Two of my favorite things are fitness and fashion.   And, essie® has done it! They have bundled these two things into one beautiful bottle of creme nail polish!

essie’s  fitness themed collection, Yogaga, features soft, muted tones with fitness-inspired names that will leave you feeling fit from head to toe!

• Boxer Shorts – a winning blue
• Spinning Again – a driven brick red
• Pilates Hottie – a zen light lilac
• Marathin – a fit rosy pink
• Gym Dandy – a motivated greige brown
• Yogaga – a peachful sandy beige

According to the nail polish blogger community (yes, this exists!), the Yogaga collection debuted in early August. I may be slightly behind on the trend, but because the colors are neutral shades, they easily make the transition into fall.

As a runner, I can’t wait to get my hands on Marathin!  The pink is perfect for October (Breast Cancer Awareness Month) and I think the name is hysterical… After completing 26.2 miles, I better be thin!

You work hard at the gym to stay in shape and feel good, so why not polish your look with beautiful nails.

Happy Painting!

Photo from essie.com

Last Sunday, I went to the mall with my sister.

Let me be clear: I do not love the mall. I do not really even like it. I view the mall as a necessary evil. But, the mall is where many clothes live. The mall is where my eyebrow threading place lives. The mall is where the Apple store lives. So every so often, I suck it up and I go to the mall.

Last weekend’s trip had a purpose. My sister is graduating from college this weekend and I wanted to find a new dress and she wanted to find new shoes.

I saw the perfect little spring dress (pictured above) at H&M. I shuffled through the rack and to my dismay, the store only had one size four and several size 12 and size 14 dresses in the style I coveted.

I used to easily slip into a size four. Hell, I used to glide right into a size two. But after very minimal physical activity since my half marathon in mid-February, I was nervous about trying on that lacy, pale pink, size four dress.

Before I really sound like a whiny, skinny chick, you should know that I’m just five feet tall. I’m supposed to fall on the low end of the size spectrum. Six years ago, when I was in the best shape of my life as a high school cross country runner, I weighed 13 pounds less than I do now. That’s a good bit of weight for a small frame. As it is now, I’m on the top end of the normal BMI range. Based on my height and weight, my BMI is 24.4. The normal range is 18.5 to 24.9.

Once in the dressing room, I found that I could zip the dress, but it was a tight squeeze.

I decided to buy it anyway. The return policy was 30 days so if I figured if I couldn’t comfortably wear it to my sister’s graduation, I still had some time to get fit enough to use it for another occasion.

While in the checkout line, my mind, as it is want to do, drifted to this blog. Aha! I had an idea for a feature: I would challenge myself to completing at least 30 minutes of physical activity a day for 30 days.

Who’s with me? It’s just 30 minutes out of the 1,440 we’re gifted with each day. » Continue reading “Challenge: 30 Minutes/30 Days”

Are you too fat to start working out? Does getting in shape seem like such an uphill battle that it’s not worth it? Is your weight so out of control that you feel it would be impossible to get back to a healthy weight?

Let’s be perfectly clear, that’s nonsense!

No one, and I do mean no one, is too fat or too far gone to start exercising. For that matter you can’t be too skinny either, or too old, or too young, or too weak. There’s an exercise program for everyone and it’s up to you to get started.

It’s easier to stay on the couch and watch your favorite shows each night than it is to start exercising. It’s easier to go through the drive-thru and eat double cheeseburgers than it is to go to the grocery store and buy fruits and vegetables. It’s easier to hide under layers of clothes you hate than it is to get in shape and wear what you want. It’s easier to stay fat than it is to start exercising and get healthy.

Feeling fat is horrible. Thinking about losing 50, 100 or even 150 pounds or more is overwhelming. It feels like your trapped. Trapped in a body in which there seems no escape. But you can escape. It’s not going to be quick and it’s not going to be easy. You can’t undo years of unhealthy habits in a week, or in a month, or in some cases even a year. Getting healthy takes time and dedication.

So how do you get started? Getting started when you are 50 or more pounds overweight is tough. The first thing you have to do is talk to your doctor. Make sure that you are healthy enough to exercise. If you have chronic pain or a chronic illness, these issues have to be addressed. What you have to realize is that regardless of your situation and your current health, there is a place to start. There is an exercise program that will work for you and your doctor can help point you in the right direction.

When you do get the go ahead to start exercising, here are some guidelines to help get you on the right track. » Continue reading “Too Fat To Work Out?”

Photo by Flickr user aarmono

Last week I had said I was hoping for nothing but good news this week and I did it!

I am down 1 pound from last week, which is actually pretty significant for me since I usually only lose anywhere from .30-.50 pounds a week now.

I wasn’t able to go right back into working out five times a week, but was able to work out 4 times last week with some pain, but it was very little.  What is important to me, is that I am able to finally run again, which is probably why I was able to lose last week.

