exercise

End of Summer – Bucket List

| The Bee Life

I know, I know, I hate to say it, but being the second day of August, Fall is quickly around the corner. And although we were fortunate to take 2-great vacations, there are still a lot of things I want to do! So to keep summer going, I’m sharing my end of summer bucket list to stay motivated and to soak up as much sun as possible!
Summer Bucket List - the bee life

  1. Patio date night:  This one is a two-part deal. I want B and I to have a night out on our new patio with our fire pit, a bottle of champagne, and just talk the night away. The second part would be going out and enjoying another intimate patio at a favorite restaurant with some cocktails and small plates.
  2. Enjoy downtown: Since we both work downtown, we don’t always make it back out, so planning a weekend night or Sunday afternoon perusing the city is a must.
  3. Watch the sunset at the beach: Easy enough and something we don’t nearly take advantage of being so close to the beaches.
  4. Take Moz on more walks: I don’t want our busy schedules to get in the way of getting Moz out for a walk!
  5. Go to a baseball game: Surprisingly we haven’t gotten to a ball game yet this summer, and it just isn’t summer without a stadium hot dog and the seventh inning stretch!  We’ve already made plans with friends to get to one.
  6. Lay out in the sun: My early summer tan is fading! And a good afternoon in the sunshine is always the perfect fix to any summer blues… or fading tans.
  7. Go golfing: With B of course! I’m not an avid golfer, but I always enjoy it, so a round of 9 holes would be fun.
  8. Kayaking: We went kayaking last summer and it was the perfect activity to jump start a weekend morning and enjoy the water.
  9. Weekend at the cabin: We’ve been so busy that this might end up being a fall activity, but it’s been a yearly tradition so we have to get back and turn off for a weekend.
  10. Finish some books: I’ve started a few books, that I need to finish! Even though I enjoy reading, unless I have dedicated travel time, reading is a forced thought. I need to finish, Big Little Lies, 16th Seduction and Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald.

It’s already going to be a busy end to the summer, so I hope sprinkling in a few of these bucket list items will be fun and welcomed! What’s on your end of summer bucket list?

Fitness Friday no. 21

| The Bee Life

Guys & Gals. How are we doing? It’s Friday yet again and we have one more week of September left before it’s October, woah!

I will admit heading into month 10 of 2016; I was hoping to have made better progress and be more consistent with my workout routine. I know for any of you who are keeping up that I am sounding like a BROKEN RECORD, I know.  Anyone want to just shake me and yell, JUST DO IT ALREADY?? Yeah, me too.  But since joining the professional world, finding that balance and continuing the same level of work I used to put towards my body and health has shifted drastically.  And from that perspective I have not been happy.
fitness-friday-no-21-the-bee-lifeI will also be the first to admit I have not been nearly as proactive as I preach or want to be. I could definitely be more proactive… I WILL be more proactive.  The statement above rings true for my mentality lately, I’ve been able to find a million excuses to justify why going home after work or not waking up early and telling myself I’ll do it later. In fact I started off with an excuse of work/life. Being fit, and healthy IS important to me, lazy is just getting in the way. Not to mention, I am pretty sure I am stressing myself out more about not working out than I am actually working out. Not proactive. Not helpful. No good.

Here are ways I plan to be proactive this fall!

Fall 2016 Goals:
– 2-morning workouts a  week
– 2-lunch workouts a week
– Weekend walks/runs/Barre3 on rainy days
– Continue to eat better

Already Planned:
– 5k scheduled for mid-October
– Gym membership purchased
– Weight Loss Challenge with B – starting Oct 1st

Here’s to pushing through, getting off our asses and pushing ourselves to be the people we know we can be and being happy with ourselves at the end of the day in all aspects.

Fitness Friday no. 20

| The Bee Life

TGIF!

With the “final” days of summer coming to a close, we need to soak up as much fresh air and beautiful weather as possible.  One way to do this is putting a twist on the normal workout routine, you’ll be able to be in the gym for the next 5-6 months. Here are some final ways to spread out into your weekends and enjoy that summer sun and have a few last adventures under our belts.
fitness-friday-no-20-the-bee-life

Kayaking
Don’t have a kayak of your own? Look around for local parks and services that allow hourly rental, hit up the water on an early morning and get a nice arm workout in.

Walking The Dog
Getting out with your pooch as much as possible before the cold snowy days comes is key. Not only are you helping your pup but you’re helping yourself.  If you can pick a spot to take your dog, you can kill two birds with one stone – this past weekend B and I went to Whole Foods with Moz, a little bit of a farther walk for us but we got to sit out and enjoy some breakfast as a rest.

