I am going to be very honest about myself today. I am 5’6″ish, thin-ish, and like to be active with my kids without huffing and puffing and straining for breath. Now, I also love Mexican food, Fritos, wine, cheeseburgers . . . I mean, the list can go on and on. I have long given up the thought that I will rock a size zero bikini on the beach, or that I will be the most fit person of my friend group. I do, however, like all of the items mentioned above, and therefore, need to remain active so that I can down a cheeseburger and fries from time to time and still be able to refer to myself as “thin-ish”.

I am also great at starting a program. I LOVE the Faster Way to Fat Loss, and am still doing that way of eating. Which is awesome! But, I can easily fall on and off of the workout bandwagon. I will get super fit in preparation for a trip or event, and then the week before indulge in WAY too many goodies so that I look a mess by the trip or event. SO . . . in my New Years Resolution post earlier this year, I mentioned that I wanted to find a way to physically challenge myself. Here is my personal hell . . . I mean challenge! 😉

Reid and I are leaving on a little date trip at the end of this month! In my head, I am already sitting on a beach with a drink in my hand. I am SO EXCITED!!!! I decided to challenge myself to workout EVERY day of the month leading up to leaving town in an effort to look super “thin-ish” on my trip and not a bloated mess. I would have cut out wine as well, but Super Bowl, Valentines Day, a random Tuesday night. You get it. So, the exercise is the way to go.

There are a couple of workouts that I enjoy, but I wanted to try some new and exciting ones that I hear so much about. I discovered that there are SO many amazing workout locations and methods in my area. Not all of them are for me, but they are still great workouts! So, this is how I have been spending my last week and a half. If you need me, I will be drinking a glass of wine, sitting on an ice pack, and having Reid rub BioFreeze on my neck.

*Please note that these are all of my personal opinions and that if I didn’t particularly love a workout or a place, that I am sure the staff, owners, and other clients are amazing and fabulous people. This is just my point of view and experience.

Three items I am leaving off of this list:
1. Walking my Dogs. I walk Tank several early mornings a week before the family gets up. I do this because (a) he is insane and annoying if he doesn’t burn off some energy, and (b) I am a better person if I get some alone time before everyone is up and moving.
2. Beachbody Workouts. I am partial to the 21 Day Fix workouts because they are only 30 minutes. These are easy to do at home when I am short on time.
3. Tennis. I take tennis with my best friend every Friday at 9am. The only reason that our tennis instructor hasn’t fired us is because we make him laugh. I am horrible. In fact, I am so terrible that I have no idea how to score a game. Or match. Not even sure which is which! But, it is fun, and great exercise.

The Pilates Barre

I have really grown to love Pilates. There are several studios in Dallas, so, if you aren’t a local reader then I am sure that there are several in your area as well. My pilates studio uses the reformer, which is basically a bed with built in resistance. Classes are 50 minutes, and really concentrate on lengthening and strengthening the muscles. I have a love/hate relationship with these classes. They are hard and I seriously pray a couple times during class that I can make it through, but I feel STRONG and AMAZING each time class is finished. I try to do at least one of these classes each week. Get the Advil ready, though! Check out the Pilates Barre.

Soul Cycle

Oh, sweet Baby Jesus. I had NO idea what to expect when I signed up for a class. My class was on a Saturday morning at 10:45, and I probably tried to talk myself into cancelling no less than 27 times. I went between thinking that I would be in a class full of hot models to replaying the scene in “I Feel Pretty” where Amy Schumer’s character falls off of her bike and cracks her head. I was SUPER nervous. But, let me say that it was AWESOME. The staff was so kind, the class was 45 minutes, fast pace, and had such a wide range of people. Now, there was the occasional model and well known athlete, but most people were normal, like me. I loved the music and the workout. If you did this workout every day, you would be in the BEST shape. So hard, but great! I went in nervous and came out feeling like a beast. And, when a NFL Hall of Fame player said “good job” at the end of class, I basically decided to start training for American Ninja Warrior. Now, he may have been speaking to the model next to me, but we are going to go with that he was speaking to me. I will say that I was not planning for the after class soreness from sitting on the bike. Not your typical soreness, but the groin/”lower region” bruised feeling. I was told it gets better each time you go, but mama couldn’t sit down without pain for two days. If I can get past the fear of the discomfort I know will be coming, then I will still go back. Loved it! Check out Soul Cycle!

