A Week of Workouts

Happy Monday! Back at it with a new week! I spent the weekend flying solo as Ryan went on a snowboarding trip out west. While he was gone, we had yet another snow day. The kids totaled a whopping 1.5 days of school last week, due to inclement weather. I started internalizing why I felt like our house was disheveled, unorganized, and my routine not yet solidified this new year. And then I remembered, we just had two weeks of Christmas break (most of which Ryan was sick), and an additional week off because of this wintery weather we’ve been having.

Saturday was packed full with a swim meet starting our day off out of the house by 7am. All that day we didn’t have access to our oven/stove, because our propane had run out. Which led to a three-way call between Ryan, the propane lady and I, with me standing on a stool in the snow trying to determine what our propane level was by looking at the tank. Thankfully we have a wood stove in one of our living rooms, so we cozied up in there for the rest of the weekend. We went out to lunch that day and I ordered additional pizza and wings to take home, so we could have dinner ready!

On Sunday, I hunkered down and told myself, told the kids, that my goal for the day was to put away ALL of our Christmas decorations. I then tackled multiple organization projects that I’ve been procrastinating, and now it feels so good! My girls busied themselves with a new Christmas gift of a Cricut, making fun labels for my pantry storage containers. By 8pm, my back was cramping and enough was enough.

Today marks the start of my 28-day challenge to reset habits of working out and laundry. It is Goal #6 on my January to-do list. If you didn’t read my post on my new year challenge, I am committing to working out and doing one full load of laundry every day for 28 days straight. Studies have shown it takes 28 days for a new habit to become routine.

As I’ve said it before…I.DREAD.LAUNDRY. My hope is to establish a routine of doing one load a day, where it is set into blocks of time throughout my day, where eventually I don’t have to think about squeezing it in or feeling motivated to tackle mounds of laundry in one sitting.

Now for the second portion of my challenge, and the purpose of this post…working out!

It’s winter, and while I am running on January newness momentum, the snow and ice are not helping the workout cause. Especially because my sweet spot for workout time is early morning before kids get up, which means colder temps. So in my planning of my workout in a week, I have to be flexible and creative if the weather is not cooperating with my plan for that day.

My goal for working out is to just get myself moving, and outside, if possible. It’s the easiest and best way for my mind to be focused, to regain clarity for my day, and to just be nice to people that live with me. {Let’s be honest!}. The working out version of Shannon has much more capacity, less time wasted throughout the day and way more fun to be with than the lethargic, I-don’t-feel-like-it version of myself. It truly is therapy.

Most of the workouts are from home. I do belong to a gym (our local Y), and enjoy a strength-training class that I’ve been taking on and off for years with my favorite instructor. But the class is offered at 5:15am, so I don’t always love getting up that early during the winter. I swear it feels like the middle of the night! But if covid taught us anything, it is how to master the workout-at-home routine!

Things that I have in order to make working out from home easier include:

1. Walking/running shoes with good arch support and cushion. I’ve worn Adidas for years (maybe even decades?), but a few years ago tried out Brooks Ghost running shoe, and I’ve never looked back. I struggle finding shoes in general, because I wear a size 5.5 wide, but I especially am limited to what brands work for me feet when it comes to a running shoe. Brooks brand offers wide selections AND feels like clouds on your feet.
2. A yoga mat and blocks. I bought this set of blocks HERE several years ago and pull them out each time I do yoga. I tried getting by at first without blocks, but found that there really wasn’t an alternative that I could find lying around the house to be used as effectively. Now I just store both my mat and blocks neatly in the corner of my closet, where I do most of my workouts (more on that location later).
3. A light, medium and heavy set of weights. Now that I’m in my forties, I really notice the difference with overall back/hip health and metabolism when I’m incorporating strength training into my fitness plan. My weight sets include 3 pounds (light), 5 and 8 pounds (medium), and 10 and 12 pounds (heavy). Most of my weights I’ve collected over the years have come from Target.
4. Peleton app on my iphone. This has revolutionized my workouts from home. Back in the day, I had DVD workouts memorized. My loyalties laid with Mari Winsor pilates, Breathless Body with Amy Dixon, Fit & Healthy Prenatal with Gabrielle Reece and 30-Day Shred with Jillian Michaels. Anyone else do these oldies but goodies?! Ha! But now you’ll find me on my phone with peleton instructors Robin (cycle and strength train), Adrian (strength train), and Aditi (beginner yoga).
5. Peleton bike. After a few years of researching home equipment machines and processing whether or not I would really use it for years to come, we finally bit the bullet and bought a Peleton bike. We bought it used, which is a better option financially. I couldn’t love it more! The concept is really ingenious. Live or on-demand workouts with an instructor to motivate and push you! You can find me laughing out loud on any given workout because the instructors I mentioned in #4 are hilarious and are an awesome way to start your day! They are intense about motivating and pushing you in a positive way, calling you up to your potential instead of shaming. They also take time to explain and define their personal why’s, and share stories and testimonies of their own journeys, which helps to connect to my own.

So what is my plan for my workouts? Hopefully the weather cooperates, but regardless, I broke down my workout for the week…

Week A:

Mon – Outdoor run, 3 miles (I typically go on a weekly run on the phone with a friend that lives out of town – I just take my phone and airpods with me and we catch up – it’s the best!)

Tue – 20 min strength on Peleton app, 20 min cycle class on Peleton bike, 5 minute abs and 5 minute stretching on Peleton app

Wed – Outdoor walk, 2 miles

Thur – 45 minute strength training class at my gym

Fri – 45 minute yoga on Peleton app

Sat – 15 min strength training on Peleton app

Sun – 10 min yoga on Peleton app

This is my first winter with the Peleton bike, so I’m interested to see how much more I use it compared to other warmer seasons of the year. My all-time favorite form of cardio has always been running, but as I’ve gotten older, my hips and back get tight more easily and I feel more prone to injuries. So the peleton app has been my go-to, as cross-training and stretching have been better for my overall health.

In addition to my workout routine, I drink lots of water each day. I aim for 90 ounces a day. I set out to drink 3 water bottles worth and have time blocks for each bottle (1st bottle by 10 am and before my second cup of coffee, 2nd bottle by 2:30pm, and 3rd bottle by the end of dinner).

We’ll see how this week pans out! I’m excited to gain back my mental focus and clarity! Hope you have a great day and I’ll be sharing on Wednesday a family favorite dinner recipe. It’s a keeper! Until then, I’ll be forging through the beginning growing pains of establishing a laundry routine! Wish me luck! xoxo