Training for Anything

For many reasons, my life in March has been great.

Planning adventures, reading a book, play time, sunshine time, rainy time, self-time, friend time, cook time and sweaty time. It was all wonderful, but today's focus is on the sweaty time because today is my first time showing up to Training for Tuesday,

Before I jump into Training for Tuesday I need to tell you first that this link-up is how I met the two awesome blog ladies who host it: Alyssa and Tracy.

Alyssa and Tracy are both a breath of fresh air when it comes to fitness blogging. They don't claim to know it all, they don't boast that they're the best, they make certain you know that they started from the bottom and now they're here. They both run, they both yoga, they both live a life outside of fitness. 

They both understand that balance, goals, commitment and fun are the special magic ingredients to making yourself the person you've always dreamed to become and how to believe in yourself along the way. They both care about their health and care about your health too. Health for everyone, which is why this link-up is so organically wonderful in its own right. 

Simply, they rock.

So what is it that I'm training for? I'm sometimes talking fitness, I'm sometimes showing sweaty selfies, I used to have a separate blog dedicated to fitness - but double blogging was way out of my league - and now I'm all excited over this concept of ClassPass. Oh and you probably know that I used to be a crazy-dedicated runner and ran 100 miles a month (no excuses) for 4 years!

Running didn't bore me, but it took too much time away from the things that were supposed to be important to me at the age of 26. Running was one of my great loves, like many of you talk about your love for books, that was my love for the open road. It gave me confidence, it cured me of an eating disorder (and some may argue just sent me on a different compulsive path) and it gave me something that defined me in my fitness world after retiring my softball career post-college. It got me over and above what I believed I was, which gave me tools to take my fitness to other places.

Once my world was no longer dedicated to running 100 miles a month, my attention and passion turned to weight lifting, booty sculpting, bicep growing and sweat flaunting. I rode that train for a long time until I received my trophies (my biceps) and decided that I wanted to have a little more to show for my fitness than just a flex - and what a flex, yeah?!

So, I jumped onto the fun of ClassPass and opened my horizons to new things.

New things meaning new to me. Yoga, pilates, ballet, barre, pound! (with drumsticks!), the Megaformer, cycling, Crossfit, TRX, stretching + myofascial release, intense foam rolling, paddleboarding and whatever other crazy there is out there. Like the aerial yoga class I'm dying to try!

I opened my eyes to the world of fitness as other people see it and I'm enjoying everything I'm seeing and learning about myself.

The most pride I have in the last month with fitness is that I held a headstand for 30 seconds thanks to some virtual coaching from dear host Alyssa. Once I get to a place where I don't need a wall for support anymore I'll be sure to show you guys on instagram. Follow along for that and some of the other fun I'm bound to have in my further fitness adventures in the beautiful city of Portland, Oregon.

Since I know this link up is now a thing, expect some more goal setting and structure to my next Training for Tuesday. That will include my Paleo side too if you're interested since nutrition is just as important as exercise!

If you want to get sweaty, be inspired, find peace, share goals, discover passions, live a little better and love yourself a little harder, go find Alyssa and Tracy. They'll show you the way!

#501

I didn't know it at the time, but Friday was the 500th post published to JumpingJE.

Reason 147 why I'm a bad, boring, no-good uninvested Lifestyle Blogger.

Maybe this photo that showcases my ability to hold-something-pretty-in-front-of-me can bring me back into good graces with you guys, but probably not because I clearly didn't use any of your nail tips before Friday when I picked these tulips from my yard. 

To be honest, sometimes I'm not sure why I'm here lifestyle blogging or what those 500 posts have even been "about". I'm sure you feel the same way when you visit JumpingJE. Do I have a genre? Do bloggers come to read because I read their pages and we're all just being nice, or are bloggers even my main audience?

Sometimes I play this game called "Forget to Social Media" and neglect to add my blog link on my Facebook page. It's honestly just a miss on all the boxes to check when I publish, but gives me some insight to my readers. Many of you aren't bloggers! So why do you come back every day if I don't even know what I'm writing about most of the time?

This blank page I stare at each and every day is intimidating. 

My original and ongoing vision of this space has always been to share what I'm passionate about. To allow my passionate attitude to guide my content so that you can be inspired too. Isn't this my corner of the internet that I should be proud of? Not just a blogger.com address that takes up five minutes of your day to cure boredom or whatever purpose I serve in your world. That's what Buzzfeed is for. 

This blank page should be filled with more wonderful things I love. Fitness, clean eating, loving myself, teaching you how to love yourself, how to show confidence, adventuring, travel, Portland, music, family.

Those are the things I'm passionate about. My blog should reflect that. 

What do you want to see me write more of? Why do you keep coming back to read? What do you think my last 500 posts have been "about".

Oh, and how was your weekend?

Last Favorites of March

Well.

I'm not quite sure how it happened but this week I was a Monday - Wednesday - Friday blogger.

The easy stuff only. Weekend recap, some kind of confession (about nails and personal struggles) and my favorite things from the week. I might be a bad blogger to say it, but the 3x a week thing is one of my favorites worth mentioning, but I'm going to tuck it into this paragraph so only those of you actually reading will know what a bad blogger I am!

This weekend should be a great one and I'm planning to soak up my time at home since I'll be out of town the next 3/4 weekends after that in April. Home, ClassPass and maybe some hiking if I get really lucky with the weather. What are you up to this weekend?

Favorite Animal Video

This dog wasted some perfectly amazing food and did it adorably. Fritz, you're cute, but damn you are awful at catching. This video is worth a watch! 

Favorite Read

I think it's worth mentioning that I'm about to finish a..... don't be shocked.... a book! I am still about 100 pages away but I am ecstatically anticipating book club wine night with Plucky, MacKensie, Melissa and whoever else of you lovely ladies has been reading along with us all month! 

Now if only I could find this Eleanor Wine and drink it in a park Sunday night, all would be perfect with the world. 

Favorite Find

What, have you heard about this company Priv? They are in NYC, LA and London and it's a beauty and wellness company that offers contracted services to you wherever and whenever you want. Haircut at home, makeup for a night out, manicure for your interview, yoga in your sunroom, eyebrows over coffee? It's all accessible to you right where you need it through this company. Talk about awesome (and a really easy way to reduce overhead costs for the professionals providing their services)! Maybe I won't need to learn how to do a self-manicure after all.  Come to Portland next?

Favorite Night

Thursday was the greatest night of them all. Sunny sunroof-open drive, Bad Yogi Stretchy session for commuters, 75-minute massage, tasty paleo dinner and a great night's rest with ambitious goals for my Friday.

Try this yoga session for those of us who bus, drive, bike, sit, etc after work (should be most of you!)

Are you ladies linking up with Amanda for this week's Friday Favorites?