Last week, temperatures around here went from about 80 to 40 in the matter of days and WHEW, I was not ready for that.
As much as I do love fall, and all that it has to offer, I guess you could say I’d much prefer to be eased into the temperature changes. I loathe the cold, and basically all I want to do once the chilly temps (not fall, but the REAL chilly temps of winter) arrive is hibernate inside. Our group of friends always jokes about this too, as we tend to see everyone so much more during the warmer summer months than we do in the winter.
Maybe it’s just the comfort of your own home, I don’t know? But the thought of being curled up under a blanket with a crackling fire and a warm mug of hot cocoa (or a glass of wine, I’m cool with that too) is basically just my ideal evening from about October – March. Does that make me super lame?
I’ll tell you, it can get hard to get motivated to do much once the colder weather starts to hit. The early mornings are no longer full of sunshine (but, rather, pitch black), and I find it so much harder to actually get up before 6am to get my workout done for the day. It takes a lot more willpower to pull me out from under those warm covers to trade my fleece socks for sports bras and sneakers. But that’s what makes it hard because that’s my workout time…it’s the only time I actually, usually have the desire to get it done.
I’ve been thinking a bit more lately about how I’m going to continue to try to stay active as these colder months hit, because I know those early mornings aren’t always easy. And I certainly don’t want to get to a point where I feel like I’m forcing myself to do anything, because that’s just not my thing. It takes the fun out of it, and honestly, I’m over that.
So that’s what I’m trying to remember as we enter into fall…keep it FUN. I mean, you guys know how I feel about exercise and staying healthy. I do it because I honestly enjoy doing it, not because I feel like I have to. That may mean that there are some weeks that I don’t get up at all for those 5:30am alarms, and maybe there are weeks where I manage to do it for a few days. And maybe there are weeks where my “workouts” are running around outside with Lucas.
I’ll tell ya…this kid certainly keeps me active.
Fall is a perfect time to enjoy the outdoors, run around, play in the leaves, and do all sorts of other activities that don’t involve sweating your face off in the heat and humidity that summer offers. And being able to do all of these things with my little man and Jay makes them all 10x better.
So for as long as the weather allows, I have every intention of spending as many afternoons outside with Lucas. Maybe I’ll run around a little more than I walk. Maybe I’ll jog with him in the stroller rather than walk. Maybe I’ll throw boulders instead of pebbles to work on my monster arm strength?
Okay, kidding on that last one.
So sure, I’ll continue to try to squeeze in those morning workouts on the days I feel up to it. But for the days I don’t, it’s all about just moving. Whether we’re outside running in the backyard, or inside dancing along to our CD’s, we’re moving, we’re staying active, and we’re having FUN.
And that’s exactly what CALIA by Carrie Underwood is all about; they want to know how you #staythepath on your own fitness journey. Speaking of CALIA, that’s where these leggings, top, and vest are all from.
I mean, I just love it all, especially the vest and leggings!
If you’re interested, you can see details on all three items I’m wearing on their site HERE (and you can get $5 off any order of $50 or more, too!).
The line is available exclusively at Dick’s Sporting Goods and at caliastudio.com, and I’ll tell you, I’ve seriously had my eye on this new dolman sweater (the oatmeal heather color is just screeeeeeaming my name).
So yeah, there’s my plan, I’m sticking with it. And with all this moving around with Lucas while he’s awake, that gives me every incentive to go ahead and stay curled up under that blanket on the couch with my wine once he goes to sleep.
It’s the perfect balance, right? ;)
Get Social with CALIA (and use the hashtag #StaythePath!)
- Facebook: https://goo.gl/07JdeO
- Twitter: @CALIAbyCarrie
- Instagram: @CALIAbyCarrie
- Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/caliabycarrie/
How are you staying the path with your own fitness journey this fall/winter? What will fitness and staying active look like for you?
This post is sponsored by FitFluential on behalf of CALIA.
Love the vest! It reminds me that I really wanted to get one for fall – puffy vests are kind of my uniform from now until December (when its way too cold to leave your arms bare like that)
I love your approach to working out in the winter! I’m dreading moving to Alaska in 19 days – only because we will be getting there right when winter hits and we will be stuck inside for six months. Of course it will also be when I’m six weeks postpartum and could finally start running again!
love this post, totally agree about balance, self love and doing your best. Also love the vest!
Those leggings are super cute! I’m all about keeping my workouts fun. We love taking our little guy for walks or swimming. I also let him crawl all over me while doing pilates! I think staying active as a family makes workouts more fun.
Hahaha, that must make for some interesting pilates!
Love this post, so many beautiful pics! And the whole time I was reading I was thinking..”I Love/want those leggings!”
Love the vest & leggings! Also the photos are beautiful, whoever took them did a great job!
Thanks Jennifer! Jay took the ones of just me, and then it was actually my brother who took the ones of me and Lucas! I told him I’m hiring him to take pics for me more often ;)
I’m totally with you on wanting to stay in bed now that it is SO dark in the morning! I also struggle with wanting to workout before 6am and bought this wake up light that has seriously helped get me out of bed for my workouts: http://amzn.to/1jaUVDc It’s a much more pleasant wake up than an alarm sounding off in the dark!
