Workout Wednesday Guest Post - Post-Baby Fitness Tips

Happy Wednesday! Since I last checked in, I had a rainy but great trip to Bruges, spent the afternoon in Antwerp, and finally made it to Amsterdam after a slight train delay and missed connection in Roosendaal. 

While I'm enjoying plenty of waffles, beer, and fries, I've got a great guest post for today's Workout Wednesday (WOW) linkup. Jena is a 20-something new mom from Minnesota writing about her journey on faith, love and marriage, new motherhood, fashion, food, and daily life on her blog, I’m Perfectly Human. Jena's blog is beautifully designed and full of thoughtful posts, photos of her adorable baby girl, and killer fashion. Today, she's sharing some advice for getting back to fitness for new moms.

"Hi there, my name is Jena (sounds like Gina) and I blog over at I’m Perfectly Human. I am so excited to guest post for Amanda while she is on vacation (so jealous!). 

Well, I haven’t been out of the country or anything like Amanda, but I did just have a baby girl, Layla, in January. She is my little love bug. Everyone say it with me, “Awwwwww!”

Now, that I’m done gushing about my sweetie pie, let me tell you the real reason I’m writing. I had my baby girl in the beginning of the year and let me tell you it hasn’t been easy getting back into the swing of things.  I am also a Lupus survivor, so I sometimes deal with joint pain and inflammation issues. Both things that I have to be pretty careful about when it comes to exercising.

I’d like to give you my 5 tips for getting back on track after having a baby!

1.  Plan. I think this is sometimes seen as logical, but it doesn't hurt to highlight the importance of proper planning! Invest in a planner, put your grocery list/meal plans/workout times in this and stick to it!  Meal planning is major, I haven’t mastered it but it’s something I am striving towards J I’m such a snacker, so I have to buy healthy snacks to keep me from going to the vending machine. When you have a plan, you are less likely to stray away. When I know what my plan is for tomorrow or the week ahead, it is much easier for me to complete my goals. 

2. Carve it out. No, not turkey, although that does sound good. I’m talking about time. You are now a mother and you will often feel like you do not have time anymore! My mom raised 7 kids, how did she do it? She carved out time for everything that needed to be done. Those moments when you are watching Scandal, The Bachelor, or Modern Family. Perfect timing to get some ab work in. I have found that there are some awesome free workouts available. I pull my laptop near me and go to work. Now, that’s what I call multi-tasking! 

3. Find fitness everywhere. Take it slow, and play with your child! Seriously it will bring you so many amazing moments as well as some much needed exercise. I have been more active in those moments of entertaining my little girl than ever. Jump up and down, get silly. Sometimes I’ll do a few ‘Layla Lifts’ as I’m watching TV. Haha! Ok, I am totally not recommending you use your new child as a weight - although mine is about 15 lbs now. But, playing with your child can help you get your heart pumping during the day. Join a local running club, or start your own! Use your friends as a network to connect with others who are looking for work-out buddies. I have also found so much relief in free workouts and printable workout options from places like Tone It Up (love these girls). Options like these make it easy to add fitness in the mix in any situation, plus the Tone It Up girls give you a monthly calendar which helps with staying on top of #1 J

4. Pick morning, noon, night or nap time. While I was on maternity leave I had ‘all day err day’(cue Kourtney Kardashian) to get a workout in. Okay not really, more like anytime during nap time J (I once tried to work out when Layla wasn't napping, but that is a whole new story for another day!) Anyways, pick a time of day that you feel most motivated to working out. I choose early morning when baby girl is still sleeping, or after she has gone to the sitters. I’ve also known people to go during lunch time at work. Whatever works for you! Or night, night is always the hardest for me because I’d rather just spend time with my little family – but if you can have daddy, family, or a friend watch your little one for 30 minutes to an hour, you are so worth it! 

5. If at first you don’t succeed…Try, try again. You will have rough days – moments when the baby will not go down for a nap. Days where you stayed up all night because she was teething and you couldn't make your morning run. But just keep on trekking. You are not in this alone, think of all the mothers who do it!  You can do it, I believe in you!

