Hi!
I don’t know what was going on in my brain last night, but I was OUT OF IT.
1) I could not remember the ballet barre combinations for my life.
2) I forgot to turn on my car headlights at 8 PM. I didn’t realize until I got to my destination. (My town is very well-lit at night, don’t worry.)
3) I did some other questionable things concerning driving and my car….But I won’t get into those details.
I got home in one piece and I didn’t hurt anyone else, so praise God for that. I also ate this awesome salad (among other things) for dinner:
I know it doesn’t look like much, but I finally made use of the tahini sitting in our fridge in a homemade dressing! I just combined about 1 tsp. tahini, 1 tsp. yuzu (Japanese lime soy sauce, essentially), a squeeze of honey, and a squirt of water to thin it out. That stuff was goooooood. It was a little too much for the amount of spinach I had here, so I just added more spinach. 🙂 I want to add it to a soba noodle salad or something like that next time!
Anyway, here are my recent moves:
Monday: 5 min stair master + lower body supersets [10 pistols each leg + 20 Bulgarian split squats//20 hamstring ball curls + 20 single leg bridge pulses each leg] + 8 min ab tabata [4 rounds of reverse crunches, spiderman plank, and spiderman kick through right and left]
Tuesday: ballet!
50 Shades of Fit
The amazing Julianna @ Julianna Banana tagged me in the 50 Shades of Fit Featured Blogger Series started by the also amazing Kaila @ The Healthy Helper! You can read Kaila’s awesome introduction post about the movement here, but this is an excerpt of what 50 Shades of Fit is all about:
There truly are (more than!) 50 shades of fit and as long as you’re incorporating fitness into your life in a healthy way for the right reasons, then you’re doing it right! Too often I see people ridiculing other for ‘not lifting’, eating certain food groups (or not eating certain food groups!), and or for not being as physically capable as other are. But this is not fair!
Fitness doesn’t have an end point. It isn’t a mountain that you can get to the top of. It’s a continuum that we’ll all be on for the rest of our lives and no one place on it is better than any other. Instead of criticizing, judging, or ridiculing others based on where they are, we should be lifting each other up, encouraging each other, and congratulating each other for making choices to stay healthy, physically, mentally, and emotionally.
So take a moment to appreciate where you are on your own fitness journey and try to remain positive and tolerant of where other people are on theirs. There’s room for all of us in this world.
– See more at: http://healthyhelperblog.com/2014/02/23/50-shades-fit/#sthash.LW0rFgQy.dpuf
Her words hit the nail on the head, and I couldn’t be more excited to participate in the survey questions that come with being tagged! So let’s get started:
Currently, what does “fit” mean in your life?
- Being able to move and groove every day (ahem, blog name), whether that means doing an actual workout or taking active study breaks every 20 minutes.
- Embracing rest.
- Feeling strong and energetic during my every day activities.
When did you initially get more interested in incorporating health and fitness into your lifestyle?
When I was younger, I figure skated competitively, and I always loved to do pilates, yoga, and workout DVDs with my mom (I’ve memorized the lines of certain workout DVDs…). I was never into sports because my hand-eye coordination from 1-10 is about a 3, but I still loved to stay active.
I’ll be honest and say that my interest health and fitness rekindled a couple years ago for vanity reasons, and that unfortunately turned into disordered eating habits. However, in the past year or so, health and fitness have become less about a nice figure and more about feeling happier, moving with greater ease, and treating my body with respect. Now I believe that I have truly become interested in health and fitness.
What are some of your favorite ways to get moving?
As Julianna said, there are SO many ways to get moving— it’s difficult to choose just a few! Some of my favorites include dance, circuit workouts (especially with burpees), yoga, Pilates, walking, and hiking.
Some activities that I still want to try include long distance runs (yes, running), a mud run/obstacle course, CrossFit, BodyPump, and and hot yoga! We’re talking long term goals here.
In what ways do you inspire and encourage others to add some sort of fitness into their lives? + What advice would you give someone who is just starting their fitness journey and exploring what works for them?
I can only hope that through this blog (and my off-blog geeky-ness about the benefits of staying active) I am able to inspire others to just move more. Anything is better than nothing, and starting small is the way to go. My daily workout used to be 15 minutes on the elliptical, and that was fine. As I started to push myself more and get out of my comfort zone, I realized that I enjoyed so many different things. A couple years ago, I never thought I could run a sub-8 mile, do 100 burpees in a row, lift heavy things, or even do a proper pushup, but with time (and sweat), those things happened. Believe me, if I could do it, YOU can do it.
