10 Ways to Never Skip a Workout Again!

I'm often asked how I manage to keep myself physically active as a busy mom. My simple answer is that I take things one day at a time. Each day is unique, and brings different challenges. Occasionally on a morning that I plan a long outdoor run, I wake up to falling snow. (I know, I know...this really shouldn't keep me from running...I'm hardcore, but I'm not THAT hardcore...that's what treadmills are for, right?!?) Early morning workouts don't ever work when I've spent the entire night awake with a sick child (or healthy children who spend the night playing musical beds...our bed is NOT big enough for the 5 of us!) Things happen, so I try to plan accordingly. Here are a few of my secrets for planning around life:

1. On a particularly hectic day, don't skip a workout just because you don't have a full hour to spare. Figure out how to fit in 10-minute mini sessions. Roll out of bed, and do some push-ups, jumping jacks, planks, and lunges. Later in the day, go on a quick, brisk walk. If you're reading something, find a wall, and squat while you read. Do seated Tupler's in the car! End the day with some pre-bed stretches. It may not seem like a lot at once, but throughout the day, you can easily squeeze in a full workout!
2. You may be tired of hearing it from me, but wear a heart rate monitor! At the end of the week, it's extremely motivating to see how much time I spent working out, how many calories I burned, and what zones I trained in. I try not to ever go more than two days without a workout! My heart rate monitor keeps me honest with myself.
3. Set goals for the ENTIRE year at the beginning of the year. Want to run a few races this year? Schedule them now! Even if the races aren't until later in the year, you'll have them on your mind, and will plan your training accordingly. For me, races aren't just about the race, but about the journey it takes to get to the starting line! And boy, it has been quite a journey this time around!
4. Have a nice stash of fitness DVDs at home. Workout DVDs are almost always my back-up plan. When I just can't pull myself out of bed early in the morning, I can start a DVD nearly an hour later, and still be done with my workout at the same time I would otherwise be returning home from the gym. For one, I don't have to brush my teeth (or put on mascara) to work out at home, and I don't have to account for any travel time. I still get in a good workout (as long as the kids and husband cooperate), and the day can continue as planned.
5. SCHEDULE your workouts. If you're always hoping to find time to work out, it's probably never going to happen if you have a busy schedule. You HAVE to plan it in. My workout schedule varies slightly from week to week based on my life schedule, but I always know when I'm going to work out the next day. I don't wake up in the morning hoping it will happen sometime that day. I wake up, and get moving. If you need to, put a reminder on your phone, write it on your calender, do whatever you need to do. I normally plan all my workouts a week in advance. Then when a day (or night) doesn't go as planned, I move to plan B. If you're a group fitness groupie (like myself), stay committed to the class! As an instructor, I don't have a choice whether or not to show up. Act as if you don't have a choice either! Be there!
6. Add variety to your workouts. If someone were to watch me and my different workout routines, they would think I have serious workout ADD. I don't do the same things day in and day out. I love group fitness classes, because each class is never the same...and I've tried LOTS of different classes. I LIFT. I ZUMBA. I CYCLE. I YOGA. I CORE CROSS TRAIN. I POWER PUMP. I TREK. But my own workouts are never the same, either. I run outside. I lift weights with gym machines. I use free weights. I use my own body weight for resistance. I interval train. I do the elliptical. I climb stairs. You get the idea. Variety is key for keeping workouts interesting. Variety is also key for avoiding plateaus. If your body never knows what's coming, it will never stop changing and improving!
7. Keep company with other fitness-minded people. If you try to place yourself in situations and with people where you won't have to compromise your fitness goals, you're much more likely to stay on track. At work, take breaks with the walkers rather than the donut-shop-frequenters. Eat with the brown baggers rather than with the fast foodies. Invite other health conscious couples over for a healthy home-cooked meal, and vice versa. Find a workout buddy, or an accountability partner. If you're not working out together, you can still report to one another and keep each other in check.
8. Change your workouts with the seasons. Don't hibernate for the winter just because you refuse to run outside in the snow. Right now I'm SO EXCITED that spring has sprung because I can truly enjoy the outdoors. Working out indoors, however, is the only thing that keeps me going in the depressing month of January. Winter months are great for snow sports, while summer is great for swimming. If your workouts change with the seasons, you'll have more to look forward to every few months than just changing colors and temperatures!
9. Forget the all-or-nothing mentality. Just because you may not always have time for a full hour workout doesn't mean you should skip the workout all together. 20-minutes is always better than nothing! The same goes for healthy eating. Just because you splurge at one meal doesn't mean that the whole day should go to waste. One healthy meal is better than a full day of indulging. (Unless indulging for a full day is planned. In that case, one bad day doesn't mean the whole week is shot!)
10. Just do it! Stop making excuses, and get moving. Use each day as a step towards your ultimate fitness goals. So what if you have 10- 50- 100-pounds to lose. Losing the weight won't happen overnight. It will, however, happen with lots of small steps along the way. Whatever the obstacles, do what it takes to get up and start. You will get better with time. You'll find what you like. Just push yourself to take the first step, to climb out of bed in the morning, to schedule your workouts. Once you make fitness a habit, it will become a way of life, and you will be that much closer to reaching your goals!

