My hubby had purchased a golf four-some at La Costa Resort & Spa at a charity event we attended and after several months he fit time on the course into his schedule. He asked me if I wanted to join him, but Continue reading
Hi friends, it’s hump day…ok, Wednesday, already the middle of the week, just two more workdays to go in this short week 🙂
This is Trick #5 that I use to Motivate Myself to Exercise. Hope you like it! Leave your comments below – let me know what you think and if you like this series.
Hugs,
Paola
This trick can be an easy way to get in some exercise during your day, particularly if you are rushing in the mornings and/or unable to exercise in the evenings. One of my friends that has an infant tells me that the lunch break during her workday is pretty much the only time she has to exercise. She will walk around the neighborhood close to work for about 30 minutes. She told me this makes her feel like she is getting some exercise in her day and that makes her feel better, not only physically, but also emotionally.
For me, exercising at lunch time is not always possible since I often work through lunch (I know, not good) because I have so much to do, or I’ll have a shoot or meeting scheduled at that time. I have tried it on and off depending on my schedule, and in addition to getting a workout, I find it to be a nice way to get a break in my workday. I’ll go to a gym located close to work, change into workout clothes quickly, and usually do about 20 – 30 minutes on the treadmill or bicycle, followed by stretching. Then, I will change quickly and rush back to work. I don’t have time to take a class because those are an hour long. The treadmill works for me because I don’t jog, I speed walk, so I don’t really break too much of a sweat. I do feel my heart beating and can feel the cardio. The important thing is that I am moving, getting some physical activity.
The television stations where I work are located in a somewhat secluded area (not downtown) and the entire building and parking lot area is gated, plus it is next to a freeway. So, walking around the neighborhood would be kind of hard to do. The parking lot is large, so some of my colleagues walk around the parking lot at lunch time (it circles the building). Some wear casual attire or hats to block the sun. Others just put on tennis shoes and walk in their work attire (business casual attire). I haven’t done this yet, but have been considering it lately. It seems like a good and easy way to get in some walking throughout the day. This week, I took a pair of tennis shoes to work and left them in a cabinet. This way, they are handy if I decide to go for a quick walk around the building. Maybe I will ask one of my colleagues if she wants to join me for a walk, an exercise buddy would make it even better!
If you can, try to exercise at lunch time. Maybe start with a walk around the block, or like me, go to a gym or the YMCA close by. Maybe start with one day per week and work up to more days. If you work from home or are a stay at home mom, you can also try to walk at lunch time. If you make it part of your routine and turn it into a habit, you will look forward to it. And for those of you that can take more than an your for lunch time (lucky), many gyms offer exercise classes at lunch time.
Do you exercise at lunch time? Do you think you could motivate yourself to exercise at lunch time?
I took this pic recently, as I was leaving the gym after doing some exercise at lunch time. I left feeling great!
I wish I worked in this building (a resort in Orlando), they have a beautiful walking path 🙂 Do you work close to a walking path?
Pictured above is a walking path located in downtown San Diego, close to many office buildings and homes.
La estrategia de hacer ejercicio durante la hora del almuerzo es una manera practica de añadir actividad física durante el día. Es buena idea para personas que no les es posible hacer ejercicio en las mañanas o al salir del trabajo.
Yo trato de hacerlo, particularmente cuando se que tendré un compromiso en la noche al salir del trabajo. Me pongo unos tenis que guardo en la oficina, una visera, y salgo a caminar alrededor de la televisora. Me sirve como un descanso y distracción durante mi día de trabajo que esta lleno de juntas, grabaciones, y demás. Trato de caminar con una compañera de trabajo, así platicamos y es mas divertido. Me pongo de acuerdo con ella y confirmamos la hora el día anterior o esa misma mañana. Así, tengo un compromiso con ella y me forzó a mi misma a salir a caminar. De otra manera, es fácil seguir trabajando durante la hora del almuerzo y decir, “mas tarde iré a caminar” y ese mas tarde nunca se da. Si no puedo caminar media hora, al menos camino quince minutos. Es mejor hacer un poco de ejercicio que no hacer nada de actividad física.
Si tengo una hora de almuerzo, voy a un gimnasio que queda cerca de mi trabajo y hago treinta minutos de ejercicio ligero. Después, me cambio rápidamente y regreso al trabajo.
Lo importare es moverse e incorporar la actividad física diariamente a nuestras vidas. Mantenernos activos nos ayuda a sentirnos mejor, no solo físicamente, si no también emocionalmente.
