Mixing it up is one of the best things to do when you’re trying to get in shape, see a new place and have fun. I, for one, like to combine all of these things to bring joy and fun in my life. I just spent the Fourth of July weekend in Chicago with a good friend of mine and on top of seeing the sites of the city, tasting the delicious food it has to offer and drinking the syrup of the gods (aka: Margaritas) we also took part in an awesome work out with Kira, from Comfy Fitness, in the park outside her studio. This way we were able to get outside, enjoy the beautiful sunshine of the morning and not feel as guilty when we indulged in the evening.

Kira’s bubbly personality and itty bitty frame was deceiving, this lady kicked our asses and took a few names while doing it. The only equipment we used were our bodies and a 5 pound weight, this makes the workout super easy to mimic at home where you don’t have lots of fancy studio equipment.

Bursts of cardio in one-minute intervals that were partnered with strength building exercises got my booty moving and sweating. While we skipped through the park, did net jumps in place and did jumping jack punches we had a bit of an audience, but the calorie burn and beautiful sunshine-y day was worth the bit of attention we got from random people driving by.

One thing that Kira said during the work out that stuck with me and will continue to haunt my workouts when I just don’t think I can keep going was: “You’re only cheating yourself if you don’t do each exercise fully.” Think about that next time you want to half ass a jumping jack or a push up—it’s bad enough letting other people down in other parts of your life, but one thing that you can truly prevent is letting yourself down—do it to it to it’s fullest! You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

If you’re ever in Chicago, or live there now I encourage you to check out Comfy Fitness—Kira is truly passionate about fitness and enabling her clients to reach their full potential!