Summer Prep Fitness, Strength Training & Self-Care

In today's video, I'm going to share more of my fitness journey diving into some strength training and a self-care routine that's perfect for prepping for summer, but not just summer, life in general, because I definitely feel so much better when I'm stronger. I feel like I can take on my day and also the mental clarity that comes with getting the heart rate up, getting a workout in, focusing on rest and recovery, drinking plenty of water, getting sunshine. So I'm going to share all of that in this video. So we're going to go ahead and jump right in. I hope you enjoy. As I mentioned in my previous fitness video, I started using the TrainWell app early in March. I've been super consistent with it and it's been amazing. It's a one-on-one personal training service and provides personalized workouts and also human accountability. So when you sign up, you take a quiz, it pairs you with your perfect trainer. I got paired with Lily. I did an onboarding call with her and she was literally the perfect trainer. She specializes in sports-specific training, mindset coaching and holistic coaching. So right off the bat, we hit it off. I told her that I've been, you know, training jiu-jitsu and some of my goals, some of my weaknesses as well. And she put together a personalized plan for me. She also checks in regularly. So we kind of like text back and forth throughout the app. She's been amazing at keeping me accountable. And also you can adjust the workout. So if I wanted to go lighter or a little stronger with weight. And then I also really appreciated that over the weekends, she adds a workout that's purely mobility. Stretching. She really just listened to the fact that these were the things that I'm training for. So it's been really good motivation and I've definitely seen my body changing. I feel a million times better. She does set the workouts and then I just get them done when I can throughout the day. I just try to squeeze it in when I can. And I've been doing three to four times during the week and then I'll do the mobility training during the weekend. I've always loved doing at-home workouts, being able to work out remote with the equipment that I have. But I've really enjoyed the personalization and the human connection that came with this to just keep me accountable in terms of my goals. So if you're looking for an at-home or remote routine that can work within your schedule with human interaction and personalization, you can take the quiz to find your perfect trainer and get 14 days of free training using trainwell.net slash Rachel Talbot. You can even connect the app to your Apple Watch. It can track your progress for you. It's a really great option if you want to do at-home or remote workouts. As you can see Byron and I have been training together sometimes as well. And then I just check in with my trainer regularly and let her know what I want to adjust. I just have leg weights, 15 pounds, 8 pounds. I have a bike and a pull-up bar. There may be a few other things I add down the line, but you can get a pretty great workout with those alone. I also have the weighted vest. I like to use that when I take the dogs for a walk or even if I just want to go for a run. That's also great for doing pull-ups if you get stronger and you want weighted pull-ups or weighted push-ups. When I up my exercise, I do make sure to focus on rest and recovery, hydration, and getting plenty of protein. As I mentioned in my last video, sometimes I'll do, you know, protein coffee. Today I'm actually going to use this vanilla cinnamon plant-based protein. I'm going to mix that with a shot of espresso and then you can put milk of your choice whether it's, you know, regular milk or you want to use oat milk and you can get that nice protein coffee first thing in the morning, which is really nice. I also will either do, you know, high protein breakfast like eggs or if I want to go a more of a plant-based route because I do like to get a lot of fiber. I think it's really important when you're starting to eat more protein to make sure you're getting plenty of fiber. So I like this super porridge. It's almond goji berry and hemp seeds. It's really yummy and I like to mix it with, you can mix it with warm oat milk or water or some berries. So I'm going to have that this morning instead of kind of like my traditional eggs or even sometimes I'll have avocado toast in an egg. I switch it up, but I do try to make sure I'm focusing on getting that protein and that fiber. Definitely cannot exercise unless I have had something to eat. So I do make sure to eat and then try to get the workout in whenever I can. So if I do it first thing in the morning, that's great. I just try to get it done when I can and as I've shared in previous videos before I started using the app, I just would do at-home workouts when I could throughout the day. And that's just always my goal to get my body moving and use my body in some way. So today I'm just kind of getting through my workout. This is a push day. So she's giving me a full body workout and again, I can come in and adjust the weights if I want to go stronger. I'm probably going to up my weight soon and buy a pair of 20s just to kind of push myself to that next level. But yeah, I just I get the workout done. And then once you're done, you can submit the workout and it adds it tracks everything for you. So you can kind of keep an eye on, you know, your progress and how well you're doing, which is really great, too. I will say that I definitely have the motivation to work out and do a little bit every day at home. But that little extra push and accountability