Wednesday, April 19, 2017

Healthy Balance for Summer

I mentioned in my confessions post on Monday that I've been having a hard time sticking with my fitness goals. Over the last couple of weeks, I've been doing some soul searching in what I want out of a healthy lifestyle, especially as we head into bikini season (and my bridal portraits are only a half a month away - yikes). Fitness and health is very important to me - but I love tacos, too so it's all about finding that balance. 

Real talk for a minute: in February, I felt like I lived at Pure Barre as we were doing the barre bestie challenge. It felt so great to work out so much (and a lot of the girls that go to barre do that every month, so kudos to you!), but due to my schedule, by the end of the month I was exhausted. I currently drive almost an hour to and from work each day and work a fairly normal 8:30 - 5 schedule, but due to the commute time, a scheduled evening workout doesn't always work because if you work late at all, you won't make it to your scheduled class. That meant I was up early a lot of mornings for the 6am class and staying up until 10 or 11 working on house projects, wedding stuff, etc. And it was safe to say I was tired. 

I am still a HUGE barre advocate and always will be but the scheduling pressure with my current lifestyle has made working out not as much fun, so I'm switching things up for the summer. I still want to go to barre when I can, but instead of restricting myself to a schedule, I am going to start doing the Tone It Up workouts at home so that I can fit in a quick 30 minute workout before I hop in the shower before work or right after I get home from the office on those days I just can't make it to barre.

I also think that accountability is a huge part of changing a lifestyle. I can tell myself I'm going to do this or that, but when I have an accountability partner or write it down, it makes it more set in stone that it needs to get done. Here are a few things I'm writing down in an effort to change up my lifestyle:
  • More cardio: I haven't been doing as much cardio so I'm trying to put that back into my schedule. I'm not a runner, but after a walk/run last week, I realized how much my heart rate was elevated which was a great calorie burner. 
  • TIU workouts: I did these a couple of years ago and really saw a difference. I would do them at my apartment complex gym, but I'm planning on just doing them at home now. I've signed up for the Bikini Series which starts next week, so let me know if you're doing it, too!
  • Cooking on weeknights: Right now, it's virtually impossible that we eat in on the weekends. I'm either at a bridal shower, wedding, bachelorette trip, or out of town for various other reasons, and that makes it difficult. Though there are always healthy options when eating out, it's hard to know what you're really getting (and I mean, who really wants to eat a salad when everyone else is having a taco...? Exactly). Because of that, cooking on the weeknights is going to be a huge priority for me so that 1) I know what I'm feeding my body during the week and I can splurge a little more on the weekend and 2) I have leftovers to take to work.
  • Hydrating: This is a huge one - when I was competing for Miss North Carolina a few years ago and working out with a trainer, this was one of the things she stressed the most to me. I'lve been buying the liter LifeWtr bottles and refilling at least once while at work. If I drink two of those, that means I've consumed almost 70 ounces of water, so I only need another bottle 16 ounce bottle or so when I get home. Easier said than done, but it's definitely a goal I'm working on.
  • Meal Planning: Another big step I'm trying to make. Am I the only one who stocks the fridge with fresh produce only to have it still sitting there (no longer fresh) a week later? On Sunday afternoon, I cut up veggies for several nights of veggies this week so I wouldn't have to do it on the day of and that's helped quite a bit! You can also check out my Pinterest board for some recipes I'm trying out. 
And if you're like me, cute workout gear always makes me more excited to workout! Below are a few items I have on my fitness wish list. 



What are your fitness goals for spring and summer? I'm always looking for new tips and tricks!
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