Astronomer - Physicist - Software Engineer - Educator - Graphic & Web Designer - Advocate
I am very passionate about health and fitness for all. Mind you, ice cream and sweets are definitely a main food group in my life so I've always had to love the science behind working out (and a little about dieting).
First, I think it is a mindset. You cannot deprive yourself of things you want and you should not treat yourself for doing something you should always do (like exercising). You need to make time for yourself (something I wish I did for my own sanity in college). Think of working out as something you do daily (like showering) or something that you want to not be wasting money on. If you pay for a gym membership, tell yourself you need to go 10 times a month to make it worth the cash you spend. Also, tell yourself you need to go 6 times a week, not 3, and at least give 5 minutes before bed for relaxing and stretching. Exercise is an act of self-love and self-care. You need to invest in yourself, time and effort.
Second, do something that is fun for you. If you hate running, like myself, then find something interesting (you can do this as many times are you want). For me it was boxing, then salsa dancing, then yoga, then cycling. I always come back to cycling because of the music. You can listen to new music and when you hear a fast chorus, sprint as fast as you can, then when you hear a slow work-up beat, raise the resistance and stand up for as long as that goes. By the time you listen to 10 songs, you are well over the 30 minutes you were dreading of cardio.
Third, remember anything helps and all movement counts! I have an app that some days makes me only do 5 minutes but if I still only do 5 minutes a day, that will greatly improve my strength.
Below, I want to share with you some of my favorite videos, apps, playlists, and workout sheets.
Please let me know if you want a schedule, set and reps list, or anything else!
The best app that I have used is the 30 Day Fitness Challenge, click the button on the left to see download information (free with ads). You can work out a little bit daily (it has built in Rest Days) and work up slowly if you are a beginner. Every day you can learn new exercises for each area of your body.
Pros: Tracks your progress, teaches you new moves, shows you how you do each move
Cons: Cannot skip days (bad if you want to repeat days or get a new device), does not show you which muscles it works (only the area of the body)
If you want to try yoga and don't feel comfortable going to a studio or paying for it, try Yoga with Adriene. She is very sweet, makes you feel comfortable, and encourages self-love and patience (something I don't have). Below is one of her starter videos, click here for her page.
Remember, bad form can lead to serious injuries so you may want to have someone watch you or go to a studio a few times.
For cycling, I would definitely recommend trying a class, just to get the rhythm of how to cycle to music. To the right, click for my personal cycling playlist (I skip songs a lot depending on the day). Here is a link to some great cycling playlists, depending on your music taste.
Best song for climbing: Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes
Best song for sprinting: Clocks by Coldplay
If you want fast results and are willing to work hard, I would pay for P90X. It really does work.
If you want to do some of these workouts on the sheets below, remember to do them slowly and with good form to avoid injury.
If you want to do a gym routine, please contact me for more personalized information. I firmly believe doing circuit strength training is best and should always be done before cardio. I believe in mixing up cardio: dancing, elliptical, running, cycling, boxing, HIIT, etc. for different days. Also, check out some of Sweat with Kayla workouts.
Almost all workouts shown can be done with or without weights.