Month: September 2012

Want to wake up early? Here are a few tips!

2 Comments

My morning to-do lists. Simple, casual, easy.

 

With September almost over, my first month of my personal happiness project is almost complete. The biggest — and best — change I made this month was shifting my wake-up time up 45 minutes, from 7:15am to 6:30am, and then use my morning to be productive, whether it’s write a blog post, clean the house, or work out.

Now that it’s pitch black outside, waking up at 6:30 isn’t as much fun as it was in early September. I’m looking forward to daylight savings time! But, overall, it’s been not as difficult a transition as I thought it would be. So I thought I’d share my tips with you!

 

1) Go to bed early.

This one seems obvious, but it’s true. I used to go to bed at 11, and now I try to be in bed by 10. I also try to follow a “no screens after 9:30” rule and spend that last half hour reading a book or magazine or just taking my time with getting ready for bed. Figure out how much sleep you need, then work backwards. Gretchen Rubin, the happiness guru, says that if you’re too tired to do anything but watch TV or surf the internet, just go to bed and she’s right — it makes a world of difference.

 

2) Get a good alarm clock.

I use the SleepCycle app on my iPhone and it works great for me. I set the window to wake me up between 6:20 and 6:40 and I’m usually up and out of bed by 6:35. Your alarm clock shouldn’t be aggressive (unless you’re into that) because it’ll just anger you — and that’s not the way to start your day. Think of your alarm clock as your perky friend.

 

3) When your alarm clock goes off, get up.

Just get up. Don’t think about it. Don’t hit snooze. It doesn’t matter how not awake you are, as soon as you are stumbling around in the dark, you’ll wake up. 90% of life is just showing up, my basketball coach used to say, and that is 100% true in this case. (It’s also one of my happiness commandments. )Put your alarm across your room, turn on your lights immediately, it doesn’t matter. Just get up.

 

4) Find a morning radio show you love.

My mornings have gotten so much more pleasant when I remember to turn on Metro Morning right away. Not only does the sound perk you up, it’s a great way to get informed and wake up your brain as you go about your morning. Talk radio, music radio, choose something you like and turn it on.

 

5) Make all your big decisions before you go to sleep.

As in: know what you are going to wear, know what you are going to eat and know what you need to get done in the morning. You don’t have to lay your clothes out like an eager school kid, but eliminating decisions in the easy morning haze will make early wake-ups less stressful and more productive.

 

6) Invest is a time-set coffee maker.

If you love coffee, this is key. I set mine to start brewing at 6am. By 6:30, the smell of coffee is in the air and I can grab it as soon as I wake up. I love the ritual of coffee and it sets the tone for my day. Find a ritual that works for you. Maybe it’s tea or lemon water or doing 25 push-ups the moment you wake up. Having a ritual sets a positive tone for the morning.

 

7) Decide to make change.

Waking up earlier is like losing weight or working out. You need to want to make the change in your life. Once you’ve set this intention, stick with it. It’ll happen.

 

Waking up early isn’t for everyone. But it’s made me much happier. It’s made me more productive. Chores I hate aren’t as awful in the early morning. I can come home from work late or say yes to an unexpected social engagement because I’m done whatever I was putting off for after work. And I’m not perfect — I’ve slept in since making this change or I’ve not done anything on my list. But like life, it’s a process.

 

Do you have any tips on waking up early? Let us know’ we’d love to hear them!

 

 

Fit Reads: Cheer! by Kate Torgovnick

Leave a comment

 

My latest fit read was Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer. Even though I read it over a week ago, I’m still trying to process my thoughts about Mount Everest and dangerous endeavors. But this harrowing read reminded me of another fit read that’s stuck with me long after I read it: Cheer!: Inside the Secret World of College Cheerleaders by Kate Torgovnick.

Competitive cheerleading is a sport and competitive cheerleaders are athletes. And they are athletes without proper support or oversight. It’s a fascinating, terrifying sport and Cheer! enhanced my ideas as to what it means to be a performer, an athlete and strengthened my belief that student-athletes — especially female student athletes — need more support from their schools.

In 2010, JK and I reviewed this book in 140 seconds. My thoughts were much more fresh then, so take a look:

 

 

And, just because it’s awesome, here are some competitive cheerleaders kicking serious ass:

 

Gone SUPing

1 Comment

This is JK SUPing. Sometimes, like this time, JK is our fitness role model.

