Happy Friday! How did everyone do this week? Overall I felt pretty good. I got in all of my workouts, hit my yoga goal (4 classes this week!) and felt pretty good. If we’re being totally honest I struggled a bit with body confidence. My body is changing, which is good… but I lose weight from my boobs first and THEN everything else goes so I’ve just felt a bit… pear shaped and weird looking. It’s funny (and kind of brutal) how our minds (or at least my mind) work… I know my legs look bigger because my top looks smaller but I instead fixate on what is wrong vs. all that is right. Silly, silly. Other than that I felt great. I can’t believe we’re 7 weeks into the challenge!
How did you do??? Would love for you to share how you did with last week’s challenge in the comments!
Outfit Details from above: Thread Supply Pullover // Outdoor Voices Leggings // Nike Sneakers // Polaroid Sunglasses
Workouts:
Friday – Rest Day
Saturday – 75 minute “Get Up and Flow” class at Equinox. This is one of my all time favorite classes at Equinox… usually I can’t stand when yoga classes are longer than 60 minutes, but this is a good one. There’s a really active flow which gets you all warmed up and sweaty, followed by some really deep stretching and a longer cool down. So you kinda get it all – a good sweat, a great stretch, and a nice long savasana at the end. We really got into our hips which I needed.
Sunday – Y7 Yoga. I love that Sundays are Hip Hop Sunday. This class is SO HARD but I’m obsessed and I love how much I sweat during it.
Monday – 25 Min Treadmill Workout; 12 minute Stretch (I did Aaptiv’s “Just Push It” (again!!) and “Stretched From Head To Toe.” I woke up with a pinched nerve in my shoulder so I was struggling, but a run (followed by tons of foam rolling and laying on my acupressure mat – see below) helped to loosen things up.
Tuesday – Morning Sky Ting Yoga session. This one was extra hard… she had us doing all sorts of core strength as well as sliding lunges using the blanket. I was sore!!
Wednesday – 40 minute walk/run on the treadmill. I was admittedly a little bit hungover (this is so sad; I’d had 3 drinks the evening before) and running was HARD. So I walked.
Thursday – Y7 Yoga class
Meditation, Protein Packed Breakfasts: Two thumbs up.
Trying Something New: For my something new, I bought an Acupressure Mat! An acupressure mat is a lot like a “bed of nails” with these tiny sharp (but not sharp enough to puncture skin) acupressure points to stimulate the body’s pressure points, similar to acupuncture – without needles. Oh my god you guys – this is the best thing ever. I used it every day this week and at first I was like “SHIT. This hurts.” But it is the most awesome thing. The most intense way to use it is to lay on it on a hard surface and lay directly on it. I will do that and watch TV or read a book. It’s intense but amazing. Start with ten or fifteen minutes and work up. You can also stand on it (barefoot) for up to ten minutes to activate foot acupressure and relieve headaches. I also like to use it right before bed while I’m reading. You can wear a thin t-shirt but to get the most out of it it’s best to have the points in direct contact with your skin. So I’ll usually lay on mine in a bra and thin leggings or boy shorts. I’m going to do a longer post about it, but the biggest changes I’ve seen were (immediate) pain relief in my low back and shoulders, and being really relaxed. When I use the mat before bed I sleep like an angel.
Morning Workouts: I did great with this. Did all of my workouts in the morning and am really just so happy with having made this change. I’ve become that annoying person that just raves and raves about how awesome morning workouts are. My days are so much more structured and I love starting my day with a bit of endorphins.
This Week’s Healthy Links:
- I thought this piece about the importance of recovery was really helpful – and interesting!
- For the New York set: loved this resource for inexpensive massages!
- I intrigued by try these workout videos.
This week’s challenge!
- Get to the gym five times between now and Friday’s check-in. This is our ongoing goal; 5 workouts a week. We can do it!!!
- Try something new (this is going to be an ongoing thing!) It can be a new class, a new wellness treatment, a new face mask… even a new recipe! Don’t stress, this one is meant to be fun.
- Meditate every day, eat a protein packed breakfast, and add to your gratitude jar.
- I hate to suggest a “thing” but this week’s challenge is going to be to buy an acupressure mat! I love mine, it helps so much with back pain, and I think this will do really good things for all of you… especially with all the working out we’ve been doing.
photography by Trent Bailey.
