{Workout} Wednesday on a Whim

This is a whimsical post because I'm literally just typing it as I go along...so there really was no planned post for today, but I feel like writing, so here I go.

I've got a few things running through my mind lately...future plans, goals...things like that. As I get closer to my "contract end date" at Boeing, I realize that I very well could be back to being a stay at home mom by next month. However, there is a chance my contract will get extended. But as far as anything permanent opening up in my current organization, it's looking pretty grim and the work has definitely slowed. I'm OK with it either way though...I started mentally preparing myself for this possibility about a month ago and I tend to live life in a "roll with the punches and rise above it" sort of way. With this possibility of being back at home on the horizon, it's given me some time to really think about what I want to do and how I can make a career - whether full- or part-time - out of something I'm passionate about.

Without getting into too much detail in the very early stages of my "planning", I can say that my future plans are definitely fitness-oriented. I have been so passionate about improving and challenging myself physically for well over a decade now. There is no doubt that I love fitness and I've found that along with that, I really love sharing my knowledge with others and helping drive them to succeed at their own health and fitness goals. It really is rewarding. I have an idea in mind for where I want to end up as far as the business end of this industry, but for now, my first steps are getting my personal training, group training and specifically, Barre instructor training certificates. I'm hoping to get my feet wet in teaching some classes soon.

I have started a neighborhood boot camp and the first class is tonight. I'm pretty excited to get some great girls through a challenging workout. I'm hoping to make it a weekly thing for the neighborhood and that the attendance tonight is good. I'm a tad nervous, but I've got a class plan and many of these girls are already friends of mine, so I know it will be a lot of fun {and hard work!}

So other than all of that, I have been pretty much keeping good with my clean eating and workout schedule. I have really found that writing it out on Sunday evenings has been beneficial and I've stuck to that process for 3-4 weeks now. Here is a snapshot of my workout plan for this week:

Hope you're having a great week!

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Become a Fashion Designer

Workout Wednesday

As spring draws closer, I am starting to examine my workout routine, where I am in my journey and what changes need to be made to get where I want to be {and that is in a bikini, my friends}. As much as I love Body Beast and Insanity, I feel like I could be doing more {call it workout ADD, I always have to switch it up!} I have always felt that at times I have been running regularly {I have a love/hate relationship with running, but it certainly does wonders}, I feel like I definitely slim down a lot quicker {and it hits my trouble areas more so than most activities} and I feel energized. I do also love being outdoors and getting that happy dose of Vitamin D. Plus, in warmer weather and daytime hours {aka weekends}, I can take my kids in the jogger.

It's been a bit cold here lately and I haven't motivated myself to get up and get moving. I get up most mornings to do Body Beast or Insanity before work, but on days I miss, I could definitely put more effort in to go on a run after the kids are all fed and in bed. Daylight Savings needs to come quick! But I don't want to wait until then. I've got about 7 lbs left to shed {plus a little more to get where I really want to be} and I think adding in a fair amount of running each week will certainly make a difference.{Plus, I haven't been actively running in a long while and I have the Cooper River Bridge 10K Run in March!}

Now, with it still being pretty cold and all, especially at the times of day I am able to fit running in, it is crucial to have some good cold-weather running gear. Here are some items I'm coveting lately and may add to my arsenal of fitness gear.

C9 by Champion® Women's Cold Weather Run Pullover

I love love love the C9 by Champion brand at Target. The items are all usually pretty dang good quality and you can't beat the price. This pullover is great...and I'm definitely making the purchase. I really love the Raspberry Shock color too, however, I do tend to swing toward pink on most things, so maybe I'll switch it up because this blue is really nice too.

C9 by Champion® Women's Capri Legging

Well, since I love C9 so much, why not also pick out some leggings to go with the pullover? I'm a big fan of fitted capri leggings when I work out, whether it's cold outside or not {all the more reason to work harder and get warm, right?} I do wear full length pants sometimes, but much prefer my calves and ankles be free...I think it's the dancer in me? Anyway, these look like they'd be a great fit.

