Get Moving!

Waking up at the crack of dawn to make it to the gym has never been my thing. When I made a 4-month attempt at an evening run in my neighborhood, I found my knees didn’t agree. Swimming was great exercise, one I have always enjoyed, but unfortunately it came with a bit more hair maintenance than I was willing or wanted to commit to. My sweet spot is a combination of #yoga, #pilates and free-weight lifting with bike-riding sprinkled in for variety.

My health journey started at the age of 10, at which time I started doing yoga. It has been a great way for me to relieve stress, maintain good circulation and digestion, strengthen my core, and support toned muscles. I firmly believe it is a contributing factor in why I have so much energy with those that are close with me.

I personally enjoy working out in the comfort of my own home. I still listen to the same Contemporary Jazz CD by the group, “Four Play”, that I’ve listened to for years. While I love and can appreciate all types of music, that nostalgic feeling every time I press play on the CD helps me to get excited about my workout.

I later added free weights and Pilates to my exercise regimen, and to this day, I do the exact same routine. While I choose to work out three days a week, ever so often I take a much needed workout hiatus to rest my body. Eating a balanced diet and drinking mostly water and cranberry juice rounds out my health regimen but, I’m not so stringent with myself that I don’t allow myself to enjoy a slice of pizza (or two), tacos, lemon pepper wings with crinkle fries and any other of my favorite rich foods, on occasion. 

So many times, we find ourselves creating unrealistic expectations about what we can and cannot do. We become almost robotic in our quest at living a healthy life and lifestyle.  What works for me, may not work for you, and that’s okay. Finding exercises that work for you, adopting healthy food choices that you can stick to and, if necessary, establishing an accountability partner helps to encourage you on your journey. 

I believe that not only is exercise and healthy food choices beneficial to the body through improved brain function, #productivity and #creativity, but, also supports mental alertness. True enough, this isn’t always and easy journey and some weeks are more of challenge then others. But, I’ve found that if I press through, those temporary negative and doubtful feelings will subside. 

Always remember that you got this! I promise, your body will “Thank you!”