Well I could keep going but I think that is a great start to getting your sexy back! I am embarking on a journey about fitness, foods that heal and managing joint pain and if you’d like to see more come follow me on my journey!

What are any of your personal tips about getting in shape after pregnancy? Any tips that you think are important that I did not share?"

Thanks for sharing this great advice, Jena! I'm not a new mom but I can still appreciate all these tips, especially number 3 as a lot of my workouts the past few days have been climbing belfry steps and walking cobblestone streets. To see more of Jena and her adorable daughter, don't forget to visit her blog and follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. 

Now on to the party!

Point & Purpose: The purpose of this link up party is to mix and mingle and support each other’s sites by visiting, subscribing and/or leaving a comment. Please do not drop a link here, disappear and not follow through by visiting other party goers’ sites. 

Theme: We are linking up blog posts, Google+ posts or Facebook posts related to FITNESS, RUNNING, HEALTH or WELLNESS.

Simple Rules:

1. Follow, Like and/or Subscribe to your hostesses and co-hostesses:

• Diatta Harris (Femme Fitale Fit Club)| Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
• Sheila Simmons (The Frugal Exerciser) | Twitter | Facebook |subscribe via GFC or email.
• Amanda (Eat Hard Work Hard) | Blog | Twitter | Instagram
• Natalie (Mean, Green, Clean Eating Teen) | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
• Jenn (Comeback Momma) | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

2.   Don't be a wallflower.  I can not stress this enough.  Show some comment luv and support to other party goers of this link up by visiting their blogs and either leave a comment on a post, subscribe or both!  Visit at least 5 others who have joined the party.

3.  Also join our WOW Link Up Pinterest Board (http://www.pinterest.com/curleedst/workout-wednesdays-link-up/ ) so you can PIN your post to it.

4.  Invite your like-minded friends!  We love finding and reading new blogs so spread the word so we can increase the size of our parties every week til we make the walls sweat!!!!  I told ya we party hard!  :-)

5.  Use hashtag #wowlinkup when you comment on someone's post for easy identification.

6.  Last but definitely not least, HAVE FUN!  This IS a party.

GRAB OUR BADGE CODE: 

<div align=”center”><a href=”http://femmefitalefitclub.com/?page_id=5741″ title=”Femme Fitale Fit Club”><img src=”http://femmefitalefitclub.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/10411245605_4348135958_m.jpg” alt=”Femme Fitale Fit Club” style=”border:none;” /></a></div>

An InLinkz Link-up

Hello from Belgium!

Happy Monday! I made it to Belgium on Saturday and after spending a few days in Brussels hopped the train to Ghent today. So far it's been a great trip full of picturesque cobblestone streets, interesting architecture, yummy food, and tons of great beer.

The only downside so far is that somehow, after keeping track of all my belongings through 8 domestic flights, two ferries, and tons of pick-pocket-packed jeepneys in the Philippines, I managed to lose my phone somewhere between the Belgium airport and train station.

The phone itself isn't a huge loss, but I did also lose almost all my food pictures from the Philippines and most of my social media access. So sorry I've been a little MIA lately! I'm trying to take it in stride and see it as a chance to unplug, but it's hard with all these Instagram-worthy moments going on :)

Q: Lost anything lately? Any suggestions for what my next phone should be? 

Workout Wednesday Guest Post - The Busy Girl’s Must-Have Fitness Equipment

Happy Wednesday! I took my last domestic flight (#8 if you're counting) back to Manila this morning and only have three (very full) days left in my trip! 

Before my trip ends, I have another guest post to share for today's Workout Wednesday (WOW) linkup. Markita is a NASM-certified personal trainer and shares practical workouts and nutrition tips as well as FREE fast and effective 15 minute workouts over at SweshFit. Today, she's sharing the must-have equipment you need for a great home workout.

"I’m Markita, the owner of SweshFit, a fitness resource for busy people. As a working girl that likes to fill her day with lots of stuff, I have to be efficient about fitting exercise into my schedule. My key to doing this: home workouts. Of course, if you can make it to the gym, you’re good. But hey, you’re a busy person and there’s not always enough time to go to the gym or to your favorite class. For this reason, I highly suggest having the flexibility to workout at home. Here are the 3 items I suggest for an awesome home workout. 

