fitness

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?

Fitness Friday no. 19

| The Bee Life

Happy Friday!! This week flew by, woah! I don’t even know where it went, not to mention a lovely summer cold has also greeted me this week. It’s kinda of the worst especially with this humidity. Anyways! Enough negatives, onto the positives. I wanted to do something different for this FF, especially since the last  Fitness Friday (No. 18) I’m still feeling not so hot about myself. So I wanted to focus on the positives, along with ways to grow and ways to get there.

My Week’s Highlight: Ran a total of 8-miles, B and I got out twice this week and ran together. The mileage and running with B are two things that haven’t happened in a long time and it felt great!

Area to Focus: Continue to eat and plan meals better.

Active Change: I’m going to rearrange some things in my finances and change my spa membership to a gym membership. Body and mind over nails (sorry nails).

Inspiration for the Week:
17Ultimately we have to do things that keep us happy and healthy while finding a balance in doing just that and pinpointing what is manageable. I am happy with a lot of things, but I could definitely be happier with the way I feel about myself, mainly because I know what I am capable of vs. what I have actually been doing.

Cheers to an active weekend to work into the upcoming week!

 

Weekend Highlight: Kayaking

| The Bee Life

It has been toasty toasty this past week, but I know we haven’t been the only ones roasting.  Our humidity was nearly 80% on Friday. Gross! Not to mention, we don’t have AC … *smiles* … so it’s been even more unbearable, we broke down and bought a window AC unit for our bedroom, so we at least can sleep at night, after sweating all day! So a little mission this weekend was to ‘beat the heat’ whether it was going out to eat at a restaurant to cool down or hanging out at our neighbors to soak up some cool air!

Saturday morning we headed to the Metroparks with some friends and rented kayaks!! Living close to a large lake, I often take for granted the amenities or extracurricular activities that’re available to us within minutes from our house. So I was happy when some friends recommended we go kayaking.

It got off to a little rough start, with the oh so friendly woman at the kayak rental.  We luckily were able to rent kayaks for 1-hour, after she scolded us to make reservations and how you have to make reservations, especially on the weekend, oh and if we were even 5-minutes late coming back we would be significantly up-charged and it would throw off the rest of the day because they were so booked. She was so nice.IMG_4555So after we got through that, we were able to jump in two tandem kayaks and head out on the river with sights of the lake! It was relaxing after B and I got into our grove and  were able to enjoy the scenic views along the river of the private yacht club and large beautiful homes flanking the river. We were able to make it out to the lake with plenty of time, after the fear of god was instilled in us to not be a single minute late back to the rental area. So it was just enough time to paddle around the lake, enjoy the view and then head back down the river. IMG_4537FullSizeRender

The water and breeze from the lake was refreshing, while still being able to soak up some of the hot summer sun! After we dried off a bit, we headed for some bottomless mimosas and brunch at a nearby spot – yum!

Safe to say, B and I will definitely be doing this again before the summers end! We might just try out another rental spot and will definitely make reservations ahead of time, regardless of where we go! *winks*

Fitness Friday no. 17

| The Bee Life

Food.

What you eat is a huge part of your fitness and how successful you are… or aren’t. Maintaining a good, balanced diet will not only help you flourish with your workouts and overall goals but will also come in huge when your workouts aren’t happening as much as you’d like. 15So while you might not be hitting the pavement or working up a sweat as much as you’d like to be, remember these things;

  1. Always have breakfast – this will help you from snacking or overeating at other meals throughout the day.
  2. Drink water – drinking water throughout the day will help you stay hydrated and is also tied to a number of other benefits including skin health, maintaining calories, and even energizes muscles!
  3. Eat greens – But be careful, overloading your salads with extra goodies and cheese and quickly make this not healthy! Even watch that salad dressing. Eating greens have lasting health benefits including reducing the risk of heart disease and cancer while fueling your body.
  4. Remember Protein – Fish, Chicken, Avocados, those are the good proteins that contain the good fats for your body, make sure to maintain balance when eating these!
  5. Get to the grocery store – This will help you pick the good foods while also saving you from those last minute pizza orders when the fridge and cupboards are empty! Stock up on frozen foods too; it will save you in the long run.
  6. Limit lunches/dinners out – Hopefully if you’ve grocery shopped your house should be stocked, now just pack a lunch! The less we eat out, the more control we have over how our food is prepared and what we’re knowingly putting in our bodies.

Eating crap tastes good in the moment, but will have bad effects not only overall but on that workout you’re trying to accomplish.  It’s good to maintain balance and enjoy the good with the bad, but if you’re not counteracting the bad with exercise and other balanced meals, the cons will ultimately outweigh the pros.

Happy Friday!!

 

Fitness Friday no. 16

| The Bee Life

So two weeks ago, I was feeling a bit discouraged with my fitness progress as I had quickly fallen into a slump, which seems to be the routine and pattern lately.  Not to mention some life changing events have gotten in the way, i.e. new job. New job, means new stresses, and new stresses (for me) means, no time, a messy house, eating junk food, not working out, breaking out, and being worried and sick to my stomach. Even just putting my 2-weeks in was stressful, and the weird limbo period you’re in while your still at your job, people seem to look at you different and treat you different. It was a weird thing! People who had been so friendly just the few days before they knew I was leaving. Strange, strange. Can anyone else relate?