The Bar Method

I did Bar Method classes in 2011 to lose the baby weight from sweet Jackson. I remember liking it, but I think I quit because it was hard on my knees. There is one down the street from my house, so I decided to give it another try. I am not sure if it was because a regular customer welcomed me into the class by saying “all of the middle aged women work out here” or the fact that it was so hard I felt nauseous half of the class, but I don’t think I will be back. It was HARD. And, I am not used to working those muscles in that way right now. 99% of the women in there had AMAZING bodies, so it clearly is a great workout. It just wasn’t for me. And, just so you know, I looked it up on both Websters and Urban Dictionary. I still don’t fall into the “middle age” range. Thank you! Ha! Check out Bar Method!

Dallas Dance Fitness

Wowza, was this class needed last Monday! We had hosted a Super Bowl party, and I think that I gained 7 to 10 pounds on the amount of BBQ ribs I enjoyed in the 4th quarter alone! I try to take this class each Monday, and I always feel the same way: I may not feel my best after a crazy weekend, but I know that after this sweat-fest, I will feel amazing. One of my oldest and dearest friends started taking one of these classes a couple of years ago, and started teaching a class about a year and a half ago. These classes are SO.MUCH.FUN. Classes are an hour long and filled with high cardio, hip hop dance routines. Such an amazing workout, and SO much sweat. Class goes by quickly as well, which is always great. I grew up dancing, so this is such fun for me. But, there is a wide range of ages and abilities in each class. Again, LOVE LOVE this class. And, if you are local and interested in trying out a class, Check out Dallas Dance Fitness!

Orange Theory

This was THE best surprise of my week! The nearest Orange Theory is a solid 15 minutes from me, which while I know is not a lot, there are many other workout options closer. Although I had heard of this workout for some time, I new I had to finally try a class for this post. And, I am SO very thankful that I did. The class was one hour, and went from stations on the treadmill, rowing machine, weights, and then back again. You are constantly moving around, and an hour FLIES by. You wear a heart monitor the entire class, and your calories burned and heart rate are projected on a big screen in the class. The theory is that if you spend at least 12 minutes of the class in the “orange” zone (a certain heart rate/energy zone for you) that you will continue to burn calories up to 36 hours after class has ended. I was concerned that I would feel very overwhelmed or out of my league with this fast pace workout, but the instructor was so amazing and helpful throughout the class. I will definitely be doing Orange Theory again before our little trip. Classes start at 5am and go until 9pm or 10pm. So many options. Check out Orange Theory!

Anti-gravity Aerial Yoga

This was interesting. Very out of my comfort zone, but I was looking forward to trying it. The particular class that I was a part of was created by the guy that helped Pink with some of her concert performances. I have seen Pink in concert, and it is amazing what she does with the silks. Let me say that I did not feel like Pink when I left the class, but I did feel that yoga-like Zen. We spent the last five minutes of class in the “cocoon” position, which is basically laying in the silk “hammock”, covered up with the fabric, eyes closed, and hanging in the air. Incredibly relaxing. Those last five minutes made the rest of class – where I was fearfully flipping myself upside down this way and upside down that way – completely worth it. I don’t think that I will seek out another class like this again, but loved that I tried it. And, just an added note that there were some rock stars in the class. A woman in her 60s was eight weeks post major shoulder surgery, and she was putting me to shame. It was amazing!

So, that’s it! I loved having an excuse to try some new things. I already have a few Orange Theory classes booked over the next couple of weeks. Of all of the workouts that were new to me, that was my favorite!!!! If you guys have any great workouts that you swear by, please let me know. I am always up for trying new things!