the face to face connecting of ladies who are all struggling to get through the workout together!
Here is a crazy bunch of peeps I love after we did a tough circuit last Friday!
3. Stretching and Yoga. Now I am not good at this practice whatsoever, but I am slowly learning and slowly finding that a yoga flow can really improve your strength training by helping muscles recover faster, joints keep up with the strain of gaining muscle mass and just by giving your body a concentrated relaxation!
Lots of room for improvement here!
4. Running. I have never been a natural runner. I mean, I was the goalie on my soccer team so I could play but still avoid all the running! lol! But, after discovering my love for Spartan races, I added distance running into my training routine so that I can improve my completion time. In 2015 the longest run I completed was 14 miles, even though I started the year not being able to complete more than 2 miles. Now, I can add distance but increasing pace is another story. I feel a bit stuck with my pacing, but I am not out to race anyone any time soon! Running is a steady state cardio that has really helped with the tummy fat/skin that I talked about earlier. I feel the leanest and tightest after a solid run.
5. Every day changes. I can workout 6 days a week, but I very much struggle to stay active in the rest of my day. At school, I so easily get stuck at my desk when I am entering grades, answering emails, creating the next unit, etc. So, I have been focusing on using my FitBit to give me the silent reminders to stand up and get moving. I also use the competitive aspect of the FitBit app to try to get more steps than anyone else I know! lol! Lastly, I ordered an adjustable desk stand to place my laptop on so that I can easily adjust from sitting to standing and hopefully I will stand more at work. My posture is horrendous after a day of working on the computer!
I will post about my weekly routine next week...hopefully after I find a better lineup of workouts!
For now, things are slowly improving in this Little Life!
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