motivation

4 Easy Workouts

| The Bee Life

Since I have been having a hard time staying motivated and getting a workout in, I wanted to share some easy workouts that allow you to start small, are manageable AND able to be fit in during convenient times to make them work during your busy schedule.

You're only one work out awayfrom a good

  1. Small sets before you shower: If you’re already ‘stinky’ or in need for a freshen up, why not try and squeeze some easy but impactful workouts in just before?
    50 squats | 30 crunches | 25 side plank leg extenders (each side) | 20 push-ups
  2. 10-minutes of stretches before bed: You’ll be amazed at how much this will help you and relieve the day’s stresses. Be sure to take deep breathes in and out throughout and don’t rush to the next position.
    Suggestions: Tree pose for 30-seconds on each side | Simple side stretches alternating legs and arms | Lay on your back and hug your knees, rocking gently (one of my favorites)
  3. Lunch break walks: Take 30-minutes of your lunch break to get some extra steps in, find some stairs near by and take some laps, the quicker you start to continually exercise, the easier it’ll become to keep it up.
  4. Get back into running: Whether your more experienced or trying to start – pick any mileage range between 1 to 3 miles and just go for it. Don’t worry about your pace or if you have to stop and walk.  Getting a good sweat on is the mission. Pick a few days a week for your run and even try to increase your distance!

How do you fit workouts into your busy schedule?

Balancing Life

| The Bee Life

Work: “activity involving mental or physical effort done in order to achieve a purpose or result.”

Life(style): “the way in which a person or group lives.”

Balance: “an even distribution of weight enabling someone or something to remain upright and steady.”

Work - Life
With no major vacation this year, I am having some serious struggles with my work-life balance, not to mention my workout routine has been nonexistent, and I hate it.

Being able to workout and maintain a healthy lifestyle is something that is important to me, although it mostly annoys me that cost and work get in the way of a large portion of things that make me happy and used to be a huge aspect of my day-to-day routine. Knowing that I am essentially gym-less and on my own to get some motivation (and have to work) I decided to put together a list of items to be more cognizant of starting ASAP at home and at work (because complaining gets you nowhere).

Life

  • Morning workouts & weekend runs: Waking up an hour earlier to do a set of exercises for 30-40 minutes in the morning is more than I am currently doing – taking advantage of free time on the weekends will balance out anything missed during the week
  • Breakfast & Coffee at home: Waking up earlier will allow time to prep a breakfast and make coffee, so that I won’t be tempted by Starbucks which is in the lobby of my office building
  • Walks with Moz: A quick walk at the end of the day allows for the extra motivation and fresh air – maybe even a quick walk in the morning
  • Yoga before bed: I have a 10-minute yoga routine I do occasionally before bed, it needs to happen more often
  • Weekly scrap-booking: It’s something I love to do and don’t do enough up, I have a lot of catching up to do!  Even if it’s 30-minutes a week

Work

  • Afternoon fresh air: A quick walk around the block to break up the afternoon and recharge will take 5-10minutes out of the day but have a lasting effect
  • Packing a lunch & snacks: Will allow for me to save money and not be tempted by a quick sub or the leftovers in the cafe
  • Stay above the crap: It’s so easy to get sucked in or be the hitting board for someone’s bad day – remembering to stay above that and not sweating the small stuff
  • Drinking more water: No explanation needed

I want to start with little items that can be accomplished in order to stay focused and not get overwhelmed, creating good habits is half the battle – so starting small makes sense.  How do you maintain a good balance between life and work?

Friday-spiration

| The Bee Life

Great news! It’s Friday, we’ve made it through another work week, now we just have to make it through this day (5:30pm).

I’ve always been someone who has big aspirations, dreams and goals both personally and professionally.  I’ve worked hard, and I’ve reached my goals but not without roadblocks.  Recent roadblocks for me have been out of my control, like so many usually are. When roadblocks start adding up and are constant, it’s hard not to loose inspiration and motivation. I will admit the luster is dulling (probably because I just turned 25 and I’m having my midlife crisis – yes midlife crisis.)

A friend recommended the book #GIRLBOSS – and I finally got it for my birthday.  Late last night I dove right into it and was immediately inspired and lifted up, I wanted to share a few sentences that jumped out to me last night.

