Add These Exercises to Your Routine for Some Extra Fun and Benefits

Hi everyone! I hope you all had a fantastic weeked! I wanted to talk about something that I think we can all relate to. Many of you tell me you really want to lose weight and get in shape…but you’re bored with the same routine and you’re just not having fun.

This is completely understandable and a lot of people feel the same way as you. Not every workout is going to be super exciting. In fact, you may even cut your workouts short or skip them altogether because you just want to go do something fun instead.

For all of you who feel this way, I’m here to help! If you’re lacking entertainment in your workouts and you want to step them up to the next level and benefit from them more, your answers are here. These are a few workouts for you and some different tips on making your workout regimen entertaining!

Zumba

If you don’t know what Zumba is, it’s a video or class based workout that has you following an instructor and dancing to a bunch of really fun songs. The best part about this workout is that you burn calories and tone your body all at the same time without even realizing it’s even a workout!

Yoga

For all of you that don’t like the intensity of exercise, try doing yoga instead! Not only is this a really great way to tone your entire body, but you’ll also feel calm and increase your flexibility. The best part about this is that you’ll go away with a really good workout and you’ll feel really relaxed afterwards.

Ultimate Frisbee

For those of you rolling your eyes or even laughing at this one, just remember that playing this can burn you the same as just running on a treadmill or down the street. You’ll burn tons of calories and tone more than just your legs, too.

Dance Class

If none of you have ever taken a hip-hop dance class but you hate exercising, you may want to reconsider. Even if you’re an awful dancer, going to this dance class can help you burn some serious calories all while you’re dancing and hanging out with friends!

Hiking

If you’re the outdoorsy type, you can be guaranteed that this workout will benefit you more than forcing yourself to do a bunch of boring lifts. Not only will this help your cardio, but adding a weighted backpack with even just a picnic lunch and some water will help add some muscle to your legs and core. AND you get to enjoy an amazing view as your reward.

Tips for Making it Fun

Get a Workout Buddy

This is one of the best ways to make working out fun and give you a reason to get up and go every day. How can your workout be boring when you have your best friend right there with you? You can joke about how much it sucks and push each other to do better. You’ll walk away thinking you’ve just hung out with a friend instead of worked your butt off.

Go Somewhere New

Maybe you don’t hate the exercise part, maybe you just hate where you exercise. If you find that you really hate working out in a gym, then try a different form of exercising and take it to the park or the beach! Changing your surroundings can make a huge difference on how much you have fun during your workout.

Change up Your Routine

If you don’t like working out, maybe you’re just too bored with the same old routine. You should always switch up your workouts so you’re never doing the exact same sequence of exercises in a row. Not only will that keep you entertained, but it’s also more beneficial for your body!

Working out is something that a lot of us have to learn to love. But following these tips and trying these workouts you’ll be able to make exercising much more fun. All you have to do is try different things until you find the one that works best for you. Then you’ll be able to accomplish any goals you have!

This is What You Need if You Want to Stay Motivated

Motivation Monday is here and I think we could all use a little pick me up after the weekend, don’t you think? Mondays are so hard because we just spent the weekend doing whatever we wanted to do and now we have to get back to the daily grind!

It’s really easy to lose your motivation – I know how it feels. One minute you have all the drive in the world and the next it’s like you can’t even remember what you wanted to do in the first place. Or maybe you’re about to do something productive but then suddenly decide that your bed is more important than, well, anything else. Staying motivated is one of the hardest things to do, but if you have this one thing, you’ll learn how to stay motivated.

Weekly Goals

How can you stay motivated to keep going to the gym if you don’t know why you’re doing it? This is a problem that a lot of us face daily. Staying motivated to do anything, really, can be hard if you don’t have one little thing…a goal.

Goals are pretty much the driving force that makes us drag our butts out of bed in the morning, head out into the (sometimes) bitter cold, and face another grueling workout. Why do we do it? Because we have a goal. We want to look a certain way, be a certain weight, or maybe just be a healthier person.

No matter what you’re motivated to do, you’re motivated because of an end goal. Without having a specific goal you will lose your motivation very quickly and you’ll be disappointed in yourself when you realize that you can’t just get up and do it.

Setting Your Goals

The first step to getting motivated is setting up your goal. What is it that you really want to achieve? Do you want to get a bigger butt, lose some weight, sculpt your abs? You have to have an end goal. Got it? Great!! Now take that goal and write it down – ALL OVER!

One thing to remember about setting your goals, though, is that you want to make sure they’re realistic. Start with smaller, more attainable goals, before skipping right to getting a body like Rihanna’s. Set a goal that is realistic FOR YOU.

Sticking to Your Goals

If you have a picture of your goal body, tape it up or save it where you’ll see it every day. Write your goal down on sticky notes and leave them all over your room so you can’t help but be reminded every single day.

These little reminders of your goal will help motivate you in the morning and push you through every single workout you have. When you’re not motivated, it’s usually because you’ve lost sight of your goals. Just remind yourself of what you want to accomplish and you’ll feel that motivation to keep pushing forward like I know you can!

Reaching Your Goals

What happens when you’ve reached your goal body, weight, or health status? Most people might throw up their hands and think, “Well, I’m done,” and lose all motivation to do anything else.

Once you’ve reached your goal (CONGRATULATIONS by the way!!), your next step is to make a new one. Never stop making goals, accomplishing them, and being better than you were yesterday. When you do stop making these goals, you’ll lose your motivation.

Sometimes staying motivated can be the hardest thing we all have to face, but if you have a goal in mind and are reminded of that goal daily, you WILL be motivated and you CAN accomplish them!

Tell me what goals you have and how you’re planning to stay motivated to accomplish them in the comments below!

Here’s Why We Should All Participate in National Relaxation Day

Happy National Relaxation Day loves! AKA, one of the best days of the year! In honor of this amazing day, I wanted to write about how relaxation is SO beneficial for your health and that we should all be taking time to participate in this great holiday.

A lot of people work themselves way too hard and don’t take nearly enough time to just relax, breathe, and have time to themselves. These are all of the reasons why relaxing is something we all have to do in order to be healthy…and keep our sanity! :P

Relaxing = Time to Heal

If you’re someone that values a healthy lifestyle, then you probably get to the gym quite a bit. A lot of you tell me about how much you’re going to the gym but just not seeing much of a change. That could because you’re not taking enough time to relax!

Taking a day to relax is extremely important in your fitness journey because you have to give your body and muscles time to heal. If you never take some time off they’ll just be overworked and you’ll have trouble progressing in the gym. So kick off those gym shoes and kick back in a recliner today to celebrate National Relaxation Day!

Reduces Stress Hormones

Everyone has to deal with stress in their lives. Nobody is immune to the feeling or the hormones that get released when you’re stressed out. You might not think much of these stress hormones until I tell you that they cause you to either gain weight or hold onto weight even when you’re trying to lose it.

So if you seem to be plateauing and can’t shed those last few pounds, maybe what you need is to spend a day relaxing instead of spending your day doing cardio. Get rid of those stress hormones that are stressing you out even more!

Improves Your Mood

Have you ever tried to get motivated to do something when you were in a bad mood? I know that for me, it’s nearly impossible. If you never get time to relax you’ll never be able to let go of that pent up anxiety, stress, and exhaustion that bring your mood down.

If you take some time to relax every once in awhile – especially today – then you’ll improve your mood. When you’re in a good mood, it’s SO much easier to get motivated and get hyped up to work hard and push yourself to accomplish your goals.

There’s a reason today is a national holiday! Take a break from the hustle and bustle of your everyday lives and relax. Your body and mind will thank you for it!