Share the Love: Meet Angela!

Hi y'all. Happy Monday! Two weeks and counting until I am free from the wrath of tax season.

This weekend I worked, so there is your weekend update :)

For real, though, I worked Saturday and did the normal Easter shabang on Sunday. I even squeezed in a cat nap. I should have worked, but honestly, I needed a mental break. This week will be equivalent to walking on glass, so pray for me!

In the meantime, Angela is here to keep you entertained on this Monday! She will be dishing on some fitness tips and motivation to get that summa-bod. Beach, here we come (I wish!).  

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Hi there, Tucker Up readers! I was super excited when Sarah posted her request for guest posts on her blog. Well, not excited that Sarah is extremely busy in the accounting world, but thrilled for the opportunity to guest post. This is my first one! So, please, be gentle.

I'm Angela, from Adventures to Remember, and I have a confession: I'm out of shape. Not overweight, but couldn't run over a mile comfortably at this point in time to save my life. Which is my new goal.

I haven't always been like this. In high school, I played tennis competitively and practiced on a daily basis. In the spring, I played on my high school team. I played in junior tennis tournaments at least one weekend per month. I was ranked in the top 200 in the state of Florida, which was a pretty big deal because it takes a lot of work to just be in the top 200. I loved playing for my high school but I enjoyed playing for myself even more.

Senior year

Side note: whoever it was that picked our all white dresses senior year: why?! You could literally see everything and I didn't own a single white sports bra, nor white under shorts. Also, why did we take pictures facing any bit at all towards the sun? This is Florida, people.

At a tennis match

As much as I loved playing, I had shin splints and knee problems the whole time I was playing competitively. I had to get my teammates to help me wrap my shins each time we had a match. I went to physical therapy for my knee issues. Running a mile before practice, which was mandatory, was no fun at all. Running in short spurts, stopping quickly, and running another quick spurt was even worse. I used more ice on my shins and knees than I put into my drinks back then.

Back to my original point. College years have been my lazy years. I'm now just a month away from finishing graduate school and I still struggle with how to stay in shape. So, what have I done to try to get back to my high school tennis playing days fitness level? I have turned to the internet. Pinterest, most specifically. And also to the clearance section at Target.

I love listening to music when I workout so I picked up this armband for my iPhone so I can listen to Pandora or my own rocking playlists. This week I purchased a stability ball (only sold in stores, $10 on clearance). When I was going to the gym, it was one of my favorite pieces of equipment to use. I'm still trying to figure out what exercises are best to do with a stability ball and that is where Pinterest comes into play. 

Through searches on Pinterest, I have found the following workouts to be fun and easy to do.

• Stability Ball Exercises from Fitness Magazine - includes pictures and a few videos
• Ab-Toning Workout from Fitness Magazine - includes pictures and videos
• Flab Fighting Workout from Fitness Magazine - includes pictures and videos
• 15 Minute Workout from Women's Health - includes pictures 

Exercising and fitness isn't all about a strong core, however, so here are a few other favorites. They use little, to no, equipment and can be done in under 10 minutes - or repeat for longer.

• Towel Workout
• Excuse-Proof Workout (love the name of this one)
• Basic Cardio

The biggest issue for me with being fit is my schedule. I'm working part-time as a teacher, spending most of my hours everyday at my school counseling internship, and attending graduate classes twice per week at night. My schedule is packed and I feel like I don't have the time to exercise. The truth is, I do though. I just need to start putting that time into my schedule on a more regular basis instead of exercising spur of the moment. There are 24 hours in a day. I only spend 8 of those hours sleeping (if I'm lucky enough to get as many as 8) and approximately 8 of those hours are devoted to my internship. How am I spending those other 8 hours? I'm trying to figure that out, but surely I can plan to spend 30 minutes to 1 hour per day exercising. That's all it takes. 

Here is my motivation for the rest of the year.

I hope this post reached some of you and you make the time for yourself to get into, or if you already are, to stay, in shape. Even if you look physically fit, which I think I do, I have realized fitness is more than just appearance.

What do you do to stay in shape? Any fitness advice or secrets?

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Isn't that quote the best?! Although it is quite the punch in the gut knowing you (probably) have the time to workout, you just have to make the time. This is the part where I wish I got those model genes that don't run in my family. Bummer.
Thanks for hanging out, Angela! 
Make sure you go show Angela some love and go visit her blog.
And thanks, again, to everyone for praying for me as I get through these next couple of busy months!
I can see the light!
Love y'all!