Hey lovelies, whether you’re just starting your fitness journey or already in it, here are some necessary tips and hacks to follow! (:

First of all, clothes are everything. I mean, have you tried doing a workout in jeans or a wired bra? Yeah, not fun or comfortable. Go for body hugging clothes. Active wear, not denim. Ditch the flat shoes or anything with heels for proper fitting sneakers. Or, like me, go barefoot if you’re home.
      P.S. No jewelry or make-up either!

Nothing makes working out easier and funner than the perfect music playlist too! If you’re doing cardio, find some fast pace dance music to help you keep yourself moving at the right pace. Or, find some light background music if that keeps you focused as well. Either way, music will help you get through your workout, upping your heart rate and improving the workout as a whole.

If you’re looking to challenge yourself more, or keep yourself challenged, activity monitors are great things. No, you don’t have to buy the newest model or the most expensive one. Buy whatever you want and what will fit the budget you have. (They aren’t really necessary for everyone. Don’t buy one if you really don’t want to!)

I love being able to track my steps, get an idea of burned calories and with the Fitbit model I have, I get to see where my heart rate is. And we all know, the higher it is, the faster and better you’ll burn extra calories. Keep in mind that it’s best to do circuit and HIIT workouts to get your heart pumping fast at different points in your workout.

All right, we all have lazy days and days when we’re just too damn tired or sore as hell. That’s when stationary bikes become my favorite machines. You can sit down and still burn calories! You can move those legs while you play on your phone, play a video game, or watch TV. Sometimes it doesn’t quite feel like you’re working out, but you better believe you are. 

And if you aren’t sore and just want your ass on something, sit on that bike and let your music or video game get those legs pumping. Pretend like you’re running away from a criminal mad man trying to kill you. Works for me :p

If you’re still looking to sit and don’t have a bike or already did your workout but want to keep moving, go ahead and stayed plopped out on the couch. You can swing your legs or hold a weight between your feet and get those legs pumping–Lift!  Then take more weights and work on building those arm muscles. I’m a big fan of doing what’s showed in the GIF below while I’m in bed or on the couch. I do at least 20-30 every few hours.

And if you’re up for getting up do jumping jacks when commercials come on. I love doing jumping jacks or imaginary jumping ropes. They get your’re heart rate up so fast. An easy exercise to burn calories and get your whole body involved in it.

Whether your workout lasted five minutes or an hour, have a snack afterwords. Reach for fruits and proteins. Some carbs too. I usually eat scrambled eggs with pepper and turmeric, a piece of Fiber One whole grain bread with peanut butter, and some kind of fruit after–a.k.a my breakfast.

You should eat something beforehand as well. I eat a banana (or if i’m out of those, a granola bar) when I wake up, right before my workout. Quick, easy, and healthy.

I can’t stress this one enough: STAY HYDRATED. You should always, always have water on hand. Make sure you actually drink it too. Infusing it with fruits and veggies will make it taste better and give it twice as many health benefits as plain water!

I’ve had my fair share of dehydration moments in life. Don’t let it happen to you. Make sure before, during, and after your workouts you are having plenty of water. At least TWO liters, please, guys. If you can’t figure out how much that is or you can’t seem to drink the cup you filled, they have water bottles that indicate the amount of ounces and liters. You can always make one at home with a sharpie–mark it up with lines and times.

Leave comments and let us know what fitness hacks you like and know. Share any exercise routines too! Happy working out!
~Chelsea

My dog, Ryleigh, always comes over and tries to steal as much space on my yoga mat as possible when I’m working out. So annoying. And so cute.