Monthly Fitness Recap: February 2018 (and a March Workout Planner!)

If you live in Chicago, can we pause for a moment to talk about the weather?! I mean, what a way to end February! Unfortunately, we’re going to go back down to typical winter temperatures next week – but it was lovely while it lasted! It made me really hopeful for the motivation I feel ever time the weather shifts to Spring. All of a sudden I want to be outside, walk everywhere, do everything! It’s the best!

Since I wrote a very personal body image post last month, I really tried to focus on the way I view and speak to/about myself this February. I let workouts feel good instead of like punishment for not being skinny enough. And I also tried to really pay attention to my diet. What is giving me energy and what isn’t? What if I listened to my body more than I listened to health trends? I definitely don’t have it all figured out yet, but I think I’m on the right track.

And on that note – before we dive into my Fitness Recap, would you guys like me to add some food/wellness insights to these posts? Or would you like separate (possibly monthly recap) posts dedicated to my diet? Let me know what would be helpful to you guys!! Now, on to the workouts:

february goals

I completed 14 of my 16 class goal this month – but if you count skiing in Lake Geneva, that’s 15 ? Even though I didn’t hit 16 class total, I did complete all of my other goals! I went to Orangetheory 4 times, tried Solidcore again (twice!), and beat my high score at Flywheel! All of those are wins in my book!

February Obstacles

Last month, I had some really legit excuses. This month, they’re a little bit weaker. It was cold and snowy outside, I was sore from Solidcore, I had deadlines to meet… blah blah blah.

# of Workouts Completed

14! 12 as of today, and I’m doing both Arms & Abs and Flywheel tonight.

Flybarre/Arms & Abs:

I only went to Flybarre/Arms & Abs 3 times this month, which is less than usual! I still love these classes so much, but since I’m trying to work more cardio into my routine, I’m okay with going a little bit less if that means I go to Flywheel more.

Flywheel:

I went to Flywheel 5 times this month! And one of those was an hour long Hamilton themed class – and yes it was as fun as you’re imagining! I’m really starting to feel the benefit of getting my heart rate up more often, so here’s hoping I can keep this up.
PS. Get your first Flywheel class FREE with code FLYLAKESHORELA!

Orangetheory:

I went to 4 Orangetheory classes this month, just like I wanted to! Honestly, sometimes I feel like I could go more, and then some classes make once a week seem like PLENTY. I think it depends if it’s a strength or power day vs an endurance day. If we’re climbing big hills on the treadmill and lifting heavy weights on the floor, I’m sore AF after and need some recovery time and different workouts in between. But if it’s an endurance day and I felt good, I could go again a day or two later, no problem. That might just be my experience, too – how many times a week do you OT-ers like to go?
PS. Your first class is FREE! Get more info here.

Solidcore:

I went to Solidcore twice this month and I’m pretty sure it’s my new obsession. I had someone ask me how it compares to my other workouts (and specifically Orangetheory) and I think I said “it could not BE more different!” Haha when I say that it’s crazy hard, I mean that in a totally different way than anything else I’ve tried. Even though your heart rate doesn’t get very high, your muscles literally SHAKE because of the resistance on their reformer-style machine (Sweatlana). Each movement is very slow and controlled – and designed to burn, baby, burn. I’m going to do a whole post about it after I have more classes under my belt, so feel free to comment with any questions you might have!
PS. Get $5 off their $29 Two Pack with code LAKESHORELADY.

want to track your workouts with me?

Yay! All you need to do is download my March Fitness Calendar and print it out! I like to fill in the “Planned” portion one week out, when I really have an idea of what I have time for. Then fill in every workout you complete and feel more and more like a BOSS each time ? Need some challenges to really get you into this though? Keep scrolling down to read mine…

March Challenges

Complete 16 workouts

This might be ambitious since we have trips to Charleston and Colorado this month, but I’m going to try anyway!

Go to Solidcore once a week

Since this is definitely the most humbling class for me right now, I want to push myself to go once a week. As I learned from setting that goal with Orangetheory, it is totally attainable!

Add yoga back in

You may have noticed that I didn’t go to yoga at ALL this month. Who even am I?! To be honest, I stopped for a few reasons. #1) I’m not working with Corepower at the moment, and I’m not in love with any of the teachers near me. If you’ve been following for a while, you know finding inspiring teachers is a huge motivation for me! #2) I’ve been wanting to kick my fitness game up a notch, and my other workouts are just more traditionally difficult. I’ve been curious to see how my body responds to more weights and cardio instead of just yoga flows. I already feel my body missing the stretching and my mind missing the balance, though – which is why I want to add yoga back into my routine in March. I haven’t decided if I’ll jump back into a studio yet, but I discovered a really great website that could be a lifesaver when I’m traveling! It’s called YogaGlo and it has TONS of classes for you to access thru their membership. We’re talking different yoga styles, different experience levels, and videos ranging from 5 minutes to 120 minutes. I’m excited to see if this helps me re-connect with my practice. I’ll definitely update you next month no matter what!

what are your fitness goals for March?

*This post is NOT sponsored. I have received complimentary classes to each of these studios, but I chose to talk about them here on the blog on my own.