Seven weeks! And congratulations on all your achievements, you really seem to be doing better week by week! 😀
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
Thanks Charmaine!
Sounds like you are doing great! I am also one of those annoying people who loves morning workouts. I got all of mine in this week and am looking forward to a barre class on Sunday. Have a great weekend!
xo,
Em
http://www.organicallyemily.com
Great job Em!
I’m very excited to hear more about the accupressure mat! Last week I returned from a long weekend in Arizona for some warm weather, where we did a bunch of hiking, but also sitting by the pool, getting massages, eating and drinking. I felt great coming home but then was struck by really bad jet-lag, which made my usual 5AM wakeup call to hit the gym impossible. This week, I got back on the wagon for 4 days so far.
Monday – Ran outside for 20 minutes. I haven’t run in a while, so I wanted to keep it short and easy. Unfortunately, I had some knee pain for the next few days afterwards.
Tuesday – The Pursuit at Equinox. Came in 3rd overall for women in the class, which I was pretty excited about.
Wednesday – MetCon3 at Equinox.
Thursday – Vinyasa yoga class. I was pretty sore from the day before, so I probably could have used a more relaxed class to stretch. I was easy on myself and didn’t stress if I needed to go into child’s pose while they were doing some crazy balancing move.
Great job Sarah!!! I am going to write a longer post about the acupressure mat but yessss I love it so much!
You are doing great! For your something new, I’d love to see you try a Broadway Bodies class. It looks so fun.
I’ll look into that!
This week I went for a 7-mile run (longest I’ve ever gone!) and was really sore the day after, so I tried foam rolling for the first time and I LOVED it! It made my sore muscles feel amazing.
xo, brooke
http://www.livethepreplife.com
7 miles!! That’s amazing!!! Great job. xx
I can definitely relate to the body confidence piece, but keep it up, you’re doing great! I have been slacking a little on the workouts – 3 this week, but in my defense I am in the ending stages of applying to Law School (aka stress central over here) LOL. I need to get back to it (fully) this coming week. Despite the slacking, I feel a significant difference in the way that my clothes, in particular, the way my pants fit. I also notice my body is just a lot more toned. I tried a new Buffalo Cauliflower Taco recipe (yum!) compliments of Pinch of Yum this week & it was AMAZING.
Would love to see a more in depth review of your acupressure mat. I’ve had one saved on Amazon for over a month now!
Thank you Erika!
Oh my goodness GOOD LUCK with law school applications! That’s so exciting though. I’m definitely going to have a longer post about the acupressure mat up in the next month but for now will just say I HIGHLY recommend it. It’s amazing!
I just ordered one! It sounds great, thanks for the tip
YASSS! Keep me posted on how you like it!! I’m obsessed! xo
Sounds like you pretty much nailed it this week – and great job with the morning workouts (this is from a morning person)!
I had a good week, despite being sick for a couple days and having work travel! I got three runs and two bootcamp workouts in, and stuck with my healthy breakfast every day but my travel day – when I just skipped it entirely. I didn’t meditate every day, but I did manage several times, which honestly feels like enough for me.
My new thing was going back to acupuncture for the first time in several years. I have been meaning to go back anyway, but my messed up collarbone/neck situation had reached a point where it stopped getting better, and acupuncture did exactly what I hoped – it got the energy moving from my muscles that had spasm’d to help them relax. The next day was the first day since my collarbone shifted out of place that I haven’t had pain, and this is day 2 and still no pain! I’m so excited and can’t wait to go back next week.
I’m also going to follow your advice and order this acupressure mat because it looks amazing, thanks!
Thank you Marcia! I think you are going to love the acupressure mat – it’s so good!!!!
Glad to hear you are back in acupuncture – I have been meaning to go back as well. Have a great weekend! xo
Ohh I love the suggestion of the acupressure mat. I’ve been wanting to try acupuncture because I get migraines about once a month, and I’ve heard it helps with that. But maybe I’ll try the acupressure mat first.
I hit the 5 workout goal this week and did all my workouts in the morning, followed by a protein packed smoothie.
For my something new I tried the Muse class at Equinox. I learned that dance cardio is NOT my thing, but it was fun to try something new and they gave us Glossier gift bags for trying the new class (I’ll take it).
Thanks again for keeping us motivated and accountable.
