Roll call -- describe your fitness routine

[*MamaJen*]

Thought it would be interesting to hear what everyone is doing to get and stay in shape! I'm also hoping to steal some ideas from you guys!

--What is your fitness routine? What kinds of workouts do you do, and how frequently do you shoot for/achieve?

--How long have you been doing it?

--What are your short and long-term fitness and health goals?

--What motivates you?

--What have you had to overcome?

--Are you happy with the results you're seeing?

--How do you incorporate healthy eating into your routine?

[*MamaJen*]

--What is your fitness routine? What kinds of workouts do you do, and how frequently do you shoot for/achieve?

I've primarily been doing pilates and cardio workout videos that I live stream over netflix, and sometimes I do the 30 day shred. I also do target toning. I love youtube videos like this one -- just a few minutes of good old fashioned ab work: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZQ9_c4yiwY. I also do a lot of walking. I live in a pretty urban environment and I try to walk or bike whenever possible.

I'm shooting for 1000 minutes a month, which is basically 30 minutes per day. I had a killer sinus infection/bronchitis for basically the entire first half of this month and I'm way behind, but I'm really hoping to hit that goal next month.

--How long have you been doing it?

I started working out about six or eight months ago, and I started really focusing on being consistent in April.

--What are your short and long-term fitness and health goals?

Short term, I just want to tone up a bit. I wouldn't mind losing five pounds or so, but I'm not super focused on the number. I also really want to increase my cardiovascular health and endurance. Long term, I just want to stay active, fit and healthy for myself, my son and my partner.

Also, I'd like to look good in a bikini. I hope it's not horrible to admit that out loud.

--What motivates you?

Just being healthy and happy with how I feel and look.

--What have you had to overcome?

It took me a long time to really convince myself that I was worth it, and that I deserved to take care of my body and prioritize my fitness and health. For a long time I felt guilty making time to work out, like I was cheating other responsibilities. Now I really do believe that I deserve the time to take care of my body. Working out at home helps to save time and is definitely convenient.

Also, a few months ago I sort of gradually fell back into smoking -- not heavy smoking like I did before I got pregnant, but enough cheating that it was making a difference in my ability to exercise. A few weeks ago I cut smoking out for good, and plan to stay that way.

--Are you happy with the results you're seeing?

Mostly. In the last few months I have seen a difference in the way my clothes fit and lost a few pounds. I worry sometimes that I'm not doing the best or most effective exercises, and I'm planning a session with a friend who's a personal trainer to make sure I'm working out

in a smart way. A lot of the videos use weights, but I think I might not be doing enough strength training.

--How do you incorporate healthy eating into your routine?

I try to eat mostly whole foods and limit things like refined sugar. I never drink soda (unless it's a mixed drink). I try to make sure half of what's on my plate is produce. And I generally try to make sure my portions are reasonable. Every now and then I'll count calories for two or three days to get a feel for how much I'm eating.

[justmama]

-What is your fitness routine? What kinds of workouts do you do, and how frequently do you shoot for/achieve?  Right now I'm doing a LOT of running.  I'm currently training for a half-marathon so it's taking over my life right now since it's 2 months away.  BUT usually I do cardio 4 days a week for 60 minutes per day(mix of elliptical and running and some biking) with weight machine circuit for 30 minutes after and yoga 2 days per week and a kickboxing if I can fit it in.

--How long have you been doing it?  About 6 months really hardcore like this but typically before that I was doing about 3-4 days of cardio only for about another 6 months.

--What are your short and long-term fitness and health goals? short-term goal is to finish my half-marathon.  I know I won't be able to run the whole thing but I'd like to run the first 10 and walk the last 3 if I have to.  Long-term I just want to have the best body I can have.  I'm okay with saying I'm shallow and I wanna be hot and make my ex-husband suffer(it's already working just so ya know).  ;)  I do want to be proud of my body but I also really want to be cardiovascularly fit.  I want to be able to do active things and live an active lifestyle and go running outside and hiking BIG mountains without sucking wind.

