I am not sure if you all remember that I am doing a find your groove challenge this year.  All that really means is that I am on a mission to get everyone moving doing something they love. And for those of you that this does not exist for, I want to motivate you to try new things to find it!  My personal list of things to try soon are a spin class, boxing, pilates and something called body pump that they offer at the Y.  I was actually on a roll last month until my kids got sick and I was not able to try a spin class or a boxing class that I had already scheduled. But now everyone is healthy and I am back on track! Yay ;)

My first class I decided to try was a RPM Spin class at the YMCA where I work teaching power yoga. It was a really fun class, the music was good, the instructor was motivating and somehow smiled during the entire class (I can tell you I was not smiling on the hills, hehe).  Now I probably should not have started with that style of spin class as my first ever, but it turned out okay.  My motivation behind choosing it was because it was offered at a time that made the most sense for my schedule.  I would suggest however if you would like to try a spin class for the first time a regular beginner class would probably be the way to go.  

My two things I will take-away from this experience are, well.....as I said at the beginning, my bum hurts and not just because of the hills.  The seats on the bikes are going to take some getting used to cause, ouch!!  I did enjoy the class enough to get through this draw back (only because I had a friend promise me that you get used to it). Although I will probably invest in those fancy biker shorts with the padding....a little more cushion has to help, right?! The second is that I have decided I will add this class to my cross training day for my half marathon training.  I really believe it will help a lot.  

To update you on the half marathon goal I will say it is going well.  It is definitely helping me stay on track with my fitness goals. The fact that it is in one month is a really good motivator, though this week is going to be a moment of truth for me.  For the last two half marathon trainings I have done I have injured myself when I reached the 8 mile long run.  The difference this year is that I have been much better about cross training and keeping up with my yoga practice.  Fingers crossed this helps!!  

I hope this information is helpful to those of you who may want to try a spin class and if anyone has any tips for me I would love to hear from you!

Thanks for reading XOXO

Winter is here to stay for awhile, well according to the groundhog anyway.  So I am here to give you a pep talk to not get too comfy and cozy in your winter sweaters because Spring will come!!  But because this season seems to be lasting forever this could mean trouble.  For many, this could mean weight gain.
 
Many people will want to go into hibernation mode with these cold temps.  We all tend to eat heavier foods this time of year, comfort foods, which could mean we will pack on those Lbs! We cozy up and hunker down. And seriously, we just got away from all the holiday parties, and here comes Valentines day! Holy more weight gain! So many months of indulging and mindless eating and drinking.
 
So, how are you going to handle six more weeks of winter and more free flowing chocolate that your kids will bring home or your loved ones will give you?
 
Fear not. Winter is actually a great time to detox, leading into the lightness of spring.  Or if you do not feel up to detoxing just try your best to eat clean and avoid fast foods/processed foods.  I have a FREE Skinny Black Dress Challenge starting next week and if you participate you can win a prize (check that out here)!  This kind of thing is a great way to stay motivated to stay on track with your goals.  There are plenty of these that happen so if you don't like mine, take a look around on the web and I know you will find something to get you excited!  

Here are a few other tips that help me during this time so I hope these help you get you through the rest of this winter!
 
First off, please don’t forget to get your vitamin D3.  The days are still short and we aren't getting much sunshine. Researchers at Aberdeen University did a study that found that excess body fat absorbed vitamin D so the body couldn’t use it. Scientists now believe that there is a direct correlation between obesity and low levels of vitamin D.  With that, get out there, even in the cold, and get your sunshine, if only for 10 minutes per day.
 
Second, as much as we want to cuddle up on the couch we need to move our booties and continue exercising regularly. It can be as simple as taking a walk out in the snowy terrain.  Also this is a great time to try new things, check out classes at your local YMCA or see what fitness places you have near you.  Find a way to have fun exercising and then you are more likely to stick with it!
 
Third, I realize sometimes you may not feel like it due to the cold weather, but hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.  This is so important!  Remember my rule of thumb, try and drink at least half your body weight in ounces of water (120 lbs.= 60 ozs of water).  Flavor your water with citrus or any kind of fruit if that helps.  Once again if you make it fun or enjoyable you are more likely to keep it up.
 
And last but definitely not least, enjoy winter foods. Move toward the more warming winter foods and also emphasize the more warming spices and seasonings including ginger and peppercorns.  Here is a list of the seasonal foods of winter:
 
Avocado, Beets, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower, Celeriac, Celery, Chicory, Endive, Escarole, Fennel, Grapefruit, Horseradish, Jerusalem Artichoke, Kale, Kiwi, Kohlrabi, Kumquats, Leeks, Lemons, Mandarin Oranges, Onions, Oranges, Parsnips, Pears, Persimmons, Potatoes, Radicchio, Rutabaga, Satsumas, Shallots, Sweet Potatoes, Tangerines, Turnips, Winter Squash*
 
Enjoy them all.  Try new things.  Just remember, don’t let the couch lure you into curling up with those unhealthy comfort foods like creamy soups,  mac and cheese and chocolate cake, oh my ;).

*These were found using the following link, where you can learn more about seasonal produce:  http://localfoods.about.com/od/whatsinseason/a/WinterFruitVeg.htm

Have a great day and thanks for reading!