fitness tips

Gearing up for summer fitness

 in Fitness / General Fashion  tagged adidas / fitness / fitness gear / fitness tips / outdoor fitness / outfits / summer 2021 by
summer fitness gear adidas

Wearing: sunglasses / workout tee in black / backpack / cardigan (around waist) / summer nail polish / leggings / hiking boots (old, also love this pair) / (Photo below) blue adidas slides / yoga block / yoga mat / yoga socks /

Summer is here! This means the best season for outdoor fitness is upon us, and I am here for it! I always love the summer season since the kids are off school, and my husband takes more vacation days from work. This allows us to get outside as a family and stay fit together!

There are so many fun, outdoor fitness activities the whole family can enjoy. Plus, they can really help us burn calories while we have fun together as a family. Love that!

Here are a few outdoor fitness ideas the whole family can enjoy this summer season:

Hiking: Of course this one is a no brainer. You know I love exploring hiking trails with my family! Going for a hike is a great outdoor fitness activity the whole family can enjoy. It is also a fabulous cardio workout which is heart-healthy, and burns calories. Love! If you are local the San Francisco Bay Area, be sure to check out the hiking section of my blog to learn about my favorite trails in the area.

Water sports: In addition to swimming laps, there are plenty of fun water sports available which offer a great strength and cardio workout. If you live near a lake, or have a vacation planned this summer where you will be near a lake, here are few activities you will want to try. The whole family can enjoy most of these water sports, while getting a great workout, and having fun! You can rent paddle boats, kayaks, stand up paddle boards, and canoes. That is just a sample of the fun activities you can find at a lake which offer a great workout! If you are local to the San Francisco Bay Area, check out Lake Vasona in Los Gatos for some local water fun!

Neighborhood walk: One of the easiest outdoor exercises to do is a neighborhood walk. You can go for a walk spontaneously, and you don’t need to drive anywhere to take one. You simply walk out your front door, and voila! You are on a walk which gives you a heart-healthy, cardio workout. Be sure to keep it up for at least 30 minutes to reap the full benefits of this workout. The whole family can go for a walk together, or you can go alone; your choice! Wanna spice up your walk? Add some walking lunges and/or running bursts! We love to run in a circle around a cul-de-sac. So when you see a cul-de-sac, do a running burst! It’s a fun game, and gives you a mini-HIIT workout during the walk. Love!

Biking: Do you own a bike? Lucky! Take it out for a bike ride for at least 30 minutes, and you can enjoy the fresh air while getting a great cardio workout. If your city streets are not safe for a ride, find your local elementary school and ride around their yard, or use your local high school parking lot and ride laps. It’s a great workout, and it’s heart-healthy. Love that!

Beach fitness: Live near a beach? Or plan to visit one? You can play beach volleyball, run on the beach, and even take a 30 minute walk on the beach! It’s great exercise and works your legs more than on a flat surface. Love that!

Outdoor sports: There are plenty of outdoor sports you can play with a friend at a park or in a roomy backyard. Tennis, frisbee, and golf are all fun, outdoor activities to help you stay fit this summer season. Love that!

I love wearing my adidas Ultraboost 21 running shoes for these activities, and my adidas Stadium backpack is perfect for carrying all the gear I need for summer fun. It’s great to have versatile workout gear which works well for all your favorite activities!

There are so many ways to stay fit this summer! What are your favorite summer fitness activities?

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO
Cathy

*sponsored by adidias, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

  • hiking trails calistoga
  • hiking outfit ideas

Fitness routine winter 2021

 in Fitness / General Fashion  tagged fitness gear / fitness tips / outdoor fitness / winter 2021 by

home fitness gear winter 2021

Home fitness gear for winter 2021 from top left: backpack (I cannot live without mine!) / weight set (I use this one all the time) / yoga mat / soft beach towel / workout top (I love mine!) / water bottle (I have one in red and love it) / yoga socks (I wear these and love them) / running shoes / adidas leggings /

Whew! It’s cold out there! When the temperature drops, I tend to try and move my workouts inside. Unfortunately, our gyms in California are outdoor only right now, so I am bundling up and working around the cold!

I am in a fortunate situation where my gym has moved a lot of fitness classes online during the pandemic. This has been a godsend since I can attend classes at home, in addition to going to the gym in-person for outdoor fitness. It really has given me a lot of options which work well with my schedule.

