Tag: happy

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Fitness

Just Get Moving

Hi everyone!

Happy Wednesday! I hope you are having a great week so far!

I always try to keep things fun and relevant here and mix topics up so there’s something for everyone. 

Today, I’m talking about fitness and working out. Everyone’s fitness journey is different and I’m by no means an expert on fitness or working out or health and nutrition. This is just my views on working out and my fitness journey, so if these tips work for you, great, if they don’t, then maybe you have tips you can share with me.

A bit of background, I started working out consistently in college, I would go five days a week and it would be a mix of weekends and weekdays before classes. I typically did cardio and then free weights or some weight machines.

A look at my workouts in college.

After graduating college, I got into a new gym routine by going five days a week (weekdays) and then trying to move and do something active on the weekends. 

During the weekdays, I typically do strength training and a full body workout at the gym for 45 minutes to an hour.  I do a mix of free weights, core workout and some cardio too.

An example of my workouts now.

My apple watch is a huge help by holding me accountable for moving every day. I’ve talked about my Apple watch in this post here. There’s no better feeling than closing your rings, especially when you are on a streak. Every day, I aim to stand for 12 hours (I typically exceed that), workout for 30 minutes a day (again, I typically hit between 45-60 minutes) and then burn 590 calories a day (I typically hit 600 daily). 

A look at some of my Apple Watch stats. This is from a day I filled in on a morning shift (hence being up for 22 hours)

Another example of my Apple Watch stats. I got a lot of walks in this day.

Besides going to the gym five days a week, I try to get in a long walk or two during the week, these often happen on my weekend (Thursday and Friday) or during the weekend. It’s easy to get in a long walk in the summer and fall, but tricker in the winter. Even when it’s cold, I remind myself, I will feel better after getting some movement in.

Taking walks is always a great stress reliever.
No matter the season, walks are always a good idea

On weekends, I don’t always have time for a long workout or walk, so any movement is good movement for me. I will sometimes do stretching or yoga, or a quick walk, just to get my body moving. On busier days, my goals shift from getting a long or intense workout to just moving and being active or even just closing my rings on my apple watch, haha!

Your fitness journey doesn’t have to be spending two hours in a gym every day or running five miles. I am not a runner; I wish I was but I’m not. But if you want to go on a three-mile walk, I’m game! 

Nothing better than getting in some movement.

Working out doesn’t have to be a competition or a race, what matters is doing what works best for you and feeling good about moving. When I’m feeling overwhelmed or stressed, taking walk to clear my mind or lifting at the gym to start the day, always makes me feel better and it helps me reset. 

Another great day with a long walk and good workout.

It can be hard to get motivated to workout especially when the weather is changing, but even if you carve out a few minutes to do something to move and for you, you may be surprised how good you feel.

Like I said at the beginning, I’m not a health or fitness expert, so I’m just sharing what works for me. I hope this post encourages you to step out of your comfort zone and move a bit today too!

Have a great week!

Categories
Fabulous living

What I’m Thankful For #4

Every year I like to take time and reflect on the past year and the things I’m thankful for. 

Here’s a look back from year’s past.

2019

2018

2017

2020 has been quite the year and there are so many things to be thankful for. 

First and foremost is my health, I’m so lucky and blessed to have good health this past year. 

I’m also super blessed for my family. This past year, I have been able to move home and get lots of extra family time, living at home during the pandemic also helped a lot too. I got bonus time I missed out on in college and time that I won’t always have when I move out on my own. I’m so lucky my family was healthy this past year. 

Throwback of my family together

My pets. A few weeks back, we lost one of our dogs, Hershey Kiss. It was very sudden and sad to see one of our dogs who has been with us for years pass away, with that being said, I’m so grateful for my other two dogs and the love they bring. 

My sweet Hershey Kiss

My friends. This year was definitely challenging since so many plans and activities were cancelled and I missed out on a lot of time with friends. I was able to spend time with friends socially distant and FaceTime and texted helped immensely. This past year also showed me the importance of maintaining friendships and it’s all about putting in effort. 


My friend Danielle and I
My friends Maddie and Ryan and I

My Job. I am very blessed to have a job that I got to work at through the pandemic. I also have grown and learned a lot during this past. I’m very grateful for co-workers that have turned into mentors and friends and even almost like family. 