What are YOUR fitness secrets?

The Eleventh Day of Fitness...ZUMBA!

On the ELEVENTH Day of Fitness, FitMePink Blog gave to me...a ZUMBA dance PARTY!


For you FitMePeeps who have been around for a while, you remember that I (Robyn) am not the only contributor to this blog. I know...I've missed her, too. My sister, Kimberly has had a busier year, and has accomplished more than I've done in the last three years. So I guess I'll forgive her for not writing a post for...well...at least a year! Her husband has a little break from school, and for the first time in months, she actually had some free time on her hands, so she wrote about the benefits of ZUMBA...or as she put it...ZzzUUuumMMmBAa! For those of you who haven't met her yet, she's a certified Zumba, Pilates, Step, Dance, and Power Pump instructor. Yes...she's amazing!

A few months ago, I went to my first Zumba class. I LOVED it! My hips don't quite shake the way they're supposed to, but everyone else was worried about what THEY looked like, so it didn't matter what I looked like. I only wished I had a friend with me so I didn't feel so silly laughing the whole time! Here's what Kimberly had to say to about Zumba...

Zumba is a Latin-inspired, dance fitness class that incorporates Latin and international music and dance movements. The combination creates a dynamic, exciting, and EFFECTIVE fitness system! ZUMBA combines fast and slow dance rhythms that sculpt and tone the body. The cardio-based dance movements are easy to follow steps that also include body sculpting. These moves target areas such as the gluteals, legs, arms, core, abdominals, and the most important muscle in the body: the heart!

If you have never attended a ZUMBA class, the atmosphere feels like a PARTY! This healthy, fun, party-like environment makes the time pass quickly so it doesn't actually feel like exercise! The Latin music is exhilarating and exciting, so each participant naturally wants to move, and return to class again and again!

If you've never tried ZUMBA, here are some reasons to try:

1. It's Fun! Zumba is exercise in disguise! Each participant has so much fun they don't even realize they are exercising.
2. It's Different! The music, the steps, the moves, the class, the feel... are like no other!
3. It's Easy! Zumba is designed for everyone. Participants of any fitness level or any background, or any age can start Zumba right away.
4. It's Easy To Follow! Zumba is a cardio-based workout with components of resistance/ sculpting training to tone the entire body and achieve desired fitness goals.
   

When you attend your first Zumba class you will experience Merengue, Cumbia, Salsa, Reggaetone, Calypso, Samba, Hip Hop, and much more. Each of these dance styles will have you wanting to go back for more. The steps are easy to follow, fun to learn, and help you achieve great results! Zumba is also great for the mind, body, and soul!

A few of my favorite parts of class you should look forward to are:

• The Booty Circle--Fantastic moves that work the quads, butt, and core! (Not to mention, super fun shaking that BOOTY!)
• The Reggaetone Bounce--great for the arms, legs, butt, and core too!

If you're looking for some great Latin music to inspire you
and help you shake that BOOTY...here are a few of my favorites:

1. Quete Mueve
2. Santa Que
3. Rompe
4. Ketchup Song
5. Belly Danza

Long live ZUMBA!!!

Have any of you tried Zumba? What did you think? One of my New Year's Resolutions is to attend more "fun" and less "serious" classes. Zumba's at the top of my list. Thanks Kimberly!!!

