When it comes to health & fitness, I can’t stress enough about finding a balance that works for YOU. Really tuning into [your] body….how do you feel when eating certain foods? How does your body respond to different types of movement? yoga, walking, strength training, running, swimming, pilates, rest days… fine-tuning that balance of movement is truly invaluable. When you find what makes you tick, so to speak, well…it feels pretty damn good. And I feel like I’ve found my sweet spot as I’ve moved thru 2016.
Naturally, routines (and relationships) ebb & flow. In 2015, I found myself ebbing more than flowing when it came to my workouts. And, its taken the better part of this year to get back to a solid routine + looking & feeling my best! But not to get off track, because I have a separate post planned for that.
I’ve been thinking up this post for the last few weeks and am happy to finally be sitting down to write it in hopes of inspiring whoever is reading to work on finding a balance that works for you, for your body and your overall health, well-being and something I’m quite frankly obsessed with – longevity.
In the past, I have struggled with taking those much needed rest days – not physically, but mentally. I’ve finally gotten to a place where I actually respect my rest days and don’t beat myself up or have an inner dialogue going on, where my mind is telling me I NEED to workout while my body just totally isn’t feeling it.
If you follow along on my health & fitness Instagram account @ls_fitlife or on Snapchat @ laurenschwaiger you see that my week is full of many different types of m o v e m e n t – boxing, every type of cardio you can think of, strength training, yoga, bike rides & my absolute favorite thing to do…super long, leisurely walks with Adam. I’ve cultivated this really awesome balance that leaves me feeling strong, fit, healthy & energized come the end of the week rather than overtrained, burnt out or feeling like I have nothing left to give.
A sample week of workouts looks like this…
MONDAY
Cardio + Full Body Strength Circuit
(think: push ups, squats, lunges, chest press, tricep & bicep work, shoulder raises, pull-ups)
TUESDAY
LISS Cardio 45-60 minutes / typically a mix of stair master, treadmill and precore AMT
WEDNESDAY
Boxing
THURSDAY
Active Rest Day
2-3 mile walk outside or yoga, just depending on the day/my schedule
FRIDAY
HIIT cardio sesh on the treadmill + core & booty exercises
SATURDAY
Boxing Bootcamp
SUNDAY
Active Rest Day
long walk, typically 5+ miles all over uptown or a yoga class with Adam
Years ago, I felt this need to constantly push myself as hard as possible. This left me completely fatigued & burnt out. Now, in my 30’s, I don’t recover as quickly as I used to + a family history of shitty knees & hips already has me modifying things I used to do in my 20’s. Its taken some time but I’ve gotten into this rhythm that as you can see by the title of this post, is The Perfect Week of Movement. So what is this Perfect Week, you ask?
2-3 DAYS A WEEK: HIGH INTENSITY TRAINING
(boxing, sprint work, plyometircs, timed exercises)
+
1-2 DAYS A WEEK: MODERATE INTENSITY
(long cardio sessions such as stair master, power incline walking, jogging)
+
2 DAYS A WEEK: LOW INTENSITY AND/OR RECOVERY TECHNIQUES
(yoga class, bike rides, long walk outside, stretching, foam rolling, massage, bath + epsom salts, legs up the wall, etc…)
You’ll notice I gave a range of days, 2-3 / 1-2 days for high & moderate intensity workouts…every day/week/month is different and I always listen to how my body is feeling on any given day. Some weeks for example, maybe I’m only feeling 2 ass kicking workouts or maybe I have 3 in me! Obviously, this is what works for me and every single body is different so weekly check-in’s are a beautiful thing…take note of what you’ve had going on & find your weekly flow based on how your feeling.
Good sleep or lack thereof? Hormones? Did you have a little too much fun over the weekend?
Hydrated/dehydrated? Stressed to the max? Constipated? Are you fueling your body with the proper foods – protein, healthy fats, complex carbs, greens & colorful veggies?
All of the above plays a role in what your body may need.
I feel like I can ramble on & on about all of this, but I’ll wrap it up by saying…
just tune in & cultivate a deeper connection with your body.
I hope you find this post helpful in figuring out what makes you feel your best, happiest, healthiest, strongest, most confident & beautiful self! xx
Much Love,
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