--What motivates you? my sister.  We are running the half together in early August and motivating each other and comparing notes on our training programs.   Also, I really love to be active and work out.  I just really love the solitude of my ipod, myself, and the trail in front of me.  I don't LOVE running but the actual physical nature of being active is absolutely addictive.

--What have you had to overcome? This sounds weird but being a single mom is something I had to overcome.  I don't get a lot of time away from my kids and I can't rely on a partner to watch the kids so I can run.  So I have to be creative and I do rely on the gym daycare a lot.  Unfortunately in order to work out, I need to pay for a gym so I CAN do that.

--Are you happy with the results you're seeing? Absolutely.  I'm already noticing changes in my body and my happiness level and I'm thrilled.  It makes me want to continue.

--How do you incorporate healthy eating into your routine? After you crank out 5miles in the rain at 7am before your kids come home from daddy's house, you don't really want to put crap into your body and ruin the good choices you made.  It almost seems not worth it to suffer through 5miles of running in the rain early in the morning if you are going to chug a soda and down a bag of cheeto's, ya know?  ;)

[nolansmummy]

--What is your fitness routine? What kinds of workouts do you do, and how frequently do you shoot for/achieve? I like working out at home. I have a ton of dvds and an elliptical, I also love biking (but my brakes are broke right now) and walking. I love lifting weights so most the dvds I have incorporate  lifting in some way. I like to shoot for 4x per week at least, but some times its more or less.

--How long have you been doing it? Now, about 2 months, but thats just because i took a few months off due to injury. I go thru phases where I work out more, or less, depending on my school/life/weather schedule.

--What are your short and long-term fitness and health goals? Short term: preventing further injuries, and getting in shape before I turn 30. Long term: Be healthy, live long etc. and get back down to a healthy weight. My daughter is 4 and i'm about 15 lbs from my pre-preg comfy weight.

--What motivates you? how my clothes fit, how my body feels when I work out, my kids and family. Seeing the definition in my arms when I'm wearing a tank top.

--What have you had to overcome? Injury, time constraints and lack of motivation. It's hard to fit it all in, but I really try, even if it means working out at 9pm before bed.

--Are you happy with the results you're seeing? Yep. The scale is slow to move, but I can see definition in my arms and legs and that keeps me going.

--How do you incorporate healthy eating into your routine? I am vegetarian, and as long as I eat at home, by default its pretty healthy; lots of salads and stir fry's. When I get busy, we eat out more and that is when I start to feel sluggish. I also don't really like junk food that much, so that's not really in the house much ( we still have halloween candy left).I also don't drink soda. For me, when I'm trying to be healthy I drink less (alcohol) and move more. I eat about 1500 cals a day which I track on sparkpeople.com when I'm actively losing (like now) otherwise I eat a bit more, like 1800.

[onlyzombiecat]

I just started using exercise.com. I chose the Be Active program which is described as "a mix of simple yoga, Pilates, flexibility and gentle cardio". There are videos of 10 routines that rotate.  Each days routine is 18 to 23 minutes long. I'm trying to exercise 5 days a week.
They have meal suggestions but I haven't followed them yet.

I've only been doing this program a few days so no big results yet.

I'd like to establish regular exercise as a part of my life.

I would like to lose 1 pound a week.

I'd like to lose 23 pounds.

I'd like to eat more fruits and vegetables and just maintain a balanced diet.

Reduce risk of developing health problems like diabetes or cancer as I grow older.

Be more energetic.

Look better and have an easier time buying clothes.

I started dieting/exercising before my mom died in January and I had lost some but gained almost everything back. I think I did a combo of emotional eating, not sleeping much and just not wanting to do anything for awhile. 

Eating regular meals has been something of a challenge for me. I am a long time breakfast skipper.

[oceane]

fun thread!

What is your fitness routine? What kinds of workouts do you do, and how frequently do you shoot for/achieve?