¿Tu haces ejercicio durante la hora del almuerzo? ¿Crees que sea algo que puedas incorporar a tu día? ¡Intentalo!
Un abrazo,
Paola
Hi friends, hope your weekend is going well! Do you have special plans for your long weekend?
Here’s Trick #4 from the series Tricks to Motivate Myself to Exercise. Hope you like it.
Hugs,
Paola
Going to a gym that is located close to work or home really works for me! It is convenient and practical. I am a member of 24Hour Fitness, I have been for about 10 years! The membership I have is for multiple locations, pretty much all their gyms in various cities. I usually go to the gym after work and take the classes. I know the schedules for the fitness classes at the gyms close to work and don’t always make it for the entire hour, but know that it is better to exercise for forty-five or thirty minutes, than to not exercise at all. Another option is to use the equipment to exercise, such as a treadmill, elliptical, or bicycle. An item that helps me pass the time when I exercise on equipment is a magazine, book, or my IPod. I always have a magazine in my car and my IPod in my purse. Before I know it, I’ve gotten at least 30 minutes of cardio and walked two miles!
Every once in a while I’ll go to the gym located about two miles from the station at lunch time and walk on a treadmill for thirty minutes and stretch for five minutes, freshen up & change, then rush back to work. I get a pretty light work out because I don’t really want to get to sweaty since I go back to work afterwards. I try to go to the gym at lunch time at least one or two times per week, particularly if I know I will not be able to exercise that evening. Exercising regularly at lunch time can be challenging for me because sometimes I have shoots or meetings at lunch time, but mostly because I often work through lunch time (which is not good, but such is life).
On weekends, I’ll try to go to gyms close to home. I’ll take a class or use the equipment. My husband also has a membership to 24Hour Fitness and it helps (me) when I can motivate him to go to the gym with me, somehow it also motivates me to know he is going with me. Every once in a while, I’ll go to the gym close to home on weekday mornings, but the classes offered are at 5:00 am, which is usually about an hour too early for me. Sometimes, I’ll go to the gym in the mornings and just get on the treadmill or elliptical for a quick workout. When I do make it to the gym in the mornings, I feel great the rest of the day, full of energy! Exercising in the mornings is also good for your metabolism, more on that in another post.
Do you have a gym membership? Which gym do you go to? Do you have a favorite class you take or do you use the equipment? Do you go to the gym in the mornings, lunch time, or evenings?
In the picture above, I was stretching after exercising on the treadmill at the gym.
When I want to get in some light exercise, I use the bicycles. It is simple and I can read while I get a workout (or catch up with friend on the phone), which helps the time go by faster. Before I know it, I will have gone a few miles on the bicycle and gotten thirty minutes of exercise.
I keep print outs of the exercise class schedules from the gyms located close to work and home handy, so I can quickly see which class I can attend on a certain day. I keep them in a cabinet at work, in the glove compartment of my car, and the nightstand in my bedroom at home.
Hi friends , Happy Saturday – hope you are enjoying your day! This is the third tip from the series Tricks to Motivate Myself to Exercise. Hopefully you are liking the series. If you have tips that work for you , share them below!
Hugs,
Paola
Exercise classes are a wonderful and fun way to exercise! I go to a few 24 Hour Fitness gyms, either close to work or home. I periodically print out the class schedules and highlight my favorite classes: Zumba & Yoga. I keep them in a special red folder in a file cabinet at my desk at work and in the glove compartment of my car. This may seem a bit much, but hey, it works for me. I have so much on my mind, it helps to have the schedules handy when I want to look up a class to attend. I also add the classes that I am most likely to attend on my Outlook electronic schedule (I easily have access to the schedule from my cel phone). I add classes that are held on weekday evenings for the gyms close to work. I add a few options because I don’t always leave work at the same time, if I miss the first evening class, I know an hour later there is another class available. I add classes held on weekend for the gyms which are close to home. It helps me remember the times and locations the classes are held at.
Attending classes I like makes it fun to exercise. I know with Zumba, I will dance and enjoy the music! I’ll break a sweat, get lots of cardio, and always leave with a smile and feeling great! With yoga, I know I will stretch and balance, and always leave feeling relaxed. I’ve also become familiar with some of the instructors and have my favorite classes.
Do you have any favorite classes you attend?
Hugs,
Paola
This picture was taken as I was leaving the gym after a Zumba class! After a long day at work, a Zumba class makes me feel good & even re-energized! I get my endorphins going & feel great!
