"I Be Up In The Gym, Just Working On My Fitness..."

Welp, it's about that time. I can no longer rely on long nights of lesson planning to interrupt my workouts. All my planning is done during nap time. Soooo it's back to the gym I go!

Yes, I realize the week before Thanksgiving and the start of the holidays is not the best time to start working out again. But, I was motivated so here I am. The 7 mile Living History Farms race was the push I needed to get my butt back in gear!

Mom, Me, Tonia, Kevin, Dad (yes, dad ran the race though he is substantially less muddy than the rest of us)

Working out is not a chore for me. I actually enjoy it, once I get there. I thought I would put together a little list to share what motivates me to work out. I was inspired by this blog post.

• I think about the feeling I get when I LEAVE the gym. I will never leave with regret. However, I will regret not going in the first place.
• I make a playlist of songs that reflect my mood-- when I have a lot of energy, I listen to upbeat music, when I just need to relax, I slow it down.
• Think about working out as a reward-- I get to zone out for an hour and listen to music. It's my "me" time.
• When I have 5 minutes left in my run and I feel like I'm going to die, I just picture the parts of my body that I'm not so happy with and how those parts will look if I keep putting in the work 
• Set a goal for myself to reach a certain weight, change a pant size, work out everyday, etc. Example: I will get my tattoo when I lose 10 lbs, I will allow myself to go wedding dress shopping when I hit a goal weight (yes, that last one is an actual goal) :)
• Pick a good time to start. For me, this is usually on a Monday, or after a certain period of time (end of the school year, moved to a new apartment, etc.)
• Dedicate certain days to certain areas of your body so you are not overwhelmed. Don't kill yourself to work everything everyday. I shoot for working out 4 days a week. This allows some flexibility if I'm just not feeling it some night, I can move my day. Here is my current "plan"
• Day 1: Cardio, Abs
• Day 2: Cardio, Legs, Abs
• Day 3: Cardio, Arms, Abs
• Day 4: Full body toning
• EAT RIGHT! One of the most important things I stressed when I taught fitness classes is you CANNOT lose weight or get a six-pack if you don't change your eating habits. I use myfitnesspal to help me stay on track. I know I have blogged about this site before, but I really love it. It's very personalized and easy to use. Enter your current weight, your goal weight, how much you expect to exercise, and how quickly you want to lose weight. It will give you the amount of calories you should take in each day. I find it helpful planning meals in advance to stay on track. 
• Finally, don't do it alone. Find a buddy to keep you motivated and accountable. I am always looking for a fitness buddy if anyone is interested :) whether it be working out together or checking in on each other on myfitnesspal, I would love a buddy.

Here are some (slightly depressing) pictures to help motivate you!

Good luck!

P.S. I always get a bunch of people on Facebook telling me they like my blog! Some people who I never thought would click my link. I am getting an especially high amount of traffic after posting our engagement. I'm sure there are others out there who frequent my blog and are not telling me :) And that's ok! I'm trying to gauge who my audience is-- if you are a follower, be sure to click the "Join this Site" link at the top left hand corner. That would really make me happy :)