I’ve always wondered if they worked! I think I’d worry that it would bother/wake up Jay, who still sleeps for probably another hour on mornings I workout??
it has some different settings so it’s doesn’t have to be super bright which might work for you both, otherwise a sleep mask? ;)
Love love love the clothing! Carrie Underwood sure made a great line!
so I know I’ve heard you mention CALIA before (and by heard I mean read) – would you mind giving a little background in comparison to fabletics? is this like a service or do you just buy what you want when you want? I actually can’t remember if you use fabletics, do you? do you prefer the fit of the CALIA stuff to the fabletics stuff? if you don’t use fabletics and I’m just crazy that’s okay, you can tell me to go away hahahah.
Hahaha, I’d never tell you to go away ;)
Yes, I have tried both lines (CALIA and Fabletics). CALIA isn’t a service like Fabletics, you can just buy it online or at Dicks Sporting Goods. Both lines are great, but I definitely feel like the quality of CALIA is of higher quality. Out of the pieces I’ve had the opportunity to try, they’ve all been incredibly soft, comfortable, and easy to move in. I would absolutely, 100% recommend giving them a try if you haven’t yet!
you’re the best! thank you for getting back to me :) I love carrie underwood and with your review i’ll have to try it out. thanks for always giving your unbiased opinion! xoxo
p.s. if you’re in the market for a new healthy cookbook for your gorgeous new kitchen, I’m hosting a giveaway of four different ones – it ends tomorrow if you wanna check it out!
http://thepikeplacekitchen.com/2015/09/30/my-whole30-survival-kit-giveaway/
(andddd with that terribly shameless insert I’ll ACTUALLY go away now <3 )
I love your approach! I have been struggling with my spark for working out lately, feeling it more as a obligation than something I enjoyed. Hoping to find something that brings that spark back because I always feel better when I do some sort of activity!
I’ve been having a really hard time motivating myself for those morning workouts lately. I’m looking forward to daylight savings time ending so it will be a little easier to get up in the mornings. With the cooler weather I’m already missing having the option to just go for a long walk in the evenings if I miss my morning workout. But I agree if I focus on making my workouts more fun and just staying active, it helps a lot.
Those LEGGINGS! But seriously, the whole outfit is just calling my name…and girl, while I don’t mind the cold weather, I definitely prefer the gradual weather changes as well. The 70s to 40s switch we had last week was NOT approved!
It definitely gets harder to drag myself to the gym in the winter months (the 3/4 mile walk feels a lot farther when you’re trekking through snow). My strategy to keep moving is to make some dates to go to fitness classes with friends, enjoy participating in casual IM sports, and do some workout videos in the dorm when I feel like it. Sure, I’ll still sometimes try to go to the gym, but why force it? Like you, I work out because I like it… why change that?
I love the CALIA line! Everything is adorable.
I’m loving this look, Courtney! I actually bought some Calia shorts last weekend, and they fit great. Yay for cooler temperatures, even if it means chilly mornings. :) Have a lovely day, lady!
The promise of one new piece of workout gear is something to look forward to #staythepath. Cute leggings!
I really love those leggings! I can imagine running around after a toddler all day is quite the workout! :D Those family pictures are precious :)
Your “have fun” approach is perfect! And the outfit is so adorable!!
I’m LOVING that vest! During this coming fall and winter, I am really going to stick with my usual classes on Class Pass. I just love the variety and convenience of it. And having a cancellation fee really helps me stay on track!
I kept on looking at the vest/shirt combo and was LOVING it….. scrolled down and saw it was Calia, I bought the exact same vest and shirt a few weeks ago! Love it, so cute!
It’s funny, when I lived in NY I was exactly like that, but now that I live in Arizona we hibernate all summer and this is about the time is starts to get cool enough to venture outside again. I’m super excited to be able to take the kids to the park again! By the time summer is over I’m usually SUPER stir crazy, but there is nothing that makes going outside fun when it’s 115 degrees.
I love your mindset about exercise. Those leggings are really cute! I love Athleta clothing because they have great sales and easy returns. I might have to branch out and try this brand!
I know you have to do sponsored content to make money and I know you often apologize/acknowledge all the sponsored posts you do. So, with that in mind, as a reader it’d be a lot better if you included the disclaimer at the top of the post. Otherwise you read through the whole thing thinking it’s authentic and then it feels slimy at the bottom to see its all sponsored. Just the opinion of one reader.
Thanks for the feedback, Alison. I’m sorry you find it slimy to have a disclaimer at the end, or that you find the post any less authentic just because it’s part of a sponsored campaign. For this particular campaign, the code we’re given automatically places it at the bottom of the post, but perhaps it would be worth mentioning something at the beginning as well.
Thanks for taking into consideration and applying it to the most recent Sprout post- I personally loved it!
Love that we aren’t the only ones that hibernate as well in these cooler months. Any ideas on how to keep the toddler busy inside?
Oh man, haha, I wish I did! I’m thinking we may enroll him in soccer again, but we’ll see. It’ll definitely be…interesting!