2020 Fitness Journey
Hey All! I’ve been thinking a lot lately about my fitness goals and really just health goals in general. I’m not talking about New Years Resolutions here, but instead, a healthier lifestyle. We all have our different reasons for getting into shape. It could be for a special event (wedding, anniversary, vacation, etc), improved self esteem, better sleep, look and feel better, decrease body pains, training for a competition or marathon, working on that summer bod, or to get swol even.
I have decided to share my reason and journey for my 2020 fitness goals here with you! It may sound a little silly to some people but my reason or motivation to get more fit and healthier is to work on my “Pre Baby Body”. We have started discussing the idea of growing our family here in the not so distant future. So I have decided I want to be in the best shape I have ever been prior to having our babies! Like I said earlier it can be ANY reason, it doesn’t have to make sense to anyone else as long as it is motivation for you, that’s really all that matters. I believe I will not only look great, but I will feel AMAZNG! I will have more energy, be in the habit of making better choices, and possibly even have a better chance of getting pregnant when we decide to start actually trying to make a baby, instead of just practicing, LOL. I am not only doing this for myself but for my future little ones as well. If I am at my highest level of health when I begin the pregnancy it will only have a more positive effect on my baby throughout the pregnancy. This will help allow them to be born as healthy as possible.
So now that I have explained my “why”, I will share a little insight as to HOW I am going to accomplish this higher level of health and fitness. Being healthy or fit is not just working out, although that is part of it. Really it is a whole lifestyle that you choose every day. I’m not saying that someone has to make a huge change, but I believe its more in the little every day choices that makes the most difference. Diet, workouts, activity, and improved sleep are the main ways in which I plan to do this.
~Diet~
Over the last 4 years (basically since I met Tyler) I have been making small changes to my diet. My diet now vs. then is night and day, however, I did this over a long period of time. For example I now eat plain Greek yogurt vs. the high sugar yogurt I used to eat, I eat less processed foods, check labels for high fructose corn syrup, incorporate more fresh fruits and vegetables, and focus on getting enough “good” fats and carbs. I literally used to have some coffee with my creamer and now I drink my coffee black, unless I decide to “treat myself”.
I keep track of my macros and calories using the My Fitness Pal App. It takes a little time and effort but in my opinion it’s totally worth it! Most items with a bar code scan into the app, or we can usually find something similar to use. I save our recipes to the app, and there are a lot of restaurants that have their menu available in the app.
I honestly used to believe that if I got non-fat milk in my coffee instead of whole milk, that alone would help me lose weight, and that I was making a healthy choice. I know, pretty naive, but I really had no idea. Did you know that a 16 oz starbs peppermint mocha has 8 pumps of syrup in it? You guys, EIGHT!!! I mean, no wonder there was always a ton of syrup at the bottom of my cup when I would finish one! Anyway enough about how I used to be, lets talk about where I am at now and the choices I plan to make in the future.
Since I began working 12 hour shifts I realized I needed to make an effort to begin meal prepping. I do a simple meal prep at this point but I plan to up my meal prepping game, and will be sharing the process through my blog posts. We try not to eat out too often and we avoid fast food entirely! For us a “fast food” option is something like Chipotle, Starbucks Protein Box or sometimes a breakfast sandwich, a salad from MOD Pizza, or an Emerald City Smoothie.
I was raised in a household where my Mom made a lot of comfort food type meals, don’t get me wrong I LOVE those meals and still use a lot of her recipes to this day. However, I have learned some ways to substitute some healthier ingredients, include more veggies, and make better choices the rest of the day when I’m going to make one of those meals that is more of a splurge. I had no idea a salad could be a complete meal until I was well into my twenties! Literally just thought it was a side!
