Blogmas Day 6 | Peeps vs Fitness

Back in this post, I briefly discussed how I was testing out 5 different wearable fitness trackers from the amazing Lumoid folks to see which one would best fit my lifestyle. I had done my research beforehand and narrowed down my choices to these guys.

one.two.three.four.five

After 2 weeks with the trackers here are my final thoughts...

1) Fitbit Charge HR - Very user-friendly, most accurately counted my steps (logged 100 counted steps as 102 steps). I loved the watch-like band and never felt that it was going to fall off at all. Water resistant, but not waterproof, this tracker is probably one you shouldn't shower with.

2) Jawbone UP3 - I love that this tracker basically looks like a bracelet. The only downsides are that there isn't any screen to tell you how many steps you've taken or what your heartrate is (here's to checking your phone even MORE than you already do) and current Jawbone technology only allows you to record your resting heartrate, when you're not doing any physical activity.

3-5) Moto 360 Gen 1, Striiv Fusion, Garmin Vivosmart - As soon as I opened the box from Lumoid, I instantly knew that I would not be choosing any of these 3 contenders. The Moto 360 is a lot larger than I anticipated, and it felt very cumbersome to wear. The Striiv Fusion and Garmin Vivosmart were thin enough to wear, but I was always worried that they would get snagged on something and ripped off of my wrist during the day due to their lack of secure closure.

Top 2: Jawbone UP3 and Fitbit Charge HR. I'm deciding to go with the UP3 because I'm a diva and like to wear my own watch instead of having one built-in to my tracker. I know that means more things on my wrist, but I'm a big #armcandy supporter. Here's to closing 2015 with health on my mind, and starting off 2016 on the path to a better me!

Sculpting The Body You Want

Whether you're hitting the gym, keeping up with those kickboxing classes, getting your #werkout on at Zumba, or going on relaxing walks around your neighborhood, here's some more ideas for you to increase your workout mojo, get your heart pumping, and burn those calories to tone and sculpt your body to make you feel good (and look good, too)!

• Be proud of your "thunder thighs" with these awesome inner thigh workouts
• Use the dreaded treadmill to build those butt muscles from flab to fab
• Women tend to forget their back when working out - no more! Bye bye, back fat!
• Hate lunges and squats? Here are 6 other amazing leg exercises!
• Last but not least, listen to these 10 power songs to finish that amazing workout. You go, girl!

Slim Down Sunday

Late again, I know, but at least it's not Monday! Here's my weekly check-in, courtesy of the fabulous Gina at Teaching With a Touch of Pixie Dust!

Went back to the gym! Granted, it wasn't the usual 3x a week like I was putting in before, but at least I got back out there, right? This week I really need to work on my water intake and making sure I'm staying hydrated. I'm aiming to get back to 3 workouts a week. Wish me luck!

New Year's Goals: February Check-in

At the beginning of the year, I linked up with Mrs. D at The Third Wheel to set my initial goals. Thanks to her monthly check-ins, there's a concrete way to make sure I stay on top of things! Here's this month's check-in. 

{HOME}

There's definitely been an improvement in the amount of floor space I can see daily, but I want to be better at having set days to do deep cleaning! B-

{WORK}

I've made schedules, now I have to be better at holding meetings. It's been hard in January with all the mid-year testing going on, but February will hopefully yield better results. B

{HEALTH}

As per my last post, I've lost 2.2 pounds since starting my goals, and I was SO GOOD about going to the gym until I got sick. Boo. But now that I'm feeling better, it's back to the gym I go! B

{BLOG}

Oh yikes. My goal of blogging more needs to be more specific, I see. So I set a goal of 15 times per month. I posted 11 times in January, giving me a score of 73%. Our school doesn't do letter grades anymore but I'm pretty sure the equivalent is a C.

Good luck with conquering those goals this month!

Slim Down (Saturday) Monday!

How does it go…better late than never, right?! Linking up with Gina at Third Grade Tidbits (albeit a little late) for Slim Down Saturday/Sunday/Monday. Hey, adding punctuality to my goals, alright?

On the plus side, I lost the weight I put back on after my trip to Oregon, and I didn't feel guilty at all for having a small cheat day. This week, I'm putting in more work at the gym, snacking smarter, and remembering this awesome quote:

Fitness Five for Friday

I'm spending the day slaving away in my classroom, trying to clean up the spiderwebs and lizard poop (gross) before my students return on MONDAY! Taking a little lunch break to post this week's Fitness Five for Friday!

Please, for the love of all that is holy and hilarious, check out POPSUGAR's accurate summary of the Emotional Roller-Coaster Ride of a January Detox if it is the only non-work related (but 2015 resolution related…?) thing you do all day.

Hungry all the time? No? Just me? Well, in case you are, here's 8 lower calorie snack ideas to help with weight loss and those hungry (or hangry) moments!

