My Fitness Journey Pt. 4 + My Current Fitness Routine

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sports bra // shorts // tennis shoes (wearing a mens size  5.5) // choker necklace // cross necklace // apple watch

Welcome Back Cuties!

I hope you all are having a great week so far!

This is a long post, so I hope you either have a big cup of coffee or a big glass of wine by your side. This was a very vulnerable post for me to write, so I really hope you enjoy it!

If you’re just here to see my current fitness routine though – scroll all the way down to the bottom to find it!

**NOTE**

If you haven’t read my previous Fitness Journey posts, you can do so below!

(My Fitness Journey Pt. 1 // My Fitness Journey Pt. 2 // My Fitness Journey Pt.3)

In the past year or so, I have been asked so many times to write Part 4 of My Fitness Journey. I’ve jotted notes down and have thought a lot about what I wanted to say but in all actuality, I’ve been avoiding having to sit down and write it like the plague.

Maybe it’s because a part of me hoped that my fitness journey was over for the most part when I ended Pt. 3…. or maybe I thought that I had figured it all out and that there wouldn’t ever be a reason for me to have to write another one.

The truth is though, the past year or so, I haven’t been 100% happy with where I have been in my journey. Between taking the blog full time, learning to work from home, stress, family and health issues (Sorry – I know you guys hate it when I’m vague like that, but please know that not every story is mine to tell) and also enjoying my first year of marriage…. I have gained a little bit of weight and its hit me harder than I ever thought it would. At times, I’ve felt like a failure and a hypocrite. Like here I was, sharing all of this fitness motivation and advice to you guys…. yet, I was struggling so much.

When I ended Part 3 of My Fitness Journey in 2015, I was one year out of college, working my first job and had just started the blog. I was on a “fitness high” and in fantastic shape from completing Kayla Itsines Original BBG Program and I was preaching a whole lot of self-love and fitness inspiration. I claimed to have fully found “peace w/ my body” but the truth was…..and as much as I tried to tell myself differently, I was still obsessed with my weight and the scale. I was still weighing myself every morning, I was still counting every little thing I ate and the mere thought of missing a workout would make me cry. While there was some truth in that I had come a long way from where I was my junior/senior year in college when my body dysmorphia and obsession with fitness was at its worse …. I still wasn’t as at peace with myself as I was leading on.

So, what made me decide to write Part 4?

Well, a number of things… but it mainly has to do with all of you.

To break it down, it’s a mixture of…

1. Gaining weight, not being in the best place with myself and finally realizing where I’m at really isn’t that bad.
2. The ugly psychological truth of putting my life on social media and comparing myself to others.
3. How important it is for me to be as open, honest and transparent with you guys as possible.
4. The weekly direct messages I receive from readers on their own fitness journeys.
5. Realizing through my weight gain how much healthier I am physically, mentally and spiritually.
6. Actually re-reading my past Fitness Journey Posts for the first time since 2015 and seeing how far I really have come.
7. Just how f**ed up our society really is and how much pressure you guys also feel to look and be a certain way.

As I mentioned above, I’m not even going to try and sugar coat the fact that the past year in a half has been hard for me and I am 100% aware of the fact that overall, I have gained about 10-15 lbs since graduating from college. It is something that I have been dealing with internally but have been trying my hardest not to obsess over. I mean, I still eat clean and work out consistently, so it’s not like I haven’t continued to be healthy…. I’m just at a different stage in my journey.

It wasn’t until an innocent conversation with a sweet reader that really threw me for a loop and sent me towards a downward spiral. We were casually talking at a bar when she told me that she “loved following my blog because I was “so real” and because my body was achievable. I wasn’t over the top thin and how nice it was to see someone normal”. She was honestly SO SWEET and had nothing but good intentions w/ her statement… but for me, someone who has battled with their weight and body image issues their entire life…. hearing that was like getting a dagger to my heart. I immediately went home and called my mom and best friend in tears.

To me…. all that I heard her say was “you’re overweight and you shouldn’t be sharing fitness advice with anybody“. Which… isn’t AT ALL what she was saying…. but it is what I heard. 

From that point on, I don’t know how or why, but ever since that conversation, I have received a dm from a different reader, every week (if not more), telling me the exact same thing.  Most recently in regards to me posting photos of myself in swimsuits. Countless messages telling me what an “inspiration I am” and how “brave” I was for posting photos of my “normal body” in a bikini on the internet.

While it hurt at first, after 12+ months of continuously getting these messages, I started to see the bigger picture of it all and that’s when I decided it was time to write Part 4.

When you break it down and do the simple math, in the past year, I’ve had over 50 girls reach out to me about my weight. That’s 50+ girls who, at the end of the day, have felt so much pressure by our society to look a certain way, that they felt compelled and moved enough to reach out to me, a normal f***ing person, an average everyday gal, and to tell me that I’m an inspiration.

That is the part that has bothered me the most as of recently because let me tell you… I am not an inspiration. There are so many incredible, brave and stupendous women out there who have done way more than post an average bikini picture of themselves on Instagram.