My first time working Election night

I’m grateful for the tough days, the ones that I feel like I’m drowning or not doing anything right, because those are the days that I learn the most about myself. 

I’m grateful for the basic needs that I take for granted. I’m thankful for a home with a loving family, food on the table, a car to get to work in. All things that I’m lucky to have that others don’t have.

I’m thankful for my faith, on the good and bad days, I know God is always there for me and he will lead me on the path he has for me. 

I’m grateful for all the little moments and mundane things, from drives to work, walks, laughs, movie nights, baking, family dinners, good night sleeps, going to the gym and so many other little momenta that turn out to be the big ones.

That’s just a peak into my heart this Thanksgiving. What are you thankful for this year?

Categories
Fabulous living

Ditch the List and Live

Hi everyone, happy Wednesday!

Today’s post is not what I had planned, but a thing called life happened. I had to readjust and then I realized this post was perfect for today.

I LOVE LISTS. I have to do lists, every day I make one for at home, at work, grocery shopping, days off etc Yes, I have everything in my mind but I still love to physically cross things off my list. I had a list of things I planned to get done on my days off and some happened and others didn’t. I could have gotten upset it or overwhelmed and stressed about not getting it done but instead I decided to live. 

Too often we find ourselves wanting to check all the boxes or get everything done that we forget to really experience and be present on what’s going on, I know I am guilty of this too. 

So, I didn’t get everything done on my days off that I wanted to, but what I did get was time spent doing something fun, time spent entertaining, time spent relaxing, time spent reconnecting. In the grand scheme of things, that’s more important to me than cleaning my car or organizing my room or planning for the week ahead. Yes, those things will get done and it will work out, but this was a lesson that showed me that it’s okay if I don’t always get everything on my list done in a day, I still will have plenty of time to eventually get it done, but for now, sometimes it’s better to ditch the list and live. 

I had something else in mind for my post for today, but life happened and I realized something we need to write from the heart and write about life instead of what the list says to do.

Anyways, that’s a look into my mind now, just some thoughts on life and living instead of living by a list. 

I hope you all have a great week!

Categories
Fitness

Fitness Goals 2019

Hello All and Happy Tuesday!  

A new week is upon us. Week two of school is underway. Last week felt so long after getting into a new routine of classes, work, and homework. I’m hoping this week and the next few weeks move faster after getting settled into a new routine. With the start of a new semester and year, I wanted to set some new fitness goals. I have had this post planned for a few weeks and I’m finally getting around to posting it. Thanks for your patience. Working out and going to the gym has been a great stress reliever and activity to do while I’ve been in college. You can read my fitness journey part one, part twoand part three. 

Work (out) hard, play hard

At the start of every year I try to challenge myself in order to get stronger and feel better after a work out. Last year I shared my workout goals. You can find them here.My goals included getting in 10,000 steps a day, I lagged a bit in the summer with this goal due to working but since I came back to school in August 2018, I have been successful in getting in my 10,000 steps from the gym, going to classes, and running errands. I’m very proud of that goals. Another goal I set was work on my weight training, I did better at the start of 2018, but stayed consistent through the fall semester and didn’t increase my weights, I’m hoping to work on this more this semester.  Lastly, my final goal was to get my time down for the mile. I didn’t get my time down, but I have been running more instead of just jogging. 

Now, onto this year’s fitness goals. 

  • I want to increase the size and the amount of weight I am lifting in regards to my free weights. Even if it is adding an extra few pounds every month or so, I want to work on building up muscle, especially in my arms and legs. 
  • I know it may sound cliché, but I want to start putting in work for the summer months and that includes working on my abs more to start getting a flatter stomach, I’ve done research and I’m going to work on including healthier foods in my diet as well as my ab workouts. If you have found things that have worked for you, let me know in the comments below.
  • Run more. I love to use the treadmill especially when I have it at a high incline, I feel that I get more of a workout there compared to just biking or using the elliptical. I have started to jog and run more during my work out, but I want to continue to run and increase my endurance. 
new year, new goals

I’m hoping I can focus more on increasing my endurance in a lot of areas that I work with already. Taking care of my body and working out has been a great way for my to relax and feel good about myself. It is also a great stress reliever. Whether it is going for a run, doing yoga, talking walks, or doing weight training, I hope you find something that you can do to take care of yourself. I hope 2019 is a year we can all tackle our fitness goals. What goals do you have for this year in terms of fitness?