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The Last Two Weeks in Workouts

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Two weeks ago, I shared my goal of challenging my body in a healthy way.  Along the way, I learned something about myself.  I really like the feeling that comes with a sweaty workout.  By Friday of last week, 10 days into the challenge, I was craving a good, healthy sweat. Even though my workouts were challenging my muscles, especially those small, pesky ones you remember exist when you’re halfway through the tiny pulses. But even though I was working out each day, I was missing that endorphin high. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not abandoning my goal, as i know it’s a healthy one. But, I want to research and read more as I left every class feeling accomplished and happy, but still felt something was missing by the end of the week.

Therefore, I’ve decided to add one to two sweaty cardio workouts to my weekly workout schedule. Based on how I’m feeling, some weeks this may be spin class or if my legs and glutes are cooperating, it may be a run. I think this will be the perfect complement to the great toning and lengthening workouts I’ve been doing at Bar Method.   Here is a recap of my workouts since that post.  As you can see, it’s been heavy on the Bar Method and light on the Pilates. My goal this week is to mix in at least one run and one Pilates class. I’m hoping to take my first Reformer class this weekend at a new studio, A-Line Pilates!

Tuesday October 11th – Tuesday October 24th, 2016

  • 10/11 – Bar Method Brooklyn Mixed Level with Gina
  • 10/12 – Bar Method Brooklyn Mixed Level with Paige
  • 10/13 – Five mile walk   
  • 10/14 – Bar Method Brooklyn Mixed Level with Steffi
  • 10/15 – Rest Day 
  • 10/16 – NYJL Sweats with Theodora which included 30 minute spin and 30 minutes yoga at Equinox
  • 10/17  – Four miles with Katie 
  • 10/18  – Bar Method Brooklyn Mixed Level Alyssa + 3 miles with along the West Side Highway with the Brooks team
  • 10/19 – Bar Method Brooklyn Mixed Level with Paige 
  • 10/20 – Bar Method Brooklyn Mixed Level with Alyssa  Her peppy personality is a great way to make me forget that the workout she is about do prescribe will leave me quivering, shaking and sweating more than any other instructor. I love her class because I learn something new every time but don’t feel so intimidated that I don’t want to return! 
  • 10/21 – Rest day
  • 10/22 – Long walk in Prospect Park 
  • 10/23 – Bar Method Brooklyn Mixed Level with Steffi 
  • 10/24 – Flywheel with Josh Arden AM + Soul Cycle with Stevie PM  Double workouts are rarely something I do these days but when a friend reminds you that you have a free Soul Cycle class expiring, you high tail it to Soul Cycle for some post-work stress relief. It was an odd combination of spin classes since Josh is one of my favorites and unfortunately, Stevie and I didn’t really jive. The class was only 38 minutes long versus the regular 45 and I didn’t feel challenged. Her class was heavy on the dancing and low on the sprints/climbs but in her defense, it was packed and most people looked like this was their favorite Soul class ever. Guess that’s why their are so many different teacher styles! 

Your turn – What is your favorite low impact workout? 

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Highlights from the Weekend – October 24th, 2016

Happy Monday!

Bo and I woke up bright and early this morning to make it to Josh Arden’s 7 AM Flywheel class. While my body has enjoyed the lower impact workouts these past two weeks, I’m definitely missing the endorphin rush and sweat I get from cardio. This week I am going to try incorporating 2-3 cardio workouts with my barre classes.

Similar to last week, waking up this morning was easier than normal as Bo and I had another relaxing weekend. In fact, I was in bed reading All The Light We Cannot See by 8:30! Have you guys read this book yet? I’m only 60 pages in but can already tell it is going to a page turner which will keep me occupied on my subway commutes this week. Even though our we enjoyed a relaxed weekend, there are still a few highlights to share with you guys this morning.

