Week 9

February 25- 3.45 mile run

It was so nice out today! It was about 40 degrees and sunny, so of course I decided to run outside. It is so easy to get in the rut of running on the treadmill so being able to get outside was much needed. I did my favorite route from my apartment to Boulevard Park.

The route seemed shorter than I remembered. Maybe I’m just more in shape this time around while running it? It was almost 3.5 miles, and it felt good! It makes me yearn for spring and summer where I can go run outside everyday!

February 26- Full body workout

I hit the gym and was able to successfully complete my entire workout. I ran a mile around the track, did my arms, and finished off with my legs. I am still working towards doing a pull up. It is taking longer than I thought it would to build up to it. It is a little disappointing, but I know with more training I will be able to get there! I am hoping to keep the motivation to keep pushing myself to work towards this goal.

I can’t wait to see the progress I will make in March!

February 27- Rest

I didn’t take the time to get out and run today. Instead, I spent the time catching up on class work. It is that time in the quarter where classes start picking up again with finals and prep for finals in three weeks. It felt good to take time to get on top of my classes.

February 28- Full body circuit

Today I got to the gym around 5pm. It was a little busier than I thought it was going to be. I was able to finally get the dumbbells and complete my arm workout. This is starting to feel easy with the 10 pound weights, I am thinking I might need to increase to 12.5 soon! I also got a solid leg workout in with a few of the machines. I am still working towards a pull up and decided to push myself a little harder and complete another rep than I normally do. This means I did three sets of five instead of two. I know this doesn’t sound like a lot, but I am making progress and working towards a full pull up.

March 1- Run 3.62 miles

It was hard to get motivated to run today. I pushed myself to head to the gym and was really glad I did! I hopped on the treadmill, got into a good rhythm, put on a Netflix episode, and started running. This was the first time I have ever watched something on my phone while running and it made the time go by really fast. Before I knew it, I had already run 3 miles!

I was amazed at how easy this run felt today. It proved to me how important it is to train your mind when running. Many times I end my runs with the idea that I went far enough because I am out of breath and tired. In reality, it seems like I should be pushing myself further knowing my body can handle it. If I change this mindset, I believe I will be more happy with how far I am running and the results I am achieving.

March 2- Rest

Today my parents came up to celebrate my birthday a day early with me. We spent the day stocking up on food, celebrating with champagne, and going out to dinner at the marina in Bellingham.

It was a fun day spent with my family, and because of that I decided to take the day off from running. With my 21st birthday being tomorrow, I think I may take tomorrow off as well. It will be my cheat weekend, but come Monday I will be at the gym running off all the food and drinks acquired over the weekend!!

March 3- Birthday rest day

It’s my 21st birthday and it was a day well spend with Alex and friends. I went got coffee with some friends and had dinner with Alex at Boundary Bay (one of my favorite restaurants in Bellingham!)

We spent the night eating good food and tying a bunch of different kinds of beer. I’m excited for next weekend to continue the celebrations next weekend!

March

Here’s to completing my second month of my workout plan! I can’t believe this is already the 8th week. It’s crazy to see where and I started, where I am currently at, and the goals I am still working towards.

I originally started this journey to stay in shape both physically and mentally. There is something to be said about the confidence booster I feel every time I walk out of the gym. I have noticed a difference in my confidence since getting on a regular gym schedule. I am more confident about my body, but I have also gained confidence in meeting new people and putting myself out there. I think a lot of this confidence has to do with feeling less stressed out with projects and school work. I am able to better prioritize what’s important and what’s not by having to divide my time up between classes, the gym, and hanging out with people.

It is also rewarding to start seeing results in my arms in legs. My muscles are more defined and are starting to look fairly toned. It is very motivating to see these changes and helps push me to keep going to the gym to continue to improve what I’ve started. Overall, I am very happy I have stuck to this routine. It is a positive change I have made in my life and it has more of an impact on my health than I thought it would.

With this being said, I feel like I have developed a good routine for myself and want to continue to do the same things I have been doing. I have decided to not make a calendar for this month. I am happy with running between 3.5 and 4 miles two days out of the week, biking one day, and the other three days are dedicated to weight lifting. This routine has worked for me and I want to continue with what I am doing. I am happy with the results I have gotten so far, and can’t wait to see what I will look like within the next two months!