1. Your Body

I know. It’s kind of (extremely!) obvious. But I want to touch on a few things about bodyweight exercises. First of all, as long you have a body (which will most likely never change), the excuse of not having access to the gym will always be pretty lame. Between pushups, squats, lunges, burpees, mountain climbers, planks, and a ton of other exercises, you have plenty to keep you challenged. That being said, there are also some limitations to doing bodyweight exercises alone. A lot of people have knee and joint issues, so things like cycling and swimming become essential to do cardio. It’s also pretty impossible to work something like your back (lats, delts, all the halter top muscles) or target certain smaller muscles with bodyweight alone. BUT, with any home workout, your own body and no other equipment is going to take care of 80% of the workout, so get that thing primed and ready to go.

2. Dumbbells or some kind of weight

That brings us to the importance of having weights. If you’re able to invest in one piece of exercise equipment, I highly recommend that it’s some type of weights. I prefer dumbbells - resistance bands are also a great choice. The whole inability-to-work-your-back-or-small-muscle thing I mentioned earlier is completely addressed with weights. You also get to isolate different muscles a little better than you could with bodyweight alone – like your shoulders, biceps, and triceps. I prefer a set of 10lb weights. Anything from 8-15lbs is good for most people to perform a variety of exercises (I can express my frustration about the universal allure of super light 2 - 5lb dumbbells but I won’t go there). If you’re not looking to buy something, there are tons of alternatives. Standard 16oz bottles of water, a gallon of milk, heavy books, and other heavy things you find around the house can get the job done (don’t be afraid to get creative!). 

3. Timer

So why time yourself instead of just doing x number of reps for x number of sets? It’s really a matter of personal preference and also depends on your goals. For people lifting heavier weights, counting reps almost always makes sense because it’s less about how quickly a set of exercises is done, and more about being able to lift all that weight. For most of us, counting reps can eat time that we don’t have. (If you’re ever waiting for the squat rack on my heavy legs days, just know that it’s going to be a while.) As far as the type of timer, I prefer an interval timer app on my phone that I can set for say, 1 minute intervals, and perform an exercise for that period of time. A regular stopwatch or the second-hand on a clock works great too.

I’m a huge fan of high intensity interval training  (HIIT) because the focus with these workouts is to do your workout in a short period of time. I also have a huge bias toward it because that’s what I do! I’ll insert the shameless plug here to hop over to SweshFit and sign up for free 15 minute workouts that are different every day of the week.

So there’s your personal little big-box gym. It has a person, some weights, and a timer in it. It’s free on a monthly basis and has no creepy old men in it. Sign me up right?! Make it happen and have a great workout."

Thanks for the great tips, Markita! I'm super cheap thrifty so you know I love a good free workout! For more great advice, visit her blog and follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. 

Now on to the party!

Point & Purpose: The purpose of this link up party is to mix and mingle and support each other’s sites by visiting, subscribing and/or leaving a comment. Please do not drop a link here, disappear and not follow through by visiting other party goers’ sites. 

Theme: We are linking up blog posts, Google+ posts or Facebook posts related to FITNESS, RUNNING, HEALTH or WELLNESS.

Simple Rules:

1. Follow, Like and/or Subscribe to your hostesses and co-hostesses:

• Diatta Harris (Femme Fitale Fit Club)| Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
• Sheila Simmons (The Frugal Exerciser) | Twitter | Facebook |subscribe via GFC or email.
• Amanda (Eat Hard Work Hard) | Blog | Twitter | Instagram
• Natalie (Mean, Green, Clean Eating Teen) | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
• Jenn (Comeback Momma) | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

2.   Don't be a wallflower.  I can not stress this enough.  Show some comment luv and support to other party goers of this link up by visiting their blogs and either leave a comment on a post, subscribe or both!  Visit at least 5 others who have joined the party.

3.  Also join our WOW Link Up Pinterest Board (http://www.pinterest.com/curleedst/workout-wednesdays-link-up/ ) so you can PIN your post to it.

