summer workouts with my girl, hannah.

Ah. Yes, it is summer. Summer means so many things, but one of my favorite parts is I don't have to get up early to go to work. That doesn't mean I'm not getting up early! Instead of heading to work, I am heading to workout. 

One of my best friends is Hannah. She is from my hometown and recently graduated from Baylor too (Sic Em' Bears)! Not only do we have those two things in common, but we also have an unwavering love of being active. We've worked out together for the past two years off and on. Luckily, we are both in the same town for the entire summer which means we can workout together!

We decided early on that we wanted to mix up our workouts as much as possible in order to keep things fun, challenging, and adventurous. We actually wrote and signed our own contract to help us stay accountable.

"Cross-training" is the term we use to describe our various workouts. Our cross-training includes running, weight lifting, circuit training, biking, stairs, yoga, swimming, trail running, and occasionally walking. We have had SO much fun! One element of all our workouts is prayer and giving glory to our Father (that He so deserves!). Hannah and I both agree that this is the most important part of our workouts. First of all because the only reason we even have the ability to breathe and move is because of the Grace of God and secondly, we do not want to have any other idols before Him. Praying and giving thanks to Jesus keeps our minds in the right state. It's all for His Glory anyway!

Right now we are one month into it - below are pictures of our mini-adventures so far. I will probably have another post at the end of the summer being that we still have road trips to Baton Rouge and such on the calendar!

Biking the backroads.

This was our view on a trial run - Coopers Lake.

Perks to knowing the owner of Coopers Lake: layout & swim.

Circuit training essentials: music, mat, dumbbells, jump ropes, water, & Nike Training app.

Perks to working at a school: access to the track and stadium. 

Warrior Two.

Kids at heart.

We want to stay young for as long as possible.

Thankful and humbled by my workout encourager, motivator, and prayer warrior, Hannah.

my first purchase: adventure.

Adventure. That is why I enjoy biking. I love exploring the countryside of my hometown on a bicycle. I love exploring a new city on a bicycle. I love exploring. Period. But especially on a bike!

For quite some time now, I have really been wanting a new bike. I have never been super pleased with the bikes that I have had in the past. They weren't bad, but I was never fitted to them so they weren't the best size for me and my legs.

And by the grace of God, He provided an opportunity for me to test ride one that was affordable and also by the grace of God, He provided the funds to make a purchase! This was my first big purchase in adult world and I was pretty excited about it.

So what bike did I decide on? An Ariel Elite Disc Hybrid.

It's between a road bike and a mountain bike. Meaning that it can handle pavement and gravel. Which is much needed in this neck of the woods. I purchased mine from Capitol Cyclery in Lake Charles. I would recommend this place to any of you out there that is considering purchasing a new bike. The owner and employees are incredible friendly and they know their stuff. You will not walk away disappointed. There are two other Capitol Cyclery's located in Lafayette and Baton Rouge.

super pumped at this point.

It took a week for my bike to come in and I picked it up this past Friday. First thing Saturday morning, I was hitting the roads with my BFF, Mrs. Susie! She is my dear friend and she also owns an Ariel Elite. Her bike is actually the one that I test rode and fell in love with. I did get a new seat on mine. The one that comes with the bike doesn't have enough cushion for me! Ha. I decided on a women's gel seat. I still wore my padded shorts yesterday because I knew I was going to be riding for a few hours. Along with the gel seat and padded shorts, I was totally comfortable.

Her and I rode all over this little ol' town. We did 23 miles and it was great! The weather was only mildly windy and it was partly cloudy. I think the high was about 75---perfect day. I am extremely pleased with my purchase. I would recommend this bike to any woman out there!

before our adventure.

Mrs. Susie is one of my favorite people in the whole wide world. She is a Christlike example of what a wife, mother, grandmother, sister, daughter, and friend should be. I am so thankful for her encouragement, love and support she shows me every time we are together. Love you, Mrs. Susie, & can't wait until our next adventure!

I am actually going riding again today with another friend! Excited.

P.S. The pic at the top of this post I snapped in Capitol Cyclery. Also, if you have any questions about the Ariel Elite shoot me an email.

Happy Sabbath. All for His Glory.