Shaping Up for Spinning!

Hi folks, and Happy Friday!

I have got a booty-bustin' weekend planned, including 2 spins and a Kettlebell class at my new gym! I also told my husband I'm gonna kick his butt at the gym on Sunday evening- I'm gonna school him Bootcamp style, with a custom workout created by yours truly! He's been known to throw up after other Arika's Bootcamp workouts. While that's not at all the goal, it means he's working hard! ;-)

Here's what I'm up to, workout-wise, for the weekend! What do you have planned?

Weekend Workout Plan- 8/22-8/24/14

Friday- 6:00am Spinning @ Vie Fitness (already done!)
Saturday- 8:15am Kettlebell class @ 1on1 Athletic
Sunday- 7:00am Wake Up and Ryde @ RydeOn  & 7:00pm Arika's Bootcamp

I'm making a point to get out to my gym at least 3 times a week. I want to establish a presence there, get to know my fellow instructors & staff, and meet more members. Hopefully, this will be a great way to build relationships, make some workout buddies, and do some pre-recruitment for my Spinning classes, when they start!

I'm also working hard to get myself into tip-top shape for my new role as Spinning Instructor. This will involve visiting many gyms/studios in the next couple of weeks, sweating buckets, and getting a taste of different spinning/cycling styles. Each new class will help me learn more about the style and persona I'd like to bring to my classes- it should be a great learning experience!

Lastly, I'm going to do some shopping- I gotta get gear for Spinning! I'll be getting my first pair of clipless cycling shoes, and my first heart rate monitor! I'm so dang excited :)

Sharing Time:

What brand of Cycling/clipless shoes do you have and love? Will be used mostly for Spinning, but also some outdoor rides on my 1971 Schwinn LeTour!

What brand/which Heart Rate Monitor should I get? I don't need it to be super high-tech- I'm looking for heart rate, zones, and maybe calories burned (optional)

Have a great weekend!!

Weekly Goals - wrapping up August!

It's time for some motivation and inspiration, in the form of Weekly Goals!

Here are my goals for the week of 8/26-9/1

Workouts:

• 3 weights sessions, 45-60 mins each
• Monday, Wed & Fri
• 3 runs, including a 9.5 mile long run 
• Tues (soccer), Thurs (long run), Sunday (short run)
• At least 1 outdoor workout
• Milford 30k Ride on Saturday
• Hiking on Sunday 

Food prep:

• Seasoned ground chicken for lettuce wraps
• Ratatouile
• Turkey Chilli
• Hummus
• Chopped veggies for nori wraps
• Freeze bananas for smoothies

Nutrition:

• Eat enough! 1400-1700 cals, depending on the day and the activity level
• Make sure to eat enough at breakfast so future meals are not rushed or too far between
• Modified Whole 30, Week 3-
• Try to fill more of daily calories with actual meals and not snacks (even healthy snacks)

Let's hear your weekly goals!

Motivation Monday- Hoppin' Back on Track

This week I am motivated by thankfulness. I'm thankful for my health, although I've had some pain recently I am still a overall very healthy person. I'm thankful for the support and love of my family and friends. I'm thankful for my awesome job and coworkers that I love. I'm thankful for the hottub at my gym... :) 

I am trying to hop back on track this week, post-injury, with my workout schedule. It's a bit lighter than in past weeks, but still trying to make it to 300 minutes of exercise, not including yoga. I ended up knocking my long run out of the way early this week; I didn't get one in last week (was supposed to do an 8 miler) and I have the Corktown 5k this week so I wanted to get my long run out of the way well before the race. I ended up pulling out 8.5 miles, which is my longest distance to date. I still look back and think about how I used to HATE running- I wasn't able to run 1 mile.

I'm still building up my mileage- I have been running for 10 minutes, pausing the treadmill for about :45 seconds to take a water break, then repeat. I'd like to space out my break intervals eventually but I can do that once I get to 13.1!

Workout Plan for the week of 3/4-

• Monday: Long run 8.5 miles (78 mins)
• Tuesday: StrongLifts & Upperbody weights & Yoga flow class (135 mins)
• Wednesday: Bootcamp class (60 minutes)
• Thursday: Hill reps 3.5 miles (50 mins)
• Friday: Practice 5k  @ race pace (8:30/mile) 3.1 miles (25 mins)
• Saturday: StrongLifts & Upperbody weights (45 mins)
• Sunday: Corktown 5k! (25 mins)

What's keeping you on track this week? :)

Motivation Monday- What Keeps me Running

Today for Motivational Monday, I'm going to share a "Things I Love about Running" list. I'm definitely what you'd consider a new Runner- I've only been running frequently since November, but I'm already hooked!
Here's what keeps me running:

Race Day
Although I do really enjoy training most days, races are what keep me motivated on those dreaded long-run days! It's not so much the "beating other people" (since I'm still a slow-ass runner!) but it's the ability to run with others, as well as the desire to challenge myself and beat my own PR from my last race!

