To Workout…or Not (Plus a smoothie recipe!)

I’ve been pretty busy the past couple of weeks: working, travelling, creating our container garden, going to summertime functions, and trying to keep life somewhat organized. The time just seems to escape and I find myself wrestling in the morning with whether I should stay in bed or get up to work out. The old me would force myself out of bed even if I knew I was sleep deprived. Now, I believe that if I feel tired, then I NEED to sleep! Normally, when I feel this way (and I’m referring to being legitimately exhausted, not lazy) I go ahead and catch another hour or so of sleep. I don’t always have the luxury to do this, as I know many of you don’t either, but I’m becoming much more aware of my body’s sleep requirements and if I don’t get my 8-9 hours of sleep every night I end up dragging all day long. Over the past couple of weeks I’ve been especially tired and, unfortunately, have neglected my strength training workout which in turn has made me feel incredibly guilty.

My Take on Working Out

Working out successfully has a lot to do with attitude. I’ve finally learned this after years and years of feeling like I’m not good enough to participate in any sort of athletic activity, fun or otherwise. After skipping strength training for about a week, I told Dave I felt terrible for not sticking to my self-imposed schedule. I figured he would agree with me, but instead he told me not to add unneeded stress to my life by feeling guilty about something like that, and when I had the time and energy to get back to the gym then I would. With all the other changes I’ve made in my life, his advice just seemed to click and completely make sense. The hardest part about this journey has been learning how to take it a little easier on myself, and let me tell you that’s not easy for a perfectionist! One of the keys to leading a content life (in my opinion) is to mentally stay in the game by reducing stress, relaxing, and finding happiness. For me, diet is also vital to my well-being and is something I have rarely compromised in the past six months, and I certainly don’t plan to change that anytime soon. Working out is important too, but it’s not something I will put before sleep, relaxation, or proper diet. Last Friday, I was going on two weeks of missing my gym time, but in the mean time I continued to do my daily walking combined with some very light weights and yoga at home. Although I had to train myself to stop feeling guilty for “skipping” my gym workouts, I was still very excited to get back into the gym last Friday afternoon.

I’m no fitness guru, but I have been reading a lot lately about working out and I love the new perspective I’m getting. Personally, I’ve never enjoyed working out in a gym. First off, I’ve always felt a little self-conscious in that type of setting. Second, I feel so confined, trapped, and unnatural. Third, how can running on a treadmill be fun for anyone? Over the years I’ve tried several different workouts including Pilates, yoga, and aerobics classes. None of them seemed to be a good fit for me and so I’ve always felt kind of like a slacker in the athletic world. I think a lot of people would share the idea with me that many athletic programs have some sort of unrealistic expectation attached, making it very difficult for the average Joe to stay in the game, much less feel good about their progress. I’ve always done a good amount of brisk walking along with some light weight training and stretching at home, but never really felt like it was a “workout” in the sense that I was sweating, out of breath or doing those activities with any sort of regularity. Shortly after discovering the paleo lifestyle, I was introduced to cross-fit and more primal ways of working out. I realized that maybe my self-guided workout plan wasn’t so bad after all, and with a little tweaking I feel like I have a great workout in place.

My Workout Routine

Each week, Dave and I try to get into the gym for about two hours of strength training. This usually ends up being two or three days in the gym. We completely bypass the treadmills, elipticals, and most of the more specialized weight machines. I like my work out to be as natural as possible and usually focus on resistance exercises or weight training using dumbbells. Currently, I’m not quite strong enough to do a “real” dead lift and can barely do a squat with the bar, but I hope to be there soon! In addition to strength training, we try to walk 30 minutes to an hour every day. Sometimes we add some jogging or even sprinting, depending on energy levels. I also enjoy having some quiet yoga/stretching time at home for about 15 minutes every day.

As you can see, this is not an intense workout by any means. The most I ever go to the gym is three days a week, usually two, and the rest of my exercise is done outside or at home. I really believe it’s important to mimic how our ancestors got their “exercise” since they are the ones who were able to reproduce successfully for so many years to get us all here! They must have been doing something right. Forcing yourself to wake up at 5:00 am to run on a treadmill and then go sit at a desk all day just seems so unnatural and is probably not a great thing to do to the body (For the record, I’m not referring to elite athletes or people who actually enjoy these activities). I KNOW there are better ways to get in shape and be healthy, especially for people who lead very busy lives. So, don’t forget that the best ways to workout are often the most simple!

Book and Website Recommendations

If you haven’t checked out the book Everyday Paleo by Sarah Fragoso, I highly recommend it not only for the awesome recipes, but there’s also a fairly large section devoted to simple workouts for people of all walks of life. Sarah is a Cross Fit instructor, wife, mother and blogger and has a great take on easily incorporating exercise into daily activities. Also, check out Mark's Daily Apple for some great primal exercise ideas. If you’re struggling with getting to the gym, try setting up your own workouts at home on your own time. There are tons of great resistance exercises that can be done at home, the park, the gym, and anywhere else for that matter. With all the health and wellness information out there, it’s hard to figure out what’s best for YOU, but I would encourage everyone to find their own balance, whatever that may be.

Smoothie Energy Drink
I think smoothies are a staple for a lot of people on-the-go and especially athletic types. I have smoothies a couple times a week as breakfast or for a post-workout snack. There are plenty of smoothie recipes out there, and part of the joy of making smoothies at home is that you can throw anything you like into the blender! Below is my favorite, basic smoothie recipe. The sweetness of the fruit combined with the creaminess of the yogurt and coconut milk makes this smoothie delicious without adding any extra sugar. However, if it’s still not quite sweet enough for your taste, you can always add a few drops of honey or a couple more pieces of fruit. Of course, this is only a basic recipe so feel free to add whatever you like to your smoothie!

Note: I have more of an artistic approach to cooking, and usually keep adding things until I find just the right combination and later realize I didn’t write any of it down! I’m trying to get in the habit of measuring my ingredients so I can better share with all of you :).

1 cup full fat coconut milk
¼ cup whole milk plain yogurt*
1 banana
¼ cup blueberries
1 tbsp nut butter
¼- ½ tsp cinnamon, depending on taste
1 raw egg yolk, optional

*If you're dairy-free, omit the yogurt and increase the coconut milk to 1 and 1/4 cups.

Blend together and drink immediately. Makes one serving.