Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Wild Workout Wednesday + An Update on Life + A Total Body Circuit Workout


It's Wild Workout Wednesday Link Up time!  Each week I link up with Annmarie from The Fit Foodie Mama, Amber from Coleman Fitness and Sarah from Creating A Better Tomorrow to bring you guys a fun link up filled with motivation, workouts, recipes and much more.  Please feel free to link up and join the party, if you don't have a post to share grab your coffee and get ready for some great blog reading!


Sorry I missed you guys last week...if you can believe it I had something else going on with my health, so I was out getting somethings to get my health back on track.  I am happy to say that I finally think that I have it figured out.  I think, fingers crossed, I will have missed my last Wild Workout Wednesday Link up due to health related issues!


 As you know I have been getting sick quite a bit this year, bummer I know!  I got the flu that was going around in April and since then it has been an uphill battle.  I got the flu a second time, then a sinus infection.  I felt like a hot mess and was so sick of being sick!  I went to go see a functional medicine doctor, he is an MD, but works with supplements and natural remedies to help get you to your optimum state of wellness.  Since I was definitely not in my optimum state of wellness I decided to see what he could help with.  The great part is since he is an MD he is covered by my insurance.  I went in for an appointment two Friday's ago to get some blood work done and to see what he thought was going on.  We sat and talked for a little bit and he asked me a ton of questions, and before we even got to the live blood analysis he had an idea of what was going on.  The live blood analysis was really cool, they pricked my finger and then looked at it under a microscope!  Right off the bat he said that I had yeast in my blood, which is a sign of candida overgrowth, most likely from the anti-biotics I had to take for the sinus infection.  This can also cause a leaky gut, and with that comes inflammation, and then my immune system goes into overdrive because of the invaders of food that is getting out of my gut lining.  He also said it looked like I had a little adrenal fatigue.  Because of what was going on with my gut coupled with the fact that I haven't been able to lose weight he suggested the Paleo diet to help get my digestion back on track, so I have been back on Paleo since my appointment.  He also gave me some supplements, a 4 point salivary test to do at home and send in and I scheduled my follow up appointment.  I was feeling great, hoping that once he got all the blood work back he going narrow down as to what was going on.

Low and behold Tuesday at 3:00 am I woke up to a raging ear ache and my throat hurt so bad I could barely swallow!  I seriously was in denial that I could be getting sick, AGAIN!!  I was so close to going to urgent care, but I knew all they could do was give me pain meds and some more anti-biotics and I would be starting from square one.  I decided to get some of my essential oils and mix something up to dull the pain so I could get some sleep.  My mix of tea tree and frankincense did the trick and I was able to sleep for the rest of the night.  In the morning I called my functional doctors office to see if I could get it, I knew it was a long shot as he is booked up months in advance (I happened to get in quickly on a cancellation).  However, I told the receptionist what was going on and if he could recommend something to get rid of this naturally, without further damaging my gut I was working hard to repair.  A few hours later I heard back and headed in to pick up the supplements and something called liquid silver to help with what was going on.  I have been diligent about my eating, getting right back on Paleo, since I have done it before I knew what to do, cut out sugar, added some low impact days to my workout week including walking and yoga, have been taking my supplements regularly, drinking at least 2 liters of water daily, and have been getting 7-8 hours of sleep each night.

 I am so happy to say that my ear cleared up and my throat no longer hurts at all.  I am feeling so much better, from a combination of eating Paleo and the supplements.  My digestion has improved, my skin looks really healthy, my energy is soaring, I am sleeping great and waking up feeling rested.  I go back in a few weeks for the results of my blood work and I can't wait to see what he says, I will be sure to keep you updated!  I also can't wait for another live blood analysis to see if any of the yeast has cleared up.  I know that I am finally on my path to optimum wellness.  I will again feel healthy, like I usually do!  It has been an unusual year for me, and it all started with the flu I got in the beginning of April.  If you have been getting sick a lot like I had been, I suggest that you find someone like the functional doctor that I saw, he is working with my body to get me back to my happy, healthy self!


I have still been getting my workouts in, and like I said I added walking and yoga into the mix for some lower impact activity.  I am taking it a little easy with the HIIT, for now, until I am sure that my immune system is back up to par!  However I am still getting my lifting in, and I love to do circuits.  Here is one of my favorite total body circuit workouts.  Remember, I am a personal trainer, but not your personal trainer.  Please consult with your physician before starting any new exercise regime.



Now it's time to link up!  Be sure to link back to your hostesses and follow in any way you can.
We are happy to have you!

Meet your Wild Workout Wednesday hostesses:

 


Annmarie at The Fit Foodie Mama // Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // Pinterest // Google +

Sarah at Creating A Better Tomorrow // Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // Pinterest 

Amber at Coleman Fit // Facebook // Twitter // Instagram  // Pinterest


Thanks for stopping by today!  Have a wonderfully fit and happy day! 

 

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Wild Workout Wednesday + No Equipment Total Body Tabata Workout


Happy Wild Workout Wednesday!  We are so happy to have you join us.  Each week I team up with Annmarie from The Fit Foodie Mama, Amber from Coleman Fit and Sarah from Creating A Better Tomorrow to bring you a fun linkup full of workouts, recipes, workouts, motivation and much more.  Be sure to check out each of the hostesses and follow in anyway you can.  If you are also a blogger with a fitness or healthy living post we would love to have you link up.  Otherwise, grab your cup of coffee or tea and sit back and find some great blogs to read!  Thanks for stopping by!

