Getting My Fitness Back On Track
I've talked in a few posts here about how I really made a conscious effort to create a healthy lifestyle for myself in 2014. In addition to a desire to get rid of the weight I'd gained during pregnancy, I also wanted to feel more physically energetic and mentally clear. Although I've always eaten fairly well (for the most part anyway), I made sure to have green smoothies almost every morning, ate a whole lot of plant-based meals, and reduced my sugar consumption. I also started running last summer, lifted weights, and continued to practice yoga.
Like lots of us, I dropped the ball over the holidays. December was busy at work, busy in life, and full of endless sweet treats that I had no problem shoveling down my throat on the daily. But unlike all of those people who sprint directly to the gym once the new year arrives, I continued down the deliciously lazy road upon which I traveled during the holidays well into January. I can blame the awful weather (I'm not enough of a runner to trek through the snow, sorry), or the fact Valentine conversation heart candies once again became readily available (give me a jumbo bag and I can polish it off in a sitting), or the fact that between work/baby/life and my husband's winter tour schedule, I don't have a lot of extra time right now. But the truth of the matter is that I simply allowed myself to be (and remain) unmotivated in terms of my fitness. And while I think it's okay to take short breaks for mild gluttony from time to time, things got to the point where enough was enough. A couple of weeks ago, I really started to become aware of how generally crappy I'd been feeling. It was time to pull myself out of my slump and find a way to get back on track.
For me, and I think for most others too, the biggest challenge in terms of working out is the time commitment. I feel like this is especially true during the colder months when I can't just take a break to go outside for a 20 minute power run. Most workout videos I've found are an hour or longer, and on most days, unless I wake up before my daughter and/or have an extra small work load, that's just not possible. The other issue for me is that I crave variety. I can't just do the same fitness routine everyday. And I don't like feeling obligated to do a certain workout on a given day if I'm in the mood for something different.
Lucky for me (and for you, if you feel like this too!), I found a solution: CosmoBody. I'm going to be totally transparent and tell you guys right off that this is a sponsored post - but I'm also being completely honest when I say that I am genuinely excited to be talking about it, because it's gotten me off my butt and started down a healthy path again. And I really do feel that it can help those of you in a similar spot. CosmoBody, which launched last July, is an on-demand fitness channel - think of it as the Netflix of fitness. It's run by the same folks who put out Cosmopolitan magazine, and it's got the same fun flair and unique voice of the mag, along with real, uncensored advice from some seriously great celebrity trainers. What I really love about it is that the workouts are between 5 and 30 minutes, and that they're available on any device. Sometimes I do them via my computer, sometimes by iPad, and sometimes my phone. It certainly makes me more likely to exercise knowing that all I need to do is pull up a workout on my phone for 5 minutes during workday breaks. Convenience is everything! CosmoBody is also the only online fitness service I've found that has the variety to suit any mood and schedule. This is big for me. They add new videos daily, and even have bonus videos about everything from healthy foods to motivational tips. And I absolutely love their mission: "to empower women by making fitness flexible and fun." I'm in.
I've tried a bunch of the workouts already, and so far my favorites include an 11 minute "Get Ballerina Arms" workout by Katia Pryce that incorporates ballet-inspired movements and stretches to tone arms, a 6 minute cardio (I know, I hate it too, and this one is hard - but it's 6 minutes!) workout by Astrid McGuire called "Do It Better," and a 10 minute flexibility routine (if you love stretching like I do, this one is killer) by rad yoga babe Tara Stiles. And here's another one that I'm especially loving right now by Tara Stile on maxing out your yoga energy:
I really do recommend giving CosmoBody a try if you'd like to join me in getting back on track in terms of personal fitness. They have a 10-day free trial, so you can at least try it out and see how it works for you. If you like it, it's $9.95 a month after that. Members get unlimited access to CosmoBody any time, anywhere, on nearly any Internet-connected screen. You can also follow CosmoBody on YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and Facebook.
Did any of you continue down the path of holiday gluttony well into January like I did? What tips do you have for getting back on track with your fitness after a down period?
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