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.

Week 1

Here is an update on how the first week of my new workout plan went… Definitely did not start the way I thought it would!

January 1st- Full body circuit

The new year definitely didn’t start off like I thought it would. My boyfriend and I had to head back to Bellingham early due to his apartment flooding. There was four and a half inches of water throughout his entire apartment. So, as you can imagine everything on the floor was soaking wet and needed to be moved out of the apartment. With this being said, I wasn’t able to hit the gym to get my workout in. Instead, we spent the whole day moving things from his apartment to mine (thankfully we are less than a block apart!).

Here is what the apartment looked like the day we got the call it had flooded. It is hard to see, but there were puddles of water all over the floor, it felt really humid in there, and the carpets were soaked with water. When walking on them you could see all the water rise up around the weight of your feet.

We were able to move almost everything out of his room and his two other roommates. We flipped mattresses up on top of the box springs to try and dry them out, boxed up all the valuable things to take to my place, and got almost everything off the floor and onto counters and high places that wouldn’t get wet.

Although I didn’t get the workout in I had planned on the calendar, I did get my fair share of heavy lifting. My boyfriend and I ended up carrying his full sized mattress down the hill to my place. This was quite a challenge; I worked up a sweat and definitely engaged my arm and leg muscles to get the job done. I’ll call that a good enough workout for the day! Hopefully the rest of this week I will be able to find some time to hit the gym and stick to my new workout plan.

January 2nd- Run 3.5 miles

Sadly this run didn’t pan out either. My boyfriend and I spent the day on the phone and in the office of the landlord who owns the property that flooded. Fortunately, my boyfriend was able to get out of his current lease and into another lease for an apartment that is still close by. This new lease will start on Friday, but in the meantime we will by busy packing up the rest of his stuff to move into this new place.

After we finally got all the paperwork in line and off the phones it was dark out. My plan was to head to the gym on campus, but found out it closed at 5pm due to winter break still being in effect. What a bummer! I’m already two days into the new year and haven’t been able to try out my new workout plan. At this point I’m longing for a free day to hit the gym and get a workout in, even if it is just for 15 or 20 minutes! Hopefully early Friday I will be able to run outside for a bit.

January 3rd- Full body circuit

Today was a little more relaxed than the rest of the week has gone. All the paperwork has been taken care of and the stress of helping my boyfriend find a place to move into has subsided. Tomorrow and this weekend we will be moving him and his two other roommates into their new place.

As far as the gym went, I didn’t make it in time as the gym closed at 5pm again. Parking is only free on campus after 4:30pm and I didn’t feel like 30 minutes would have been enough time to get the workout in that I wanted. So, instead I revamped my workout to be able to do it at home. This included pushups instead of dumbbells, wall sits instead of leg machines, planks, and a 5 minute core workout. Although I didn’t work up too much of a sweat, this mini workout felt great and was much needed!

I’m so glad I was able to compromise and come up with a different workout to do at home! My boyfriend and I are planning on running Lake Padden tomorrow. It’s about 2.5 miles. I can’t wait to be out in the fresh air and get some good cardio in before moving him into his new apartment later that afternoon.

This week has defiantly been one for the books, I never thought I would have to deal with an apartment flooding or the stress of needing to find a place by next Monday (as classes begin on Tuesday). I am kicking myself for not applying myself harder to my workout plan. It just goes to show you how crazy life can get and the choice I made to put my workout on the back burner was one I will learn from. The goal of the calendar and keeping a log on this blog were to keep me motivated and honest about sticking to my new routine. With the newness of classes beginning next week I will hold myself accountable for going to the gym when I am done with classes. There will be no excuses. This is something I want to do and am excited to see where this journey will take me!

January 4th- Run 3.5 miles

We did it! My boyfriend and I ran Lake Padden first thing this morning when we got up. It felt so good to feel the cold wind blow through my hair as we ran the lake. It has been a couple months since running this lake due to the colder weather and being at home in Seattle over winter break. But it sure felt good to get out there again. It makes me long for the spring and summer weather and being able to run outside every day.

Hopefully after this week I will continue to fall into a habit of going to the gym and running each day of the week and then having Sunday’s off as rest days.

January 5th- Full body circuit

Today was full of packing up boxes, cleaning the old apartment, to the best of our ability with all the industrial fans blowing drywall dust everywhere, and getting things in order for the moving truck tomorrow.

