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Santa Monica SWEAT

It's official!  The classes previously knows as, "Laura's classes in Santa Monica" is now officially called Santa Monica SWEAT!  Check out the new website:  www.santamonicasweat.com

After a 2 month class break, we are back!  Tuesday was the first day, and hopefully everyone is excited to enjoy this amazing place we live while getting a killer workout.  Hope to see you there!  Summer's not over, and it's not too late!

Not in the mood

Today was one of those days...

And of course the last thing I wanted to do was workout.  But what I learned about myself a long time ago is that exercise makes me feel better; not only physically, but also mentally.  It's easy for me to forget that, especially when I'm frustrated with life!  I called my brother to talk about my hard day, and he told me:  "If you do anything tonight, you should go to the gym."  He reminded me how good it feels, no matter what else is going on in your life, to take it out on your workout.  So that's my tip for you today.  Call a friend or family member, or put a post-it on your fridge...just do whatever you need to do to remind yourself why your workout is important.  You'll be proud of yourself for staying committed and you just may forget about the things that made your day a not so good one!

First day of Summer

Today is officially the first day of summer!  And while it's felt like summer for a couple of months now, it does serve as a reminder that the season is here...which reminds me that I'll be spending more time at the beach...and thus more time in my bathing suit.  Did you prepare to be bikini ready?  Was today the day you were supposed to meet your fitness goal?  Did you meet that goal?  Congratulations if you did it!  And if you didn't, then make today the day that you recommit to your fitness program.  July 4th is three weeks away, and if you've been invited to a beach BBQ or a pool party and you want to feel better about your body than you do today, then get moving!  You can accomplish a lot in 3 weeks!  How bad do you want it?  What's more important, that bag of chips or feeling and looking your best?  You decide.

A Scary Reality

I was shown this video at a recent fitness conference by the brilliant Alwyn Cosgrove!  And while this video is hilarious, it is also kind of disturbing.  Even though this particular video is a Saturday Night Live spoof, I feel like I've seen this on TV for real.  This video reminds me of the most recent Carl's Junior commercial announcing the arrival of that big messy Chili Cheese Burger.  I can't even fathom eating that thing, but there are really people out there that are rushing to Carl's Junior to order this new menu item.  With a whopping 950 calories and and 57 grams of fat, that is almost the amount a person should be eating in an entire day.  Add the fries and forget about it.  

Burn calories while saving the planet

Today was a good day, because I literally burned calories while helping to save the environment!  For my birthday (which was April 10th), my wonderful boyfriend got me a mountain bike!  And with the current state of our environment (not to mention the price of gas) I decided that at least once a week, I am going to ride my bike to work.  For me, it's 6 miles to work.  It took me 45 minutes, which is basically double what it takes me to drive.  Yeah, I was a little sweaty when I got there, but I brought a change of clothes.  The best part though, is that you also have to ride home...even if you're not in the mood.  So today, I biked for 12 miles, burned a ton of calories, got in my daily workout going to and from work and saved gas money while helping to improve the environment.  If we all rode our bikes to work, or walked, or ran, or roller bladed, or took the bus one time per week, we could really make a difference!

A little inspiration

"A goal without a plan is just a wish."  -- Larry Elder

What is your goal?  Is it losing weight?  Being able to run a 10K?  Fitting into an old pair of jeans?  Lowering your cholesterol?

If you've been unsuccessful in the past at reaching your fitness goals, chances are you didn't lay out a plan for yourself.  How are you going to lose weight?  How are you going to get ready to run a 10K?

If you plan to lose weight, then be specific about how you're going to do this.  What are you going to do each day to ensure that you stay track to reaching your goal?

So make a plan today!  The sooner you make that plan, the sooner you reach that goal!