“Abandon anything about your life and habits that might be holding you back. Learn to create your own opportunities. Know that there is no finish line; fortune favors action. Race balls-out toward the extraordinary life that you’ve always dreamed of, or still haven’t had time to dream up. And prepare to have a hell of a lot of fun along the way.”

– Sophia Amoruso, #GIRLBOSS

I think the biggest thing that stuck out to me is that constant reminder to; “create your own opportunities” although the harder part is learning how to do that and then having the confidence to go out on a limb and do it. We are creatures of habit, and it’s terribly easy to fall into a space of comfort. But we need to keep pushing ourselves past that.

How do you stay inspired?

TGIF!

2 months in

| The Bee Life

What’s that saying? Something like…

“It takes 21 days to form a habit and one day to break it”

… Well it’s been nearly 2-months (30 days) since I got back into my workout routine, and although I am still not 100% where I want to be as far as frequency I am gaining traction! With work and my new circuit/interval training classes the availability and class times is something I have been needing to adapt too. I have been making 5:30am classes work, well sort of, it’s been easier when my aunts carpool with me, but when I am driving myself that internal mind-game of just getting out of bed is hard.  The thing is, once I am up and at the class, I am totally fine! It’s just getting my butt out of my warm snuggled self out of bed that is the struggle. It’s such a mind game. I am shooting for 3-days during the work week in the mornings and then a nice Saturday late morning class, still need to get those 3 early mornings down. I get stuck at one or two.

The positive side is that I have been seeing results, not to mention with Lent – I have given up some sweet temptations which are definitely tying into my results. No Starbucks, no beer, no sweets. I’ve surprisingly held to my guns the last 3-weeks, everything is dialed down significantly.  I’ve been eating better all around, smaller portions, trying not to eat out as much, lots of kale salads and fruits, limited, to no coffee and extra water and tea! I also haven’t been buying sweet treats from Starbucks with my morning coffee or a cookie to bring home for after dinner with B.

As soon as you start seeing results, everything becomes addicting. I am already getting that insatiable crave back that I used to have that drives me back every time and pushes me through the long run or the workout harder than the time before, and it’s awesome.


Image taken Monday at 5:30am Boot Camp (I am far left with pink sneaks!)

Here’s to staying motivated!

Wednesday Reminders – Snow happy

| The Bee Life

It’s a snowy January day and it’s hard not to stop and take a moment and watch the big fluffy flakes fall slowly like being in a giant snow globe.

I love this quote, and today I am trying to pause for the day (and rest of the week) and just be happy and content. One of my goals for 2015 is to live in the moment, and that includes the happy moments. Nothing crazy has happened, in fact I am super busy, lots of plans and busy days are coming, late nights after work with extra-curricular activities, back to back (which I don’t always like). But I am going to enjoy them, have fun, and just soak up the memories and the time.

If there is anything I’ve learned of late, it’s that things change very quickly.  Friends/family are starting to have babies… getting married… moving away, and it’s all happening so quickly and a little out of the blue (not so much the weddings) and before you know it we are going to be all old and sitting in rocking chairs talking about that one day in 2015. #Terrifying

But… I digress. Here is my challenge to you: try to be happy with me for the next three days! It doesn’t have to be 100% happy but it needs to be 90% happy. I bet we’ll feel better, things won’t be so hard or stressful, because there is always a brighter side.

I’m Back.

| The Bee Life

Well my workout hiatus is finally over.  I received fitness classes for Christmas (AWESOME present, btw) so this past Saturday I decided to start! The classes are interval strength/cardio training circuits.  The interval and circuit length’s change from class to class so every exercise is manageable; because the longest  you’ll ever be doing an exercise is 15-60 seconds before you’re on to the next one!

Saturday – Cardio
Monday Night – Strength + Cardio
Wednesday Night

These workouts have kicked my butt. (1) I haven’t worked out “hard” in at least 4-5 months (2) I haven’t weight trained in over a year … so an hour of strength and cardio let me know how out of shape I’ve become.

I really did not want to go to the class last night, I was exhausted, sore, and it was freezing cold, snuggling up with Moz and B sounded much more appealing than going back out into the cold and getting home after 8 o’clock. But I made myself go, the pain was still going to be around today whether I went to the class or not… also I know the pay-off, I’ve seen the results before, so I pushed myself to go. And, I’m happy I went.

“The only workout you’ll regret, is the one that didn’t happen.”

