After my week of indulgence following the Chicago Marathon, this past week was all about getting back to my regular fitness schedule. Even though I was only ignoring my typically very health-focused lifestyle for a week, there is always some level of challenge of getting your mind and body back to craving a good sweat session and healthy eats.
You know how they say that laziness begets laziness? Well it’s true. I didn’t workout hard for a week and once my body felt rested, I still didn’t feel like working out. The same thing goes for eating; eat unhealthy and those are the types of ingredients your body will crave. Switch to healthy whole food and your bod will crave those clean eats (if you haven’t experienced this, trust me it’s true).
So whether you’ve strayed from your healthy tendencies for a week like me, are coming back from a vacation of relaxation, or maybe haven’t followed a healthy lifestyle in a while and are ready to get moving, here are a few helpful tips:
1. Properly stock your kitchen. Ditch the crappy snack food and fill your fridge with fruits, veggies and lean meats. If you find yourself craving those unhealthy items, they won’t be within arms reach and you’ll instead train your mind to go for something nutritious.
2. Write down your goals. Keep a running list of what you want to do to be healthier and why.
3. Schedule your workouts. As hard as might be at first, put your workouts on your calendar and stick to them like you would any appointment. You wouldn’t skip a meeting with your boss, you wouldn’t skip a scheduled appointment at the doctors, and just like those, don’t skip your scheduled workouts.
4. And here’s the fun one, get the right gear. Coming home to all your workout necessities is a major motivator. I’m not saying go out and buy a whole new athletic wardrobe (however if you want to, don’t let me stop you!), but if a few updates are in order and it’s going to make you feel better at the gym, I say go for it.
For those not currently in a regular fitness routine, remember that good pair of sneakers is key. Please do not dig out your 5 year old gym shoes shoved in the back of your closet. Buy a good pair that fits you correctly. You should buy new sneakers about ever 6 months and if you neglect this, you can expect foot issues. My current favorites are the Saucony Triump ISO. I wore these for my half ironman and marathon this year and the cushioning and support is perfect.
[brand new babies]
Other musts: a good pair of leggings (lucy Capri), a high-quality jacket for running through cooler temps (New Balance Heat En Route Jacket), fitted tank (lucy Crossback Tank) and a good yoga mat (Manduka PROlite Yoga Mat) and a foam roller (Manduka beLONG foam roller) because when you’re just getting back into the swing of things, you’ll probably need some at-home stretching. All picks are coming your way from Shoebuy.com, a new favorite site of mine that is constantly offering discounts + free shipping and exchanges every day.
Just because you may not currently be in the healthiest routine, that doesn’t mean you can’t turn it around! We always need a little break from routine, and mine was last week. Now it’s back to my regularly scheduled fit programming, is it time for yours?
Images 1&2 via
