My kids are now on Thanksgiving break. While I love the idea of no schedules, no waking up early and best of all, no activities (!!), the idea that these kids will be home, most likely fighting amongst themselves, gives me pause. I know it won’t be like this forever and some day I’ll look around my very quiet, neat home and miss at least some of the chaos. For now, it will be days of bracing myself for impact. My husband is working only part of the week so once he is home that will add another layer of complexity. I’m going to keep my eye on the ultimate goal of drinking wine and cooking alone and try to get through the rest of the week.
Since we are hosting guests for Thanksgiving, I have begun the daunting task of getting everyone to pick up their random stuff around the house. I don’t know if you would believe me, but my daughter has had a pair of socks stuffed in the cushion of a chair for the better part of a week. I keep walking past, telling her to get those socks and put them in the hamper; she says ‘OK’ and several hours (days) later they are still there. I finally got fed up and moved them myself- but that is the level of randomness around this house. I’ve also starting taking inventory in regards to the items I haven’t seen in a while. You know that stuff that you normally see on the regular and then all of a sudden is no longer laying around? The stuff you hope is finally put away but you dread that is lost. We’ve recently discovered that our son has a running tally of disappearing items. Back in late October/early November we had one really cold morning where an extra layer was necessary for school (especially since my son still wears shorts every day). We went back and forth and he agreed to wear his vest (a puffy vest I bought last year but still fit) to school. Maybe 3 weeks or so ago I noticed that I hadn’t seen the vest in a while. He’s gone back and forth with me regarding the vest but after going through closets, backpacks and all sorts of other nooks and crannies, I’ve decided the vest is either lost or in the lost and found at school. As much as I want to think he will go look for it himself, I will most likely have to drive up to school to go through that pile of nasty discarded middle school items to try to find this vest. I’ve already told him I will not be replacing the vest until next year when he would have needed a new one anyway.
The next item on our list is one of my son’s hooded school approved uniform sweatshirts. My kids wear uniforms to school and are only allowed to wear certain approved pieces of outerwear/extra layers in the building so this one really chaps me. He had this really nice oversized hoodie (meaning he’d get a couple years out of it) that I picked up for him last year. It was also a tennis team hoodie meaning he could wear it for matches as well as to school. I saw that hoodie maybe a month ago after I washed it and now it too has gone missing. Again I’ve asked him over and over if he knows the whereabouts of this hoodie and we come up short every single time. He supposedly went to lost and found to check for the hoodie but came up empty handed. Unfortunately this is an item that could have likely been taken by another student and my son would have no idea. More than likely he would see another kid wearing it and say something like “I used to have that sweatshirt”. Alas, item #2 that will require me to go look through the lost and found.
The third item he recently lost is probably one of the more annoying things because he wasn’t the only person using this item. We bought him one of those digital pens at the beginning of the school year as the school recommended it for the students to use with the school issued iPads. He used it at school for a while and decided he didn’t need to use it on a daily basis…so it started being left at home. This was fine as he used it for his online tutoring work and my younger one was using it at times for hers. Then one day I went to look for the pen because my daughter needed it and couldn’t find it. My son had used it in a meeting with his tutor and we haven’t seen the pen since. This is another one that stings because I had two kids using it and really don’t want to replace it. Well, and my husband is adamant that we will not be replacing it. I feel bad for my daughter who had no part of it and now is using her finger on the interactive screen instead of the pen. SMH.
