I’ve decided to spice up this blog with some additional tidbits from other areas of health and fitness. As part of this endeavor, I’m going to periodically provide reviews about the clothes I wear while making my videos and exercising in general. I think it’s really important that people feel like they look good while they are at the gym. I’m not talking about full on make up or looking like a rockstar, but just wearing flattering clothes that make you feel good.

I realize this may not be important to everyone, but I do think there is really something to be said for it. Exercise is tied to self-esteem. So is the way you dress. When you go to the gym in ill-fit pants and a baggy t-shirt, you can’t see the physical transformation you are making. You might think “man, my butt looks terrible,” when in reality if you were just wearing something more flattering, your butt could make everyones heads turn (seriously).

I don’t want anyone to think that I am suggesting that you have to change the way you dress or that you have to avoid baggy gym clothes. You absolutely don’t. You know what you are comfortable in, and that’s fine. But perhaps you can dig a bit deeper- think into your own thoughts. How do you feel you look when you’re at the gym?

So my first review is for the Lululemon Groove pant. I know many are probably thinking “gasp! Lululemon is SO expensive! why spend that money on gym clothes?”

Here’s the way I think about it. I’ve had one pair of Groove pants for 3 years. I wear these several times a week almost and they’ve seen many wash cycles. Yet, here they are, 3 years later, still in good condition. Most other workout pants probably would’ve died a long time ago. I also recently bought another pair (color scheme pictured). With Lululemon clothes, you won’t get crotch holes or sweat stains because the material is so durable.

My review is posted on the Lululemon site here (scroll down below the product). In short, these are my favorite workout pants ever. I absolutely love the fit (these come up a little higher, but not too high, so they hold in the love handles) and actually make you look (and feel) thinner. They are also reversible and have several different color schemes/pattern choices for the top. Like I said, despite being pricey, I think they are worth it if you are an avid exerciser.

Warning: once you try these on, you will not want to buy other workout pants. I truly swear by these.

Last week at some unthinkable hour of the morning, I got out of bed to do these three videos.

My favorite thing about cardio punch is that you use your upper body strength while also getting a cardiovascular benefit- it kills two birds with one stone :) I’m also obsessed with abs challenge level 3. I think I should have made it level 4 because it’s so difficult. All you need is some type of long elastic tube or flat rubbery sheet- I think you can find cheaper versions of resistance bands if you find something that isn’t actually the nice tubing with handles (mine at home does not have handles).

As a side note, school is getting busier every day. I’m in a new program that uses problem based learning to seek out information students deem important. I am in a small group with 9 students, we’re given a “case study” and we pick our learning issues to 1) learn enough about the case to move forward  and eventually help our imaginary patient and 2) to learn for the sake of learning. While I am loving this program so far, it has felt like even more work relative to what I had during lectures the first 2 months. Despite only 6 hours of class per week, there are constantly pages and pages of books to read and outline.

Why is this all relevant, exactly? Because its really been difficult for me to exercise. And this is something that has never been difficult. Basically, I’m struggling with it. Sometimes when I wake up at 5am, I don’t even have time to exercise because there is so much work on my plate. Not to mention the importance of making time for my wonderful boyfriend, family, and friends (and sleep?).

There is one thing I do know; on days that I skip a workout, I have lower self esteem, feel less confident, and feel more exhausted. There is definitely a direct correlation between exercise and feeling positive for me. So I have to make it work! Furthermore, I think it’s a bit hypocritical when doctors tell their patients to exercise when they themselves do not.

We have busy lives. Things get in the way. But we can all make time for exercise, even if that means sacrificing 30 minutes of doing something else. The benefits will always outweigh the costs.

What do you think? Do you ever find it hard to fit in your workouts? How do you prioritize time to exercise?

I was embarrassed when I looked at my last post and realized it was nine days ago! I wondered for a second how I’d managed this when I technically have more time now than I have had since starting school in August.

And then I remembered: it was my hundredth post! I wanted to post something snazzy, enlightening, funny, worthwhile…something unique and something I hadn’t really done yet on this site. I’m pretty sure it was my inability to sit down and really think up a good idea that prevented me from posting. And nine days later, here I am.

Though this idea isn’t particularly original, I thought it fitting that I post some fitness related tidbits. Coming up with 100 on my own is somewhat daunting- and I’m not convinced the entire list would be read. So I’m sticking to 50 since it’s half of 100 and at the end of the day we’re all young at heart.

It’s also well timed to be making lists around New Years. The beginning of a new year seems to beg for lists: resolutions, promises, changes, new outlooks. So here I go!

GETTING FIT

1.) Do things you enjoy to stay active.

2.) Skip machines at the gym; your own body weight and dumb bells are ten times better.

3.) Set a goal, preferably something other than weight loss. Weight tends to come off when it’s not your primary focus.

4.) Try something new. On my list? TRX

5.) Drink more water. It really makes a difference!

6.) Workout with friends- the time will fly by.

7.) Turn errands into exercise: walk further, clean the house, cook, play with your kids. It all counts!

8.) Find some good music to motivate you.

9.) Add variety to your workouts.

10.) Warm up, cool down, and stretch. These under rated things are essential for injury prevention.

FUN FITNESS FACTS

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11.) You would need to drink a quart of milk every day for three to four months to drink as much blood as your heart pumps in one hour.

12.) In one day, about 4000 children and teenagers take up smoking.

13.) Underwater swimming is the only time you should hold your breath while exercising.

14.) Your tongue is the only muscle in your body that is attached at only one end.

15.) If all 600 muscles in your body pulled in one direction, you could lift 25 tons.

16.) If the 300,000,000 tiny air sacs (alveoli) in your lungs could be laid out flat, they would cover a home swimming pool.