Monthly Stats

March was full of weeks that were mostly made up of rest days. But I’m sure this won’t be the case for April, especially as the weather starts to get sunnier and warmer!

Week 8

February 18- Full body circuit

It’s Monday and my workout schedule has been flipped due to skipping my rest day yesterday. I added walking on the stair climber to my leg workout and it felt really good! I could feel my legs burning and I loved the little motivational blurbs the machine gave. By the time I was done, I had climbed the equivalent of the Pyramid of Giza! It was cool to compare my progress to a real life equivalent.

February 19- Bike

Today I opted to bike instead of run. I biked for about 20 minutes and called it a day. I was sweating, got my heart rate up, and the legs were burning. Overall, I would call this a good enough workout for the day.

I am looking forward to having a rest day tomorrow. My body is starting to feel like it needs one. I also can’t wait to get this finance midterm over with tomorrow and have the rest of the week to relax and catch up on other class work.

February 20- Rest day

I was happy to choose today as my rest day. I got through my midterm, got some other class work done, and took some time to relax.

February 21- 3.4 mile run

Today I went to Lake Padden to run. The sun was shinning and I couldn’t wait to feel the crisp air on my face and in my lungs.

I was a little disappointed about half a mile into this run. The trail turned into an ice rink. For the next two miles I was forced to walk, as it was way too icy and dangerous to try and run. There were a few time times where I almost fell and when finishing my run I could tell my left knee felt strained from the ice.

From the 3.4 miles, I probably only ran about 2.25 and walked the rest. It still felt good to get out, but I do wish I was able to have run the whole thing without all the ice. Below are some photos I took as I made my way around the lake.

February 22- Full body circuit

I got through my arms and legs workout. It feels good being back on a solid schedule after last weeks snow days. I was a little sore after my run yesterday, but it still felt good to go to the gym.

February 23- Rest day

Alex and I took and hour and a half road trip over to Fort Casey today. I am hoping to post some photos this upcoming week. Because of this day trip, I wasn’t able to go to the gym before it closed. I will be going tomorrow instead to get my last run in for the week.

February 24- Full body circuit

In order to get my workout routine back on track, I decided to make today another full body circuit. I believe this will help keep me motivated as well to go to the gym each day this week and complete the task laid out before me.

Today I focused more on arms, I have been trying to get to the point where I can do a pull up on my own. As of now, I am using an assist machine and can do it with about 90 pounds on my own and 40 pound assist.

I also utilized the stair climber, man was that a workout! I like being able to use different machines every now and then to get a good workout in. I’m a fan of the stair climber and want to try to start using this more often.

Week 7

February 11- Another snow day

Today class were cancelled due to snow and ice. Unfortunately, when classes are cancelled it also means all the buildings are shut down. This includes the gym… I was so tempted to put on the warmest running clothes I could find and go for a run outside. I went outside to check the sidewalks to see how icy they were and almost slipped just walking. That was my deciding factor: it wasn’t worth risking falling or twisting an ankle while trying to run in the snow.

Today’s run didn’t end up happening, but I am hoping classes will be open at least for half the day tomorrow so I can get some weight lifting in!

Instead, I will spend the day getting caught up on homework and possibly even work ahead to free up some extra time later this week to spend longer sessions at the gym.

February 12- Classes cancelled due to snow

I wish I was more excited about classes being cancelled again, but like stated in yesterday’s entry that means the gym is closed. With getting some work done yesterday, today seemed like a perfect day to go play in the snow.

Alex and I headed up to campus to walk around for a bit. It was amazing how quiet it was. We ended up running around on the open field behind the bio building and having a snowball fight. After getting pelted in the face a couple times, we decided to call it quits and head back home to get warm.

I guess you could count all the running and throwing as a good enough workout for the day!?!?! I am so hoping we have classes tomorrow so I can get a solid workout in at the gym.

February 13- Another snow day

I can’t believe it! Classes were cancelled again today. What started out as a delay until noon ended up turning into a full day off from school. I know I should be grateful about the extra time to get classwork done, but I am aching to get back on a normal schedule and be able to use the gym.

The sidewalks and roads are still too icy to run outside, so I opted to stay in again today. I never thought I would ever be this anxious to use the gym, this is something I am going to need to remember once I graduate… find a good 24 hour gym ASAP!

