Fall is usually a time when I tend to let myself go a bit and indulge in sweets and holiday food. Plus, with the cooler weather, I’m always covered up so I’m not as concerned about staying in shape. I know – it’s a terrible way of thinking about it, but it’s the truth. Am I the only one?? Well, today is the start of my Fall Fitness 30-Day Challenge and I am motivating myself AND YOU to do it with me!
I am committing myself to working out AT LEAST 100 minutes a week (which is roughly 20 minutes 5 days a week). It’s time to whip these legs and butt back into shape! Are you with me?!!
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You know I am a BIG fan of HIIT/Tabata style workouts – strength training and incorporating short intervals of cardio moves to keep my heart rate up. It burns a TON of calories during and after your workout and leans you out much faster than going slow and steady.
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For Week One, I will most likely do a 20-minute tabata or HIIT workout in the AM and take Marli out for a 15-20 minute walk/run in the PM now that it’s not as hot in the evenings. I’ll post progress pics each week as well as what kinds of exercises I am doing so you can follow along and try them yourself 🙂 My legs/lower body are the most stubborn when it comes to toning up/leaning out so I will definitely be incorporating some kind of lower body movement into the mix with each exercise I perform.
And, most importantly, eating healthy and eating often is key! I have totally failed in this department. With my busy schedule, I found myself eating only 2 real meals + 1 snack throughout the day. No bueno! Remember to fuel your body every 2-3 hours with healthy food to burn fat.
- First, write down your goal! Is it to lose 5 lbs? Is it to lose body fat? Whatever it is, set small goals to reach your BIG goal.
- Grab a partner to workout with you. Having a workout buddy is great motivation and holds you accountable. Also, friendly competition never hurts 🙂
- Log your progress! Keep track of your exercises and how many reps, sets, and how much weight you’e lifting.
- Increase the intensity each week by at least 10%. You should be getting stronger each week so do more reps and/or increase the weight. Challenge yourself and feel the burn!
- Change it up. If you feel like you’re “mastering” an exercise, it’s time to change it up. Keep your muscles guessing.
- Give yourself a break. Take breaks when needed and use those recovery days! Resting is important for your muscles to recover and build. If you want, go for a walk on your rest days.
- Take pics of your progress. You’ll be amazed at the little changes you see.
- Forgive yourself. If you miss a day or indulge a little more than you should have, it’s ok! Each day is a new start so don’t beat yourself up for it.
- Never give up. Duh. 🙂
So, here we go ladies! Let’s bring sexy back for Fall :) I completed My 20-Minute Go-To Tabata Workout this morning with some slight modifications (detailed below). It was brutal! I am so out of shape :/
Kettle Bell Swings (with a 15lb weight)
Squat Thrusters (I performed a standing squat holding my kettle bell close to my chest – no over the head action this week)
Squat Jumps OR Alternating Lunge Jumps* (I completed squat jumps)
Walking Lunge w/ Bicep Curl (I only did walking lunges with 2-5lb dumbbells – no bicep curl this week)
Mountain Climbers
Great post, I really want to improve my fitness 🙂 I love your blog and I have followed you with Bloglovin. If you ever get a chance to check out my blog I would be delighted, thanks!
Camille xo
http://www.cococami.blogspot.co.uk
Thanks for visiting Camille!
WOW you are getting buff!! And so true, like anything in life the only way to get things done is to actually do them.
Allie of ALLIE NYC
allienyc.com
So true. Excuses are so easy to make…and it was time to stop making them 🙂 happy wkd friend!
Get it girl! Thanks for the motivation. I need to get back into shape.
Great tips! I am going to sign up for a fun run to get me going. Love your blog!