Craving pizza but want something a little lower-calorie (but still just as yummy)? Try out this low-carb and low-calorie cauliflower crust pizza recipe!

Does working out turn you into a ravenous monster? No? Well if you're like me, then this article is written for people like us.

Miss any of my other fitness or goal related posts? Don't worry! Here's my tips on making a plan and sticking to it, complete with an awesome freebie! Stay tuned for more goal motivation, fitness inspiration, quirky life posts and updates from the classroom of Ms. Burkett!

Making a Plan and Sticking With It! (FREEBIE)

There's nothing that makes me happier than having hard evidence that I'm achieving my goals. That may be a bit unhealthy, especially when it comes to my hate-hate relationship with the scale, which is why one of my 2015 Commitments  is to love more - love others more, love myself more, and more importantly love my body more. 

I picked up this Sugar Paper planner from target to log down my health/personal/fitness commitments for the year, including this water intake sticker I made! It's yours for free - I printed them on Avery's 5260 address labels and then cut them in half horizontally to create two stickers from one. I'm aiming to be very diligent about keeping this running record for the whole year!

Click for Water Intake Stickers

Check back in for more on keeping and crushing your 2015 goals! Good luck!

No Spend Jan...February?

So I started out going to the gym 3 days a week, now I'm up to 4 days a week before I go back to school on Monday. That's when I realized that I didn't have enough work out clothes to keep up this routine (I have 1 pair of leggings and 2 sports bras that are acceptable to work out in...).
That's also when Old Navy emailed me to tell me that all Active wear was up to 40% off in stores AND online.
Furthermore, that's when I broke my No Spend January goal. But one day doesn't have to ruin the other 30! So I'm considering this a little obstacle that won't throw me off my track entirely.

Here's some of my Old Navy Active finds! Links are below the picture for all Old Navy purchases except for the black sports bra and black patterned leggings (couldn't find the links online) and the Nike shoes.

(From top to bottom, left to right)

Compression Capris in Black

Patterned Compression Capris (20") in Into The Fuchsia 

Sports Bra in Fuchsia Benefits

Patterned Compression Capris (20") in Peacock Jewel

Rib-Knit Compression Capris in Fuchsia Leaders

Motivation for Those 2015 Goals...

I've done my research. I've read every article on why setting resolutions are bad, how we never really stick to them. Well here's my big shut the hell up to those articles. I'm setting goals if I want to, and I really am going to try my hardest to stick to them, especially as I go back to work, grad school, Teach for America business...oh boy. So my "Five for Friday" is focusing on 5 very important/inspirational/motivational/necessary/lovely things I've found (among the many) that I will be frequently coming back to in my toughest moments, like when those dang Girl Scouts start knocking at my door...

I feel you on a personal level, Rashida. Are you ready for the setbacks that will come with making those resolutions? PopSugar/FitSugar has you covered! Check out this funny, and true, article on the ups and downs of your fitness resolutions, complete with matching gifs for some inspiration on your darkest days.

Maybe it's the teacher in me, but I love a good flowchart! This one, courtesy of Bit Rebels nicely sums up how to achieve your goals in any capacity, not just our new year's resolutions!

Yes! Many times, we give up on our goals or lose sight of the end goal because we don't set a concrete plan. I've found a few cute printables on Pinterest to help track my 2015 goals that I'll be posting soon, so stay tuned! 

Another cute anchor chart (teacher problems) I found on Pinterest was this guy, talking about 5 motivational ways to follow through on our goals. Number 3 is my favorite, and one that I especially need to remember...

I love POPSUGAR so much - they just put out a 31-day fitness and health program to follow along or modify to make it your own. There's a workout calendar, recipes, nutrition coaching, and even a spectacular giveaway at the end of the program with more information coming soon! I might combine some of the workouts with my gym process already, but we'll see. Go check it out!

Happy goal setting (and conquering)!

Setting The Goals (and the plans)

Mrs. D at The Third Wheel is hosting a cute linkup to kick off 2015 and our fabulous goals, and she's also planning on creating monthly check-in links to keep each other accountable!  How awesome is that. Stay tuned for more goal setting/demolishing posts!

HOME* I know it sounds so easy, but at the end of the day, I'm exhausted and literally the last thing I care about is where my clothes end up. I need to be way better about putting dirty clothes in my laundry basket, and cleaning my room weekly!

WORK* As a SPEd teacher, I make schedules for my support staff in regards to what room they need to be in when, and their general hours for the quarter. I also hold weekly meetings to discuss student progress, concerns, etc. I'm aiming to be 100% more diligent about this practice this year!

HEALTH* Kdog and I have been using MyFitnessPal to keep track of our weight loss journey, some with more success than others (hmf). I'm aiming to lose 30 pounds, and continue to workout to be stronger, happier, and healthier in 2015!

BLOG* I'm really trying to blog more! For real, guys! I promise...stay tuned for more!