Workin' On My Fitness + Playlist

Hi there! How's everyone doing this week? Mine's flying by- I always love the short weeks following a long weekend. Although it stinks to fit 5 days of work into 4, I'll find a way to survive. I promise. I've been trying to commit to work on my fitness over the past month, and am working hard to become more healthy. I feel as though I do make mindful and healthy choices in most aspects of my life, but I have the most room for improvement with my workouts. I am pretty inconsistent and easily fall off the bandwagon with my routine (when I have one!). This has been a consistent challenge for me over the past few years since I've entered the workforce full time.  I'm not a morning person and I know that I'm not able to hit the gym before work. I work a pretty sedentary job and am just exhausted most days when I get home. This makes it even more challenging to get back out of the door to go workout.

With that being said, I've been moving in the right direction thanks to a few changes. I try to hop into workout clothes as soon as I'm home from work. Even if I don't go to the gym immediately following my outfit change, I'm more likely to go if I'm already dressed for it. Also, I've been honing in on some great music to work out to. This really helps to distract me from my task at hand, and has allowed me to go further and for longer than I could before I paid more attention to my music.

Currently, my focus is on running. I've always HATED running as a workout. I did gymnastics and then competitive cheerleading up through my senior year of high school and running was used as a punishment in both of my trainings. To make things worse, I'm slow and have honestly never tried to enjoy running. But I am determined to change that. I don't have a date yet, but I'm working towards being able to comfortably run a 10k race. I've been making good progress so far but still have a ways to go- and I'd like to get faster while I'm at it!

I wanted to share a few of my favorite workout songs with you! I like to listen to pop music when I work out- I just need something upbeat and mood lifting! I don't care if it's from the 90s or if it's on this week's Top 40. As long as it's fun to listen to, it's good in my book! I hope y'all enjoy!

What do you do to stay fit? What goals do you have for your fitness? Do you have favorite songs to workout to? 

My Favorite At-Home Workouts

Although I haven't been doing as good of a job as I'd like to lately, staying healthy and fit is important to me. As of now, I don't have a gym membership. My typical workouts include catching a yoga class when I'm down near my old studio {located where I stayed before I found my apartment}, using my apartment gym, or doing an at-home workout. If I'm too tired to commit to a full workout, I will call a family member and take a walk around my neighborhood {gotta keep up my fitbit steps!}. There are a bunch of different options to pick from to work up a sweat in your house thanks to Pinterest, and I wanted to share a few of my current favorites.

I am always sore after doing this ab circuit.

I love this no-equipment needed workout! These moves are great for traveling.

This upper body workout is awesome to tone up your arms. Perfect for my small apartment!

Make your workout 'all about that bass' with this booty targeted circuit.

When I can't make it to the studio, I love doing one of these yoga videos at home. The instructor is awesome and I feel so refreshed after completing one!

Do you workout out home? Do you have a favorite website or instructor to find new routines? Have you tried one of these?

4 Workout Essentials

Lately, I have been chasing after that elusive "runner's high". I hear people talk about it, but I am beginning to think I was not blessed with the ability to reach it. "Just get past the first mile!" they say. "You'll hit 5 miles before you know it!" they encourage. Well, I'm here to say that's just not the case for me. Running can be extremely beneficial from a health perspective but difficult to accomplish from a discipline perspective. What I can share with you is this- there are ways to make running more enjoyable for a "non-runner". While there are many ways to do this, I have accomplished it through the right gear.

Headband {currently on sale!} / Crop / Tank {currently on sale!} / Shoes

For me, a few of the right products have totally changed things up.

1. The right headband. I don't know about y'all, but I always have the hardest time keeping thin sport headbands in my hair! I feel like I stop, fix the headband, and restart for more time that I actually spend running. That feels like a problem to me. I discovered the Fly Away Tamer from lululemon earlier this year and it quickly became my go-to. It stays put, holds my hair back, and looks adorable! As an added bonus, it won't get destroyed in the washing machine so you can keep it sanitary AND the right size by tossing it in with a load. I highly recommend it.

2. Comfortable bottoms. Throughout college I was a HUGE fan of Nike shorts. They were the perfect thing to throw on with a t-shirt to tackle the daytime. While they are excellent for running {since that is their intended purpose}, I like to have a little more coverage on my bottom half when I'm moving around. I am head-over-heels in love with Wunder Under crops. I only have 2 pairs, but I feel like I live in them! They are thick enough to wear without fear of them being see-through with a tank top, but the material isn't restrictive or too thick- making them perfect for serious workouts.

3. A perfect tank top. I get SUPER hot when I work out. It doesn't always translate into pouring sweat, but my temperature always rises quickly. One of my favorite things I've discovered are the Nike tank tops. The dri fit ones are the best! They are form fitting so they don't fling around {depending on what workout you're doing that's important} and they keep you cool since they are sleeveless. If you do happen to sweat a lot, the dri fit technology really helps keep your temperature regulated and the sweat off of your body! All around, it's a winner!

4. Shoes. I can't think of something that would deter me from working out more than an ill-fitting shoe. Making sure you have the right size and support is key to having an enjoyable workout! I was one of the lucky few to snag a pair of the "Tiffany's teal" Nike Free's and I absolutely adore them! They have just the right support for my workouts and don't weigh down my feet so I can keep moving. I seriously dread the day I retire these babies.

With these 4 workout essentials, I truly enjoy my workouts more. And, obviously this goes without saying but I wear my fitbit to track all of my activity while rocking these amazing pieces! Here's to finishing out the year in good health!

What are your workout essentials? Do you have any product recommendations? Have you tried any of these workout essentials?

My favorite tech "accessory"

Today, I wanted to share with you my favorite technology "accessory": my fitbit Flex.

Now, I'm not sure if many other people wear theirs as a part of a bracelet stack... but I absolutely love this little piece of rubber and plastic! Over the past year, I have really gravitated away from any regular exercise or workout routine. I experience little spurts of ambition where I sign up for fitness classes or go running or shop for gym memberships. The length of these ambitions vary, but nothing seems to stick for me. I've always lead an active lifestyle and have never really needed to put forth the effort to "get fit" or go outside of my normal routine to make sure I was getting enough exercise. 

Let me just tell you right now I was delusional until this past summer. I pretended not to notice my metabolism working less, my clothes fitting more snug that usual, and the fact that I was worn out after small amounts of physical activity. While I am well aware that our bodies change with age, I also understand that healthy habits are important and often require extra effort on our part. Upon the realization of my health mistakes, I decided to get a fitbit. This thing rocked my world. Putting a numerical value on my activity has been really eye opener for me- I was overestimating the amount of activity I was actually doing on a daily basis. Sure, walking around DC and checking out the monuments helps rack up 20,000 steps but I am not doing that every day. Most days I come home from a mainly sedentary work day, change into my pajamas, and plop onto the couch to watch the tv for the evening. {a picture of health, right?}

Fitbit allows you to set daily goals for different categories: steps, distance, active minutes, weight, water consumed, and calories. I truly believe that the changes I have seen in my health since July were the result of the goals I have set with my beloved gadget. For me, the visualization of my activity as well as the tracking of my progress towards my goals has been extremely effective as a motivator. I get so excited when I reach my goals. I just want to do more! 

Although the use of technology has helped me, I know many people are able to make huge changes on their own. I think that no matter how you reach your goals, it's important that you have them and constantly work towards achieving them! You only get one body- so remember to treat yours well.

Do you have any fitness gadgets? What keeps you motivated to stay healthy? 

xox.

- T