I have had so many questions about my fitness routine lately. My exercise habit is consistent but the types of workouts I do, and how often I do them, is not. I find that my body responds well to switching it up so I focus on doing a variety of different workouts each week. As I get older I’ve really seen and felt the positive effects of lifting weights so that has become a high priority in the past few months. I also like to get in a couple of cardio workouts a week, usually a cycle class or an outdoor run. For my own mental health and enjoyment I also love a community class. The Works (here in Charleston) is my favorite for a good sweat and stretch. I really want to be better about walking. On my walking pad and outdoors! I feel like I really have no excuses while my kids are in school not to break away and clock a mile of walking. It adds up!
If you follow me on IG you probably saw that I recently did a cleanse which I probably will never do again. If anything it taught me how much joy food brings to my life and how if I need to scale back, I already have the tools to do so. It also got me thinking about the wellness industry as a whole and how much pressure we put on ourselves. Especially with the fad that is weight management. My girlfriend and I are were talking about how if anyone loses weight these days the first thought is that they have help to do so. And if you’re not doing it you feel like that “fat bitch” (LOL quoting my girlfriend here) and she isn’t wrong. I’d be lying if I didn’t feel a little insecure with all the weight loss happening around me. But it got me thinking about things I always thought were the “healthiest route” and it turns out, I was wrong.
For example, working out HARD is not how it always needs to be. I did this Heather Robertson 60 Day program and LOVED IT. Truly her workouts are incredible, challenging and free. Highly recommend! But what I really noticed is how slow and intentional her movements are. I used to be in the mentality of harder is better but now I see that exercise is just as effective when you take the time to control and feel the movements in your body. The same thing with running – it doesn’t matter how many miles you’re clocking in 30 minutes but the fact that you MOVED your body for 30 minutes. It all adds up to a greater good, you know?
After I had Jack I did the Faster Way to Fat Loss which focuses on intermittent fasting and counting your macros. The results were incredible but as I’ve gotten older I have personally felt the negative effects of fasting. I have a muscular body which means I’m burning calories consistently throughout the day which intern means, I’m hungry! A lot! I can tell when my blood sugar is getting low and spent many years fighting that feeling in the name of starvation. I found my cortisol levels would increase and I became more stressed which can lead to inflammation in the body and all the things. I think bottom line, you have to listen to your body. We spend so much time looking for an answer or quick fix and we silence the voice inside telling us what to do. Note to self: listen more.
REST. In so many ways, in so many areas of my life, I need to remind myself to rest. To break away from the list, the screens, the household tasks, the excuses, the competitive part of my brain that tells me to perform more. I find that when life feels chaotic I hold on to chores even more than normal instead of letting it go. I just ordered two books that my friends recommended: The Women and The Great Alone. I can’t wait to read these! I plan to carve out more time offline and in the moment.
The thing with a fitness routine is that you’re only going to keep up with it if it is sustainable. I think it is really easy to see something work for someone else, try it for yourself, and then feel really down when you “fail.” We are so extreme with our choices or with this or that instead of giving ourselves space to try, see what makes us feel good, try again and so on. A fitness routine is a personal experience and no one can give you a magical equation for the perfect outcome. It is consistency, it is doing things that make you feel good, it is finding balance in all of it.