17.) If you weight 100 pounds on earth, you will weigh about 264 pounds on Jupiter.

18.)  There are 206 bones in the human body.  One fourth of them are in your feet.

19.) The human body has 45 miles of nerves.

20.) A person breathes 7 quarts of air every minute.

COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS

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21.) Exercise is about burning calories. Far more important: exercise is about improving strength, endurance, and immune function.

22.) Weight lifting is the most effective activity for fat loss. While weight lifting does have it’s own benefits, fat loss is not number one. More closely related to fat loss is a healthy diet and cardiovascular activity.

23.) Running a mile and walking a mile burn the same number of calories. You’d have to walk further and longer to reach the same number as running one mile.

24.) Exercising causes you to eat more. Research seems to suggest this is a myth and that exercise actually encourages people to eat healthier.

25.) Running wears out your knees. It may lead to shin splints, but has no added significant problems on knees.

26.) There is one “best” workout. Inevitably, your body adjusts and you’ll need to find something new.

27.) You need at least an hour to have an effective workout. Wrong: you only need 10 minutes! I talked more extensively about this here.

28.) You need a gym in order to exercise. I haven’t had a gym membership since May. Between home workouts and sports, there are plenty of other ways to stay physically active.

29.) Exercising gives you an excuse to eat unhealthy. It won’t cancel out the negative health consequences of bad food.

30.) Sleep doesn’t matter when setting fitness goals. Quite the opposite: it is critical to your ability to achieve them.

SELF ESTEEM

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31.) Wear flattering clothes when you exercise. It makes a difference!

32.) Stay positive when doing something challenging. It can take a while to work up to big successes

33.) Surround yourself with supportive friends and family

34.) Listen to yourself. You know what works and what doesn’t. Make changes and lean on others to help you.

35.) Get prepared. It’s hard to be confident in yourself if you don’t think you’ll do well at something. Keep trying!

36.) Change something small. Set a reasonable small goal. Wake up 10 minutes earlier. Set 10 minutes aside for yourself. Just start small.

37.) Empower yourself with knowledge. Read about the things that interest you so you can make informed decisions about your own health and wellness.

38.) Eat better. This will do wonders for self esteem.

39.) Look in a full size mirror and pick five things that you are looking at that make you feel good. Enlist a loved one to help. Focus on these things and stay positive!

40.) Did I mention dress well? Whether you are in or out of the gym? Oh yes, this is probably the thing that is most key.

DIET

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41.) Eat more fruits and vegetables. This will keep you full on healthy snacks.

42.) Stop counting calories. Pay more attention to the total nutritional content of what you are eating.

43.) Substitute a cottage cheese and milk blended mixture for heavy cream.

44.) Choose one unhealthy eating habit to cut out; eg- no food after 8pm, no more mindless snacking

45.) Don’t go extreme. It sets you up for failure

46.) Eat what you love… in moderation.

47.) Sleep more. I said this earlier, but this seriously helps curb cravings.

48.) Think more about what you can add to your diet and less about what you can take away.

49.) Use non-food alternatives to cope with stress.

50.) Having trouble? Try working with a nutritionist; they are trained to help you with your unique dietary needs.

Many of these I came up with on my own. Some tidbits came from other sources, so I included links to those where appropriate. What are some of your fitness tidbits?

Happy New Year!!!

Finding the time and motivation to exercise while traveling can be tough. It’s easy to get swept away by the romanticism of fresh baked goods around every corner and the temptation to take a bus or boat as a means of making sight seeing easier. But being active is important, and doesn’t have to be incompatible with vacation!

Here are some ways that I’ve been incorporating exercise into my travel plans. Hopefully this will help you come up with some creative ideas!

1.) Use your surroundings

This might sound obvious, but I think many times we tend to excuse ourselves from these basic ideas when we’re on vacation. If you’re staying in a place with stairs, use them! If there is a park near by, go there! Instead of cabbing or taking public transit, try walking part of the way. Forcing yourself to do even a little still goes a long way.

Brugge is just so magical!

2.) Walk, Walk, Walk!

I can’t even describe how much I’ve been walking on this trip. I’m almost at the point where my feet hurt too much to keep going! (I’m not encouraging that by the way).  But truthfully walking gives you the best of both worlds; you get to see a lot of a new city while incorporating exercise. If you break up your walk throughout the day then it becomes manageable and before you know it you might’ve walked 5 miles!

Walking with 35 pound bags is no joke!

3.) Active Sight Seeing

There are many vacation destinations that provide active ways to sight see. Besides walking, you can rent paddle boats or kayaks in places near water, or you can bike. When I was in Amsterdam everyone biked. My friends and I biked everywhere and back again for a full two days and we had so much fun while we were there!

On a very silly green bike

4.) Motivate your travel companions

Exercising with other people can be really helpful. By motivating and pushing each other to try new adventures and take risks while traveling you can encourage exercise. If others you travel with can get excited about active vacation time, it makes it much easier on you to follow through.

Exhausted but still going strong!

5.) Drop and give me 10!

As a last resort this is a good policy to live by. It would take you less than a minute to squeeze 10 push ups in before a shower or right when you wake up. If you’re really motivated, you can do even more! Although it doesn’t seem like much, if you did them everyday for a week it would total 70 pushups- and that’s no joke! If you took even 5 minutes to do some crunches, push ups, planks, or other strength activities, it would still count as exercise.

And there you have it! My suggestions for marrying exercise with vacation. Everyone deserves a break sometimes, but these are some good ways to stay active and not have it detract from your time away from normal daily life.

Do you have any tips for ways to exercise while traveling?