Words to Live By.

One of my favorite brands in the world has a manifesto that includes a ton of amazing words to live by including the ones above, "Sweat Once A Day". And I couldn't agree more!

For those of you who know me, I have been a fitness fanatic pretty much my whole life. I asked Santa to bring me this when I was about 4 years old and I guess you could say that my fate was sealed from that point on. I also remember having a Barbie (or was she some sort of knock-off wannabe barbie) that came with a gym locker. Who even knows where the fascination came from but thanks Mom and Dad for stoking those flames.

In middle school, I had a short volleyball career and in high school, songleading (think dance team/cheerleading) and Tae Bo (ha) kept me sweatin. Before I went to college, I decided to make a huge commitment to my health and my fitness obsession: I joined a gym. I had worked all summer and probably made about $1000 for the whole summer. When I went to talk to the gym staff about membership, I was given two options: 1) $300 for one year upfront and $99 annual renewal rate for the rest of my life, or 2) $600 for two years upfront and $49 annual renewal rate for the rest of my life. Like I said, I had worked really hard all summer and that $1000 made me feel pretty rich...did I really want to blow it all on a gym membership? I remember having a conversation with my mom about it and looking back, not to be dramatic, it was truly a turning point in my life. I went with the second option and closed my eyes as I wrote the check. And I never looked back!

From that day on, the freshman 15 had nothing on me! I lived for my morning workouts and I loved going to group classes. The gym definitely lost money on me and I was proud of myself that I took the leap and parted with the $600. I liked going to classes so much that after I graduated from college, I decided to get certified to teach TKB-Turbo Kickboxing. I was really fortunate to get hired at The Boxing Club in Point Loma pretty shortly after getting certified (like a week later) and I taught there for about a year before going to law school. It was there that I fell in love with teaching classes and working with people on a personal level with something that I felt passionate about.

Moving to Malibu was a bit of a challenge my first year of law school because the gym was not really nearby. Fortunately, Pepperdine is a university with facilities and group exercise and...HILLS, haha. It is too beautiful to not run outside here. There are few other tracks with an ocean view. Living in Santa Monica, I was back near a 24 hour fitness and so I quickly became a regular at the club and took a bunch of strength training, kickboxing, and pilates classes too.

Today, I am loving the options that Aaron and I have living in Malibu. Yes, I sometimes wish that we were closer to a 24 hour fitness or that we had more affordable options for yoga, pilates, and other cool workouts--but all in all, I can't complain. So, here are the ways I'm trying to "Sweat Once A Day" lately...

GYM
The Pepperdine gym is so-so. It's tiny but because I like to work out at 6am, I don't have too much of a problem getting the machines (ahem, treadmills) that I like when I want them. When I just want to veg out on a treaddy or an elliptical, the gym is a great option. I probably get to the gym once or twice a week.

YOGA
I am really fortunate that I found a Bikram Yoga studio somewhat nearby. The studio is in Agoura Hills which is about 15-20 minutes away--because of the time of day that I am driving there. I take a 6:30am class during the week and an 8:30am class most Saturdays. The studio is awesome and the 90 minute open-eye meditation, 26 poses and 2 breathing exercises practice in a heated (105 degrees) room is a perfect fit for my love for intense workouts. If there were more hours in the day, I would definitely try to practice once a day. I love how cleansing the workout is and it really does help connect my mind and my body in the way that only yoga can.

RUNNING
Although we're not training for anything right now, Aaron and I definitely don't want to ever have to start from square one if (WHEN?) we decide to do another big race. I try to run at least a 10K twice a week if I can squeeze it in. 10K is my favorite distance for a regular workout day.

SPIN!
Of course, I love to spin. I am currently teaching twice a week, Monday afternoons and Friday 6ams. I feel so fortunate to have two awesome classes a week--two opportunities to give people, hopefully, a good workout and a chance to make them realize how powerful they are! I love being able to encourage and challenge people during the one hour class. We recently started offering a Saturday morning class and so I have taught and will teach a few Saturdays this Spring. Spin is so much fun because of the music. I love putting routines together and it is the best compliment when students tell me that they love the music choices because I know that can make or break a workout for people!

MISCELLANEOUS
Insanity definitely falls under this category and just this week, Aaron and I have been trying to work in some of these awesome workouts. They are short, challenging, and there is really nothing like it. I love that in 40 minutes, I know I will have worked hard, burned calories, and toned some muscles! Aaron and I would both highly recommend this program to anyone who's serious about getting a great workout and getting into superior cardio shape.

So, what have you done to sweat today??

Have a healthy day!

"Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies." 1 Corinthians 6:19-20