I believe campus should be open tomorrow and I have already made plans to go right after my class ends at 10am. It is going to feel so good to get back at it and work some of the muscles that have gotten an extra long rest. I am hoping the gym isn’t too packed with people who have the same idea that I do. I’m sure I am not the only one who has been feeling cooped up the last couple of days.

February 14- Full body circuit

We did it! Classes were in session and I was finally able to get a workout in this week. Better late than never I guess! I completed my full arm and leg workout and opted to do core at home (which I just completed before getting on here to reflect on my day at the gym).

I was shocked how easy the session felt today, maybe it has something to do with my muscles being well rested after having almost a week break? My arm routine is starting to feel easy again, I think it might be time upgrade from the 10 pound dumbbells to the 12.5 pound ones. I will try and use these on Saturday as see how it goes.

I am also thinking about skipping my rest day on Sunday and saving if for later in the week. It feels good to be going to the gym again. It gave me that extra bit of motivation that I needed to push myself. My goal for running tomorrow is to hit around 3.75 miles. Hopefully this won’t be too hard, since it has been a week since I last ran… I guess we will find out tomorrow!

February 15- 3.4 mile run

I hit the treadmill again and was able to get 3.4 miles in. I attempted a hill workout on the treadmill and it was really challenging. It was uphill the whole time with differing degrees in inclining. Halfway through, I had to decrease how high the treadmill was going, but I still was able to get a solid workout in!

February 16- Full body circuit

Alex and I went to the gym after our psychology class around 10am. This, in my opinion, is the best time to go. There usually isn’t anyone there and all the machines I want to use are open! I was able to get my arms and legs workout in and without having to wait, I was done in 30 minutes.

It feels good being on a solid schedule again, especially after being cooped up earlier this week due to snow! Because of having so many days off, I am hoping to skip my rest day on Sunday and save it possibly for Wednesday (as this will be my busiest day next week).

February 17- 2.5 mile run

As stated in yesterday’s entry, I opted to skip my rest day today and get a run in. I felt lethargic this time at the gym, so decided to complete a smaller millage run.

It felt good going to the gym, but I could tell my body was tired and I mentally was having a hard time getting motivated to run a long distance on the treadmill. I think it’s starting to get old running on the treadmill, hopefully the weather clears up and the snow melts so I can get in a run outside. I miss feeling the fresh air against my face and in my lungs.

Week 6

February 4- Snow day!

This morning I woke up to a 7:30am text stating classes were cancelled for the day due to snow. It was the best feeling rolling over knowing I had no where to be and a whole day to study for my marketing midterm on Tuesday morning.

I laid in bed, finally got ready for the day and headed out with Alex and his roommates to Lake Padden and Boulevard Park. We spent about an hour out and about enjoying the snow and all the white ambiance that engulfed the trees and ground. I’m hoping to get around to posting these photos sometime this week, depending how busy classes get!

Before I knew it, it was about 1pm and time to study for that midterm tomorrow… Because campus was closed for the day, that meant the gym was too. I didn’t feel comfortable running outside not only because it was so cold out, but it was also pretty icy and not a challenge I wanted to endure for a long distance run. My hope is to hop on the treadmill tomorrow at the gym for a mile and a half and then start my full body circuit. I also might cut out the bike on Friday and make sure I get my mileage in for the week. I don’t want to lose the progress I’ve made so far endurance wise by not keeping up with 3.5- 4 mile runs. We will have to see how I feel as the week goes on, and it may also depend on the weather and access to the gym.. I’ll keep you updated!

February 5- Prolonged rest day

I didn’t make it to the gym today. Between all my classes and having to volunteer tonight from 6-7:30, I wasn’t able to make it to the gym.

Instead, I opted for an in-home workout. I did a little bit of core with planks, bicycle crunches, and regular crunches. I also did 10 push ups with 3 sets. For me legs, I decided to a wall sit. I haven’t done these for a while and I could definitely feel the burn run through my calf and up to my thighs.

I’m hoping to get back in a solid routine tomorrow!

February 6- Continued rest day

Man, I am not doing well this week on the whole hitting the gym thing. Today I ended up not going to the gym either… I really need to break this cycle tomorrow after my marketing class.

