June Fitness Update

I debated on whether or not I wanted to post a fitness update this month (it's been a little while), but I decided that being honest is going to be the best way to keep me accountable.  

I started off my summer vacation (late May) doing really well with regular workouts.  The first 3 weeks or so of summer were very good for me.  I was either going to the Y, doing "30 Day Shred," walking outside, or some combination of those every day.  The weather was still pretty mild out, so I took advantage of that and did a lot of outdoor walking / running.

And then I went on vacation...

Now, while I was on vacation I did a fair amount of walking and hiking, so the vacation itself wasn't necessarily the problem.  The problem was that I got out of those good routines.  As soon as I got back (last week) I started into 2 straight weeks of professional development classes and working on weekends.  

Total admission:  I haven't worked out since the day before I left on my vacation.  That would have been June 10th.  

(I'm embarrassed just saying that.)  

While I have been busy the last few weeks, I've also been just plain lazy.  There's no good excuse...  I mean, if nothing else, I have workout DVDs I can do at home in 20 minutes or so.  I just haven't done it.

I love working out, but when I get on these lazy kicks it's hard for me not to slack off.  The hardest part for me is getting started or just getting to the gym.  I love it and feel great once I'm going, but it's getting there that's 90% of my battle.  

July is going to be a busy month for me with 2 straight weeks of all day classes...  It's a perfect time to start throwing out excuses, but I'm determined not to do that.  

So, my goal for July?  Complete at least 50 miles through walking outside, at the gym, or on the elliptical.  Easy right?!?  It actually should be considering a typical trip to the gym consists of at least 5 miles.  I'm going to keep track of my workout mileage on my iPod and hopefully this time next month will have some good news and success to share with you!  

Third Quarter Fitness Update

The third quarter of the school year ended about 3 weeks ago, but I'm just now getting around to doing an update on how I did fitness wise...

In all honesty, there's not much to update on.  My school did a pedometer competition with the teachers, so we kinda stopped with the mileage club during that time and haven't resumed it since.  I did pretty well with the whole pedometer thing in January and then it all just kinda fell apart in February.

I spent a good chunk of February into March fighting the never ending cold from hell.  I think the worst part about being sick was that I was never just full-blown sick, but just had a super annoying lingering cold. Between conferences, getting sick, going on vacation, and then getting even more sick I pretty much didn't workout for about 4 weeks!  Agh!  Add in eating junk for all of the reasons previously stated and it's pretty safe to say that I've not done well diet and exercise wise lately.

My goal over the past few weeks has been to get back into good habits.  I've been trying to get back to the gym 3 or 4 days a week and having some extra days off lately has really helped jump start that.  As we approach the warm weather months I want to get some strength training back into my workout routine (I'm totally a cardio girl who love that elliptical) and get back to going to Zumba as one of my workouts each week.

Here are my goals for now through the end of the school year:

• Workout at least 3 or 4 days a week.  Now that after school tutoring has ended and it's lighter outside later, I don't feel like I'll have very many excuses not to get in at least 30 minutes or so.  
• Start tracking again on The Daily Plate.  This site / app is what I use when I want to get back on track.  It does all of the calculating for me, which is super nice.  Usually using this for a few weeks is enough to jump start me back into making healthier choices again.
• Continue to work on cutting back on my pop drinking.  I think I've gone over a month without having any 12 packs in my house!  I'm not saying I haven't had any to drink in that long, but not buying it definitely keeps me from drinking as much.  I've been totally addicted to the sparkling flavored waters from Target because they totally satisfy my craving for something carbonated and flavored.  I know the aspartame is still something I should work on cutting back on, but this is a start!  

How have you been doing with diet and exercise?

What are your fitness goals as we near summer?

Fit Bloggers ~ January

I've posted a few of my fitness updates over the past several months and I had a reader suggest I start a link-up for readers to share their fitness progress.  I figured what better a time than the beginning of the year to do so!?!  

As I've shared before, the teachers at our school have started a mileage club and have been tracking our miles over the 9 week quarters.  It's been a fun way to add in a little accountability with my workouts.  (My third graders keep me encouraged since I add my miles to the poster everyday when I drop them off at specials!)

At the end of each month, I plan on hosting a linky party for you all to share your fitness progress for the month.  I don't want to make this necessarily about weight loss, but rather just what we're doing to stay fit and healthy!

So, here the the questions for the linky...

1. What were your fitness goals for this month?
2. How did you do meeting these fitness goals?
3. Share your best fitness moment or achievement.
4. What are you fitness goals for next month?

I'm planning on posting the linky in the last few days of the month, so be looking for it sometime at the end of January!

Second Quarter Fitness Update!