I understand it can be difficult and time consuming to cook the majority of your food yourself and meal prepping can take a bit of time. That is why I will be sharing some quick and easy options and promise to keep my meal prep as simple as possible! This is going to be a learning process for me as well, so I can guarantee there will be some hits and misses along the way. I will be posting recipes, healthy options when eating out, meal prep ideas, and substitutes that are small changes that in the long run will make a big difference in your overall health and fitness. I will do another blog post entirely on what we usually have on hand in the fridge or pantry. The photo collages above are some of our favorite meals and I will be sharing them, but if one looks so good you want it sooner than that feel free to comment and ask me for the recipe! Oh and don’t forget MORE WATER!!!
Also Vitamins, I really need to work on taking my vitamins/supplements EVERY day. I am really good about it on my workdays because it is just a part of my routine on the way to work, but on my days off I have a bad habit of forgetting. I will also be working on meal prep for the days that I am off work as well, at times I have a hard time reaching my calorie goals. This is because at work I have designated breaks and times to eat and my meal prep is done. On my days off I get busy or distracted and don’t realize I haven’t hardly eaten until later in the day.
*Goals: 1) Less Processed Foods 2) More Fruits and Veggies 3) Better Meal Prep, work days and days off 4)Take Vitamins, not only on work days 5) Drink MORE WATER! 6) Decrease alcohol consumption
~Workouts/Exercise~
*Yes, I have a habit of sticking my tongue out when I lift, LOL! And shout out to Tyler for designing our home gym and painting the wall! LOVE our gym/“get swol room”
I have to be completely honest with you guys about my workouts. In the past I haven’t usually pushed myself as much as I could. I thought that as long as I was in the gym doing something, I would see results. Since my early twenties I have enjoyed lifting weights, however, I had gotten into the habit of only doing the lifts and movements that I enjoyed. I LOVE pretty much any lift that focuses on my biceps or triceps. I would avoid the “big” muscle lifts that are actually what is going to give you the best results. I would focus on my upper body lifts and usually do some band exercises or non weighted lower body lifts. I tried to stay away from squats, bench press, lunges, deadlifts, and overhead press wouldn’t even cross my mind.
Tyler writes pretty much ALL of my workouts now. He likes to switch up the routine every few months. We are currently starting each workout with a warm up of band exercises and light stretches. Then we will do a couple strength lifts, focusing on the larger muscle groups. Remember the ones I said I used to avoid??? Yep those make up the majority of the strength exercises we do (squats, dead lifts, bench press, overhead press, lunges, and pull ups). Then we do what we consider to be a Metcon or a cardio portion, smaller muscle group lifts at a lighter weight and increased reps and increased heart rate. At this time Tyler is training for the Fire Fighter Stair Climb in Seattle in March so his workouts involve a bit more cardio than mine. We are also focusing on my form and doing the lifts and exercises correctly. As much as it might drive me crazy in the moment, I am SOOOOOO thankful for his help in this area.
I have now been doing this style of workouts for almost a month. I am definitely seeing results already! In the way I feel, look, and even on the scale. I normally try not to get on the scale very often because I don’t believe that is a true sign of progress. In general when I lose weight it is because I have been slacking in my workouts and not lifting much. However, lately I have been feeling leaner and I think that’s why my weight is down a bit and I expect it to go back up as I put on more muscle. I have also tried intermittent fasting as a way to help get my body looking the way I want it to. I did the 16/8 fasting routine prior to our last trip to Hawaii and was really happy with the results. It is not something that I want to do all the time, but will occasionally do it just to give my digestive system a break. I may do it again about a month before our upcoming vacations, I’ll keep you posted. I will be posting our workouts here on the blog and on Instagram.