I am for sure going to hit the gym tomorrow around 10am to do my full body circuit. I need to make sure I also run at least a mile to keep up with my endurance.

February 7- Full body circuit

I MADE IT!!! I finally made it to the gym this week. I feel guilty for it taking me so long, but between midterms and the cold weather I just couldn’t bring myself to get out of my apartment and make time for the gym.

It is really interesting how much my motivation has changed with the weather. I think the winter blues are starting to hit, making me more lethargic than usual and not motivated to get out and be active.

I am happy I made the time in my day to go to the gym and complete the body circuit. As mentioned above, I still felt really unmotivated- almost like I was just going through the motions to get the workout done. I didn’t feel like I was really enjoying it… maybe it’s time to switch up the routine?

I think next week I will switch up the order I do my workout in. I will start with arms and then move to legs. Hopefully this little change up will help get me in the right mind set again and get my motivation back.

February 8- 3.8 mile run

I couldn’t believe how good this run felt. I hopped on the treadmill with my headphones in listening to reggae. I just started running and continued until I felt I had run a long enough distance. Without looking at the mileage, I decided to stop and noticed I had gone over my anticipated 3.5 miles!

My head was in the game and my body was feeling well rested from not running earlier this week. It felt really good finally getting a run in. I think I broke my funk of not wanting to go to the gym! Can’t wait to get on a solid routine again next week.

February 9- Full body circuit

I spent about 45 minutes at the gym today and got my full workout in. The gym wasn’t too packed, so I got to take my time and complete a really good workout.

It feels good being back at the gym and wanting to go. I’m glad I broke my negative mindset. I’m excited to get back into the full swing of things next week. It seems like midterms took a lot more time than I thought they would.

Now that they are over, I am looking forward to focusing on the gains to be made at the gym.

February 10- Rest day

This day was full of studying and getting ready for classes this week. I have one more midterm and can’t wait to get it over with this Wednesday.

I need to remember when I’m feeling stressed to not make excuses and go to the gym. This will help me stay focused, but also give me the mental motivation I need to study and retain the information at hand for the finance test.

February

Here’s to completing my first month of my new years resolution of staying in shape! Below is a personal reflection on how I thought my first month went, and the things I want to change in the following months.

Going into this workout challenge, I thought it was going to be really hard to stay on track and push myself everyday to complete the workout I had planned for myself. It is one thing to create a plan on paper and have it seem fail proof, but it’s another to accept that I got ahead of myself in my goals. I think this was one of the hardest parts of this first month. It felt like a dry run of what I want the rest of the year to look like in terms of workouts, millage, and weights. I feel like I am constantly finding new machines to try at the gym, or modifying my workouts depending on how I am feeling a certain day.

I don’t necessarily think this is a bad thing, but something I need to remain conscious of. It is easy to walk into the gym and say “I went hard yesterday, I’ll do a light workout today.” This, in my opinion, is a common mind block I need to get over, pushing myself to complete the workout listed on my calendar and make sure I complete the entire thing. Overall, I know there are days where I need to push myself harder, but for the most part I feel ecstatic about all the work I put into January and can’t wait for February as well.

Here’s a quick recap of how January went, and the accomplishments I made:

I can consistently run 3.5 miles without feeling strained or super out of shape.
I increased the weight of the dumbbells from 5 pounds, to 7.5 pounds, and then increased them again to 10 pounds (which is the weight I am currently using).
I found out how useful biking can be, especially when sore from the long runs on Monday’s and Wednesday’s.
I also learned how important it is to stretch, more specifically after my runs, so I am not as sore for my full body circuit the next day.

Here are some things I could improve on for February:

CORE- I definitely didn’t do well on completing my core workouts. I would tell myself that I was going to do them at home before getting in the shower, but most times this didn’t happen. I need to make an effort to integrate this permanently into my circuit.
Hydrating- this is very important and something I want to continue to get better at, as to avoid fatigue, cramping, and headaches.

I can’t wait to see what results February brings! Below is a PDF version of the calendar I made. Laying out the month ahead in a more realistic fashion than January did. Feel free to click on the link and see what my plan for the month is!

february-calendar-1 Download

Monthly Stats

February was a good workout month. I had a consistent schedule throughout the month, with weeks 6 and 7 possibly having a few more rest days than I should have.

