Now that it is
warmer slightly less cold in Chicago, I'm off of the blow drying bandwagon. Apparently, the ratio of
time used blow drying to
level of coldness outside is just not doing it for me. Plus, blow drying my hair makes me sweat (is this normal?). Not a fan.
Instead, I've been experimenting with other things to do with my far-too-long-locks. Yesterday, I rocked a Pinterest-esque (
here's my Pinterest! follow me!) hair do. Not even sure what you'd call it. I just put a gold head band on and tucked my hair back into it and just kept tucking throughout the day.
Somehow, by the end of the day, it looked a bit... raggedy. I guess that's what I get for ignoring hair spray all together.
Anyway, on to the workouts, my friends. You might have seen the
tentative workout plan I've tried to stick to. It's more of a guide (so that I have no excuses to skip days), but I try to follow it when my schedule permits.
Wednesday is a "
Choice Day," but I have
seriously loved the 5pm Pilates class I found a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, this week, I had a work meeting that went all the way till 5, so I couldn't make it to the gym in time for that class. Instead, I tried a Cardio class that started at 5:30. It was underwhelming and I found myself going back and forth during the entire class about whether I should stay or just leave mid-class.
Thursday: Bodypump
I love
Bodypump so much that I've pretty much made it a non-negotiable part of my workout plan. It's a 6am class, which means I've got to roll out of bed around 5:35. I'm always struggle central as I groan and pull myself from my warm, comfy slumber, but by the time the class ends, I am so proud and thrilled with my ability to get in such a great workout so early.
When it comes to these super early classes, I've been relying on some serious vitamin and caffeine power. I typically chug a
Starbucks Instant Refresher as I wake up, but this week, I was running a bit slow. I grabbed a
Crystal Light Energy Pack that I have, which has caffeine and Vitamin B, and dumped the powder into a blender bottle so that I could drink it on my way to (and as I filled my locker at) the gym. I try to avoid Crystal Light, because it uses fake sugars that freak me out, but every once in a while, I give it a whirl. It was not nearly as good as the
Starbucks Refreshers, and I kept tasting it during my workout. Yuck.
Friday: 25 Minute Run & 30 Minute Abs Class (CXWORX)
Thursday night, I decided to cut the cardio portion of my workout and just do the abs class. I snuggled into bed and set my alarm for 6:15 (it's a 6:30 class). Then, at 5:30am, my fiance woke me up and asked if I wanted to just go ahead and do the cardio. Part of me wanted to sleep in, but when someone wakes me up for a workout, I have a pretty hard time refusing (it's hard enough to get people to come workout with me that I feel like it's a playdate when it happens).
So, we strolled into the gym around 6am for a swift run before class. I'm always amazed by the intensity of first-thing-in-the-morning runs. My brain was half asleep for most of the run, so I hardly knew what I was doing. I don't even remember how far I ran. All I know is that I told myself not to get off or stop. And it worked.
Saturday: Full Body Weights & 4 Mile Run
Saturdays, my fiance and I always do a workout together. We typically take a 10am Spinning Class, but the gym has been so packed on Saturday mornings lately, that we decided to avoid a group class.
Instead, we did a whole lot of weights training. Justin showed me a few new shoulder and upper back moves (one of my focus areas in prepping for my wedding dress!), and then we did a lot of the basic weights areas before running. Let me just say that running is
so much harder after you've lifted weights with your legs. Try it sometime.
P.S. Check out the seat discrepancy between my fiance and me. I'm just under 5 foot 4, and he's 6 foot 7, so... you do the math. We have to adjust the seats between using machines. I'm on the left, he's on the right...
Sunday: Rest
This was much needed. We drank a bottle of wine between us as we watched The Campaign and cooked a delicious dinner.
Monday: 40 Minute Run & Body By Science
I typically take a 30 minute resistance class on Mondays, but the trainer is injured and there's a temporary sub for now. I don't love how he teaches the class, so this week, I decided to forego the class and opt for running. I'm not sure why, but I've been getting a lot more into running lately. I go through phases with how much I enjoy it.
Tuesday: Full Body Blast (Class) & 20 Minute Stairmaster
This is a similar class to the other one I take on Mondays, but has yet another instructor that I wanted to try out. I didn't love her teaching style, and she incorporated a lot of planks and weird push-ups, which are hard for me because I have wrist pain. I probably won't be taking this class again unless I'm in a pinch and don't feel like creating my own workout.
Post-class, I decided to do 20 minutes on the Stairmaster, just to convince myself that I
did have a happy and enjoyable workout. The Stairmaster can cheer me up any time!
Because I went to the gym after working and going to a doctor's appointment, I hadn't been home yet. I packed my locker so full of stuff that it probably looked like I was a gym locker hoarder.
Seriously, though, it's all necessary!
Wednesday: "Distance" run (5 Miles) & Pilates
I'm working from home today, so I'm planning to go on a run on my lunch break. Some of you will laugh at this, but I consider 5 miles or more a long distance. I have a funky pain in my left knee that tends to kick in at about 4 miles, so getting above that line is very rare for me. I'm planning to attempt it today, and see what my body says in response.
I'm also (FINALLY!) going to make it back to my favorite Pilates class. It's been two weeks and I'm missing it!
Anyway, that's my wrap up of the last week and my goals for today!
Do you feel differently about workout classes based on the instructor who teaches it?
For me, it makes a huge difference. Some trainers challenge me more, and I really enjoy trainers that have good energy. When it comes to high energy classes, a super calm person is just not going to do it for me!
Do you plan your workouts in advance?
For me, the answer is yes... and no. I make a general plan in advance, but allow myself to deviate if it feels right.