I can totally relate to feeling down about the way your changing body looks. It’s funny how we as humans always focus on the negative instead of the positive… I’ve read that this is an evolutionary trait to help us survive, but whatever, it’s still annoying.
You look great, and most importantly, you feel great! And that is what matters!
I don’t get headaches but I have heard it is great for them! Let me know how you do with it!!!
And haha re: The Muse. I was SO bad at it!!!!
Ok I’ve looked at accupressure mats before and I think you’ve officially talked me into one. It helps that I’m super sore today 🙂 This week I got in 2 hikes, an outdoor run, an Aaptiv strength + yoga day, and an OTF workout. I’m ready for my recovery today!
It is the BEST, especially for back + neck pain!!
My “try something new” is to do all the workout videos in the Cup Of Jo article, I did the ballet the day it was posted and DANG that was a tough one, but the cute little ballerina was such a good contract to her brutal moves. Thanks for sharing with your readers!
That is so awesome! Good job!
Oh man, that accupressure mat looks amazing! I feel like the more in tune I am with my body with working out, the more I notice tight/sore muscles – and I just can’t feel “right” lately. I’m buying it!
This week was OK! I did a lot of workouts at home, but it felt really hectic and I didn’t have as much time to focus on healthy eating. I guess that’s what happens when it’s a 4-day work week. But, I don’t regret spending time outside because how often is it in the 70s in February!
My something new, which wasn’t really new, was using an eye mask again. I misplaced mine over the holidays while traveling, and didn’t bother to replace it. I especially find them useful during the summer, when the sun is up so early. But I got a new one, and I forgot how much of a difference it makes during sleep!
It’s amazing!!! I am obsessed with mine. Great job this week!
(And.. I sleep with an eye mask every night!)
I got in five workouts, did okay with breakfast (protein smoothies some days…my kids Z bars on others), stuck with mindfulness, and for my new thing…pelvic floor exercises. Over the holiday my 85 year old mother in law said one of her only regrets in life was that she didn’t do pelvic floor exercises and this week is the week I get on that.
And I am ordering the mat. It can’t hurt!
Great job!!! And I hope you LOVE the mat! It’s really great.
So… .I’m six weeks late to the challenge… just was not in the right frame of mind at the start of the year to get it in gear. But after feeling so lazy, so unmotivated, at my heaviest, etc. etc., I just dove in and credit your challenge for giving me a very accessible guide to get started. I love the week by week approach. It’s easy to think about a small chunk of time and ways to make it fun/interesting. And here’s how I did!
– I started Monday at the gym with two Aaptiv sessions (treadmill, strength), a deep stretch yoga class Tuesday, The Muse @ Equinox in Chicago with Glossier on Wednesday and am going to my first BUTI Yoga tonight. I’ve already got a pilates class booked for Sunday. My thing is variety, and after trying to force fit myself into a gym person, I realize it’s just not fun enough.
WELCOME!!! Glad to have you. Sounds like you are off to an amazing start! What did you think of The Muse?? I had such a hard time with it hahahaha!
Those little balls were killer! At times I felt graceful, other times super uncoordinated 🙂 I liked it so much more than a barre class, overall. Those bore me, usually.
HAHA agreed! They really are!!!! WIth you on barre, I get so bored!
Grace! I have never heard of an accupressure mat – and I have terrible lower back pain. I cannot wait to try this!
This week was a bit of a bust. I worked out last Friday then hopped on a plane to Mexico for a friend’s wedding, and basically did nothing until Tuesday when we got home. Then I was exhausted Wednesday. I ran Thursday night on the treadmill with Aaptiv’s Sixty-Thirties and then slept though my alarm this morning 🙂 TGIF!
Other than Mexico, I’ve stuck with ACV, protein shakes, and meditation 🙂
I am going to get back on track this weekend and kick it off by planning out workouts and meals for next week!
Happy Weekend everyone!
Oh my gosh you will LOVE it then!!!! Try it and let me know what you think! xo
This week was rough for me, I ended up having some cough-flu thing, luckily the worst was over within four days, but I still have the cough. I still managed 4 workouts which was good.
I also love the acupressure mat! I need to get back into using mine, it is amazing how much it helps with getting your muscles to just relax and let go of tension. Still can’t get myself to stand on it for some reason, can’t handle it!
It really is the best – helps me so so much!!!!