Zella 'Live In' Blur Print Leggings

OK, so I know I just got done saying I prefer capris, but I'm not opposed to full-lengths, especially when they are as fun as this! Great for running and barre class too! Love the print!

Zella 'My Run Layer' Half Zip Top

This top comes in a couple of other colors, but I love this yellow. Let's face it, you've got to watch out for some crazy drivers these days and the color is also perfect for early AM runs when the sun isn't up yet...nighttime too.

What is your current workout routine like? Do you love running? Would love to hear your suggestions for gear and clothing!

Linking Up With:  Pampers & Pearls // Fitness Blondie 

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Become a Fashion Designer

Workout Wednesday

This is a different sort of Workout Wednesday post. I'm going to get a bit real here...you've been warned.

I'm going to start off this post with a little something I saw on Facebook yesterday that sort of sat on my mind...probably longer than it should have, but anywho, one of my FB friends started out a post of hers saying something to the effect of "I'm not one of 'those people that have to post every workout they do on here', but..." and then she went on to state she had starting working out and somehow gained weight. Anyway, I realize sometimes when people post on Facebook, they don't always consider their entire friends list audience, or they don't realize something can be taken the wrong way, blah blah blah, but this sort of made me want to comment her post with a little funny sarcastic note because admittedly, I AM one of "those" people. But I refrained, for I didn't want to appear snarky or rude, as that would not have been my intention...and writing can be misconstrued oh so badly sometimes.

Anyway, I get it. I see how it can be annoying when people are always checking in at the gym, updating their statuses with "getting my workout on" or "killed those quads today" and auto-posting their runs with their MapMyRun app. But I don't believe that at the heart of it, most people do it to be braggarts. Yes, I'm sure some of "them" do, but it's not why I do.

So why do I?

It's simple. Motivation and accountability.

No, I don't care if you didn't work out today and my aim isn't to make you feel bad if you didn't. If my post ended up motivating or inspiring you to get off your ass, well then, that's flippin' fantastic. Go you! Go me! Inspiring others is an amazing feeling. But if you'd rather spend your moments eating bon bons on the couch, then by all means, it doesn't affect me and I'm not shaming you for it. Hell, if I could sit on the couch and relax with bon bons whilst still having the waist of Peggy Bundy, then I'd be all about it.

Bottom line: My workouts don't have anything to do with other people.

Truthfully, I know that you could just as easily think I'm bullshitting anyway and what I'm really doing is this:

To be honest, what I'm doing right now is very humbling to myself. I was a dancer for years. After having both Tanner and Breckin, I got my body back to the best it has ever been and even then, I was still constantly working to improve. I love being fit and right now, I just don't feel like myself. Trying to lose the almost 60 lbs I gained in my 3rd pregnancy and being open and honest about it has been very humbling. Yes, I know pregnancy is a perfectly good reason to pack on extra lbs, but to me, it doesn't make it OK that I look the way I do right now. I have an ideal and a standard I set for myself. That is personal. It is downright embarrassing for me to admit to others that I somehow gained what I did. In my mind, I should have gained 25 lbs and no more...and if I had, I'd weigh less now than I did prior to pregnancy because I've been busting my ass for the last 5 months and I've managed to shed 42 of those 57 lbs. But how did I do that?

I did that because I didn't hide in my house until I lost the weight. I put my struggle out there in "public" knowing that if I did that, then in my {albeit a little mentally unstable} mind, people would be "watching" and would expect that if I'm working out so much, I should start looking good again very soon and if I didn't, I would look like a failure. {Yes, I know, mentally unstable.} It also motivates me to keep going...if I get nice compliments like, "you look great" or "keep it up, girl!" then it only makes me want to work that much harder. Compliments are nice. I guess you can consider my "fitness posts" as fishing for cheerleaders.

