Like many of us can relate to, 2020 wreaked havoc on my physical/emotional/mental well-being. I mentioned in a previous post last month that I’m focusing heavily on my 2021 resolution intentions and I’m proud to say I’ve continued making it a priority (only 2 months in, but still!)

With our wedding 9 months out & Summer fast approaching even sooner, there’s no doubt I’m actively thinking about my bikini body & ways I can present myself with the best opportunities to achieve the wellness I desire. There are some things that I’ve had to personally overcome & accept about myself as I’ve gotten older – for starters, my hips are here to stay and that 8-pack I had in college will remain in the archives of what once was. In so many ways I feel very proud of the body I’m in and admire the changes to it that come with your late twenties-soon thirties. But I’m also human and often too hard on myself, focusing on what I used to have/be instead of what I’ve become & got to work with.

Needless to say – I’m making an active attempt in getting myself to a place where I’m feeling proud & confident in my outer appearance. No matter what your size, the fear of feeling inadequate when it comes to external comparison is a very real & relatable thing. My hope in sharing my vulnerability when it comes to body image is that this message comes across strongly each time: WE HOLD THE POWER OF OUR HAPPINESS. EVERY BODY is a bikini body & EVERY BODY is beautiful, no matter what comparison monsters try to convince you of otherwise.

WEEKLY WORKOUTS

Working out 5-6x a week is simply not something I want nor enjoy putting myself through. In my opinion, there are plenty of ways you can still get yourself in great physical/emotional/mental shape that doesn’t entail spending daily hours surrounded by gym equipment. Believe me, this is coming from the girl who had mandatory twoaday workouts during her college career as an NCAA athlete. You don’t have to put yourself through that in order to see results overtime.

The trick is to pick your workouts strategically, schedule it out appropriately and stick to it. Honestly, the discipline will be the hardest part of your workout but after 2-3 weeks of implementation, it gets a lot easier to follow through with it sans resentment.

My current workout schedule is 2x a week – Tuesday & Thursday. On both these mornings, I take an early morning Express Cardio Class at my local gym – AB Fitness. What I love about these classes is the fact I can go first thing (as early as 6:30am) & 45 minutes later, I’m heading back to the house to get ready for the day. I have a hard time feeling guilty whenever I workout during the day, and normally something always comes up work-wise that prevents me from doing so. When I workout first thing, before the workday technically begins, my mind is entirely focused on the workout and not distracted with anything else I have to make time for later in the day. Getting up this early in the morning isn’t for everyone, but I always feel so terrific when I have the entire rest of the day to do as I please with the remaining hours.

Occasionally, I’ll throw in a Friday or Saturday light workout that usually ends up being a 3-4 mile run. I run at a very slow 9-10 min mile on purpose, as I find maintaining a steady pace without walking is more effective for me personally. Overall, I’m only working out 2-3x a week and it’s already proving to do wonders for me. I don’t feel stressed out about making time to dedicate to a workout, nor am I putting myself in a position to feel guilty for not pushing myself enough when I do. That’s the beauty of taking weekly classes & allowing yourself the opportunity to enjoy the workout each time.

HEALTHIER PRACTICES

During the days I’m not intending on working out in a gym, I still plan on practicing healthier & active behaviors during this so-called “down-time.” Now you might think that entails raising my heart rate to some degree, but in reality this will look like making my everyday activity more purposeful throughout the day. Here’s how:

– Taking a morning walk around the block or walk into town – 1x a week

– Stock the cabinets/fridge with health-conscious snacks when the need to excessively nibble strikes

– Continue intention to not drink until Thursday (earliest) if permissible depending on weekly ‘events’

TIPS FOR STAYING MOTIVATED

I can’t say I’ll be the best at holding myself accountable for these intentions each & every week following this post, but I’ll damn well try my best! One of the best ways I’ve been able to maintain motivation with anything in my life has been to pair up the things I enjoy with new habits/practices I’m actively pursuing. For instance, here are some of the ways I’m going to tackle the above:

– Bring coffee on walk or get coffee/lunch when walking into town + also listen to favorite podcast during this time

– When meal planning each week, write out healthy-alternative snacks as its own category to shop for (TG we have a Whole Foods near us)

– Purposely don’t have beer/wine in the fridge + avoid buying alch in bulk (only when desired the day of)

Well there you have it! I really hope I can check back in here after a few months and let you guys know about my personal progress. At the end of the day, I just want to put myself in the position to be the healthiest & happiest version of myself that I can be. This is the year of many exciting things for me personally, and I want to position myself in the best headspace to enjoy every moment of it to the fullest degree. And that starts with taking care of myself from the inside out.

I promise to update with my progress in a few months from now! Wish me luck xx