Working Out Early Morning vs. Never At All...

It's going to take me a while to really admit it, but summer is over. As a stay-at-home mom with a 3-year old and a 1-year old, my life of motherhood has yet to revolve around the school year or the seasons. I can up and leave on vacation anytime somewhere-other-than-here beckons. I can also workout whenever my little heart desires. Most days, it's desire is to be at the gym by 8:30 so I can fit in a little cardio session before the group fitness class at 9. Tough life, I know.

Recently, I had a hard decision to make. I was getting ready to sign The Boy up for preschool, and I had two sessions to choose from: morning or afternoon. Doesn't sound like a big deal, but I hated making the choice! If I chose morning, I would have to drastically change my workout schedule. No more 9am group fitness if he has to be to school by 9:30. If I chose afternoon, The Boy (and I) would miss out on the much-needed nap time. An early-morning-angel-boy isn't quite so pleasant by late afternoon if he's missed his nap. His teacher would NOT thank me for that choice. So somewhat reluctantly, I chose morning preschool.

I would love to think that I could change from working out in the morning to working out in the evening, but it just won't happen. Sure, it may happen on occasion, but things always come up at night...meetings, parties, snuggling up with a good book on the couch, reality TV...you know, important stuff. I love me a good workout, but by nighttime, my motivation to get sweaty drops to pretty much nothing.

Before The Girl entered this world 19 months ago, I was somehow motivated to get out of bed at the crack 'o dawn to workout. But since then, my bed has become cozier. I've stayed up later. Now, waking up at 5am sounds (and feels) like waking up in the middle of the night. (Why wake up at 5, when I can drop my kids off at the kids' club and work out at 9?) But I'm trying to find motivation to do it again. Sure, I could go to the gym and do my own thing while The Boy is at preschool. But there's no group fitness option. Lame, I know, but most days, it keeps me going. The 5:30 am group fit classes are my only other morning option.

So right now, as I type, I'm building up the motivation to wake up in T-10 hours. I think I can do it. I actually love working out early...once I'm up and there. It's just the getting up. It's the leaving the pillow that has formed itself so nicely around my head. It's the wanting to find out what happens in the rest of the now-interrupted-by-the-alarm-clock dream. It's the trying to negotiate with myself that I'll fit in a workout later...sounds good in my half-asleep mind, but it never actually happens. So here's my new commitment:

I will wake up at 5 am at least 3 days a week to work out. I'll allow myself the other two days to negotiate a later time. I'll be more productive as a result. I'll be a better mom! I'll blog more! I can take a power nap later! So, along with Mama Sweat, here's my new mantra:

The benefits I'll gain from working out early are much more important than the bit of sleep I'll lose!

Say it with me now.

The benefits I'll gain from working out early are much more important than the bit of sleep I'll lose!

OK, I feel better. The alarm is set. My new schedule starts tomorrow. Who's with me?

My 9 Favorite Gym Personalities

I've talked a lot lately about why I love the gym. One reason I haven't mentioned is purely for the entertainment factor. I love people watching! Most people go to the gym to work out in peace, to lose the muffin top, or to burn enough calories to make up for the over-indulgent weekend. They show up, they quietly do their thing, and they leave feeling good about what they've accomplished. Occasionally, however, you'll see someone who catches your attention in a big way. For some, these annoying personalities ruin the gym experience. And yes--maybe they do need to learn proper gym etiquette. However, I love seeing those that "stand out" in the gym crowd:

