My Look: Tank | Jacket | Sneakers | Leggings | Sports Bra
Mama always told me to start a good fitness routine at a young age – why? Because it becomes part of your daily lifestyle and makes staying in shape and healthy that much easier!! Growing up, I always had a killer metabolism and was either dancing your cheerleading so I didn’t worry much about my eating habits or working out outside of practice. Once college years hit, I did notice a difference in my body. I couldn’t necessarily eat whatever I wanted without feeling bloated and tired & all of a sudden I had to actually make time to workout because I didn’t have sports fulfilling that exercise routine anymore. Self motivation is pretty challenging, but over the past four years I have definitely found some tips that seem to work well for me.
1. Use the buddy system!! This is probably my biggest motivating factor – finding people in your life to keep you accountable by either eating healthy with you or working out with you! I started Orange Theory Fitness last September and this is the first type of workout that I have actually been able to stick at doing and still love. The biggest reason behind it being I have friends and family that also workout there and will plan classes with me throughout the week. I also love finding walk / running buddies!! Having a go-to person to go on a long walk or run with is a lifesaver because those types of cardio can be boring by yourself but really fun if you have company. When it comes to eating, either having someone to meal prep with or even just that person that you send yummy healthy recipes you’ve tried back and forth can help you stay motivated and accountable on your eating.
2. Utilize pinterest! Pinterest is amazing for inspo in so many categories, but a huge one being health and fitness. You can find endless recipes, at home workouts, fitness blogs to follow, cute workout apparel (that motivates me, anyone else?!), etc. If I spend a solid 10 minutes scrolling through fitness and health pins and saving them to my boards, I get a nice kick of inspiration that makes me want to get better. You can follow my “be healthy” board HERE, and my ‘yumm.’ board HERE.
3. Start setting goals for how much water to drink per day. The golden rule of drinking water is to drink half your body weight in ounces. For example, I weigh 125 so my daily goal is to drink at least 63 ounces of water per day.
4. Get on a schedule. It helps me to decide which days of the week I will for sure make sure I get a workout in. Whether it’s attending a class, walking/running, or doing a little at home workout, make sure you do those days. I would say to set 3 days that are absolute for sures, then try to add a random additional day or two into your week depending on your schedule. Don’t set yourself up for failure by choosing your set days to be Saturdays if you usually go out Friday nights or make plans on Saturdays. Choose days that you know you will be able to squeeze it in.
5. Find a class. As I’m sure most of you know, classes are what motivate me the most. What I love about classes are you really can’t just stop when you get tired like you would just working out by yourself at the gym, you gotta push through the whole thing!! There is also always a little bitty piece of competitiveness in you that comes out in a class setting as well, you really push yourself. My current favorite classes are Orange Theory Fitness and Soul Cycle. See ‘what your 60 minutes at Orange Theory looks like‘ if you are curious!
6. Find balance. I am the type of person where if I push myself too hard, I’ll either splurge hardcore or hate my life. With eating, I try to make sure I eat at least 80% healthy all the time. The additional 20% is my cheats, drinks, desserts, etc. I am definitely someone who needs those!
7. Take progress photos! It takes TIME to see results. You see yourself every single day in the mirror so you don’t tend to notice the little things or little victories – but they are happening. Taking photos once a week can help you see those which is so motivating!!
8. Don’t compare yourself. Fitness is hard work – yes. But what doesn’t get talked about as much is how much it is genetics as well. I could get stick skinny but still have wider set hip bones and still never look like all the bikini models but that is okay!!! My body is my body and it is not naturally built like the girls I tend to compare myself to. And same with everyone else. The comparison game is so evil and it causes you to believe things that are untrue. Love yourself and work on being healthy and happy in your own skin!!
Being healthy and fit is a journey but it’s a fun one!! And something that you bring into your future by making it a part of your now. Since I know there are probably a few of you hoping this workout look was part of the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale, I did put some of my athletic picks from the sale below for you!! If you want to view all my Nordstrom sale posts, you can see my #NSale page HERE! I hope you enjoyed my tips & happy Tuesday!
Athletic Faves From The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale
Xx,
