what are: rest days

a lot of people have trouble getting started... but there is also a real issue with not taking breaks. personally, i had that issue. i would workout HARD 7 days a week... did that get me gains? did i hit my goals faster? NOPE. i over-trained, hurt myself, and kept going, and kept hurting. REST DAYS ARE SO IMPORTANT. and i say this as someone who loves training and someone who sometimes still likes to train 7 days a week. (it's hard to stop, to be honest). but i've learned that fitness should not be "all or nothing" it should be a balance. 

 

so here's what i know:

when you train nonstop, you never give your body time to recover. even if you are training different parts of your body, you still need to give your body a break. no rest leads to fatigue... which leads to lower quality training... which can lead to plateaus. (which is SO frustrating, as i'm sure you know). 

when you are doing resistance training you are breaking down your body tissues, you create tiny tears in your muscles. rest days allow the tissues time to heal and repair. if you don't rest, you are significantly more likely to injure yourself, overuse injuries from using your muscles too much and from working out while fatigued. you're more likely to get muscle strains, joint pains, and/or fractures. 

and when you over-train you are messing with your whole body. you'll sleep worse, which leads to a lowered immune system, and that means you are so much more likely to be sick (and that'll really mess with your training schedule). 

and if you are nonstop training you are more than likely going to burnout. if you take consistent rest days you are likely going to stay more on schedule because your body is going to be ready to do the work. 

so what should a rest day look like? 

that's gonna be different for everyone but here are the most important parts: 

- keep on track nutritionally, just because you're taking a day off training, that does not mean you should go off the rails on food. hit your macros, track your calories, or whatever you do on normal workout days. 

- STAY HYDRATED. this is true everyday, but make sure on your rest day that you are on still on your water intake even though you didn't hit the gym.

- don't be entirely stagnant. i mean, this is a rest day... but you don't need to be horizontal the entire day. stretch or foam roll for recovery. take a walk. go for a leisurely swim. you can keep moving without it being a workout day. active recovery is my personal favorite type of rest day. i'm able to keep moving which helps me stay on track. BUT make sure whatever you're doing isn't going to make you sore. 

- get your sleep! sleep is a key part of general health and for recovery from the gym. a fatigued you is not as effective as a well-rested you. that's a fact. so make sure you're taking care of yourself and getting the sleep you need every night (and especially on the rest day). 

 

and that's it. rest is simple. your rest day will likely look different from someone else's and it may look different from week to week depending on your work and training schedule. and that's okay, just as long as you're listening to your body and letting yourself properly recover. 

 

need help getting on a good training schedule? click HERE to check out doing one of my programs. 

have questions?  you can leave a comment below or check out any of my social media HERE

HOW TO: get fit working full time

getting in shape is tough in perfect circumstances, but going for it while working or going to school full time is an added challenge. BUT that's how 97% of people are gonna have to get into shape... with a busy schedule. (that's obviously not a real statistic, btw).

but it is totally do-able. I did it! (i actually got the most fit in my life while working 40+ hours and commuting an hour to and from work) and so have so many other people! 

March 2015 (first day of work) vs June 2017 (during my last week of work)

March 2015 (first day of work) vs June 2017 (during my last week of work)

so here's how to do it:

1. check out my list HERE to see my advice on small changes you can make daily that can add up to a healthy lifestyle change

2. schedule your workouts! if you really have a packed day, schedule in the time to workout and STICK to it. this may mean waking up early or exercising on a lunch break or staying up late which means you have to...

3. make exercise a priority! this is a KEY concept. if something is important to you, you'll make time for it. that's how life works. and i'm not suggesting you have to make time for two hours at a gym, either. do a 15 minute HIIT session or a jog on your lunch break, there is always time for some sort of exercise in your day.

4. be consistent! make your routine and stick with it. once it's part of your regular schedule, it is so much easier to keep with it. it's so tough to keep starting and stopping and starting again. just stick with it, it's worth it... no one's ever regretted a workout. 

5. find workouts that work for you! if you hate running... don't do it! i swear no one is forcing you to run. no gym? home workouts! there are so many at home workouts you can do! no equipment? bodyweight training is seriously effective. (btw, click HERE to sign up last minute for my all at home bodyweight training group for August!) 

6. have a plan! in line, with everything else i've suggested having a plan for your workout is so important. make sure you don't just schedule your workout and have no idea what you're gonna do. know what you're gonna do! pick a youtube video to follow, write down what you're gonna do that day, get a trainer who will tell you what to do! (i'm available, btw) 

7. make your co-workers your workout buddies! a couple great reasons to incorporate your co-workers into your workout routine, 1) they're around already... instead of going to lunch go for a walk or do a hiit routine 2) having people do workouts with you will keep you accountable. workout buddies are immensely helpful when it come to keeping on track 

8. diet is key! food is fuel for your body. it gives you the energy to get through the day... if you're fueling poorly, you're not going to have the energy to workout properly! i'm not saying you need to entirely revamp your diet (though you might), just focus on being properly hydrated, eating enough protein, and cutting back on the processed sugary snacks that'll just cause you to crash anyway.