This acupressure mat is fascinating to me!!! I have never heard of it! I can’t wait to read your review on it in the future. I am not sure I can take the plunge until I learn a little more.
I overall had a great week! I am running a 5k tomorrow (as my 5th workout) and I did a test run last Sunday as my first workout of the week. It was TOUGH. I have been working out consistently thanks to this challenge but have not run outside in a while. Clearly other types of cardio cannot compensate for that! I still got all of my workouts in this week. I thought I wasn’t going to get one in today but just did a Tone It Up arms workout while watching the Olympics.
My diet has been terrible though! I am sticking with great breakfasts & ACV in my water but I am eating so much sugar! I blame Girl Scout cookies….plus I had a lot of meals out this week.
I treated myself by buying a Laura Mercier caviar stick. I have wanted to try it and can’t wait for it arrive!
It’s really amazing. I will have a longer post up in a week or two!
Great job this week!!! And ugh, girl scout cookies = kryptonite!
Oh wow, thanks for the recommendation of the acupuncture mat! I’m going to get it for myself, and if it works well, I’ll get one for my mom too. Keep up the great work, Grace! And I totally get you on the body confidence. Funny/strange how we are quick to point out our flaws but not praise the things we love about our bodies! I’m focusing more on that going forward, such a small change but really significant in the long run!
Lisa
You are so welcome. I love mine so much – use it every day!!!!
Hope you have a wonderful weekend, thanks for stopping by! xo
I’m still working it. Got a boost f rom the Dr. I’ll see how that goes before I share what it was… hoping it helps!
Hope so too!
Long time reader, first time posting! This week I forced myself to workout, even when I didn’t feel like it. And I felt much better afterward. I wasn’t able to make it to my regular yoga class and will make that a priority this week.
Friday- Barry’s Bootcamp
Saturday- Barry’s Bootcamp
Sunday- Ran Santa Monica steps 20x
Monday- Home workout with Gliders (these made my legs sore all week, Lagree Pilates is the only other workout that’s made my legs this sore)
Tuesday- Barry’s Bootcamp
Wednesday- Long walk with a weighted vest (and dog). He’s a big boy so it adds resistance:)
This week I’m going to do yoga at least once. And Grace, you inspired me to get back into Shape House. I have a hot date there tonight! I’m going to track on my apple watch how many calories I burn while in the bed (after). I’m curious if it does as much as they say it does. Thanks for keeping me inspired each week!
YAY! Welcome to the wellness challenge! 😉
I am SO impressed that you made it to Barry’s 3x in one week – it’s so hard!!!!!! And enjoy Shape House – it’s such a treat!
I am SO excited about the acupressure mat! Just ordered mine. I’ve been having a lot of back pain lately and I can’t wait to see how it helps.
Workouts were on point this week which makes me so happy given how crazy my work week was–I needed that time for me!
New thing this week: does demo on my kitchen count? Because that was definitely something I had never done before.
PS I see nothing pear-like about you. Stick with it, girl. You look GREAT.
YAY – I hope you love it as much as I do – I’ve noticed a huge huge difference! And wow – good luck with the kitchen!!! xx
Regardless of how you’re feeling, you’re looking great, Grace! And I’m super intrigued by the acupressure mat — can’t wait to learn more!
So I felt fairly successful this week because I finally got in three swims (!!!) and they were all solid efforts. Hopefully I can keep it up! The secret really is going in the morning. Other than my swims, I did two hot yoga sessions and a pilates video. Not bad!
For breakfast, I’ve been eating grain bowls — cooked barley with pesto (Trader Joe’s makes the BEST vegan pesto), kale, and a fried egg on top. So good and so so filling. I highly recommend. Also, you can prepare all the ingredients (other than frying the egg) before hand, which turns it into a super quick breakfast. Highly recommend!
I’m in the market for a new heat protecting blow dry spray/serum so maybe that’ll be my new thing this week if anyone has any good recs!
Thank you so much Sharona! Great job this week. And I LOVE Alterna’s heat protectant spray!
Been slacking a little on my workouts recently. Need to step my game up!! I have been eating really healthy and trying new things though which is good. Want to start waking up a bit earlier in the mornings so I have more time to just decompress from the day before and start afresh. Actually turning off my alarm and waking up though is a whole other thing ha.
That’s okay! This week is a brand new week!!! xx