A bear, however hard he tries grow tubby without exercise. -Winnie the Pooh

Today's motivation to get out there and move it! Because lets face it, the rest of us don't look quite as cute as this pup with extra rolls :)

Is it REALLY worth all the effort?

Here are six super fantastic reasons that you should get out there and work your body! Reblogged from active.com Check out their site (primarily running based) for daily updates of the latest studies, local athletic events and races. Who knew working out does more than whittle your waistline?

Think Fast British workers were surveyed on a day they worked out and a day they didn't. People said they made fewer mistakes, concentrated better, and were more productive on the day they were active.

Stay Sharp A study in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society reported that women who were active as teenagers were less likely to develop dementia later in life.

Sleep Tight Insomniacs fell asleep in 17 minutes on days they ran, compared to 38 minutes on days they didn't. They also slept for an extra hour on days they exercised.

Sneeze Less People who exercise for an hour a day are 18 percent less likely to suffer upper-respiratory-tract infections than those who are inactive, according to a study from Sweden. Moderate activity boosts immunity.

Breathe Easy Researchers had asthmatics do two cardio workouts and one strength session a week. After three months, they reported less wheezing and shortness of breath.

Live Longer A review of 22 studies found that people who work out 2.5 hours a week are 19 percent less likely to die prematurely than those who don't exercise. A separate study found that active people have a 50 percent lower risk of premature death.

There you have it. It REALLY is worth it! Now get out there and move your body~ not just for burning the calories but for a good night's sleep and a long productive life!

Article by Amy Rushlow (Runners World) 

Go here for the full article:

http://www.active.com/running/Articles/10-Reasons-Running-Is-Good-for-You.htm?cmp=291&memberid=115431174&lyrisid=21733516

5 Things you can start doing TODAY

5. Get some sleep. Early to bed, early to rise- I dont care what hours you are sleeping, just aim for 8 hours a night. You would be amazed at how much energy you have when you get in a full night's rest.
4. Stay hydrated. Invest in a water bottle now. So many cute and purse friendly options, if you don't own one by now, get on it and get drinking!!! Please save the earth and your wallet and do not buy those Evian purified one-time use water bottles (save that money for lulu, helloooo). Aim for 64 ounces a day- If you use a 32 oz bottle you only have to suck down two of those a day! If you really need me to list off all the reasons why you should, I will be happy to on another day but for now, know that the more you drink the skinnier you will be, and aren't we trying to make everything fit here!?

3. Eat breakfast. The Special K commercials haven't convinced you yet? Then I don't know how I'm going to, but here is my shot: Your metabolism (calorie burner) goes to sleep when you do so you don't starve in your sleep, when you wake up it doesn't until you put those first calories into it. I recommend having a hearty breakfast- like greek yogurt (higher protein), with Kashi go-lean crunch (high yummy protein) with fresh fruit. I pair this with green tea to really give my digestive system a jump-start in the morning. When you start your day with a good hearty breakfast you will be more likely to make healthy choices throughout the day.
2. Drink tea. Ohhh the power of tea. There are a plethora of delicious and nutritious options, each kind boasts another kind of healing power. I typically choose green which has powerful antioxidants and is believed to reduce risk of infection, cancer, heart disease, tooth decay, depression, headaches and what you all are most interested in- it helps burn calories. I'll drink to that!
1. Move your booty. Its a fitness blog, people, you should have guessed my number one! Save gas and park in the first spot you see, then walk from there. Take the stairs. I live on the 17th floor, the days I don't make it to the gym, you can bet your booty I run up those stairs. You will feel better when you do something! I won't even judge you if you get a pedometer step counter and strap it on your sneakers. You can see how many steps you take in a day. The goal is 10,000 steps which is about 5 miles. If you can get those steps in a day then you deserve that Kudos bar, go ahead, eat it all at once.

LuluLOVE

Fashion and fitness are not separate worlds. Trends come and go in each and we tend to cringe as we look back on the days of what we used to think was cool. Luckily for our generation we have bypassed the days of 80s aerobic classes, head-to-toe lycra and leg-warmers. We even made it through the 90s where wearing your dad/brother/boyfriends oversized tee was cool and made even cooler when draped over swishy shorts (the shorts that literally made that swish noise).

In short, we are lucky to have the greatest fashion in fitness since who knows when. The clothes are so cute, you can wear them out running errands or to the salon. Or if you are like me, you can spend every waking hour of your life dressed head to toe in Lulu. It is true, I am a lululemon addict. Give me a closet of couture or a closet of lulu and the decision would not be easy. I mean technically you can't wear lulu to a premiere but I have worn it on a second date (although I felt good in that I didn't spring it on him in our first date- try not to judge). I cannot be allowed to shop in that store unsupervised and I avoid their website at all cost. I simply love the clothes. They are comfortable, wick away sweat and squeeze your butt in and up better than a pair of spanx. They also last for-ev-er. I bought my first pair of black "groove" pants six years ago, have worn them at least once a week since then, washed and dried them with the rest of my laundry and they look the same as they did the day I bought them. When you see that first daunting price tag, keep in mind the power of investment. Literally, they are the only item that has lasted 6 years in my closet (I am hard on my clothes and am quick to toss out anything remotely faded or outdated) and I love them just as much now as I did then. I stumbled across the store--or walked a 1/2 mile out of my way after lunch in order to stumble across it--this weekend with a freshly cashed pay check and well, this is what happened (see image). oops.

