Blog Archives
Trading TV Time for WHAT?!
Good morning! Coming off of Father’s Day weekend and a week vacation from the office, it’s good to be back to routine. And back to morning workouts! Typically I have to take off a minimum of one week from physical activity after each bleomycin treatment, which is almost the hardest part…ha! I’ve reunited with the treadmill and all is right in my world.
Which brings me to my topic of conversation today:
Adding in nighttime “Group Fitness” classes this week instead of lounging on the couch.
Long-time readers know that I’m not naturally inclined to make time for yoga and meditation. Child’s pose makes me giggle. Vinyasa makes me antsy. Not wearing shoes freaks me out.
But every 10 months or so, I decide to give it a try again because I know the incredible benefits that yoga practice can have on the body and overall fitness.
Being “fit” encompasses a well-rounded mastery of elements including strength, speed, stamina, and flexibility. Beyond that, overal “health” involves mental and emotional health, physical fitness, and nutritional balance. Even top-tier athletes have some element of total fitness that they struggle with. For me, running and endurance exercises come easily. Speed has always been a little more challenging. I’d rather run 10 easy-paced miles than 1 fast one. But in order to be well-rounded, we have to get way out of that comfort zone and work on those areas need a little extra attention.
During my senior year, I grew out of the habit of watching TV at night, and honestly there’s nothing particularly interesting on during these summer months anyways. (Except I am curious to watch ‘The Astronaut Wives Club’ for the outfits and updos alone!) This week, I am swapping reality TV for group fitness classes at my LA Fitness.
- Monday: Yoga
- Tuesday: BodyWorks Plus Abs
- Wednesday: Mat Pilates
- Thursday: Yoga
- Friday: hahaha just kidding, I’m not doing yoga on a Friday night.
This four-nights-a-week schedule definitely won’t become my “usual”, but I thought this would be a good sampler week to find which classes and teachers I like. I’m trying these classes in addition to my regular running and HIIT routine during the week. A little extra stretching and strength work can’t hurt. My only dilemma is…. when/what to eat for dinners…the classes are from 8pm-9pm, and I don’t want to eat a full meal before-hand. Anyone else have suggestions for fueling late-night workouts?
Sunday was the longest day of the year and the first Sunday of the summer without my normal LONG RUN. But I guess that’s the theme of the week: break out of the normal. :)
Questions of the Day: Are you a group fitness person? Which classes are the best/worst?
When I first joined the gym in high school, I didn’t know what exactly an Aqua-Aerobics class entailed. About 8-10 elderly people with swim caps greeted a 16-year-old me in a neon bikini. We lightly bounced around the shallow end for 45 minutes. I’ve never returned.
XOXO NAMASTE ;)
Weekend Workouts
Thank you Dr. Martin Luther King Jr! In celebration of you, class today is cancelled :)
With an additional day for my weekend, I definitely prioritized workouts. My last bleomycin treatment was one month ago, and I’ve been steadily increasing my exercise amount since the beginning of January. Now that my mileage is back to an average state, I feel like I can start adding in weekly HIIT workouts, some body-weight strength training, and even a little elliptical interval action. What I really noticed yesterday was how stiff my legs were feeling. So I took to Youtube to find a beginner’s level stretching video. This was the first one I clicked on, and I really enjoyed it!
Yoga is not my thing. I actually kinda sorta really hate it. The whole ‘breathe in, breathe out’ thing is too hippy for this anxious girl. The poses in this video, which are mostly just basic stretches, were not so bad. Something I will definitely try to incorporate after particularly-strenuous workouts.
Don’t think I’ll ever be considered a yogi. Even though sometimes my nightstand looks like it.
Other internet inspirations = Alexa Jean Fitness’s Instagram account and her latest “towel workout.” I brought two hand towels out onto our faux hardwood floor last week to follow along to her workout video. Loved the variety of exercises. For some reason, using a prop made it seem more fun. Always a plus!
Sweaty High Bun = Business. Serious-workout-mode hair style. No drippy ponytails please!
Last night my roommate had her (large) family over to our (little) apartment. While they cooked and ate dinner, I decided to escape to the fitness room. Have you heard of the podcast ‘Serial’? Other bloggers have been mentioning it for a while. The first episode kept me entertained through some more stretching and walking. The podcast is several episodes all covering a single murder case from 16 years ago. Seems like there isn’t enough material in this case to span several hours worth of a story, but I’ll try the second episode today.
Later today, some people are coming over for a movie night. After today’s run, I plan on finding another video for cooldown stretches and a core routine. Justification for the wine and popcorn I plan to enjoy tonight ;) enjoy the rest of your long weekend!
Group Fitness: Pilates!
With so many group fitness classes, intramural sports, active clubs, and beautiful scenery, it’s pretty difficult to not get in some form of exercise at my school. Amazingly, though, there is a large portion of the population who doesn’t take advantage of all these great opportunities, and they are truly missing out. Fitness is proven to be beneficial in academic areas too because it improves mood, memory and brain function. Just do it!
One of my friends Chelsea is an instructor for a fitness class here on campus– Pilates! Monday night I grabbed a friend to come with me and headed over after dinner. I honestly have never taken a Pilates class. I’ve done yoga, zumba, spin, boot camp, body works, step, and kickboxing class but never pilates. One more thing I can cross off the list!
These classes are fun because there’s always other newbies and beginners there. You shouldn’t feel self-conscious about your athletic ability because everyone is there to have fun and enjoy their workout!
(I only got the giggles once!)
This was a mellow-style pilates with lots of breathing and stretching, and some Jack Johnson music playing in the background. I liked it, and I plan on making it a weekly thing! I felt like I stretched my whole body while working out individual muscles in the feet, legs, and core.
Since this class is only once a week, I tried to remember some of the things that I could do on my own a few more days a week:
- Hip Bridges
- Hip Bridge with alternating leg lifts
- Superman (back hyper-extensions)
- One-leg circles (lay on your back, one knee bent; draw large circles rightward and leftward with your straightened leg)
- SLOW bicycles with inhale/exhales
If you’re on a college campus, I bet they offer these same classes. Honestly, you won’t regret finding one hour of your time to try a new workout class :)
