Sassy Girl Fitness: Happiness

Sassy Girl Fitness: Happiness: Why are we as a culture obsessed with creating the appearance of happiness so as to give others the impression that we are living goo...

Happiness

Why are we as a culture obsessed with creating the appearance of happiness so as to give others the impression that we are living good and full lives, regardless of whether we are actually living the way we really want to? I find it to be annoying. The media has taught us that you don't get what you don't focus on, and happiness is obviously worth focusing on.  As are other things, like your life mission, not dying early, falling in love, your family, staying healthy, doing something big, finding meaning, enjoying life, spending time with friends, loving your job, etc.

My advice: Stop looking at what other people are doing and judging them if they're not affecting you or your loved ones directly. I’m sure you can create a list of nasty busy-bodies in your life who are judgemental. Hint to those that feel the need to stick their nose in someone else’s business: You won’t be taken to the town square and hung for minding your own business. Mainly because there aren’t hangings anymore and no town has a square where the people gather together to watch a murder. I digress.

Many people chase happiness and the appearance of it, and die regretting that they weren't true to themselves.

When it comes down to it, People are social animals. So people succumb to what they think they want, influenced by incessant ads for new cars, keeping up with the Jones' mentality (or wanting to one-up them), etc. Here’s the lesson: If you don't benefit from it, don't do it. Instead, figure out what you really want and go get it.

Sassy Girl Fitness: Amazing ABs

Sassy Girl Fitness: Amazing ABs: There is nothing sassier than a firm and tight belly. It can be frustrating to achieve because so many of us go about it...

Sassy Girl Fitness: Holiday Gift For You

Sassy Girl Fitness: Holiday Gift For You: “6am yoga? Why on earth would anyone want to do that? I don't care what time the class is, I don't exercise." Why is exer...

Holiday Gift For You

“6am yoga? Why on earth would anyone want to do that? I don't care what time the class is, I don't exercise." Why is exercise considered a chore when it should be an opportunity to clear the mind and promote physical well being?

I think one of the reasons people avoid exercise is because they view it  that there's an endgame. "It's just for a few months and after that I will stop." A mistake, instead try thinking empowerment. I love my job and I get to celebrate the body by inspiring others to embrace a healthy lifestyle. But I too, have to remind myself/schedule myself to workout. During tough times remember this: Exercise can make a good mood great, a bad mood more bearable, and hard times a force for real change. So during this busy holiday season, give yourself the gift of scheduling your workouts. Your body, mind and spirit will thank you!

Yoo Fitness Challenge

Yoo fitness game. You are probably wondering what it is. First off, YOO is a fitness device but it is different than the others on the market today. It is more of an “awareness device” that will help transform you in to who you want to be.

Simply put, YOO is a daily fitness game that will challenge you to change from the “old yoo” to the “new (improved!) yoo”.

The goal of YOO is to not just make you more fit, but to provide you with an entirely new way of thinking about yourself and your daily routine. The trick here is that you set your profile up as the “old YOO”. Once you do so, you have created a “picture” of your current lifestyle, activity level and daily routine. Then, you enter what you want to be; The way you see yourself in your mind’s eye. All those promises you have made to yourself about getting more exercise, making smarter choices, letting your body get more sleep each night are programmed in to the “new YOO” profile.

Once both profiles are set, you simply need to wear your YOO device (all day, every day!). The “new YOO” will earn points for every step you take towards accomplishing the goals you have set for yourself. The great thing about this gaming platform (and what it makes it unique) is that the “old YOO” is awarded points for every step you fall short of your goal by the end of the day. So every day that you don’t do something that the “old YOO” would have done, you are rewarded. On that same note, every time you achieve a goal set for the “new YOO”, you are once again rewarded!

You can sync your YOO device to the YOO app to track your activity throughout the day. There are also many YOO challenges available for you to take. Browse through and find one you like, set your daily goal – and that is when the fun games begin!

The key here is to keep building your lead to earn bonus points for the next challenge. It is a fun way to challenge yourself because you are the one setting the goals you want to achieve. And, ultimately, you are in competition with your “old self”. It is rewarding to see a new, more positive person emerge when you set new goals for yourself and work to achieve them. YOO gives you a fun visual for the person you are now and the person you want to become. It also makes the changes you incorporate in to your daily life a fun-filled game and, honestly – who couldn’t use a little more fun in their lives?

What YOO has done is taken the same abilities as an activity tracker and just added a fun, game-like challenge to it. Instead of simply seeing your daily steps walked or number of calories burned in a day like other fitness trackers provide, you are now able to challenge yourself and see the points add up as you make better choices throughout the day. You will be surprised to find that you re-think poor choices in light of the fact that you will lose points for following through on them. Knowing that you will earn points for getting up off the sofa to grab a bottle of water (rather than asking your husband to do it for you!) will become motivation to make yourself move.

It truly is a “fun” way to get more active!

I recommend checking out their social media pages and keeping tabs on them. You can "like" them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Google +

Rock Bottom Workout Routine

I’ve been thinking about the expression “rock bottom.” I had an interesting turn of events in my life the past few days and I got to thinking, what does this expression mean and how can I take the tools I already have and make my life better?

To hit rock bottom means to get to the end, the bottom of the barrel, the worst place, the floor, the basement. Well, I’ve accomplished that. Ok, so now what? How do I get out? I go to where I always go for comfort, the gym. I am good at that, I like it, I feel good about me, I get a break from the constant thoughts in my head.  

Here is the workout I did today. Give it a try. It's all bodyweight exercises.

10x Pushups

20x knee to elbow

12x tricep dips

15x extended crunches

10x right side plank with a reach thru

10x left side plank with a reach thru

12x shoulder pushups

20x bicycle crunches

repeat 2 times. It takes about 20 minutes. 

