This post is coming in late tonight because I spent the majority of the evening at my 8 year old's first-ever tumbling recital. She did a fantastic job nailing her backbend and one-handed cartwheel. I couldn't be prouder.

Watching all the acts perform either tumbling or dance, reminded me how much I loved to dance and tumble when I was a little girl. It also started the wheels turning about how to add some of those dance moves to my own training in order to build strength and stamina.

From the back row of the auditorium it is hard to see, but at the rehearsal last night, I couldn't get over how muscular these girls were. Their dedication to their sport has transformed their bodies into strong machines.

Since I started running my legs have become quite muscular, too. However, I am not a tall person. 5'1 and a couple cents is about all I have to offer. I have noticed that the muscle I am so proud off is a little bit bulky, so I thought maybe adding some muscle lengthening moves might help me stretch those muscles just a bit. Hell, maybe even get me to 5'2.

So, I had an idea. How about a ballet circuit?

Image courtesy of Discover Magazine

I followed my idea to pinterest and found this Ballet Circuit video. I plan to try it out tomorrow. I will let you know how well I kept my balance.

Do you like to dance? What kind of dancing motivates and inspires you?

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The month of May has been dissapointing. Shin splints have sidelined my goal of increasing my mileage each mileage each month. With the 500 Festival at the beginning of the month, I thought I would easily surpass April's mileage, but I didn't let myself properly recover and jumped into some speedwork way too soon which led to me not running for almost 7 days.

I did get a one mile run in a couple days ago following up with a 3.1 mile today.

This little guy was my running buddy today. I took this picture a month or so ago, but it seems that everytime I go running in my neighborhood he shows up and keeps me motivated. Thanks, puppy!

In addition to running, I have decided that I need to change up my fitness plan. I love Zumba and yoga, but I need something else right now to keep boredom at bay.

So, this week I took to Pinterest and found these circuit workouts.

Thank you, Indulgy.com for this kick-butt routine!

This routine is courtesy of fitandhealthyeveryways.tumblr.com. I did this routine at the beginning of the week and felt it in my shoulders and quads for the next three days. I took it a little slower on the jumping jacks because my shins were absorbing a lot of impact.

A routine from pbfingers.com. I did this circuit then went for my one-mile run. Whew! What a workout!

These circuits really helped motivate me this week to keep moving even when my shins decided to rebel.

What strategies do you use to get you motivated? Are you a ciruit routine type of person or do you prefer other types of workouts?

Also, don't forget to check out Friday Fiction. The book is really starting to come together. This may be the summer I finish it!

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