At 5 weeks postpartum, I still had 38 lbs to lose.

{taken at 18 weeks postpartum with 18 lbs to go}

Now at almost 22 weeks postpartum, I've got 15 still to go.

My workouts are far from making me feel like a rockstar. When I go to the gym and sit on the leg press machine, my belly fat squishes together to form what looks like a beer gut. When I take a class, for the first time in my life, I stand near the back. I used to feel I was one of the fittest whenever I took a class, now I don't. When I run, I jiggle. I might as well rename it joggling. My saddlebags have their own saddlebags. These things make me wish I could carry around a neon sign saying, "I'm not fat, I just had a baby." But the truth is...fat is fat...is fat. And I know that.

While I posted this workout this morning on Facebook:

I wasn't bragging because it's not like I made great time and I actually felt more like this:

So, I hope those of you out there that get annoyed with your friends' fitness posts will start looking at it from the other side. Maybe there is a real struggle coming from it. Don't always assume it's a "look at me, I'm so awesome" post. I mean, I could be the same way. I know TONS of girls that workout FAR LESS than I do and I could only dream to be as tiny as they are. I want to smack them and ask them to at least workout a little bit so I don't have to feel so bad that I have to workout a lot. If there is one thing I've learned in life, it's that genetics are a bitch.

But that's another story for another day. Happy Wednesday, y'all!

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Workout Wednesday

It's been a while since I closed down my i-Heart Fitness blog and said I would just share my health and fitness thoughts here every now and then, as well as on Skinny Mom, but I really don't think I've done too much of that here! So, for lack of a better style post, I'm going to do a little fitness update.

On my Thirty Before 30 list update yesterday, one of the items mentioned was my goal to drop 15 lbs, 10 of which I've successfully shed since first making the list. I wanted to share with you what my workout weeks have been looking like as of late...and how it's been helping me achieve my goals.

Ever since starting my job working at my gym three days a week as the opener {4:30am - 8am}, I've been even better than ever before about getting my gym workouts in. After all, it's getting to the gym that is half the battle. Since I have to be there, I make sure to make use of it.

On Mondays and Wednesdays, there are barre classes when I get off, so I always make sure to take those. And let me tell you - they are killer. Even my husband has mentioned noticing a tighter tush and thighs on me. If you've never taken a barre class, I suggest you try one. I started taking them at Barre Evolution last summer with a Groupon and I fell in love with it. I think it feeds the dancer in me in a way. I also love that the ladies in the class are practically the same each time...we're a bunch of barre-flies, and I've started making friendships with some...it's great to find others with the same hobbies as you.

On Fridays when my gym shift ends, I take the morning Spin class. I have found this to be great in combination with the barre classes.

Tuesdays and Thursdays, since I'm not working at the gym, I am in charge of taking the boys to daycare and school. Lucky for me, my gym is right across the street from Tanner's school, so as long as I'm disciplined enough to put on my workout wear before I leave the house, I head to the gym at about 7:45am those days after drop-off and do some strength-training. One day is spent on lower body, the other on upper and I usually do the elliptical or treadmill both days for my cardio.

Saturdays are usually reserved for a good long run if I can manage to have Jake available to watch the boys. If not, I hit the gym in the morning for some strength training {lower body} or barre class. {This Saturday, I have the Cooper River Bridge 10K!}

So yes, I realize that is 6 days of working out per week, but I have a true love for fitness and I always aim for 5-6 workout days per week.. I love this new schedule because I'm really mixing things up and seeing results little by little. The 2-3 barre classes per week are making a huge difference. {I tell you, TRY IT!}

So today is Wednesday and I am at the gym right now {working} and I've got my barre class coming up in a couple of hours. It feels like severe punishment for my glutes, but always so worth it when it's over. Can't wait! Hoping I'll be looking like this soon {haha}:

What about you? Is fitness important for you? What are your go-to workout routines?

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