StaywellMA

It's averaging 100+ degree every day and I've had to adjust my routine to take the heat into account.  Sometimes it means settling for an indoor workout in the AC or scheduling an evening walk much later at night when it's cooler. After a month of hiatus and sporadic workouts, am craving a routine with a target goal. My Fall fitness goals are; #1. Flexibility : So we are getting back into yoga and stretches #2. Cardio : because the weight meeehhn...the weight needs to GO #3. Back and Core strength to look cute in a 2 piece swim suite. C'est tous mes amies. No self righteous plans or intentions. Join me on the Nike app and let's motivate each other.

Before we start let's just get one acknowledgement out of the way Bike seats are the worst...sure you can do things like add your own padding and what not but, man , is there such a thing as a comfortable bike seat? It's like a right of passage torture for your butt. Acknowledgement over. Here are 5 reasons why you should take biking, especially outdoor biking instead of spinning in a gross, sweaty, steamy, soul cycle classroom. 1. It gives your lower limbs a break from running trauma #Lowimpact 2. Strengths the large muscles in your leg such as your hamstrings, quads and glutes. # ChiseledLegs 3. Good for your heart and lungs (Cardiovascular Fitness) #HeartHealth 4. Improve Balance and Posture by engaging your abs, trunk, back and neck muscles. 5. Eco friendly option to getting around instead of driving.

I'm not exactly sure what is triggering lululemon stocks to go up in the middle of a pandemic. I suppose I could jump on the internet of things and find a deep dive financial analytics of the whole thing....but I can't be bothered. The only reason am blogging about it is because the rise in its stock prices got my attention. Because for a moment my budgetnista self had forgotten about their outrageous prices for tights ( $90+).  M ine are the thunder tigh ts that rip ALL tights. You name the brand, I've tried it. You name the dollar amount, I've unfortunately spent it. This is not to dismiss the high quality nature of their product. As with any market, in the athletic leisure market there is a broad range of quality and proven performance when it comes to products. My only problem is, AT THE END OF THE DAY, ALL MY  WORKOUT TIGHTS ARE MET WITH THE SAME FATE......TORN BY MY THUNDER THIGHS after a period of time. Are lululemon tights worth the money?  Yes if you ca...

5 brave friends and I took on the challenge of hiking Mount Washington. For all the prep work that I thought I did , I was still highly unprepared to hike this summit . Part of it was my fault -  Staying up all night, the evening before the hike*** ( story for another day about my 1st ever prayer all night Vigil...hello Jubilee church!) - general out-of-shapeness #unfit - hiking in sneakers instead of hiking boots Our journey didn't start at the foot of the mountain but instead began in Massachusetts. We carpooled and drove for about 3 hours to the Ammonosooc trail, which was our chosen trail for the hike.  Because of different logistical reasons related to the carpool we got to the trail around 11am instead of the advised 7am. Once in the parking lot, the park guide suggested we take the Jewel Trail as that will take us up the mountain quicker and down before the sun sets! He clearly didn't want to be responsible for sending a ...

Last year I ran a lot during the fall. It's my favourite weather to run in because the crisp cold air keeps you cool as your body temperature heats up. Also, running in the woods surrounded by lakes is a beautiful way to enjoy New England picturesque nature and observe the changes in leaves colours. This year am switching things up a little bit . Cardio : I signed up for indoor soccer twice a week. I try to not take too many breaks and work really hard when am in the game because I do want to use it not just as a fun activity but a workout. Strength Training :  I'm doing more toning exercises by using YouTube videos  for at home routines using 10lbs free weights. Specifically I reference ToneItUp , who post daily exercise routines that are to be done in 31 repetitions. Currently , they have an ongoing challenge (till the end of the year) and while I am not formerly participating in the challenge, I still perform some of the routines on my own. The cross punch...

As mentioned in my previous post, yesterday was all about Tabata The class was very intense and challenging! If puking up my lunch and slight dizziness where appropriate measures of how intense the class was, this one passed the mark. Despite it's difficulties, I  love Tabata workouts because its a combination of a full body, high intensity, interval, toning regiment. On Monday's class, some of the moves we performed included; Burpees - Push Up Burpees and Star Burpees Planks Planks to Push Up variations Jogging Up and Down 3 Flights of stairs Mountain Climbers Toe Taps Squats with dumb bells Squats with toe touches Jumping Jacks Torso Twist with free weights and  many more... (Disclaimer: This mirror makes me look skinnier than I truly am. I claim my thunder thighs wholeheartedly) That is all my dizzy foggy mind could remember even though there was much more.  Tabata workouts are done by performing 20 seconds of a ...

