Welcome to my first “Jaye’s Anatomy” blog post! 🙂  (Corny title, but hey, it’s catchy!)  Once a month, I’m going to do a post that will give you a peek into my personal life.  It will be anything from what brands I love, television shows I watch, what I’m reading or working on, about my family, just a little something on “what makes up Jaye.”

I got this idea from another blog (one of my favorites) that I follow.  I’m so surprised at what I learn from people’s blogs, specifically about their personal experiences.  Anything from housekeeping stuff, cooking, baking, parenting, or about fitness.  If reading this helps anyone learn something new, then my writing would have served a purpose.

Today I’m sharing my fitness routine.  First, I want to say that I am NOT a professional fitness person.  I have no expert knowledge on any specific discipline, if anything, I’m profoundly average!  I’m merely sharing my personal experience on stuff that I’ve tried and what works for me.   Fitness is such an important part of my life, it’s not about a desire to look a certain way or be a certain number, it’s simply about being healthy and FEELING good.  Anyone who’s active in their fitness journey can attest to the fact that Fitness is like “the gift that keeps on giving.”  <<– One of my best friends Lori shared that idea with me, and it’s been my mantra ever since.  When you’re physically fit, you’re more mentally fit, and when you’re mentally fit, you’re more spiritually fit, you’re a better mom, or a better wife, a better student or employee (not necessarily in that order), and it just goes on and on!  All I’m trying to be is the best version of myself.

So, here’s my fitness routine:

Monday: I do a group fitness class called Body Pump, it’s my favorite class.  It’s a full body, strength training class that gets you lean and toned.  I love this class because it isn’t about how much weight you can lift or squat, but more about the reps.  One full session consists of around 800 repetitions, and you burn a ton of calories.

This is what a Body Pump class might look like, and this picture shows why I love it.

Let me let you in on a little secret, I’m really not that motivated.  Showing up to a class is the extent of my motivation.  When I get to class, I get more motivated by the people, the instructor, the music.   So, since I’m already there, then I’ll do the work!  No one wants to be the one at the gym who showed up to a class then half asses everything, if I show up, I might as well use my full ass, lol! 🙂

Tuesday: Cardio!  On Tuesday I’ll do a short run (3-4 miles).  Lately, I’ve been running on a treadmill because of the heat and humidity, but I’ll be back outside soon!

Wednesday: Cardio and PiYo.  I start Wednesdays with a 2-3 mile warm-up run, followed by a PiYo class.  I discovered PiYo about a month ago, it’s awesome!  It’s a fusion of Pilates and Yoga, and I’ve found that doing this instead of Body Pump twice a week has helped with my knee issues.  It’s low impact, high intensity and such a challenge (I was dripping with sweat)!  If you want a class where you’re constantly moving and using all your muscles, try this!  PiYo builds strength, flexibility and has the Yoga benefits of stretching, in one class.

This is what a PiYo class might look like.

Listen, when you click on the links for Body Pump or PiYo, you’re going to see some extremely fit and sculpted people.  It’s intimidating, but a real class will have real people of all ages, shapes and sizes.  The classes I go to are for all fitness levels, and what I love most about classes is that I’m joining a group of like-minded people, with similar goals, it’s an environment conducive to accomplishing those goals, because “success breeds success!”

Thursdays and Sundays are my rest days.  Rest is just as important as working out, sometimes when I’m lazy, rest is the thing that motivates me to get the workout done!

Friday: Cardio or PiYo or both!

Saturday: Saturdays I work out with Jeremy and Dean, it’s our “long run” day.  Jeremy will probably run 8 miles, I’ll run like 4.5 in the same amount of time, then we’ll do abs or another body part.  Remember what I said about like-minded people and success breeds success?  I’m lucky to have a partner (and friends) that share the same passion for being fit and healthy, it makes it so much easier to stay on track!  A bonus?  When we go to the gym, Dean wants to come too, we’re showing him how to take care of himself by example (The gift that keeps on giving!).

That’s what my weekly work out routine looks like.  Some might say, they simply don’t have time to work out.  I get it, we all have different things to fill our time with: jobs, kids, homework, etc.  It’s hard.  But…everyone has the same amount of time, we all get 24 hours a day!  We have to SET (not make or find time, *set*) time to spend on ourselves, 30 minutes or one hour, walk, run, whatever, make time for yourself!

Again, I’m not an expert on fitness, just sharing a piece of my journey, paying forward the same thing I’ve gotten from others, it’s a cycle… “The gift that keeps on giving!”