Variation Station

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I have my bridal dress fitting this upcoming Tuesday! I'm so excited to see the dress again, try it on, and see how it will look when it truly fits. In anticipation, I'm trying to stay consistent with my workouts and follow some kind of plan instead of the "seeing what happens" approach I sometimes take. 

This week was pretty varied. I included a few runs (mostly short runs with my dog), Bodypump (weights), TRX (body weight resistance), Pilates, hot Pilates, Ballet Barre Burn, and Spinning. As far as variation goes, I made it happen.

For those of you who are worried about my dog on a long run: yes, we take many breaks. Mostly sniffing breaks.

Wednesday: 45 Minute Interval Run

Thursday: Bodypump (60 Minutes) + 30 Minute Stairmaster Sprint

Friday: TRX Class (60 Minutes) + 60 Minute Run w/ the dog

Saturday: Hot Pilates Class (60 Minutes) @ The Mercury Method

Sunday: 60 Minutes Barre Burn Class (awful) + 60 Minute Run w/ the dog

           -Oh my gosh this class was awful, boring, and really not a workout at all. I had to take my dog on a run/walk afterward just to blow off some steam at how frustrating it was being stuck in a 60 minute long class that felt like a waste of my time. 

Monday: Spinning Class (60 Minutes) + Bodypump (60 Minutes)

           -I had all the time in the world on Monday, because my fiance was taking a practice GMAT, so I had like 4 hours to kill before we could do anything together. I ended up taking two classes and then cooking a bunch of food. Sounds about right.

Tuesday: Pilates Class (30 Minutes) + 20 Minutes Stairmaster

Wednesday: 60 Minute "Barre Fly" Class @ The Mercury Method

            -I haven't taken this class yet, so I'm slightly nervous because it is arm-focused and that is not my strong suit. Here's hoping I can make it through the class tonight without dropping something!

Question:

What about you? How much variation do you get in your workouts?

Getting Hot - Yeah, it's a Pun - WOTDs

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Guys, I got really hot this week. Yeah, that's right - I'm punny this morning.

Nonsense aside, this week was way different than my normal workouts. In fact, if you were to compare it to previous WOTD posts, you'd think I were a different person. Why? I didn't run once.

Workouts for the week! Never mind "At Home DVD," because there was no DVD involved... just dance moves.

Wednesday

Skip

Despite having the best intentions to start my Mercury Method deal last Wednesday, I just couldn't kick whatever cold or virus was attacking me. I ended up eating almost a whole pizza and sleeping all day. Seems fair, right?

Thursday

Self-Guided Cardio - 45Minutes

Wearing a heart rate monitor, I burned about 400 calories in my living room just jumping around and... well, dancing. My fiance and I were watching The Americans and I grabbed a jump rope, put my shoes on, and started moving. Not the fancy, fluid, perfect moves of a Zumba instructor. No, this was much more... uh... raw. I was pretty much doing it Liz Lemon style...

Friday

Mercury Method "Strength" Class [Instructed by Natalie]

I finally started my 6 Day Mercury Method deal on Friday and it was... well, glorious. As it turns out, I'm pretty sure that this Strength class I started with is my least favorite of the three classes they offer. That's by no means an indication of how bad this class is... just an indication of how great the others are. Also, this instructor has a beautiful British accent. Doing a workout in almost a hundred degrees while being told what to do by a Brit? #Reaganing

Super Red-Faced thanks to The Mercury Method

Saturday

Mercury Method "Stamina" Class [Instructed by Meredith]

On Saturday, I tried Mercury Method's "Stamina" class and thoroughly enjoyed it. I took a "Before" picture with the intention of taking an "After," but my brain was in such a calm state after this class that I didn't even remember to take one.

Yeah, I was that girl who takes a selfie in the bathroom.

Sunday

Mercury Method "Control" Class [Instructed by Jacob]

So far, this was my absolute favorite class. I was extremely sweaty, but three glasses of wine the night before and too much coffee the morning of could also have contributed to the sweat. My body was in serious detox mode.

I've mentioned a few times that I'll be doing a Mercury Method review... and I know you're probably thinking "Aren't you pretty much doing that now?" Well, the answer is no, I'm not. I actually have a bit more detail about the classes and the instructors to share later, once I've tried them all (I have yet to try the instructor who designed these classes, Lara - that's today's class). So... wait for it.

Anyway, Jacob was insanely helpful and walked around correcting form and fixing posture and making sure everyone was kicking their own ass. It was perfect and I left extremely satisfied.