Yes there is one more- but this has a happier ending. I have mentioned in the past that my son has asked for ‘drip’ (some type of chain) to wear in as part of his day to day look. At first we thought this was some kind of costume or joke but no, it is very real. For his birthday my husband went on Amazon and bought him a “gold” chain. We weren’t sure if this was just a phase or our son misunderstood the assignment but he very much liked this chain. He wore it quite a bit until one day he wasn’t wearing it- and then the next day he wasn’t, and the day after that, and the day after that. Finally my husband asked him why he wasn’t wearing the chain. My son made up an excuse. A couple days later with still no chain in sight, we asked about it again. This time, though, we asked him where it was or if it was lost. He insists it isn’t lost. My husband asks him to produce the chain. My son balks again. Now my husband has turned this into a ‘you can’t handle the truth’ type of scenario and keeps pressing and pressing about the chain. Finally our son goes upstairs to get the chain but is gone way too long- at this point we are pretty sure it is lost. Magically, though, after about 20 minutes, he manages to produce the chain. I think even he was surprised. He must have been happy about this because he’s started wearing the chain again on a daily basis. This gives me some hope that we can maybe recover the other items. My goal this week is to try to get him to find the pen which is most likely going to be me moving a bunch of furniture and taking apart the couch. Wish me luck!
Thankfully my son has no interest in my Peloton bike or I would fear for it’s inevitable demise. No one really wants to go to that corner of basement! As for the rest of these workouts, I managed to work in a ton of variety in the class selections for these last three days. I had to complete a Bike Bootcamp and 30 minutes of stretching/yoga classes for the playlist plus there are two really fantastic cycling classes- one business, one music. I enjoyed every single one of these workouts and all come highly recommended. I won’t keep you waiting any longer, let’s get to the good stuff! Here are the classes for the second half of last week…
(This also serves as your reminder to VOTE for Cody on Monday!!)
Thursday-
For my playlist this week we were given the choice of this 60 minute EDM Bike Bootcamp or a 60 min Tread Bootcamp, also with Jess Sims. Since I am still not a Tread owner (seriously, soon, my husband wants them to re-release the tread plus because he likes the belt with the slats), it would be Bike Bootcamp. The challenge was not only to take the 60 minute bootcamp but also try to PR. I got really close (only missed it by 10) but was unfortunately not able to get the extra point for a PR. Y’all, I am not sure what kind of performance enhancing nonsense I was on (kidding!) when I got my 60 minute bootcamp PR, but it has left me with an almost unattainable goal. I don’t know if I will ever be able to hit that number again. Overall, I found this class to be a really great workout. I love Jess Sims bootcamps- they are by far my favorite due to her out of the box programming. The exercises are dynamic and ever changing and Jess Sims has a likability that is off the charts. This class is considered a moderate Bike Bootcamp but in all honesty, any continuous hour long workout is a challenge- especially if it combines aerobic and anaerobic activity. The workout is broken into 5 segments (B/F/B/F/B) and she recommends having light, medium and heavy weights all readily available for the weights segments. The warmup is two tracks long (around 6 minutes); the first is a total flat, adding small amounts of resistance. The second is an in the saddle heavy, push; she has the rider adding 10-15 points of resistance and pedaling it out while seated. She programs the remainder of this first cycling segment to focus on resistance work; after the two warmup tracks there are two more heavy pushes. After this it is down to the floor for a 5x3 circuit; the first round each move is done for 1 minute, the second she drops it to 45 seconds and in the final circuit each is done for 30 seconds. Each time she increases the amount of rest between circuits. She finishes up with a plank party before heading back to the bike. Back on the bike she programs everybody’s favorite, the listening game. This listening game is a 4 minute resistance build out of the saddle, continuously adding when you hear the prescribed phrase. She follows this with more resistance work, this time building out of the saddle and taking the push in the saddle. In the next weights segment there is a 4 minute AMRAP consisting of three moves each done for 5 reps. The very last weights exercise is an 8 minute EMOM; here she divides the exercises into an A minute and B minute and alternates. Each minute consists of 2 exercises done for 8 reps apiece. She then increases each minute to 9 reps and then 10 reps for the last 2 rounds. This is another instance of something that may look benign but then slowly sneaks up on you- 8 total minutes of EMOM is no joke! She finishes class with 2 speed pushes and one resistance push back on the bike. I have a love-hate with these hour long Bike Bootcamps; I like how I feel when I finish and think these classes are helping greatly improve my overall fitness. On the other hand, some times finding an hour can be tough with everything else going on and these classes are so damn difficult. It is go go go from warmup to cool down with very little programmed breaks. I definitely need to be in the mood both mentally and physically to tackle one of these classes but the playlist has been helping push me out of my comfort zone. If you are finding success in 30 or 45 minute Bike Bootcamps, these hour long classes are next logical step. I would say if you are up to the challenge make sure you have plenty of water, several towels, and go for it. You may need to take more breaks or modify but it is a huge sense of accomplishment to finish one of these classes.
