Happy Thursday (so, so close to the weekend….)!
Today I want to talk a little bit about working out; something I’m really passionate about, but don’t pursue as a career anymore. I used to be a personal trainer for a few years, but I have a long history in physical activity, including:
Being a competitive dancer from age 10 through age 18
Going to college as a dance major and eventually dropping it down to a dance minor
Really getting into “working out at a gym” during college, where I first found my love for exercising beyond dance
Becoming certified as a personal trainer and nutritionist by AFPA and as a personal trainer and group fitness coordinator by NASM after college
Working at two different fitness chains as a trainer for a total of 2 years
Dabbling in at-home training for a while after quitting the gym
Although dance kept me active for a really long time and has helped me to stay healthy and flexible as an adult, I’m not into it at ALL anymore.
Now I just workout on a regular basis. I’m somewhat into running, mainly because my boyfriend loves it. We run together on a fairly regular basis, and I even ran my first half-marathon in Detroit last October (he ran the full one and is way more hardcore than I am).
I love getting creative with my workouts, and a typical week of workouts usually looks like this for me:
Monday: 30 minutes cardio; 20 minutes upper body
Tuesday: 40 minutes legs/glutes; 10 minutes cardio
Wednesday: 30 minutes cardio; 20 minutes abs
Thursday: 20 minutes cardio; 20 minute HIIT/total body
Friday: 45 minutes cardio or rest
Saturday: 60 minutes full body/cardio/bootcamp mix
Sunday: rest
I do most of my strength training with free weights, bands, stability balls, bosu balls, kettlebells, barbells, and just my body weight. There are a select few machines I actually like, but they’re not my favorite. I feel like it’s really easy to either get hurt on machines or just use them incorrectly and waste your time. Once in a while I will go to Syphus Training which is super fun and a good way to mix it up, but insanely hard. I should do yoga more, but if I’m being totally honest that hardly ever happens. When it’s nice out, I love running/walking/bike riding/hiking/anything outside.
I also discovered the Tone It Up girls about five years ago. They are so, so great for people who are trying to do just that: “tone it up.” They have an app that is super easy to use where you get access to a Daily Workout that makes working out so easy. It’s great for when I don’t feel like thinking about what I need to do that day. I would definitely recommend checking them out if you haven’t already.
Although some days going to the gym is the last thing I want to do, I really always feel better after I go. I spend most of my days in front of a computer and talking to people, and it’s really nice to have that time to myself or to spend with my boyfriend or friends while we actually do something that’s good for us. Plus, then I don’t feel so bad about rewarding myself with a good dinner and some wine later. 😉 Because let’s be real; I definitely workout so I can eat.
What is your favorite type of workout?
Do you know of any other “fitness personalities” out there that I should know about?
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