Life As Mama is so excited to partner with Katie Dunlop of Love Sweat Fitness to bring you some amazing fitness tips. As moms, our health can sometimes take a back seat to our kids, schedules and overall busy lives. We can come up with tons of reasons why we can’t exercise, but our families need us and they need us for years to come. Katie is going to share a little bit about her journey and ways you can start an easy fitness routine, but more importantly, how to stick to it!
Without further adieu, we welcome Katie!
Taking the first step is the hardest part. Whether you’re a new mom, starting a new career or just busy with life, finding time to workout can feel like one more thing you need to add to your “to do” list.
Most people think that working out means spending hours in the gym doing boring exercises or cardio. That’s precious time you don’t want to give up and I guarantee you, you don’t need to see results.
Starting a new fitness routine is much easier than it may seem. Spending even just a few minutes each day day getting your sweat on will relive stress, increase energy and help you feel stronger and more motivated to take on life’s toughest challenges.
Getting Started
Love Sweat Fitness is all about sharing workouts that are FUN, fast and super effective. There is no magic workout routine that is a must to get results. It truly comes down to finding activities you enjoy doing. If you don’t enjoy it, you won’t stick with it. The goal is to find things that you can do consistently over time that challenge you, but also allow you to feel confidant in doing so.
Even if you only have 5 minutes to workout, it IS worth it! Find ways to add exercises into your day where and when you can…every little bit makes a difference if you stick to it. Once you start to feel and see the impact those 5 minutes are having, you’ll easily want to make it 10 or 20.
Easy Ways to Add in Exercises:
- Squats or lunges while you cook dinner
- 5 minute ab workout before bed
- Seated exercises like these at your desk
One of the hardest parts for most women is getting motivated to start a new routine. I know it can be challenging, but I have a few simple tips to help you get, and stay, motivated so that your new healthy habits will last.
Set Your Goals
It’s important to have big goals that you will achieve over time, but creating smaller goals is even more motivational. Those small goals are what keeps you going and allows you to enjoy the journey. Put together a list with your #1 goal at the top, followed by a bunch of smaller goals below.
For example:
Big Goal: Change my lifestyle to be more active and each healthy and to Lose 15-20 lbs.
Smaller Goals: Work out 5 times each week consistently, Do a sugar detox, Replace all the junk food in your cabinets with healthy nutritious snacks. Cut down on the cocktails, etc.
Having smaller goals that help you achieve your big ones will give you reasons to celebrate along the way which gives you motivation to keep going!
Have a plan
Goals are great, but having a plan will keep you motivated to make them happen! You can 100% find ways to incorporate exercise and healthy eating into your day, but sometimes figure out how to do that can be just as much work. The Love Sweat Fitness Hot Body Sweat Guide & Meal Plan takes all the guess work out of improving your lifestyle. With 30 minute at-home workouts and delicious daily meals all laid out, you can’t go wrong! I created the Hot Body Guides to make is easy for ANYONE to do ANYWHERE. The guides are simple, straight-forward and perfect for anyone who wants to create a healthier lifestyle, see results and still enjoy life.
Having gone through my own 45lb weight loss transformation, I know that if you want it to truly be a lifestyle change, you need to find workouts and meals that work for YOU! The best exercises in the world won’t make a difference if you don’t do them. The LSF plan makes it so you can easily incorporate these new healthy habits into your day and see serious change.
If you’re ready to dive into a new, healthier version of you, write down your goals, have a plan and remember, good things come to those who sweat!
Author Bio
Katie Dunlop is a Certified Personal Trainer (NCCPT), group fitness instructor and entrepreneur based in Orange County, California. She is the creator of Love Sweat Fitness, a health and fitness community that inspires women around the world to find their happy, healthy hot body! The LSF YouTube channel has over 4 million views and 100,000+ subscribers.