Week 5

January 28- Run 3.5 miles

It seems like the longer the month goes on, the more I fall away from the calendar I put together for myself. More specifically, the mileage I am supposed to increase by each day has seemed to be a longer-term goal than I thought. Today I ran 3.5 miles and it felt fairly easy.

I want to make sure I’m increasing mileage to maintain that distance, not just a goal I hit once or twice a month. So, I think for February, I need to make my goal to run 4 miles two times a week and bike on Fridays to recover from the longer distances.

There’s so much to add to the February calendar, and I only have three days to do it! Wish me luck.

January 29- Full body circuit

I ended up going to the gym around 8pm tonight… what a mistake. The place was PACKED! Every time there was a machine open I needed to use, I would hurry up and clean the one I was on. Before I could get over there someone else had already claimed it.

This was super annoying, so instead I modified my workout: stairclimber for 10 minutes, bicep curl machine (10 reps, 5 sets on 25 pounds), shoulder press machine (10 reps, 4 sets on 25 pounds), and finally bench press machine (10 reps, 3 sets, 50 pounds). I opted to do my core workout at home, due to lack of space on the mats.

Although this isn’t my normal routine, it felt like enough to get a decent workout in. Glad I was able to compromise and come up with another circuit to try!

January 30- Run 3 miles

Today I got strategic with my schedule, and actually think I might change it for the rest of this quarter. I ended up going to the gym around 5:20 tonight and got in a 3 mile run while waiting for Alex to get done with his class around 5:50. I usually pick him up from campus anyway, so it was nice to still be able to pick him up but squeeze a run in after homework and before dinner.

I took this run a little slower, with a mile pace of 9:13. It felt good to slow it down a bit and feel in control of my breathing. I was surprised how much easier the first couple of miles were. Usually I start off with an 8:40 mile time and am winded about a mile and a half in. I’m really bad at pacing myself, especially when it comes to running longer distances. But tonight I felt in control and it felt good!

January 31- Full body circuit

After my 8am marketing class I hit the gym and got an hour workout in, focusing on arms and legs. I tried a few new arm machines this time around, working on pull ups with an assist. It’s always really intimidating to try new machines, I always seem to think “what if I mess up and do it wrong, everyone’s going to notice and judge me…” This mindset KILLS me! I hate getting in my head like that, but somehow it happens every once in awhile. I was able to talk myself out of that negative mindset and actually really enjoyed using the new machines. I’m going to continue to use these and work on my pull up form.

February 1- Bike

I am so sore from my workout yesterday. I can barely lift my arms above my chest and my legs feel so sore. After my test this morning I made a quick stop at the gym to bike for 20 minutes and used the stair climber for about 5 minutes. I can’t believe how tired my body feels!

Today was definitely an easy workout day, as I want to make sure I’m giving my body enough time to recover and heal itself. Hopefully I’m not too sore tonight for The Green concert!! Can’t wait to head down to Seattle and see them at the Showbox later.

February 2- rest

Today I ended up taking a rest day. My arms were so sore I had a hard time sleeping last night because of it. I haven’t been this sore in such a long time! I’m definitely not complaining, but I was a little worried about how sore I was.

I need to start making sure I stretch after my workouts, hopefully this will help aid in the shorter recovery period. I can’t wait to hit the gym again and try the new machines I used last time!

February 3- Rest

Today was a rest day as well, with so much homework to catch up on and balancing meeting with a couple different people to study I wasn’t able to make it out to the gym. Not to mention the snow down pour all day today, making it a little harder to get to and from campus.

It felt really good taking an extra day to recover and rest from the gym. Can’t wait to get back at it tomorrow and run for a bit!

Week 4

January 21- Run 4 miles

One of the worst feelings is not meeting your goal for the day. Unfortunately, that was me. I planned to hit 4 miles on the treadmill and ended up only hitting 3.2 miles. I got this really bad cramp in my lung around mile 2. Usually I can dig them out or work through the pain, but this one was different. It was too high up to dig out and every breath I took I was in so much pain. I tried to brush it off for another mile or so, but eventually had to stop because it was so hard to breathe. I have never had a cramp like that.

Although the run I wanted didn’t pan out, I was still able to hit 3 miles and know I could have pushed through another mile if the circumstances were different. Can’t wait to hit the treadmill again Wednesday to meet that 4 mile goal!