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Going to the movies

The weather in New York yesterday was rainy and blustery, perfect for an afternoon movie date. Our movie of choice, Deepwater Horizon, kept us both interested and entertained. We both remembered hearing about the largest man-made disaster back in 2010 but did not know the details until watching the movie. I thought Mark Wahlberg and Kurt Russell were perfectly cast in their roles!

Taking a long walk in Prospect Park

Before heading to the movie, Bo and I spent two hours wandering through Prospect Park enjoying the Fall foliage and cool weather.  We covered more than eight miles, meandering through the Prospect Park Farmer’s Market and explored new areas of Prospect Park including the waterfalls. I have really grown to enjoy long walks with friends or family as they provide the perfect venue for catching up and getting some exercise and fresh air.

Cooking 

We spent a lot of time in the kitchen this weekend, cooking Saturday and Sunday dinner as well as preparing healthy snacks and dinners for the week. I’ve been intimidated by kale’s rough texture and strong flavor for ages, but this delicious and easy to make Autumn Kale Salad recipe helped me overcome my fear and fall back in love with this hearty green. I especially love that kale salads keep far longer in the refrigerator, making them perfect make-ahead lunches.

Building our fire pit

As part of my 10 year anniversary with my company, I was able to choose an item from their gift list. While the list included over 100 different things, there were only a few that stood out based on our interests. After a few weeks of debate, I finally ordered a fire pit for our back yard. Perfect for Fall and Winter evenings, this above ground fire pit was a pain to build but has already been so much fun! I can tell that we’ll enjoy it often with our friends and family whether roasting s’mores or just enjoying while sipping a glass of wine.

 

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The Cost of Overcommitting

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Back in July, I talked about how striving for healthy had left me exhausted over the past few years. What I didn’t realize at the time was that it wasn’t just the my training schedules and workouts that were leaving me exhausting and zapping my energy. Beyond this, it was the constant jam-packed professional, personal and blog calendar that I set for myself on a weekly basis.  Since I wrote that post, I have made a concerted effort to think twice before making commitments. But sometimes, having the ability to say no is different than actually practicing it.

For years, I was the yes girl. Happy to be included and invited, I said yes to everything for fear of not being invited again in the future. The crazy thing, this was relevant for both professional, personal and blog commitments. Double booked? I didn’t let that become an issue. Instead, I would figure a way to make it to both commitments, even if that meant traveling across town just to say hi for a few minutes. I thought this effort and brief face time was better than declining. But, I found that I wasn’t able to be fully present. I was stressed, exhausted and burnt out from this cycle of over-commitment.

During August and September, I did a great job saying no thank you, rescheduling or reorganizing commitments so that I was allowed breathing room – those evenings each week to relax and invest in myself, family, friends, and Bo.

This week, as if to remind me to stay the course and learn an expensive lesson from my prior ways, I have “wasted” $350 on commitment costs. Some of these were booked as early as March, well ahead of the time I reached my tipping point. Guilty about “throwing money away” I considered keeping each event on my calendar. While I could physically attend each of them, I knew, deep down they wouldn’t bring me happiness, pleasure or fulfillment. This question may make me seem selfish or self-centered. But, I’ve found that by asking these questions before making commitments I create space in my life so that I am able to bring others happiness by fully engaging – whether during a coffee date, run, business meeting or girls weekend.

As I read this article, shared on Facebook by Liz Barnet, I released the guilt and changed my mindset. The sunk cost of these commitments was just a reinforcement and lesson in the opportunity cost of commuting too early and often. I need to focus on making fewer commitments or I will never change this habit I developed over the past ten years.  Spending time and making plans with friends should be enjoyable, not something that causes stress. But, in today’s connected world, we have larger networks, as Kathryn Ebner pointed out in the article.  I never understood why friends would say “I need to wait and see” when receiving an invite months in advance but now I get it. We can’t control family, work, and personal demands so if we fill all our “free time” months in advance we aren’t giving ourselves the freedom and flexibility to ebb and flow with life’s demands.

What are your thoughts on planning ahead? Do you over commit or under commit? As I continue to grow and evolve in this area, I would love your tips! 

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