This Week in Workouts: The Beach!

Happy Sunday! Do you have anything planned for this long weekend? So far, I do not, but we will see. My biggest goal would be to go out to brunch either today or tomorrow- somebody get me some breakfast noms on a pretty patio stat!

As for workouts though, it went pretty well, especially after hardly working out at all last week. Sadly, I was not able to accomplish the running in the park goal, but we did walk it a bit before dinner one night- it was nice :) This week also included no hot yoga or Orange Theory since it just seemed like a bit much with my (still swollen) face.

Oh, and yes, these pictures were taken on our beach walk! We were able to walk an area of our hometown that I have never known existed. Yay for new adventures! Also, yay for a husband who did not let me do this after my surgery!

Sunday: Rest day :)

Monday: A nice walk on the beach and this yoga flow for core- I love it!

Tuesday: easy Yoga flow before bed

Wednesday: 2.5-mile jog. It was the first jog since have oral surgery and I am so happy that it went well.

Thursday: Rest day

Friday: Walk around the park

Saturday: 1.5-mile jog followed by my favorite kettlbell mixer workout ever!

Next week's goal will be something simple since we have a conference and a pretty busy time leading up to it. Let's just get to one Orange Theory or hot yoga class, shall we?

This Week in Workouts: Being Back

First off, I found this video earlier today and absolutely loved it. It is a big advertisement for proper skincare, but more-so, it is just plain pretty! The music in it just might be one of my favorite parts. Another favorite was that some people seem to look prettier with the UV light and freckles showing. As a girl with freckles, I simply love seeing people who look dazzling with them!

Being back home after a long trip is one of the best feelings ever. An equally good feeling is being back in your usual hot yoga class after a long time away. I was totally able to accomplish my goal this week of taking two hot yoga classes and feel all the better for it! This week has also been a time for me to get lots and lots of work done on all fronts... Which is pretty great considering that I am taking two days off next week to have all wisdom teeth removed. Yikes!

I would tell you more about the tooth removal situation, but when the doctor started telling me, I kindly asked him to stop talking. This will be my first ever surgery and I am already nervous enough, let alone finding out what will be taken out of my mouth. A serious no thanks there!

Annnyyywayy, off that tangent and back to the workouts... This week was pretty good on the workout front and I was able to get in to Fit2Run for a run analysis. Turns out that I roll my feet in after landing. The best shoe we found for this was the Nike Lunarglides- the shoes I almost bought two weeks ago and wore religiously during college. The Lunarglides reeaalllyyy hurt to run in at first, but I think that was because of some foot injuries that they brought up; my third run this week felt fine and I am happy to see how they work for my run today. 

Sunday: 1-mile run

Monday: My first Hot Power Yoga flow with my favorite instructor in 2-months!!

Tuesday: 1-mile run in my new shoes!

Wednesday: Rest day

Thursday: 2-mile run followed by this kettlebell workout. My bum is still sore from those few minutes with the kettlebell.

Friday: Rest day- I had an Orange Theory class scheduled but had to cancel due to the immense soreness my legs and bum were feeling from the kettlebell workout. Seriously, I walked like a zombie for two days.

Saturday: 90-minute Hot power Yoga flow!!

Weekly Workout Goal

I just found out that my Orange Theory membership has kicked back up and I now have two weeks to use four classes. For that reason, this week and next week's workout goals are to use all the classes. My hope is to complete two classes per week, all with my favorite trainer!

Things I am Loving

We all have things that suddenly and unexpectedly make us look like this. There have been a few items, blog posts, and the like over the past couple of weeks that I have simply fallen in love with. Get ready, because there are a lot of things that I have become completely addicted to. One of them being this completely unproductive yet engrossing name website. For instance, I now know that my great-grandmother's name, Alma, was quite popular at the turn of the century. Well, it may not be the cure to world hunger, but I found it super interesting!

There is one thing, however that has lost me. Sadly, as of two weeks ago, I fell out of love with Pretty Little Liars. I mean really, if there was a town that crazy ANYWHERE the entire world would come together in the sole purpose of destroying it. Getting rid of the craziness that is Rosewood could literally bring world peace. That is how crazy PLL has become. Rant complete.

These Jeans

I am LOVING all of her super handy and simple make-up tutorials. She, like me, is a bottle red-head and does make-up to suit those color tones. This has made is super easy for me to do what she does and, bam! have amazing looking make-up. So far, my absolute favorite has been this one on using oranges. It revolutionized my summer make-up regimen.

I am not usually a Hollister kind of gal, but I was in the market for jeans at a time they were having a sale no one could refuse. I purchased these and my love has grown everyday that I wear them. Granted, it has only been a week and I have not washed them yet, but they are incredible. Simply the most comfy, least awkward-when-worn-too-much jeans I have ever purchased, and for under $30!