4.  Invite your like-minded friends!  We love finding and reading new blogs so spread the word so we can increase the size of our parties every week til we make the walls sweat!!!!  I told ya we party hard!  :-)

5.  Use hashtag #wowlinkup when you comment on someone's post for easy identification.

6.  Last but definitely not least, HAVE FUN!  This IS a party.

GRAB OUR BADGE CODE: 

<div align=”center”><a href=”http://femmefitalefitclub.com/?page_id=5741″ title=”Femme Fitale Fit Club”><img src=”http://femmefitalefitclub.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/10411245605_4348135958_m.jpg” alt=”Femme Fitale Fit Club” style=”border:none;” /></a></div>

An InLinkz Link-up

Guest Post - 5 Fitness Motivation Tips from A Pace of Balance

It's my last Monday in the Philippines! I won't lie, I'm counting down the days until I can start my European vacation. I love traveling for work but it's always super busy and fairly stressful. Although I did enjoy getting to spend a little time at this gorgeous pool on Saturday since I only had one meeting.

I had a 6 AM flight and full day driving around in vans, trikes, and even jeepneys today, so I'm grateful to have another great guest post for you.

Michele is a mother, runner, triathlete and Navy Veteran.  She also likes to dabble in Cross Fit and yoga.  She writes for her own blog, A Pace of Balance, which I discovered recently and really enjoy reading. I especially loved her funny and spot on recent 5 Reasons to Attend a Filipino Party post since I'm in the Philippines.

Today, Michele is sharing 5 tips to help keep up your fitness motivation.

"I am a runner at heart, but being active in general is just a way of life for me. People say I have a true passion for fitness and on some level, I think I do. But sometimes I think I just get bored easily and have figured out ways to keep myself motivated and interested. There are definitely days when I just don't feel like getting out there even when I know I will feel better if I do. Here are 5 tips I've found help me stay out of those slumps:  

1) Races. I sign up for 2 or 3 races a year to help keep me looking forward. When I have something to train for, it keeps me focused and I basically have something hanging over my head if I don't! Like most of us, I find it really hard to work out during the winter months. I like to have a race lined up for the early spring so I'm forced to get my butt out the door even when it's cold. Races are a great way to keep your focus forward and to keep yourself accountable.

The Baltimore & Annapolis Half Marathon 2014

2) Shift focus often.  I try and vary my races so I'm not focusing on one thing all the time. If I sign up for a 5k, then I can focus more on strength training and sprints. Then I'll shift focus and sign up for a tri to concentrate on swimming and biking. Since I only sign up for a couple of races a year, I have time in between to focus on something entirely different like yoga. It's important to get a lot of variety or I get complacent. I usually rotate between strength training, endurance and flexibility. While I try and incorporate all three into my fitness regimen, I take a few weeks to really focus on one at a time. By shifting focus, you are still allowing yourself to improve without burning out.

3)Get social. My workouts are usually my alone time and give me a chance to reset. However, I can't workout alone all the time. I'd eventually get bored and probably stop challenging myself. I have workout buddies that push me and others that I work out leisurely with. Getting social during my workouts both lightens things up and provides some healthy competition. I'm also part of a local running club. I have organized a couple of track workouts which I have found to be both fun and rewarding. Sometimes the best way to keep yourself motivated is to motivate other people.

4)Go out of your comfort zone. I think it's important to continuously challenge ourselves when it comes to fitness. I'm not saying we should always be trying to get faster. But I do think we have to step outside our comfort zones in order to grow as a person. When it comes to fitness, this might mean facing a fear like signing up for a race.  If you are an avid runner who is always on the go, maybe take up some meditation. By looking outside our comfort zones, we find can motivate ourselves to improve an aspect of ourselves that is lacking.

Read a guest post by Monica of the Yogi Movement about How to Quiet the Mind

5)Take time outs and enjoy. In order to stay motivated, it's important to take breaks and not burn ourselves out. I go in cycles; I will train pretty hard for awhile, then take a couple of weeks to do some lighter workouts. Down time is actually a good thing. We need to give our bodies a chance to rest and reset. Taking time out also gives us a chance to enjoy! Yes, the term is "work"out and it is sometimes hard, but we need to make time for the fun times too. If we keep things fun, then we develop that positive attitude towards fitness. To me, that's the whole key to staying motivated - cultivating a positive relationship with fitness and ultimately our bodies. 

