ditchingnormal

We get it- going to the gym doesn’t always sound like a blast. But since we are aiming to live to be super old geezers, staying healthy is important. That’s why we have come up with 8 ways to make going to the gym more fun.  While Mat and Lacey both agree on the main points below, we both share our individual perspectives on each.

1. Choose the right gym partner.  Lacey – A gym partner is not just someone that can spot you, it’s someone that can help you set and reach goals, celebrate successes, someone to attend a new class with, hold you accountable, and most importantly, to have fun with.  Mat – your gym partner can make or break your mood on any given day.  Choose someone that’s positive and upbeat.  You’re going to have days when you don’t want to be there, it’s their job to pick you up.  …as it is your job to do the same for your partner.

2. Music.  Lacey – The importance of a good playlist can’t be stressed enough! For me, it’s my girl Bey and Rhi Rhi. Yes, we are on a nick-name basis. 😉 Sometimes I get a little caught up in my play list and end up dancing more than lifting, but hey, whatever works.  Mat – play what I call your “ahhh shit” music when you work out.  By that, I mean when that song comes on, you automatically go “ahhh shit, this is my jam”.  This will instantly boost your mood and energy.  For me (right now at least) it’s Old School Hip-Hop.  Funny stuff like Kris-Kross and Young MC.

3. Laughter. Lacey – Especially when you do something silly like trip in the middle of the gym. Or fall on your face when going until failure on push-ups.  Mat – everybody messes up or embarrasses themselves in the gym.  I usually trip over something or bonk my head on a bar or anything hanging.  You can’t take yourself too seriously.  Laugh at yourself as much as everyone else who saw it happen is laughing at you.

4. Try new things.  Lacey – So you hate lifting legs? Try one legged squats instead of regular squats. I promise you will be focusing so much on your balance that you will forget you hate lifting legs. Dislike cardio? Mix it up with some sprint intervals. You don’t have to do them as long as steady cardio, and it burns more fat!  Mat – agreeing with Lacey.  Whenever leg day comes around, my mission is to trick myself into thinking I’m not really doing legs.  Jump squats, box squats, clean to a front squat and other “different” leg lifts help keep my mind off how much I dislike lifting legs.

5. Give positive reinforcement to yourself and partner.   Lacey – If you notice an increase in strength in yourself or your partner, point it out! Any reason to celebrate is a good idea.  Mat – if you’re working out, you’re likely trying to make yourself more fit (whatever that may mean to you).  It’s always nice when your gym partner or significant other points out that your hard work is paying off.  With that in mind, pay others compliments when you notice how hard they’re working.

6. Engage in a little friendly competition.   Lacey – This can be with your partner or yourself. It’s always fun to win!  Mat – I’m more of a compete against myself type of person, but it never hurts to engage in some friendly ball busting with your gym partner.  Just enough to motivate each other to keep getting better.  If you know your partner could have put more effort in to their last set, don’t be afraid to call ’em a Sandbagger to let ’em know they’re better than that.

7. Be efficient.  Lacey – It’s easy to dread a two hour workout, but a 45 minute one? That’s not a big deal! A good workout can be done in 45 minutes if you super set lifts, include quick bursts of cardio between sets and keep the energy up. 45 minutes is less time than an episode of Game of Thrones, so you should have time for it.  Mat – there’s nothing worse than going to work all day and thinking about how you have another hour and a half at the gym, then a quick dinner, then bed…then repeat.  Get your workout done in 35-45mins.  Anything more than that is overkill in my books.  That way going to the gym doesn’t seem like that big a part of your day.  …an additional recommendation would be to do it in the morning.  I know, it sounds awful, but once you’re done you literally have the rest of the day to do whatever you want.

8. Candy. Lacey – Yep, you read that right, candy! I was definitely excited to include this in our gym routine. Something about glycogen levels or something. I didn’t really care, because it means I get to eat gummy bears after I’m done!  Mat – ha, going off of what Lacey wrote…yes, eating certain candies immediately following your workout will boost your glycogen levels allowing your other post workout supplements to process quicker/easier.  Lacey and I grab about 5 gummy bears each and follow it with some whey protein, glutamine, and creatine.  You can read more about this from fitness celebrity Jim Stoppani here.

Got any other tips you’d like to add?  Feel free to drop ’em in a comment below!