9. SLEEP! just sleep! get your required sleep in. your workouts will suck if you're exhausted. you will hold onto weight when you're not sleeping properly. and all around, your life suffers IMMENSELY when you don't sleep. i know, getting a full night's sleep is not always an option, but make it a priority and get your sleep in and your workouts, weight, and life will improve. 

 

If you do these things, you'll get fit all while working 40+ hours a week. I swear.

need help getting fit? click HERE to see if my in person or online training would work for you! or just send me a message on Facebook or Instagram if you have any questions about any fitness questions or my programs! always happy to help! 

think i missed any tips that helped you? leave me a comment! i would love to hear your take! 

 

 

 

favorite health & fitness apps

getting healthy and fit can be intimidating, but it doesn't have to be! 

there are SO MANY resources you can use to make your health journey as easy as possible! 

I have used a lot of different apps over the last few years but the following are my favorite and most consistently used apps! 

1. My Fitness Pal 

I mentioned that one previously but I can honestly say that MFP has been the most valuable asset in my weight loss & fitness journey. I use MFP every single day. 

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It has a HUGE database of food so you can easily log your caloric intake. And not only does it track calories, but also you can track your macros (carbs, fat, protein), your sugar intake, vitamins, just about everything you can think of when it comes to nutrition. 

AND then it also allows you to track your workouts! Though these calorie burns are definitely estimations, it's still a great way to get yourself motivated to exercise! 

You can track your weight and measurements and add progress photos as you go (the addition of progress photos is so awesome!). It really helps to see your progress and what sort of trend you weight and measurements are taking. 

My favorite part of MFP is the community. If you use MFP go onto the message boards and add people! I promise you won't regret it. Having people to cheer you on when you workout or hit logging streaks or having a moment of weakness is a HUGE help on a weight loss journey. Having a support system is the easiest way to get going on a health journey and MFP is full of people who will motivate and inspire you! 

2. Nike Run Club

Since quitting my job I have gotten to start running outdoors a lot more, which has been SO GREAT. I used it in the past, but I have been using it now way more than ever. 

Nike Run Club will track your mileage, route, duration, ascent, splits, and your estimated calorie burn. It knows the temperature and your average pace. You can also track what sort of terrain you're running on (road/trail/track), how difficult the run was, and your shoes (so you can know how many miles you've put on your running shoes). 

There are different ways to track your runs, too! You can go by mileage, duration, mark speed intervals, or just a quick start (with no specific goal). All of them are great. It really depends on the day and my goals, but I have used them all. And throughout them you'll get updates on where you are in your run (how many minutes or miles left), your pace, and some motivation from a Nike coach or celebrity (Kevin Hart has been cheering me on lately!). 

And, my favorite part (because I'm competitive) are the "Achievements." These can be your longest run, farthest run, or your speediest 1K/1 mile/5k. Plus if you run several times a week, you get an achievement, if you hit a certain amount of miles in a month, you get an achievement. I really like achievements. Competing against Past Me is the best. 

They also have weekly challenges that motivate me to get moving on days I'm being really lazy (shout out to you "Just Do It Sundays"). Other challenges come up, as well. There is a community feature that I haven't gotten into, but I have heard good things about. Once I give it a try, I'll update this! :) 

3. BodySpace 

A recent addition to my "Health & Fitness" folder, but SUCH an awesome app if you do (or want to get into) weight training. (that's any kind of weight too!) They have a huge library of exercises that you can look through and find what you want to do! 

I use BodySpace to track my weight lifting program. It helps me to measure my set/rep schemes, calculate 1-Rep Maximums, and to see how much weight I moved in a given workout. 

Personally, I use my own program but there are SO MANY really, really fantastic programs from world-renowned trainers and you can just click into and fill in the data and know you're getting a great workout. And if you make your own you can go back and track from that workout. 

Also a community feature on this app. You can add friends and like and cheer on people and ask questions about their workouts. 

To be fair, I basically do the bare minimum on here and just track my workouts and log on off, but still definitely one of my favorites. 

4. Tabata Timer 

If you follow me on instagram you'll know that I really love HIIT. Tabata Timer is plain and simple and easy to use. I use it several times a week! 

You set your work time and rest times. And add in how many cycles and how many rounds and your rests between each round. 

 

Nothing fancy, but everything I need in a timer app. 

 

Honorable Mentions: 

Instagram! (great community and so many great people to follow!)
 Spotify! (gotta have music for a workout!) 
VideoShop (can slow down video so you can check form!)

 

Those are my current faves! Do you have any others I should know about? Let me know in the comments!