My Awesome-Nerdy-Fitness Binder!

I have developed a recent addiction. You could call me a Fitness Magazine connoisseur. Fitness, Women’s Health, SHAPE, Health, I love them all. If it has a skinny girl with headlines like “Flat Abs Now!” or “Knockout Arms” or “500 Calorie Burn” on the cover, consider it SOLD.

I buy them, read them from cover to cover in about 30 minutes, and add them to my growing pile of magazines that have come before them. I’ve heard that I should surround myself with people of similar motivations and goals to help motivate myself, and nothing motivates me more than seeing Cindy Crawford’s daily leg work out or Jillian Michael’s eating habits. I feel like, for that 30 or so minutes of magazine reading, I’m sitting down with my fitness friends and sharing (or in my case absorbing) their habits and tricks. It keeps me inspired. It gives me ideas. And it reminds me that there are tons of women out there trying to live a healthy life like I am.

One problem that I have with this new habit is the stack of magazines that build up as a result. I want to take these recipes, routines, and tips with me to the gym – but how weird would it be if I lugged around a stack of magazines through my aerobics room? Where would I put them? Bringing one magazine along is no big deal, but what if I want to do the Skinny Jean workout from one issue PLUS an ab workout from a different one and maybe throw in last month’s pilates workout? I have developed a practical, yet somewhat nerdy, solution to my problem. I call it “The Fitness Binder”.

The Fitness Binder is a flimsy pink binder that I have put together with helpful articles torn out of different magazines. These articles are lovingly placed into a protective plastic sleeve and organized by subject. High intensity treadmill routines, body specific work outs, grocery shopping guide to healthy foods, recipes I find doable, etc.

I cart this binder to the gym and flip through it looking for which exercise(s) strikes my fancy that day. I’ll admit – I get some funny looks from other gym-goers when I whip out my plastic protected archive in the middle of the fitness room. But, another perk to living in a foreign place, I have no image to keep here. If I want to be that whacky girl with the hefty binder at the gym, I can. People might think it’s weird, but I say whatever! to them. I’m doing my thing over here – I’m working on goals and getting it done.

Does anyone else do this?

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Oh, it's just me?

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Well, that's cool.

Happy Sunday everyone!