Inspire Me Thin

I don’t do anything crazy for exercise. I’m trying to fit it into my lifestyle in a realistic sense because I know I’m not going to be able to exercise so intensively for the rest of my life. I do things that I can stick with.

The most important thing is to do what you’re going to be able to stick with.

If you can’t stick with it, you’re not going to be consistent. And consistency is key when it comes to weight loss. If you’re not consistent, you’re more likely to give up after a couple of weeks.

Now consistency doesn’t mean doing the same routine over and over and over and over again. Your body and muscles get used to the same thing. So although you’re staying consistent by exercising, you need to change up your routine every couple of weeks.

Here are some of the things I do.

• Swimming - This is probably the single thing that I can never get bored of. I can go every single day for weeks and not be bored. I love it. It’s easy, but it gets my heart rate up and is a total-body workout. You’re not just using your legs, or just your arms, but as well as your core and muscles you probably haven’t used from other exercises. I highly highly suggest incorporating swimming.
• Elliptical - I enjoy the elliptical at home when I can’t get to the swimming pool. It’s very easy on the joints, but is a killer workout if you really push yourself. 
• Cross trainer/arc trainer - Machine-wise, this is probably my favourite. It’s a hell of a workout and makes you burn a ton of calories in a shorter amount of time as compared to the elliptical. But it’s totally worth it. Once your muscles are toned and you’re able to go longer than 20min, it’s pretty fun. I usually keep my hands on my hips and suck my core in to keep balance, while my legs do the work.. instead of holding on. I also incorporated 5lb weights sometimes. This is a machine you need to build endurance for though. The first time I tried it, it was really really hard.
• 30 Day Shred - This is Jillian Michaels fitness DVD. I do this on days when I can’t make it to the gym, or 1-2 times a week. It’s a great workout DVD. You’ll definitely feel stronger after just a couple of days of doing it. Love this thing.
• Lifting Weights - If I only did like… 30min of intense cardio. Then I’ll go to the other side of my gym and do a few rounds of lifting weights. I do 2-3 sets of 8-12reps in places where I’m weak. Like my arms. I pick and choose of course. Once I’m through all the ones, I’ll do another round of them and call it a day.
• Calisthenics - Ehhh, I don’t do much of this anymore. I used to until I realized they didn’t really help me. The 30 Day Shred combines calisthenics with cardio, so that’s where I get mine from. But every once in a while I’ll try to do as many crunches as I can in like 1min or 2min. This is mainly for endurance purposes only. I also try to do pushups because as I said, I have super weak arms. Usually I look on the internet for new exercises and try those. It’s fun. :)
• Running - I just recently started to run outside. The treadmill is super boring for me. It’s a great exercise to build strength in your legs and bone density. Although I’m not a runner, I do try to incorporate this into my routine. I’m currently working on improving my mile time.

As you can see, I don’t do a ton of crazy stuff. This is what a typical week for me would look like:

Sunday - Rest Day
Monday - Elliptical x 60min + Abs
Tuesday - Run & Strength Video
Wednesday - Elliptical x 60min + Legs
Thursday - Swimming x 60-90min
Friday - Elliptical x 60min
Saturday - Run & Strength Video