Friday, July 23, 2010

Friend Friday: Fitness

To see what all the other Friend Friday bloggers are writing about fitness, visit Katy's blog and check the links!

1. When you hear the word Fitness what do you think?
Sweat. Strength. Health. Vitality. Energy.

2. Do you have a workout routine? What's your favorite way to workout?
I work out at home.  When I was in the process of losing the baby weight, my routine consisted of walking for 30 minutes in the gym at work during my 30-minute lunch break and twice weekly sessions with a personal trainer.  Now that I've been at my goal weight and I just want to maintain and tone up some more, I've been doing the Insanity workout.  I just don't have time to go to the gym (and I like to eat during my lunch time now!).  I wake up at 4:30AM Monday-Saturday so that I can exercise, shower and be ready for the day by 7AM to either leave for work or get my daughter up (she usually wakes at 7AM). Sundays are days off.  Sometimes I skip working out on Saturdays in favor of sleeping till 7AM!

Some of my other favorite workouts are The Firm (that's how I lost weight after I got married) and almost anything by Leslie Sansone (for days when I want to exercise but I need to take it easy). 

3. To you, what is the purpose of exercise?
To burn calories, tone and strengthen muscles.  To keep my heart strong.  To sweat. To breathe. To energize.  To stay healthy and become healthier. 

4. Do you think it is possible to be feminine and still work out?
I think to work out IS to be feminine.  Women are strong. Working out only reinforces that. I especially believe that women should strength train.

5. What do you think about the people who are workout obsessed? (You know those women at the gym who spend 4 hours working out and have more muscles than some men.) 
I think to each his (or her!) own...but there's more to life than exercise.  HIIT (high-intensity interval training) can accomplish as much and provide the same health benefits in a shorter amount of time.  For some people, exercise IS their life because they teach or they're weight-lifting competitors or whatnot. For those of us who don't make a living in the fitness industry, there needs to be a balance.  Too much exercise can counteract your efforts to reach your goals. The key is everything in moderation. 

Don't forget to check out the other Friend Friday bloggers' answers on their blogs!  Head to Katy's for the links.

9 comments:

  1. It's so good to find someone who agrees that women should strengh train, cool answers :)

    And I second that HIIT is awesome!

    Di ♥

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  2. Amen, amen, amen, sistah!


    ♥ V

    http://www.gritandglamour.com

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  3. Thanks for this post! Mentioned you today, btw- before I even read this!

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  4. Totally agree, and yet another reminder to self that I need to consistently work out more!

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  5. So true, Everything in moderation!

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  6. Dianne - AMEN for strength training! It really does wonders and I wish more women grasped that concept.

    V - AMEN! :)

    Sadie's Momma - You are SO sweet! I'm behind on my blog reading so I hadn't even seen it yet - but I just did and commented. Thank you!

    Sarah - thanks! :)

    Lisa - consistency is key! But so is moderation.

    Katy - even cake! Which is what I'm eating right now. :)

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  7. I have been working out with The Firm and Leslie Sansone for years and I still find the videos challenging.

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  8. TJ - The Firm videos still kick my butt a lot of the time! They just don't make me drip sweat like Insanity does, but they give me a great workout that is challenging and I'm usually sore afterward (which I think is a great feeling, does that make me weird?). The Leslie Sansone DVDs are a little bit easier because they're low impact, they just don't get my heart rate up as much. I love them both though!

    Elle - thanks for reading! :) I've been hoping this subject would come up on Friend Friday for a while. It's interesting to hear what everyone thinks.

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