fitness friday

So, have you heard of GBO Fashion? Cutest blog. This girl is so bubbly and so genius and also a total beaut. Funny thing is, my husband actually introduced me to this blog. Once upon a time he went to church with Shannon, and she's since become one of my favorite fashion blogs to follow. BUT. She's also been doing this killer series she calls FITNESS FRIDAYS. She's a weight lifter extraordinare and I love love love her concept for this series, so I thought I'd join.

You see, what happened was yesterday I joined a gym. Like, I'm an official gym member and stuff. First time ever. And the thing is just that I don't ever really do a lot of working out. I do quite a bit of vinyasa yoga at home and even had a brief relationship with Jilian Michaels workouts on youtube, but it didn't take me very long to realize that working out at home just wasn't going to get me anywhere. I lack a lot of motivation when there's a dog shoving tennis balls in my face while I'm doing downward dog and at least 10 new episodes of my favorite shows in my queue. I needed to get outta the house to actually get something done. So I broke down, found a really awesome, really nice, really affordable gym, and now I'm loving it. (says the girl who knows nothing and is only on day 2).

I really want to make this a thing for me. I want to be that girl that goes to the gym regularly and eats healthy foods and makes it a lifestyle, but... I know nothing! So my plan is to learn what I can along the way, and do some documenting while I'm at it. And become that fitness-lifestyle-girl who everybody loves and wants to be (cough coug shannon cough cough). So for my first Fitness Friday post, here's what I've learned so far:

/ / Soda. I haven't had a diet coke in over 20 days (it is my March goal to not have any soda or basically anything but water for the whole month.) annnnddd I don't really miss it usually (I do have my moments) but I also don't feel like I've noticed a change. A little lame. I was really only ever drinking Diet Coke with the occasional Dr. Pepper, but really nothing has changed. I drink just slightly more water than I used to, so I'm sure that once March is over (just so I can say I finished), I'll be back to my beloved DC, but since I haven't even had any real major cravings for it, I'm sure I'll drink it less often. (apparently, the chemical combinations in diet coke literally kill brain cells, so...)

/ / CardioCinema. The single most effective way ever to get cardio in. Ever. I hate cardio. I hate running. I sort of like the elliptical sometimes and I'm decent on the bike, but when it comes down to it, I still hate cardio. BUT, put me in a dark room with an awesome movie and surround sound, and I'm set. I'll spend an hour in there and feel like I can go longer! It's the best idea. I just like having my mind engaged in something else, so I can focus on that instead of the grueling workout. It's the perfect distraction.

/ / W A T E R . Period. Tons of it. I'm drinking about 96 ounces of water a day (that's 3 standard nalgene's worth. thats how i measure, because i drink out of a 32 ounce nalgene every day). I want to up the intake to 128 ounces a day, which is 1 gallon of water (4 nalgene's worth). That's a lot, but I think I can do it! I drink like a horse at work - the hard part is when I'm at home! But it makes such a difference. I keeps me feeling full, it gives me lots of energy, and I have clearer skin because of it!

/ / Making a plan. What I have realized over the past several months is that when I decided to just work out, at home, on a whim, I did it because I felt guilty, and I didn't give it a lot of effort. Yesterday, I spent all day getting psyched about going to the gym. I had already made the decision in my head that I was going, so when the time came, it only broke my heart a little bit to put cooper back in his pen and hit the gym. I only spent about an hour there doing cardio, but it was time well spent, and time that I had set aside, prior to going, to be at the gym. It was easier. And when I checked in and the employee looked at me and smiled and said, very sincerely, "have a great workout!", I was even more excited. It made me that much more willing to go today, which I wasn't even originally planning on.

G O A L S :

/ / make it to the gym 3-5 times a week. Do a different work out each time (legs, arms/shoulders/back, core - thanks for the idea, Danica!) and try to do cardio on the other days, and yoga at home or other online workouts on days off.

/ / drink 1 gallon of water every day.

/ / make a meal plan and follow it! abs are made in the kitchen - isn't that whay they say? i've been making a very concious effort this month, along with my no-soda goal, and have successfully avoided fast food, most candies and desserts (most... haha) and have made a real effort to eat healthier and it's working! devin and i also take regular "plastic fasts", which is where we don't swipe our cards unless it's for groceries or gas, for however long we set the plastic fast for. that helps a lot, becuase i know i can't spend money to go out to eat (and also keeps my shopping habits under control). i even went to a new restaurant this month and instead of getting some big burger or sandwich, i got salmon. and i was very proud of myself.

anyway. there we go. i'm excited to learn more about what it is that i'm trying to obtain and share what i learn here! if you have tips, good clean eating recipes, killer workout playlists, or anything else (like a gym membership so we can be workout buddies), let me know!