ESPAÑOL:
Estrategias para Motivarte a Hacer Ejercicio: #3 Clases de Ejercicio Que Te Gusten
¡Las clases de ejercicio son una manera divertida y buena de hacer ejercicio! Yo voy a los gimnasios 24 Hour Fitness que están cerca de mi casa y del trabajo. Periódicamente imprimo los horarios de las clases de ejercicio y marco mis favoritas: Zumba y Yoga. Mantengo los horarios en un folder en mi oficina y en la gauntera de mi carro. Quizás parezca demasiado tenerlos en dos lugares, pero a mi me funciona. Tengo una agenda ocupada y muchas cosas en la mente, así que me ayuda tener los horarios de las clases a la mano cuando quiero ver las opciones disponibles.
También agrego las clases a las cuales es mas probable que vaya en mi calendario electrónico. De esta manera tengo acceso al horario por medio de mi celular. Agrego clases que se llevan a cabo en las tardes en los gimnasios que quedan cerca del trabajo. Agrego clases que se llevan a cabo los fines de semana en gimnasios que quedan cerca de mi casa. Esto me ayuda bastante, son recordatorios de donde y a que hora son las clases, y me ayuda a organizar mi día de tal manera que logro acomodar el tiempo para hacer ejercicio.
¡Tomar clases que nos gustan hace que el ejercicio sea divertido! Se que con Zumba bailaré y disfrutaré la música. Voy a sudar, haré cardio, y siempre salgo con una sonrisa y sintiéndome excelente! Con Yoga, se que me estiraré y haré ejercicios de equilibrio, salgo sintiéndome relajada.
¿Vas a alguna clase de ejercicio? Cual es tu favorita?
Un abrazo,
Paola
Hi friends – this is Trick #2 of the series: Tricks to Motivate Myself to Exercise
Hugs,
Paola
I always have my gym bag in the car. If I plan to exercise after work, I will take my gym bag out of the car with me when I arrive at the station in the morning. This way, when I am done with work, I’ll change at the restrooms at the television station before I leave work. If I am in exercise clothes, I feel motivated and prepared to exercise (ok, sometimes it is more like forced to go exercise ;)). It is like changing from my “work uniform” (outfit) to my “exercise uniform.” Make sense? A few times, I have said, “oh, I’ll change at the gym or go to the store first, then the gym and change there”….and you know what happens, I don’t go to the gym. Somehow between leaving the station parking lot and getting on the freeway I decide to pass the freeway off ramp for the gym and keep driving straight home (and don’t exercise that day). But, when I am wearing my exercise clothes, I go straight to the gym. Maybe it is a state of mind, but putting on the exercise clothes automatically motivates me to exercise. Then, when I arrive at the gym, I start exercising (usually Zumba), get my endorphins going, and leave feeling happy and wonderful!
Do you have a gym bag? Do you change at work to head straight to exercise after work?
Tip: I have multiple of exercise outfits (pants, tops, and jackets) , a few pairs of tennis shoes, and many socks. This way, I always have exercise clothes and socks available in my drawers, making it easy to pack my gym bag daily. I use one pair of tennis shoes as my “gym bag” tennis shoes, this way I don’t need to be taking them out of the gym bag in the car when I need tennis shoes while at home or if I decide to exercise on the weekends.
If you would like to read the post regarding Tip #1, click here.
ESPAÑOL: Estrategia #2: Cambiarme a Ropa Deportiva en el Trabajo
Siempre tengo mi mochila para el gimnasio en el auto. Si planeo hacer ejercicio después de mi día de trabajo, bajo mi mochila para el gimnasio del auto al llegar a la televisora en la mañana. De esta manera, al terminar mi trabajo, me cambio de ropa en los vestidores de la televisora antes de salir del edificio. ¡Si estoy vestida con ropa deportiva, me siento motivada y preparada para hacer ejercicio! Es como cambiarme de mi “uniforme de trabajo” a mi “uniforme de ejercicio.” ¿Suena lógico? Algunas veces he dicho, “me cambiaré en el gimnasio, o iré a la tienda primero y de ahí al gimnasio donde me podré cambiar de ropa.” ¿Y saben que pasa? No voy al gimnasio. De alguna manera (muy misteriosa por cierto) entre salir del estacionamiento de la televisora y subirme al freeway, decidí pasarme la salida del gimnasio y seguí manejando directamente a mi casa. Como resultado, ese día ya no hice ejercicio. ¡Quizás es la manera como funciona mi mente, pero ponerme ropa deportiva automáticamente me motiva a hacer ejercicio! Y cuando llego al gimnasio, comienzo a escuchar la música, a hacer ejercicio, bailar en la clase de Zumba, comienzan a andar mis endorfinas, y termino sintiéndome contenta y de maravilla!
