I get DM’s and comments in regards to my fitness regime on Instagram daily, so I wanted to do a Q & A to put everything in one place. I’ve also found some SUPER CUTE workout clothes and wanted to share them with y’all! Today I’m answering questions about what workout program I’m doing, when I go to sleep to wake up at 4am, how I stay awake/function during the day (lol), and more!
SIZING DETAILS //
BEACH RIOT Leggings: Size up if you’re in between sizes. These are AMAZING and so worth the price. They don’t pill or snag.
ALO YOGA Cropped Short Sleeve Top: over-sized fit, I got a small but could have gotten an XS.
ADIDAS Deerupt Sneakers: I LOVE THESE! Size down, they run big. They’re SO COMFY!
SIZING DETAILS //
ALO YOGA Spacedye Racerback Crop Tank: Runs TTS
ALO YOGA Spacedye Capri Leggings: These fit TTS and they are the SOFTEST EVER!!!
NIKE Air Max 270 Running Shoes: These fit a little bit small, I ordered an 8.5 instead of my normal 8.
Q: WHAT TIME TO YOU GO TO BED TO GET UP AT 4AM TO WORKOUT?
A: I try to be in bed by 8:30, but lately with our house being on the market and Jett being sick it’s been a little bit later. If I have to stay up way later (like 10pm #grandmastatus), I will take an Alani Nu fat burner pill the next day in the morning after my workout so that I can function and not fall asleep at work. This doesn’t happen often, but life has been crazy lately so I’m happy to have those on hand!
Q: DO YOU INCORPORATE CARDIO INTO YOUR WORKOUT OR DO YOU JUST LIFT WEIGHTS?
A: Yes! I do cardio for 30 minutes at least 3 days a week and have been trying to add more evening walks in to get more steps. I do one day of the stairmaster (#30minstairgang) and have been recently challenging myself to climb more than 170 flights in that time and now have a goal to hit 200 thanks to my brother-in-law! IT IS SO HARD! But I like having a goal and trying to beat it, it’s very motivating to me.
For day 2 of cardio, I’ll do sprints on the treadmill or walk on incline. Day 3 is random and whatever I feel like- most recently it’s been at home cardio while Jett is napping or taking him on a really long walk in our super hilly neighborhood.
Q: DID YOU DO ANY SPECIFIC CORE STRENGTHENING POST BABY?
A: Yes and no. I started doing the BBG postpartum workout, but I truly didn’t know what I was doing until I stared following @hannahbower. I’ve watched all of her videos on how to strengthen your core. It turns out I’ve been doing it all wrong (literally my whole life), and reconditioning myself to use my ENTIRE core is challenging but I’ve seen a huge difference in the last 2 months.
Q: HOW DID YOU FIGURE OUT MACROS?
A: PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE. More practice and a lot of patience and planning! I cook dinner every night so that I can control what I’m eating and always make 2 portions for myself so that I have lunch for the next day. I also try to plan out my meals in the morning and adjust my snacks to hit my macros. I had to eliminate some things that I really like (or eat them in moderation) so that I can hit my goals every day. I’ve really cut back on the amount of cheese I eat, try to not drink anything during the week (although selling our home has made this impossible), and eat a lot of greek yogurt- ha!
Here are some simple tricks that have helped me hit my macros:
Cutting out alcohol. If I want a drink, I will drink a LaCroix, so I drink like 2 cases of those a week- HA!
Limiting the amount of cheese I eat. Every day I was eating too may fats and it was mainly because I eat cheese on everything. I got this garlic aioli mustard from trader joe’s and I now eat it with everything! It only has 1 gram of fat per serving and it IS SO FREAKING GOOD!
Input everything into My Fitness Pal in the morning starting with breakfast. I input my breakfast, lunch, and dinner and then that helps me decide what snacks I need so I can hit my goals.
Greek yogurt is an amazing source of protein and has 0g fat (depending on what brand you buy- my favorite is the Trader Joe’s brand).
Q: DO YOU GET IN AN AFTERNOON SLUMP SINCE YOU GET UP SO EARLY?
A: Yes and no. I have figured out a caffeine schedule that 1) limits my caffeine consumption and 2) keeps me alive. I try not to drink coffee all day and consume a crazy amount of caffeine, so after I have my pre-workout in the morning, I usually don’t have any other caffeine until 3pm. I call this my weekday “HAPPY HOUR”! I only drink Alani Nu energy drinks now, I can’t ever go back to red bull and can’t believe I used to drink them as often as I did.
Q: WHERE IS THE BEST PLACE TO START? I WANT TO GET INTO THE HABIT BUT CAN’T GO TO THE GYM.
A: I told myself the SAME THING for WAY TOO LONG! I made so many excuses as to why I couldn’t go to the gym and while breastfeeding was a good one, I finally just had to say F*CK IT and just get up at the crack of dawn (4am). I’ve been going to the gym forever so I had a starting point, but I wanted to do something completely different and since I lost ALL of my muscle during my pregnancy, I wanted to start weight training. I had followed Katy Hearn forever and went to high school with her husband Haydn so when they came out with an app, I decided that would be a great starting point for me to start weight training and I LOVE IT!
