When I cut out cardio for a couple of months because of my foot injury, I started doing a lot more isolated strength training than usual. I typically incorporate strength moves into HIIT and cardio workouts, but I started relying more on strength training as my main exercise burn. While I love so many types of workouts, I wouldn't say that lifting is high on my list of favorite types of exercise. At first I was whining to myself (and probably a few others) saying, "How many damn bicep curls can I do?" but then I started getting more creative. I used to do a lot more workouts that were more strength-based when I regularly went to a normal gym, so I started getting back to those roots and having more fun with it. One thing I started paying more attention to was working on my ... [Read More]
workouts
My Workouts Lately + Foot Injury Update
Hi there! It's been 6 weeks since I shared with you guys about my foot injury, so today seemed like a good time for an update post + to chat about my workouts lately! I've been kicking my exercise routine up a bit in the last few weeks since taking it easier for a solid two months after getting my foot injury diagnosis. Some recent workout highlights lately include: My first (baby) hike in months! When my cousin was in town last week, we went to my favorite nearby park for an hour-long walk. I've been taking my pup there and just doing the trail around the lake and skipping the little mountainous climb, but this time we went for it. Even though it was just an itty bitty hike, it felt great! I miss hiking so much and it just makes my soul happy. Getting back on the ... [Read More]
The Quickie Do-It-Anywhere Low-Impact Workout
When I travel, I always try to stay active and incorporate movement into my day just like when I'm home. I prefer to exercise outdoors or do something adventurous in the area I'm in. But sometimes, the thing that works out best is just waking up in my hotel room, busting out a quick workout to get my endorphins flowing, and moving on with my day's agenda. This is most definitely the case when I travel for work. Although I've walked a ton on the convention center floor in Las Vegas this week, I've also been fitting in morning exercise a couple of days this week. One morning I even made it to the gym for a strength training session, then taught my co-worker some yoga on the rooftop of our hotel. Another morning I did today's workout: a quickie, 10-exercise circuit that requires no ... [Read More]
How I Recover from Challenging Workouts
Hey friends! How have your workouts been in 2016 so far? I'm proud to say that I've been kicking some serious butt lately! After taking a few weeks off of exercise being sick at the start of the year (I can't remember the last time I took even a week off of workouts before that!), I was so happy to get back into it. Working out truly just makes me feel awesome, balanced, happy and accomplished. (There's a reason this blog is called Foodie Loves Fitness people!) I'm in the midst of week 2 of a 6-week challenge with my HIIT gym, where I've committed to workout there at least 4x a week for the duration of the challenge. So far it's going great, but boy, do those HIIT sessions fatigue my muscles. Since it's the end of January when a lot of people are a good couple of weeks into ... [Read More]
The Work-Off-Those-Holiday-Treats Cardio Workout
'Tis the season to be jolly... and to be faced with many options of sweets and treats to enjoy! I'm all for indulging in moderation, but to avoid weight gain and feeling low-energy during the holidays, I try to offset those extra drinks, desserts, and heavier food than I usually eat by making sure to fit my workouts in. In the spirit of active living throughout the holidays, today I'm sharing a workout that you can do whenever, wherever - no equipment required. I laughed a little when I titled today's workout, because I don't really like when the instructors at this barre studio I take classes at from time to time make comments about 'working off that drink/dessert/bread you had last night.' I workout because it makes me feel strong, healthy, and happy, and that's what I like my ... [Read More]
What Makes You Fit? {Biking in Austria}
"Are you fit?" "Did you say that you workout?" These were the questions our tour guide was shouting to me as I struggled to keep up with him and my husband biking through the hills of Austria. We had booked a bike tour in hopes of seeing more of the beautiful Austria countryside and getting some leisurely exercise in during our vacation there, but I wasn't so prepared to be huffing and puffing with my heart rate at a sky-high level. Our guide was a little man in his 60s, originally from somewhere in Asia, who seemed to be in good shape for his age and told us he exercised daily. While I already knew that my husband was stronger and faster on a bike than I was from our bike date workouts through the hills of California, I wasn't really expecting our guide to be as hardcore of ... [Read More]