Get Fit With Mack

As much as we love to create and design beautiful homes and spaces … our GLDESIGN team loves to SWEAT!! Some of our most creative ideas come when we’re physically pushing and stretching ourselves to that next level. Studies have shown that the more active you are, the more innovative you are! Well, that’s a great indication of how creative we all are! At GLDESIGN we believe that you should Live Beautiful and sweat regularly. 🙂

Ryann is our resident yogi, Christin runs like the wind, and Gaelle, Christina and I love spinning and strength conditioning. There are so many benefits to making fitness a priority in your life. The obvious reasons are controlling your weight, improving mobility, strengthening bones, building lean muscle mass and improving your cardiovascular health. The less obvious – but sometimes more important reasons – are that exercise relieves stress, boosts your mood, promotes better sleep, and my favorite, exercise can be fun and social!!! In fact, I actually met Gaelle in one of my spin classes! I have been teaching fitness classes for over 15 years and one day about 8 years ago, this beautiful blonde with contagious energy took my spin class for the first time, and as you can say, the rest is history! As amazing as the benefits to working out can be, it’s not always easy for us to carve out the time for ourselves. Here are a couple of tips I have learned along the way to get started or help you stay on track:

Set simple, clear and realistic goals. Too many goals or even vague or non-quantifiable goals (like “run more,” “get stronger,” etc.) are very difficult to achieve. Good examples are: “I am going to do three 30-minute strength sessions this week,” or “I am going to run on the treadmill at 5.5 for 30 seconds more each week until I can complete a whole mile at that pace.” Also, signing up for something like a 5K is also a great way to hold yourself accountable! Stay focused and do not get discouraged.

Find a workout buddy or a workout studio that you love! Gaelle and I still compare workouts, encourage each other to try new things and help motivate each other when we need it the most. I am also a HUGE fan of our local studio JoyRide Cycling Studio. I have been a Master Instructor here for years and now that I am working for GLDESIGN I only get to teach 2 classes a week. The rest of my training is on my own. But those 2 classes a week at the studio are everything! The energy you get being surrounded by people working so hard always helps me raise my level and intensity. And remember that 5K you just signed up for? Sign up with a friend and you’ll be even more accountable!

Plan your workout schedule! This is super important, just like we plan our weeks around carpools, work dinners and social plans. We need to plan for training.

Mix it up!! By cross training, you help avoid getting bored in your workouts and it also reduces the risk of injuries. Whether it be spinning, running, jumping or squatting, your joints, ligaments, muscles and tendons can be worked down by the same repetitive exercises over and over again. It’s important to give your body an occasional break. By mixing up your routine, you give the over-used parts of your body a chance to rest and the under-used a chance to strengthen and catch up.

Expect Setbacks: Don’t be too hard on yourself! Don’t beat yourself up if you skip a workout. We all have those days when life will get in the way. Just shake it off and make the commitment to start again the next day.

And last, but definitely not least, invest in some cool fun workout gear! Here are some of my faves for in-studio classes or outdoor workouts:

TIEM Slipstream – Indoor Cycling Shoe, SPD Compatible – Womens

The best, most comfortable spin shoes

Cloud X Training Shoe

These are my absolute favorite cross training sneakers. They give great support and super comfortable too.

Goodr Sunglasses

These are my DREAM sunglasses to wear working out outside. They are so light and they don’t slip no matter how sweaty you are!!!

Invigorate High-Rise Tight 25″

When I am in the mood to splurge these are my go-to tights to cross train or spin in. And the pocket on the side is a bonus too!

CRZ YOGA Women’s Naked Feeling Yoga Pants 28 Inches

My go-to, inexpensive, high-waisted tights from Amazon

Reduce Tumbler – 40 oz, White, Powdercoat

I love using this instead of a traditional water bottle. It fits in the cup holder of your car and you drink more water because of the straw! It’s 40 ounces, so drinking two of these a day should put you at your daily water intake. (Divide your body weight by two and that’s how many ounces of water you should drink a day. And add another 20 ounces on top of it, if you do a sweaty HIIT workout!)