Posted on by Karissa

Goals Check In

Hello everyone! We are still in self-isolation/quarantine land, and I have barely been outside my home in over a month. The worst traffic I have seen is my cat cleaning his junk in the middle of the walk way. As such, most of my health goals have been replaced by excuses.

I started out really well with morning runs and such, but then the Cast Member 5K at Disney Springs was officially cancelled and I just kind of lost the motivation. And that motivation has been extremely difficult to get back. I haven’t worked out in two weeks. It’s bad.

I did sign up for a virtual 5K that is taking place May 2nd. Bert’s Big Adventure from Atlanta is hosting it. All money raised is going to the charity which takes children and their families to Disney World among other things. Most of the children have some kind of serious illness or superpower, and I have been a big supporter for more than a decade. It’s awesome. Go check them out. The race is $15 for a runner and $5 for each additional runner you register.

I also purchased an elliptical that has yet to ship. I am hoping it will come soon, but COVID is putting a delay on a lot of purchases.

The other big problem my health goals are facing is the fact that I can snack all day long with no judgment thanks to working from home. The snacks plus the lack of movement (I am averaging less than half of the usual steps a day I got in the office) means I am definitely consuming more calories than what I am burning.

But, this is a new week leading into a new month. I am going to get back on track and complete that 5K. I will be ready to get back to the gym and the theme parks when they finally reopen. And as soon as that elliptical gets delivered, I will be adding it to my morning or afternoon routine to the point where I am doing some kind of cardio at least 4x a week.

And I will continue to be honest to myself and to you guys when it comes to the ups and downs of this. Health is hard, and you have to be able to acknowledge the issues to get there.

Posted on by Karissa

There’s a light…

At the end of the tax season tunnel. While Friday is business return deadline and everyone is stressed, we have just over a month until freedom.

And for me, that freedom means actual weekends and Disney World.

Things have gotten to a slightly more manageable than they were. I’m settling into this senior role with all it’s weird management like responsibilities. It’s getting easier every day, but that does not mean I am less overwhelmed by it all at times.

What has really helped has been going to the gym before work. That’s right. My husband and I are getting up at 5 and going to the gym most mornings now- except on the one day a week I see my personal trainer. My mood has been a lot better and I don’t have an excuse to not go to the gym.

Also, I rock the wet braid look at work.

This week will be a challenge thanks to deadline PLUS daylight savings time. I’m already sleep deprived so let’s take away an hour on top of long days.

Good luck fellow accountants. Five weeks until the end and we can sleep until extended deadline.

Posted on by Karissa

No Gym? Be Creative!

Gyms are expensive. Well, they are when you’re in your mid-twenties and on a budget so you can buy a house one day. Sure, a lot of apartment and work complexes have “free” gyms, but my experience says those gyms have three machines and are kind of sketchy. There are ways to get around this and still have a great work out at home.

My primary source for a variety of workouts is the Daily Burn app. I do share the cost of it with my mom, but there is a monthly fee for the service. HOWEVER, that service comes with a daily new workout and a library of anything you can think of. Beginner’s yoga? There’s a program for that. Quick intense abs? A twenty minute workout video will make you hurt in the good way in no time. There are even videos for the crazy cross-fit type stuff I personally stay far away from. Daily Burn is a great source of mixing up the type of exercise you want to do each day. Or, you can me like me and find five or six workouts you love and just rotate between them.

Don’t want to pay for an app? I use my Wii for cardio. Oh, yeah. Just Dance is my jam. 2016 is my favorite one for a cardio workout- I set up a playlist of 10 songs (it comes out to roughly 35 minutes of exercise) and let it rip. I don’t care too much about the “score” and I trust my Samsung Gear more than the calorie count on the game, but I groove. Some songs get special treatment- “low” dances mean I keep lower in a squat for most of the song to work my thighs and “hell yeah” means I’m treating this song like I’m on So You Think You Can Dance even though I’ve only had one year of ballet in my life ever. No two Just Dance games are the same. Some just have songs that do not get you moving. Others have really easy choreography that doesn’t give you what you need. It is a test as you go type of thing, but it is an easy and fun way to get in a workout.

Of course, there is always going to a park to walk/ run. This isn’t my thing, but I am starting to put this into my rotation. There’s also using the different routines you find on Pintrest, or just making up things as you go along. Workouts are what you put into it. The more you work, the more results you get. Just beware if you have pets: cats will rub up on you and lay under you when you are trying to do a plank. It adds to the challenge, and it will happen often.

What are your go-to at home workouts? I would love to hear more suggestions!