January 22- Full body circuit

Tonight was a great night to go to the gym. I got to see a friend from my chem and bio classes whom I haven’t seen since last spring quarter. It was great catching up and before I knew it, I had been at the gym for about an hour and still hadn’t started my workout!

I powered through a quick arms and legs workout and finished up with abs at home. It was great catching up, but I noticed how much it changed my motivation to complete a full workout. I only finished one and a half sets, half of the amount I normally do. On the days I lack motivation, these are the ones where I need to make sure I stick with my routine and push through the mental mind block.

I came across this quote on Pinterest and I really liked how it resonated with me. I hope it influences you as well.

“A dream written down with a date becomes a goal. A goal broken down into steps becomes a plan. A plan backed by action becomes reality.”

This, to me, is what my calendar and dedication to try to hit the gym everyday is all about. I can’t wait to see what my reality will look like within the next six months are so!

January 23- Run

Wow! Today was PACKED. I got out of classes around 2pm, had to meet with a friend to study finance, and then had a meeting for a club (MISA- management information system association) from 6-7:30. Needless to say, I have been on the go since 8 this morning.

After getting back from the club meeting, I made a quick dinner and then dedicated myself to studying for a marketing quiz I have tomorrow.

So, I guess long story short, above are a bunch of excuses I listed off as reasons why my run didn’t happen today. I’m hoping to get a mile or two in tomorrow before doing my full body circuit routine. Hopefully this will help fill in the gap of not being able to make it to the gym today.

January 24- Full body circuit

This workout felt so good! I took a lot of time to complete my circuit. Usually when I come to the gym I feel like I’m on a time crunch. I try to rush though my arms and legs workouts. Maybe this is the runner part of my brain? Trying to push through and get done as quick as I can knowing this mental push will pay off in the end.

Instead I took more than enough time, allowing myself to not only enjoy my workout, but also feel successful that I was using the correct form. I am going to continue to try this trend of taking my time and making sure that I do block out enough time in my schedule to carry this out!

After doing this workout for about a month, it feels good to take time and reflect on what is working and things I need to change to help me get in the best workout I can. I am excited to redo February’s calendar and add these things in as reminders.

January 25- Bike

I woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. Immediately it seemed like nothing was going to go my way. To change this mindset I knew I had to hit the gym to get my mind off all the negative things.

The hardest part about getting to the gym was finding the motivation to hop on the treadmill to run at least 3 miles. So, instead I decided I would get my cardio in a different way! As I sit here typing this blog post, I am also currently biking in the gym and jamming out to some reggae music! I don’t think life could get much better, I’m currently doing three of the things I enjoy the most!

After talking yesterday on here about changing up my workout for February, I am going to include a bike day instead of long distance running. I have currently been biking for 18 minutes and it feels great. I can feel my thighs burning and heart rate up, but the stress on my knees is totally gone! Yes, I know that is the whole point of biking, but I can’t believe how good it feels.

I can’t wait to include biking into my weekly routine! I have my work cut out for me in trying to revamp my entire week workout, but I also know this will pay off in the end both mentally and physically!

January 26- Full body circuit

I decided to increase the weight I use on the dumbbells, increasing to 10 pounds on each side. I could defiantly feel the burn after two sets! Although three sets are harder to get through, it feels way better than the 7.5 pounds I am used too.

This must be a good sign, I’m starting to get stronger and needing to increase the weight more often! Can’t wait to see how long it will take before I need to up the weight again to 12 pounds.

January 27- Rest

Always feels good to have a day to rest and reflect on the week. Can’t wait to modify my February schedule and catch up on other posts!

Week 3

January 14- 3.5 mile Run

After class this morning, my boyfriend and I went to the gym in between our classes. While he biked, I ran 3.5 miles. After two days of hitting 3.5 miles, it is starting to feel like I need more of a challenge… So, on Wednesday my goal is to run 3.75 miles and see how I’m feeling. I’m hoping I will be able to push through an extra 0.25 of a mile and hit 4 miles on Wednesday. I will for sure try to hit 4 miles on Friday and hope to be around there on Wednesday as well!