does take it to that next level where now all of a sudden I feel sore the next day. Or maybe I didn't feel sore before. So sometimes I do need that outside accountability to really push myself to the next level. But I'm also just showing up and doing the workout. At the beginning of every workout, there's a warm up and then there's a cool down, which is something that I sometimes forget if I'm doing it on my own, but also very important. I underestimate the importance of that sometimes in my own routine. So making sure that I'm stretching and I'm focusing in on rest and recovery. Then I submit the workout. I can check in with her if need be. Adjust the workouts for the next week. Tell her, you know, what's going on in my life for the next week to set goals. A very good feeling to kind of submit your workout, know that you got it done for the day, and then move on for the day. Now, the other thing that we've been doing is the jiu-jitsu, which our kids started doing mixed martial arts. Our youngest started first. It's coming on a year in the summer, in August. And then Oliver started a little bit later because he was doing soccer. He wasn't sure which one he wanted to do. And then we're there pretty much every afternoon after school. It's a whole family affair. So we got these mats so the kids could practice and then me and Byron started practicing. And then I started filming it because I feel like when I can watch back and see, I can make adjustments. I can really see like, oh, I'm doing that wrong. So anyway, here we are practicing it. It's awesome. It's been great. So we got those mats. We're having fun with those. The kids love to use those. And then I'll use some electrolytes if I've been sweating a lot. I will take electrolytes to replenish. I really like the LMNT. My favorite is their mango, the spicy mango. I got this giant water bottle to make sure I'm drinking enough water. I don't drink the whole thing, but it helps me drink more water. I recently tried this beauty matcha. It has collagen and ginger and, you know, functional mushrooms and everything. I'm a big fan of matcha, but I like that this has collagen in it as well. So I'm going to have a little recovery matcha with collagen. So really great for the joints and ligaments and it tastes really yummy too. So I like that that has a little bit of everything in it. I love matcha for a little boost of caffeine in the middle of the day, but not too much. And that's also a great option in the morning too if you want to skip the coffee. Have that instead. For recovery, I love this sauna mat. I loved it in the winter because I feel like it kept me warm on like freezing days and I would, you know, put my ear pieces in and just listen to relaxing music and pretend I was sitting in the sun. It feels so good. The higher the temperature, you're going to sweat more. You can adjust the temperature. So it's nice for detoxification. But I also like to use it for sore muscles. It feels really nice. But again, you can adjust the temperature. You can go higher if you want to sweat or just a little bit lower if you want. Just more of a warm feeling to recover any sore muscles or if you're just having a day where you need a little extra warmth. Now that it's getting warmer outside though, I will just go outside and sit in the sun. Vitamin D is so important in getting sunlight on your skin. Even like taking off my shoes and walking around barefoot and grounding. It's just so important to do that. If the weather is nice, you'll find me outside for sure because I love nature. I love the feeling of doing, you know, deep breathing in nature, the sun on my skin, getting that vitamin D. And grounding, getting your bare feet on the grass and all the benefits that that has for the human body. So it's something I will do pretty much any day, but especially on a rest and recovery day. I like to spend time doing that. Also, I got this cold plunge bath for Christmas. It's a pretty easy setup. I'm hoping it has a good long shelf life. I've been trying to take good care of it. I usually take it down when we have a storm. And then I refill it regularly because you can't keep the water. The water gets kind of gross after a while if you leave it in there and it's stagnant. So I'm filling it up today. I do follow the protocol of Stacey Sims. She has really great information. Just exercise, health care for women, all of that. I highly recommend checking out her podcast. I will link it. But she talks about how women don't need to go as cold. So between 50 and 60 degrees is perfect for a cold plunge, but it still feels pretty cold. And I actually actually didn't dunk myself as much as I probably should have. I was very cold. But when you get out, it feels like, oh my gosh, I don't even know how to explain the feeling. Like I have a burst of energy. I feel great. So I'll do this on rest and recovery days, but there's also some information about how doing this before a workout can be a good idea as well. So I need to research that a little bit more, but I have added this into my routine. And for days when I'm feeling really sore, this is really nice as well. So, yeah, those are some of my tips for exercise, rest and recovery and what I've been doing right now, what my routine is looking like. So I'd love to hear what your fitness goals are looking like right now in preparation for summer or just in general what you're doing and if you have any goals and routines that you're leaning into. I'd love to hear about that, what you're loving. I hope you enjoyed this video. You can check out the TrainWell app using my link in the description and I'll see you very soon in the next one. Bye. You