1. The cell phone addict. I occasionally walk into the gym talking on my phone, but the conversation usually lasts no more than a few minutes once inside. Others, however, will show up and gab for 45 minutes straight while walking on the treadmill. If you really want to get in a good workout, you probably shouldn't be able to carry on a long conversation! But thanks for sharing the juicy details of your life with the rest of us gym-goers.
2. The Sweat-er. OK...I guess I sort of fit into this category, because I. sweat. a. lot. I try to be conscious, however, of the sweat I leave behind. There's nothing worse than going to sit on a machine that displays a perfect wet outline of Mr. Sweat. Ewwwww.
3. The Beauty Queen. Back in my Personal Training days, I had an adorable old lady named Christine who never showed up without lipstick, earrings, and an overwhelming aroma of hairspray and perfume. I'm not sure who she was trying to impress, but I loved her dearly. I felt bad working her hard, however, because I didn't want to mess up her hair! These days, I see girls showing up with long, flowy hair (that they never put in a pony tail), with their full makeup on (that they never work quite hard enough to sweat off), their cleavage spilling out of their tops, and their bum cheeks hanging out the back. Really, girls? Are you trying to make those of us who roll out of bed and head to the gym with bed hair and no makeup look bad? Well it's working. But we're the ones laughing!
4. The Farter. Do I need to explain? These ones are always lurking somewhere in my early morning spin class. Small, crowded, sweaty damp room. I'm not laughing...I'm choking.
5. The Grunter. We see your muscles, guys. Do we really need to hear them, too? Actually, this one makes me laugh more than any other. Keep on grunting. You're helping strengthen my core with laughter.
6. The Social Butterfly. For some, the gym really is just a social outlet. Avoid eye contact at all cost unless you want to spend 20 minutes gabbing instead of working out! They have nice jaw muscles, though.
7. The Front Row Performer. In group fit classes, these girls are the ones who stand closest to the instructor, but practically make up their own routine. The instructor marches, and they jump. The instructor does 10 squats, and they do 20. Over-achieving-attention-seeking-non-conformists. I love these girls. I'm just not brave enough to join them. I'm a conformer, yes I am.
8. The impatient guy. Stop asking me if I'm done with the machine. I'll get off when I'm done! Unless you're secretly hitting on me...I'm married...he liked it so he put a ring on it! (Not that I've ever been hit on at the gym--refer to #3--I'm no beauty-gym-queen.)
9. The Nudist. OK, I don't love this one. I usually avoid the locker room in case the beauty queen decides to take a shower and forgets to put her clothes back on. I don't want to see it, thanks! I got enough of that in Finland (the land of the nekkid saunas!)

So what category do you fit in? Farters, 'fess up! OK, don't. But thanks for making me laugh like an immature 10-year old! Who wants to join me in my people-watching--entertainment and a work out. Who could ask for more?

How 24-Hour Fitness Changed My Life

There are few investments I've made in my life that have reaped greater benefits than joining a gym. I had just returned home after living abroad (in cold, dark Finland) for 18 months. I was 30 lbs. heavier than when I left. (Side note: If you're ever in Finland, they have the BEST pastries! Don't leave without eating some pulla!) One day soon after returning home, some guy friends invited me and a girlfriend to the beach. I was mortified as I watched my friend take off her clothes to reveal a cute, slender, tan, perfect beach body. I've never wanted to be the girl who refuses to wear a swimsuit, so I removed my clothes to reveal a chubby and white-from-literally-not-seeing-the-sun-for-a-year-and-a-half- body. I wanted to hide. I wanted to be ANYWHERE but at the beach, wearing ANYTHING but the full-coverage, black one piece swimsuit that didn't hide enough.

Don't get me wrong. I don't believe that a perfect body is the only key to happiness. But I was depressed. I had just returned home from a mission I'd waited to serve my entire life. I'd had my life planned up until that moment. I wasn't sure what the future held for me at that point. I had a college degree to complete, and a Mr. Right to meet. But at that beach moment, I was miserable...and feeling fat and ugly didn't help.

A few mornings later, I woke up and made a decision. I was joining a gym. I didn't care how much it cost, I was going to join. Yes, I was the perfect walk-in-potential-member. I walked into 24 Hour Fitness (with my little brother who I coerced into joining with me), and started looking at my options. When the guy-hoping-for-the-sale told me about the "lifetime membership," I was sold. I knew that fitness had to be a way of life. I wasn't going to be in this for the short haul. I wasn't going to lose the 30 lbs. and quit. I was going to start doing something that I would continue forever. So I paid nearly $1,000 that day for a 3-year membership, and 5 sessions of Personal Training. (I now only pay $20/year to renew! Plus I get FREE babysitting! WOOOO!)