Braided Buns

These are so easy to do and look so refined. Definitely not like something you just did because your hair has decided to go in every direction but flat. And let's face it, that is one of the best reasons anyone has for putting their hair in a bun.

Deodorant for Clothes

Because we are camping. And because sometimes you just don't have time to dry clean that one needed article of clothing.

These Shoes

I got them on a sale and have also fallen in love with them. If they are still available, man are they a good buy! The only downside is that the buckle hits right on my ankle bone. This has made a comfort issue when I try to wear them too tight. Just as long as the buckle stays loose though, they are super comfy.

Sales

My wallet is telling me no but my mind is telling me yes! There have been so many incredible sales this past month on Etsy, J. Crew, The Gap, Hollister, and about 50 other places that I cannot currently think of. It has made purchasing all those needed clothes for summer and fall soooo easy!

Photo Beautifiers

Apps like Afterlight and Over have made my new Instagram goals soo much easier! Not only am I able to get pictures out more regularly, but they do no look like my usual sad, gray photos of nothingness. Yay for apps that make us look much more proficient with cameras than we may actually be!

Michigan Weather

We are heading down to Florida this week and I have an odd feeling there will be some weather shock in my future. The summer in Michigan has been wonderful with very few days reaching above 85 degrees. This Michigan summer has definitely been on the top of my "Things I am Loving"  list.

This Bracelet

I ordered it. Received it 4-days later. And fell for it on the spot. It is simple, light, and comes in some pretty nice packaging to boot!

Fishtail Braids

They are easy when you get the hang of it and look so wonderful. I also absolutely love them with a pretty hair band or some big earrings. Swoon.

This is a great tutorial as well!

Jaclyn Hill

I am LOVING all of her super handy and simple make-up tutorials. She, like me, is a bottle red-head and does make-up to suit those color tones. This has made is super easy for me to do what she does and, bam! have amazing looking make-up. So far, my absolute favorite has been this one on using oranges. It revolutionized my summer make-up regimen.

The Pros and Cons Orange Theory Fitness

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Last week I was able to try Orange Theory Fitness for the first time. If you are not familiar with Orange Theory (which I was not, until they moved in next door), it is an intense cardio and weight fitness class that uses treadmill, rowing, and varying floor work. They are also the ones responsible for all those orange bikes you may be seeing around your town.

Right now, Orange Theory is offering the first class for free, which is totally how they got me in.

After our try at Barry's Bootcamp, my cousin was telling me how similar it was to Orange Theory; this made me want to try it. Now, two months later, I tried it for the first time. Really, it is quite similar to Barry's, but with a few key pros and cons.

Pros

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Orange Theory was a great workout, that would have to be pro number one. One of the things I absolutely loved about it was that ever person wears a heart rate monitor and has their current heart rate displayed on screens throughout the workout room. Trainers tell you what zone you will want to be in for each segment and all you do is watch for your heart rate to be in the corresponding color. This was fantastic for every workout their was. It is ridiculously easy to stay in the right fitness zone when you are able to 1) know what zone that is and 2) watch it on a screen the entire time.

Another thing I loved about this class and the reason I would recommend it to anyone, no matter their fitness level, is that everything changes up so fast that you have no idea where the time goes. Our class started out with interval treadmill workouts mixed in with rowing. Both of these were massive cardio workouts that burned a lot of fat while massively killing my bum. Seriously, my bum was sore before this class and after, I thought walking would never happen again.

Next up was floor work where we did four sets of alternating workouts from kettlebell swings to jumps and lunges. We used balance balls, weights, and resistance bands. It was pretty fantastic! To make it even better, the end of the class is summed up with seeing the time you were in each heart rate zone during the entire workout.

Cons

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Honestly, I did not find a lot of cons in this class. Everything went by fast, the workout was for toning and fat burning, and my heart rate was in the appropriate zone the whole time. Scores on all points. The biggest, and really, the only downside was the amount of leg work there was compared to abs or upper body. Rowing machines are my newest frenemy and, like any frenemy, there are pros and cons. I loved the bum work that the rowing machine gave me, but it also did a lot in my shoulders that I was not so sure about. As a girl with broad enough shoulders already, the idea of working them even more does not sound like the most fun thing ever.

On another note, a lot of the workouts were massive thigh workouts that missed the mark on arms and abs. Sure, I like thigh work as much as the next girl, but I also want to keep my thighs looking svelte and not like I'm going for a body building championship.

Overall though, it was a fantastic workout that I only wish was a bit more even in the areas that it worked. This class did not seem quite as intense as Barry's and could be better for those who are not a peak athletic form but want to work hard and get healthier. Hopefully, my next few classes will even things out because, yes, I did get a membership.