If you’re starting from zero, don’t go all in and overwhelm yourself. I first downloaded the Fit By Katy app and would do 2 workouts on the weekend. Then I started going to the gym in the morning at the beginning of this year because obviously 2 days a week isn’t going to do much. I’m much better at working out at the gym and I honestly hate home workouts so that just doesn’t work for me. Lifting weights is a workout I can continue doing and I’ve seen so much improvement in not only my strength but also in my figure! I’ve done so many 6, 8, 12 week programs in the past that just weren’t sustainable long-term or I would just get so tired of them. Find something that you LIKE doing and stick with it! If you don’t see results after a month, KEEP GOING! It takes a long time especially after having a child. I’m on my 21st week of working out 5-6 days a week and I’m still not where I want to be but I know that I will get there! Small improvements along the way not only in how I look, but how I feel and my confidence are all the motivation I need!
With that said, I also eased my way into eating WAY healthier, cooking dinner every night, and tracking macros. These are all things I used to say “I can’t do that” to. Well guess what, NOW I CAN! I made small adjustments little by little, and now here I am cooking every weeknight, tracking macros and actually hitting my goals! It takes time and a lot of practice, but you will get there! Also remember that no one is perfect. I still don’t eat great on the weekends and really need to reel it in on Fridays and Saturdays. If you slowly make small changes, you will be able to sustain a healthy lifestyle even when you’re super busy! Trust me if I can do it with Mr. Jones traveling all of the time and never being home before Jett’s bedtime, commuting up to an hour to and from work, YOU CAN TOO!
This is the longest answer ever, but I feel like I get this question the most. I just want to encourage you to make small changes, work towards small goals, and just KEEP GOING! Throw excuses in the trash one by one and trust me, you will be so much HAPPIER!!!
Q: WHAT DOES YOUR MORNING ROUTINE LOOK LIKE TO GET YOU UP AND OUT OF THE DOOR FOR THE GYM?
A: I lay out my outfit the night before (don’t forget your socks and hair tie!) and pre-mix my pre-workout and put it in the fridge the night before as well. In the morning I get out of bed as quietly as I possibly can, get dress as quickly as possible, grab my pre-workout and go! Sometimes I don’t even put my hair up until I get to the gym so that I don’t have to turn any lights on at home. I show up looking a mess every morning and guess what? NO ONE CARES!
Q: ANY TIPS FOR WAKING UP EARLY TO WORKOUT IN THE MORNING?
A: For me, I have to go all in. I can’t do just 3 mornings a week so I do every week day that I can when Skyler is home. Yes, I do sleep in sometimes, but I make up for it on the weekend and always regret not going during the week! With that said, for a couple of weeks, I did 2-3 mornings a week to get used to it and get a good schedule before I went all in. I also started the Katy Hearn Winter Promo 2019 earlier this year and that was motivating for me to get all 5 workouts in during the week and have the weekend to do weekend fun stuff!
It takes a really long time for my body to adjust to the morning routine. Honestly there are still days when my alarm clock goes off and I’m like “no f’ing way!” but after laying in bed and thinking about all of the reasons I should get my ass up, I get up and go. I always always feel better after a workout and NEVER regret it!
Lastly- pre-workout or an energy drink before morning workouts is my lifeline. I drink them on the way to the gym and by the time I get there I’m awake enough to function. I used to workout in the morning without pre-workout (pre-marriage and bab) and it would take like a solid 45 minutes to wake up. I just don’t have time for that these days- ha! I love Alani Nu Rainbow Candy pre-workout and their Mimosa energy drinks!
Q: HAVE YOU EVER TRIED THE BALANCE SUPPLEMENT FROM ALANI NU? DO YOU LIKE IT?
A: YES AND YES! I could not recommend Alani Nu Balance supplement enough- it is AMAZING! I’m on my 5th bottle, actually and notice a huge difference when I don’t take it. It gives me more energy, I’m a totally different POSITIVE person basically- ha! That seems really dramatic, but seriously you can ask my husband and he will admit it makes a huge difference in my attitude/mood!
I hope that this post was helpful to y’all! Don’t worry, I didn’t forget the CUTE CUTE CUTE workout clothes! Keep scrolling to see some of my favorites! Have a wonderful weekend, y’all!
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Since we are all sitting around the house right now, I figured it would be beneficial for me to share some affordable workout clothes that can double as your work from home uniform! I’ve been living in my workout leggings because I feel like I’m so much more active when I don’t wear sweatpants all day. I’ve shared some of these items with you before like these $30 leopard leggings and this cute crop top, but most of these are new finds! I LOVE this ribbed leggings and sports bra set and it’s only $25 for both pieces! I also linked up my favorite running shoes which are also great for HIIT workouts at home. Come back tomorrow and I’ll be sharing at home workout equipment that’s all available on Amazon!