The point I’m trying to make is, in those stressful, life changing moments, it’s hard to focus on ourselves and take care of ourselves, especially if we don’t realize we need it.  And everyday might not be a routine, more or less the routine becomes more of a roller-coaster. 14Here are my tips for those stressful/busy times and ways to take a moment for yourself, since it’s often really hard to just do that.

  1. Get a mani or pedi, or both! This is only an hour or so, of dedicated YOU time. It’s relaxing and a time to take care of yourself and it’s also something that can easily be pushed. So take the time and do it!
  2. Take a walk. Sometimes the most we can get in the day is a quick 15-30 minute walk, if that. So take the time in the middle of the day or right when you get home to go for a walk – having a dog is an extra excuse because you’re not just helping yourself, your getting your pooch some extra fitness time too!
  3. Let loose. In whatever way that means to you.  It might not necessarily be the healthiest, but it’s all about balance! So whether it be a night out with friends, sleeping in, head banging to your favorite song, staying up a little later than normal, or a day of partying (to celebrate the Cavs first NBA Championship) – it’s OK to let loose and have a little fun to distract from everything else going on in life.
  4. Just breathe. And remember that everything is going to work out. Change is scary, and if we were all OK with change then nothing would ever stay the same and nothing would be challenging for us.
  5. Sweat it out. Sometimes the best distraction is a kick ass workout or a long run, focusing in the moment on what’s trying to be accomplished and pushing your self physically through a challenge can be what your mind and body really need.

It’s all about balance. But first we need to realize that we need to take a moment and relax, breathe and take care of ourselves.

Cheers to Friday and a long weekend!

Fitness Friday no. 15

| The Bee Life

Hey everyone! Happy Friday!! Today is especially awesome, since we woke up with a big win and are headed to game 7 for the NBA Finals. If you follow me on twitter, I am sure you’re already aware of that even if you’re not into the finals at all. With the high of a great win, I was reminded of a quote by LBJ, about failure and about succeeding and I thought it was the perfect sentiment for today’s FF and an update on my fitness journey.

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So the last 2-weeks have sucked. I was on a really good rhythm of boot camp and then even “teaching” my own boot camp classes for some friends! We were doing it 2x a week with everyone depending on the other and coming together to workout as a group helped, although people have been getting busy and it just fell off. So I need to do a better job at initiating with the girls. So with all of that, I’ve fallen off these past two weeks, but I am buying more boot camp classes, so I am excited to get that going again -along with reaching out to the girls to get started again!

I think it’s the bad moments, and the good moments that help balance and keep me motivated and moving in the right direction to keep pushing myself, realizing I need to work harder, realizing I need to make it even more of a priority – , or realizing I love the feeling after busting through a hard workout, so needless to say, this slump is going to be ending immediately!

How do you use your failures to push you forward?

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?

Fitness Friday no. 13

| The Bee Life

Heyyyyy Friday!!!!! How’s everyone’s fitness plans going? I have to say, I’ve truly gotten back in my groove lately and I love it.  The results haven’t been as apparent as I would have hoped, but it’s a journey, it’s not over night success, and I just have to keep reminding myself that (you should too!).

Regardless of how apparent (or non-apparent) my results have been, I feel great! And I recently got some new gear to wear for my workouts and runs and I was amazed at how much better I felt with some fun pants, new sports bras and comfortable sports tees.

Active ware has boomed recently from Kate Hudson to Beyonce launching their own lines, old oversized tee’s and shorts are no more.  Brands and active ware clothing are working for women, with fun prints, flattering fits and soft fabrics. With that, I don’t feel like you need to break the bank to feel great while working out, because let’s face it, you’re getting pretty clothes to get sweaty. So my go-to lately has been Marshall’s or T.J. Maxx because you can get hi-end brands at a severely discounted price. FRIDAY!(1)
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Ultimately it’s about what you feel comfortable in, feeling good about yourself, while keeping you motivated to keep working out, time after time. So if you haven’t updated your workout wardrobe lately, take some time and slowly start grabbing some new pieces, you’ll be feeling great while getting into shape!

Fitness Friday no. 12

| The Bee Life

Finally! Friday.

Since I have been killing it at boot camp the last four weeks, I was reminded just how much I love group classes and why it’s easier to have success when you surround yourself with others who have similar goals, work ethic and drive like you do.Fitness Friday 12 - the bee life

Here are 5 reasons why you should be taking a group class in order to maximize your workouts.

  1. Healthy Competition. Whether you’re spinning on a bike or making the rounds in a circuit, that person next to you, whether you know them or not will push you. You don’t want to slack off when the person next to you is killing it. It’s human nature to want to compete and rise to the occasion, even if it’s in your head.
  2. Similar Lifestyles. One thing is for sure, you and your classmates have something in common, you show up to class. Surrounding yourself with like minded people makes you stronger.
  3. Routine. After a few classes you’ll know generally what to expect and who to expect, easing your nerves or hesitation of getting your workout in, and allowing you to focus more on the workout and less about everything else
  4. You’re In It Together. Everyone will be doing the same workout, maybe a few modifications here and there, but everyone is equal and working through the same pain, this builds a level of comradery and trust.
  5.  New Friendships. Class after class, and week after week you might find that you’re chatting with the same group of people and make a new friend that you probably wouldn’t have met otherwise. Maybe you hang out, outside of class, maybe not but at least you have someone to work with and continue to motivate you.

If you’ve ever gone to a group class you know what I am talking about. Surrounding yourself with positive vibes and motivated people, help make you stronger mentally and physically.  I didn’t truly realize how much I missed it, until I was back into it.

Why do you love group classes?