It was a long day, but we successfully finished packing up all of the stuff that didn’t get damaged from the flood. Tomorrow will be full of lifting heavy boxes and moving things from one apartment to the next. So, instead of doing my full body circuit tonight I’m going to count all the moving and lifting as my workout tomorrow! I think this will be a fair trade as we will be moving two mattresses, two sofas, and a bunch of other furniture.

January 5th- Rest

Today was so long! My boyfriend and I got up at 8 this morning to start moving some of the stuff we stashed at my apartment to his new one. By 10 his parents were up here and were able to rent a moving truck for all the mattresses and furniture. Moving those sofas were a pain! Definitely got my workout in for the day with all the heavy lifting. We were able to finish moving everything by 4pm and have spent the past six hours or so unpacking and reorganizing.

As I lay here in bed writing this, I can feel how tired my legs are from being on them all day. I had my watch tracking how many steps I took today along with my heart rate. We took over 14,000 steps and there were some high spikes in the heart rate. I will call that a successful day of exercise. I’m hoping I’m not too sore for my full body circuit tomorrow!

I can’t wait to finally get on a solid routine this upcoming week. With classes starting Tuesday I’m sure I will be able to stick to my January calendar and can’t wait to report back on it and start to see some progress after all the snacking from the holidays.

Hope you all have a great upcoming week!

January

Ringing in the New Year with a new workout plan!

Welcome 2019! The time for celebration of ringing in the New Year and New Year’s resolutions. As stated in my previous blog post, “New Winter Gym Routine”, my goal was to make monthly calendars focusing on both running longer distances as well as incorporating rest days by focusing on weight lifting and strengthening my muscles.

It took some time to put together, but I did some research and found some good exercises to incorporate into a full body circuit. I also took the time to realistically figure out how far I want to run every other day and how many miles I will gain in a month. For now I decided on increasing my distance by one mile per month. Listed below on the calendar I made you will find my plan for January and how I will accomplish the goals set before me.

My goal is to record what I do at the gym each day. This will not only hold me accountable for sticking to my plan, but it will also give me something to write about on my blog. I hope to follow this plan for the entire 2019 year. I’m sure it will be hard to do as life begins to pick up again with Winter classes and the craziness of life, but I know the perseverance will pay off in the end. I hope you will join me on the workout adventure for the 2019 year. Happy New Years!

Monthly Stats

Here’s my break down of rest days, run days, and gym days throughout the weeks of January. Looks like January was off to a slow start with 4 rest days, but the rest of the month was kept on a good workout schedule.

New Winter Gym Routine

As it starts getting colder out, I’ve had to move my running routes from outside around town to the treadmill indoors.

Now as we move more and more into winter I dread going to the gym. I love running, but I’m not a big fan of running on the treadmill. I always feel like I’m not going anywhere, I miss the fresh air in my lungs, and worst of all my motivation to run long distances goes right out the window. Anything long than 2.5 miles seems to take way too long!

So, what have I done to fix this negative mindset about running indoors? I started using the different legs and arms machines that the gym offers. They were a little intimidating at first, especially not really knowing how and what they worked, but after awhile I got the hang of them. And man was I sore the next day! After doing this full body circuit-type of workout a few times I realized I want to switch up my gym routine and focus on getting a fully body workout as well as increasing my millage on the treadmill. So, with that being said, I am going to also switch my new years resolution (and start on it early). I still want to increase my running millage, but I am going to incorporate “rest days” where I focus on upper body and core exercises. I have been working on a monthly work out calendar as a way to track my progress. This is still in the makings, but I can’t wait to share it with those who are interested. I hope to finish it within the next two weeks and keep you updated on what I’m doing at the gym and record on here how I’m feeling about the workouts I’ve laid out for myself as a way to track exactly what I am doing.

In doing this, I feel it will keep me motivated to not only go to the gym, but also report on it and keep those of you who are interested in following my gym journey up to date. I can’t wait to finish my plans and eventually see the goals I made for myself become a reality. To end this post, I want to leave you with a quote that helps keep me motivated and helps me attain the goals I have made for myself. The words are simple, but I think the message behind them is very powerful. It reminds me why it is important to keep going and push through the pain and the negative mindsets. I hope you will find wisdom in this as well…

“We are what we repeatedly do” – Aristotle