current workouts Archives - My Inner Shakti

I used to blog regularly and in tons of detail about my workouts. Everything from about 2011 to 2016 is on MIS. Jillian Michaels, half marathon training, T25, Tough Mudder training, Barre3. It’s all on MIS!

I haven’t talked much about my fitness endeavors as of late because they don’t feel all that monumental. I’m honestly just trying hard to listen to my body and work out appropriately when I can. There’s not much more to it. The one thing that has changed are my workouts themselves.

Let me back up…

In March, I joined the gym across the street from where we lived. Not because I was itching to, but because Vishnu realized that despite his best efforts, he wasn’t going to be able to go as much as he wanted/needed to. We didn’t want to pay the cancellation fee, so we essentially worked with the gym to transfer his membership over to me.

As you guys know, I’m a home workout kind of person. I absolutely don’t mind doing Barre3 online at home or using YouTube videos or even going to our apartment gym. It’s what I’ve been doing for years. But when Vishnu raved about the group fitness classes at this gym, I said, “Why not?!”

Guess what…

Vishnu was right! I LOVE the classes and the instructors. And lucky for me, there are quite a few good ones that fall around my lunchtime, making it extra convenient on the days I work from home.

In terms of the workouts themselves, I take a class called TAP, a Barre Cardio class, and a Cycling class.

TAP
TAP stands for Total Athletic Performance. It’s kind of like a low-key version of CrossFit from what I gather. The gym offers two versions – a conditioning class and a strength class. Depending on the week, I’ll take one or both. The conditioning one is more cardio – running, rowing, ropes, ball slams, body weight exercises, kettle ball swings, etc. Lots of aerobic stuff mixed with a bit of strength. The strength class is the opposite. Lots of strength moves with barbells, hand weights, kettle balls, etc. and very little cardio. Both great options! Both leave me drenched in sweat at the end.

Barre Cardio
The Barre Cardio class is exactly what it sounds like. Barre with a mix of cardio in the form of jump squats and just faster moves to get your heart rate up.

Cycling
The Cycling class is a typical gym cycling class, but I love the instructor so that’s why I try to go once a week. She mixes in a little bit of arm work too, which I love. It’s no Soul Cycle, but it’s a good workout.

Other than that, I still do Barre3 Online at home, especially on the weekends. I’ve done BBG on days where I couldn’t make it to the gym. And I still very much love my treadmill walks and run/walks.

So with that being said, here’s what a typical week of workouts looks like for me.

Sunday – usually a rest day, but if I’m engaging in anything truly active, it’s usually a treadmill walk
Monday – TAP (conditioning)
Tuesday – If I’m working from home, I’ll head down to our apartment gym for a treadmill run/walk. If I’m in the office, then my walk to and from work counts as my workout!
Wednesday – TAP (conditioning)
Thursday – TAP (strength). If I’m in the office, then my walk to and from work counts as my workout!
Friday – Barre Cardio
Saturday – Cycling

Like I said, this is a typical week but it’s not an exact science. A lot depends on when I’m in the office vs. at home and how I’m physically feeling. The TAP classes are really challenging and I don’t push myself to do two in a row unless I really feel like I can handle it.

I’m also a huge believer in everyday activity serving as exercise, so on those days where I don’t make it to the gym, I just try to stay off my butt as much as possible. Having a very active toddler definitely helps!

And that’s where I’m currently at. Trying to challenge myself a bit more with the classes, but also listening to my body and getting rest when I need it. Not rocket science, but thought I would share since I’m in a different season of life.

After getting back from Atlanta, I started putting a bit more effort into my workouts. As I’ve mentioned several times, I kind of fell off the wagon for a bit…BUT I’m back! And this is where my type A personality and love for structure come in handy!

When I got home from work last Monday, I printed out monthly calendars for October 2014-January 2015. I also printed out Hal Higdon’s intermediate half marathon training plan. And then I got to work.

After double and triple checking my ability to count back 12 weeks from January 25, I put a star next to October 27. Eek – the day my training begins! That brings me to my current workouts.

Current workouts

In my mind, October 6-27 equals a pre-half-marathon warm up period. This is my time to prep my body for what’s to come. I honestly hadn’t been running as much as I wanted over the past month, so during these three weeks, my plan is to ease my way back into regular runs and strength training workouts. So far so good.

Here’s what last week looked like:
Monday – 3.25 mile run
Tuesday – Full-body strength workout + 20 minute incline walk
Wednesday – REST!
Thursday – 3.25 mile run
Friday – Full-body strength workout + elliptical/rowing machine
Saturday – 4.5 mile run

And here’s what I have planned for this week:
Sunday – 3.25 mile walk
Monday – Full-body strength workout + 20 minute incline walk
Tuesday – 3.25 mile run
Wednesday – Full-body strength workout + elliptical
Thursday – REST
Friday – Fitness Blender Barre workout
Saturday – 4.5 mile run

And I’m hoping week three looks similar.

I’ve been logging all my runs in the Map My Run app. When I first decided to run this half, I didn’t really care about my time. I just wanted to run the whole thing. But now a part of me wants to get a little faster. I’m averaging 10 minute miles right now. My goal is to bring that down to 9:30. We’ll see how that goes!

And as far as strength training is concerned, I’ve been searching the web to find new, fun, and short workouts (YouTube, DVDs, blogs, etc.). This one is my current favorite!

Half marathon training

As I mentioned, I’ll be following Hal Higdon’s training plan. I was really happy with how it prepared me for my previous two runs so why mess with a good thing!

I will, however, be making small tweaks this time around. The weekend long runs will stay as is, but how I structure the week will change. I definitely want to continue with my strength workouts and some form of cross-training. As of right now, I’m thinking no more than 2-3 runs during the week.

Say Your Name

And finally, my mom shared an NPR article with me last week titled “Why Saying is Believing – The Science of Self-Talk.” The article addresses some really interesting research on how self-talk and the words we use impact how we see ourselves.

Towards the end of the article, the researchers talk about how referring to yourself in the third person has a powerful effect on performance. It turns out that we’re a lot more supportive and kinder to ourselves when we say our name versus “I.”

I decided to put this finding into practice during my next run, which just so happened to be the 4.5 miler on Saturday. Around the two mile mark, I felt the urge to walk. So I said to myself, “Come on, Parita, you made the decision to run the entire time today. You can do it!” And then again, at the 3.5 mile mark I really felt like walking, but I didn’t. Instead, I said to myself, “Parita you are stronger than you believe. You can do this. Only one more mile to go!”

And guess what. I didn’t walk at all. I ran the entire 4.5 miles at a pretty decent pace. As crazy as it seems to refer to yourself in the third person, I see why it’s so powerful. When I did it during my run, it felt like someone else was cheering me on – a much nicer person who really believed in my capabilities.

I know it sounds a little kooky, but try it…perhaps during your next workout or before an important presentation/test/interview/meeting.

Do you have any races coming up?
Do you plan out your weekly workouts or do you prefer to go with the flow?