 

Back in August when the weather was warmer and the thought of swimming — or avoiding the water entirely, in my case — was compeletely out of the question, Jackie asked me if I wanted to go stand up paddleboarding with her. Of course I said yes. Jackie was feeling a bit down because the Danforth teachers were planning a SUP outing on a day Jackie was teaching at MYD. So to make up for the fun she would miss, we tried to get a group out ourselves. But in the end, it was just her and I who could make it. Having been surfing in Costa Rica, standing on a giant surfboard would be a breeze. Right?

I took Jackie’s 4pm vinyasa class on Saturday when the plan was decided. Jackie was teaching the 8am on Sunday, which I took, then the plan was to hit the open water afterwards. But we made one very big mistake just then: we decided to drive to the Harbourfront Centre docks. Why? I’m not entirely sure why. Finding parking in the city’s tourist summer hub had bad news written all over it. We drove around for what felt like hours looking for parking. And parking that wasn’t going to cost and arm and a leg. Parking fees are outrageous!

So after this moment of torment Jackie suggested we reconvene in the afternoon and bike to the spot instead. A much better plan. I then proceeded to bike to Erin’s place, played with the kitties, hung out at the nearby coffee spot for breakfast I was taking full advantage of the empty house and spent the morning like a Corktowner. Plus Erin lives so much closer to the Harbourfront dock yard than I do.

I meet Jackie at 1:30pm, we got our lifejackets and boards and proceeded to the lake. One thing I quickly learned is that stand-up paddlboarding is not as easy as it looks. And it doesn’t matter how much yoga you do. My legs were wobbling all over the place I I did not feel strong in my core at all! You may remember guest Fit Girl JK recapping her SUPing experience. I sure as hell wasn’t as graceful as Jen.

But another thing I discovered Mother Nature can play a big role in your performance. The day Jackie and I went the water was super choppy. It was winding and the extra water traffic of sail boats, kayakers, and speed boats didn’t make it any easier for me. I also had the fear of god in me for falling in the water. But being the last weekend of the summer I can’t blame anyone for not wanting to be near water. With Erin gone to the cottage for the weekend I knew she wouldn’t be impressed I went SUPing without her, but I too needed to do something fit (from Erin’s dailymile updates I saw she was being very good for her birthday week) I needed to be good too. And I knew if I didn’t go with Jackie this day, it would never happen.

Stand-up paddleboarding is a lot of fun. Once you get the hang of it. Jackie and I even rocked some yoga moves out on the water. We had to show off a bit. Even if it was only for a few seconds!

Next time I will go to any other part of Lake Ontario that wasn’t where we were. Not that the service was bad because it wasn’t at all. Jackie and I were free spirits. We didn’t have an instructor or a guide. Somehow, I must have looked like a pro. Fake it to make it, I suppose.

Jen seemed to have gotten it right with SUPGirlz. Next summer I will give these gals a call.

Team In Training: One month to race day

Leave a comment

Cecilley and I getting ready for our giant yoga class!

 

Ahhh!!! I have one month left to the Nike Women’s Marathon. Oh my goodness…

After what felt like the longest two weeks of my life – not running or doing yoga makes me very, very cranky – it was time to put my foot down. Erin, I totally understand your fustration. September means a very busy time for me too, Fall event season tends to get crazy, and although I have no problem fitting yoga into my daily routine I’ve decided to stop being a baby and complaining about not working out. Erin’s September goals really struck a chord with me. I want to run faster and be a better runner. And this won’t happen by me complaining and feeling sorry that I stayed in bed instead of getting up and running that morning. What’s wrong with me?! I would never make an excuse not to work out before.

So, like Erin, I’m doing something about it. I’m going to start waking up early too. Whether I run or not isn’t the point. I want to be awake earlier and start feeling better. That two week drought — as lovely as it was having my friend in town and dancing the nights away at the Ottawa Folk Fest — I need to get back into the swing of things. Promto!

It’s also important for me to accept that breaks are not a bad thing. I know this and I know this is advice I need to listen to and stop beating myself up about. But it’s hard. After looking back, my mini vacations were important. I know I needed the time to disconnect from running and training and enjoy the moments with friends. But now, I am ready to be responosible again.

So here goes nothing! In addition to waking up early I WILL run 4 to 5 times a week. I will do this. And I’ll do yoga the days I don’t run. I need to do this. Not running is one thing, but when you take yoga out of my life I can’t function without being angry at myself. My body also hates me for not doing yoga. I made a promise to myself in the spring to do one morning yoga class a week. I was doing so good and I loved how I felt before, okay maybe not before, but definitely during and after class. I’m going to make this happen again.

