I Am A Fitness Hopper.

I took a fitness break to declutter using the Konmari method and, while it was worth it and a workout in itself (so many squats and lunges involved if you let it), I am not where I was at with my workouts. My ab workout today proved it. I wasn’t able to do the moves as controlled as I could before. I used to beat myself up over that but this time I didn’t! My mindset has completely changed….mostly because I have picked better role models to follow. Their positivity is contagious! Today my thoughts bent more towards, “I will do one more than I think I can and get strong again!” rather than, “Ugh. I let myself go. Why do I even try?” See how different that is! The funny thing is, as soon as I thought my version of, “I can do this”, I immediately thought, “Wow how my thinking has changed!!”

Another thing that helped is I got weather appropriate workout clothes. Yes, I work out in my basement, but it still sucks to walk the kids to school, come into the house still cold and put on shorts and a tank top. Last night, when I went to the mall to buy toques from Ardenes for the kids, I happened to see some  cute (and on sale!) workout clothes there. Buy one and get one for $1! So I grabbed new long pants and a t-shirt and actually looked forward to working out this morning. I don’t have enough money to splurge but I’m perfectly happy with my cheapie versions. If I was training for something, I might consider splurging for something more expensive. Any suggestions if that should happen? There is a lot of buzz around Fabletics…is the hype warranted?

I’ve been all over the place with my workouts. I started with the BBG workout by Kayla Itsines and still dip into that occasionally. Since, I’ve downloaded the Zombies Run app for the fifth time…. and maybe I will finish the story this time! I’ve also been doing the Insanity Beachbody workout and the Bad Witch Workout. The Bad Witch Workout is the newest addition and I like that it is 20 minutes to do so I can use it along with other workouts. I’m almost finished the six weeks of Insanity- it took 14 weeks when I count the many breaks I took!- so after I finish that one I will do the Zombies Run running app along with the Bad Witch Workouts by Gala Darling and Garnett Strother.

As you can see, I am a ‘fitness hopper’- I hop to the next one quickly to avoid being bored and it keeps me going, which is important.

Okay, for this chilly Wednesday (at least here in Alberta), I thought I would showcase my newest role models with the healthiest approach to fitness I’ve come across yet.

1. Gala Darling.(www.galadarling.com) I came across her blog awhile ago…I want to say a couple years ago?? I really liked her attitudes towards life and how she stays super true to who she is, no matter what stage she is in, and is super loyal to her friends. I take breaks from her blog but I always go back. So when she launched the Bad Witch Workout with her boyfriend, Garnett Strother (a personal trainer), I knew it would be an encouraging and fun experience. I was right.
   

   Garnett Strother coaching Gala Darling

    

2. Naomi Teeter.(http://www.theinspiredtransformation.com/) I found her articles on MindBodyGreen and fell in love with her voice and how she viewed weight loss and fitness. We definitely have similar personality types, which I recognized right away, and she was a quieter introvert type of trainer- so rare in that field- so it gelled with who I relate to, plus how I already felt and thought about fitness. What I lacked she had in professional experience, which helped me recognize where I had been going wrong and brought eloquent (and sometimes funny and sometimes with swearing, haha) words to what I was trying to voice but didn’t know how. On her website, Inspired Transformation, she helps you take the general thoughts you feel swirling around and pinpoint it into a cohesive idea and thought. Also, she is sarcastic and funny. Which is great in our over-eager to please and earnest world.
   

   Naomi doing a before and after.

   She has since teamed up with Eve Parker, who is her personality opposite, to make a new program they titled the Discovery Dyet. It’s great to see these two take their different points of view and make something new. Eve is great and you can find Eve on her website, which just happens to be Inspirational Eve (no, they didn’t plan that!) at: http://www.inspirationaleve.com/.

3. Erica Lugo. (On Instagram as @ericafitlove). I discovered her when she was featured on Women’s Health magazine. I started to follow her on Instagram and was instantly inspired. Plus, she is a busy mom like so many of us, so easy to relate to that side of her life. Erica talks about her love of donuts, abstaining from dipping into her son’s sugary snacks and her business with an upbeat voice that gives you that uplifting sense that, yes, we are all in this together. This is a great and important mindset that I love seeing her encourage. Erica Lugo’s Instagram page is not filled with perfect poses, often there is post-workout hair or a goofy smile in the car with her son smiling behind her, and I appreciate this. If you are feeling unmotivated, or just need a smile, definitely check out her IG feed or look up the many articles on her.
   

   A before and after shot of Erica Lugo.

   So a little female inspiration on this blustery day! Have a good rest of the week.