Getting into a workout routine is, to put it bluntly, fucking hard.

This, coming from a fitness trainer, me, who worked out consistently for 8+ years. I took two measly months off from doing any kind of physical activity (more on that in a sec) and now getting back into it I can see why it’s a struggle for most to stay consistent with their healthy lifestyle goals. It feels like I took an entire year away from exercise and stretching and moving my body, yet it wasn’t long at all!!!!! So that’s why I’m creating a new workout series, Hot Body Habits, for those of us who are trying to get into the groove- but 30-60 minute workouts feel like a chore right now – but you also know taking care of yourself feels good (and feeling hot doesn’t hurt either!).

So why did I take two months off from working out, etc.? Laziness? Injury? No and no. For a long time I thought I was struggling with some food sensitivity/disbiosis/gut probs because I was gaining weight in my belly, but not really anywhere else in my body. I still fit in all my clothes, but the belly seemed a little tighter. Long story short, and after some wrong diagnosis from gut docs, I found out I had a twenty centimeter mass growing on my left ovary. Thankfully all testing came back clear, but it had to be drained. At the end of October I went in for laparoscopic surgery, and was in, out and home all in the same day. It was still a major surgery with several small incisions, but I am very thankful to my doctor for making me feel calm the entire way. Although from the time of my first exam to coming home from surgery it was only about a two week period. Once they found the mass they pretty much said, “okay let’s do this asap.” Recovery time: 6-8 weeks. I am forever grateful for this experience, even though it could have been scary, I feel my mindset and meditation work helped me stay on the positive side of things. I’ve done a lot of work to get myself into the head space that everything happens for a reason; everything is meant to be. Everyone is going to have some kind of medical procedure done in their lifetime, that’s just the way things are. My situation was nothing new to the team working in that operating room, another day at the office for them. I knew everything would be okay; I’m very thankful for modern technology!!!!!

SO, onto the present. I don’t have a consistent schedule yet, but I can tell you the first couple times I tried to stretch/move my body felt COMICAL. Like I said, it felt like it had been a whole year since I did anything, that’s how tight and restricted my body feels, even now, a week or so into getting back into it all. So come along with me as I grunt and groan through more workouts/stretching until I feel like that mobile, flexible, healthy person I know I am!

Here’s what I’m doing:

(Side note: I don’t care about weight. I care more about how my body feels when I wake up, how I feel in my clothes, the control I feel over my emotions day to day. The list of benefits you get from self care is long; physical aesthetics are only a tiny piece of the giant puzzle!)

I am a Type-B (with ADD) kind of gal, so sticking to a strict schedule is not an easy task for me. Each day is different- I like to align with my emotions and how I’m feeling physically, so I keep a rough idea of what I want to accomplish for the week then choose day to day what feels right. If you like more structure you can choose which days you’ll do each activity. Make it work for you! (That’s the key to consistency)

• Walk on the treadmill (because it’s winter) for ~30 minutes daily. I like to sip my morning matcha and scroll on my phone while I walk. It’s the little boost of energy I need to get myself motivated in the morning, yet I don’t have to put much actual effort into it. During warmer seasons, I go outside for my walk, but sometimes it’s only 5-10 minutes, and always without listening to anything on my phone. I prefer outdoor walks because I turn my brain off and enjoy the sunshine and nature!

• Stretch or Yoga, 5-10 minutes, right after my walk. Tight hips and hamstrings always make me feel like I can’t properly move my body in the morning so once I’m warm and toasty from my walk, I take a few minutes to stretch out. I say stretch OR yoga because yoga is about connecting with your breath and sometimes I just feel like rolling around my mat in any way that feels good, no rules.

• Strength training, 3x per week. Muscles need time to recover, especially when starting something new. Soreness is a good thing, it means the muscles are breaking down and building back bigger and stronger, but painful soreness isn’t the goal. You should still be able to function in your everyday life with your soreness, not miserable going up and down stairs or sitting on the toilet or needing a heating pad or pain killers to get through the day! I will consider adding more days in the future when I start to feel and see progress, but not too soon. See more on this below.

• Meditation or Reiki, no set time frame, I just sit for a few minutes to turn my brain off. Ya know how you get the best ideas while in the shower? That’s like a form of meditation. You give your brain a few minutes to chill out and the most important messages come through. Reiki is similar, but involves using different hand placements on the body (or hovering the hands a couple inches over the body) to exchange healing energy. Energy is everywhere! Read more about it here. This is the one that is toughest for me to stick to because I know I have to take time to sit and do nothing, which is a hard thing to do!!!! But the more I do it, the more I love it and the easier it gets to sit. It’s all in the practice.

I was teaching 4-5 classes per week at a small boutique studio up until my surgery (October ’24), then within the same week I learned I needed the surgery I found out the studio was closing down. It’s bitter sweet because that studio feels like a big piece of my life’s puzzle, but it’s closing for a reason of growth for the owner, and that’s helping me and the rest of the instructors grow and expand into the next version of ourselves too! Change is inevitable; learn to go with the flow!

Soon I’ll be sharing workout videos that are quick and fun to keep you motivated, using basic strength training, mobility, and flexibility movements, to ensure you get the full body, hot body workout you want and need!!! Three days a week, under 20 mins each workout – great for beginners or those getting back into it (like me)! Small habits lead to crushing big goals and feeling like a badass forever!!

A hot body is no longer determined by the size of your jeans!! Now, it’s all about how you feel when you wake up in the morning, the glow of your skin, the way you walk through life (head held high), and to truly feel like the BADASS chick you know you are, every day, for the rest of forever! Strength training with dumbbells, mixed with Barre style moves, in beat with the music for a fun, straight forward sweat session that will make you feel strong, confident, and powerful!

Hot Body Habits coming 2.22.25