Wow, blabbing out all these goals really feels good! I’m feeling so ready and determined right now.

With one month to go I should be feeling this way. Now to make smarter eating choices. The two week bender, if you will, wasn’t my proudest in terms of eating and drinking. This also really bothered me because I have no trouble steering away from bad foods and alcohol during the week. I’m sticking this out once more. Goodbye week day drinking, hello lemon water mornings! I was also a very bad blogger these two weeks. This also upset me. Geeze, a serious life check is in order here. The more I think about the things that upset me during this “empty” time frame the more I want to prevent it from happening again. Don’t get me wrong, I had a blast at the Folk Fest with one of my best girlfriends from University (who I love and admire dearly). But the sad part is, I can’t stop thinking about how I didn’t go to Moksha Ottawa, not once, the whole time I was in Ottawa. This is bad, I know. So, instead of feeling bad and upset by not going then, I’m going to make up for it now. Plus that trip wasn’t about doing yoga it was about be there with my friend and enjoying awesome music. I need to learn how to let go and seperate the different parts of my life.

And lastly sleep. I’m also going to start winding down and settling into bed at a reasonable time from now on. Weekends maybe the exception, but I’m okay with that. Work is getting busy and I want to bring my A game to the office and to my training, once again.

I’m very self sufficient and I know with a little push I can get back into my groove. My fellow Team In Training runners probably think I’ve fallen off the face of the earth — I haven’t been to a Saturday morning run in forever! — missing TNT runs is also coming to a stop. I will be there every Saturday until I leave for San Francisco. Like Erin said before, Show Up! I will show up and be accountable.

Seeing Erin’s monthly goals has made me sit down and set my own. The push from her and a big swift kick in the butt from TNT is just what I need to Be Ready for NWM. Hey, that’s what sisters are for!

 

September’s Goals: Monday Miles & Mid-Month Check-In

1 Comment

(Click for bigger.)

 

To hold me accountable, I decided I should post check-ins on how my progress towards my monthly goals (and, ultimately, my personal happiness) is going. If you missed my September goals and the reasons behind them, you can check them out here.

 

1) Eliminate Clutter.

So far, so good here. I went through my book collection for the second time this year and eliminated A LOT. Although, the after picture looks a lot like the before picture, it’s nice to know this is a more curated collection and there aren’t books hiding behind books.

I also tackled the desk in the living room, going through the drawers and throwing out junk. I also gave each drawer a specific purpose (they now store office supplies, cables, and cat toys, three categories of “stuff” that never had a proper home) which is something I had never done before. I found a coffee table that fits our home decor aesthetic and fit our budget (now it just needs to get stocked at a nearby IKEA!). I cleaned the kitchen cupboards. Matt cleaned the freezer. And I decided to give up the fish tank. I’ve had a fish tank and fish since second year university, but it’s the one responsibility I kept failing on. I was a bad fish owner. I didn’t clean the tank as often as I should. And when we were in-between fish, it would sit there, empty, for months before I would go and clean it and re-load it again. So instead of letting the guilt get to me, I’m letting go. It’s one of my happiness resolutions, after all. And I’m at peace with this decision.

Next: I need to buy a mirror and finish my latest art project, find (or make) some curtains, and the living room is done. Then it’s on to the kitchen. Uh-oh.

 

2) Lose 10 pounds.

The easiest way to assess this is to talk numbers, so let’s talk numbers. Ever since university, I’ve weighed between 185-190 pounds, without too much thought or effort. When I took up running and yoga to the extent I do it today, that number stayed between 185-190 pounds. I didn’t decide to become fit to lose weight, but I was expecting it to be a nice side effect of half-marathon training. It wasn’t.

So, this month, I’ve focused on the other culprit: food. My carb intake is at about 10% of what it used to be. Sugar (except in coffee, and then it’s always raw) is almost non-existent. Alcohol, well that could be less. But 2 out of 3 ain’t bad.

So how is the weight doing? All this effort is paying off. Sort of. I’ve been doing this for about a month and I’m now consistently between 182-186. It’s been slow. It hasn’t always been fun. But I am moving forward.

 

3) Wake Up Earlier.

