Q & A: On Exercise

Good morning and happy Thursday!  So yesterday on Instastories, I finally tried out the Q&A feature and asked y’all to ask me anything.  Seriously, thanks so much for all of your questions!  I’m hoping to address them all at one point or another.  Because there were so many, I decided to try and group them by topic.  Today, I’m addressing the exercise questions.  Well, actually one of my very first questions was about the top I’m wearing above and whether it’s super thick or like a normal Shep shirt.  Unfortunately, it’s sold out, but it’s lightweight, even more so than the normal Shep shirt.  Love it!

Cover-Up // Sunnies // Girls’ Suits // Boys’ Suits // Lanier’s Suit

How do you get enough rest to stay so motivated to work-out with 4 kids?  I am in awe.

I’ve said it many times before, but I’ve always been a person that runs on little sleep.  It’s in my DNA.  Growing up, my parents always stayed up late and got up early.  But I also love my sleep and have never had a problem sleeping.  If I feel like going to bed at 8pm, I can do that too.  Lanier hates it because he’s always been a terrible sleeper.  It takes him forever to get to sleep and stay asleep.  Needless to say, seeing me sleeping next to him like a baby doesn’t help either.  With infants, I bet you can guess who always got up at all hours with them.  But I loved every minute of it!  They’re only little once and I still miss that stage so much.

I guess I just love the way working out feels.  I love a good runners high and I absolutely LOVE to play tennis.  And it motivates me that the more I do it, the better I get and the more I see results in the mirror.  I’m not looking for a drastic change, but I like to feel healthy.  I also know that exercising shows my children that it’s important, so they’ll grow up wanting to do the same thing.  To stay in shape.  But you do have to make it a priority, especially with four.  I’m lucky they’ve always been great sleepers.  Even when I had four under 5 years old, I worked at a gym and my shift was 5am-7am most days, while the kids slept.  Yes, I could’ve used that time to get more sleep, but I guess I didn’t need it so I worked out instead.

How do you maintain your figure with all of the social events you attend? || How do you maintain your weight?  How often do you work-out? || Are you still running everyday?  How many miles? || How often do you run/workout/play tennis?

It’s a challenge, that’s for sure.  Some seasons are easier than others.  The spring season is always the busiest season for me, as far as social events in Charleston.  Charleston businesses tend to schedule most of their events this time of year because it’s the coolest weather and there’s less humidity (i.e. SEWE, Charleston Wine + Food Festival, Spoleto, etc.).  All in all, it’s hard to enjoy a summer soiree when it’s 90+ outside.  We always joke that come summer, the entire city goes on vacation.  People like to escape to cooler places and take their own vacations away from the tourists, heat and the humidity.

So while staying in shape is easier in some seasons, the spring season is hard to incorporate it with everything going on here.  I usually try and get a run in early, if I know I’ll be indulging later that day.  But in most cases, some months I just don’t make it a priority and I can start noticing a difference on the scale and how my clothes fit.  To be honest, April was one of them.  We’ve all been there.  I’m human and definitely fell off the wagon.  Since things are slowing down here a little bit in May, I’m hoping to do what I did back in January and close all of my rings on my Activity app on my Apple Watch.  I’ll keep you posted on that!  I’m so happy that my posts motivate so many of you and I promise I’ll be back to regular work-out posts soon.

Working out and thoughts on running outside vs treadmill?

I love running outside!  It’s definitely my favorite between the two.  But I hate running in the cold, so in the winter I usually opt for the treadmill on most days.  And it’s also nice to have the treadmill as an option on rainy days.  Plus, I love sports!  So on days when I hit up the treadmill, my runs usually fly by because I get to catch up watching Sports Center.

How much weight has Lanier lost?  He looks great! || How did your hubs lose so much weight?!  He looks awesome!

Y’all are so sweet!  Lanier has lost over 40+ pounds since starting the Keto Diet back in September.  He stayed in ketosis for a few months and the weight seriously fell off.  I’m so proud of him.  Since he hasn’t been in ketosis for a little while, I know he’s been trying to get back.  He’s with me, saying how we both need to make it a priority again.  Although, he’s still doing way better than me in that department.  On why I’m deciding to start back on May 1st.  It’s when my rings calendar resets.  A fresh start.

Tank // Shorts // Shoes

What is your usual work-out routine?

I try and run three miles everyday.  And most of the time I try and knock it out first thing.  I find that if I put it off until later in the day, I never get to it.  Even on days when I play tennis, I still run three miles before I play.  I guess you could say I consider it a warm-up.  For how often I play tennis, it really depends on the season.  During the spring USTA season, I play a lot.  If you’re familiar with USTA, the spring season is the only season that counts towards your rating.  So the pressure is on to play well if you want to stay the same rating or get bumped up to a higher level, depending on how many matches you win.  I also take at least one clinic each week during the spring season too and also play on a CALTA team.  Told you, lots of tennis.  But I almost always play during the day while the kids are in school, so it doesn’t interfere with their activities.

Do you play doubles or singles?

For my USTA 18+ 3.5 team, I play singles.  And we’re so excited as we just beat out 33 other teams in our division (one of the largest divisions in the country!) to go to the State playoffs in a few weeks!  So proud of our team!  While I do love singles so much, I love doubles too.  I play doubles on my CALTA team, as well as in Mixed and Combo.  If you’re unfamiliar with tennis, this probably isn’t making much sense to you.  My apologies!

