How I found an effective, sustainable workout routine that I love and that I can stick to (and that has helped me to get into better shape and live a healthier lifestyle) PLUS my take on Fabletics activewear!
How I found an effective, sustainable workout routine that I love and that I can stick to (and that has helped me to get into better shape and live a healthier lifestyle) PLUS my take on Fabletics activewear!
Quick and Dirty Summary: Fabletics leggings really are FABULOUS. My new workout routine is that I run 4 times a week, do HIIT, Daily Burn, or some other strength / cardio combo 2 times a week, and yoga 2 times a week.
New Routine and Workout Mindset Change
You guys already all know that one my focuses for 2018 is to set realistic, achievable goals and to stop making excuses about why I can’t meet those goals. I’ve always been an overachieving perfectionist, and that has actually put me into this backwards tunnel: instead of setting realistic, achievable goals (such as, “lose 3 lbs this month” or “run 3 times this week”), I have a habit of picking goals that are based on whatever I think the maximum achievable goal is. In other words, what I’d do in a perfect world (things like “lose 10 lbs this month,” or “run every day this week”). This usually ends up backfiring.
Inevitably, something would come up and I’d miss a day of running. Or, there would be nachos. And boom, just like that, I’ve failed at meeting my goal. Then, I’d feel like “since this week is already ruined, there’s less pressure to go on run every day the rest of the week; screw it.” or “Welp, halfway through the month and not a chance I’ll be able to lose 10 lbs this month, so what’s the point? More nachos, please.” Sometimes, this negative talk would get even worse, and I’d spiral into thoughts like,”What is the point of even trying? I’ve been trying forever without results. I’ll never be in better shape.”
Something I’ve been hearing a lot about lately since I’ve been getting into yoga is to respect myself and to STFU with the negative self-talk. I generally tend to roll my eyes at these buzzwords and the related feel-good bullshit, and instead tell myself that I have to be hard on myself because that’s how you get results. Don’t slack – the second you decide it’s okay to slack off is when you REALLY go down hill. And I tell myself that the oppressive guilt I feel when I miss a workout or after eating a bunch of nachos is good because it’ll help me learn my lesson so I don’t mess up again. But, this mindset hasn’t worked for years.
So, one day around when everyone was using #NEWYEARNEWME when I probably had way too much coffee and was in a rare, super happy and optimistic mood (honestly, I miss when I used to feel like this regularly), I decided to try a new approach – to go easy on myself, to find balance, and to work on reducing my guilt because maybe it was just making me feel like more a failure. So, I made two changes:
- I set realistic goals. Instead of needing to have a hard workout everyday, my new weekly routine is to run 4 times a week, do some sort of HIIT/strength workout 2 times a week (i.e., DailyBurn, Insanity or Blogilates), and go to yoga twice a week.
- I will remain flexible and not beat myself up when I don’t hit my goals.
(PS – I don’t mean for this post to sound like I’ve found the answer to life and things are great. I still struggle multiple times a day with feeling like a failure or feeling guilty after making a poor choice. But what I’m trying to avoid is feeling like there’s no point, and making small good choices for myself. And for recognizing when I DO make good choices and acknowledging those choices and giving myself a little pat on the back. Before, I would’ve thought “you don’t deserve a pat on the back for doing what you should do anyway.”)
So, all of this is to say that I’ve been pleasantly surprised with my new mindset so far and I’ve actually been hitting goals! 12 days into February and I’ve lost 3 lbs (in a very healthy way)!
What does this have to do with Fabletics? I changed my mindset, tried something new, and was also pleasantly surprised! (Plus, a new, stylish workout outfit is a great way to get motivated to work out – duh!) Right now, you can get 2 pairs of leggings for only $24 when you sign up for Fabletics’ flexible VIP membership program!
Fabletics
As a little bit of background, I did not select the items I was given by Fabletics to review. Naturally, I was ultra-skeptical, because the items I was given were not what I’d usually buy. Generally, I buy ultra-supportive sports bras and sculpting, “keep-it-all-together” high-rise leggings.
I was given this low-impact, looser fitting seamless sports bra (the Camila Seamless Bra) and these regular-rise leggings with mesh panels (the Salar Mesh Powerhold Legging):
My first thoughts were as follows: “The mesh panels are going to bug me around the seams and be uncomfortable. I really like the legging material, though – it won’t show sweat. Regular rise? Hello, muffin top. This sports bra might be perfect for watching TV. Looks really comfortable and love the detail on the back. The red in the leggings is the same color as period blood in case my worst nightmare comes true in yoga class – it’d just look like part of the pattern. Why do I panic about things like this that aren’t the end of the world and are highly unlikely to occur? What is wrong with me?”
Well, I was super pleased – the mesh detail of the leggings were in the PERFECT place to be effective without bugging me. The best thing about these leggings is that even the “regular” (aka, not “high-waist”) leggings were high enough to make me feel like everything was held in place without any “love handle effect.”
The Camila Seamless Sports Bra was super comfortable and flattering! I would highly recommend it for low-impact exercising, running errands, etc.). It gave the girls enough “shape” that I actually wore it to work under some medium-thickness sweaters and was so comfortable all day long!
One thing to note – their stuff sells out SUPER FAST, so if you see a particular pattern or style that you love, you need to pounce. (I learned this the hard way. Womp womp.)
In short – I would buy Fabletics leggings again! The fit and material were great! Now I’m really curious to try a high-impact sports bra and matching leggings (maybe I’ll try their high rise, but honestly the regular rise were great so I might just stick with that!).