 The truth is, we are beyond the times when you wear the giant sweats you painted your living room in around town. Who wants to run into anyone in those old scrubs? And you know you always run into the exes or even worse the exes new girlfriends while you are in your most scrub-like clothing. Alas, you can be CUTE and COMFY. Throw away the old stained t-shirts and wear clothes that you feel good in! You deserve to reward your body with adorable clothing--even adorable fitness clothing. I know from experience even if you run into that loser old boyfriend just after finishing your hour long workout with zero make-up and hair glued to your head with the magical power of sweat, you will know at the very least he has something to be sorry for as you sashay away shaking that suctioned up sexy booty. And for that, to you lulu, I am forever grateful.

First time for everything

There are people in this world that love to run, that are built for speed or distance, that running comes naturally to- I am certainly not one of those people. I find running awkward, even painful. I lose pace, I struggle to catch my breath, my stride is that of a 5'2" girl when I am actually 5'10". For a girl that loves fitness, I am as little of a runner as you can be. So naturally, I have been training for a 1/2 marathon. To me its not a challenge unless its overcoming an obstacle. Me not being a runner, is sort of a large obstacle.

In a 1/2 marathon training regimen, they recommend to first be able to run non-stop for 30 minutes, any distance. It took me a couple weeks, but I checked that off the list and began to hit the road timing my runs for time and distance. What I found was that for me to run consecutive miles, I was pacing out at about 10 minutes a mile. I was even less of a runner than I thought! Running sounded much less entertaining when I felt I was not good at it. So I had to change my attitude. Forcing myself to run was going to make me better. Sounds fun right? Well, amazingly it became fun fast. Each run becomes a challenge. And I always make sure to change up the routine. On the days I cannot handle the wind in Boston, I move it onto the treadmill, up the incline to 1.0 (because no incline is set to running downhill on most treadmills), put my headphones in and zone out to whatever show is on tv at the gym. Its a different feeling then the road (or running the paths of the Charles river in Boston), but sometimes I need a re-run of Friends to get me through the miles and you can't carry a tv around the river without running the risk of falling in.

Today, I didn't need a tv to get me to complete my mileage. I ran my first ever 5k race (or 3.1 miles if you are American). It was the best motivator I could have. I wanted to beat my personal best as much as wanting to fly by the other racers. Finding a pace was my challenge as I completed the first mile in a personal record breaking 8 minutes! After that first mile, I had to fall into a more reasonable pace closing the race in 27:57. Another personal record. For not being a runner, the feeling of beating a personal best is better than the first bite of a hot chocolate souffle, and to find something besides food that gives me that feeling (and is good for my body) is not something I plan on quitting anytime soon.

What is everything fit?

Everything fit means making those skinny jeans fit, fitting that yoga class into your 9-7 work schedule, fitting the fresh produce into your shopping cart, fitting into the size you can be, finding what workouts fit your lifestyle, fitting in the 10 extra minutes to meditate, allowing a glass of wine to fit into your daily calorie allotment. The truth is you can make EVERYTHING FIT!

This blog is not about pushing a round of protein powders, supplements and 2 hour workouts every day of the week. Instead, it is about living a life of movement. Finding a balance in life between making time for fitness and for going out with friends. I do not believe you have to choose to live a life as an extremist. Those that never eat sugar miss out on the fabulousity of a freshly baked cookie or pineapple infused creme brulee. Those that always go to sleep at 9 to wake up for the gym at 5 miss out on the nights dancing with their friends through last call until the bar closes and turns on all the lights (dancing in heels counts as a workout too people)! Those that avoid working out at all cost miss out on the feeling of accomplishment of sweating through their clothes and meeting a fitness goal. You do not have to know everything about fitness. You do not have to have the right clothes (although the right shoes are pretty crucial). You do not even have to work out at a gym. You just have to motivate yourself to get up and move. 

There is no one way to a fit lifestyle. There is no easy way either. Living fit is a challenge. At first, it is a daily challenge or can even be a minute by minute challenge counting down the moments spent at the gym hoping your 30 minute allotment of cardio will end soon. But, as we grow stronger, working out does get easier! The harder I work the more I realize that the road has a way of beckoning me to run faster, the weights begging me for more reps, a new yoga class challenging me to try something different.

The goal of everything fit is to share my own fitness journey with you. I am a student of the Health Sciences, a group exercise instructor and a personal trainer. I work in my life to find a balance. Over the years I have at times been the everyday gym hamster (my pseudo affectionate term for the elliptical girls that go round and round on the machine all day) and I have also been a couch potato (believe it or not, months have gone by when I couldn't bring myself to so much as go for a walk outside). I have followed the "clean" diet eating plan, avoiding groups of foods and feeling deprived from my favorite things and I have had weeks where the only vegetables in my diet were the lettuce and tomato on my cheeseburger and the ketchup on my fries. I have seen my personal health and wellness yo-yo on each side of that pendulum based on how my exercise and eating routine is going. After years of swinging from side-to-side, I have found my somewhere in the middle. I am far from perfect, but that is the kind of perfection that I am promoting. Aiming for true perfection in diet, exercise or body composition is a recipe for insecurity, disappointment and insanity. Aiming to move everyday, eat nutrient rich foods as often as possible, drinking water, meditating and getting a good nights sleep are my essentials to balance. I will share with you my knowledge, personal experience and daily struggles in living a fit life. 

Life is what you put into it. Exercise is the same. Throw yourself into it; before you know it, you can make everything fit.