Friday-
Friday my kids had an early dismissal from school. I hate early school dismissal- I’d rather have the day off or the full day of school then have to plan to go over to the school at 11:30. Since I needed to leave early to go pick them up, I kept my workout short. I saw a little bit of the preshow from this 30 min HIIT and Hills Ride with AT- the one where he is upset he spent $9 on small coffee and a croissant at Starbucks- on IG and it piqued my curiosity. I think we can all agree, even though Starbucks is good and convenient, it can get crazy out of hand expensive. You order a couple drinks and its like $20- it’s irritating but it’s not like you were going to go without. I don’t need a lot of caffeine but my half cup of coffee gets me ready for my day. After seeing that clip of the preshow, I went and checked out the playlist for this ride. I was on the fence about whether I wanted HIIT and Hills especially after taking Bike Bootcamp the day before. The playlist 100% sold this ride for me; he puts together a playlist of songs from Imagine Dragons to Lizzo to DMX. He takes all kinds of music, puts it together and creates a fierce listening experience. HIIT and Hills is a high intensity, challenging workout, no matter the instructor and AT’s classes are rarely easy. He starts with a 7 minute, two part warmup; in the first part Alex warms up the legs and the second is a moderate, lower intensity climb. He comes out of the gate pretty strong; right after that moderate climb he transitions to jogs out of the saddle and a sprint to the end of the track. He programs a variety of speed intervals, climbs and out of saddle power jogs. There is one longer programmed recovery at the class midpoint and a second one minute break before moving into the last, very tough 4 minutes of class. Alex’s classes kind of sneak up on you; he doesn’t always come out of the gate swinging but ramps up the intensity as the class progresses. The roadmap here is challenging and the metrics are often aggressive. That being said, if you wanted a HIIT and Hills workout, you could always scale back the metrics. You won’t get an easier workout but you could make a HIIT and Hills that is more tailored to your own needs. I say this all the time, no one should jump on a HIIT and Hills Ride and expect a low or even moderate intensity workout. The class is designed to push the rider from warmup to cool down. AT is always a treat on the bike- he is enthusiastic and ready to work. I know he says he is mad about his $9 worth of Starbucks but you’d never know it; Alex stays in the pocket with the rider, sweating and cheering them on every step of the way. If you need to get pumped up during the workout, especially a HIIT and Hills class, there is no one better than Alex. This is a really good, shorter high intensity workout- these 30 minutes took enough out of me that I was good to go for the day.
I wanted to try to get in a bigger chunk of my stretching goal this morning but time was not on my side. I ended up squeezing in this 10 minute Gorgon City Full Body Stretch from AFO back in July. I’ve talk a lot about Ben’s other 10 minute stretches; these classes are thorough and really get every part of the body stretched out from the workout. I’ve enjoyed taking Ben’s other stretch classes and this follows a similar format to a soundtrack of Gorgon City. I’d highly recommend this or any of his other 10 minute stretches to wrap up your workout.
Saturday-
I had the last 20 minutes of yoga/stretching hanging over my head for this week’s playlist so I decided to taking a yoga class rather than a second cycling class was the best solution. This class came up in the app as recommended (hence why I’ve got a class on here from April 2020); power yoga seemed to be the best compromise between stretching and cardio. I definitely enjoyed this class and would absolutely take it again. Power Yoga moves at a slightly quicker pace than a Flow; it is usually recommended for someone who has some familiarity with the poses and running through sun salutations. It has a much more brisk pace and had this class been more than 20 minutes I surely would have worked up a sweat. The playlist in class was interesting; Denis has a nice blend of ‘yoga-ish’ music and classic rock hits. I should not be surprised that the content here is top tier; a lot of (non Peloton) prerecorded yoga classes, in my opinion, are boring or just the same old thing. I’ve done four or five now on the platform and have found a lot of variety in the classes, even with the same instructor. This was a great way to warm up but could be a stand alone workout. I prefer doing yoga in the early part of the workout so I don’t get my mat all sweaty or have to deal with sweat rolling in my eyes. I tend to dismiss yoga because I look for the quick and dirty cardio fix but I have enjoyed reconnecting with the practice. This is a great way to get the body warm and ready to take on a more intense workout.
