I thought it would be fun to do a little update on my fitness routine lately, since I'm always switching it up and trying new things! I've done a complete 180 from what I was doing last winter, so I'll run through why I changed it up and how it's working for me, plus a little of my favorite fitness gear right now.
Last fall I had decided to complete Kayla Itsines' "BBG" workouts, which are high intensity plyometric bodyweight circuits that basically kill you in 28 minutes. They improved my physical capabilities quite a bit - if you'd asked me to drop and do 50 pushups, I would've been able to, no questions asked - but they left me looking a little bit weak and not all that strong, appearance wise. It wasn't a look I was a fan of, I actually felt that program caused me to lose some of my muscle mass, so I decided to jump into lifting heavy weights after that in the spring, with the help of a trainer. I was also counting macros (strategically planning my food) in order to lose fat and gain muscle simultaneously. This was probably the most effective workout plan I had ever done, and I really enjoyed it. However, it was time consuming - meal planning was required, and I had to get to the gym for 1-1.5 hours each day.
I still have all the muscle I gained during that time, but since I basically did nothing over the summer to work out - and I mean literally nothing - I gained about 10 pounds of body fat back. This is obviously not something that's the end of the world, but it is something I'd like to fix. I'm planning to use the same method of counting macros (here's a quick primer on that!) to "cut" a little bit while focusing my workouts mainly on three things:
Running, specifically trail running. Yoga & Barre classes (to me, these accomplish the same thing and aren't so much cardio as they are bodyweight strength training) and HIIT classes that involve a mix of cardio and strength circuits.
My favorite HIIT classes in the St Louis area would have to be Shred415, Fitness Formula, and Orange Theory but there are SO many and I've only scratched the surface with my classpass membership. I did a previous post on my favorite yoga studios in St Louis, but its really old and definitely needs updating, so stay tuned for a revamp! I'm also currently trying out every single (yup, EVERY single) barre studio in St Louis and I'll report back on those too!
My latest favorite exercise would HAVE to be trail running. In general I always prefer outdoor running, and this just takes it to an extreme. Adding in elements of hills, agility navigating rocky or uneven terrain, and weather of all kinds makes it a more full body workout and DEFINITELY incorporates more strength building. I'm signed up for a 10 week series (10 Saturday mornings at 7:30 am, eek!!) and I am so excited to get started. There's actually room to sign up for this still if you're interested in trail running! It's through Fleet Feet in St Louis, and info for that is here.
If you have any questions about my fitness routine at all, just leave me a comment or email me via the links in my sidebar! I'd love to hear your thoughts or if there's any one thing you're really into? Should I try aerial yoga? Core surf? A new dance class? What's getting you moving lately?
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