Hey babes! It’s the first Workout Wednesday of November, which means only 7 more stand between us and CHRISTMAS. I said what I said. Not sorry. I’ve started a new leg day and arm day set that I’ll use the next 4 weeks and I’m once again trying to cut back on some running miles and turning those into bike miles. Hopefully I do better with that this month than last!

Top 3 Questions of the Week

Do you ever skip a workout?

No. When my alarm goes off, I get up. I feel a responsibility to myself to show up and own my fitness. Now I’m not saying I wouldn’t skip one if I was truly sick or legit injured to an extent that I was physically unable to complete a workout. But that’s not really ‘skipping’ to me. If tomorrow is a Full Body Day, tomorrow I am doing a full body workout. Of course I modify/adjust when my body tells me, but I don’t skip. I’ve worked too hard and am too dedicated to. Would you just skip a coffee date with your best friend? I wouldn’t. So that’s my philosophy on why I wouldn’t skip a date with myself. Excuses annoy me. Remember: everyone is busy, everyone has other things to do, everyone experiences distractions. But one thing not everyone CAN do? Exercise. Some are truly unable to run. Others have restrictions that make them unable to lift more than a few pounds. Think of that next time…it may help. Oh and side note: a hangover is THE WORST excuse I hear for skipping a workout. Unless you’re 23 or younger, you should know better. 🙂

Thoughts on your spin bike vs. the Peloton bike?

Ahhh, since I posted myself riding my sister’s Peloton 2 weekends ago I’ve gotten this question a ton. It’s hard to say exactly since I’ve literally only ridden the real thing 3 times ever, but here’s a quick recap of the differences on each bike — keep in mind I use the Peloton app for my bike rides too so I’m truly comparing my actual bike experience:

Peloton – expensive, must have clip-in shoes (extra cost), great screen, able to ‘compete’ with other users, actual viewership of leaderboards, real metrics tracked, app is $39/month with the actual bike, 5-9 week shipping time minimum
My Bike – cheap, wear any shoes you want, no screen (bought THIS bike computer for an additional cost), metrics don’t track on Peloton leaderboard, you basically have to ‘guess’ on your resistance, access to Peloton cycling classes only $12.99/month, arrives in 3-4 days via Prime shipping

So you want my real opinion? If you’re planning to use a bike 5-7x/week and utilize it as your main form of cardio and/or your main workout, then I see why the Peloton makes sense. For me, the cost doesn’t come close to being worth it…$2k+ for the bike, $39/month for the subscription, $100+ for shoes for me riding 2-3x/week is not justifiable. My bike seat is actually more comfortable too! From a competitive aspect, I absolutely want the bike. That leaderboard is addicting. But NOTTT $39 vs. $13 addictive LOL. BUT, I am keeping my eye out for people selling their used Pelotons. Eventually I’d love to have one, just not at full retail. The Peloton treadmill though? THAT baby is definitely getting checked out when my trusty commercial Precor takes its last breath.

How do you maintain motivation (specifically in the cold, dark, Daylight Savings, etc.)?

At this point, I feel like I’m personally passed motivation and deep into the habit stage of my fitness journey. But Workout Wednesday motivates me. Knowing I’m setting the tone for the day ahead motivates me. Hitting major milestones like I shared 2 weeks ago motivates me. If you’re worried about the cold, invest in some great warm gear. Daylight Savings messing with you? Try going to sleep earlier and taking advantage of the sun rising earlier. Kyle is actually doing that and is 3/3 this week on AM workouts, so if he can do it then y’all definitely can too! Maybe the biggest thing that works for me? Completing my workouts for ME. Not for anyone else. I’m here to hit my goals and impress myself, not out competing with anyone else on Instagram or down the street. When your focus and motivation comes from within, I think that is what really flips the switch.

Workout Wednesday Workout of the Week

CARDIO COMBO

What you’ll *ideally* need – treadmill, workout mat, jump rope. You can easily take this workout outside, too! Want to make it harder? Increase your paces on the run and take the AMRAP up to 20 minutes. Looking for something a bit easier? Alternate 1 minute walk w/ 1 minute jog for the 20 minutes. If you try this, let me know how many sets of the AMRAP you manage!