As I told you back in this post, our staff has been tracking our workout mileage this year.  It's been a very fun and motivating way to keep going to the gym.  My class definitely keeps me accountable!

I won for the most miles for the first nine weeks, but alas, I lost for the second nine weeks.  I blame this partially on the fact that I was sick with allergies a lot more and that I've been working part-time on top of teaching.  Despite that, though, I beat my previous 78 miles with a whopping 95 miles this quarter!  

Get this, the top three teachers were all within 5 miles of one another.  The top teacher (one of the other third grade teachers) had 100 miles, second place had 98 miles, and I had 95.  How's that for a tight race?!?

I've kind of slacked on my workouts over the past month or so and hope to get back on that bandwagon over Christmas break.  I'd like to reclaim my first place title for the third quarter.  My goal for this time was 100+ miles, which I was a bit short of.  (I totally blame the two weeks I spend sick...  One of those weeks I did no miles at all.)  I'm setting my new goal once again at 100 miles, but hope to exceed that.  When I'm on my A-game with my workouts, I do somewhere around 15 to 20 miles per week.  

Does anyone else have a fitness program like this going on at their school?  Our kids have been doing this for years, but we just now started tracking teacher mileage this year.  

How's your diet and exercise routine been during the past few months?  Have you kept it up or are waiting for the new year to get back into good habits?

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finishline.com

On one last note...  I'm in a pretty big need for new workout shoes.  It's been over a year and a half since I've bought new ones.  Athletic shoes are pretty much the only kind of shoes I'm willing to drop big(ish) bucks on.  What do you think of these from Finish Line?  I like my current Nike Free pair and think these colors are really cool!

I'm a Winner! (Diet & Exercise Update)

I posted about my school year diet and exercise tips a few months ago when school first started.  (If you missed it, check it out here.)  I feel a lot better when I'm not eating crap and I'm working out on a regular basis.  I'll admit, it's pretty hard after working a long day at school, but I feel so much better when I make fitness a priority.  I have a lot more energy for the school day and tend to sleep better at night.  

Our students walk two laps (1/2 mile) each day during their noon fitness (lunch recess) time.  The kids keep track of their mileage on a walking card and earn charms for every 10 miles they walk.  It's pretty awesome to see how motivated they are to increase their mileage and compete between grade levels and classes.  

The teachers did a mileage club as well and we tracked our own workout miles for the first 9 weeks.  I'm excited to announce...

I WAS THE WINNER FOR THE FIRST 9 WEEKS!!!

Yup, I walked / worked out the most miles of any staff member for the first 9 weeks of school!  I really didn't increase my current workouts by a whole lot, but it was a fun way to keep me motivated.  My class kept me accountable and would encourage me to be sure to go workout after school!  

My total mileage for the first 9 weeks of school was 83 miles!  

I'm shooting for 100+ miles for the second 9 weeks, so we'll see how that goes.  It gets a little harder when it gets dark earlier and the cold weather hits, but I hope that I stay motivated toward this goal.  I try to fit in 5-7 miles on the treadmill or elliptical each workout (about an hour to an hour and a half) and I try to make it to the gym at least 3 or 4 days during the week.  I'm also trying to get back into going to Zumba on Monday evenings.  I've noticed my clothes are fitting a bit more loosely and I've dropped about 5 pounds.  I'm not necessarily trying to lose weight, but that is an added bonus!  

How are you doing staying fit this school year?  

Do you have any tips on staying in a good diet and workout routine as we near the winter months?

Getting Warm Weather Pretty: Beauty and Fitness

Last month when my mom and I went on out little shopping road trip I tried on a super cute little dress at the J.Crew Factory store...  I love little knit dresses like that for spring and summer, but this one was less than spectacular on me.  It was most definitely a sign that my body was not ready for the warm weather months!

I'm by no means perfect in the areas of fitness or beauty, but I do think I have enough to share some of my own tips, tricks, hints, and products that help me get ready for showing off a bit more in the warm weather months.  I think it's sometimes hard to start New Year's resolutions for heath and fitness during the coldest months of the year...  I seem to get a lot more motivated when things start to warm up!

Below I've shared some of my own fitness and beauty routines and tips...  I've linked to a lot of the products  that I use in case you're interested.

I also highly recommend The Daily Plate on livestrong.com.  It's a super easy to use website to track workout and foods.  The website has a really good free version and there's also an app on iTunes that's a couple bucks.  (I haven't checked for Droid since I already bought it for my iPod.)  I don't use it all the time, but it's great to get me back on track and use for a few weeks at a time.

