Guest Post: Sweatin’ to Maintain

Hey there! I’m Bridget, your guest blogger for the day…all the way from Pavement and Plants. Quick background-diagnosed with PCOS, lost 45 pounds despite it, became a vegetarian, and ran a marathon. Does this give me enough blogger-cred?

I like to cook and eat well….but my true love is working out. Missy sure loves her food….and I sure love my sweat. I’ve dabbled in everything from spinning to zumba to running to belly dancing. I’ve pick up some information along the way…

Top Ten Tips for Sweatin’ to Maintain

1)      The minute you think of going, go. Whether it’s to the gym, or to a class, or just a walk around the block. In the time you take debating if you should do it or not, you could already be 10 minutes in.

2)      Dress the part. You will feel more confident, you will feel more comfortable, and you’ll probably workout longer.

3)      Try it all out. If you find something you love, that’s great. But you won’t know what you love until you try it out. You’re only a newbie once.

4)      Schedule it in. Make working out a non-negotiable part of your life. There are days when you don’t want to go to work but you do it, because you have to. Working out is the same thing. Write down your exercise days in your agenda (with pen!) and don’t schedule something over it.

5)      Find your own style. If you prefer night-time yoga classes, don’t force yourself to do early morning jogs. As long you are being active, it doesn’t matter when or where or how you’re doing it.

6)      Trust me, no one is looking at you. People exercising are in their own little world. Sure, if your ipod goes flying off the treadmill and makes a loud noise, people will turn and stare (I normally laugh and say ‘it happens to me all the time’). But if you’re just waiting for a machine or jogging along a trail, no one really notices.

7)      Good things come in pairs. In order to get all the benefits of working out, you must do cardio and strength training. Most people prefer one over the other, but the truth is you need both. You can combine them in a class or with interval training or keep them separate.

8)      Discover the non-weight loss benefits. If you’re only using exercise to lose weight, you’re setting yourself up for failure. Stress relief, better body image, feel good endorphins-these are just some of the benefits I get from working out.

9)      Don’t use it as a reason to indulge. Unless you’re super hardcore training, you don’t need extra calories. The truth is-it’s a lot easier to eat 400 calories than to burn it off. Working out actually gave me a very healthy view of food-I stopped seeing it as “the enemy” and just started seeing it as fuel.

10)   And last….Have fun with it! We do so many boring things in our lives-working out should not be one of them. Running a road race might not be your idea of fun (it is for me!)-but maybe salsa dancing lessons sound like a great time. You take the time to explore different kinds of foods and way to prepare them-why shouldn’t you take some time to explore your workouts?

Good luck on your sweaty endeavors! It’ll make that happy hour margarita that much sweeter.

Related posts:

1. Guest Post: Emily of EmmyLovesWine.com
2. Guest Post: Gracie of Girl Meets Health
3. Guest Post: How to Maintain a Healthy Diet When Food Choices are Somewhat Limited
4. Guest Post: Tech Tools to Keep You Fit!
5. Guest Post: Dieting? Try These Easy Nutrition Tips!