Making Changes and Getting Strong

Hey there!

I feel like I have not blogged in forever, even though I just shared these amazing, easy, ten minute, gluten free, and low calorie cookies with you on Sunday.

Over the weekend, I did a lot of thinking about how healthy of a lifestyle I actually have. I value eating healthy, nutritious foods. I feel good about myself that I eat well most of the time, but sometimes I am too strict with the amounts of food I let myself consume.

One of my biggest excuses I use for not always letting myself eat a lot is, “Well I don’t work out as much as other people.” This is a horrible though, and I am going to rid my mind of this thought.

My relationship with exercise is a love-hate relationship, similar to most people. My exercising habits are also sporadic, inconsistent, and intermediate. This is what I want to change.

For a little background on me, I was actively involved on sporting teams from the time I was in kindergarten until tenth grade. From fourth grade on, I participated in multiple sports a year, and was always running from one activity to the next. Because of this, I was always involved in exercising, and relied on it to maintain my weight. Because I was active and a healthy weight, I never put any thought into the quantity or quality of food I ate. In the past year and a half or so, this has completely changed. I no longer participate in sports, and I am extremely interested in food and nutrition.

Since I always relied on practice and game schedules to define my workouts, I have struggled to get into a good exercise routine. I might work out six days a week for two weeks, then one day a week the next, and three days the following week without a real focus.

I am not an intense exercise lover. I admit it, and I don’t want to try and be one. At this point in my life, I do not see myself becoming a marathon runner or someone who spends two hours a day in a gym. I would like to find a better working routine to be more fit.

I have started this working out this week, with a specific focus on strength training and building muscle. I believe this is what is best for my body. I believe strength training will be the best for my body because it will a) increase my metabolism b) improve my moods c) allow me to put on a few pounds of muscle, and d) be a cathartic and relaxing routine.

Though I want to be more consistent with my exercising habits, I do not want to keep a specific exercise log, specifically on my blog. The reason for this is, frankly, I want to do what is best for my body, not what I believe others will be impressed by, what others will think of my work outs, or stand as a comparison. I would be lying if I said I have never looked at a work out online or in a magazine and thought, “Wow, I could never do that. They are so much better than me.”

I may post a little bit about my work outs, simply because getting into more consistent exercise habits will make me proud of myself, and I like to post the positive things in my life. I would also love to share any information that I would find potentially beneficial to my readers.

So this leads me to Today’s Questions:

1) What are your exercising habits? Do you have trouble getting into a routine?

2)  What are your tips for building muscle and strength training? I would love your advice!

3) Do you ever find yourself comparing workouts to someone else’s workouts?

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