Back In The Swing Of Things

As my prior post states, I signed up for Orange Theory Fitness a few weeks ago and am really enjoying it. I get 8 sessions per month for the price I'm paying, but am planning on signing up for the 20-30 extra classes to try and get in 3 workouts a week. After initially signing up I had planned on waiting until after my vacation to Cancun to start. I didn't want to work out a full week and then take an entire week off in Mexico and essentially lose everything that I had gained. But after a friend of mine went to his first workout and raved about it, I decided to go ahead and start - my first class being two weeks ago yesterday. I must say, I normally loathe working out and, even worse than that, having to get up early to do so. But, the 6:15 a.m. class is the latest I can attend and still get to work on time, and so I opted to get my happy ass out of bed and get there for 4 sessions so far (Friday, Monday, Wednesday, Friday). This workout is unlike anything I've ever done, and I absolutely love it. I love that it's a group setting with a personal trainer guiding you on what to do so you're not just blindly going in there throwing some free weights around and getting bored. It truly is an interval workout and I've managed to burn approximately 500 calories and stay in the "orange zone" for anywhere from 12-25 minutes each workout. My mood has improved and my energy is way higher than it was prior to this. Plus, it feels like I can actually feel my body continuing to burn more calories throughout the day (one of the perks to this kind of workout. A few days prior to my Cancun trip I had already decided, vacation or not, that I would be continuing to do the workouts while out of the country. I felt THAT good! What was even better is that when Patrick (the 6:15 trainer) heard that we were going out of town he volunteered to email daily workouts to us. Saturday was a bust as it was the day that we traveled, and after taking a 5 hour nap starting at 5 p.m. and then opting to just stay in bed, the 12-hour slumber did us in but kept us nice and refreshed for Sunday's workout. It was raining off and on both Saturday and Sunday, so it was nice and muggy outside (albeit overcast)for our run up and down the strip with some set workouts from time to time. I forget now exactly what the first workout consisted of, but most of them included a warm up, slow jog, base pace run, a push-pace and finally an all-out before cooling down for some walking lunges and inverted push-ups. I took the Garmin with us and we were able to get in 3 miles that day - despite the heat and humidity. The next morning we opted to stay inside at the resort gym since it was still rainy and humid out - although this new location did nothing to help the sweat-swamp that would become our bodies. Another set of interval runs leading up to a faster pace, and some push-up burpees and squat-jumps made for a tough work-out. I have to admit though that one set of burpees was enough for me and I modified it with some tricep dips and kettleball curls. Monday afternoon saw the first real break in the clouds and rain, and an hour and a half of exposure gave me just enough sun to get slightly burned, so we decided to take a break from the workouts on both Tuesday and Wednesday. Since we would be traveling again on Saturday and re-acclimating to "normal" life on this long Memorial Day weekend, we wanted to make sure we prioritized another two workouts on Thursday and Friday. Basically, more of the same - 3 mile interval run with some push-ups, jumping jacks, mountain climbers, squats and all-out pace runs. This one was a bit more enjoyable as we worked together as a team (one of us doing one exercise while the other person did another). When Friday came along I thought my vacation partner was kidding when he read me the workout plan Patrick had sent.... More running of course, but also three sets of 50 lunges and 100 squats. Holy Sh*t, are you kidding me? I got through the run okay, and the first 50 lunges, but after 20 squats my legs were toast and I had to space them out a bit in sets of 20-25 in order to get them all in. After that first set, it was nearly impossible to run again but we managed another short shuffle before a cool-down walk and our second set. I managed another 50 lunges, and broke my squats up into four sets of 25 while doing some push-ups, bicep curls and tricep dips in between. Not only did this help break up the pain of these torturous exercises, but also the monotony of it all. We decided to get in a few more interval runs on the way back to the resort, and I even managed my last 50 lunges (broken up into two sets of 25), but I'll be damned if I was going to attempts another 100 squats. Um... no thanks. Today, I can honestly say that my ass and legs are killing me. Today also just happened to be the day that we had a two hour, and then one hour flight back home, so being cooped up on a plane with little opportunity to stretch hasn't helped. I can also say that I feel really good about keeping up the workouts while on vacation. I felt that the lounging around we did most of the day afterwards didn't come with nearly as much guilt as it would have had I NOT worked out first thing in the morning. Also, I wasn't as hungry and didn't snack as much as I normally would have. I think the work out, as well as the heat both, had something to do with this. And lastly, I can see from the pics from my trip that I have a ways to go before I'm happier with my bikini body. Not that I want to be one of those women who is ashamed of her figure - I'm certainly not. But I can definitely stand to gain more confidence about it and hope that keeping these workouts up and trying to eat right will get me going in that direction. Which, if there is one vice that could keep a "healthier me" from happening, it's poor eating habits. Now that I'm back home, I guess I have that change to look forward to as well.

Slackin'

Yeah, okay - I'll admit it. I haven't ran at all since the Derby Mini. And even though I have a 5k this weekend, an obstacle course race in a month an a half, and another half marathon a week after that, I have been completely slacking on this training stuff. This is exactly why I continuously sign up for races though - to keep my momentum going. I guess since I was taking it seriously and really putting some time and effort into the ultimate goal (PR during the Derby mini), I've now gotten into a bit of a slump since then. But now... it's time to saddle up once again. Beyond the running however, I'm also going to the Orange Theory facility tomorrow to talk to the reps there about what they offer and how for how much($). I've been wanting to get more into a routine of working out, and with summer (see: hot and humid) coming up, running outside is going to be nearly unbearable unless I force myself out on an early Saturday or Sunday morning. I was determined NOT to join just a regular gym though because, let's face it, I've never been very disciplined when it comes to keeping myself accountable. Plus, working out alone can get rather boring. I did look into cross fit at one time, but it's somewhat intimidating and I'm not crazy about those types of workouts. With this Orange Theory Fitness the idea is to keep your heart-rate functioning "in the orange" which is apparently your optimum cardio and fat-burning fitness level. You alternate between the treadmill, the rowing machine, and what looks like free-weights and other muscle-building exercises for a full hour. The cost seems reasonable, and they actually charge you if you miss a scheduled session. Plus I like that you're in there with 23 other people all doing the same thing, so there is a social aspect as well. Looking forward to it.