Health: Negative Body Image

I've been reading a lot of articles lately, like this one that have really got me thinking. I think as a woman there is a lot of pressure from society (mainly via the media) about how our bodies should look. We don't stop to think about how everyone is--unique including our physical attributes--and we literally can't look like the women we see on TV, in magazines and in the movies. Not only is it physically impossible since we are all so different-- they are PAID to look like that. They workout with a personal trainer, have a private chef cook them healthy meals, have a team of makeup artists, hairstylists and wardrobe consultants to make them look like that. There is also Photoshop and other programs to help enhance their beauty. 

What I'm trying to say is -- it's even impossible for those women whose bodies we envy to look that good every day. It takes a small army to create that image, yet as women we're told that not only is it attainable -- but that we should look like that. 

I've gone through waves of self love and self doubt over my 27 years of life and it's sad. Why should I be comparing myself to anyone else when I'm a unique individual and look like me. Am I perfect? Heck no -- there are things here or there that I could improve on but I am, as I am right now, enough. I'll let you in on a little secret: there is something that every single woman (yes, even those hot celebrities) does not like about her body. Instead of looking at my "flaws" and feeling bad about them I need to celebrate my positive attributes. 

I'm doing the best job I can balancing work, family, friends and free time while working out to maintain my health and eating the right foods (most of the time). It's a lot. We can't be perfect at everything and it's okay to not workout every single day of the week (that's not healthy either but that's a new post for another day) or eat perfect all the time. Indulging every once in a while and being more relaxed about my eating and exercise routine has actually been much better for me. I don't feel guilty if I miss a day (or two) at the gym and when I eat something that isn't totally healthy I know I will balance it out with all the other great things I do eat. That's way too much stress and pressure to put on yourself. 

Why this post today? I think that sometimes we all lose sight about what is important and our self confidence can really take a beating. It's nice to have a reminder every once in a while to be a little kinder to ourselves. No matter what size -- you're beautiful and you should celebrate the good things instead of focusing on the bad. Aim to improve your health instead of focusing on the scale or size jeans you wear. Because you, (yes you) are enough.

Health & Fitness: Circuit Workout to Make you Sweat

Time is one main issue I have with working out. There is never enough time in the day to get everything we need to done. An easy thing to skip? Your workout. Guess again. With this short circuit workout all you’ll need is about 25 minutes. That’s right – no gym equipment necessary.

Do each following moves for a minute with 30 seconds break in-between. If you are not familiar with any of these exercises please Google Image or look on YouTube for some proper demonstration.

Jumping jacks
Squat Jumps
Pushups (straight-legged or knees bent)
Frog crunches
Jump rope
Plié squats
Tricep dips
Bicycle crunches
Ski jumps
Front lunges
Side planks
Ab twists
Burpees
Side lunges with leg raise
Triangle pushups
Planks with knee twists

Afterwards be prepared to be a sweaty mess! Be sure to check with a doctor before changing your fitness routine. Listen to your body – if it doesn’t feel right, DON’T DO IT!

What did you think of this 25 minute circuit workout? Are there other quick workouts you enjoy?

Health & Fitness: What is HIIT Anyways?

I'm sure you've seen the word HIIT before and wondered what the heck it is. I reference it a lot in my Weekly Workout Log on my personal blog but haven’t taken the time to explain it. Answer: High-Intensity Interval Training. AKA a quick, super effective workout that will get your heart pumping. It’s the most effective workout you can do to help burn fat – fast!

You want to make sure to do any interval training on non-consecutive days. Your heart is also a muscle and needs rest too. Please always check with a doctor before adding a new fitness routine and if it doesn't feel right -- DON'T DO IT!

Here’s my go-to treadmill HIIT workout that I do almost every week. You can play around with speeds and intervals to keep your body guessing and to keep from getting bored.

It's that quick and easy! The first and last 5 minutes are dedicated to a good warm up and cool down so please make sure to take the time to do these. It will make a huge difference in your recovery and prevent injury. 

If you try this workout let us know -- we'd love your feedback! Have any HIIT workouts you'd like to share?

Motivation: It's Never Too Late

Last year, an Oregon man who dropped out of college in 1932 finally received his degree. This man, aged 99, decided that he wasn’t too old to finish something he’d set out to do many years prior. He’s the perfect example that it’s never too late.

There are few things worse than getting older and feeling like you’re not accomplishing the things you want or were meant to do. It’s crappy to feel like you have so much you want to do, but aren’t getting anywhere. Or, maybe you feel like your window of opportunity has passed.

I have a long mental list of things I’d like to do, learn and accomplish. Recently I’ve begun to tackle that list. I purchased a nice camera and have started to read about and practice photography. I’ve made it a priority to become fluent in Spanish. I’m trying to get better with several different types of software. Even this blog and the personal blog I recently started are examples of things that have been rolling around in my mind for a while.

There are so many other things on my list—many of which you’ll hear about on this blog. But the thing I want to convey right now is that there is no time line in life. I spent quite a bit of time building my mental list of to-dos and now I’m finally starting to do them.

It’s not hard to come up with excuses to prevent yourself from doing the things you want. Maybe you’re too busy or you think you don’t have the resources to accomplish your goals. The truth is that if something is important to you, you will find a way to do it.

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There are also a few other things to remember. Maybe you’ll think I’m a pessimist for writing about these things during what’s meant to be an encouraging blog post, but I prefer to think of myself as realistic. And I think perhaps sometimes I'm pegged as pessimistic, when all I really try to do is keep a level head about things. I don’t think that most people who accomplish their goals find it to be an easy ride. People encounter all sorts of problems and set backs on their way to achieving things. In the interest of not painting unrealistic expectations:

• Most things take some amount of work, maybe a lot of work. You need to get off your butt and actually DO something. 
• You need to accept the fact that you may fail. Just because you want something and work for it doesn’t mean that you will be wildly successful at it. 
• It won’t happen overnight. Just don’t become impatient. It might take years for you to be able to say you finally did what you set out to do.

With all that being said, wouldn’t you rather try and know how things turn out rather than be afraid or put things off? In my opinion, it’s better to try and fail than spend every day wondering what your life could have been like if you only tried. And what better time than now?

Share your goals with us – we’d love to hear them and be able to offer our encouragement!