Two Keys To A Successful Workout (Learned The Hard Way)
It has reached the point where every time I’m doing mountain climbers less than classy words slip out of my mouth and onto my old, overused yoga mat. It’s time for a new one, I know. This mat has been through a lot and it’s time to part ways. I’ve been reluctantly hunting for a new one – if anyone has brand suggestions I’d gladly look into them – but part of me is too attached and willing to forsake blisters for the comfort of my old mat.
I’ve been able to solve the problem short-term by using my new super-comfy sport socks from No Nonsense while doing yoga and BBG on my mat. The socks have not only been a lifesaver at saving my poor feet from the harshness of my old mat but they’ve also helped me keep from slipping while exercising. I wore them the other day playing my first 18-hole round of golf– in 95*F Maryland heat mind you – and I can say that the only part of my body that wasn’t sore afterwards were my feet! The socks are cute, soft, cushioned and sweat-resistant – basically, they feel good, they look good and if you workout a lot you should definitely check them out! Comfort in your active wear is definitely of #1 importance in order to have a productive – and painless – workout!
— Update: Since writing the original draft of this post, I finally purchased another mat. It’s purple, from Gaiam and looked way to comfortable to pass up. (This should be key 1.5 – replace workout equipment as needed… don’t go through unnecessarily painful workouts for no reason due to old equipment!) I’m sure you’ll see it in some future posts! My old mat (above) has been demoted to my outdoor mat and I’ve actually really loved working out under the sky and trees in my backyard this past week! —
Anyway! As I’m sure you’ve noticed, we’ve been inundated with a heat wave for the past week and a half. There are some mornings where I wake up and find myself unable to scrounge up the energy to work out and then realize that I’m just too dehydrated. This brings me to my second key to a successful workout – and it’s nothing new! Staying hydrated 24/7 is so important. It impacts everything from your energy levels to your metabolism to your body’s oxygen intake to your mood… I’ve since made a point of keeping a water bottle with me on times! When my reusable water bottle is in the dish washer, I’ll alternate between the new SmartWater Sparkling – which is great for digestion – and Alkaline 8.8 Water.
The latter is something that I’ve only recently heard of and tried out, but it is one of those trends that works SO well that I quickly became obsessed with it. Not only did it make me super hydrated but it also gave me a clean feeling in my gut – the only thing I can compare it to is the way I feel after a successful meditation, except the Alkaline PH actually negates the acidity in your body, whereas meditation negates the acid negativity in your mind! It gave me a heightened sense of clarity about what was in the food I was putting into my body and made me more conscious about staying hydrated. A combination of this, the comfiest workout socks ever (seriously, good socks really do make a difference in your workout) and my new mat have created some pretty fire workouts this past week!
Stay Classy & Healthy! xx
P.S. Shout out to everyone who has been e-mailing me wellness and lifestyle topics that they want me to cover in the next week! I appreciate the comments and will be sure to post ASAP 🙂