Setting Intention
I wanted to talk a little about my plan for getting refocused on my health and fitness journey in this blog post. For years and years I have battled inconsistency in the my healthy eating habits and my workout routines! I often make excuses for why I can’t get something done or why I can’t stay on track, and to be honest, I am getting tired of it. There is always a “delicious meal” in the way of my success or a “lazy rest day” that turns into a “rest year”. By sharing my goals and plans, I hope that I can better be accountable for my actions, as well as, maybe inspire someone else on the way as I have been inspired by others in the past. Today I will chat about my “activity”.
Part 1- Activity
So to start, something I have enjoyed since the first time I ever tried it, is weight lifting. There is a certain boost I get when lifting heavy weights surrounded by others who are focused on the same thing. While we all may have different goals, we are all clearly pushing forward to get better; stronger, faster, happier, more confident, healthier, whatever it may be.
Another favorite of mine for keeping my body moving and healthy is yoga. I truly do enjoy yoga and find it so helpful for my body, mind, and spirit. It is for sure something I want to work back into my daily routine.
While I don’t loveeee all types of cardio, I do know it is important to my heart health. My favorite form of cardio is probably dancing! I love a great Zumba class or even an online dance cardio video to follow along too. If I can’t dance then I will opt for the Stairmaster when at the gym. There is just something I don’t like about treadmills, and for that reason I put them in last place if they place at all.
However, when the weather is nice, I do enjoy taking a power walk around the lake in our neighborhood with my mom. It always is great to get some fresh air and to catch up on conversation. However, I am NOT a runner and runner is rarely if ever involved in an enjoyable workout plan for me. LOL Below is a view from one of our evening walks, what’s not to love about that?
What Weight Lifting Looks Like For Me:
LEG DAY/CORE WORK
At my prime, I want to be doing two leg/core days a week. For that reason, I will split my workouts usually based on “front and back” in regard to my legs. For now I will list everything I enjoy doing for legs/core. Please do keep in mind, I’m not doing these ALL in one day and I also am not doing them necessarily in this written order.
- Squats (Back, Front)
- Deadlifts (Romanian, Sumo, Conventional)
- Leg Press
- Calf Raises
- Lunges (Stationary, Walking, Side)
- Leg Curls (Hamstring Focus)
- Leg Extension (Quad Focus)
- Outer and Inner Thigh Machine
- Box Jumps
- Box Step-Ups
- Planks
- V-Sits
- Twists
- Crunches
- Oblique Dips to One Side
Back/Biceps
I also hope to do two Back/Bicep days a week, however those will look the same for me. Depending on what is available I will rotate around with the workouts listed below:
- Barbell Rows
- One Arm Dumbell Rows
- Lat Pull Downs
- Seated Cable Row
- Standing Cable Face Pull
- Standing Cable Pull Downs
- Dumbell Back Flys
- Dumbell Bicep Curls
- Small Barbell Bicep Curls
- Cable Bicep Curls
CHEST/SHOULDERS/TRICEPS
Usually I hit Chest/Shoulders/Triceps once a week, just based on my focus in the past. However, sometimes I will throw in some shoulder work on my second back day if I am feeling like I need a little extra.
- Bench Press with Barbell
- Incline Chest Flys
- Dumbell Chest Press
- Cable Flys
- Small Barbell Chest Press Standing
- Small Barbell Shoulder Press Standing
- One Arm Dumbell Shoulder Press
- Lateral Raises
- Front Raises
- Dumbell Tricep Kickbacks
- Skull Crushers
- Tricep Pushdown Cable Machine
- One Arm Tricep Kickbacks Cable Machine
My Favorite Yoga YouTube Channel:
When I am unable to attend an actual yoga class or don’t want to come up with a flow on my own, I love to follow along with Yoga with Adriene on YouTube. She also sends out free monthly calendars that you can follow along with daily. She shares what video is connected to that day on her YouTube channel. If you really enjoy her channel you can always check out her paid offerings too!
My Favorite Dance Cardio YouTube Channel:
If I am unable to attend a Zumba dance class at the gym, then I often turn to YouTube for my dance cardio fix. I sometimes skip around between whatever style of dance I am interested in, but I have found myself coming back to The Fitness Marshall’s Channel. He has many of the top hits and latest music on his channel with dance workouts to go with them. He also adds comic relief while you are working out which I always love a good laugh to keep me in high spirits while I’m doing cardio.
