My Workout Calender This Week

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Hello Hello And Happy Tuesday!

So, I originally started this blog to share my workouts, and well, I haven’t done that much lately.

Haha! {Although they haven’t changed much since the last time I’ve updated everyone!!}

I thought it would be fun to try to plan and recap my workouts each week. Plus writing anything

down always holds me more accountable!!

source

Below is my workout plan for this week (6/19- 6/25)

 

Monday- Tone it Up 15 minutes HIIT circuit during naptime. 30 minute walk with Paisley

Tuesday– Teach Pop & Stroller Strides. {That’s usually enough for the day, haha!!}

Wednesday– Evening jog with Paisley, 3 miles.

Thursday– Teach 2 Pop Classes. And that is enough!! My body is still getting used to teaching 2 classes in a day. There is a yoga class right after Pop, so I might stay for that!

Friday– My active rest day. Active meaning I’m always lifting or chasing my kids so I do get some activity in no matter what! 🙂

Saturday– I’ll likely do some light upper body- like a Barre Arms workout. Sometimes I kind of make up my own as I go and other times I’ll just search youtube to try out some new stuff!

Sunday- Jog with Paisley. If I can get up early enough to beat the heat, I’m hoping to get in at least 4 miles!

 Side note: I realize I am SO bad at taking pictures on a regular basis. Haha, so I will leave you with this cute picture of Donovan. Everyone likes a cute baby, right?

 

 

Do you plan your weekly workouts?

What is your favorite workout lately?

 

 

 

What I’m Loving Lately

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Hey everyone! How was the weekend? Naturally ours flew by and sometimes I can’t really remember what we did exactly…..a 2 year old and a 1 year old keep things busy busy!

It’s been awhile since I’ve written one of these posts, so I thought I would change that!!

{note: no affiliate links, I just really like this stuff & wanted to share!}

Reality Life with Kate Casey 

You guys know I am kind of a Podcast junkie and watch a decent amount of Reality TV so this is the perfect fit.  I actually don’t remember how I found this podcast in the first place but I’m so happy I did. She is HILARIOUS and discuses current shows and interviews past reality stars…think Melissa Rycroft from the Bachelor. Go download it now!

Chocolate Protein Powder

Yep more Tone it Up talk. I’ve been mixing this in my smoothies the past couple of weeks, so yummy! And they sell it at Target. Another reason to go to Target ladies!

Lululemon Shorts

The hubby spoiled me with a giftcard on Mother’s Day so I splurged on some new shorts. My stay at home mom & fitness instructor uniform is yoga pants but these will be perfect for summertime! They are so comfy and fit really well!

 

Coconut Milk Coffee Creamer

I’m trying to be more mindful of my dairy and sugar intake  & this is surprisingly yummy! Found it at Target……..of course!!

Splash Pads

Speaking of summertime….it’s already heating up here in Dallas! We took Charlotte & Donovan to our local splash pad over the weekend and they had a blast. I’m so glad there is one nearby as I have a feeling we will be here often!!

That’s all from me today, thanks for stopping by!

 

What is one thing you are loving lately?

Please share in the comments below!

 

 

 

 

A Napping Baby Workout

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It’s been awhile since I’ve shared a workout, so this post is long overdue!! I know my blog has kind of been all over the place lately with the addition of my kiddos, me being a new mom, and staying at home. But the real heart of it has always been exercise: what people are doing, how to fit it in, what I like doing, what I want to try etc. With that said, I’m planning on sharing more workouts! Yay!

I’ve always been a fan of short efficient workouts. And these days, they are my go-to. Squeezing in a workout during naptime really is the best….it gives me a good mental break as well as the physical benefits. And honestly, I’ve noticed the biggest change in my body when I added in some HIIT type workouts. SO here ya go, get that sweat on!

Perform each exercise for 30 seconds each & repeat 3x through. Form tips and exercise explanations are below! {I used 5 pound weights, use something that feels tough the last 5 seconds of each exercise}

Below are some links to exercise demonstrations….maybe I will get fancy soon enough and do my own videos!!!

Down dog Push-ups

Curtsey Lunge with Chest Press  (perform chest press instead of a front raise)

Cross Over Jacks

Plank Up Downs

Back Lunge with Hop & Press (Add a hop with your front leg as you bring your legs parallel)

Twisting Mountain Climbers

Bridge with a Chest Press

Squat Jumps

Thanks for stopping by, I’m hoping to share some easy at home workouts more often & film some videos too! If you complete the workout, use the hashtag #fitgirlpwworkout, I’d love to see your check-ins!

~M

 

 

My Favorite Things About Texas

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So it’s been about 2 1/2 years that we’ve been official Texas residents! Time really does fly, especially when you have young kids. Today, I thought it would be fun to highlight a few of my favorite things about living in the Lone Star State.

Now of course there are pros and cons to everywhere you live & I will always miss parts of Seattle (where I’m from origionally) and Los Angeles ( I mean how can you not?!) But we are very happy here and thankful to raise our kids in our community!

Alright, here we go!

Friendliness

Yes it is true. People are  friendlier in the South. It’s unlikely to walk past someone on the street without saying hello or having someone open doors for you. Simple little acts like this always put a smile on my face & put me in a good mood!

The Weather

Now I will preface this by saying the summertime is brutal. Like June-August is rough. However the other 9 months of the year are pretty great. Nothing will compare to LA, but wearing my sunglasses almost daily is a win in my book! I appreciate the fact that we can do an activity outside everyday: a walk, going to the park, splash pad or playing with chalk at our house!