This is only the start, I’m going to keep going to these classes, and it’s only be a matter of time until the snow melts, the sun shines a bit longer and I can start running outside again. It feels good to be back, it was way to long of a break, but that break is definitely over.

New Year, Fresh Start.

| The Bee Life

I think everyone likes the idea of being able to have a “fresh start” at the beginning of each new year, it’s a time when we can set goals, learn from mistakes, and dream bigger… it’s hard not to get caught up in all of the chatter.

My 2015 goals, are definitely going to be bigger, and after seeing what I accomplished last year, I believe that writing down and setting goals, and seeing them every day really does help you to accomplish and allow them to be in the forefront of your mind.

My 2015 goals:

  1. Get back into a workout routine
  2. Start the 5:2 Diet
  3. Travel outside of the country (Dublin 2015?)
  4. Get a promotion at work
  5. Run a half marathon + at least 3 other races
  6. Read more books
  7. Don’t sweat the small stuff
  8. Live in the moment

A lot of these are similar to my 2014 goals, but I liked them! And I feel that I can always strive to improve on all aspects, whether it’s my personal, work, or health life – and these goals help round all of those out.

Happy New Year! Let this be the year you dream bigger and do better.

Bye 2014!

| The Bee Life

As I look back at the goals I set for 2014, (as seen in: Happy New Year. Happy New You!) – I accomplished a lot – and even some that weren’t on the list.  And then, there were a few that I still need to work towards.

See for yourself…

My 2014 Goals:
1)  Run a half marathon – Completed!
2)  Read at least one book a month – I read 6.5 books
3)  Become an AE – Still working on this one (it was an ambitious goal)
4)  Get back into my workout routine – strengthening and cardio – Failed horribly
5)  Save more money! – Half fail
6)  Take more trips with Bentley – Success! Jackson Hole + NYC
7)  Write more on my blog/journal –Success!
8)  Don’t hold grudges/ be less stubborn – I hope this was a bit of a success
9)  Continue to eat healthier – Success, but could always be better!

2014, you went by way too fast. You also brought on new adventures, one which all of you are aware of – our new house! It was the year I said good-bye to Derek Jeter. The year that I got a new car… My first full year of being a full-time employed advertising account person… the year I was just so damn busy (but it sure was fun!).

I am still thinking of my 2015 goals…more to come on those in my official kick-off to 2015!

Did you have 2014 goals? How successful were you?

Motivation Needed.

| The Bee Life

You would think that after 24 years of being on this earth, it wouldn’t be so hard to adjust to the time or weather changes… but it is! And it’s even harder when you have a head cold and your apartment heat doesn’t turn on unless it’s below 50… or so they say… ok… ok… gripe session over!

I have to admit that since the cancellation of our half marathon, which would’ve happened this past October 11th – I have not been working out or running. The most physical activity I’ve done lately is all the dancing I did at the wedding I attended this past weekend!! But I do know that I’ll have to run in 9 days because I signed up for the Bernie Kosar 5k Shuffle!

Who is Bernie Kosar? Well… from what I can tell he played football for the Cleveland Browns, and Clevelanders seem to like him.  But since that is WAY before my time, I picked this race based on the race metal, distance, and pure fact that it just looks like fun. Plus I knew I would need some motivation, and any 5k that you can get a metal at, is totally worth it in my book. I have also been desperately trying to get my coworkers to partake in a short “fun run” with me… I was half successful. I tapped in to a few different coworkers (from other departments) who will be participating, with their significant others.  It will be a fun time! Not to mention this race is officially SOLD OUT – so I don’t have to worry about it getting cancelled!

“The Essence of Health is an Inner Kind of Balance.” – Dr. Andrew Weil

Since I haven’t been as active, as I’d like to be or need to be – I’ve made sure I am more conscious of my food intake. Smaller portions, little snacks, veggies, fruits and protein plus the occasional sweet treat! In addition, B and I plan to start doing the “FastDiet” aka the 5:2 diet. This diet consists of five days of normal eating, and any of the other two are fasting. Meaning 500 calories (for women) or 600 calories (for men)… although this depends on your activeness and size/height ratio. My aunts have been doing this for a few weeks now and have already seen gradual weight loss. I just ordered The FastDiet Cookbook and The FastDiet to get started! I like the idea of this diet, because it isn’t a radical lifestyle change, you don’t have to food prep for 7-days a week and you’re able to enjoy a night out… or three! It seems like a good balance.

How do you stay motivated during these darker and colder days?