Workout and Playlist

Today, my husband is ill. Why am I telling you this? Well, because we were supposed to go to the gym together. Of course, I don’t NEED him to workout with me but I do enjoy it. So while he is playing video games and sniffling on the couch I decided to put my workout playlist together for my sweat session. I decided that today would be HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) and that it would be about 35 minutes. I got to tell you the workout I did today was AWESOME and the music pushed me to work harder. It was so good that I had to share it with you.

This is what I did:

1. Jump Squats (this can be done without the jump for a low impact variation) (Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Do a regular squat, then engage your core and jump up explosively. This doesn’t have to be a high jump.  When you land, lower your body back into the squat position to complete one rep.)
2. Forearm Plank (can be done on knees for a modified version)
3. Kettlebell Swings
4. Upright Row with Calf Raise

5. ½ Burpee (Start with feet hip width apart. Plant your hands on the ground and shoot your legs out to form a plank. Bring your legs back in, plant both feet on the ground and return to your feet to hip width apart. Repeat!)

I did 30 sec of each exercise with 5 sec rest in between each exercise to transition to the next move for 30 minutes. The final 5 minutes are devoted to letting my heart rate come down and doing some stretches. The result? A totally tired, sweaty and stinky woman!

What was AWESOME and helped push me on was my music. Here’s the playlist I created on Spotify:

Fall 2014

WIN Detergent Is A Winner!

It is certainly no secret that working out is part of my everyday life. There are so many positives that come along when you make the commitment to stay fit: increased energy, reduced feelings of depression and anxiety, a healthier mind and body. There are, unfortunately, some negatives that come with daily workouts as well. One of those is an endless stream of laundry (and not the sweetest smelling stuff either!) 

Have you noticed that your favorite workout outfit doesn’t always come out quite as fresh smelling as you’d like?? Maybe you’ve found that the fabric in your workout apparel tends to hold the sweaty smell even after wash it. Before you break you’re the bank and run out to buy all new workout outfits, I’d like you to try and amazing product that I have recently discovered.

It’s called WIN.

There are many different detergents out there that are designed to get stains out of fabrics. But, WIN is a special formula that has been tested to remove the oils and residue that cause odors from today’s synthetic sports apparel. 

I, personally, needed a little education when it came to this product and what I learned surprised me. Cotton naturally repels oil, so it won’t get that sweaty smell that synthetic sports apparel gets. So, that favorite cotton t-shirt you love so much will come out nice and fresh when laundered. Your favorite work-out pants, however, are made with a more complex synthetic that will continually build up oils from the sweat you give off in your work outs. The only way to break the bond between the oil and the fabric is with a specially formulated product like WIN.

Another bonus to using WIN (besides smelling wonderful!) is that the fabric will once again wick moisture away from your body more efficiently – as it was designed to do. So, using this product will benefit during your workout as well as after it.

WIN comes in two different bottles- a blue and a green. The BLUE is the original formula and the GREEN is fragrance and dye free (for those that have extra sensitive skin).

On a side note, WIN can be used for more than just your synthetic workout clothes. Any fabric other than cotton (like fleece and cotton-poly blends), would benefit by washing with WIN. And, I already know that there a ton of hockey moms out there that are going to just LOVE this product once they have washed their kid’s smelly sports gear!

I am so confident you will love this product as much as I do, that I’d like to give away two bottles of WIN (one blue, one green) to one lucky reader! Simply like WIN on Facebook,  or follow WIN on Twitter @windetergent, or follow WIN on Instagram @windetergent for a chance to win.

Check out the product details and get your some for yourself on Amazon  

You will be SO glad you did!

What NOT To Wear When You Workout

It never ceases to amaze me what people decide to wear to the gym. Yes, there is a lot of flexibility with what you can put on your body, but one needs to be aware of what they are wearing. There are some very basic fashion rules when it comes to exercising at the gym that can keep you comfortable and safe. Not to mention avoiding double take looks from other gym goers.

#1. Exercising with No Underwear or No pants

Forgetting to wear underwear under your baggy shorts is a fashion no-no especially if you are in a yoga or stretch class. Other people may get a view of your “junk” and may wish they hadn’t. This goes for your pants. Yes, you want to be comfortable but  this can make for an unpleasant experience for other exercisers around. Just because you forgot your pants doesn’t give you justification for working out in  your undies. Exercising in boxer shorts, bras or anything else that looks like underwear should be avoided and is most likely against your gym’s rules.  If you end up at the gym and realize you’ve forgotten an important piece of clothing, I give you permission to skip your workout that day. Please. It’s really for the best.

#2. Men In Tights

After talking to my girlfriends about fashion disasters they see at the gym, hands down, we all agreed that this one needed to be on my list. Men, listen up, I understand that tights are comfortable and gives you freedom of movement but they tend to show the rest of us things we don’t want to know about.

There are a handful of times you can wear fitted pants and it’s ok:

Bicycle shorts, if you are actually riding a bike

Running tights, if you are running or walking outside in chilly weather

If you are working out indoors and you are male, wear looser-fitting shorts or pants. If you must wear tights, pair them with a pair of loose, lightweight shorts.

#3.  Revealing Clothing

No, you don’t have to cover yourself from top to bottom but there is such a thing as showing off too much skin.  Ummm, I’m talking about the women who wear teeny, weeny sports bras. Everyone is staring, it’s distracting, and might be offensive to some gym members. Plus if you are spending a lot of time tugging at your clothing chances are you are not focused on your workout. If you are proud of your body, you worked hard for it, I approve if you want to show it off in the appropriate way.

I know there are others. What are your favorite fashion “mistakes” you see at the gym? Let me know in the comment section. I’d love to hear about them!