Food For Days

Seattle & Los Angeles are pretty big “foodie” cities and Dallas also has it’s fair share! We have a running list of date-night places to try. And since Dallas is SO big, there are a lot of different neighborhoods to check out! Some of our favorites so far:

Victor Tangos

Sissy’s Southern Kitchen

Gloria’s {the BEST queso)

Ida Claire

Now that Dallas is feeling more like home, I was so excited when Modern Map Art contacted me about their city maps! I just love the look of the poster and think it will be a perfect addition in our living room!

C was thought the poster was pretty cool too!

The site has 500 cities listed (amazing) so you are bound to find yours! The sizes range from 8×10 all the up to 24×36 landscape, that’s what we have! A little background info on how the maps are made:

“We use OpenStreetMaps to create the map grid, and then use some styling to color in the streets, land, and water.  Once we pick a city, we try to put the downtown in the center, but are flexible depending on how the map grid/shoreline looks.  Then, we use the map and put it on a poster in photoshop, where we add the city name.  It’s a lot of fun staring at cities from all over the world!”

These are such unique gifts & are perfect for home or even an office. I especially like the black and white classic look as they can really go anywhere!

You can find Modern Map Art on Facebook & Instagram

What do you love about your city? Please share in the comments below!

Have a great rest of your weekend everyone & thanks for stopping by! ~M

Updated Family Photos

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I’ve always loved taking pictures, hanging up pictures, and looking at pictures. And even more so now that we have Charlotte and Donovan!

One of my good friends down here is also an AMAZING photographer and we just had some done a few weeks ago. I can’t wait to print them and update the pictures around our house!!

Have a great Thursday everyone!

~M

What is Audio Fitness?

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Thank you to Aaptiv for sharing a free 2- week trial with me in exchange for my  honest review.

Fitness Apps, YouTube, & Online workouts, are the norm these days.  And for good reason, they are convenient- you don’t need to find a class time that works with your schedule, so you can do them whenever you want!

Since I am a fitness instructor, of course I think there is something said for going to a live class. However, having another option is key as getting tothe gym 5x a week is unrealistic for many. If you have been reading my blog for awhile you know I’m a huge fan of home workouts. Lately I’ve been into Cassy Ho’s workouts (I mean obviously – she’s the creater of Pop Pilates), Katie’s Love Sweat Fitness & Tone it Up. (LOVING the live workouts they have been doing lately, so much fun).

I’m obviously very passionate about postpartum fitness for others as well as my own fitness journey, so I was intrigued when Aaptiv reached out to me to try their Stroller Workouts!

So what is Aaptiv?

“We founded Aaptiv with the goal of bringing an elevated workout experience to a global community. We use technology to make that experience accessible anytime, anywhere – whether you’re working out at your local gym in LA or running outside while traveling in London.”

There is a workout for anyone- HIIT routines, running workouts (even marathon training plans), yoga, stretching, and even elliptical workouts. I really love the variety, but I was only able to check out the Stroller Workouts the past two weeks (2nd and 3rd trimester Maternity workouts are also coming soon).

First of all, the playlists are AWESOME. Music is so key to my motivation & they really have that part figured out.  I do think there is a little learning curve adjusting to the audio fitness aspect. If you are a visual learner you may feel a little lost initially, but that’s not to say the instructors are lacking at all. Their cues are specific and motivational.

The workouts were easy to follow and tough, especially the Stroller Plyo workout (hello legs). I think the time frame was perfect- no longer than 20 minutes. Now that Charlotte is 2, she doesn’t like to sit still in the stroller too long unless there are bubbles/songs etc. to keep her entertained. I am really curious to try out some of the running workouts as well, since I’m just getting back into being a runner again. 🙂

Not sure you want to swing the $9.99/month just yet, sign up here for your 7-day free trial!

What are your favorite fitness apps or at home workouts? Please share in the comments below!

 

 

 

 

A New Chapter…..

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Hey Hey everyone!

Today I’m so excited to share what I’ve been up to behind the scenses the past few months! I wanted to wait until it was official and I had a job (haha not to jinx anything.) I’ll be officially starting mid- May as a Pop Pilates instructor. Hooray!

I snuck down to Austin in February for training and worked my butt off to get my evaluation video in a few weeks later. And ever sense I’ve been learning choreo and reaching out to gyms and studios!

(My day of training evaluation card)

So let’s back up a bit on how I landed here….

I have followed Cassey Ho for years on her Blogilates site. Her youtube videos are great and something I could always quickly do if I wanted a home workout.  I heard about the Pop Pilates certification a couple years back and thought “that’s fun, but I don’t have time to do all of that.” This Fall, I was wanting to add a little something more to my schedule, but at the same time find something flexible that worked well with our family.  I was randomly scrolling through Instagram one night and saw a post about Pop. I delved in a little further reading about the certification process, AND as luck would have it, there was a training in Austin a few months away. Talked with my hubby about it, signed up and the rest is history! 🙂

Why do I love Pop?

  • It’s an equipment-free workout. All you need is a yoga mat!
  • We have different sections for each body part = lots of changes during class so nothing is boring!
  • The moves are unique & many are ones I’ve never seen before
  • You get the combination of toning exercises as well as cardio. All in one workout!

{Train Like A Beast, Look Like A Beauty}

I have a couple more weeks before I start my first class, eek! I’ll be sure to share updates!

For you Fitness Instructors out there: any tips when teaching a new format?

~M