Since today marks our six month anniversary of marriage, we thought it would be a fun time to post about our wedding. After getting engaged in June 2014, we knew we didn’t want a long engagement. We also knew we didn’t want the typical, local, big wedding. We had elopement plans ranging from a house in Italy (near where we got engaged) to a rooftop in San Francisco (where we met). Lacey was really pulling for a surprise wedding disguised as an engagement party, but Mat wasn’t on board.

We decided to rent a villa for a week in the Pedregal Hills of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. This was a happy medium and a good compromise for everyone. Since we were planning this wedding on a strict budget, we decided to focus on what we really cared about, and what we wanted our wedding to feel like for guests. We also wanted to make sure it was unique. Continue reading to see how we created our own, very “Lacey and Mat” wedding.

1. We knew we wanted more more than just one night with our guests. We have been to countless weddings where we were able to talk to the bride and groom for MAYBE five minutes during the reception, but that was it. We didn’t want to feel rushed, and didn’t want our guests to feel like just one of many. That is why we chose to rent the villa for a week and have this time to spend with family and friends. We had an itinerary which invited everyone to participate as much or as a little as possible-hey, it was their vacation and they can choose how to spend it!
2. We wanted our guests to feel included. The way we look at our relationship is that we wouldn’t be where we are now without the help and influence of those that love us; kind of like the whole “It takes a village” thing. We had our close friend marry us (which was AMAZING, by the way), we had nine people speak during the ceremony, two speak during the reception, our mothers performed the beginning of a ring blessing ceremony and Lacey’s dad wrote a prayer that he prayed over us right after our exchange of rings. Everyone also helped out a TON, including a close girlfriend that did Lacey’s hair and make up, and Mat’s sister who did all of the flowers.
3. Focus on the ceremony. We understand most people go to a wedding for the party after the ceremony, and not the ceremony itself. Don’t get us wrong, we like to party at weddings as much as the next couple, but we always feel a little cheated when the ceremony is so quick. We wanted our guests to leave knowing they had witnessed an extremely important proclamation of commitment, and not just a party. We planned to put our energy into writing our ceremony, and then go out dancing in downtown Cabo for the “party” portion of the evening. Also, our Make the Cake party turned into a real party!
4. Don’t make people feel obligated to come. This was the main reason we chose to not have bridal parties. We didn’t want to force anyone to be there that didn’t absolutely want to.
5. Above all, we wanted to the ceremony to feel intimate. We were literally surrounded by the people we loved during the ceremony.  We wanted them to feel the love we shared for each other and we wanted to feel the love and support from our guests.  This is why we chose to have the chairs set up in a semi-circle around us, rather than chairs in rows facing us.

We know that this type of wedding isn’t for everyone, probably not for most, but we absolutely loved it and wouldn’t change a thing! We will forever be grateful to those that traveled to spend this time with us and help us celebrate the most important decision we have made thus far. We love you all and want to do it all over again every year!

When the weather is perfect and you don’t want to waste the day working out in a stuffy gym, why not do an outdoor workout?  Maybe find some nice scenery for a backdrop and knock out an O.F.P. (own f***ing program).

Last weekend, Lacey and I did just that.  We grabbed our Bose blue-tooth speaker and a drawstring backpack that we filled with rocks to serve as extra resistance.

Below is a 30 min total body circuit workout we completed while overlooking Boise, ID on the Oregon Trail.

• 2 sets- incline push-ups superset with 1 min of high knees
• 2 sets- decline push-ups superset with 1 min of jumprope
• 2 sets- tricep bench dips superset with 1 min of body weight squats (we added the backpack with rocks for weight)
• 2 sets- bicep curl (with weighted backpack) superset with jump lunges
• 2 sets- side shoulder raises (with weighted backpack) superset with 1 min of box jumps

Check the O.F.P.

Get the weights ready

Crank the music & start!

Incline Push up

Incline Push Up

High Knees

Decline Push Up

Jump Rope

Jump Rope

Tricep Bench Dips

Tricep Bench Dips

Body weight Squats

Body Weight Squats (w/backpack)

Bicep Curl

Bicep Curl

Jump Lunge

Side Shoulder Raise

Box Jumps

Done!

Done!

Getting ready for the hike down

DN on Bloglovin