Have you always played tennis or did you recently pick it up?

Growing up, my parents always played and continue to do so.  My sisters and I took clinics, but nothing too serious.  Maybe like once or twice a week at our neighborhood courts?  As I got older, I continued to attend clinics and attended summer tennis camps at Davidson and Clemson.  It was fun, but I never got too serious.  There were no tournaments or anything.  But I will say wherever we vacationed, we were playing tennis…Wild Dunes, Kiawah, even Callaway Gardens.  We’ve always just loved the game.

When I was in high school, it was 10th-12th grade (back when junior high was 7th-9th).  I tried out and made the team and we went to State.  I’m always proud to admit it, but laugh because I think I was like 18th on the team and only watched when we traveled to the finals.  But it was a great experience and I moved up the ladder on my team the next two years.  After high school, I took a major break from tennis.  Didn’t play much in college except for the occasional fun match and intramurals.  It wasn’t until after I had Effie that I picked it back up again.  I found a great team and loved it.  I played even while I was pregnant with Logan for a little while, but then stopped to have Logan.  And seeing as Logan and Vaughn are only thirteen months apart, there obviously wasn’t much time to make room for tennis.  I didn’t pick it back up again until Vaughn was in school almost everyday in the 3s program, a few years ago.  But as soon as I started, I hit the ground running!

Tank // Shorts

If you’re thinking about starting, ask your tennis friends in your area or call your local rec department.  They probably know a good place for beginners.  It’s a wonderful sport that you can continue to play for years and years!  You only have to find one other person to play, there’s minimal equipment and it’s not time consuming.

Bikini Top // Bikini Bottom // Sunnies

Heads up!  I just noticed that these sunnies are currently 50% off!  Not sure how long this deal will last!

How do I get that mom bod?

Hahaha.  Not sure I have that, but I guess if you’re looking to get in shape, the most important thing is commitment, motivation and staying focused.  Once you make those your priorities, then you’re all set!  And let me tell you, it’s hard to stay focused.  I’m already looking back at these photos from a little over a month ago, and need some motivation to get back on track!

What is your diet like? || Do you cook?

I’m a pretty clean eater, so are my children.  I don’t cook elaborate meals or bake much.  I always say I’d rather whip up a quick meal of spaghetti and fruit/veggies for dinner and have more time playing a game of HORSE outside or enjoying a dance party with the kids than taking time in the kitchen to put together a big meal.  Lanier’s always been the one to enjoy cooking.  When he’s not traveling and/or when we cook meals on the weekends, he loves making a delicious meal for us.  I think he’s entertained by the fact that sometimes I try to cook up something, but in reality I burn almost everything and nothing ever seems to taste as good as when he creates it.

When I say we are clean eaters, a lot of what we eat is pretty basic.  Chopped fruit, chopped fresh or steamed veggies, sandwiches, pita, hummus, salsa, eggs (we love our eggs, eat them every single morning), crackers, sandwiches, quesadillas, mac and cheese, etc.  As far as my diet, I usually have an egg and coffee every morning, a light lunch and a heavier dinner.  Or if I’ve eaten a heavier lunch, then I’ll eat a lighter dinner.  I try not to snack throughout the day and usually don’t have time to anyway.  And I won’t eat, unless I’m hungry.

What daily calorie goal do you have your Apple Watch set on?

600 calories.  I’m really hoping to hit all of these goals again everyday in May!

Tank // Sports Bra // Shorts
Tank // Shorts
Tank // Shorts
Tank // Shorts // Hat

What is your go-to outfit for running?

While I love to try out other tank tops, I always go back to my tried and true favorite running uniform…this tank (love that it’s not too fitted), this sports bra (if you’re bigger than me up top, try this one that I also love; it has more support), these shorts (the perfect fit for me!) and these running shoes.  My color combo has sold out, but they have lots of other colors too.  For fit, they’re true to size.  I also love to wear this hat when I run and on the chillier days, this jacket is my all-time fave!  On sizing for all of these pieces, I always order at least one size up, as it generally runs a little small.

I hope y’all enjoyed today’s post!  I’ll be back with more of your questions answered soon.  I had lots of questions about disciplining, bedtimes, skincare, hair care, etc.  With this total array, I’ve got lots to share!

Happy Thursday, Y’all!

6 thoughts on “Q & A: On Exercise

  1. Embarrassing question that I can never figure out for myself- do you wear your workout clothes all day? If so, do you shower in the morning before you work out? Sorry, I know this is kind of silly!

    Love the point about playing more, cooking less!

    1. It honestly depends on the day! If I know I’m going out to lunch or to a meeting, I’ll wear something else. Some days, I’ll shower after I work-out and put on clean work-out clothes. I honestly don’t sweat that much. Never have. No matter how hard I work out, but some days I wear my work-out clothes all day even after I worked out.

  2. I had to laugh when you said “I hope y’all enjoyed today’s post”, because normally anything sports-related, fitness-related, or move-your-keister-off-the-couch-related bores me to tears. But you made it seem very interesting, and almost doable, and I actually found it motivating. Imagine that? 🙂 But seriously, I am not about to go join a sport’s team, but I don’t see why I can’t start to jog now and then just to see where it takes me (literally and figuratively), and who knows, maybe I’ll surprise myself. Thanks, Ashley!

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