Monday

Mercury Method "Control" Class [Instructed by Natalie]

After loving Control on Sunday, I was pretty pumped to go back to Control on Monday. It was the only time I could make, so I didn't have much of a choice, but I figured it would do double duty on my abs. It did not disappoint. I was on fire.

Tuesday

Ab Ripper X

We had a Potluck with a group of other engaged couples at our church, so I didn't have time to hit up Mercury Method. I got home at about 4:30 and we had to leave by 5:45, so I busted out an Ab Ripper X video (courtesy of P90X) and finished prepping what we were bringing (Chickpea-based Cookie Dough Dip).

Wednesday

Mercury Method "Strength" Class [Instructed by Lara]

I'm pretty pumped to go back to Mercury Method today, because I will finally be taking a class from Lara. She's the badass who opened this place and designed the workouts, so I'm expecting it to be even more amazing with her at the helm (yeah, Lara, if you're reading this... get pumped! and be nice to my wrists...).

What about YOU?

• Have you ever tried "Hot" room workouts? What did you think of them?
• Have you ever used a limited time deal to kick start your workout regimen?

  
AND NOW FOR THAT GOOD OLE' GRATEFULNESS:
Dear Body,
Thanks for not only being 'okay' when I totally change things up on you, but for actually responding WELL to it. You make me want to be a better... man. Err. Woman.
Love, 
Carly

A Lazy Week - WOTDs

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I checked out a new dentist office yesterday. I had a semi emergency surgery last fall, when my wisdom teeth randomly decided to come in without warning me with any pain. My back molar is sort of tipped/twisted/moved over from that, so I figured I should hit up a dentist.

I tried White, on Chicago Ave. It's in the West Town / Noble Square area, and is my new favorite place. Ever. The lounge is totally modern and fancy, and I got to watch none other than HOUSE HUNTERS INTERNATIONAL as my teeth were cleaned. Are you kidding me? I'm totally sold.


ANYWAY, now on to... Workouts!
On to workouts... this week has been a bit light for me. I started a new medication that is leaving my stomach feeling a little off, and I've been much busier than average. Those two elements added up to leave me with less hours logged in the fitness realm. I'll be back on the horse this week.

Wednesday
45 Minutes Pilates
I still love this class with the fire of a thousand suns.

Thursday
6 mile (60 minutes) run, 30 minute bike ride
I had a nice long run while watching some show on Netflix about wedding planning in New York (I think it's called Wedded To Perfection?). The show makes me pumped for my wedding yet insanely stressed about it at the same time, which is somehow perfect for running. I do my best running under just a bit of stress, I think? Normal?



Friday
Rest
Justin and I had planned to hit up the gym for a nice run, but then plans changed a bit. My parents dropped off their puppy, FatBooty (fine, you can call her Rena if that sounds offensive, but trust me, she loves it). Once FatBooty was there, we just wanted to relax and play. With a pup this cute, can you blame us?

Saturday
Full body weights, 1 hour Spinning Class 
To make up for Friday's skip, we did double duty on Saturday. We arrived for our spin class about an hour early, signed up for our bikes, and then did some serious weight lifting. I started with the new armsandshoulders routine I've been perfecting, then moved on to just about everything else.

 



Sunday
5 mile (45 minutes) run, 15 minutes rowing, Abs
The rowing machine is weird, and this was my first time on this one. I'm not sure how I feel about it -- I kind of just feel like a dork who's about to fall on her butt.

I'm also still in a bit of pain from this ab machine. I did three 45 second sets at 90lbs, then moved on for a while, and then came back to it a bit later and did it again. I'm just now getting over the deep pain I caused myself. Humph.



Monday
Skip
I told you this was a lazy week, right? Well, on Monday, I had to work fairly early, and then I met my friend Emily at J. Crew for some Bridesmaids Dress Shopping and dinner. That meant no workout for the day. I don't regret it :) It was some much needed fun time.

Tuesday
Skip
I woke up early to try to get a run in, but my stomach was having some issues. I felt really sick and ended up just sitting on the couch drinking coffee, kind of staring into space. Oh well. I think my body needed a bit of recovery, and I'm hoping that I'll be back in full force after resting Friday, Monday, and Tuesday.

Wednesday
Shoulders/Arms and Abs Weight Training, Pilates
I'm looking forward to feeling the burn with some of my fave weight exercises, then cursing myself for 45 minutes during Pilates.