The last thing I want to cover in my workout goals is the importance of stretching, foam rolling, using the lacrosse ball, and using the Theragun. All of these help in recovery after working out or exercising and injury prevention prior to working out. I try to stretch and use the lacrosse ball before I leave for work, when time allows, sometimes time flies at 4:45am! Tyler got us a Theragun back in November, I was a little hesitant because it was a bit expensive. But to be completely honest, it was worth every dang penny! We use it before, during, and after workouts! Tyler is using it in the photo above during one of our workouts. This percussive therapy device penetrates the deep tissue. Here is a list of the benefits it provides: helps increase mobility and range of motion, decrease soreness, assists with injury prevention, break up scar tissue, increase circulation, and reduce inflammation. We have both had back injuries in the past and still have some aches and pains related to that, we use the Theragun daily and it has made a HUGE difference! I’ll link it here: Theragun
“Focus on your fitness and your body will follow” — Tyler
*Workout Goals: 1) Work on Strength and working bigger muscles 2) Warm up before every workout 3) Get stronger, lift more weight 4) Use Theragun and stretch more post-workout
~Activity~
As a nurse in the Operating Room I have a very active job. I can easily get in 12,000 to 16,000 steps in a day at work. Not only do I get in a lot of steps, but my job in itself is physically demanding. Lifting and moving equipment and instrument sets, transferring patients, and pushing beds are just a few of my daily tasks. I work three days a week, so its on my days off that I need to make an effort to be more active.
Even though I work out on my days off, I sometimes have a hard time getting in enough steps throughout the day. I am going to start either jumping on the treadmill for a 10 to 20 minute walk first thing in the morning or go for a run around the block. In the nice summer months its easier to get outside and be active but I am going to start making more of an effort on cold or rainy days. Taking Harley on walks is one of the best ways I can stay active and not only does it get me more active, it keeps her active and healthy as well! Also I am going to start more projects around the house that will keep me moving.
We enjoy a lot of physical activities. Hiking, riding mountain bikes, snow boarding, paddle boarding, and frisbee golf are just a few of our favorite activities. Sometimes it is easy to get busy and before you know it the day has flown by. This year I want to make plans in advance to do some of these activities to get out and about more and just having fun, which is also great for our health! So get out there and do something you love that gets you moving!
Activity Goals: 1) More active on my days off 2) Increase steps 3) Plan more activities to get out and get moving (Mountain Bike Rides, Hikes, Paddle Board, etc.) 4) Take Harley for more walks 5) First thing before coffee walk for 10-20 minutes on treadmill or take Harley for an early morning walk on non work days.
~Better Sleep~
I LOVE to sleep!!! Lets just get that straight. However, there is a big difference between enjoying sleep and getting enough “good” sleep. I am definitely guilty of thinking I can function on 6 hours of sleep, or even less. Which I can do, but I never realized the long term negative effects it could have on my body and health. Tyler recently read the book Why We Sleep, he learned so much about sleep and how important it is for us to get better sleep. Better sleep will improve my energy, help me look and feel better, increase healing from my workouts, reduce inflammation, reduce stress levels, assist in cancer prevention, and can even help with weight loss.
It is very important to have a nightly routine that helps prepare your body for sleep. Currently we almost always have a sleepy or bedtime tea before we go to bed. Some of our favorites are the Yogi Tea Bedtime and Soothing Caramel as well as the Celestial Tea Honey Vanilla Chamomile. Shutting off electronics and screen time about an hour prior to bed is definitely something I need to work on that would be a healthy routine to get into. We both wear blue light blocking glasses before bed, which helps our eyes prepare, especially if you are watching TV or on your phone before bed. We take the True Nutrition Sleep Aid supplement prior to bed on “school nights”, that’s what we call the nights before we go to work. Also we like to diffuse or use topical essential oils that help aid in improved sleep.
Sleep Goals: 1) Get a minimum of 8 hours/night 2) Read Why We Sleep 3) Decrease TV/Screen time before bed 4) In bed by 8 on “school nights” and 9:30 other nights
*Here are a few links for products in the photos or that I mentioned in this post:
[Rogue Fitness Bella Bar-Pink]
[Rogue Fitness Hard Work Pays Off Bar-Red]
[PR Lifting Bumper Plates, Slam Balls, Workout Bands, and Kettle Bells]
[Blue Light Blocking Glasses Women]
[Blue Light Blocking Glasses Men]
Please Comment Below and share your fitness goals or tips and tricks with me! Or feel free to reach out and ask me any questions that you may have! xoxo