Our friends at Cotopaxi are celebrating World Health Day by sharing some simple but awesome tips for staying fit. They made this helpful graphic to get you inspired.
Below this graphic, we're talking about each of our team members' preferred exercise routines. From rock climbing to dancing to yoga to Soul Cycle, we hope our list inspires you!
How the ASC Team Stays Fit
Exercise is a huge component of overall health. It's good for your heart, helps you stay strong, and can be an effective way to manage weight and weight-related illnesses.
From a skin care perspective, there are a few ways in which exercise helps your skin. For one, it lowers your stress levels, which can take a major toll on your overall health and complexion. Secondly, it allows you to sweat which is cleansing to the skin.
When you think about exercise, you might picture long hours spent on the treadmill or on the bench press. But of course, there are so many ways to move your body and stay healthy. We asked the team how they like to excercise and it was very apparent — we all have our preferences!
Here are some ways the ASC team stays fit.
Abby:
I’m a devoted Soul Cycle fan. Deep house music gets me in the mood and keeps me motivated to push myself.
If you aren’t familiar with Soul Cycle, it’s a company that hosts full body cycling classes that incorporate free weights and bodyweight exercises into the cycling. The playlist is upbeat, current, and loud! Plus, people get hooked and attend classes often, so there’s a community feel.
Rachel:
Most mornings I like to wake up, stretch, do some light yoga movement, a few squats or lunges (for butt gravity prevention) and then DANCE. Dance dance dance!
Music… Lots of music, as long as it moves my soul. I have small 3 pound weights that I like to hold while I just move around, move my hips, keep my arms out doing small little movements (Tracy Anderson workout videos got me on this style), and then just shakin it!
Every so often I like to rock climb, go for long walks (most days actually), take a yoga class, or actually go out in public and dance.
Aubrey:
I actually really dislike working out because I don't like the idea of forcing myself to do anything. Instead of ‘working out' I try to stay fit by adding time in my life for nature and stretching. I try to go hiking 2-3 times a week with my dogs. We go up to the forest at the top of the Oakland Hills and walk around off the path. Sometimes we'll find a cool rock and I'll do some yoga on it.
I love going to yoga classes too, but I haven't been as interested in going lately. I want to get back into martial arts because it makes me feel strong and ready. That's a big fitness goal that I have for when I can afford it. 🙂
Natalie:
After decades as a dancer and athlete, I now make time to honor this body I am fortunate to enjoy. (Notice my positive neurolinguistics!) I've been dealing with chronic bursitis in my hips for about 4 years. Since my reconstructive foot surgery 2.5 years ago, I have been doing an intense physical therapy routine that keeps me functional. This includes several yoga-like sequences.
I try to allow myself to meditate through movement. For cardio health, I've been riding my bicycle to work whenever I can. This is a challenge for my ego, too, as the twenty-somethings zip past me! Accepting where I am and doing what I can has been an important part of my physical and spiritual journey.
Hope:
I recently moved closer to work, so I get to bike to and from! It’s about 5 miles roundtrip, and is such a great way to start and end the with some cardio.
Rock climbing is my favorite way to exercise. Previously, I had never really worked on my upper body strength. Now I see changes in my back and arms and feel a lot stronger. Rock climbing is great because in a matter of an hour, you can seriously tire yourself out. Plus, there’s an element of facing fears and spending time with friends.
On days that I don’t bike or rock climb or go to the gym, I try to stay active by walking places, doing lots of cleaning, or going out dancing. I'm a fairly fit person but at the same time, when my basket at the grocery store is full of heavy items, I consider that a workout.
Niquita:
It's a bit of a Berkeley cliche, but yoga is genuinely my favorite workout of all time. It's the only thing that I don't get bored doing, and relaxes me physically and emotionally. I love how challenging it can be, which spurs my highly competitive nature. On the mental side, if I haven't done it in a while I start of feel crabby and more easily stressed because it's a form of meditation. I actually miss it, which is why it's the only “workout” I've managed to do consistently for years.
Beyond that, (like Aubrey) it's really hard for me to do anything that feels like work. Running or going to the gym aren't my scene at all. I do love dancing in clubs to remixed pop music or reggae, but I mean really dance for hours until I'm sweaty and gross (I’m very grateful that I never wear heels).
The last significant way I get exercise is by being active with my nephew and niece. We go to the park and climb trees, play tag, or just run around trying to peg each other with Nerf balls. Kids are a fantastic excuse to go outside do the really fun, physically exhausting activities that adults aren't “supposed” to anymore.
Lisa:
My one true love is yoga. I've been practicing for 14 years now and I've found that the only way I can stick to my yoga routine is to attend classes 2-3 times/a week at my local yoga studio. Bringing a friend with me also works wonders. We use the drive to the studio and back as a way to catch up with each other 🙂 . I've tried yoga DVD's and practicing on my own, but I crave live direction from an instructor (and variety that different yoga classes/instructors provide!
I work from home and have a 7 year old son, so this is also the perfect way for me to get out of the house and be around other like minded adults, so I don’t turn into a hermit or a crazy dog lady. The major thing that keeps me coming back to yoga? I feel a sense of calmness and bliss after each class, and I feel that this is the best way to come into myself and stay centered throughout each day.
This past summer I added running into my weekly fitness routine. It's something I've done on and off for the past several years, but something was pushing me to make it a regular part of my routine. I'm the type of person that needs something to get and stay motivated, and found that an app with a pre-set training plan helped to keep me on track (I used the Get Running app: http://splendid-things.co.uk/getrunning/). After I completed the 9 week training, I switched over to the RunKeeper app (http://runkeeper.com/) and through that I'm able to keep track of my distance, how fast I'm running, and search for local runs that other people have done based on the mileage I want to run.
The major thing that keeps me coming back to running? I get that “runner's high” that everyone talks about, which is addicting!! Sure, running sucks sometimes when it's too cold outside, you're tired, your muscles ache, and all you want to do is curl up in the coziness of your bed instead of doing anything else…But I feel a huge sense of accomplishment, pride, and energy after finishing up a run (and that feeling lasts throughout my day). My biggest piece of advice for new runners is to start off slow and give your body a day to rest in between runs. Yoga is fantastic to do on your in-between days to stretch those muscles out!
Want to learn more about our team? Read about our new year's resolutions in this post.
What work out class, routine, or app works for you? Tell us in the comments below!
by Hope Freije
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