How has your week been?  I have been busy, and haven't had tons of extra time to blog.  I am trying to get on here more, but I at least like to check in for Wild Workout Wednesday!  Since last week, I have been able to get all my workouts in and I have been feeling so consistent with my workouts and nutrition.  I am trying to get 4 days of lifting in and 2 other days of HIIT/Tababa workouts in.  I was hoping that the weather would be consistently warm by now so I could get outside for some jogging and walking, but it has been so up and down.  Hopefully the warm weather will be here to stay soon!! Until then I am getting my workouts in at home in my gym.


This weekend we went up north.  My husbands family has a cabin up there so we went for a little R&R.    Since we were staying in a cabin with a fridge and stove I was able to pack food to take with us to cook as well as lots of healthy snacks.  It is so easy when you go away for the weekend to get off track with your nutrition and workouts.  One of the things that I have learned is that when healthy eating and exercise becomes a way of life, you just do the things you need to do so you have healthy food available and workout with what you have where you are.  I FEEL so great when I am eating fresh nutritious food and working out regularly that it is just a way of life now.  I am not on a diet, I am just working to reach my goal weight, and live a happy, healthy & balanced life.  I really do wish the same for you as well.  It is so great when healthy living just becomes a part of life.  One of the reason I love being a personal trainer is helping people find their love of fitness and healthy balanced eating.  I am working on getting some exercise movement photos so I can put together a few e-books to share, stay tuned for that!


If you have been reading my blog for a while you know that I love HIIT and tabtata workouts.  They are a great way to get your cardio in quickly, but effectively!  Research has shown that these types of workouts help to burn fat, but also help build muscle as well.  Long bouts of steady state cardio can break down muscle, so if building more muscle is your goal the best cardio for you in HIIT, high intensity interval training.  Tabata is one method of this type of training.  It's awesome because it can be done with little to no equipment, all you really need is an interval timer, or app on your phone.  Today I wanted to share the tabata workout I did up north, it was quick, but left be sore, breathless and quite sweaty!  Remember even though I am a personal trainer, I am not your personal trainer.  Be sure to check with your physician before starting a new exercise program, and consult a professional personal trainer to get the form/moves correct.  I want you to get fit, but be safe and smart about it!


  Meet your Wild Workout Wednesday hostesses:

 


Now it is time for the Wild Workout Wednesday Link up!  Be sure to check out the rules page for linking up and be sure to link back to each of your hostesses!  I hope that you have a wonderful day!  Get moving, eat healthy, drink lots of water and stay positive!!



Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Wild Workout Wednesday + Chest and Arms Circuit Workout





Happy Wild Workout Wednesday!  I am so excited to share some fun news with you all, we have a new member of the Wild Workout Wednesday Link Up Crew...Sarah from Creating A Better Tomorrow has joined Annemarie from The Fit Foodie Mama, Amber from Coleman Fitness and myself as a blogger for the weekly linkup.  We were sad to see Upala go, but she decided she didn't have the time to consistently write and share for the link up, but we hope she will join us when she blogs.  If you have a fitness or healthy living post we would love to have you link up and share too!  We will return the love with tweets, posts and pins!  It is fun reading all the weekly posts and getting to know everyone.  Don't worry if you don't have a post to link up, just sit back and get ready to read some awesome posts about motivation, workouts, recipes and so much more!  Thanks for joining us and we hope to see you every week for the Wild Workout Wednesday Link Up.

I am sorry that I missed you all last week.  You won't even believe it, but I got the flu (again!) and if that isn't bad enough it turned into a sinus infection, so to say I am a hot mess is a total understatement.  The good news is I am on the mend and feeling so much better.  It has been ages since I have had to take medicine for anything, but whatever was going around was wicked!  After I am off my anti-biotic I am going to be working hard to reset my gut and start building up my immunity again.  It was such a bummer because I was just getting back in my groove with working out and eating healthy and BAM...the flu bug took me down again.  I wasn't able to do my 5k training and I even missed my 5k.  I wasn't feeling good and had just started my anti-biotic so I didn't want to overdo it.  I was really down about it, seeing as I walk to honor my friend I lost to suicide and the race is to grow awareness for mental health awareness and suicide prevention and also raises funds for research and prevention measures as well.  My friend, Stacie, had a great idea though, she said to pick another 5k, and race that one in honor of my friend Julia.  I think I will do just that!  As soon as I am back to my normal healthy self I will get back to my Couch to 5k training and run my 5k!  I just started back to lifting today, and it felt so good to be active again after laying around all week!  

Now on to a workout!  Today I did a chest and arm circuit workout and it was quick and effective.  My little workout partner was excited to be back in the gym too.  She even wanted to flex with me today.  If you can see in my mirror I wrote my fitness affirmation "I am fit, healthy, disciplined and strong."  This comes from the Oola Life principles.  I love that I can see it during my workout and it keeps me working hard!  Here is my workout for today.  Just a note, I am a CPT, however I wrote this workout for me.  If you want to try it be sure you are cleared for exercise by your physician.  Enjoy!


Click to Tweet this workout:     Tweet: Get your arms tank top ready with this circuit workout: http://ctt.ec/shbq_+  #wildworkoutwednesday #fitfluential #sweatpink
I also want to thank everyone who entered the #SpringFeverFitness Giveaway.  We did choose our lucky winner last week and she has been notified.  Her prizes are on the way to her!  It was a lot of fun and I am working on some giveaways for the coming months.

If you have a post to link up please do!  Make sure to check out the linkup page for the "rules" and be sure to link back to all of your Wild Workout Wednesday Hostesses!  Thanks for joining!