The Best Decisions I've Made On This Lifetime Fitness Journey

1. For me, joining a gym that day was the FIRST best decision I made in the beginning of my on-going fitness journey.
2. The second best decision was signing up for those 5 Personal Training sessions. Before working with a trainer, I really only did cardio. Working out meant running. Period. (OK, and Tae Bo with Billy Blanks). After my first few sessions with a trainer, I was sold on the benefits of resistance training. I was sore in places I didn't know existed on my body! I loved it! I loved knowing that I was making changes on my body that couldn't be made any other way. I fell so in love with resistance training, that I went on to become a certified personal trainer.
3. The third best decision I made on my fitness journey was stepping foot into a group fitness class. I used to watch from the outside and feel totally intimidated by the barbells, steps, and free weights. I vividly remember my first experience in a 24 S.E.T. class (strength endurance training). I looked to see how much weight the other ladies had on their bars. Being the overly-competitive girl that I am, I foolishly matched the ones with the most. I barely made it through class, and couldn't walk normally for days. I'm sure the instructor cringed as she watched my form...I had no idea how hard the class would be. But now, the classes are honestly what keep me going to the gym. They're on my schedule, and I plan many of my days around these workouts. I workout longer, and harder than I probably would on my own. I've made friends in the classes. I heart group fitness!
4. The fourth best decision I ever made was signing up for a race. Mind you, signing up for a full 26.2 mile marathon as the first organized race probably wasn't the smartest thing. A 5- or even a 10-K would have been better. But regardless of how long the race, I had a goal to work towards. I couldn't NOT run knowing that I would probably keel over and die on the race course if I didn't train. Running soon became an addiction with which I have an ongoing love affair.
5. The fifth best decision I made was asking for a heart rate monitor for Christmas two years ago. (Thanks, mom and dad!) I now strap a Personal Trainer to my chest, and wear it on my wrist for every workout...from running to Yoga. Love it.
6. The sixth best decision was starting a fitness blog with my sister. (Hi, Kimberly! You alive?) I love that fitness is always on my mind! I love that I get to learn as I research. And I love that I get to gleam insights from all of you lovely readers.

I hope to make new life-changing decisions in this on-going fitness journey. The most important thing for me is knowing that I'm doing something that I feel I can sustain for...well...forever. I don't workout for hours a day. That's not a pace I can maintain. But I can chug along, go to the gym, and not be completely mortified at the thought of wearing a swimsuit on my Cruise! Yes, I still have some post-baby-body issues, but I'm a happier, healthier, more confident me.

What decisions have you made in your fitness journey?

5 unconventional fitness tips

Thanks to Evelyn for directing my attention to a few crazy, somewhat unconventional fitness tips. Here are a few:

1. Don't exercise with your BFF. I actually agree with this one. If a friend gets you to the gym, that's great. But don't sit and chat! You will work out at a much lower intensity. A great solution? Group fitness. You're there together, but you're doing the work out at your own level of intensity!
2. Wear RED! I've never heard this one. Supposedly the colors red and orange cause certain light waves to enter the eye. They convert to electrical impulses in the brain, which increase body temperature temperature, energy levels, and appetite (does that mean that red makes you hungrier, too? There's a new diet for you...the NO RED diet...except when working out!) So you'll be able to work out longer (and harder) if you wear red! Anyone want to test the theory?
3. Drink pickle and pineapple juices to help with recovery! It makes sense, but gross! Pickle juice? I guess the salt and vinegar in pickle juice help muscles recover from sodium loss and decrease cramping. Isn't that what gatorade is for? Pineapple juice (which I'm much more willing to try) can also reduce post-workout inflammation. Enzymes found in pineapple juice help with lactic acid buildup in the muscles. Interesting.
4. Run barefoot. I'm not going to promote this one. Don't do it. I'm all about GOOD RUNNING SHOES. Shoes can take the broken glass. My feet? Not so much.
5. Shout empowering affirmations while you workout. I would love to walk into a gym to hear the members chanting, "I. AM. STRONG. NOW!" with each repetition. IntenSati is a fitness program which means "moving meditation." The idea is to use the mind, and more importantly, the voice to intensify workouts. While jumping, lunging, whatever, you repeat a single statement such as "I. CAN. DO. THIS." IntenSati creator Patricia Moreno says, "The repetition of a single statement moves you into a state of focused awareness." She claims these motivational chants boost emotional strength, increase self-confidence, and distract participants from feeling fatigued, which increases the effectiveness of their workouts. I like it. Try it!

For the wisdom behind these unconventional ideas, and more, click here.

What do you think? Are you willing to wear red and drink pickle juice to improve your workout? What other strange workout rituals have you heard of (or practice)?