This week I will talk about my two favorite forms of exercise that I find really work for me:

Running: 

I was never a runner until about six months ago, I didn’t even run in High School in PE.  Six months ago I decided I wanted to give running a chance, I did my research and found a way to slowly turn myself into a runner.

I found a simple method that helped me when I first started out.  Start off walking for four minutes then jogging for one, walking for four minutes, jogging for one.  You can do that from anywhere from 20 minutes to 1 hour (or longer if you’d like).  The following week try walking three minutes and running for two, the third week do two minutes walk, three minutes run and the fourth week try one minute walk four minutes run.

I remember how hard it was for me to run for four minutes straight so don’t feel discouraged if it’s hard for you in the beginning.  If you feel like this pace is too fast for you than try doing each set over a two week period of time instead of one.  Do what you feel most comfortable with, because if you push yourself too hard you’re more likely to quit. » Continue reading “Wedding Weight Loss: Back On Track”

I have to be honest, I haven’t been working out as much as I usually do, so I can’t say a lot about the last time I posted.

I have been struggling with shin splints, so had to take a three week break from any weight bearing activity and am now just getting back into my normal routine.

The good news is the shin splints have seemed to subside, the bad news is I lost zero pounds this past week.  I just started running again, so hopefully next week I will only have good news.

So, I thought I could use this week to share my story.  I know last week I had shared that I have lost 41 pounds since last May, but in total I have lost 84 pounds.

The first 40 pounds came off over a period of 3 years, but I didn’t get extremely serious about it until last year.

Before I started losing weight, I had gained 72 pounds over a three-year period of time.

I am not exactly sure how I let my weight get that out of hand, but I know I was eating out almost every night and I was doing absolutely no physical activity.

People ask me all the time what I did to lose the weight, there’s really no simple answer.

» Continue reading “Wedding Weight Loss: My Story”

The title is cheesy, I know.

Still, few things can be as mentally satisfying as lifting something you never thought you could, pushing yourself further than you thought your muscles would allow.

Strength training is an important part of any workout regimen.  As a lifelong athlete, it has been a part of my routine for a long time.  I participated in elite basketball and ice hockey, two sports that are reliant on physical strength.

From a young age (probably a little too young) I have been given workouts to complete during offseasons to build my strength and overall fitness.  I hope to make this particular experience my contribution to this site.

Running and other cardio workouts are important, but sometimes you don’t have a half an hour or more.  When that is the case, certain up-tempo strength workouts can get you the exercise you need without the time commitment.  Of course, a balance of both is preferred, but strength training is a significant aspect.

My goal is to bring you exercises and workouts that can be mixed and matched to avoid boredom (for both your mind and your muscles).

Strength training isn’t just something to help your muscles: recent research has shown that even some weightlifting can improve bone density and strength in the long-term, helping to avoid joint and bone problems later on in life. The Mayo Clinic explains it simply:

By stressing your bones, strength training increases bone density and reduces the risk of osteoporosis.

Whether you’re just starting out or have lifted in the past, there will be advice and options for every level. Be sure to check in for the latest to help keep you healthy!

Keara is the lead Nationals reporter for Aerys Sports.  Check out her site Win for Teddy and follow her on Twitter at @KGDowd.

Welp, we made it. The holiday season marked by excessive eating and drinking is over. Time to make those New Year’s resolutions!

In general, I’m not a fan of New Year’s resolutions. They’re typically these almost unattainable goals that are far too easy to shove to the wayside after we go off track about a week, maybe a month, into the new year.

It’s incredibly easy to say each year on January 1, “This is the year I’ll get in shape” but it’s really tough to do without a detailed plan.

It’s great to want to improve your health and your life, but if you want to look like a new you, or feel like a new you, it’s going to take a lot more than just swapping out a calendar.

Here at Workout, Eat, Repeat, we’ll post about our personal fitness trials and tribulations along with our successes and endeavor to help you find a way to keep some of those health related New Year’s Resolutions.

Last year, I decided to make a concerted effort to have more good times and less bad times. Nice and vague and easy to say “Sure, I did that.”  But I honestly believe I succeeded. I got to know my city (Tampa) and the people in it better, I joined this blog network, and I spent a good bit of quality time with family and friends.

A year ago, I only set one specific goal: I decided that 2011 would be the year I got back into running after a nearly five year hiatus.

It took until July for me to start working toward that goal, but I reached it with plenty of time to spare in the year. I ran my first 15K in September, my first half marathon in October and my first Turkey Trot 5K on Thanksgiving. My second half marathon is scheduled for February 12, 2012.

From this day forward, this site will be the Aerys Sports home for articles pertaining to personal fitness. I hope that you’ll return often to read about our journeys toward health and happiness and that you’ll share your experiences with us!