Fitness:

• I try to workout at the gym 4 or 5 days a week.  I honestly enjoy working out for enjoyment and not just for fitness.  My usual routine consists of 30+ minutes on the elliptical and then another 30 walking on an incline on the treadmill or on the bike.  I also add on some time on the weight machines to tone up this time of year.  I'll do arms and abs one day, legs the next day, or something like that.
• I did 30 Day Shred last summer off and on and actually saw pretty decent results.  I wasn't super super consistent (for various reasons), but I could tell after just a few workouts my clothes were fitting differently.  I like this one because it's only about 25 minutes, but it's a really good total body workout.  I'm planning on adding this back into my routine soon and doing it at least 2 or 3 days a week on top of my workouts at the gym.
• When it's nice outside, I love walking outside.  There are several websites where you can put in your path and track the distance that you walk / or run.  I have a nature center near my house and I also enjoy going walking there.  (I don't like going there alone, but it's always fun to drag a friend or my little brother along!)

Skincare:

• My skin is combination and tends to go from really dry to really oily as soon as the seasons change.  My current skin care products are Clinique's Acne Solutions 3-Step system, Clinque's Exfoliating Scrub, Clinique's Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel, and most recently, Benefit's POREfessional which I bought in this awesome set at Sephora (only $2 more for the set!).  I know I could spent a lot more money on face products, but I've found that Clinique's stuff is a pretty good value for the money.  I used to use Neutrogena and Aveeno a lot, but I found that even thought Clinique costs a bit more (not much acutally) it lasts a lot longer.  I recently stocked up during the bonus event at Dillards and get the rest of my purchases at Sephora where I can earn points. 
• It's no secret that I'm obsessed with Bath & Body Works.  I keep that store in business.  Two body items I always keep on hand are their body lotions / creams and shower gels.  I use their shower gels to shave because they foam up really nicely, one bottle lasts a ton longer than shave gel, and it provides a little moisture to my legs (which tend to get pretty dry year round).  I follow that up with their scented lotion or body cream (I like both) to stay hydrated. I'm a big fan of the True Blue Spa collection there as well as their Signature collection.
• I'm not one to go spend money to get a mani or pedi, so I like to buy items for home to pamper myself.  Once again, B&BW's True Blue Spa collection is my favorite and they really do last a very long time.  I usually pick up these items during the semi-annual sales and January and June.  My top items for my at home mani / pedi are the 60-Second Manicure Hand Scrub, Super Rich Foot Cream,  and the Cracked Heel Treatment.
• Like I just said, I don't pay to get my nails done (the only times I've gone if I'm in a wedding or I have a gift certificate from someone)...  I have a HUGE nail polish collection (I really do need to weed it out)!  I've found myself buying a lot of "nicer" brands (nicer for me) in the past year or so.  My current favorite brands are Essie, OPI, Sephora by OPI, Nicole by OPI, and Sinful Colors.  All of those brands, except the Sephora one, are available at Target.  I've been letting Pinterest get the best of me (check out my Stuff That Makes You Pretty board), but now that I'm doing Birchbox I'm going to see how much nail polish I get from that.  
• Okay, I'm that crazy girl who's mixed (black and white) and I still like having a tan.  Honestly, I'm not all that naturally tan, but I do feel like I look better with a little color.  I try to get my tan in healthy ways (I'm not perfect, though) and especially this time of year I like to use a gradual tanner to help give me a kick start.  Right now I'm trying out Jergens Natural Glow Foaming Moisturizer (in fair to medium) and have liked it quite a bit so far.  I've used their lotion version for several years and although it's gotten better it still has that self-tan smell to it.  The foaming version still has a little scent, but it fades super fast and I was able to cover it up with body spray before I went out.  I have a feeling I may end up sticking with the foam because of the scent and the fact that it dries really fast.

Makeup

• I won't go into a ton about my makeup routine, which you can read in-depth in this post from last November.  (I mean, why retype what I've already said before?!?)
• I tend to go a little lighter on my makeup during the spring and summer months and sometimes rock a more natural look.  Part of this is because I don't want tons of makeup melting off me on hot summer days and the other part is I just simply like a fresher, simpler look during the warm weather months.  Right now I find myself reaching for light, neutral, glowing eye-shadows and lots of lip colors in the pink family.
• An easy way to add some color and glow is with a good bronzer.  I've pretty much only used Physician's Formula and haven't felt the need to try another brand.  If you aren't sure about bronzer, go with a lighter toned one so you don't go overboard.  I use a big, fluffy brush to dust it on after my blush.  I feel like it adds a little glow without being too over the top.  (I don't want to look like Snooki or the girls from Jerseylicious!)

Do you have any tips to share on getting ready for warm weather?  

How do you balance your fitness and beauty routine with your job?