Fitness has always been important to me and growing up my family was always very active. When I was younger I stayed in shape easily, moving from sport to sport and practices to games. Once I hit my college years, I realized that I actually had to make working out a priority. Lets just say for about 4 years my main priorities didn’t involve much of a constant regime. I ran occasionally, took group classes here & there, and {under} utilized my free gym membership when the mood struck. Until Spring Break or Summers were on the horizon, I was not exactly the epitome of a ‘fit chick.’
Rewind 3 years ago to when I decided I wanted to make a legitimate change. While I’m not entirely sure why that specific time was right for me, I do know it had a lot to do about my mindset and the amount of effort that I invested in my well-being. I wanted to not just lose some weight but gain back confidence in my own body. I ended up losing just over 20 lbs. in 4 month span and I’ve kept it off ever since. For the next 4 Wednesdays, I’m going to share key pieces in my personal Fitness journey. Maybe one of these pieces will help kick-start your path, maybe it’ll introduce you to something new, or maybe it’ll just act confirmation that God gave us each one body and it is our job to maintain it to the best of our ability.
Yoga. Not just fantastic for your body but equally as important for your mind. My current practice is more for stress-relief, clarity, and to work my muscles in low-impact manner than it is for achieving any specific goals, but that is exactly where I need it right now. I love pushing myself deeper into poses, seeing progression in my headstands, and also just having ME time. Because 75% of my workouts involve extensive pounding & pressure on my knees and joints, yoga really creates a great balance. Stretching is one thing many {including myself} people skip too often, so in order to make sure I get ample flexibility work, I like to practice Vinyasa as often as possible. At minimum I try and do 30 minutes, 2x/week, on my own if I am unable to get into a class at my one of the local studios. I’m also a huge fan of Hot Yoga/Bikram but prefer to practice that style in the Fall/Winter. If you’re anywhere near a Lululemon store, they offer great complimentary classes on Sundays (at least in Omaha!) that allow you to sample the teaching of a new instructor/studio–plus who can beat FREE workout classes?! For those of you without a local yoga studio nearby, there are literally thousands of free online videos you can follow along with. From the minute I began incorporating yoga into my routine, I’ve felt better overall. I’ve increased not only increased my flexibility but my strength has drastically improved! It is further proof that you don’t just have to lift weights build muscle tone. At first I was a bit intimidated by the thought of yoga. I associated it with being a little hippie and couldn’t imagine it could be that ‘hard’ of a workout. I was totally wrong on both accounts. Yoga can be practiced anywhere {my favorite is sunrise or sunset in the outdoors} by anyone. I’ve taken classes with men, women, young people, old people, overweight people, college athletes, and seemingly everyone in between. It’s a non-exclusive ‘club’ that I encourage everyone to try before they judge!
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