Workin' It Wednesday: Taking Back Control of my Life!

Even though I am not quite on summer break yet (1 more day with the kids, 1 half day for teachers), I just found this Workin' It Wednesday linky party hosted by the lovely Corinna over at Surfing Through Second and I just couldn't resist! I am such a fitness junkie so this was right up my alley!

This year has been a rough one for me. I haven't shared this information publicly yet, but I feel that if I am going to take back control of my life I need to be open and honest with everyone, including myself. My husband and I have been trying to conceive for about a year and a half now and found out back in February that I am infertile. We still aren't entirely sure where the problem lies so the last few months have been a whirlwind of treatments, exams and procedures. All of this on top of the stress of not knowing my school placement for next year and getting into a car accident just yesterday. Like I said, rough year. 

I haven't gained (or lost) any weight but I am losing all of my strength/definition which I worked really hard for! The hormones have really taken a toll on me, physically and emotionally. And the hardest part has been the mental struggle. My Drs. think that my exercise may be a factor in my infertility so now it is a constant mental struggle between wanting to work out and wanting to get pregnant. I feel like I have to choose. Needless to say, since all of this started I haven't worked out much. I haven't really known how to workout with all this new information. 

I used to workout all the time. My friends would describe me as "intense"when it comes to working out and I am okay with that. When I am feeling like "myself," I work out 6 days a week; running and cross training. I have completed p90x 3 times and Insanity twice. Exercise is such a big part of who I am, correction, was. I feel like my infertility has taken away a huge part of me. And that ends now!

One of the things that is helping to motivate me right now is this fitness challenge group on FB that I am a part of: Summer Sweat! It is a group of women who are all dedicated to health and fitness and are so inspirational. It is great to have that support and sense of community. We post recipes, exercises, struggles, successes, motivational quotes, and especially sweaty selfies! If you want in, let me know! It's never too late to join :)

I am also registered for the Color Run in September! I can't wait! I have ALWAYS wanted to do the Color Run but haven't strengthened my knee enough. I'll be honest, it's because I haven't made it a priority. But I am already signed up so there's no going back now!

For my weight training, I am going to start this program again! It is from Bodybuilding.com. Don't let the name fool you! It is much more intimidating than the program really is! It is a 12 week program that utilizes equipment at the gym. Each day you have 6 exercises to complete. Easy peasy! And you will see results FAST! At least I did last time! If you want in on that click {here}! You register and then your workouts are emailed to you daily! 

I may also try to mix it up with Insanity. I find that I get bored of my weight training quickly. Insanity is horrible, but I love it. Sean T is my workout boyfriend, but don't tell Tony Horton, we used to a be a thing. haha

Another big goal of mine for the summer (and always a constant battle) is my water consumption, or lack there of. I usually only make it to a measly 17oz. a day. Yes, you read that right, 17oz. a day, don't judge me. My goal for the summer is to drink at least 64oz a day. That should be easier now that I will be done with school and can go to the bathroom wherever I want. 

Is it sad that I look forward to that so much!?

 I have gotten a lot of hype about this amazing water bottle of mine called the Hydracoah. It lets you set a water goal and then tracks your intake each day and lets you know how close you are to reaching your goal! You can get this bad boy on Amazon, and trust me, it is $30 well spent! Just click the image above! 

I would love to hear from all of you! What are your health and fitness goals!? Let's help by supporting each other! If you want in on that FB challenge group thingy, let me know! It definitely helps with accountability!

And lastly, 

{Click here} for a fitness index I found on Pinterest. Just in case you are like me and get bored of your workouts quickly! This link has a TON of workouts to help you switch it up!

Even writing this got me excited to get my life back!

Let's make like Nike and JUST DO IT!

Trying to Keep My Health in Check During These Crazy Times

Well, it's official. I have lost my mind. We are smack dab in the middle of our end of the year countdown. Between grades, cum folders, end of the year festivities, packing, moving schools, etc, etc I can barely remember my name!

But I wanted to pop in and share a few things! I have gotten several questions about my health/fitness tips and tricks. I thought this was the perfect time to share because during all the hustle and bustle at the end of the year it can be really difficult to make time for our own health. Here are my 2 lifesavers right now!

The first one is this bad boy! I posted a picture of this on Instagram and it blew up! So I will share more about it! This little guy is my lifesaver. Fun fact about me: I am the absolute WORST at drinking water. Like seriously, I don't know how I'm not dead. It's not that I'm drinking other things, I just don't drink anything at all. SO a few years ago my husband bought me this and while I still struggle to reach my water goals, it has definitely had a huge impact and made me more aware! I like to see my average oz/hr go up! Weird, I know. 

Upon set up you get to input your water intake goal. Mine is set for 60oz. The bottle tracks how much you drink, your average oz/hr and what percentage of your goal you are currently at. Best $30 I ever spent! :)

Get your Hydracoach {here}. 

The next thing is this app called 30 Day Fitness Challenges! It is free on the Apple app store (I'm not sure if it is available for Android)! I found it a few weeks ago because a friend of mine was looking for a 30 day challenge. So far, it has been great! It has been difficult to get my regular workouts in with the school year coming to an end and my mile long to-do list. This app reminds me every day to do my workout. And it is only 2 moves so it can be done quickly. NO EXCUSES. 

It can be difficult to balance everything in this crazy thing called life. But it is always important to keep your health a priority. These 2 tools help keep me focused even when I can't go all out at the gym like I want to. Every little bit helps. 

I hope you guys are all ending the year strong or enjoying some much deserved down time. You all rock! I am so happy to have started this blogging adventure and am excited to see where it takes me. :)

Our Countdown:

9 - Marker day: We got to use markers for all of our activities today. Something so simple, but they loved it! And I loved the no prep!

8 - Glow stick day: We will get to turn off the lights and use glow sticks to read/write.

7 - Students become the teacher: We will work in partners to come up with words of wisdom for the incoming 1st graders.

6 - Compliment day: We will go around and write one compliment for each of our friends. I am going to compile these on Wordle for an end of the year gift.

5 - Field trip day: We're going on our field trip! That was convenient for planning :)

4 - Letter day: We will write a letter to next years teacher.

3 - PJ and stuffed animal day: We will wear our PJs to school and bring our favorite stuffed animal. We will read to our animals, write them a letter and help teach them the rules of the school.

2 - Game day: We will spend the day playing board games that we bring from home!

1 - Movie day: We are going to watch Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and compare it to Chocolate Fever the book we've been reading!

Can't believe the year is almost over! Going to soak up every last minute :) Happy Monday!