Happy Monday, friends, and welcome back to a new week! I hope you had a wonderful weekend celebrating the men in your life. We had much to celebrate, between Fathers’s Day and the Collection launch, yesterday was also our 22-year wedding anniversary! (See my post to Mr. SP HERE.)
You know you’ve been married a long time when you both forget your anniversary until the day before! We kept it low-key and found a fun spot to watch the sun set, and talked about the next 22 years. It hasn’t always been easy, but I’m proud of how we’ve honored our vows and the family we’ve built.
Today we’re talking about something that’s important to both Mr. SP and me… fitness! It’s also something we often do together, which not only keeps us both motivated and on-track, but allows us time together. The endorphins don’t hurt, either!
Let me first preface by saying I’m not a doctor, nutritionist, fitness trainer, or any sort of expert in any health-related field. But I do know my own (over 40!) body, and there are three key elements that have proven to work well for me to stay in shape and feel my best.
It’s also worth noting that my mom is quite petite, and my dad was always very lean. So while fitness and nutrition play a big role, so do genetics. I also learned early on that it’s easier for me to maintain a healthy weight, than lose weight! So while my size and weight vary a little depending on the the time of year and our schedule, I strive to keep myself within a 5-10 pound range all the time.
**Amazon is kicking off a huge Big Style Sale today, and many of the items I’m wearing are included! Find the Sale HEREÂ and be sure to check-in each day for giant daily deals!**
My 3 Key Elements to Being Fit
Sandwashed Hooded Pullover | Sandwashed Jogger Pants | Yeti Coffee Mug | Collagen Peptides
one. Daily Supplements
This one may be unexpected, but I added Collagen Peptides to my daily routine a couple of years ago, and swear by the results! Natural collagen production slows as we age, so adding it to your diet helps muscles heal faster, eases joint pain, improves skin health and hydration, and aides in digestion.
It also really helps with regularity, which leads to less bloating and a flatter stomach. I put a scoop in my coffee every morning… it has zero flavor and only 35 calories.
I also take a daily Women’s Multi-Vitamin to help fill in the gaps of my diet, and support bone health. There are a ton out there, but I’ve been taking this one for years.
Sandwashed Hooded Pullover | Sandwashed Jogger Pants | Yeti Coffee Mug | Collagen Peptides
Keurig Coffee Maker & Frother | Yeti Coffee Mug | Collagen Peptides
Yeti Coffee Mug | Collagen Peptides
two. Intermittent Fasting
I’ve talked about the practice of Intermittent Fasting several times, including this full Q&A post HERE, and it’s the single biggest impact I’ve seen to controlling my weight, especially around my mid-section. It does take some time to expand your fasting window, and I don’t always follow it, but there’s no question I feel 100% better when I’m practicing Intermittent Fasting.
The fasting allows your body to go into full digestive rest, which helps with weight loss, reduced inflammation, improved digestion, reduced bloating, increased mental clarity, better sleep, and reducing sugar cravings. All good things, right?! Find my full post on it HERE.
Fit Tip: This lounge set is incredibly soft and a great lightweight for Summer around the house. It comes in a range of colors, and I’m wearing XS in both pieces. It’s included in Amazon’s Big Style Sale!
Sandwashed Hooded Pullover | Sandwashed Jogger Pants | Yeti Coffee Mug
three. Exercise & Weight Lifting
For me, maintaining a healthy weight is mostly about diet, but having a healthy mind and body comes from exercise. My main focus used to be cardio, but now that I’m more ‘mature,’ weight-lifting is a bigger part of my exercise routine.
We were avid fans of Orange Theory classes, but the pandemic put an end to that. Thankfully, my friend (and former college roommate!) Angi Abercrombie is a personal trainer, and agreed to train me on Instagram Lives several times a week throughout the stay-at-home period… and many of y’all joined us too!
And even though things are opening back up, I grew spoiled by personalized instructor-led classes at home… so Angi started a Sugarplum Fitness Class on Zoom just for us! Every Tuesday and Friday at 10:30am CST, she kicks our booties for 45-minutes of sweat, cardio and weights… and I love it!
She emails the recorded workout, too, just in case you can’t make the time or you just want an extra workout. It’s honestly the best $20 I spend all week! (Yep, only $20 for two amazing workouts with a pro and other Sugarplums!) We’d love to have you join us!! Registration is open every week HERE, just select the ‘Sugarplum’ option for the discounted classes.
Adidas Cap | Twist-Back Workout Tank | High-Waist Leggings | Sneakers | Water Bottle
I love the accountability of showing up with so many of you each week, plus Angi keeps it fun and challenging with new exercises and combinations every class! I’m so spoiled by the ease and convenience of working out at home now, I honestly don’t know if or when I’ll return to a gym.
Adidas Cap | Twist-Back Workout Tank | High-Waist Leggings | Sneakers | Water Bottle
With more workouts comes the need for more cute workout wear… and Amazon’s house brand, Core 10, offers great styles with incredible quality. These high-waist leggings are thick and offer a lot of support and compression, plus a cute scalloped trim.