If your gym has been closed, I recommend finding an online fitness option so you can still attend classes. It really makes a huge difference, and helps keep you motivated and on track. Love it!

My fitness goals at the moment include reducing stress, shedding my quarantine weight, and staying healthy. So, in order to accomplish this, I am mixing up cardio with interval (HIIT) workouts, and weekly yoga. I have lost ten pounds since May! Love!

Without further ado, here is how my balanced fitness schedule:

Sunday: Yoga (online or in-person depending on weather)

Monday: U-Jam (cardio, online class)

Tuesday: The Drop (HIIT style, online)

Wednesday: 30 min walk outside (light cardio)

Thursday: Tabata and Core (HIIT style, online)

Friday: Cardio kickboxing or Ignite (cardio or HIIT style depending on Saturday)

Saturday: rest day or hiking with the family (weather permitting, we take a two hour hike)

If we are able to go hiking on Saturday, then I opt for either a rest day, or an Ignite class, on Friday. My goal is to have one rest day each week, three cardio days, and two HIIT days. I have been going into the gym one day per week. The rest of the week I either opt for an online class through my gym, or I head outside for a walk or hike.

It’s important to get outside, and breath in the fresh air; even when there isn’t a pandemic! There is something calming about nature. I love being able to enjoy it.

If you are trying to put together a weekly fitness routine, I recommend scheduling three cardio sessions, two HIIT sessions, and one yoga session each week. If yoga isn’t your thing, opt for a workout which includes stretching and core exercises such as Pilates.

Thanks for stopping by, and enjoy your workout!

XOXO

Cathy

Home workout and PE ideas

 in Fitness / Home  tagged adidas / athleisure / fitness / fitness tips / home / outdoor fitness / spring 2020 / summer 2020 by

home PE ideas

Outfit details from left: blue tee / black sweatpants / running shoes / boys green jersey / boys black shorts / red long sleeve tee / black and gold sweatpants / white sneakers /

Can you believe schools have been closed for a month already? Time flies! With three kids at home, I have to get creative in order to ensure they are doing their required P.E. time everyday for school.

My kids are required to combine strength, stretching, and cardio, into a thirty-minute workout, five days per week. They have to keep a log of what they do for exercise, and then turn it in to their P.E. teachers every Friday. If they aren’t logging their exercise daily, they will lose precious points on their grade!

In order to ensure they are keeping their P.E. grades up, and to also stay fit, we have devised a weekly at-home P.E. plan! This has turned into a great workout for myself, and my husband too! After all, we are all sheltering-in-place at home right now, so of course the gyms are closed. This makes working out at home even more important. We have no other place to go!

There are three important concepts my kids are required to incorporate into their daily P.E. routine. They need to incorporate stretching, strength, and cardio. We always start our workouts out with strength, then we incorporate cardio, and finish with stretching.

Here is a sample workout of what we do each day for P.E. This is a great workout for adults too! It has turned into my home workout routine.

This can be done in the backyard, or on the floor inside a home or apartment.

  • 10 jumping jacks
  • Basic stretch routine: stretch legs, back, and arms.
  • 25 squats with feet positioned directly below shoulders, toes pointing straight ahead.
  • 25 squats with feet wide, and toes pointed 45 degrees outward.
  • Walking lunges: you can go around your yard, back and forth inside a room, or save these for an outside walk.
  • 10 push-ups
  • Plank: on elbows or raised on hands for 30 seconds.
  • 10 traditional sit-ups
  • 20 crunches
  • 60 seconds of ab work, your choice.
  • Gently stretch legs, core, and arms.
  • Go out your front door for a thirty minute walk. You can incorporate walking lunges! To mix things up, we run in a circle around any cul-de-sac we see. If you are in an urban setting without cul-de-sacs, try doing a sprint down the block after ten minutes of walking. Then repeat after twenty minutes of walking.
  • You can also substitute jogging, bike riding, riding a scooter, or roller skating for walking. It’s good to alternate your cardio each day.
  • When you return home, do a ten minute stretch routine starting with your legs, followed by arms, and ending with your core.

That’s it! This workout never seems to get boring since we do it as a family, and we mix up the cardio segment of the routine. I’m so thankful we have our fabulous adidas gear for these workouts. They look and feel amazing, so we can continue working out everyday with ease! Love that!

What have you been doing for your home fitness routines during this time? Feel free to share in the comments below!

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy

*thank you to addias for sponsoring this post, all thoughts and opinions are my own.