This was the biggest surprise of all my goals. Once I made the decision that 6:30 would be my new wake-up time, getting up was easy. And, of all these goals, has been the one to make the most direct impact on my life. As a result of that extra 45 minutes, my house is cleaner and I feel happier and more productive. I’ve cheated a few times (gotten out of bed, then snoozed on the couch until 7), but overall, this is a change I’m happy with and want to make more changes to make sure it’s a permanent one. To build on this goal, I plan to go to bed earlier and to build more morning work-outs into my schedule.

 

4) Do yoga 3x a week.

Well, the first week of September, I was slacking in the fit department and only did yoga twice each week. I think missing only one class isn’t enough to beat myself up over. I just need to acknowledge why it happened, how it made me feel to miss that class, and move forward. That, I can do.

 

5) Make a skirt.

Haven’t done this yet, But I did make my first-ever batch of hummus. It was too salty, but I was reminded how easy it is to make hummus! I will do it again and I hope to have better results.

 

Here’s my work-out rundown from last week:

 

 

Monday: FitStreets 5k

Tuesday: Hatha lunch time flow

Friday: Hot lunch time flow

Saturday: 10k on Martin Goodman Trail

Sunday: 7k to the Leslieville Farmers’ Market

 

I have noticed that without a race in mind (I had to scrap the Scotiabank half-marathon this fall because of a wedding) and with work picking up, my weekly workouts have dropped from 6-8 per week to 4 or 5. I’m going to spend the last two weeks in September concentrating on bringing that back up!

 

 

More FitStreets

Leave a comment

This is Jill, not Sarah. But you get the picture.

 

What: FitStreets
When: Mondays @ 6pm
Where: Integrative Health Institute (46 Sherbourne Street)
Who: Andie Clement

 

After two weeks away (cottaging and a long weekend), I got to go to FitStreets again! Yay! Even better? I convinced my friend Sarah to come with me. Double yay! After the fact, I realized it was my last FitStreets of the season (Andie has two more Monday sessions scheduled, so time to check it out is running short!). After struggling with fitness and how I felt about it the week before, I was ready for a hard workout, and Andie delivered.

Sarah and I weren’t alone: we had two fellow FitStreeters with us today. Four was a good number, not so small that anyone got left behind or singled out, but not so big that it was a struggle to stick together. We did a route I had done before (you have to admit it’s impressive it took 6 sessions before we replicated a route) but the exercises were different. We focused on legs tonight, with a healthy dose of push-up thrown in for good measure.

It’s funny how FitStreets (and work-outs in general) is like that. The last two times I went, I thoroughly got my ass kicked. But this time, I felt good, strong. Sure, I was exhausted by the end, but it wasn’t a heaving, red-in-the-face, wanting to cry exhaustion. So much of how successful your workouts are depends so much on everything you do leading up to it: how much you’ve worked out before, what you ate, how much you slept even how your work day went. While I’ve always understood this, experiencing it — and making decisions around it — is quickly becoming a priority for me.

I think I need to get a fancy GPS watch. What do you recommend?

 

 

The last Yoga Unplugged hurrah

Leave a comment

Me and Jess, ready to unplug some yoga!

 

What: Yoga Unplugged
When: Saturday, September 1 @ 4pm
Where: 889 at the Thompson (550 Wellington Street West)
Who: Lana Sugarman

Twas the last day of Yoga Unplugged and Jessica (my friend visiting from Edmonton) and I, well we wanted to gets our yoga on! It was the perfect day. The sun was out it was a warm day and I’m pretty sure the birds were singing as we headed to the hotel. It was just one of those days. You couldn’t help but feel happy. We were going to yoga – plus it would be the last time I could do yoga for free on the roof. And I wanted to share this experience with Jessica. She, however, had slightly different intentions for going to class. Given this was the last class and Lululemon gave away amazing presents to all the yogis who came out for the first class (as Cecilley and I can attest to), Jessica really wanted to take home some swag. Although her and I walked away empty handed, we did not walk away unhappy.

 

 

The class was packed, as expected, and we arrived extra early to claim a good spot. We chatted and waited as the roof filled up. The airplanes from the long weekend Air show were zooming overhead – the noises were booming! I was getting antzy as I hadn’t practiced in so long! Well I had practiced the day before, but when you have company – as I discovered the hard way – your body and routine are greatly impacted. Much more so than you think.