In general my workout routine consists of using the studio room at the gym to perform plyometric body weight exercises. Sometimes I bring a Samsung tablet along to play youtube videos such as FITNESS BLENDER. Additionally, I have been doing a lot running for 2 reasons #1  Black Girls Run - Boston of which I am an ambassador,  has a 50miles for July Challenge #2 My friends in Atlanta have a NIKE+ Summer challenge going on till August which concides with their wedding season Because I have been traveling so much, I am losing on both ends. To get back into a winning position with the rest of the participants in the challenges, I've increased the number of miles am running per week. This is great and impressive until you develope shin splints which is what am currently battling. I feel like my shin splints are not necessarily from increasing my mileage but developed from the following reasons - Not stretching enough before and after runs☆Guilty☆ - Worn out shoes ☆...

I'm loving this 31 days of planking challenge on SHAPE Magazin e and I am going to take it on as my June Fitness challenge .  However I will not be able to take pictures daily but will hopefully take a few over the course of the month. It was posted on their website in May but that's okay.  We can still use if for this month. AdaAri Fitness As a lover of African music and fitness, her workout videos are the perfect combination for someone like me. Check her out on Youtube, if only to try something new and fun. What health and Wellness challenge are you doing? It could be a new gym class, diet, cleanse or exercise routine .

During menstruation  you may feel one of these  side effects; Cramps Sluggishness Tiredness Emotional Imbalance Maddening cravings for anything with an unhealthy dose of SUGAR It might take you 2 hours to summon up the will and strength to leave the comfort of your bed but just do it. The rewards will justify the effort. Running will get your blood circulating and get rid of the sluggishness. Preferably do sprints instead of a slow long run. Worst case scenario. Go for a walk. It's better than anything but I'll rather run myself to exhaustion and enjoy a good post workout nap. I find that sprints have a way of "waking up" my body. Everything comes alive. I feel more light weight at the end of the workout. Practice yoga and channel those crazy bi polar emotions into a state of peaceful meditation . Its healthy for your mind and muscles. Unless you have a medical condition, I am not comfortable ...

I'm in summer school doing two science courses in a crashing 6 weeks pace. So for me the days have been flying. There are not enough hours to get everything done! Eat. Work. Sleep . Repeat But no matter how busy the days are, getting my run in is still a priority. It's how I hold it all together. Long runs are my brain storming sessions. Shuttle sprints + hills are my "venting" and releasing all negative energies sessions. So you see? I HAVE TO RUN Speaking of running, am glad to announce that am going to be one of the new black girls run- Boston ambassadors. I'm so honoured to have been selected for this role. I look forward to learning, sharing and growing with all my fellow ladies who run not just in Boston but nation wide. I remember blogging about the organisation in 2013 . It's amazing what can happen in a year! As with last year, BGR is having its 3rd annual race and conference weekend in At...

I'm not sure if he should be given the award for most passionate player or most irresponsible player of this world cup. Image from the guardian Or may be the second award should go to both the fifa regulations committee and the Uruguay coaching staff. How do you allow a player to keep playing after he has been knocked out unconscious?! How many players have died from sudden death syndrome and etc? What's the point of having a sports medicine staff on the team? Regardless of how Periera felt about his ability to keep playing, the coach should have pulled him off the field. The Fifa referee should have kept him off the field. The Fifa officials who were present in the game should have made sure the Uruguay management team kept him off the field until he received proper medical attention. I can't even imagine the horror if things would have gone down hill after he continued playing. That was a big irresp...

Guest Feature sport is a series in which I interview friends and acquaintances who participates in sports that I don't. I talk a lot about soccer, running and yoga on this blog but there are many other activities that are equally interesting. The goal  of this series is for all of us to learn from them and maybe get inspired to try something new.  _______________________________________________ 1.  How did you get introduced to Crossfit? It was September 2011, I was a 260lbs sedentary 24 y/o female in physical therapy school. Some of my classmates in PT school had seen the ads for Crossfit elements (introductory classes) at the box (Crossfit lingo for a Crossfit gym) in our community.   Two of my closest friends tried it out. One loved it and the other, not so much. The one who loved it kept going and she told me how much fun it was. She said: “it’s a full body workout, and you go at your own pace.” She said she would give me the ...

Spring is here!!! It's time to start working on sculpturing those beach bodies. Here are the instagram fitness challenges I have been doing for the month. As usual, I love Shauna's Sweat A Day daily exercise suggestions.   As for yoga, I don't practice the poses daily but do a combination of 3 -5 days worth of poses as part of my work out routine for a day.  I alternate between the Healthy Happy Yogi challenge and the Fitfluential   Lastly let's not forget the girls from Tone It Up. I've been following them for years. Imagine my surprise to see them have a show on Bravo Tv. Given today's job market, so many people are turning to social media to create jobs for themselves. They are a good example of chasing your passion and doing what makes you happy no matter the returns.