Tengo varios compañeros de trabajo que usan esta estrategia. Veo que salen de la televisora vestidos con ropa deportiva y listos para hacer ejercicio. ¡A ellos les funciona y a mi también!
Otro Consejo: Tengo varias prendas de ropa deportiva, unos cuantos pares de tenis, y muchas calcetas. De esta manera, siempre tengo ropa deportiva y calcetas en los cajones en casa, y así me es fácil preparar la mochila diario para el gimnasio. Utilizo un par de tenis como el par para “la mochila para el gimnasio” y de esta manera no tengo que estar sacando los tenis del auto cuando estoy en casa y necesito tenis, o si decido hacer ejercicio el fin de semana.
¡Hacer ejercicio no solo es bueno para nuestro cuerpo, también es bueno para nuestro bienestar emocional y nuestra alma!
¿Tienes mochila para el gimnasio? ¿Te cambias en el trabajo para irte directo a hacer ejercicio después de tu jornada laboral?
Tambien los invito a que nos conectemos por medio de Facebook/Paola-Hernandez-Jiao.
Un abrazo,
Paola
Tortilla chips are one of my favorite snacks! Not potato chips, but tortilla chips. It is funny because, even though I am Mexican, I don’t eat tortillas often, nor do I crave them. I’ll take a good handmade tortilla any day, but don’t really buy them for home, nor do I cook with them. Over the years, I have eaten a lots of bags of tortilla chips. I started to compare chips and found that the lowest calorie, fat, & sodium tortilla chips, that I still find tasty, are the one’s from Trader Joe’s. I used to buy them often and because when I was single I lived alone, guess who would eat all the tortilla chips? That’s right – ME! My husband likes potato chips more than tortilla chips, so even after I got married, if I bought a bag of tortilla chips, I would eat the entire bag by myself. I wouldn’t eat it all in one sitting, I would eat a few one day, then a small bowl the next day and the next, until the bag was gone. Sometimes I would prepare a bowl of tortilla chips with lime and chamoy or chile, it was delicious! Some nights, instead of dinner, I’d have a bowl of tortilla chips. I wouldn’t do it every day or every week, but when I did buy a bag, I would eat chips almost every night. I really like pita chips too and for a while was buying these in place of tortilla chips, but these also have lots of calories, fat, & sodium – plus it was hard to only eat a few.
I noticed this was becoming a bad habit and would make me feel bloated from the sodium the next day. So, I decided to break the bad habit and stopped buying both of them. I haven’t bought a bag of tortilla or pita chips in months. I still eat these tasty snacks at parties or restaurants, but just a few.
I am not saying I will never buy a bag of tortilla or pita chips, but for now, I am trying to eat healthier and unprocessed food. So, I have replaced chips with fresh carrot chips and mushrooms. Both these veggies are very low on calories and have zero fat. I also eat plantain chips if I want the crunchiness. So, if I am craving tortilla chips or pita chips, I’ll eat mushrooms or carrot chips. Before I know it, my craving is gone and I have eaten healthy snacks that nourish me.
Last week, we were in San Francisco and I wanted to stay on my healthy diet – it’s more of a lifestyle. So, we went to the grocery store. Instead of buying the bag of tortilla chips I would usually buy for the weekend in San Fran, I bought fresh veggies, hummus, salad, and fruit. This healthy food kept me feeling full and avoided me eating unhealthy food. It worked! Plus, I do find these veggies to be tasty.
I love, love hummus, but don’t eat it often because it has lots of calories, fat, and sodium. Yes, yes, I know it is natural, has the healthy type of fat and oils, but still calories are calories. So, I snacked on hummus with mushrooms, carrot chips, and tomatoes. Delicious! At home, I also eat the mushrooms and carrots alone or with a small amount of low fat sour cream. Some friends eat carrots with chili and lime, I may try that.
There are many pluses to eating healthier, more importantly, I am nourishing my body. These veggies have vitamins, protein, and fiber. The minuses are that natural veggies don’t keep fresh as long as processed foods do. So, I have to eat them within a few days of buying them. Also, they do cost a bit more than buying a simple bag of chips, but it is worth it because in the long run, it is better for me.
So, next time you are craving chips….try these snacks, they are yummy, low-cal, and more importantly healthy for you! Maybe someday, you’ll actually crave these instead of chips. I am still working on that!
Do you snack on veggies? What is your favorite snack?
Hugs,
Paola