Guest Post: Man enough for Pilates...

Today's guest post is brought to you by our funny, cute little brother, Michael. (I never read his blog without laughing my head off). When we first started FitMePink, he did NOT want to be a regular contributor--I can't imagine why not! Then I asked him a few days ago why he isn't "following" our blog. He said, "Can't people see what you're following? I don't want everyone to see that I follow a fitness blog for women!" He did decide, however, that being a GUEST contributor would be OK. And you'll thank me for convincing him. Please enjoy Michael's description of a guy going TOTALLY out of his work-out comfort zone to enter the scary world of group fitness!

In 2003, Robyn and I joined 24 Hour Fitness together. (Maybe that was when the fitness revolution started in our family.) When I joined, I started out timidly with the cardio machines. After a little while (and with the help/encouragement of my friends), I moved on to the weight room. As a new member, however, there was one place I never saw myself going in the club, and that was in the club’s Group X classroom.

When I thought of Group X, I thought of large groups of women kicking along to a screaming Billy Blanks impersonator. That was not somewhere I wanted to be.

After one year of membership, I left the country for two years to be a missionary. When I came home in 2006, my mom was actively attending an all women’s gym, Robyn had become a personal trainer, and Kimberly was soon to become a Pilates instructor. Not wanting to be left out of the family’s fitness revolution, I saved up and bought what is essentially a lifetime membership to 24 Hour Fitness.

(I paid three years up front. When the three years are up, I only have to pay $30 a year to keep the membership active. I can visit almost any 24 Hour Fitness worldwide. It really is one of the best investments I’ve made. Way better than the iPod I bought the following year then broke the year after that.)

With a new gym membership and a fit-crazed family to keep up with, I started going to the gym on a regular basis. I would usually do some cardio, lift some weights, then go home. It got to be a good routine, but it was just that: routine. I changed it up by using different cardio machines, but after two years, I needed something new.

Kimberly, who had been teaching Pilates classes for some time, had been telling me to give Pilates a try. I was torn. I wanted to try out what my sister was teaching, but I didn’t want to go against my long-standing personal ban from the Group X classroom. (That Billy Blanks impersonator had really done a number on my psyche.)

I talked about it with a friend, and after breaking through my mental block, I worked up the courage to attend a Group X Pilates class. Having grown up with two sisters, I’m usually very comfortable around girls, even large groups of them. That said, I have never felt more out of place then that night when I walked into my first Pilates class and realized I was the only guy. So much was working against me. I was a novice, the only guy, and surrounded by at least 50 expert (in my mind) Pilates enthusiasts. I’m surprised I didn’t run out with my tail between my legs.

Fortunately, as my sister’s and I have been trained, I stuck it out. You know, “fake it ‘til I make it.” In the end, I was glad I stayed. That night, I worked muscle groups I didn’t even know existed. When class was over, I could barely stand up, and bending over to put my shoes back on was completely out of the question. Though I was sore beyond belief, I was sold on Pilates.

Since that fateful night last year, I have gone to Pilates on at least a weekly basis. It’s still not easy, and I still cry with pain, dig my heels into the ground, and scream “no more” 30 minutes into the session. But maybe that’s why I keep going. I have found something that challenges me in ways the treadmill never did, and I like it.

I still do the treadmill, and I still do the weights, but Pilates was the extra spice I needed to make my trips to the gym seem less routine. Since breaking down my no-class barrier, I’ve also become a frequenter of my gym’s spin class. On nights when I’m feeling particularly masochistic, I do the spin/Pilates double hitter. I started calling it Spinlates. (Don’t you dare steal that before I can market it.) It’s two hours of you-know-what, but I never regret sticking it out when it’s all said and done. (Those endorphins keep me sane in the endless Utah winter.)

So if you can learn anything from this long, boring story of one guy’s triumph of mind over body, it would be to try something new. For you, that might mean starting up an exercise routine. If you’re already exercising but feel like your routine is a little too…routine, do something else, something new. Take up weight lifting or rent a Billy Blanks’ work-out from the library. For all you know, it could be just what you need.

There you have it, FitMePeeps. I'm considering a Zumba class...but these hips weren't made for shaking. I think Michael's convinced me. What are you going to try?