Even signing up for my next race is a motivation- knowing I have a specific event to train for helps me stick to my training schedule; there's a reason I'm working this hard!

Self-Discipline

I enjoy a good challenge, and I am very motivated by overcoming obstacles. Because of this, I really appreciate the self-discipline that running has helped me to develop within myself. Whether it's discipline in making and following a training schedule, discipline in eating healthy and "clean", or the discipline to take a Rest Day when I really just want to train through it, Running has helped me improve as a person.

Gear & Swag 

I'm not a huge shopper, but I DO really like to have clothes that fit me! With the frequent weight loss in the past 5 months, I've got to invest in a lot of new clothes. I do think of it as an investment; if I feel comfortable, supported, and put together, I'm more likely to be successful. That applies to work clothes and business, but also to running & workout gear. I also believe that while you CAN workout in anything, a few key, high-quality pieces, like fitted running shoes, a nice pair of workout gloves, and some cold-weather gear can make a world of difference in your performance. As for swag, who doesn't love a race tee or a finisher's medal or a tech beanie? A souvenir of my hard work is a reward for a job well done :)

Running Community
A great surprise about beginning to run was stumbling upon on supportive community of runners online! When I signed on for the 13 in 2013 challenge where I will be running a race every month (plus an extra one!), I met a lot of supportive folks on the facebook page & on twitter, who have been inspiring, helpful, and encouraging! From affirming that yes, it's possible to go from 5k to Half Marathon in less than a year's time, to sharing stories of their own fitness successes and challenges, it's been great to tap into a network of passionate people!

In an effort to keep myself accountable, here's my workout plan for the week!

Workouts for the week of 2/18-

• Monday: StrongLifts & Lowerbody weights (60 mins)
• Tuesday: Hill Reps Run 4 miles (40 mins)
• Wednesday: StrongLifts & Upperbody weights (60 minutes)
• Thursday: Spinning & Yoga Flow (50 + 75 mins)
• Friday: Easy Run 3.1 miles (30 mins)
• Saturday: StrongLifts & Upperbody weights (60 mins)
• Sunday: Long Run 7.5 miles (70 mins)

What's going to keep you going strong this week?

Find it and make it happen! :)

Happy Anniversary to My Healthy Self!

Tomorrw, Dec 7th, will mark three months since I have truly committed and dedicated myself to this fitness routine. What a challenging & satisfying journey it has been so far, and what an intense season!

Three months full of:

Treadmill runs

Spin class

Pushing my limits

Smarter snacks

New recipes

Healthier habits

Stress relief

Holding myself accountable

Feeling GREAT!

In the last 91 days:

1 5k race in 29:42

13 weeks of sweaty, breathless workouts

83 gym visits

80 days at or under my calorie goal

15.7 lbs lost

Next Tuesday I've scheduled another Fitness Assessment at my gym (my first one was on September 7th)! I am really excited to see how I've improved in measures other than weight. I was especially poor at the grip test, and the sit & reach. I'm hoping that I can do better at the grip test, which is a strength indicator, and the sit and reach, which is a flexibility indicator- two things I've been been working hard on improving. My bodyfat percentage was super high at 31%; the recommended range for ladies my age (27) is between 16-24%. I'm not sure what kind of change to expect here, but hoping to eventually to get down around 25%, so where ever I'm at on Tuesday will be a place to progress from!

Thanks for sticking around for the journey so far! One thing that's really helped me keep going is a supportive family, awesome co-workers, and a great active community; I'm talking to you, gym buddies, gym staff, fellow Greatist Ambassadors, and fitness bloggers! For those of you out there, shorties and otherwise, who think you're just not meant to be fitter and that maybe you're just not one of "those people" who's going to ever get to a healthy weight, I say:

You can be healthier and fitter.

You are TOTALLY one of those people!

Design your Perfect Fitness Routine- Part 1

If you're looking to get serious about fitness and weight loss/weight maintenance, a reliable Fitness Routine is essential. Think of it as your Road Map- this routine or plan will not only tell you your destination, but how to get there!

Map Analogy- For those that are as direction-challenged as I am, you know that without a road map, GPS, Google Maps, etc., it's easy to get lost. I've experienced the same lost feeling when trying to decipher the world of fitness information:

What's the right plan for me? 
What will work for my "body type"?  
Is there a magic workout combination for weight loss? 
What am I doing wrong?

Without a Fitness Routine, it's easy to get stuck exercise-hopping. What is exercise-hopping? It's what I define as trying one type of workout routine for several weeks, only to become discouraged by lack of results and to try another "plan", etc. etc. I did a lot of this for years without actually stepping back and looking at what was working and what was not working.

More recently, as I have stepped back to look at patterns and trends in my health and weight loss, I began to connect some dots. Here are some helpful steps to take when it comes to developing a workout routine that will be perfect for you:

Click here for Design your Perfect Fitness Routine- Part 2: Get your Starting Stats!