New Years Resolutions

happy new year

With the start of 2016 everyone is starting to think about those New Years Resolutions. Some may be planning the trip of a lifetime. Others may plan on getting ahead in their career, and many of us even set new fitness goals. Just like everyone else, even personal trainers are always looking for goals to set for themselves to keep motivated.  Please try to think outside the box.

I’d like to challenge everyone to not only set goals that can be accomplished in the gym, but to set goals that can be enjoyed in the great outdoors.  Being outside has proven to be very beneficial for the mind and body.  Below are just a few goals that my family and I hope to accomplish in the outdoors this year:

  • Take the kid(s) sledding in the mountains.  Not that our local sledding hill won’t suffice, but experiencing new(and as my husband says “steeper and faster”)  hills is always an adventure.  If I must say, schlepping all of that gear up and down the hill is always an awesome workout…especially since the kid normally rides in the sled on the way UP the mountain as well.
  • Bring the kids hiking on some of our favorite trails we used to go on.  The kids are small and easy to carry now, the extra weight provides for a better workout and more of an experience for the whole group.  Everyone knows the further you hike the better the pictures!
  • Complete 1,000 miles in running, biking or some form of cardio. In June last year I did a hundred miles, so I thought it would be fun to have a year long cardio goal. Taking into consideration I will be in my third trimester for a majority of the year I will include other modes of cardio than just running.
  • Build a more inviting outdoor living area.  Not only do we want to sit and relax on the patio while we watch the little ones play, but we’d like to have a great outdoor area to exercise.  Being cooped up in a dark basement trying to get a workout in while it’s beautiful outside can be trying for even the most motivated.
  • What are some of your OUTDOOR goals?

Eventually it is going to be time to move indoors.  Don’t worry, I’m not talking about the gym…yet!  I’m referring to the  kitchen!  Here are some of the family goals for the new year that involve a healthy diet:

  • Meal PLAN and PREP as often as possible.
  • Purchase as organic as possible when it comes to the dirty dozen foods.
  • Try a new recipe every other week(being realistic).  If we enjoy the recipe I will post it on the website as soon as possible.
  • Try to let as little food as possible go to waste
  • What are your NUTRITION goals? 

I told you we would eventually move into the gym! This can be at your home, your local park or your local gym.  Hopefully it’s not as busy as my gym has been and will be this coming month- Geeze! With goals of a healthy mommy body and even healthier baby, there are somethings that only a good ole fashioned strength training session can work.  Gym have their upsides – not only does the gym have all that fancy equipment, but it has the people to go with it.  The support structure that your gym friends and family can prove to be invaluable.  If your friends are anything like mine they’ll rag on you for missing your workout, which only enhances my own guilt.  Everyone has those days when working out just sounds terrible, but there really very few reasons to miss your workouts.  They don’t always have to be the best workout, sometimes they just have to be a workout… Below are some of my goals for this coming year I hope to accomplish in the gym:

  • Get my pre-baby belly back.  This could be different for everyone.  I’m not talking about a hard 6-pack, but for me it means core strength.  Back to the days when I could do a 5 min plank, sit-ups for days, and be able to laugh so hard that I thought my sides were going to split WITHOUT actually peeing my pants!
  • Master the double under.
  • Keep my knees as healthy and stable as possible so I can continue to play soccer at the level I do.
  • What are some of your GYM/FITNESS goals?

The biggest thing to remember is to increase your success of achieving your goals is that they need to be realistic. If you want to lose weight or gain muscles there are many things to consider – exercise program, nutrition plan and time it will take to accomplish these. If you set your goals too high – example: I am going to lose 50 pounds in 2 weeks – unless you plan on losing a limb this is not going to be realistic. Plan your goals in stages – your long term goal may be to lose 50 pounds, but maybe you want to lose 5 pounds by the end of January and 12 pounds by February, etc. Plus, maybe you want to climb your very first 14,000 foot mountain, well you will need to start building your muscle (strength training) and increasing your cardio, which will also help you reach your long term goal of losing weight!!!  Think outside the of the box with your goals. Your 2016 goals should be for you and about what you are passionate about achieving.

Tell me what your goals are for 2016 and I will do my best to help you stay accountable! If you have questions or need help achieving these goals email me I am here to help – strengthtrain4baby@gmail.com.

 

 

Christmas Catch Up

The family had a wonderful Christmas full of family and friends, and even a bit of snow!  As we all know finding time to squeeze in a workout is harder than ever.  Especially when you’ve had to much holiday “cheer” the evening before.  Luckily for me I am unable to partake in the so called holiday “cheer” everyone else does.  I’m fine drinking my Perrier with a pinky up and my belly out, however I do miss my beer and wine.  I miss it enough to count my reps using extra wine corks laying around.  My husband uses them as a back drop for his dart board, I use them as a counter.  5 rounds total, pushing a corks over for every round completed.  I know it seems silly, but for me it helps with the motivation.  I put those corks in the “completed” workout pile and go for more.  As they keep piling up, it keeps me motivated as I get closer to the finish.

After a few days off, due to Christmas, I was able to get in a quick workout, even with my little one running around and the dogs attacking me for kisses whenever I was on the floor! With Christmas and my crazy schedule, but I was dying to get back even if it was for 45 minutes.

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My little one helping with my burpees and my pup following close behind!

5 Rounds

15 Burpees with Bosu
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15 Assisted Pull-Ups

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30 Kettlebell Swings
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My kind husband was able to capture a few more pictures than usual and show how I keep track of my rounds. Regardless of it only being 5 rounds, I find that between my pregnant brain and anything else going on around me I tend to forget what round I am on. Thanks to our huge collection of wine corks I use these to keep track of myself.