#Fitness Friday | Time to Get Back Into Shape

Getting and staying in shape for me has been a constant struggle. I can get on the workout wagon and even start to see some results, but,..somewhere...somehow...something always to throw me off.  Back in 2012 I was super proud of where I had come. I had joined boot camps, worked out on my own, ran my first (and last) 8K race. I had even achieved a personal goal of being able to do pullups/chin-ups.  Starting out, I couldn't even do ONE! I was slimming down and gaining strength. Now three years and 20+ pounds later, I am so eager to get back where I was.

It's been a slow start but I've been trying to get active and am hoping that joining the Fitness Friday linkup will help me get back and stay on track.

Since the start of the year I started off
with a goal of doing daily planks which are great for promoting core strength.  I got the idea from one of my coworkers who had joined a Planking Challenge on Facebook.  I thought,that sounded like a pretty cool idea.  The challenge that she mentions starts out with holding the pose for maybe 20 seconds the first couple of days and then gradually increases the time each day.  I've set my calendar on my phone for a daily reminder to do planks for 30 to 60 seconds each day for this month. I haven'd done them every day, but just about every other day.  If you have tried planking you know that they are not easy. I start shaking around 20 to 30 seconds. LOL

This Week's Accomplishments

On Monday this week, I decided to step up my game and tried out a 24 minute cardio workout that I found On Demand.  I had originally planned to go to the gym, but it was so cold and rainy, I just decided to stay in and workout.  This workout involved a lot of squats and lunges. She definitely kicked my butt on that one.

Tuesday, my sister and I did a couple of dance workout videos on Demand.  Definitely got our hearts pumping and we had a blast laughing at each others moves. LOL! We also tried a 15 minute core fitness video that involved several variations on planking. I think this was a bit too advanced for us right now, but I surely plan to get up to par on those moves!

On Wednesday, it was time to hit the gym, even though I was tempted not to go due to the cold weather.  I spent about 20 minutes on the Stair Master.  It doesn't seem like you're moving to fast on these things but it definitely gets your heart pumping.  After cardio, my sister I did a few of the upper body weight machines.  The shoulder press is one of my least favorites but I tackled it head on.

We planned to work out today as well, but instead we ended up grocery shopping to prepare something healthy for dinner. My sis prepared a delcious stir fry with turkey sausage. It was yummy!

I'm finally starting to feel back on my game and am super pumped about my progress this week!  I am determined to keep this up and get back to where I once was.

How are you working to achieve your fitness goals? 

Join the Fitness Friday Link-Up(click on that handy dandy badge abaove) and let's get motivated together!

See you there!