The reason I think this has bothered me so much is because, when I post those photos, I don’t think I’m doing anything revolutionary. To me, it’s just my body. I don’t think I look big or small or average. I just see me…. and I don’t think I realized that everyone didn’t see themselves that way.

The more and more I sat on this, the more I realized that maybe my mindset and view of myself wasn’t as bad as I thought? Maybe I’d come farther along then I realized. I mean, would I hate to lose a few pounds?  Lol no…. I mean am only human(!!)… but then again, if I don’t, I’m okay with that too. I’m just at a point in my life where I’m not as fixated on the numbers on the scale as I once was. I mean, I eat healthy 80% of the time, but I also enjoy a cookie and a glass of red wine at night. I workout consistently 4-6x a week but if I can’t make it to the gym for one reason or another, I’m no longer beating myself up over it. I can have pizza with my husbands family on the beach without waking up in the middle of the night in tears over the calories I consumed and the craziest part is that I actually like the way that I look? When I look in the mirror, I don’t absolutely hate what I see, which is something I wouldn’t have been able to say 5 years ago when I was 100 lbs. Yeah, I’ve gained a little bit of weight, but it’s not keeping me from being happy or healthy. I still like to go on my weekly 3-4 mile run and I still make sure that I hit my daily 10,000 steps. My clothes still fit, my energy is still high and I’m overall happy with my body. If I ever gain so much weight that I couldn’t do anything of those things above that I love so much, then we might have a different problem… but as of right now, that’s not the case. The only difference I’ve noticed is that my face is just a little fuller than it once was and my boobs are a tad bit bigger too. So what?

This is the mindset I want to help each and every one of you achieve. 

It has nothing to do with size or weight loss, but instead with how you feel in your own skin. Helping you to become the healthiest and happiest version of yourself. Both physically and mentally.

My Current Workout Routine 

One thing I’ve really started to do this past year, that I didn’t really do before, has been taking the time to listen to my body and become more lenient in regards to my fitness regimen. Before, if I had “shoulders” written down for a certain day, I would do shoulders that day no matter what and no matter how I felt. Whereas now, if I have shoulders written down for that day but wake up feeling like I’d rather go for a run… then I’m going to go for that run.

I aim to workout 4-6x a week and a perfect week would be doing strength training 4x and doing straight cardio 1-2x. But like I said, it all depends on how I feel! The only things that I am very strict on and would count as my “non-negotiables” would be (1) hitting my 10,000 steps a day and (2) never going more than two days without a sweat sesh (3) always picking the healthiest option to eat when it’s available (4) only splurging (or cheating) on foods and experiences that are worth it.

My Strength Training Includes:

• Weight lifting workouts from Kayla Itsines SWEAT APP (I am currently doing the PWR Program and highly recommend it to anyone who is wanting to get into weight/strength training). Read more about it here!
• My own weight lifting circuits that I have picked up throughout the years.
• Pilates & Barre Classes at Equinox.
• Random weight lifting classes at Equinox (ex: the better butt class!)

My Cardio Includes:

• Outdoor running (3-4 miles)
• Spin Classes (My favorite studio in Houston is RYDE Riveroaks)
• My Trilogy Cardio Circuit (15min treadmill run + 20mins on the stair stepper + 5-10mins on the rowing machine)
• HIIT + LISS Treadmill Workout (HIIT: 30 seconds running as fast as I can, followed by a 30-second cooldown. I do this for 15mins.  LISS: 5min powerwalk + 10min jog…. repeat that 2x) Total: 45 min workout. 
• Random cardio class at Equinox (ex: The Cut! It’s like a kickboxing class but without the bags)

An Example Week Looks Like……

Monday: Legs (PWR Program) + 15mins Low Impact Cycling

Tuesday: Cardio (Outdoor Running or my HIIT + LISS Treadmill Workout)

Wednesday: A Pilates or Barre Class + 15-20mins on the Stair Stepper

Thursday: Back & Biceps (PWR Program) + 15-20min power walk

Friday: Chest & Triceps (PWR) + 15-20mins on the Stair Stepper

Saturday: Cardio! It’s normally spin, but it could also be an early morning outdoor run or The Cut Class (kickboxing) at Equinox or anything else!

Sunday: Rest / Go on a long walk with Colton and Bentley

Similar Posts You Will Enjoy 

• Beginners Tips for Getting Into Shape
• Current Health & Wellness Trends I’m Loving 
• What I Eat in a Day
• Random Tips On How to Avoid Bloating  
• 5 Tips For Staying Fit While On Vacation 
• How Walking Can Help Reach Your Fitness Goals
• My Favorite Pre & Post Workout Snacks
• Clean Eating 101: A Beginners Guide to Clean Eating
• LifetoLauren Grocery List

Current Supplements 

Whey Protein Powder: Optium Nutrition Gold Standard Whey 

Plant Based Protein: Sun Warrior 

Pre Workout: Duality 

BCAA’S: X-TEND Free BCAA 

Daily Vitamins: Ritual Women’s Daily Vitamins 

I truly do hope that you all enjoyed this post and I’m praying I didn’t ramble too much and that it all made sense!  If you guys have any questions or comments, please them below!

xo,

Lauren

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