(new) workout routine

If you've read this blog from the beginning (probably a few of you guys have!), you'll know that right about the same time I started Sugarlaws, I was training for my second marathon. That seems like a million years ago -- partially because I can't even fathom how my body got through it, and partially because that level of fitness is so completely foreign to my current state. While I was training for that marathon, I developed tendonitis in one of my ankles -- an incredibly painful experience that required twice weekly ultrasounds on my ankle (seriously! it's like my ankle was going to have a little baby ankle) that made me seriously rethink long distance running as a hobby.

Truth be told, I don't think my body was cut out for marathoning -- I got injured both times I trained for them, and once the second one was over, I decided that my body as trying to tell me to cut back, and I listened. I swapped 20-mile runs for dance classes and the occasional weight lifting sessions, and my ankle hasn't bothered me since.

But... then I went *too* far in the opposite direction. Although I try to eat healthy and feel like I'm reasonably fit, working out fell to the wayside... and never came back. I could count on one hand the times I went to the gym in the entire year of 2012 -- and suddenly, I started getting winded when I had to jog a few blocks because I was late for something, or going up a few flights of stairs at a time. So, yeah, when I said that my New Year's Resolution was to get healthier? I needed it. Badly.

So Chad and I decided together to get in shape in 2013! We've been making it a priority to eat healthier and work exercise into our daily routine -- in the easiest, most painless way possible. After a lot of discussion and some advice from our friends, we've had success with a couple of fun, easy workouts, so I thought I'd share them!

The first (huge) part of our workouts are iPad apps! Somehow I'd never considered this as a possibility, but I find them infinitely easier and less daunting than workout videos. The best one we've found is You Are Your Own Gym by Mark Lauren. It was created by a former special forces military trainer, who realized that the men and women in our military need to be in peak physical condition, but don't always have ready access to full gyms. Instead, he designed hundreds of exercises that use your own body weight for resistance -- so you don't need anything but yourself, a chair, a doorframe and a towel (I use our dishtowels) to do them. Each workout is 36 minutes long, and it's four sets of exercises with built-in rest periods. Sounds easy? The first time I tried one, I was sore for days! Definitely one of the best apps I've ever bought, and it's only $2.99.

That's enough for Chad, but I sometimes like to weave in additional yoga and Pilates exercises, especially ab-targeting ones. Since I just wanted something simple and easy, I tested out a few free apps, and I've been using (aptly titled) Daily Workouts FREE. I like it enough that I'll probably buy the paid version in a month or two!

But weight lifting isn't enough by itself -- we needed to make cardio just as easy and fun! Enter: Dance Dance Revolution. There's something more fun about some music, some competition, and a workout that feels more like a game than a gym! Especially if you're just starting to get in shape, it's a super easy and fun solution!

We also live really close to a great outdoor running path, and now that the weather is getting beautiful again, I'm hoping to make use of that! Even if I just walk for fifteen or twenty minutes while I call my mom, it's a big improvement! As spring and summer roll around, I've started leaving Simple Skincare makeup wipes in my car so my makeup doesn't end up all over my face the moment I break a sweat -- crucial!

So those are my workout routine! What are you guys doing to stay in shape this spring?