Most importantly though, have FUN when you workout! Please?
{2012}
Thanks to Kaila for starting this rockin’ movement and to Julianna for tagging me!
Three people I tag to share their “shades of fit”:
Ashley @ Miles on Oats
Leigha @ Minou Girl
Jessica @ Story of a Girl
…and just…EVERYONE!
Hope you all have a wonderful Wendesday!
So tell me:
Have you ever tried tahini (not in hummus) before?
What does “fit” mean to you?
What are your favorite ways to get moving?
I’m kind of obsessed with ballet and I’ve always wanted to do it, so that last picture of you holding a ballet pose just makes me want to do it even more! I actually make a tahini dressing pretty similar to that – tahini, lemon juice, maple syrup, cinnamon, paprika, cumin and salt. So good! I was always terrible at sports, as I am just SO bad at working in a team, but growing up I did Highland Dancing which I really enjoyed. I now do a mix of body pump, boxing, yoga, running and HIIT, but I probably love yoga the most. Up until September last year I actually hadn’t stepped food in a gym, ran a mile, or lifted weights, and I really have come a long way since then!
I must ask – what is a stairmaster? I don’t think we have those in Australia… It sounds kind of scary!
You should totally try ballet! In certain dance schools, it can get pretty competitive, but I’m sure you can find a place where they focus on the joy of dance 🙂 And look atchuuuu with all that progress! You go, girl!
Mmm I need to try adding spices to my tahini dressing next time!
Stairmaster: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKVs0nwDpfw
That machine is crazy! I never knew anything like that existed! It’s like going on an escalator and not getting anywhere!
It gets your heart rate up SO quickly!
Especially Burpees? Who are you?
That is a rockin’ white outfit. Wear it to prom. I think your current mindset is very commendable. Michelle Kwan jnr.
Who am I? A cow apparently. That loves to do burpees instead of running.
OMG I ♥ Michelle Kwan. I can totally be Michelle Kwan Jr.
Love this!! Thank you for taking the time to participate!!!
Thank YOU for starting it! 🙂
I slather my cauliflower with tahini!!! It’s the best. Loved the survey 😉
Mmm I need to do that!
My form of moving is mostly volleyball but lately I have been adding yoga and running. I wish more people would embrace the fit lifestyle is so much better than being a lump on the couch 24/7. Even though those days are nice every now and then 😉
Awesome! And that’s very true— balance is key!
Loved all your answers!! Everyone should definitely be having fun when they’re sweating it out 😉 also love that embracing rest is part of your definition of fit- it is so often overlooked- yet so important!
Can’t wait to keep following along as you’re groovin’ through college 😉
Thanks, girl! I’m so glad that I have your blog to follow for college health and fitness inspiration 🙂
Couldn’t have said it better!! I love doing things that dot feel like “excerise” like dancing, tennis, hiking, Pilates, yoga, etc… And I used to do Cher step work outs and tae bo tapes with my mom when I was younger and I still have the lines the memorized!
I sometimes randomly channel my inner billy blanks in conversations with people🙈
Have a great day Alison! Another great post!
It’s always more motivating to exercise when it’s enjoyable for sure! Haha we have Tae Bo videos too! Billy Blanks is legit.
Hope you’re having a great day too, Katie!
Whoops! – well those days happen..to everyone. YES to feeling grateful for arriving home safe and sound.
Love your “fit” responses. I’m thankful for growing up active as well – horse-riding all my life <3. A body well-fueled – in my opinion – thrives and enjoys "moving" without one becoming obsessed with working out every single day.
P.S your love for burpees makes up for the fact that I kinda maybe loathe the movement 😉
Amen, sista.
I don’t know why I have a love for burpees, but I’ll take it 😉
Thanks for the tag girly! I can relate to you so much on the fitness front (minus the love of burpees..hehe). I love walking/hiking/yoga, and I would LOVE to do BodyPump in the future!
You’re awesome, lady. 🙂
Of course, girl! 🙂
Although burpees get a bad rep, I love them. I always feel so empowered after doing them. I don’t know what it is. Probably how much willpower and determination it takes. 😉
Word to that. And I love how there are so many burpee variations!
Yaaaay thanks for tagging me! 🙂 This is a wonderful tag!! Anyway I totally know what you mean about being out of it. Today in band I don’t think I played a single note right haha. That sauce looks ahhhmazing. I’ve always wanted to try making something with tahini!
Of course, Leigha! I’m looking forward to reading your answers!
Oh man, music class can be a drag for sure— it’s like the music MAKES you go into a daze.