I don't have a set routine. I aim to ride my bike to uni/work on 5 days/week, which is a 16km round-trip. But I ride it at a causal pace. For additional exercise I have started the Couch 25k program, for which I walk/jog 3 times a week. If I am in the mood, I add a workout video (currently New York City Ballet workout no.1) or a yoga session at home. Ideally, I would do those at-home exercises on the off days, so at least 2x/week.

How long have you been doing it?

I live in Germany so bike-riding is mostly par for the course. I have started c25k three weeks ago and have previously done yoga more frequently. But I have only started to feel like exercising since the weather got better this year, so since March.

What are your short and long-term fitness and health goals?

I would like to feel appreciate what my body can do and to get a "runner's high", I have never had that! I would also like to use exercise for relaxing and strengthening my back as I work and study at desks all day.

What motivates you?

I tell myself that I feel good afterwards. Good music!

What have you had to overcome?

I am dealing with anxiety and do not always like my body. Seeing that my body is good at moving is a really good thing to remember.

[Bellabaz]

--What is your fitness routine? What kinds of workouts do you do, and how frequently do you shoot for/achieve?

About a month ago, I began jogging 4-5 times a week. I haven't measures the distance yet but I am out for 30-45 minutes. I also try to some toning exercises (squats, abs). We don't have room for free weights(plus they make me nervous with the kids) so I got resistance bands. I don't like them as much, but its good for now.

--How long have you been doing it?

Roughly 5 weeks (with 5 days off because we were visiting great gma)

--What are your short and long-term fitness and health goals?

Just to be healthy and tone up. I could afford to loose about 10-12 pounds or so, but I really would like more muscle tone. I want to set a good example for my kids as well.  

--What motivates you?

The difference I feel when I don't do it. I had a very rough year last year with depression and no energy. I find that exercise helps me a lot in regards to mood and energy level.

It also motivates me to eat better. Why do all the work of getting up an hour early and jogging, etc if I am just gonna eat crap?

--What have you had to overcome?

Apathy and depression. Making lame exuses like no time. I get up early so I can't say I didn't have time or something else came up. I also had to stop feeling guilty. It really is better for everyone if I am healthy and I deserve to take the time to do this.

--Are you happy with the results you're seeing?

So far, not a ton of physical results, but the increase in my energy and the improvement in my mood are great.

--How do you incorporate healthy eating into your routine?

I just try to use common sense and not gorge on anything. I don't deny myself a craving if it goes on for a couple of days. One handful of chips isn't going to kill anyone. But i do also limit the amount of junk food we have in the house b/c I know myself and my tendencies to overindulge =).

[les_oiseau]

--What is your fitness routine? What kinds of workouts do you do, and how frequently do you shoot for/achieve?

I don't really have a workout plan as much as just trying to live an active lifestyle.  I work out twice a week with a group of ladies from my church. We have been doing mainly aerobics so far. I also ride my bike twice a week. At our city park there is a 3 mile wooded course, really nice!, I do 9 to 15 miles. I count cutting the grass as a workout cause our yard is HUGE and do that every week and a half. And swim 2-5 times a week now that it's nice :)

--How long have you been doing it?

really just got serious about taking care of myself about a month ago

--What are your short and long-term fitness and health goals?

short term- slim down, tone up, improve diet, get my body strong enough for more intense workouts.  long term- get to size 4-6 and stay there, maintain good diet, move into more intense training

--What motivates you?

I feel much better now that I am getting exercise and have cut the junk out of my diet. also have finally dropped a pant size! I am down to size 8! (lost most of my baby weight after dd was born but kept the super wide hips! they are finally going back to normal)  oh! and if wanting to look good in a bikini is bad than count me in! I just bought a new one and was way surprised to look halfway decent in it! major motivation

--What have you had to overcome?

feelings of guilt for taking time for myself. also fear of being in unknown situations (social anxiety)

--Are you happy with the results you're seeing?

yupp!

--How do you incorporate healthy eating into your routine? 

increased water intake, decreased coffee!  majorly increasing fruit and veggies... no more chocolate, dh gets his butt kicked when he brings junk into the house. substituting smoothies for meals. adding whole food fiber. eating less in general. drinking more tea.