Working On My Fitness Part 2: Let's Get Physical

Note: You can find Part 1, discussing mental health, here. I promise that today's installment doesn't ramble as much!

Ok, I may not be as bad as Liz Lemon but my arms do need some serious work. Among other parts.

In terms of physical fitness, the original plan was to do a combination of yoga and Couch-2-5K. Both of those turned out to be a lost cause while school was still on. Once summer holidays began, we had a brutal heatwave and there was no way I was leaving the comfort of central air for that mess. Thanks to youtube, this became Plan B:

Keaira Leshae is fabulous. And that body! Damn, girl. This dance workout is pretty intense and I'm still not coordinated enough to get all the moves right, but it's fun. I've never really gotten into running on past attempts anyway, so I think I'm going to stick with this. Keaira has a bunch of other workouts that I'd also like to try at some point.

For most of July, I was alternating the above workout one day with yoga (still doing The Joy of Yoga by Crunch Fitness) the next day. This combination has been great for my abs, butt, and thighs - the major areas I am looking to tone up. Unfortunately, it doesn't work my upper arms the way I'd like; it hits the triceps but not the biceps, which is what I really need. We have some free weights at home so DH has been giving me suggestions for exercises I can add to my routine to help fill in that gap.

Before the cruise, I was just starting to see some tightening and muscle tone forming. I had more energy and was feeling good about my body. While we did a lot of walking on port days, I didn't end up mainting things as well as I'd hoped during the trip so the current goal is to get back on track. Once I'm back into the routine, I'll start incorporating DH's suggestions for the biceps.

If you have any suggestions for for workouts that might be fun to try, let me know!

PS: Over the next little while, I'll be giving the blog a makeover and updating/organzing the blogroll. Sorry if things start to look a little wonky!

Working It Out

Since we started TTC, the husband and I have made good changes to our eating habits. Not that they were too bad before, but we have benefited from adding more fruits and vegetables into our meals, switching to whole grains instead of refined, cutting back on processed foods, and drinking more water (which I need to keep working on).

There's just one more little thing...

My body is in desperate need of exercise. Last year, I taught at a much larger school and had to climb three flights of stairs multiple times a day -- without air conditioning for most of May and June. It was not pleasant but my lower body looked awesome at the end of the semester! Then summer came and it all went to hell.

I swore I'd start working out in August, but it didn't happen. When I started teaching full time again in November, I got access to the school's weight room and swore I'd start then. It didn't happen. The new year...nope. In my own defense, I blame that last one on being really sick. The point is, something needs to change. I can't keep making excuses.

In terms of fitness goals, I don't necessarily want to lose weight, though I am currently 5-10 lbs over my ideal so that would be a bonus. Mostly, I would just like to get toned again. My muscles are lacking the definition they used to have and they're crying out for a good stretch.

My plan is to return to my old standby, yoga. I've been using this video (just The Joy of Yoga, not the other one) since high school and it's still my go-to workout. Every now and then, I throw this one into the mix for a more intense, longer set. In addition to the yoga, I'd like to try the Couch to 5K program. I've never been a big fan of running so it'll be a challenge, but I think that's a good thing. Ultimately, I'd love to be able to run a half marathon but for now, just the 5K will be a big accomplishment!

In the short term, I need to work on making time for this. The running is going to have to wait until the weather improves, but there's no excuse for skipping the yoga. So, my goal for now is to do yoga at least once by the end of this week. Just once. Baby steps, right?