Workout Wenesday: Exercising at Home

 With my sisters home this week, I didn't want to waste my free time at the gym that I could be spending with them at home. Instead, I went back to my childhood roots and jumped rope.

Maybe it's because when I was younger I would jump rope or "skip it" (remember that toy? 90's kid here!) frequently, but I do not recall it being so difficult! In just ten minutes' time my calves were on fire and my heart was pumping - yet it was fun! I had a big old grin on my face nearly the entire time..except for the last two minutes :) I was in the zone hoping my legs wouldn't fall off before I finished!

I think what was most surprising with this short workout was how sore I was the next day: my shoulders, calves, and abs ached as if I had done a long lifting session at the gym, but I had only worked out for ten minutes jump roping! It made me think about the other things I liked to do as a kid that could be incorporated into a workout session: hopscotch, rollerblading, jumping on a trampoline, soccer and basketball drills (or even a pickup game!)...there are lots of things that your former child self can inspire you to try!

What was your favorite activity as a child that was secretly good exercise?

For me, it was definitely the hours spent with my friends, cousins, and siblings spent swimming at the lake nearby. As soon as our chores were finished, we were in that lake playing Marco Polo or King of the Raft and were there until our parents called us home for dinner...and sometimes after that! :)

-Meagan

Fit Thursday: Total Body Workout

Image via SELF

This past weekend I spent both days carrying and moving furniture for my grandma that by the time Monday rolled around it felt like I missed the weekend entirely! I took the first few days of the work week to recover with some adequate sleep. This meant I missed out on my Fitness Tuesday series, so I guess Thursday will have to do. Lucky for me there are two days in the week beginning with the letter T ;)

The class of choice this week was Total Body. I arrived 15 minutes early to class and there was already a group of 10 or so people waiting to go in to the exercise studio. The instructor showed up 5 minutes later and greeted most of the people by name. It was obvious by their conversations and interactions that there was a strong following for this course with this instructor. By the time the class began, we had exceeded the studio capacity by 2 or 3 people!

Within the first 5 minutes of class I could tell I was really going to enjoy the workout. My heart was already starting to beat fast and I had a good burn going. What made everything even greater was how helpful the instructor was to me and other newbies. Since there were a lot of regulars, us newbies stuck out quite obviously since we didn't know the usual order of exercises. Each time we started a new exercise, the instructor would come around and tell us if we were doing the exercise correctly and if we weren't he would work with us individually until we mastered the move.

Total Body class worked literally the total body as you would guess by its name. The description from the gym's site read: "Upper body, core, and lower limb workout using dumbbells, resistance bars, stability balls, steps, and bands. Arms, chest, and shoulders get a thorough workout here and your entire body will get the benefits of greater strength and flexibility." I think what I worked the most in this class was my core/abs, since many exercises for legs and arms you need to engage your core for proper technique. That's not to say the other parts of my body didn't get worked out. I felt like Jello by the time I was done! 360 degree squat jumps followed by spider push-ups are no joke!

Verdict: out of the classes I've taken thus far, this one definitely takes the cake. The personal attention from the instructor combined with the toughness of the workout took this class to another level. Plus it was really fun! This class is definitely a repeat, especially with Instructor Bob!

Fit Tuesdays: Spinning

 (Images via 1 // 2 // 3 )

After a brief hiatus from the gym last week, I made it over to the fitness center to try out their intermediate spin class. I walked into that room with the mentality that the class would be a breeze and I would be a natural....and an hour later walked out shaky, nauseous, exhausted, and humbled. Spinning is no joke!

The class was fun but intense, powered with a good music playlist and the constant shouts of encouragement from the instructor. The workout for the day was 4x10 minute hills that always had different intervals and positions which I liked so it mixed things up. The instructor would shout out the commands like "30 seconds seated sprint" or "off your seat in position 3!" and you wouldn't know the interval time length until she began counting down the last five seconds. Good torture if there is such a thing!

My downfall in the spin class was my competitive nature with the other people in the class. Instead of focusing more on how I felt, I focused too much on how much faster and harder I was going than the other people around me. Because of that, I pushed myself wayyy too hard and paid for it at the end of class when I had to lean on my bike to avoid losing my lunch or fainting while everyone else cooled down and stretched. I also think I had my resistance too high for a majority of the ride...sometimes I would only realize that we were supposed to have been going easy when the instructor told the class to crank up their resistance again (it was hard to understand her over her microphone with the music playing). I'm not too upset about it though because I haven't felt that competitive really in anything in the last 3 or 4 years I'd say, so it felt amazing to have that fire start up in me again! :) Next time I'll focus more on how I feel though and finding my best level of intensity.

In conclusion: this is another class to add to my list of future repeats! 2 for 2 so far :)