The Struggle Is Real

It’s no secret that I love to workout. Some people may even call it an obsession and I’m okay with that. The truth is that I typically workout at least twice a day and if I could figure out a way to fit more workouts in, I definitely would. See, there are these magical little things called endorphins that I am addicted to and I have a hard time functioning without them. Lately, my schedule has been insane and trying to find time to fit in a workout has been tough to say the least. Most days, the struggle to squeeze a workout into an already jam packed day is overwhelming.  I’ve been resorting to setting my alarm earlier and earlier every morning which means my day typically begins with a long sigh, quite a few presses of the snooze button and my brain desperately trying to come up with a reason why I should skip my workout. I hate feeling like exercise is just another thing on my to-do list but I’m not going to lie, lately the struggle is real!!! However, there has never been a day…not even one…that I regret getting up and getting my work out in. Never. The magical thing about exercise is that it doesn’t just change your body; it changes your mind, your attitude and your mood. A good workout gives you energy to power through your day and can serve as therapy when you need to sort out your thoughts. Studies have shown that even a simple ten minute walk can immediately boost your brain chemistry to increase happiness. Do something. Move your body. Quit making excuses. Get up, show up and get it done…and while you are at it, keep in mind that I am out here struggling to get my workout in too. We can do this! I want to challenge you to commit to a minimum of three 30 minute workouts this week. I don’t care what you do, how you do it or when you make it happen…just do it! Then come back here and tell me about it because I could use the motivation too!

Visit us: Sisters Real Life Fitness

Monday Moves

Good Morning to Monday.

That greeting sounds much cheerier then I have any right to be right now. I am exhausted from simply too much fun and a really long road trip. 18 hours of driving between 2pm Fri and 7pm Sunday. This girl is tired! 

I wanted to wake up and write a lovely blog highlighting a Move for Monday to get your week started off, but the only move I want to do is back to my bed and throw the covers over my head because it is COLD in SC. It was cold in VA all weekend and after spending the last year in FL I can't take this bone chilling coldness. My muscles are sore from being cold. 

But with a loud Hell No we won't stop moving ( and because it helps keep me warm! ). I want to present you with your first of many #mondaymoves

JUMPING JACKS

This move is one you've probably done more times then you can count, and I picked it because it is one of Stacy's all time favorites. I'm not making that up she really loves these. There was a time when every other week Stacy would text our younger sister and I workouts for the next two weeks. There were ALWAYS jumping jacks in there. Like hundreds and hundreds of them. Seriously HUNDREDS!

So in honor of Stacy making me not mind Jumping jacks I challenge you to find a way to challenge yourself with Jumping Jacks this week, A few brilliant ideas that have popped in my head.

*Every hour stand up at your desk or where ever and do 50

*Every time you say I'm cold do 25

*See how many you can do in a minute and try to beat it every day this week

*100 before you eat something

*Moving Jumping Jacks to get up and down the hallways

want more? I could go on! 

I'm taking on the minute challenge and will hopefully beat myself every day because I'm just a little competitive. I hope you'll join me and share what your challenge was.

Happy Monday, Stay warm, keep moving and get those jumping jacks done! 

~Amy

1 week no sugar and a really sweet treat

Hello from my new island home

Seriously I am standing it what used to be the end of a parking lot, it starts over by the far trees. This flooding was nothing I expected but trying to make the best of it. Trying to see the beauty in it....

I mean this looks like it would be some beautiful river front spot and now it's in my parking lot. #winning

I am extremely thankful it hasn't been worse then it was and am so sad for so many people who have had to abandon their homes and lost so much. 

Trying to enjoy extra time home with my kids and keeping them busy with some school work, playing, and some fun exercise. We've danced and yogad almost every day among other fun activities. Although doing yoga with my children may have been the most stressful thing ever! Cat and Cow some how turned into full on barn animal sounds that just didn't stop. 

Somehow we survived.

Today marks 1 week no sugar and I am happy to report we are succeeding. 

The first few days were rough as expected, but everyone seems to be doing well and I have heard no complaints. I've chatted with some of the people who are on this journey with us and found their situations similar. Mostly they miss chocolate. So this got me thinking what can we have that keeps us off the sugar but provides that chocolate we are all wanting....

NICE CREAM to the rescue!

Now since I had never made nice cream before and we were stuck in our house with whatever we had I made the best of my situation and made a very basic nice cream

Frozen Bananas, Vanilla, and some Almond Milk. 

I started by adding a tbsp of Almond milk at a time until I had an creamy ice cream consistency.

Next I added in some coco powder and strawberries and blended a little bit more till the coco had mixed but I still had chunks of strawberries. 

We ate it right away and it was AMAZING! So good, it was gone before I could get any more pictures. 

As I said, this was a very basic recipe and now that I have had time to think about it I have SO many ideas to try out, so I will be reporting back. However I would love for you to please go make some. Try using a different type of milk, or different flavors and let me know. If you are already a nice cream pro and have some tips for me...Help a girl out!

~Amy 

A Soggy Saturday at Sky Zone

The forecast in Charleston today is absolutely ridiculous! Depending on which meteorologist you believe, we are expecting anywhere from 12-18 inches of rain. This additional rain is on top of what feels like weeks and weeks of nonstop thunderstorms, flash flooding and a real lack of sunshine. Which is why my beloved city currently looks like this:

To say that I am tired of rain and ready for all of this nonsense to be over is a major understatement. After having an incredibly difficult and stress filled week, all I really wanted to do this weekend is put on my sweat pants, pull the covers over my head and sleep until the rain went away. (Side note: I tend to be a little bit dramatic when it comes to bad weather.) However, I am really trying to be better at life and so instead of wallowing in my misery and sitting around on a soggy Saturday feeling sorry for myself, I decided to seize the day and head out for a new adventure. Lucky for me, I have a sister who is always up for an adventure and so the two of us jumped in our cars and drove very slowly and carefully to Sky Zone Charleston. The whole driving slowly and carefully thing was sort of forced upon us as the roads were slightly flooded but we managed to arrive safely.

(Photo credit to Amy because my death grip on the steering wheel means no pictures were coming from my phone.) We arrived at Sky Zone Charleston in Mount Pleasant which is advertised as, "the world’s first indoor trampoline park...the inventors of “fun fitness” and the makers of trampolines as far as the eye can see. We give you one of the greatest workouts ever combined with awesome, healthy fun."

Amy and I had heard about a class called Sky Robics which is a 60 minute low impact workout that combines advanced calisthenics, core exercises and strength building aerobics, all done on trampoline walled playing courts.

When I first heard about the class, the low impact part piqued my interest as I have been dealing with some pretty terrible hip and knee pain. I was definitely interested in seeing how my body would respond to this new activity and if the low impact claims were true. So, we signed a waiver, put on our special pink Sky Socks and made our way to the trampolines. For the next 60 minutes, our instructor (Jackie...who was super friendly, inviting and patient with my lack of trampoline skills) put us through a total body workout that included cardio, weights, core work, a little bit of dancing, plyometric drills, stretching and a whole lot of fun!

The hour seemed to fly by and before we knew it, Amy and I were done with class, covered in sweat and grinning from ear to ear. Of course, we took that opportunity to take a selfie because, why not!?! 

If you live in the Charleston area and are looking for a new type of workout, I would definitely recommend giving Sky Robics a try. We had a blast, my hip and knees were free from pain and it was a wonderful way to spend a soggy Saturday with my sister. 

And now that my workout is out of the way, I'm putting on my sweat pants and taking a nap. It's all about balance people! Enjoy your weekend!