I know a lot of people live for Robin’s really intense workouts (I do too, they are hard as hell!) but lately I have been gravitating toward her slightly less intense music rides. These classes are an all around good experience- the playlists are always so good, the workout is sweaty but not over the top intense and Robin has the opportunity to reminisce, story tell or impart wisdom throughout the class. In this class Robin discusses bearing witness to our own magic- acknowledging and accepting the wonder that already lives inside of each of us. Not the ‘I need to lose 10 lbs’ or ‘just wait until I get that other job’ or ‘he/she/they will notice me once I do XYZ’- none of that talk. The understanding that as imperfect as we are (and no one is perfect) there is wonder and beauty in today’s you as much as there is in the you 5 years from now. I talked about this on IG; I don’t think it is a coincidence that Robin is discussing this as we stand on the threshold of the holiday season- the holidays can be a struggle. Family dynamics can be tricky and it is tough not to take some of that ‘constructive criticism’ to heart. Now a workout cannot fix large scale problems or do the job of a therapist, but hopefully it can be a reminder that you are still a total badass.
Robin designs a very balanced roadmap for this class, balancing out the peaks and valleys nicely and giving the rider recovery throughout. I would consider this an all level workout that could be modified to meet the rider’s needs- you could easily crank up the resistance, skip some of the recovery and make this a much more challenging endeavor. On the flip side riding on the lower end of the metrics (she programs fairly forgiving resistance and cadence numbers for the majority of class) and in the saddle could make this a much lower intensity workout. She begins with a 6 minute, two part warmup; the first part is used to get the legs moving and the second is a small moderate climb. The rest of the workout consists of 3 rolling hills and 1 intervals block. She programs flat road recoveries after the first two climbs and puts the intervals toward the end of the class. Robin outdoes herself on the playlist; she programs pop hits that make the class even more enjoyable. This is a great time all around- I wasn’t looking for a seriously intense workout as I had done Bike Bootcamp on Thursday and HIIT and Hills on Friday. I found the workout to be just challenging enough and the overall vibe to be on point. It is 30 minutes that will leave you feeling better than when you started. I love this journey for you!
That wraps up last week’s workouts! As we look toward this upcoming Thanksgiving holiday week, I have another playlist to complete for my challenge. Not PR’ing on that Bike Bootcamp screwed me last week on my playlist; I am not sure what I am doing wrong not to get the PR or if they rest are doing something right. It is anyone’s guess. There’s another 45 minute class on the playlist with an extra point to PR and I’m fairly positive that will not happen. I ended up with my 45 minute PR completely by accident- I took a live class where Peloton glitched and kept calculating the outputting after the timeline for the ride stopped. So while I was pedaling in the period after the cool down, the system was continuing to count that in my output- and I didn’t realize it until it was too late. I’ve considered going back and deleting that workout but not sure what else that will do. I kind of wish we could have a yearly PR as well as an overall PR; a yearly PR could track how you did over the course of that year with the goal of trying to beat the overall PR. Unfortunately I am not in charge over at Peloton so I’m going to have to keep throwing stuff at the wall to see what sticks!
I will see you all back here mid week to discuss the workouts for this week. Safe travels to everyone that is going out of town to visit family- I had to do holiday travel for many many years and do not miss the traveling part. One time my husband and I had a 4.5 hour car trip that took us over 8 hours in holiday traffic. Nightmare! I hope you all have a wonderful holiday, good food, friends, family and happiness for that day and many more.