R.I.P. I Just Killed My Workout!!

So I am in no way a fitness guru BUT I will say that I am kinda starting to get the hang of this workout thing. I have always DREADED working out because to me that meant running on a boring treadmill for an hour. The thing that has helped me through this new lifestyle change is realizing that exercise and fitness can mean participating in alot of cool activities.

One of my favorite new activities has been hiking and exploring the many trails in LA and the IE. I had no idea there were so many cool ones with AMAZING views! 

The cool things about trails and natural workouts is the varying elevations and changes in terrain. The weather has been really nice this week which has made working out during the day even more enjoyable.

Definitely be careful if this is your first time exercising outdoors as I've had a few monumental falls and got my first battle wound after tripping on a rock and diving face first down a hill. (Don't laugh that's not funny!) Ok maybe it was a little funny but at the time I was uber embarassed. Not to mention the fact that I ripped a hole in my brand new Nike workout pants. Total FAIL!

This week I have been lucky enough to have AWESOME friends who have gone with me to workout! It's so much more fun when you have someone with you to keep you focused and motivated. Right when you start to get tired or think you can't do soemthing the other person is there to push you to your limit.

During my 5 mile hike at the Claremont Loop I got half way through and started to feel super tired. If it wasn't for the fact that I had a friend with me keeping me motivated throughout I may not have finished. I think it's a good idea to bring people with you when you are tackling new challenges. The support of others is key when you are changing your lifestyle!

Generally I try to mix up my work outs so half the week I am outside and the other half of the week I hit the gym. This way I don't get bored and work out different muscle groups along the way.

So this is the first week I decided to tackle weight training. Before I was purely focused on doing cardio but then I realized that I wasn't getting a good all around work out. So once again I enlisted the assistance of one of my friends to tackle the weight section at 24 Hour Fitness. Now for some people this area is easy and fun. For me it is super intimidating. To many machines I don't know how to work, weight's I can't lift and buff people that I'm sure are wondering "what the heck is this chick doing here?" BUT, like I said I put all of these fears aside and had my first official "leg day" where the majority of my workout was focused on working out my legs.

(That's me squatting 95lbs!) I was SO proud of myself after completing my first leg day, and boy was I sore!!! The soreness actually felt good though because it made me realize that I actually did something! I am now going to try to incorporate a "leg day" and an "arm day" atleast twice a week along with my cardio workout. If anyone has any suggestions for good core and ab workouts I would love some ideas! Post below and leave your comments. Happy working out and have a great week everyone!