FitFluential Ambassador?

I have been working with this fun little company FitFluential to help them grow and spread the word about all the great things they are doing. They have given me the chance to apply to be a FitFluential Ambassador, by sharing a little about my fitness/exercise/healthy living lifestyle. Also since learning about Baby Girl I am sure you have noticed that my exercise posts have gone by the way side, so I thought I would share with you and FitFluential what helps me stay fit.

I have to start with a disclaimer, I HATE gyms. I hate having to drive to them, all the crowds, and feeling like people are looking at me. Because of that most of my workouts are done in the comfort of my home.

Here is a little collage of my workout life

As you can see in the top center, “My Gym” is actually the tv in our basement. I keep all my workout stuff to the left of the tv or in the cabinets and just move the coffee table to have plenty of room to get my sweat on. I have a lot of DVD workouts, you can see my Top 3 in the photo above with my workout sneakers and weights. That is really all I need to stay fit (although you can see I add more!).

The DVD’s in the picture are my top ones right now (it does change from time to time) because they have been great to do with the pregnancy. You can find out more about the 10 lb Slimdown (on the left) here. I have to thank my sister-in-law for the second DVD, this Denise Austin Pregnancy DVD has been great. It is easy enough for me to do on the days I am not feeling up to a workout, but still challenging enough to help keep me fit (only 20 lbs up at 28 weeks, I am proud of that!). My other favorite and one that has also been good with Baby Girl is the Body by Bethenny Yoga DVD. This is a great yoga workout and really gets the flow going. Also for all the preggers lady out there, Bethenny shot this when she was pregnant and it really helps to keep your muscles open during pregnancy.

Along with my DVD’s I also love Exercise TV. If you have not tried it through your cable company, you NEED to. Exercise TV is actually how I got hooked on Body by Bethenny (I think it is still on the channel) and had to go get the DVD so I would have it. They also have TONS of workouts on there to keep things interesting. I love the walking workout (more so now then before), the Cardio Dance segments, and the yoga and Pilates workouts. I swear that Exercise TV has prevented me from becoming bored working out at home.

Also in the bottom left you see my Wii Workout equipment. Another confession, I also dislike strength training. Yes I know who important it is and all that, but I get bored with it. That is what makes the EA Active workouts for the Wii so great for me. They combine strength and cardio work, but the Wii counts for you and makes sure you stay on track. Believe it or not but this has really helped me gain muscle tone. Also Hubby and I can do the EA Active workouts together and that is always fun!

In the past year I have added 2 new components to my workouts. Just about a year ago I went from just doing yoga at home to joining a yoga studio near my house. The Studio for Yoga has been a great addition to my workouts, and they added a prenatal yoga class right after I got pregnant (yes I think that was part luck, part me emailing to ask about one!) I love yoga in that it really makes me take the time to spend the time focusing on me. I always feel so energized when I leave. If you are preggers, the hip openers in prenatal yoga are AMAZING! My hips have been getting a little tight lately and just lifting them with a yoga block has been a blessing.

This past winter I also decided to start running (something I am not doing a lot now because of the pregnancy and the heat). I never really understood why people run it always seemed so boring to me, but once I started doing it (only once a week) I realized I really enjoyed the runners high! I will never be a marathon runner or anything like that, but I do enjoy a good run now and then. In the picture you can see what I take on my runs. I have shoes just for running to be sure the support is always right, my heart rate monitor to measure time and distance, and my phone (for emergencies and music). I have to run with music or I would be done in about 2 minutes!

I was never a big believer in special workout clothes until I got some awesome Under Armour items this Christmas, so I wanted to share my 3 favorite items.  The blue shorts can be found here and I love that they have the lining inside but are nice and loose around the legs, the green top (I have in several colors) is great because it keeps you cool and you don’t have to wear a sports bra with it. Also in the picture are my favorite Danskin Yoga pants. These are the best at staying put and making me feel like I look good working out or running errands!

Finally, I included a picture of my kitchen because I know when I make my own meals and snacks it is much easier for me to stay fit! Which is why I love sharing all my favorite recipes on the blog with you all.

What are your must haves to stay fit and healthy?