Fun with a friend during the Cherry Pit 10 Miler 2014

What about you? Do you do any of the above to stay motivated? What works best for you? 

Thanks Amanda for letting me guest post today! I'm so glad we have "met" in the blogging world!"

Thanks so much, Michele! I especially love the reminder to step outside of your comfort zone and face your fears! I'm glad to know you online too :)

Make sure to visit Michele's blog and check her out on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Bloglovin.

Five Reasons to Exercise While Traveling

Two Fridays in the Philippines down, one to go! Since I last checked in, I returned from Bohol via ferry, flew into Dipolog, and flew back to Cebu. All in the past two days! I did get to see some cool things in Bohol on my way back to the ferry, though, including the famous chocolate hills and creepy looking tiny monkey tarsiers.

I'm joining the Friday Five Linkup with Eat Pray Run DC, Mar on the Run and You Signed Up for What?! and am outsourcing my blog topic creativity again by following this week's theme.

A lot of my friends and family ask me why I spend so much time working out during travel. The truth is that I don't spend that much time exercising (definitely spend way more time eating), but the time that I do spend is well worth it. So for today's Friday Five, here are five reasons to exercise while traveling.

1. To fight jet lag

If you've ever flown between time zones you know that jet lag is the worst. Because of science, exercising regularly before and during your trip can help lessen the effects of jet lag! Plus, it's a lot better for you than my usual method of downing as many cups of Nescafé as I can find.

(Image Source)

2. Because you're eating tons of great food

As you probably know, eating is one of my favorite parts of traveling. And while I'm all about enjoying delicious foods I can't get anywhere else, working out helps me to not feel terrible about (sometimes over) indulging.

3. To relieve stress

I don't know about you but my work travel is super demanding, and even vacations can be stressful. Spending hours on planes, trains, boats and buses, sleeping in strange beds, and other major departures from your normal routine can be taxing on your body. Maintaining some kind of exercise schedule helps bring a sense of normalcy. Plus, exercise gives you endorphins which can prevent you from killing your husband/the front desk clerk who lost your reservation.

(Image Source)

4. For more energy

Also because of science, even low-intensity exercise can help you feel more energized, letting you get more meetings/sight seeing/beach lying done.

5. So you won't have to re-start your fitness plan

Coming back from travel is hard. Going back to work, getting back to a healthy eating routine, and readjusting your sleep schedule all at the same time isn't easy. Restarting a fitness routine can be particularly difficult, and if you're like me it's really easy to keep putting it off. Getting back to regular exercise is much easier if you never completely stopped in the first place.

(Image Source)

Q: Do you make it a point to fit in exercise while traveling? What's the most Nescafé you've had and still lived to tell the tale? 

Workout Wednesday Guest Post - Fitness Tips for Working Moms

Happy Wednesday! I made it to beautiful Cebu yesterday and hopped on a ferry for a meeting in Bohol this morning (province #4 if you're counting). 

I'm strangely fond of ferries and like to brag about using as many modes of transportation as possible. The 7 AM start time and 7 pm return time...not so much.

Luckily, I have another awesome guest post to share for today's Workout Wednesday (WOW) linkup! Shelby from Everything Isn't Normal is sharing her tips for fitting in fitness as a busy working mom. Shelby blogs about parenting, fitness, animals, and DIY projects, and even finds time to edit and manage her fiancé's movie review website. Plus, as you're about to find out, she's freaking hilarious!

"I believe in full disclosure and I dislike hypocrisy, so let’s get two things out of the way before I explore today's topic. When Amanda first responded to my email letting me know I should pitch a guest post idea to her, my first act was to send a text to my fiancé that read, "I got an opportunity to write a guest blog post. Focused around fitness, I should probably write something about not being a fatty," to which he responded, "I hope you write it just like that!" So, you're welcome. Second, I'm eating a bowl of spaghetti o's while writing this. It's not my proudest moment, but I feel like my excuse justifies it tonight, so I'm letting it slide. Let's carry on.