The last yoga unplugged was a Vinyasa Groove with Lana Sugarman. Lana was a gem. I haven’t taken a class with Lana before which can be a really nice change and surprise – taking a new class with a new teacher. Which is another reason the Yoga Unplugged summer series was amazing, you were guaranteed a new class style and a different teacher each week. So, no two classes were alike! Lana’s smile smiled like the sun, and although I had taken her for a very spiritual yogi (and there is nothing wrong with that!) I just personally don’t connect to yoga or to yoga teachers who practice with the spiritual highs of yoga on that level. But that’s totally okay. It doesn’t mean I won’t practice with a teacher like that. I just know what really works for me. Everyone’s got something that works for them and things that do not.

Given that, I was ready for yoga, regardless of the style of teaching. But one thing I wasn’t expecting was the work Lana put us through. It was a straight up vinyasa that was for sure. And I liked it! The groove of the drums helped with the flows and the onlookers from the patios and hotel rooms where all to familiar. I was in yoga heaven at the end of class.

 

 

I want to send a big thank you to Lululemon and the good community vibes they send out and preach. And to 889 for hosting such a fantastic yoga instinctive here in Toronto. More free stuff needs to happen and people need to take advantage of opportunities such as this. I will have my eye out for Yoga Unplugged round 2 next summer as should everyone else looking for things to do on a Saturday afternoon, whether you’re looking to do something for yourself or if your interested in trying something new. I tired Jock yoga for the first time ever. Remember? It was super great.

Don’t be shy and don’t be scared. These yogis won’t bite. They just smile very wide.

 

 

Team In Training: A two-week struggle

Leave a comment

 

As I was sitting inside Saturday morning at my hostel in Ottawa during the Ottawa Folk Festival – hey, fit girls need to have some fun too – I realized not getting my long run in this morning was killing me. Killing me! It was raining, thundering, there was also lightning! And I also slept in. Although all these excuses are completely acceptable for not running that particular morning, I am also now a month away from the Nike Women’s Half Marathon and the more I don’t run, the more I bothers me. The daunting words from NWM’s slogan “No Excuses” and the fact that Graham (my housemate and fellow Santa Speedo runner) is a newly christened Ironman eats at my soul. I have zero reasons to avoid running. There is an Ironman living in my house. And to make matters even worse, I actually enjoy running! And I can’t stand being thrown off my routine (like I hadn’t minded as much before). What is going on here? Am I actually becoming a runner?! Is this what happens, withdraw kicks in and you begin to need to run? I never thought I’d see the light of day when I would choose running over yoga (mostly because I have to for the shake of making my goal time of sub 2 hours). But seriously. Jill the runner seems too bizarre to be true. But I kind of like it.

Getting away is good, but what are you to do when friends are in town or you plan a mini vacation? Temptations can be tough and these past two weeks have proved to be just that for me. I’ve been awful and felt awful for not doing anything. Somehow I did managed to run when I was supposed to, it was the other choices I’m made – eating, drinking, going to bed late – that, like I said before, were killing me. I guess one has to put their foot down and say how they feel, “I need yoga or I will be a bad friend”, or “You can have a drink, I’m not”. Removing yourself from these situations is much easier then having to stand up for yourself and your training. I’ve come to realize this now. But I do feel as though good friends will respect you for your decisions. You are running a race after all.

While my friend was in town visiting my plan was you run in the mornings (while she’d be sleeping) and invite her to yoga on the days I wanted to do yoga. Easy! But the morning runs, they didn’t happen. Nor did the yoga. Ugh! My life felt over! But again, somehow I did do yoga (just not as much as my yoga addicted self would). Thankfully 889 at the Thompson and Lululemon’s last Yoga Unplugged took place Saturday of the long weekend and this was something my friend wanted to do! Yay for yoga! (Another post to come with a full review of the class.) I also traded the Monday evening at Downtown and managed to practiced Tuesday after work. I needed yoga, for me, these days.

Because you chose to do yoga doesn’t make you a bad friend. That’s how I feel anyway. The solution to vacationing or having guests in your place for lengthy periods of time (which also takes away for your blogging duties – thanks to Erin she was not as bad as I!) is that you need a plan. Plan the nights and mornings you want to run, practice, or whatever it is you need to do and stick to it! That’s the best advice I can give after my 2 week experience and training glitch. Your friends will understand. And invite them along! Why not, it could be fun and something you can do together.

Your training will thank you for it.

 

 

 

The canfitpro Expo

1 Comment

Mmmm, protein.

