Get Fit - Get Healthy {3 in 1 Challenge}

So my post before the one before this touched on a new challenge that I wanted to open up to you guys. Altho I got a lot of positive feedback, only 2 people linked up. I don't think that my first post was very clear at all. In fact I think that you all deserve another chance to hop on this train because things are about to get a little more exciting! I'm so excited!!!

So between my last post and this post a wonderful fellow blogger, Elena at The Art of Making a Baby, has teamed up with me to do a 3 in 1 Challenge. I encourage you to go over to her blog where she will be guiding you on healthy food choices and exercises as well. She's an amazing woman who has DONE her research. As she goes into the world of trying to conceive she has found all sorts of interesting information. So if you're pregnant and you desire to jump in on this, PLEASE DON'T HESITATE! Isn't this good guys??? I LOVE IT!!! Okay so she will be linking up with me on the Get Fit Challenge as we bond as a team and support system. The third part of this challenge is on her photography site as we learn to step in front of the camera and be more confident taking "selfies"…or self portraits. Each week will be a fun new twist adding to the first two parts of our challenge and the cool part about this is that you get to see yourself change in front of the camera as you begin to tone up and become a little more confident in yourself! Aren't you guys excited?!?!?

Be sure to check with The Art of Making a Baby and {Shutter}Mama each week since we’ll be doing separate posts every Saturday about both food and exercise,and then head on over to Selfie Magic for a Self Portrait lesson and link up.

I believe that this challenge is MORE than most people "think" that they're capable of handling but it's not. YOU set your own goals, YOU set your own boundaries, YOU are the only one that's capable of getting up in the morning and deciding to go a little out of your comfort zone and maybe taking a brisk 10 minute walk. "Ah there's snow outside up to my cheekbones, I speak and my saliva freezes my mouth open, I have icicles hanging from my nostrils." So then, pump out 50 jumping jacks in your living room quietly in the morning. This is an opportunity to not only feel better about yourself but to improve your health, sleep, digestion - you name it.

So maybe you're the last person in the world that would exercise at a gym, I AM JUST LIKE YOU. I have this paranoid fear that everyone is staring at my lunch lady arms flailing and sweaty pants sticking to my disgusting excuse of my lady lump a bump. I'm not kidding you, I'm terrified of the gym. BUT that's not an excuse. Did you know that THE best exercises don't require anything at all, but yourself?

So listen up!!! Don't skip out because you already think you're going to fail. If you say you are going to, then you'll most likely fail. BUT if you declare that you ARE going to do this and you ARE going to get up and drink a glass of water instead of that pepsi then you WILL. So I'm gonna lay out some ideas for you and I want you guys to really think hard and join. I'm not asking you to join forever. Just do it for 30 days. And then comeback and tell me how you feel. It's not forever, it doesn't even have to be 2 hours a day, YOU set your pace!

Mmmkay, so, exercise…the schedule that I made for myself in my last post was just an example. It's what I am using and what I am comfortable at right now. As for you guys, in the next few days I'd like you to sit down and figure out something that works for you. Write up a schedule or type one up {you can make it pretty!!!} and if you type it, print it. Hold it tangibly in your hands so that you feel it. Put it up where you can see it everyday, let it be your motivation!! Don't know what to do for exercise? I got some ideas for you:

Gym-less / Equipment-less Workouts: {these workouts are timeless and still considered THE best for your body.}
- Jumping Jacks - great for cardio warm up
- Jump Rope {just do a light jumping and move your hands at the side as tho you have a jump rope, not difficult at all} - another great cardio warm up
- Squats - thigh and butt toning, works your abs and will improve your posture!
- Sit ups - many variations of such, a work out that you should not overlook, extremely healthy for your heart as well
- Push ups - proclaimed THE best exercise that you can do. Works abs, arms, CHEST {brings up the ta-tas!}, heart, legs, improves posture!
- Planks - this is an AMAZING workout. Pop up into one of these and hold it as long as you can. Great core exercise!
- Crunches - very similar to sit-ups, these too vary in many forms. They work the lower abdominals.
- Pilates - ThIS IS TONE UP MATERIAL, right here!!! It's not easy but it's extremely effiecient. Pilates will aid in childbirth, trust me!
- Yoga - You don't have to do any weird chants or anything. Yoga is known world wide to improve your sense of flexibility and inner strength. A very calming exercise that improves balance and posture as well as strengthening your heart.
- Dancing
- Walking
- Running
- Swimming
{just to name a few}



Other Exercises that include the gym or equipment:
- Weights
- DVD's {seriously, most of them are pretty cheap, I picked up a Winsor Pilates one for $10 at walmart}
- Jump Rope {with a rope}
- Hula Hoop
- Exercise Ball

Key Points:
-Warm up with some light cardio to get your heartrate up. When you're heart rate increases, you burn fat. Start off exercise with a few light jumping jacks, jump roping, or jog in place.
-When you're warming up with this light cardio, you're not pushing yourself, you're just getting your heart going, so keep it light. Allow your body to heat up slowly, if you go to quickly, you're going to burn out quicker. Don't over due yourself.
-Don't rush yourself. Don't pump out 25 crunches poorly, because doing 10 correct crunches opposed to 25 quick sloppy ones will get you to your goal faster.
-Drink lots of water!
-Doing a quick stretch and warm up will keep you from injuring yourself.
-Always try to incorporate a cool down into your workouts and don't ever sit or lay down right after a workout. Stand and pace, or just walk it out slowly until you catch up with yourself and feel your heartbeat pacing down.

Some super awesome sights to check out if you're beginner to advanced these are for you. I promise these are promising exercises and timeless!
Sit-Up Challenge
Push-Up Challenge
Squat Challenge

These sites only have a 3-Day week, so if you're just beginning it's light, easy, and you're gonna feel good about yourself.

Setting up a Schedule for you:
Using the list from above and whatever else, create something that YOU know that you can commit to. And if you're terrible with commitments then make it easy, try it for 2 weeks and after 2 weeks, if you don't like it then you don't have to continue.

I recommend for anyone looking for a bit of a rougher challenge to invest in either the P90X series or the Jillian Michael's "No More Trouble Zones" DVD. I am using them right now and trust me, they make a GOOD workout!

Also, do a more intense workout every other day and the days you're not doing an intense cardio/toning workout do something light - such as a 20 minute walk or jog. And if you have to, give yourself some free days! Everyone is different and we are all here to support and encourage one another. No one is going to look down on you or think of you any different, so join in and just take it by the reigns.

Saturday, February 5, will be our first official "check-in".

Your homework:
-Create a schedule

Prepare to answer the following every Saturday:
Your weight {if you don't feel comfortable sharing this, you don't have to}:
Your fitness challenge(s) for the week:
Your food challenge for the week:
How well did it go:
Failures and slip-ups:
Weekly challenge wisdom:
Advice to fellow GET FIT members:
Your self-portrait ( optional but strongly encouraged):

The self portrait homework this week is:
"past self portrait" of what YOU STRIVE to look like!

*if you feel like you don't have one then go find one that motivates you*

Good Luck Ladies! Grab a button and link up, display your badge of honor! See you Saturday!!!










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