I'm here today taking a break from my regular blog to discuss with you guys how I manage to include fitness and health into the busy lifestyle of a single, full-time working mom. To be honest, it's really hard. I'm not talking "Oh man, these crunches are hard" or even "I missed the last 30 minutes of daylight, now I can't workout, time to watch Psych" hard. I'm talking, "I woke up at 5:30 a.m. and got home at 6:00 p.m. and now I've got to get the kids’ dinner on the table all while doing the potty dance and hoping I can get the kids distracted long enough to do 20 minutes of yoga" hard. 

So, I've developed a few tricks to make sure my eyes remain on the prize--a lean, strong, healthy body--without getting burned out. 

• I don't ever beat myself up about missing the mark. If I didn't do yoga, didn't pop in my workout DVD, didn't run around the block because I worked 10 hours that day and got scratched by twelve cats at the clinic, I allow myself to be okay with it. Because stressing out over missing the mark is going to just make your whole plan backfire. An abundance of stress is worse for your body than eating a bowl of spaghetti o's. Really, it is. 

• Work out when it hurts. If you're going to work out, but your body hurts, do it anyway. Take it down a notch though, if you pull a muscle somewhere, it's only going to make matters worse. You don't need to be out of commission for a month because you pulled your LCL and now every time you squat you scream out like a little girl. Why? Because a month away from your workout easily turns into two, three, six, nine months away from your workout. And then you're farther behind than where you started. If you typically do high intensity training, try some low impact training such as pilates, yoga, or swimming. Even a good steady pace on an elliptical machine can be therapeutic and allow you to work up a sweat. 

• Establish a routine, especially with your eating. This is a piece of advice I need to take myself. But it's something I learned from a personal trainer I dated awhile back. If you map out your food, plan it, make sure you're getting enough calories to maintain energy and burn fat, and then just stick to your plan, you'll lose weight. He lost 150 pounds in a year doing that. It helps you be accountable to know that today is cottage cheese for breakfast day, no matter what. And what makes this great for my lifestyle, I can plan ahead so that when it's mealtime, it's quick and easy. 

• Last trick, my favorite trick, don't ever let yourself hate on yourself. Just don't. A few months ago I wrote a blog post titled "Why I Don't Hate My Body" and it went mini-viral (that means it got 5 more page views than my other posts that week). I even included a picture of my muffin top. It rocked. The point of the post wasn't about how to love your body, it was about simple acceptance. We all want everyone to accept us, we want men (or women) to look at us with admiration, we want strangers to get that "Oh she looks fiiine!" feeling. We expect the world to RESPECT us. But we need to start by respecting ourselves, and that starts by respecting how we feel. You wouldn't let anyone else walk all over your emotions, quit letting yourself do it. Be confident in your abilities, your appearance, and your brain. You're not going to be sexy to every person on the street, but you better believe someone thinks you are. If you don't believe me, just start digging into the depths of the internet. Just kidding, don't do that. But please know, when you can love your body now, then you can truly begin to sculpt it into the body of your dreams. Because we all know, we don't think about or care about something unless we love it. Love that body."

Thanks for the great guest post, Shelby! The last trick is my favorite, too, and I LOVED your "Why I Don't Hate My Body" post!

For more of Shelby's funny and thoughtful writing, don't forget to check out her blog here. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. 

Now on to the party!

Point & Purpose: The purpose of this link up party is to mix and mingle and support each other’s sites by visiting, subscribing and/or leaving a comment. Please do not drop a link here, disappear and not follow through by visiting other party goers’ sites. 

Theme: We are linking up blog posts, Google+ posts or Facebook posts related to FITNESS, RUNNING, HEALTH or WELLNESS.

Simple Rules:

1. Follow, Like and/or Subscribe to your hostesses and co-hostesses:

• Diatta Harris (Femme Fitale Fit Club)| Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
• Sheila Simmons (The Frugal Exerciser) | Twitter | Facebook |subscribe via GFC or email.
• Amanda (Eat Hard Work Hard) | Blog | Twitter | Instagram
• Natalie (Mean, Green, Clean Eating Teen) | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
• Jenn (Comeback Momma) | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

2.   Don't be a wallflower.  I can not stress this enough.  Show some comment luv and support to other party goers of this link up by visiting their blogs and either leave a comment on a post, subscribe or both!  Visit at least 5 others who have joined the party.

