Krista’s fitness routine:
I’m one of those weird people who actually enjoys working out. I’ve always been an athlete (soccer, track and field sprints and hurdles) and I never wanted to give that feeling up even when my years of competition ended. Although my weight and fitness level have been up and down slightly through the years, I have never given up the fight to stay in shape. However, even when you like working out, it’s still difficult at times to stay motivated. Something that helps me is having like-minded friends that can challenge me and keep me accountable. My husband, Philip, works out regularly and I have many friends including my sister who love to talk about exercise and healthy eating. Julie and I have become great workout buddies in recent years. We attend the same spin class and we suffer through hot yoga once a week. Knowing she expects me to show up to these classes really helps me drag my rear out of bed at 5:15am!
In the last few years, a knee injury and neck and back issues have forced me to modify my exercise routine. I can’t do a lot of the activities I used to enjoy like playing soccer and running. There are so many things in life we can’t control, but I know I can control my attitude and effort level. Instead of focusing on what I can’t do, I choose to focus on being thankful to God for what I can do. I’m thankful that I am healthy enough to still move my body!
My current fitness routine:
- Cardiovascular exercise 3 times a week
- Depending on the weather, I either attend a 45 minute to one hour long spin class or mountain bike for about 1 hr. and 15 min.
- Body Pump or other toning exercises 2 times a week
- Body Pump is a Les Mills class that is bar bell weight lifting to music. I can’t do the squats or lunges anymore, but I just substitute with straight leg lifts.
- I also do Tracy Anderson strengthening DVD’s that do an excellent job of toning small muscles and hip and glute muscles. These movements are so key to staying firm and preventing injury.
- Hot Yoga once a week – Like I said, my neck and back started giving me problems a few years ago. I knew I needed to incorporate yoga into my fitness routine, but I didn’t want to! I totally prefer more vigorous exercises. I figured if I had to do yoga, I might as well burn as many calories as possible, so I decided to do hot yoga. I still don’t really enjoy it, but it has helped my neck and back pain immensely. I know how much it is helping my balance, strength and flexibility, so I’ll keep it up!
These are my go-to workouts, but I’m also just trying to generally stay more active. I’m trying to take more walks, and I have been golfing more this summer with my husband and friends. Whoever came up with the Nike phrase “Just Do It” was brilliant! No matter how you feel on any given day, “Just Do It” and you will love the results!
Julie’s fitness routine:
My name and “athlete” have never been used in the same sentence for the majority of my life. I was a cheerleader one year in high school and I ran track one year because my boyfriend was on the team. Hmm, impressive. In college however, the aerobics craze was in high gear and I became a workout fanatic–so much so that my boyfriend (now husband) asked if I would please wear something other than aerobics outfits. Didn’t he realize I was an aerobics athlete? I thought I was being efficient (and saving on laundry!) but I guess my style had become rather one-note. A good reminder that when you’re in a relationship, you’re not just dressing for yourself!
My fitness routine has been very sporadic over the years, and it’s only in recent years that I’ve become more disciplined. When my kids were younger, I went to a small gym regularly, but then work and life happened. I know some women are still able to swing a workout while working full-time and parenting, but I literally could not see where or how to fit it in. It was all I could do to have food in the cupboard and dinner on the table! I walked a lot, but that only goes so far. Now I see that doing weight-bearing exercise even 15 minutes a few times/week would have reaped benefits. I probably could’ve squeezed that in.
Once I reached my forties, I realized that for my health and my ability to stay active, I needed to up my workouts. Plus, Krista had been on my case about exercise for years lol! I joined her spin class, almost passed out the first class, but kept coming back and began to see a huge difference in my stamina and energy level. My crowning achievement? Going to my physical a year later and having my doctor say she could tell I was an “athlete” by the oxygen levels in my blood! I couldn’t believe my ears! Me, an athlete! I’ve been riding on that high ever since.
A couple years ago I began to feel like I was at a plateau–I wasn’t seeing the results I wanted. I told this to Krista and she said, “Well, you could work out more.” Gee thanks. But she was right. I was only working out 3x/week and last time I checked, there’s four more days in a week. My cardio exercise was great, but it was strength training that would start delivering the results. It’s been a little over a year of adding three additional small workouts and I’m loving it! As any athlete would, of course.
My fitness routine:
- Cardiovascular exercise 3x/week
- I go to spin 3x/week or substitute a Tracy Anderson DVD cardio workout for one of the spin classes. In the summer I might also add a 3-mile hilly walk with my husband.
- Toning exercise 2-3x/week
- I purchased the Tracy Anderson Metamorphosis Hipcentric workout and have been working my way through the program. It’s 30 minutes long and is KILLER, but I’ve seen a huge difference in my hips and thighs. I like that I can do it while watching TV or listening to my own music or a podcast.
- I go to Hot Yoga once a week and I definitely consider this a strengthening workout. Not only does it help with balance and strength, but I’ve seen other huge benefits, like in breathing and digestion.
My biggest motivator in working out (besides Krista haha) is my desire to stay strong and active as I age. Life is much more enjoyable if you can get out and DO things. If you’re struggling with the motivation and time like I did, my advice is to start small and set up a workout you know you will do and goals you know you can achieve. Literally start out with 10-15 minutes/day. Everyone has at least that much time, and it’s a START.
How do you like to workout? Are you seeing the results you want? Tell us in the comments below!
–Krista & Julie
