Mid-June I challenged myself to 30 days of consistent workouts. While I love daily movement, I had found that I let “excuses” get in my way from finding time on my mat. I endeavored to correct this, and started mid-month with a 30/30 challenge. {hint – you don’t have to wait until 1/1 or the beginning of the month to make a change}

The task was simple – move my body for a minimum of 30min every single day, with a combination of movement (pilates, weight lifting, yoga, mat work) and walking. While walking everyday is a normal practice (#awhwalks), I wanted to add a little more to my day (key word – a little).

Cycle Synching

I mapped out my workouts for the month to align with my cycle. More to come on “cycle synching” but for now know that women benefit from variety in movement. Depending on where you are in your cycle, should dictate what workouts you pursue. To maintain hormonal balance we should not be doing the same thing, every single day. Rather, an intentional, thoughtful approach to movement – in sync with your hormonal/menstrual cycle, will yield immeasurable results.

Scheduling

I want to provide a contextual note. I work as a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA), leaving for work most mornings by 6am. To get in my workout I have had to start the night before. Moving up my evening routine, allows me to get to bed earlier, and then subsequently wake-up earlier. If I feel I did not get a good night’s sleep then I would skip my workout – no matter what time – and find the opportunity later in the day.

In addition to working, I am a mother to a young toddler (i.e. my “free time” is sometimes unpredictable). Some days she would join me on my workouts (nothing like a little extra weight on your back, ha). Other days, I would sneak in my movement before she woke-up or after I put her to bed.

My shifts vary and there were days that I would leave for work at 6 am only to return after 730pm. I still made my workout. I tried to have grace  – with myself and also this commitment. If I knew I had a super busy day I would go ahead and shower, put on my scrubs and then select a program that was going to yield results, without breaking too much of a sweat.

Also, I traveled 3 out of 4 weekends during this month. This meant that my workouts would occasionally occur after everyone had gone to bed. Granted I was not doing a hard, intense workout during that time, but still I moved my body and felt great in the process.

Platforms

I used the following three platforms to find my daily movement:

• Melissa Wood Health: I love that her workouts require little to no equipment, are short timeframes (sometimes only 15 min), but always effective. She has such a warm voice, and welcoming attitude that completing her workouts felt like a meditation.
• Kira Stokes: The Stoked Method is awesome! Kira is a genius at creating highly effective workouts! She always sneaks in stretching via the transitions so that when the workout is complete, it is complete (ie. you don’t need to do a separate program to stretch). She has both shorter and longer options and I am always happier stepping off the mat when I’ve done the Stoked Method.
• Kore Kinect: Kourtney is a wealth of knowledge. She provides excellent, detail instructions to achieve proper pilates form. Honestly, her workouts are as effective as being on the reformer. A great resource when you want a focused class that provides detail on form.

This workout was a family affair!

I hope this post encourages you to put on a pair of walking shoes and go for an evening stroll. Or perhaps, pick a favorite workout plan and try 15 minutes of movement. Measure how you feel before and after. From my perspective you will never regret a workout!

Happy moving!

Ps … while I love Melissa Wood Health (and have followed her workouts for years), I did not name AWH after her;)  It just so happens we both have last names with the letter W and “Health” felt like a better fit than Amanda Ward Wellness (AWW) – which didn’t have the same ring. Also, Melissa nd I both completed our Health Coaching Certification from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. To learn more and receive 20% off the course click here. This program was the best academic decision I have ever made. Life Changing!