3.  Also join our WOW Link Up Pinterest Board (http://www.pinterest.com/curleedst/workout-wednesdays-link-up/ ) so you can PIN your post to it.

4.  Invite your like-minded friends!  We love finding and reading new blogs so spread the word so we can increase the size of our parties every week til we make the walls sweat!!!!  I told ya we party hard!  :-)

5.  Use hashtag #wowlinkup when you comment on someone's post for easy identification.

6.  Last but definitely not least, HAVE FUN!  This IS a party.

GRAB OUR BADGE CODE: 

<div align=”center”><a href=”http://femmefitalefitclub.com/?page_id=5741″ title=”Femme Fitale Fit Club”><img src=”http://femmefitalefitclub.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/10411245605_4348135958_m.jpg” alt=”Femme Fitale Fit Club” style=”border:none;” /></a></div>

An InLinkz Link-up

Guest Post - Proactive Planning from Journey to Wellness

Happy Monday! I'm taking domestic flight #2 to Cebu in the morning,  but I did manage to take advantage of the use agreement my hotel has with Slimmers World (apparently the gym of Miss Bikini Philippines. Holla.) to get in a great hip hop aerobics class. 

It was awesome, even though I was the only one who couldn't understand what the instructor was saying, and was definitely the worst at keeping up with his sweet B-Boy moves. Definitely a more fun cardio workout than my normal hotel gym treadmill routine.

Since I've been super busy with work in addition to hip hop dance classes, I'm featuring a guest post today from the lovely Caroline at Journey To Wellness.

"Hey everyone! I’m thankful that Amanda has given me the space to share with you all today. I’m Caroline and I blog at Journey To Wellness. I’m a mental health counselor and pilates and barre instructor, as well as a half marathoner! I blog about my training, various mental health topics, balancing a healthy life, and my life with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome.

Today I thought I’d talk about something I’ve been thinking quite a bit about lately—being proactive in planning for the unplanned and less than ideal moments in life. We all have days (or weeks) where unexpected things pop up (family emergencies, illness, a large work project, etc…), and these moments don’t allow for us to live as healthy and balanced as we’d like. While these moments might not be ideal, our healthy lifestyles don’t have to be pushed completely to the side. With a little forethought and planning, we can be proactive in helping ourselves through those times while maintaining some of our health! Here are a few tips to get you started:

1. Determine what your most important healthy behaviors are. For example, when something pops up in my life, I still want to get some sort of work out in (even if it’s “just” a bit of stretching), I want my thoughts to stay healthy (I keep this thought record on hand), and I want to eat healthy foods. I try to sleep as much as I can, but I know that sometimes this is a component that we can’t control. Spend a few moments thinking about what some of your “non-negotiable” behaviors might be.

2. Keep meals frozen in the freezer and veggies cut up in your refrigerator. This has saved me countless times. I end up getting held up at work until 8 at night, and by the time I get home what I really want to do is sit on my couch eating chips. However, since I keep veggies cut up and prepped, it’s easy to drip them in hummus and have a convenient snack. Having meals ready to go in the freezer means that in a bad week, I can still eat solid meals with no effort (beyond punching some numbers into the microwave).

3. Avoid catastrophizing words. Words like “terrible”, “horrible”, “miserable” and the like only serve to heighten our stress and anxiety in any given situation. They certainly won’t help the situation at all. Keep words equal to the situation at hand to keep your stress at bay! The more that we practice this in healthy and stress free moments, the easier it will be to use this skill in tense situations. For more info see the entire post I wrote on catastrophizing here.

These are a few of the ways that I try to be proactive and plan ahead for the rough moments that pop up in our life. There’s no need to lose all our behaviors in these situations, although it does look a little different. Spending a few minutes to plan now will be well worth it when those moments come!

Good luck and be well J

Now it’s your turn to share! What’s one way you try to plan ahead and prepare for the difficult moments in life?"

Thanks for sharing these great tips, Caroline! 

Don't forget to check out Carlonie's blog here and check her out on Twitter and Bloglovin'.