On the first Monday of every month, we take on a mission of empowerment, self-love, and inspiration in order to better ourselves and shift old habits – together!

This month it’s all about fitness baby! So it’s time to get moving and get motivated.

Growing up I was always been pretty fit. I would go hiking with my family every weekend, ride bikes around the yard for hours, go swimming, climb trees. I was always doing something active. In high school, I was the fastest girl in school and could outshine other girls (even some of the guys) in every physical activity laid before me. I was lean and strong and I was really proud of this fact… and then I went to college! For those who know me, you know I went to study abroad in Japan. While it was an incredibly amazing experience, most of my time was spent studying - day in and day out… for 3 years!

During this time I never gained the freshmen fifteen or had to worry about gaining weight for the most part. I have been slender my entire life due to a very high metabolism. I could eat whatever I wanted and never thought twice about it. On top of that, I had the naïve belief that I could keep my physical strength up even if I was spending a lot of time at a desk. I never worried about exercise because I was thin. That’s where I was wrong.

Now that I’m 29 I’m starting to feel a slight shift. Eating all the stuff I used to is starting to show here and there on the inner thighs, my upper arms, and my lower abdomen. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m actually not super concerned about this but what I have realized is that I have neglected something I really used to love- physical activity and the feeling of having a strong powerful body.

The other day I tried out a workout video to see where I am and I am BUMMED out! Things I used to be able to do without breaking a sweat now have me gasping for air. I have very little body strength compared to 10 years ago.

In the coming year or two I want to start a family but I want to be fit and healthy first so it's a bit easier to keep it up as best I can when there are littles to chase around.

Monday Monthly Mission #3- Getting Fit

This month’s mission is to reclaim/reinvent a piece of ourselves in regards to fitness. I’ve been thinking about health outside of diet a lot lately and there is so much more to wellness than nutrition. I’m talking about wellness as a whole.

This month I’m going to strive for fitness. I want to feel these lean muscles become toned and powerful again. I want to challenge my physical limits by getting my heart pumping and my body moving. I want to sweat out some toxins and lower stress. I want to UP MY ENERGY.

To accomplish this I will be doing Jillian Michael’s 30 Day Shred – a serious butt-kicking video series that promises good results. I am SO excited to start this one guys! If you’re not familiar with Jillian let me just say that she’s actually pretty awesome!

My goal is to be able to finish level 3 without stopping. During this time I will also be eating a wholesome real food diet (which I normally do anyway but I’ll be a bit more focused on it). I will also pay attention to my body and what it’s telling me. If I am too sore to exercise comfortably, I’m not going to overextend my body’s limits with hefty exercise but ease it with gentle yoga and stretching.

To help my journey I will be using the supportive products below:

• Vega One Vanilla Chai Protein Powder (they also have vanilla, chocolate, coconut almond, mocha, berry, and unflavored) This will help feed my muscles
• Jarrow L-glutamine capsules (this stuff is amazing for helping your body release lactic acid while you sleep. Your muscles will be WAY less sore if you use it)
• Beet Elite powder- Boosts energy, remineralizes, and hydrates the body during a workout

So what about you guys? Are you ready to take your fitness to the next level? Are you starting at square one?

*** You can also watch the 30 day shred on Youtube below:

Level 1
Level 2
Level 3 (this video is of someone doing the workout because level 3 is REALLY hard to find online on Youtube. It’s a bit edited, unfortunately)