Now, the incredible Kayla!

I am so excited to have Kayla writing a guest post on my blog! I have known Kayla for years and years. She is such an amazing person. Kind, beautiful, outgoing, so fun and she is in amazing shape.  She is the perfect guest for my blog because she is a mother of two but still manages to get her workouts in and understands using time wisely.  Enjoy!

(umm, wow!)

Thank  you Jess for inviting me to guest post on your blog!  Just a brief introduction on me, I am Kayla Rawle.  I am AFFA and ACE certified, and have been teaching aerobics and other gym classes for a little over 3 years now. 

After getting married young and having a baby shortly after, my diet and exercise took the back burner to a very busy schedule and life. Because I was a dancer and a cheerleader in high school, fitness was something that came naturally for me rather than something I had to think about.  However, with my new life and without those activities to participate in, I had to actually make an effort to workout for the first time. 

I gained 50 pounds during my pregnancy and had an extremely difficult time losing the baby weight.  In addition to the exercise, I had to learn how to eat right for the first time as well.  No more eating my mom’s cooking at home, now my nutritional decisions were my own. 

Now fast-forward 8 years.  I have dipped my toes into many exercise routines and nutritional plans.  I know that there are hundreds of diet plans that have worked for many, however I am just going to share the combination of diet and workout plans that have worked for me and given me great results. 

I believe that for a mom, our workout time has to be intense and fun.  We do not typically have 4 hours a day to spend at the gym.  The workout needs to be worth your time and be a good alternative to getting out of bed in the morning or spending time with our kids and family at night.  So for this reason, my hands down favorite way to exercise is going to gym classes.  The group setting really pumps me up, gives me something to work towards and can be tailored so that the workout can fit your own current fitness level. 

I currently teach classes at Golds Gym.  From Zumba to Spin (cycle) classes they are all in my opinion, a very fun and effective way to exercise, but I also feel that weight lifting is a very important addition to any workout regimen.   For this reason, I add about 30 minutes of weight lifting (3 sets of 8-12 repetitions) prior to my cardio workouts.  If you don’t have the time to stay at the gym to lift and attend a class, buying free weights (8-15 pounds) you can perform some really efficient workouts in the comfort of your own living room.  Along these lines, if you find that the gym altogether is not in your budget nor in your interest, you are still in luck!  Running outdoors or investing in some at home workout DVD’S can also really help you obtain better fitness and levels.

Just so you can get a real idea of what I my workout schedule is like I have written it up for you. 

Monday: Step Class

Weight Lifting: Exercises for arms &back including:  biceps curls, triceps dips &back rows.

Tuesday: Spin Class

Weight Lifting Exercises: EGS: lunges w/ light weights & basic squats

Wednesday:  Day off ( try to get a 30 min walk or an active game with kids to get heart rate up like tag ,Frisbee ect)

Thursday: Spin Class

Weight Lifting: Chest & shoulder: pushups & Shoulder press

Friday: Boot camp Class (Sports Conditioning)

Weight Lifitng: legs: falf raises & sumo squats

Saturday: Zumba Class (Latin dance) no lifting

In addition to all the exercise, I need to touch on dieting because it such an important part of your personal fitness goals as well.  I have tried a few different diets such as Weight Watchers, Paleo, Atkins, and calorie counting, but what has proven to be the best method for me is Intuitive Eating.  It was recommended to me by a friend, and has made my life so much easier.  After all the dieting, I finally hit my goal weight, but the difficulty for me was in maintaining my weight.  So after reading this book I learned to eat how my children do!  When I am hungry I eat and when I feel satisfied (not overly full) I stop.  Sounds simple, but it can be difficult to figure out when to stop. 

            I hope that there has been something in this post that will spark you to make a positive change, or help add to your already great fitness routine.  Thanks for reading!  Good luck to you, I hope you can find what works for you! 

-Kayla Rawle

www.kaylasclasses.blogspot.com

Thanks Kayla!! You are so awesome and I love knowing what things have worked for you. You inspire me!! xoxo