Monthly Fitness Roundup: July

So, this is a new type of posts that I will be writing every first Sunday of the month on my blog. Healthy eating and fitness have always been a big part of my life and I wanted to share my fitness journey with you guys.  

 

Here is some brief information about me. My mom is a pediatrician and she always prepared healthy meals with lots of vegetables and fruit for my sister and me when we were young and that habit of eating healthy has stuck with me throughout the years. I started swimming in a club when I was 4 years old and trained and competed in swimming till I was 11. I then started playing tennis and trained and competed in tennis tournaments nationally till I was 18. Afterwards I started studying and after graduating at my university I came to Germany and started working, so I didn’t have so much time for sports like I had before, but I still tried to be active in one way or other.

I envisioned these posts as a quick summary of my favorite things from the previous month, related to fitness and healthy eating, as a way of keeping myself accountable and motivated to continue to stay fit and healthy, as well as hopefully motivating some of you guys to do the same.

Workout of the month: Tone It Up Bikini Body Routine. I like this workout because each exercise engages multiple muscles in your body, so in a short amount of time you get to work out your entire body, which is a big plus in my book. All you need is a mat and some handheld waits. The Tone It Up Girls are really inspiring, they look awesome and they explain the exercises in such an easy and fun way, that they are very easy to follow. I also find it very useful that you can print out the exercises, so you can do them when you are not at home.

Recipe of the month: Blueberry Smoothie. My husband and I love making smoothies for dinner. They taste soo good and at the same time are quite filling and packed with nutrients, fiber and protein. For one blueberry smoothie you will need:

1/2 cup blueberries
1/2 cup diced pineapple

1/2 cup kale
2/3 cup kefir or yogurt
1 tbsp. ground flaxseeds

Place all the ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth. Enjoy!

Inspiration of the month: Shape Magazine (American Version). I stumbled upon this magazine 13 years ago when I was on vacation in Turkey with friends and we met an American couple that had this magazine with them. I was so fascinated by the articles in the magazine, that I subscribed to it right away when we got back home and I have been reading the magazine ever since. With its interesting and informative articles about nutrition, sport and fitness, inspirational interviews with real women that try to stay fit and healthy and its delicious recipes, Shape Magazine was very motivational for me back then, when I was younger and not yet comfortable in my own body and it has helped me throughout the years to stay motivated to work out and take care of myself even when it is hard to find time for it. Nowadays I don’t really have that much time to read a whole issue of the magazine every month, but I still like to visit their website and get my monthly fix.

Workout song of the month: Woodkid - Run Boy Run. A perfect song for … running! Obvious, right? But still, I find that the song has really good tempo and it’s perfect for the middle of my run, to give me that extra jolt of energy to push myself harder and run faster.