Just kidding. Somehow, despite how difficult Pilates can be and the burn I always feel in my core, I am never angry during! HOW DO YOU DO IT, ANNA?!

Your turn...

• What justifies an unplanned rest day for you? 
• Do you ever feel bad about it, or do you expect that it will give you more excitement when you get back in the game?

Workout Wednesday - WOTDs

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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: 30 Minute Cardio Challenge Class & Stairmaster Sprint
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.

Kanye's... or Carly's Comprehensive Workout Plan (And How To Build Your Own)

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Many of you have written in asking for my workout plan. Since it was part of my New Years Resolution to actually write out my plan and stick to it, I created a spreadsheet document that includes my workouts. Thus, I'm able to finally share with you a consistent plan!

Workout Schedule - Click image to enlarge.

Here are a few notes for those of you who are either trying to understand this plan or just plain copy it!

• Choice Days: These are days that I build into my workout routine for two reasons. First, so that I am able to try new things, challenge my body, and keep things fresh. Second, so that I am able to build in optional skip days (See Next Bullet Point). What is a Choice Day, you might ask? On Choice Days, I can do anything. In this workout plan, I've given myself a few workout "suggestions," so that I don't have to think or plan too much... but if I suddenly have the urge to take a boxing class, go on a run, or do yoga, I will absolutely go for it and change things up.
• Skip Days: During any given week, I can only skip one or two of these Choice Days. I aim to only skip one, but depending on how hard I've been pushing it, sometimes my body needs a bit more time to heal. Thus, out of the three Choice Days I build into my week, I try to skip only one, but sometimes two.

The workouts themselves:

• Full Body Blast: This is a 30-minute exercise class at my gym that combines cardio with a weighted bar. If you're trying to follow this plan, but do not have a similar class at your gym, try this 25 Minute Full Body Workout with Light Weights.
• Spinning: This is a 50-minute exercise class at my gym that uses spinning bikes to challenge your muscles and amp up your heart rate. If you can't find a spinning class near you, try the bike version of this Megan Fox butt workout, and try to go through the entire workout twice within 50 minutes two an hour.
• Bodypump: This is a 60-minute exercise class at my gym that uses moderate weights with high reps, isolating one or two body parts for each song or "track." If you can't find a Bodypump class, I would suggest combining this 25 Minute Full Body Workout, this 10 Minute Full Body Workout, and this 10 Minute Abs Workout.
• CXWORX: This is a 30-minute exercise class at my gym that focuses entirely on your core (not only abs, but also back and upper legs). If you're looking for something to do that can simulate this class, there are a few options. First if you have Ab Ripper X (from P90X Series) or Core Cardio (from Insanity Series), you can substitute with those. Otherwise, try this Ab Workout.
• Body By Science: This is the Holy Grail of workouts. There is no replacement, but it's fairly easy to learn. Read about it here.
• Pilates & Yoga: These are classes at my gym, and I use them almost interchangeably  They are definitely different, but their benefits for me are very similar. They focus on lengthening and strengthening your muscles (whereas a lot of weight lifting will shorten and strengthen). In addition, they help me stretch out and find some mental peace. You can typically find Yoga and Pilates classes online or via your TV provider, but here is a link you can use for free Yoga workouts.
• Stairmaster Workout: On my Stairmaster days, I use this Stairmaster Sprint Workout.
• Cardio Mash Up: On my Cardio Mash Up days, I start with the most difficult cardio machine and work my way down, switching machines every 15 minutes. So, I start on the Treadmill for 15 minutes, alternating as I please between sprints and slow jogs. Then, I switch to the Stairmaster and try to build up my pace steadily on there for 15 minutes. Then, I switch to an Elliptical machine and try to go at a solid but steady pace for 15 minutes. Last, I switch to a bike and move at a fast pace for 15 minutes.

I would encourage those of you who are interested in doing something similar to take this template and adjust it to meet your own needs. Here are my rules of thumb for creating your own workout schedule:

• Give yourself some Choice Days! You need to be able to change it up and surprise your body or you won't continue to see the great results you want!
• Take a skip day! It's good for you - I promise!
• Include the following: At least one pure weights day, at least one pure cardio day (I have two), and at least two days of mixed weights and cardio (I have three). Also, try to add at least one day for heavy stretching per week. I occasionally skip this day (bad Carly!), so try to do better than I do!

Looking for additional resources? Check out my fitness page! And don't forget that no fitness plan is complete without a healthy nutrition plan - you can eat through any workout you do if you're not careful!