Dear Reader,

I used to hate exercise- and I’ve tried it all; yoga, pilates, zumba, running, weights, cardio, etc. All of it. Of course, it didn’t help that I was twenty seven years old, a mom of two girls who needed me for most of the day, and so…so out of shape it wasn’t funny. So what did I do about it?

Weirdly, my journey started with the need for a bit of adventure and the goal to walk 10,000 steps a day. It seems like an easy goal, but its even easier to sit on the couch all day and look down at your fitness tracker to see only two thousand steps at two in the afternoon. I felt like it was an obtainable goal and I really enjoyed the little excited buzzing that my watch did as I hit that last step, so I tried to figure out how to get myself moving more.

The first thing I did was go on YouTube and look up virtual walks, I’m a girl that enjoys her ambiance backgrounds, so it felt like an easy way to keep my interest. And it did, as I walked through the streets of London or looked at the trees of Central Park, the steps were becoming easier and easier to manage. I ended up adding audio books and the combo has worked for me ever since. And that was my first thirty days- my first goal- and then once I didn’t feel like my legs would fall off from too many steps, I moved onto the next.

The next thirty days were more of a reintroduction of fitness to my body. I wanted to focus on strengthening it as much as I could while also learning proper techniques. My friend suggested I do Jillian Michael’s 30 Day Shred and, though I hated the repetition, I cannot deny that it did not make a large change in my body. I did this every day for thirty days straight, which working out every day isn’t necessarily needed, but it helped to have a thought out plan for an entire month.

After that month, I planned another thirty days, but this time I gave my weekends “off” with focus on recovery and hopefully getting to the local park to enjoy real trees. This is my long term plan to continue to plan out my months ahead of time to save myself from the hassle of trying to figure it out from day to day- because that sucks.

It usually goes something like this:

Monday: Arm Workout

Tuesday: Leg/Lower Body Workout

Wednesday: Ab/Core Workout

Thursday: Pilates (Youtube Video or Pinterest)

Friday: Dance Workout (Youtube Video or Pinterest)

Saturday: Walk around the Park or Neighborhood

Sunday: Recovery Stretches/ Yoga

Easy, peasy? Not really, but once you find what works for you, it will become easier. I will say that when you are starting, it’s probably in your best interest to find something already pre-planned and laid out for you. Go slow, take your time, and worry more about form than keeping up with your already-fit instructors. For my ladies with PCOS, I suggest something that is low impact or weight training, or adjusting your workouts to fit your needs.

I will say that after a couple of months, working out doesn’t feel like a chore much anymore, but something that is part of my day just like eating or sleeping. I enjoy the way it makes my body feel and even though I haven’t lost much weight, I definitely can feel a difference in the definition and strength of my body (which is most important).

Anyway, best of luck and tell me your own ideas down below!

xx Tabby