fitness tips |

cardio

Yup, the dreaded cardio session. I guess I’m just a weirdo and actually enjoy cardio days. It gives me a chance to catch up on my podcasts or listen to music and just escape from the world for 30 minutes.

But during the winter, it is REALLY hard to get a cardio session in. Especially if you workout at home and don’t have a treadmill or elliptical to use, like myself. I live in a small duplex, and we just don’t have room for one, but it’s at the top of the list for when we buy a house in the next year or two. Most of my cardio sessions consist of me going for a run or walk around my neighborhood or park, but when the temperature hit -4 today, that obviously wasn’t going to happen! So I decided to create my own cardio workout that you can do in your living room! Just turn on your favorite music or Netflix show, set your timer for 30 minutes (15-20 if you’re a beginner), and follow my guide below!

indoor cardio workout

The guide is pretty straight forward, just start with the first workout and work your way down, complete each set, then repeat the whole thing again until the 30 minute timer goes off. I usually complete this workout about 2-3 times a week.

I’m sure most of you are thinking “why doesn’t she just get a gym membership?”. I used to have one, in fact I used to work at a gym when I first started college. Once I quit my job at the gym, I kept my membership but found myself never going to the gym. I was always coming up with an excuse to never go, and I was basically wasting $20 a month. We also only have one good gym where I live, and It’s small and always packed. So I decided to buy all the equipment I would need (dumbbells, kettle bell, cables that attach to the door frame, resistance bands, etc. I’ll share this in a blog post soon!) and just workout at home, that way I don’t have an excuse to not workout. I feel like this for sure helped me with my weightloss goals.

What type of cardio is your favorite? Let me know in the comments!

Thanks for reading, and don’t forget to subscribe!

Valerie

25 Weight Loss Tips

As most of you know, I have been going through a weightloss journey since January. So far I am down around 48 pounds! I have about 20 more to lose (or maybe a bit less). Keep in mind I’m repurposing these photos! I took them back in July, and have lost quite a bit since then!

Before I decided to finally take charge of my health, I had no self confidence whatsoever. I would always wear baggy clothes to cover myself up, and would eat junk food because that’s what would make me happy. I had an unhealthy relationship with food. One day I went into Target and tried on dresses for an event I had coming up, and nothing would fit me. I had enough and decided it was time to change. I started after New Years and made it my resolution to finally get my body confidence back up, and I never looked back. My New Years resolution turned into a lifestyle that I don’t plan on giving up. My confidence is coming back, I have more energy, and my time of the month is actually normal again. I made eating healthy and working out a habit, not something I dread every day.

Because I have been doing so well with my weightloss, I wanted to add more fitness posts to the blog and Instagram to motivate you to love your body again. I not only want to lose weight, but I want to be toned and have muscle as well. Which is why I don’t exactly have a goal weight. After the 10 months I have been doing this, I’ve learned quickly what works and doesn’t work, so I’m going to share some tips that will help you with your journey! Please keep in mind that everyone is different and some of these tips might not work for you! This is just what is currently working for me :).

Throw out the scale. It lies. I weigh myself maybe once every two weeks. It’s best to measure yourself, because the scale can reflect everything from not using the restroom, or that time of the month.
Lift weights! No you won’t get bulky, and it will help you lose inches faster!
Keep workout equipment at home. This way you won’t have an excuse to not workout. (I only do workouts at home. Maybe someday I will join a gym again. I’ll share all my at home workout equipment in a future post.)
Don’t beat yourself up after a bad meal. Just move on with your day like it never happened. DO NOT say you will start over tomorrow. Start over right away.
Replace a meal or snack with a protein shake. I do this in the morning and mix it with my coffee to drink on the way to work, since I’m not usually hungry for a few hours after I wake up. (Here’s my recipe: 6 oz unsweetened vanilla almond milk, 1 scoop vanilla protein powder, 8 oz of coffee, or the large cup option on a Keurig. I make my coffee the night before so it’s cold in the morning.)
Don’t deprive yourself. One cookie will not break your weight loss. But having multiple cookies multiple times a week will.
Don’t keep unhealthy foods in the house. If your significant other insists, just have them hide it from you!
Have a fitness planner. That way you can plan out your meals and workouts for the week and keep track of what you are eating.
Join a community. This helped me the most! I’m in one on Facebook, and the support is what kept me going.
Join or start a weightloss challenge online or with friends and coworkers.
Watch a good show or listen to music while working out. I love watching Gossip Girl while I workout, haha!
Set goals for EVERYTHING each week, like working out, drinking water, food, steps, ect.
Reward yourself for hitting your weightloss goals (pounds or inches lost). I like rewarding myself with a new pair of shoes or a mani/pedi! Create a list of rewards to each goal and keep it on your fridge.
Fitbit challenges! I join one every week with my coworkers. I also have a challenge for myself to get 250 steps every hour at work. This makes me get up and move around.
Take supplements like probiotics and vitamins. I’ll share more in a future post about which ones I use and recommend.
If you are having cravings after a meal, brush your teeth! It will help fight those pesky cravings.
If you are starting to get hungry between meals, chew a piece of gum. I always have two packs of gum in my purse at a time! Haha.
Workout 6 days a week. 5 days I lift weights and workout a certain part of my body, then do 30 minutes of cardio. On the 6th day I just do cardio and sometimes abs. I try to make sure and workout my abs 3 days a week and will just add it on to my workout. I’ll share more about my workout schedule in a future post! I’ll also start sharing my workouts for the day on Insta Stories, so make sure to check that daily.
Walk to the farthest bathroom while at work (or do squats if you are at home).
Prep all your food for the week. I usually pick Sunday or Monday. I’ll share more about this in a future post.
Wash your face before and after you workout. I learned this the hard way after breaking out horribly once I started working out hard.
Keep dark chocolate chips (at least 70%) on hand for chocolate cravings. This will help deter you away from a candy bar! Also, a little bit of dark chocolate a day is apparently good for your heart.
Have cute workout clothes! It will help motivate you to workout. I’ll share some of my favorite places to find cute gear in a future post!
Get plenty of sleep! I’m sure you have heard this multiple times, but it’s true.
Follow fitness accounts on social media to keep you motivated.

I have so many more weight loss/fitness posts planned out for you that I can’t wait to share! If you have anything you would like to see, let me know! I’m always looking for ideas.

Do you have any tips for fitness/weightloss? Let me know in the comments! Thanks for reading!

Valerie