Anyone who spent any time in college knows that kind of lifestyle isn't exactly conducive to being healthy. When your weekend consists of heavily drinking, heavily eating while drunk (herroooo nachos, burritos, pizza, and grilled cheese and bacon sandwiches), and heavily eating again while hungover, it adds up real quick on the scale. Especially when you start doing this most days in between too. The last semester of my senior year, I adopted a fuck it attitude and decided I was going to eat and drink whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. And I had a good time doing it. Except, I may or may not have gained ten pounds, on top of all the college weight I was walking around with anyways. I knew I hit rock bottom last week when my diabetic grandmother told me "Wow, you really are putting it on, aren't you?" while patting the newly acquired flab on my arm.
So, today I commenced my new fitness routine. As a former avid soccer player, I have quite a bit of knowledge about how to diet and exercise to be healthy. A lot of my friends make common mistakes in their eating and exercise habits, so here are a few of my self-proclaimed expert tips:
1. Have an end goal, and small goals along the way- If you want to lose 10 pounds, keep that goal in mind. But, it doesn't happen over night, so keep small goals set too. My neighborhood is very hilly and has a lot of cul-de-sacs, so each time I go for a run, I walk the flat parts while running the hills, and add a cul-de-sac each day to slowly increase the distance of my runs. Try adding 5 extra sit-ups, 5 more minutes on the ellyptical, and adding one more day of exercise into your week. Setting small goals work best to change your exercise habits for the long-term, so you can maintain your fitness goals.
2. Buy cute gym clothes- Having cute work out clothes that I feel comfortable in motivates me to hit the gym. Nike Tempo running shorts are my favorite, and they come in tons of fun colors (If you have ever been near a sorority house, you know which ones I am talking about). Insider tip: They are almost always in stock at Nordstrom's rack for only $17, instead of $35 retail! Gap Body also has great gym gear that won't break your bank account. Plus, they have sales pretty often so you can stock up on shorts, yoga pants, and tanks. Lululemon also has trendy (and practical) styles to sweat in if you have a little more money to spend.
Shorts, Nike Tempo $30 - Tank Top, Adidas by Stella McCartney $93 - Running Shoes, New Balance $70
Racerback Sports Bra, Nike $21 - Tank Top Sports Bra, Adidas $53
Ipod Nano, Apple $118 - Water Bottle, Nalgene $6.49 Amazon.com
3. Lace-up your gym sneakers- Showing up is the hardest part. Get your gym clothes on, your sneakers laced up, and do it. You are not too busy, too tired, or too stressed to take a quick 15-20 minute jog. So do it, you will never regret working out.
 |
| Truth. |
4. Find a buddy!- Maintaining exercise and healthy eating goals are much funner with a partner. Find a friend to go running with twice a week, and then try out a healthy recipe together after. Hold each other accountable for making it to every single work out. If you don't have anyone to work out with, join an online community like livestrong.com and participate in forums to motivate other members, and get yourself motivated too.
 |
| Damn, that is some serious buddy system. |
5. Do something you love- Working out doesn't have to be boring. Especially in the summer months, there are tons of fun outdoor activities that won't even feel like exercise. Plus, varying your exersize routing will keep you from getting bored, so you stay on track with your fitness goals. Try paddleboarding, Kickboxing, hiking, yoga, biking, dance, running clubs, rock climbing, pick-up soccer, tennis, swimming, even walking the dog all will get your heart pumping and help you burn calories. The possibilities are (almost) endless.
|
| This granny would kick my ass in yoga class any day. |