If you prefer a more lightweight legging that feel like a second skin, THESE are my hands-down faves! I have them in long and cropped in a range of colors.
I love the twist back tank, and already ordered it in gray camo and black. Tons of styles are available in their Big Style Sale, starting today!
Fit Tip: I’m wearing XS in both tank and leggings, but would recommend sizing down if in-between. The brand runs a little big.
Twist-Back Workout Tank | High-Waist Leggings | Water Bottle
In addition to weight-training with Angi, I try to get outside several times a week for walks. Of course the pups are always game!
Camo Hooded Top | Adidas Cap | High-Waist Leggings | Sneakers | Water Bottle
This hooded top is super soft and lightweight, with open sides. The twist-back tank comes in camo, too… find it HERE.
I don’t always eat well, or get enough water and sleep, but I know if I can stay fairly consistent with these three key elements, I have a better chance at keeping my weight and fitness in check.
We’d love to have you join us in a Sugarplum Fit Class on Zoom… registration is HERE. It’s for all fitness levels, and I promise it will be the best 45-minutes you do for yourself!
As for the Amazon Big Style Sale, be sure to check in HERE each day for incredible new deals! I’ll be sharing my top picks on Facebook, too. Happy Monday, lovebugs!
What size weights are used on the zoom classes? This might just be my thing! Thanks!
Hi Monica! You can use whatever weights work best for you, there are no requirements! xo, C
I started working out at home 3 years ago after my baby turned 1 and getting out to the gym while working full time just wasn’t fitting in to our schedule. It has been a godsend for my mental health while staying at home! I think people often overlook how much you can do at your house with some free weights or bands and some creativity or guidance. I highly recommend looking into the bowflex adjustable dumbbells (once the quarantine price surge comes down) – they are a great space saver.
I couldn’t agree more, Mary! It’s so easy to do these workouts in the living room or backyard! And thank you for the tip! xo, C
Your routine is obviously working! A request please…could you please do an article on MaMa SP’s fitness and diet program? She looks wonderful, and that would be helpful for us even more mature followers. Thanks!
She was doing classes M-F prior to the pandemic, but now I think she’s mostly doing a morning walk, and some online yoga classes. I’ll ask her! ox. C
Thank you SO MUCH for sharing! Thankful for this info.
So glad this info is helpful for you, Amy! xo, C
Thank you so much for sharing all of this information!! I’m curious what you do in addition to the two days of online instruction? Your look amazing, thanks again for all of your cute inspiration!
Thanks so much, Irene! I try to get out and walk the dogs, ride bikes, or any other ‘get moving’ activity several times a week! xo. C
Great post! Look at you with your 12 pound weights! Go girl! I was doing about amount pre pandemic and shelter in place. My intermittent fasting was also going well. Then came a wrist injury so no weights, earlier dinner because no gym, later bedtimes, and THE 9PM MUNCHIES. But I’m doing video workouts, and working on the food intake. Now if the injury recovery would hurry up I can restart weights! Enjoy your workouts!
Oh no, I’m so sorry, Laurie! Prayers for a speedy recovery. You will be back to your normal routine in no time! xo, C
Cassie! I received my code for the class..please ignore my comments..can’t wait for the class. Thank you! Christy
Hi Christy! Glad you got it all squared away! You will love the classes! xo, C
I have a question regarding the IF. Where have you read that you can consume 50 calories or less and not break your fast. I just read an article from a dietitian that states, “Eating anything with calories breaks your fast. Exceptions to this rule would be black coffee, unsweetened and milk-free tea, and water.”
I also like to take Collagen but have stopped since I thought it would break my fast every morning. Thought about taking at night with my evening meal. Thoughts?
Just looking for some insight as I start my IF journey.
Thank you,
Emily
Hi Emily! I’m not sure exactly where I’ve seen it, but it did come up multiple times in my initial research. I still notice benefits, even with my morning coffee with almond creamer and collagen. But if you want to be sure, then I’d just use the collagen mid-day!
Thank you so much for your insight, just looking for the best benefits!
Regarding IF, I think it’s all about the clean fast now. For anyone interested in IF, a new book came out last week that contains all the current information. It’s Fast Feast Repeat by Gin Stephens and I’d recommend it. The author uses way too many exclamation points (distracting to me), but I got through it. I’ve been doing IF for about 7 years and found it very helpful with all the latest info.
Thank you for the great tip! Also, LOL at the exclamation points…I’m totally guilty of that, too! 😉 here’s a link to the book for anyone interested: https://amzn.to/3fVuRcA
You’re welcome and I don’t think you’re guilty of exclamation point overuse. If you read her book you’ll see what I mean. She has a podcast that I’ve listened to a few times, and I think she just writes the same way she speaks One of the reviews even mentioned the exclamation points. The book is so good. It was a small thing but I think worth mentioning in case someone else would be bothered by it.
After reading the book, I gave up the splash of whole milk I’ve always put in my morning coffee. Now I’m either drinking it black or waiting until time to break the fast and sticking to water until then. The book convinced me that even 50 calories might be enough to reduce the benefits. I don’t like black coffee, but I’m trying to get used to it.