Goodbye Summer, Hello Fall! While I have to admit I am a Summer girl at heart, there is a part of me that really enjoys the Fall as well. Honestly, I think the only thing wrong with the Fall is that Winter is right behind it and that definitely makes me a little sad as I do not at all enjoy the cold!! But back to the Fall, I do love the crisper weather, ability to throw on flannel or my favorite article of clothing, a hoodie, and go and I love, love, love Thanksgiving!
The change in season this year also inspired me to sit down and really think about a fresh set of goals to go along with the new cooler weather. The beginning of Fall also just happen to coincide with the end of the AMAZING 8 week program I had been following since July. I have to admit to you guys that when the program ended I was both sad and a little lost at first. I had every day of every week planned out for me for two months and I did sincerely love the workouts and results I got from this program (see pic below for my first and last day of LIIFT4). I got leaner, built a good amount of muscle and definitely got stronger! I was able to up my weights a full five to seven pounds by the end of the program which was awesome in only two months! This feeling of needing to get myself into a new program also spurred on my desire to sit down with myself and regroup/refocus so as to not to lose the momentum I had built while getting my butt kicked by Joel Freeman!

When I started this journey almost ten months ago, my goal really was just to slim down. I definitely was in the mindset that I should just do a bunch of cardio each week and avoid doing really any lifting because I did not want to look bulky or unfeminine. I think a lot of people who are looking to get into shape and/or just to lose a few pounds think that way but after getting really serious about my health and doing a bunch of research I realized just how valuable weight training really can be. It can burn just as many if not more calories than cardio does and once I started I was almost instantly addicted! I’ve talked about the benefits of weight training in previous posts and I am sure I will again at some point because I really want to shout it from the roof tops especially to other women out there but today I want to focus on where I am in my journey and where I want to go.
For the Fall and beyond one of my main goals is to keep getting stronger! I absolutely love seeing my muscles develop and get bigger and I want to keep working on building on the progress I have already made. While I really enjoy working out my arms/upper body (shoulder day is my favorite!) I want to focus more on developing my legs. I find leg day the most challenging and the hardest muscle group to train which I think has led me to not develop those muscles as much as the rest of my body. That is definitely something I will be working on the rest of this year and also leads me to my second goal for the Fall/Winter….working on my endurance and stamina so I can run more races next year!
I have participated in a few runs this past year and now I am hooked! I love the feeling of crossing the finish line and feeling like I have accomplished something that even ten months ago I don’t think I would have been able to do or even have attempted! Along with developing stronger leg muscles I also want to work on being able to run longer distances. I have completed a handful of 5ks and now I would really like to cross a 10k off my bucket list and possibly think about doing a spartan race. I know in order to do these things I will have to start running more so I am planning on adding a bit more focused cardio to my weekly routine. One way I am planning on incorporating more cardio is I am going to start the 21 Day Fix Extreme program next week. I am looking forward to being back on a scheduled program and this one in particular will focus more on cardio than the last one I did.
My third goal for the rest of this year is to eat a little cleaner!! We are coming into the holiday season when food becomes a focal point of the festivities and I want to make sure I stay on track and even get better with meal prepping and eating only whole foods. I have been doing great with getting my shakes in every day to make sure I get all the nutrition I need but I have been slacking a bit when it comes to meal prep and not just grabbing something quick especially during the days at work. I have been really busy the past couple months and I need to settle back in to a routine of prepping for the week on Sunday’s like I used to do.
I will keep you all updated on how I am doing holding myself accountable to these goals and would love to hear about some of yours as well! We can do this together!! Happy Fall everyone!
xoxoxo,
Beth
I would be waiting for updates.
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Keep it up, it takes a long time to build muscle, and if you are going to run make sure you continue with Leg Day! You want to keep the leg muscles strong so the hips and knees work correctly. Then you can hope to avoid hip or knee replacement!
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Great advice! I actually did leg day yesterday and man am I feeling it today! Not my favorite group of muscles to workout but you are so right in needing to keep them strong. Thanks for reading!! 🙂
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Hi Beth.
Great post. I love Liift4. I see that you are looking to train for a longer distance race. If you need any assistance, I’d be glad to help.
Let me know and follow my blog, I’ll be posting more running tips this week. Strength Training and Running will be today’s topic.
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you look fantastic.
keep up the good work.
blessings
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Thank you so much! 😊
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Thanks for the like, my first one! Your fitness accomplishments are the best motivation to pursue new goals. Keep it going.
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Thank you and good luck to you as well!!
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Congrats on you’re progress so far! You look awesome:) It really helps to read posts like this to stay inspired!
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Thank you! I really appreciate you reading and commenting! 🙂
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Fit is good. Flannel and fall weekends are a blessing!
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Yes…and hoodies!!
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Like Your blog
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Thank you! 🙂
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I am with you flannels and hoodies = fall life
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Flannels and hoodies = fall life
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Amazing post! Keep up the Awesome work!!!
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Thank you so much! I really appreciate the support!! 💜
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If you want to build strength (not so much mass though) while also helping with your running goals, take a look at something like David Roche’s Mountain Legs routine, the Myrtl routine, or doing things like step ups/downs on a plyo box. That will help build strength in your lower body while also strengthening the stabilizer muscles that help you run more economically. If you want mass though, that mostly comes from weight resistance training.
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