 

So now that you know how Erin and I made out the weekend we ran the Midsummer Night’s Run — we killed it! — I wanted to break down the morning we shared prior to the race. Clearly, this played a pivotal role in our race outcome.

First off, that Friday and Saturday before Midsummer’s I had to work. Boo! A real bummer, I know. But given the fact this meant I had to be good the night, before, I wasn’t going to complain too much. No drinking and no staying up late, that’s totally okay by me. I secretly love it when I can use work or running races as an excuse to go to bed early and stay in. I am very lame. But I’m okay with that. Working out, yoga, and doing fun things like riding my bike: these are things I enjoy!

 

This water-based rowing machine was much smoother than the traditional machines we’ve tried before.

 

Trade shows are hard work, so you can only imagine how concerned I was going into Saturday’s run. Standing around talking to people for two whole days was going to slow me down. Working events can be daunting work on your fitness routine and if you’re not prepared (packing a lunch, having good snacks and a water bottle) could mean disaster. Food vendors are limited (with limited selection – a warning to all vegetarians and vegans out there) and the food is usually very greasy and gross. Blah! And eating lots of samples doesn’t cut it. Knowing I wanted to run Midsummer’s sub 1:30 meant I avoided the food/drink dilemma altogether and packed a hardly lunch both days. I was so ready for this show and race.

Given I would be working the canfitpro Conference & Trade Show, I would not be seen eating terrible food. I would be surrounded by very fit people for two whole days, after all. How could I be seen doing something “bad” in front of Simon Whitfield or the Vega Man Brendan Brazier?! What would they think of me?!

I wanted to make working this show more fun. So I used it as a way to fuel myself for the race ahead. Clearly, spending two days talking with fit people would make me run fast – which I guess did work in the end given my time. People asked me about green power then I would tell them about my fitness dreams and, of course, that I am a half of a great duo sister fitness blog.

After day one at canfitpro I asked Erin to join me the next day to walk the show floor – I wanted her to fuel off the fitness too – and discover new things for us to do. For the blog of course. And just may be we’d see Ted Grand again! We did not, sadly, but discover new things we did. Have you heard of Piloxing? Neither did be until now! This new Hollywood celebrity fitness craze is coming to Toronto and creator and founder, Viveca Jensen, was at canfitpro recruiting teachers and demoing classes of her boxing and pilates fused workout. It actually looks amazing and Erin and I are way too excited to give this a try. Attention studios: please offer Piloxing classes. You will thank us when you do.

 

 

Other highlights included trying a water rowing machine — this could be Erin’s Olympic calling — trying some Wall workout machine, sampling more protein and energy bars than humanly possible and seeing Hal Johnson! People, Erin didn’t know who Hal Johnson was. This was the shock of a life time. Everyone remembers Body Breaks, right? (There is a healthy reminder in the video below.) Everyone that is but Erin. Oh well, I was excited! I also saw the very tall and handsome Vega Man himself. And he said “hi” to me as I was leaving the washroom! And I’m pretty sure I spotted Donovan Bailey earlier that day too.

No wonder I ran so fast at Midsummer’s that evening.

A not-so-fit week

Leave a comment

Despite the lofty goals, I declared last week, this week wasn’t the best in terms of being fit.

See?

 

 

(I made up for it on Sunday!)

I can blame this on a lot of things: my body is still adjusting to the new 6:30am alarm (which is changing my life in other ways!), a beloved co-worker is back and I really enjoy having lunch with her, it’s fall and fall in book world means I’m going to be busy, busy, busy. But here’s the truth: it wasn’t a priority for me this week.

I don’t really know why. I feel stiff and cranky as a result of not working out more. I kept telling myself that my body needed the rest. And it’s true, it probably did need a little break. But without a concrete fitness goal (like a 30-day yoga challenge or a half-marathon on the horizon), I find it really hard to make exercise a priority when life gets busy.

Which is bullshit. And needs to change.

I feel better when I work out, my body feels better when I work out. I can’t let the increased work load and loaded social calendar deter me from making time for fitness, even if there isn’t a direct fitness goal in mind. Weeks like this make me feel like I failed, that I’m not actually a “fit girl” and am just pretending. And if I need to work out more to remind me that that’s not the case, then I need to make this happen.

So I will. It’s a new week, which means a new start. Let’s see how this one goes.

Because that’s what being fit is all about.  Assess. Improve. Repeat.