Fitness Friday: Back At It!

It’s been a hot minute since my last fitness Friday post. The last quarter of 2017 was all about holiday foods, eating my feelings and living that sloth life. But 2018 has happened and I’m back to it!

My Approach to Food

Almost two years ago I realized how freeing it was not to count calories. Instead of counting calories on an app (cue me turning obsessive-compulsive and under-eating during the day and binge eating at night), I learned how to eat the right food and in what portions thanks to a nutrition program FLEXcity Fitness hosted (please bring it back!) It really lit a fire under my ass and I wrote this post detailing my initial journey and had a couple follow up posts. I dropped nine pounds in that first month all by just eating better and drinking more water.

I’m a lot less obsessive and feel more in control now. A typical day of food for me includes breakfast right away! I eat a perfect bar usually every morning, lots of protein and they don’t taste like shit! For lunch, I’ve been grabbing soup or I meal prep and bring in my lunch usually lemon chicken and broccoli pasta. For a snack, it’s either a couple string cheeses, popcorn (and I try to plan some sort of healthy fats snack with it like cashews or just eating peanut butter out of the jar) or another perfect bar. For dinner, if I meal prep, then it’s the same thing I had for lunch. And then I always snack on cereal and/or chips later on. I drink caffeine in the form of Red Bull and coffee every day and not quite drinking enough water at the moment, but I find a cute water bottle and carbonated water makes it more exciting and enticing to drink. It’s definitely not the best diet/lifestyle, but it’s what I’m able to do right now.

I’d like to incorporate more fruits and veggies and do a better job with meal planning. I also eat donuts and ice cream still, but trying to eat them in moderation!

A New Routine

I joined a gym outside of my FLEXcity Fitness membership which gives me a lot more flexibility with my schedule. When I first joined Conquest in March 2017, I only went Saturdays and Sundays, but now I go to this gym typically four to five times a week and do cardio/strength training group classes at FLEX one to two days a week.

Now that I’ve learned what I’m doing at the gym in the last year, I enjoy weightlifting on my own and gathering inspiration for workouts from Instagram and Pinterest. I’ve also incorporated another element of exercise: private or semi-private strength training sessions called FLEXtrain at FLEXcity Fitness. I appreciate the one-on-one attention to make sure I have the best form and I always feel the sorest after one of these sessions! It also changes things up for me and gives me ideas on new exercises to incorporate on my own at the gym. I think people think they need a ton of cardio to get a great work out in and this 30-minute session, especially when we do legs, leaves me catching my breath and so sweaty.

Align pants by Lululemon | crop top from TJ Maxx | bomber jacket c/o Urban Outfitters | Quay sunglasses from Retail Therapy