January 15- Full body circuit

I am so glad I decided to go to the gym last minute tonight! It was 8:30 and I had gotten carried away on practicing for the VITA advanced test. Passing this test allows me to volunteer to help others with filing their taxes. Before I knew it, it was way past 7 (the time I had planned to go to the gym). I debated whether or not it was worth still going… I talked myself into it and I’m so glad I did!

There were a few of my friends who also happened to be at the gym late tonight. It was so much fun learning their workouts and talking as we did our own things as well. I got to learn a really fun and intense ab workout. One I will try and incorporate into my full body circuit.

January 16- 4 mile run

I can’t believe how much I missed running outside!! After getting over the mental block of “do I really want to run today? I am pretty busy…” I got all my running stuff on and started running toward Fairhaven’s Boulevard Park.

This run was BEAUTIFUL. The sun was getting lower in the sky, almost ready to set, creating a soft pink and baby blue sky. It was amazing to be running right next to the water and seeing all the vibrant colors and hearing the waves of the water crash around me. I wanted to take a photo to post on here, but also didn’t want to run out of daylight and therefore opted not to stop on my run.

This run was exactly 4 miles with many hills to get over. It took me about 36 minutes to complete this route. I was amazed at how much ground one can cover in 4 miles. I’m so used to running in one spot on the treadmill that I forgot how freeing running outside can really be! I can’t wait for nicer and warmer weather to be running outside more often! I am starting to find some fun spots around Bellingham to run to and can’t wait to find more this spring.

January 17- Full body circuit

I had one class today from 8am to 10am. I hit the gym right after class and it put me in a better mood for the rest of the day! Today I realized how much I like going to the gym and completing more workouts in the morning. It makes me feel productive and motivated for the rest of my day.

After getting home from the gym, I sat down to work on homework and was shocked at how much more focused I was. It made getting through my work more enjoyable and I felt like I was retaining the information way better than I would have without going to the gym.

This schedule of going to the gym in the mornings is something I am hoping to keep up on Thursdays and Fridays as these are the only two days that this works with my schedule. As for the other days, the afternoon will have to suffice!

January 18- 2 mile run

Today I took it easy on my run. I ran 2 miles and it was a good break from running the 3.5 to 4 miles I had been doing this week. I woke up feeling under the weather and was worried about pushing myself too hard and getting more sick.

I am glad I went to the gym, and it felt good to take a little breather on the treadmill and only go the two miles. I can’t wait to get back up to 3.5 or 4 miles next week though!

January 19- Full Body Circuit

This workout didn’t feel as satisfying as it normally does. I felt off doing the dumbbells and leg machines. I think it might be time for a rest day. Thankfully, that day is tomorrow!

Today was one of those days where it felt like I was just going through the motions to get my workout done. This feeling sucked! There wasn’t any passion or heart in what I was doing. It felt like it was just one of those things I needed to finish to check it off the to do list. I’m hoping after my Sunday rest day, I will get back into the right mindset of why I go to the gym.

January 20- Rest day

This day was much needed. It was nice to give my muscles and body a rest from the other six days I worked out this week. I have to admit, it did feel weird not putting on my gym clothes, lacing up my shoes, and heading to the gym. Instead, I got to relax, catching up on some Netflix shows, and finishing up the majority of my homework. My boyfriend and I also got out and drove up to Birch Bay. I’m hoping to take some time this upcoming week to post some of these photos to the photography part of my blog. As classes start to pick up, I’ve noticed it has become a lot harder to write on here each day. I’ve slacked off a bit and have been writing these posts a couple days after the fact. Next week, I will try to stay on top of it and write one each night after going to the gym.

Week 2

January 7- Run 3.5 miles

Today was a day where I needed a run. There was some unnecessary drama between a friend and I that put me in a funk. I don’t like drama and try to stay away from it as best as I can, but this time it wasn’t something I could look past.

Without getting into to much detail, after our hour long talk I felt emotionally drained and down. After getting back to my boyfriends apartment and spending some time with him and his roommates I made the decision to run Lake Padden. I can’t begin to tell you how good this run felt. I had good mile times (about 8 minutes and 30 second miles) and I was in the right mindset to push myself as hard as I could.

It felt so rewarding when finishing the lake out of breath and legs tired beneath me. It was at the moment when a feeling of gratitude rushed through me. I was thankful for the sun shining, my friend and I sitting down to talk, and that classes will be starting up again tomorrow.

