Monthly Fitness Recap: September 2018 (and an October Workout Planner)

Welp, another month is almost gone and I’m still on the struggle bus when it comes to fitness! I feel like I was in such a great groove this Spring, and then work got busy, we traveled a bunch, and I moved to a new neighborhood and  just still haven’t figured out what I want my workout routine to be up here.

In an ideal world, I’d all have a [solidcore], Club Pilates, Flywheel, Corepower Yoga, Orangetheory, and maybe even a regular gym all within a 5-10 block radius. I mean, doesn’t that sound like the best situation EVER?! Unfortunately, Club Pilates is the only one super close to me – and while I love it (more on that below), I also know that I need to be pushing myself more.

Luckily, I have some ideas in mind to get me motivated and back in a well rounded groove, including possibly getting a little help from a trainer – something I’ve never done before! And since one of my goals for Fall is to slow down and get back to really taking care of myself again, I feel like I’m on my way to figuring out what works for me. Step 1 was quitting my job (more on that next week!), and even though it’s only been a few weeks, I already feel my stress levels going down.

The point of this intro? I think it’s easy to be hard on ourselves when we aren’t pushing ourselves all the time. At least, I’m hard on myself. But everything in life ebbs and flows. As long as your health is always a priority, you’ll figure out how to adapt to your circumstances to make it happen. Just make sure you don’t go too long without doing anything by finding something to hold you accountable. Honestly, that’s one of the reasons why I do these monthly recaps! And maybe this October Workout Planner can help you, too ?

September Goals

Well, I wanted to test out more yoga studios, join a gym, try more Froyo to Fitness workouts… and I didn’t do any of that! Well, I went to one yoga class and had a terrible experience. WOOPS! On the more positive side, I wanted to complete 16 workouts, and by Sunday, I will have completed 15! So close!

September Obstacles

After the less than stellar yoga class I tried, I’ve honestly been a little nervous to try out new studios, workouts, or gyms. It’s so silly that one experience can throw me off – but it did. And my other big obstacle is no surprise: convenience! As much as I’d like to say “I’m a full time blogger now, I can do whatever I want“, the truth is, I still have a very full workload. Adding a 20 minute walk to the closest CAC near me or a 30 minute train ride down to Old Town/River North makes a big dent in my day. Hopefully I can get a little more organized, and then carving out that time might become a little easier.

# of Workouts Completed:

14 as of today, but 15 by Sunday.

Club Pilates

Let’s just say, Club Pilates was my JAM this month. I went 11 times! Not only is it an easy walk to get there, but everyone is so friendly and welcoming. I know I’ve said this before, but I’ve been worried that it isn’t challenging enough for me. I still think that’s true to an extent, but mostly because I believe that our bodies crave variety. In addition to pilates, I should also be getting my booty KICKED, and also get my heart rate up.

That being said, they just added a Level 2 class to the schedule and it’s exactly what I’ve been missing! It’s a lot harder than the 1.5 classes I had been taking, and I was finally sore after that class! WOO! (Yes, I love being sore.) It was also really cool for me to see plank variations (crunches, extensions, etc) that we do in solidcore all the time. I now totally see the benefit of focusing on form at Club Pilates – and how that can help me get stronger for other workouts that go at a faster pace.

Get 10% off a no strings attached 1 month or 3 month membership if you mention LAKE SHORE LADY at Club Pilates‘ North Center or Lincoln Park location!

[solidcore]

I wen to [solidcore] a few days ago for the first time all month ? It was just as hard, if not harder because I hadn’t been in so long! But even after time away, my love for this workout hasn’t faded. It’s just so good, you guys! You can read all about it in this blog post – and (as usual) feel free to ask my any questions you might have about it!

PS. Get $5 off their $39 Two Pack with code LAKESHORELADY.

Flybarre

Even though I only got here once in September, I still will recommend Elena‘s Flybarre class to anyone and EVERYONE. Or really, any Flybarre class. All the teachers are so awesome. I miss seeing them all the time! As for Flywheel, I haven’t really missed it that much. (Hey, I like to be honest here!) I think that’s partially because the thought of taking a train ride home when I’m drenched it sweat sounds awful haha – but maybe I should just shower there? I’ll report back next month ?

PS. Get your first Flywheel, Flybarre or FlyFIT class FREE with code FLYLAKESHORELA.

Yoga

Oh, yoga. It’s so crazy that I literally used to practice every single day without fail and now I’m just a lost yoga puppy! But really this experience threw me all out of whack – but I’m hoping to ACTUALLY try out more yoga studios in October. If none of the small ones work for me, I also might try to get back into Corepower. There are studios in Lincoln Square and Lakeview that aren’t far from brown line stops. We shall see!

want to track your workouts with me?

Yay! All you need to do is download my October Workout Planner 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…

October Challenges

Complete 16 workouts.

My lucky workout number. I don’t know why, but that number feels like the perfect amount for me. It translates to about 4 a week, which combined with a few long walks is a really reasonable amount of activity.

Start working with a trainer.

I really want to do this. Even when I was really on top of my fitness game, there were still parts of my body that I was self conscious about. So, if someone can help me target my “problem areas” that tend to get me down, even if it’s only for a few months, that would be amazing.

What are your fitness goals for October?

*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.

PS. You might also like Hot Pink Vibes + Positive Affirmations, Mindful Monday V2, and my August Fitness Recap.