Biking
Biking to a store or restaurants can be a great way over the weekend to get active while you’re checking things off on your to-do list.  Don’t want to deal with the traffic find some trails in local parks to get a more scenic view.

Urban Walking 
We live close to the city, but a smaller city in comparison to NYC or Chicago.  So on the weekends, especially in the mornings it’s quiet and perfect. So getting some extra adventures in and a change of scenery, the urban kind, by exploring new parts of the city can be another way to enjoy the weather, your city and get some extra steps.

Golfing
Without the cart.  Get your steps in and work on that swing all at once, this is a great way to relax enjoy the weather and also get an unconventional workout in, carrying a set of clubs for 18-holes or even 9 will definitely get you tired out.

Corn Hole Tourney
This may not be the most active way, but it’ll get you outside, working your arm muscles and socializing with friends.  Set-up an impromptu corn hole tourney with friends on a sunny afternoon, losers take a lap or have to do a set of push-ups, maybe even put some money on it to make it more competitive!

How are you enjoying the outdoors and getting exercise in too?

Travel: Denver Recap – Part 2

| The Bee Life

Since our trip was relatively short for traveling so far, we didn’t do nearly as much outdoorsy activities as I would’ve liked.  After all, I’m used to week long trips out west, including hikes, horseback riding, kayaking, and sightseeing. So I was beyond happy to get a quick trip to Red Rocks in, to see some of the world’s natural beauty, get a little sweat on and take some pretty pictures.  My cousins were able to take us up there, which was such a help since they had been there before and could navigate the layered landscape and show us the Amphitheater and the distant city views.  It also brought back some of my favorite memories with them exploring JH.  Red Rocks was one of the places almost everyone told us you had to visit, it definitely was a phenomenon.

IMG_4199IMG_4204IMG_4202IMG_4221DSCN2540DSCN2535IMG_4223I can’t imagine going to a concert at Red Rock’s – although I hear that is an absolute must also.  I would also like to go back and do either yoga or boot camp on the steps of the Amphitheater.   The day we went they were having a huge fitness event with obstacle courses and more sessions of exercise classes on the steps, so were were only able to get so high up, which was a bit of a bummer since our time was cut short. Regardless, it was definitely a highlight of the trip and I loved getting outdoors, exploring and seeing new sites. And a special Happy 75th Anniversary to Red Rocks!!

TRAVEL TIP: If you’re planning a trip to Red Rocks, be sure to do some research or go with a local, there are lots of different sections of parking and entrances it’s easy to get caught up!

Fitness Friday no. 14

| The Bee Life

Fitness Friday is back after a little vacay! Speaking of vacay, that’s the perfect segue into today’s Fitness Friday – workouts on the go.  With summer quickly here, especially now that Memorial Day has come and went, weekends are filling up with vacations, weddings, house work… you name it, and getting workouts in on the weekends, now becomes harder than workouts during the week! So I wanted to share some workouts that can be done pretty much anywhere, with little-to-no equipment needed.  Fitness Friday no 14 - the bee lifeRun – You can run anywhere if you have sneaks and the right clothing. Packing some extra clothes and your running shoes can help you get some key sweat sessions in when you have a moment in the morning or afternoon. When in doubt get your workout done earlier in the day,  waiting might close the window of getting one in!

The Bee’s On-The-Go Workout:

  1. Jumping Jacks/Jump Rope = 3 minutes
    • Again, no equipment needed, even for jumping rope, jumping in place and do the motion with your arms will tire you out not to mention will get your heart rate up
  2. Push-Ups = 5-sets of 10
  3. Squats = 5-sets of 25
    • You can do a variation of squats to jump squats, side squats, wide stance squats or normal squats.
  4. Side Leg Lifts = 3-sets of 15 each leg
  5. Donkey Kick = 5-sets of 25 each leg

You can do this set of exercises 5-times through or stagger them however you like. This will be enough to get your heart rate going, some muscles aching, and the feeling of accomplishment to enjoy your busy weekend of planned festivities!

Suggestion: If you’re on an extended stay or week long vacation and with friends/family, make working out a group activity so that everyone can get involved and help hold each other accountable.  If other’s are involved it’ll also help when planning activities, because everyone will be on the same page!

If you’re staying at a hotel, take advantage of the gym or even the pool and swim some laps before the crowds show up.  Swimming is a full body workout that can be accomplished in between long laying out sessions while you’re working on your tan!

What’re your go-to workouts when you’re on the go?