New Year, New Fitness Goals

Well, the New Year is upon us and I’m now 5 months into my year-long ambassadorship with Steve Nash Fitness  Club. Regular exercise makes me feel more energetic, confident and able to handle stressful situations in stride.

So What’s It Like, Anyways?

I’ve been impressed by the fitness centre’s stunning ambiance, simple motivational quotes, fresh towels, wide variety of yoga and fitness classes, and their fancy treadmills that let me choose the scene of my virtual running route (for the record, the forests of New Zealand is my favourite terrain and I also love ‘competing’ against runners from all over the world in real time). There’s also child minding available to lend a hand to on-the-go parents– a service that wasn’t available in gyms in my small hometown.

But Can I REALLY Go To A Big City Gym?

I have always felt super intimidated and awkward when walking into gyms. Right or wrong, I feel like I just don’t fit in with the uber-fit, perfectly coiffed and outfitted crew who seem like they know exactly what they’re doing. Heck, I find it SO intimidating to see these image when I click on the fitness hashtags or gym geotags!  It’s hard to imagine myself being part of the gym crew.  If anything, I hope my ambassadorship provides some relatable experience and inspiration for other REAL moms who also feel self conscious when walking into a gym.

Hi there, I’m Kama.  I work out in no makeup, messy hair and sweats that double as pajamas. And I’m a Steve Nash Fitness  Club Ambassador. 

 

Steve Nash Fitness Club Ambassadors are REAL Moms

Thank you to SNFC for choosing to select a small but dedicated team of relatable and inspirational moms to be their social media ambassadors for this year.  I’m SO honoured to be chosen along with Reg and Salma– both real moms who I’ve met. If you haven’t checked out their blogs or social media channels, I encourage you to!

Together, we’re changing the face of what a ‘person who goes to the gym’ looks like. And I think that’s TOTALLY badass. 

Reg Lok Von- Nourish Through Movement 

Salma Dinani- The Write Balance

 

Find out more about Steve Nash Fitness Club HERE

Leggings: Cloud City

Shoes: Hoka One from Kintec

Hat: Sassy The Label

Sweatshirt: Brunette The Label from The Mason Jar 

OK, So I Have Something To Admit

So, I’ve gained a lot of weight lately— between moving stress, unpacking, holiday indulgence, being sick and just being generally out of my normal routine. I’ve been fairly fit before (like when I completed a staged triathlon and a half marathon two summers ago!) and have not been making it a priority like I once did. I also want to feel comfortable + confident again in my non-stretchy clothes.

My Fitness Strategy:

1. Water and Nutrition

When I’m in my work routine, I’m pretty dedicated to my super-boring food routine full of complex carbs and high protein, as well as low-sugar (you can read more about it HERE). However, the Christmas holidays have thrown my meal plan out of whack and I’ve been enjoying lots of simple carbs and sugar. I also haven’t been drinking nearly enough water.  That has begun to change with a daily goal of minimum 2 liters a day.

2. 5 AM Club

Groan.  Ask my family– I’m notorious for loving a good sleep in and can be basically non-verbal before 9 pm on a weekend. I NEVER thought I’d be an advocate of the 5 AM Club (OK, so my alarm is set to 5:15 am on weekdays).  Sometimes I lose motivation and continuously press the snooze button.  I am most proud of myself when I get up and crank my workout in so I’m finished before my usual morning alarm goes off at 6:15 am.

When I make this morning workout happen, I find I have SO much more energy during the work day… and it’s also so much easier to get to bed by 10:00 pm.  I also find that if I DON’T work out before heading to work, it’s so much easier for me to get busy and tired at the end of the day.

When my son used to go to bed at 7:30 pm, I’d work out after that.  Now that he’s getting older and more resistant to bedtime, I just don’t have the motivation to workout after 8:30 pm. Mornings it is.

3. Mix Things Up

I get bored easily, so like a mix of Steady State, Strength Training and (my favourite!) HITT (High Intensity Interval Training). I’ve also loved including SNFC yoga classes and HITTs on the fancy-shmancy treadmills I gushed about earlier.

Steve Nash Fitness World and Sports Club

4. Lunch Walks

I’m a full time teacher, and I’m lucky enough to have my own classroom which means that I don’t have to pack up all my stuff and run to each class. As nice as this is, it also means that I do a long of sitting.  I have to make a concerted effort to reach 10,000 steps a day on my FitBit.

Whenever possible, I go for a 25 minute power walk at lunch to get some fresh air, clear my mind and get myself re-energized for the work afternoon ahead. My classroom also doesn’t have ANY windows, so the natural light and change of scenery mid-day is vital.

5. Setting Goals, Creating a Plan and Tracking Performance

To be honest, my main goal is to increase my energy and to feel comfortable in my non-stretchy clothing again.

As awkward and difficult it is to see the results, measurements, before photos, and current weight is now documented and dated in my planner. I also printed out a workout chart for each week and got some stickers to document progress— and anyone who know me will tell you that I’m the farthest thing from the organized, sticker-chart type!

 

 

Socks by Sticky Be Socks

Cyprus and Peppermint Muscle Relief Aromatherapy Roll On By Escents

How To Try Steve Nash Fitness World + Sports Club Out For Yourself

Get your FREE 7 day pass HERE

WORK. PLAY. LIVE.

YOUR FREE PASS INCLUDES:

• Access to any of their 23 locations
• Amazing workouts, including access to 800+ group fitness classes
• Free personal training session
• Nutrition plan and goal assessment

 

I want to hear from you— how are YOU kick-starting your health for the new year?

 

Despite the fact that this is a sponsored post –as always–all opinions are my own.