Running helps give me a more positive outlook on my day and it is something that I need to remember as classes begin tomorrow. I’m a little nervous to hit the gym tomorrow with all the other college kids trying to fulfill their New Years resolutions, but I am hopeful that this week I will be able to obtain my workout goal.

January 8- Full body circuit

Today was the first day of classes and it went by so fast! It was great seeing and catching up with friends I have not seen since winter break, and others since last spring quarter. It also felt great being on a schedule and a routine again with a specific time to go to the gym, it makes my life so much easier and is so rewarding to make it one of the last things to do on campus.

I decided to hit the gym late tonight, around 7pm after dinner had settled in my stomach. My boyfriend and I both went to the gym, while he biked, I fulfilled all of my circuit. It felt great to lift the dumbbells again and focus on strengthening my leg muscles.

It’s amazing how much better I feel after hitting the gym. It puts me in a motivated mood. This is something I’m going to have to keep in mind as classes start to pick up and begin to get harder.

January 9- Run 3.5 miles

Today’s run was tough to get through. I was going to run outside after my classes, but realized I left my running shoes at my boyfriends apartment who had class from 2pm-6pm. What a bummer! I was pumped to run outside, but had to change my plan up a bit.My boyfriend and I decided to hit the gym around 7pm. I ran 3.1 miles on the treadmill.

As I continue to increase my mileage, I think I might have been a little too optimistic about how many miles to increase every week. I still want to increase my distance to 4 miles by the end of the month, but I think it is going to take a little longer to build up to that. Today’s run was a little challenging, but I’m hoping to increase it to 3.5 miles on Friday!

January 10- Full body circuit

I got done with classes at 10 this morning and decided to hit the gym on my way back home. There weren’t too many people in there, making my routine go by fast because all the machines I needed were open!

I’m hoping to stick to this time for the gym on Thursday’s and Friday’s to make sure get the best workout in that I can. I feel like I’m starting to get used to the 5 pound dumbbells as the arm workouts aren’t seeming too hard anymore… my goal was to increase the weight at the end of each month, but I’m thinking it might need to happen sooner!

January 11- Run 4 miles

Last night I ended up going to the Greta Van Fleet concert with my dad in Seattle. When classes were over I drove home from Bellingham, my dad and I went out for sushi, and then headed over the the Paramount Theater to wait in line until the doors opened. My dad LOVES live music and luckily I do too, so on occasion either my brother of I get to accompany him. The show was great, if you haven’t heard of Greta Van Fleet I would totally recommend checking them out- especially if you listen to rock or like Led Zeppelin.

With this being said, the show got done around 10:45pm and we were at home and in bed by 11:40pm. Unfortunately, I have an 8am class on Friday’s so I only got about four and a half hours of sleep before having to head back to Bellingham. Running on four and a half hours of sleep sucked, after class I took a two hour nap but still feel exhausted. With this being said, I am deciding to switch up my calendar routine… I honestly never thought there would be so many changes or interruptions in my workout plan! Good thing I haven’t started working on February’s calendar yet.

Here is my new plan for this weekend:

FRIDAY– Rest

SATURDAY– Run 3.5 miles either outside or on the treadmill

SUNDAY– full body circuit

Hopefully this will keep me on track for this weekend and next week!

January 12- Run 3.5 miles

I successfully took enough time out of my day to head to the gym and run 3.5 miles on the treadmill. It felt really good! I was able to finish in 33 minutes, a lot faster than I thought it would take me!

Overall, this run felt really good. I hit 3.5 miles and wanted to keep going. I’m excited to finally hit 4 miles… hopefully within the next week or so! Holding myself to running longer distances has been a mental block that I am excited to overcome as I gradually run longer distances each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

January 13- Full body circuit

This workout was a nice break from reading textbooks and preparing for the week ahead. It gave me a time to clear my head and focus on my body and building muscle.

I completed my legs, arms, and core workouts. I increased the dumbbell weight from 5 pounds to 7.5 pounds. This was more of a challenge, but I was able to complete the full workout. Hopefully I am not too sore tomorrow for my 3.5 mile run!

It finally feels like I am getting into a routine and it feels amazing! It makes working out everyday a lot easier and something I look forward to. I can’t wait for next week to see the progress I can make in both mileage and weight training.