Archive of ‘Exercise’ category

Workout Plan: Week of March 31, 2013 + More Rest

This will be short, but I’ll probably be back this week with a workout clothing review. Andy and I also completed our Refine Resolution Challenge this weekend. I’ve got lots to say about that too, and that will come soon. And I still haven’t reviewed my CrossFit Jersey City experience! That was in December, so you might say I am a little behind.

dori works larry lounges

Until then, here’s my workout plan for the week of March 31, 2013:

  • Sunday – Real Ride at Revolve (45 min)
  • MondayTeach spin (55 min)
  • TuesdayRefine Method (1 hr)
  • Wednesday – Rest
  • Thursday – Real Ride at Revolve (45 min) or Rest
  • Friday – Rest
  • Saturday – Teach spin (50 min)

You might notice this plan looks very different than most weeks – notably because of the lack of Refine Method. I started feeling some pain in my upper back on the right side. I’ve had this twice before and I’ve been to a doctor about it. She said it’s a muscle strain and comes from carrying absurdly heavy bags on my right shoulder.

Over the last few months, I’ve carried a heavy workout bag which includes sneakers for Refine, spin shoes (sometimes both, sometimes one or the other), a water bottle that is often full, a coconut water bottle, a bag of makeup, a hair iron, etc etc. And this is in addition to my purse. I’m incapable of carrying my bag on my left shoulder; I can’t explain it but it feels so wrong and unnatural that I just forget how to walk when it’s there. I’m like a dog. Does anyone else have that issue?

The point of this long winded tale is that the pain came back.

In the past, a full week off Refine has helped, since lifting heavy things and doing pushups and using my back muscles don’t help the situation at all. After a week, I’ve been able to come back to class feeling back to normal. I canceled the class I planned for yesterday and went to Revolve instead. I’m going to Refine on Tuesday because I am bringing a new friend who really wants to try it. We met because she takes my spin class every Monday morning! It’s been hard for Andy and I to make friends in Jersey City, and we loved meeting Caitlin and her husband for a drink last week. This week, I show her the wonders of the Refine Method.

After Tuesday, I’ll take a few days off Refine and see how I am doing. Also, going to Refine means carrying my heavy bag to and from Jersey City on two trains with some walking thrown in. So not going there should help.

I want to take care of this now because my wedding is in just over two months and I want to be back into my workouts as soon as possible. My back felt fine yesterday and this morning, but after having to carry that heavy bag with me today since I taught spin and had to get ready at the gym, I’m hurting again.

My bag is definitely the culprit. I need to find a non-ugly backpack this week! I can’t let something so dumb derail me from my workouts and keep me from the class I love most in the world, Refine.

I have a sports massage scheduled for this Friday with the most amazing, brilliant, talented sports massage therapist Danielle DeMaio (She works with famous athletes – let me know if you want her info!). I feel confident that I’ll be good to go after that.

Here’s how I did with my workouts last week:

  • Sunday – REST – Complete!
  • Monday – Teach spin (55 min) and Refine Method (1 hr) Teach spin again (55 min) – I got a call to sub a spin class i nthe evening, so I did that instead of Refine – Complete!
  • Tuesday – Refine Method (1 hr) – Complete!
  • Wednesday – Refine Method (1 hr) – Complete!
  • Thursday – Revolve (45 min) – Complete!
  • Friday – Rest or easy run – I went to Refine Method since I canceled it on Monday. So, complete!
  • Saturday – Refine Method (1 hr) – Complete! (Last day of Refine Resolution Challenge!)

Last week was a great week of working out. This week I’m looking forward to taking it easier. I am open to canceling any workouts after Tuesday and just letting my body rest.

Rest isn’t so bad when you’ve got this tiny thing to squeeze.

dori larry couch cuddle

Do you have a recurring pain that’s not quite an injury but keeps coming back? How do you handle it?

Workout Plan: Week of March 24, 2013 + My 30th Birthday

Thank you all for the birthday wishes! And thank you… ATM?

- Chase ATM Birthday Message

Being 30 is weird and old. I celebrated by taking the day off work (something I’ve never done on my birthday before, although one year it fell on Good Friday and my old company had off that day and it was spectacular).

So, this shirt exists. Andy randomly found it on the Internet and got it for Larry for my birthday.

scary larry

Accurate!

Workout plan for the week of March 23, 2013:

  • Sunday – REST
  • Monday – Teach spin (55 min) and Refine Method (1 hr) Teach spin again (55 min)
  • Tuesday – Refine Method (1 hr)
  • Wednesday – Refine Method (1 hr)
  • ThursdayRevolve (45 min) Refine Method (1 hr)
  • Friday – Rest or easy run
  • Saturday – Refine Method (1 hr)

I am really loving the results I’ve been seeing from the Refine Resolution Challenge and will devote a post to it once the challenge is officially over. For now, I’d like to unofficially up my challenge from 12 classes this month to 15. This is partly because I already know I can do 12, so why not make it more challenging and partly because I am loving it so much. I’ll explain more when I recap my challenge.
Here’s how last week’s workouts went:

 

  • Sunday – Refine Method (1 hr) – Complete!
  • Monday – Teach spin (55 min) – Complete!
  • Tuesday – RIP Ride at Revolve (1 hr) – Complete!*
  • Wednesday – Refine Method (1 hr) – Complete!
  • Thursday – Refine Method (1 hr) **BIRTHDAY WORKOUT** I will be requesting hip lifts with a band, just like last year. And this year, Andy has to come too.- Complete!**
  • Friday – TBD – Short run, spin or rest – Real Ride at Revolve (45 min) – Complete!***
  • Saturday – Teach spin (50 min) and Refine Method (1 hr) – Complete!

*After the class (which was beyond phenomenal, crazy energy) ended, a sweaty guy burst into the room and exclaimed, “Great class!” It took Kira Stokes a second to realize what happened and once she figured it out she clued us all in. The guy was either too late to get into class or the class was full, so the Revolve staff took the display bike from the window, rolled it up to just outside the classroom, and he took the ENTIRE RIP Ride class outside the room! Alone. Following along to all of Kira’s cues. He got an amazing workout and we all got an incredible story!

**Brynn asked me on Twitter if I had any birthday requests for the class. I said:

Dori's misunderstood tweet to Refine

She misread “No discs” as “Discs” and we did my all-time most hated exercise: Snow angel planks. While I wasn’t thrilled about this, I wasn’t really angry either. I’m there to get stronger and this is clearly an exercise I need to work at to be stronger. And make my Refined abs even abbier.

***I had ONE birthday drink at dinner and a few sips in realized I was already drunk. I proceeded to finish the entire cocktail and then I was wasted. Not the fun kind either. I felt pretty ill and I passed out at home early, just one episode away from finishing House of Cards (which I did complete the next day and PLEASE let’s discuss it!). I woke up ridiculously hungover on Friday and felt that way all day long. From ONE drink. I also felt like I needed to sweat off the hangover, and decided to go to Stephanie Nieman’s Real Ride at Revolve after work. Excellent decision; I felt much better after.

Dori's birthday cocktail that got her wasted

This is what being old is. I did manage to consume three less-strong cocktails on Saturday night when I celebrated at a private room in a bar with friends from all different times in my life. There were lots of blog friends there too – thank you Ashley Runningbun, Theodora, Fiona, Melissa, Jen, Leticia, Beth, Elizabeth and Melissa Z for coming out.

Dori's 30th birthday celebration with blog friends

Blog friends

Dori at her 30th birthday with blog friend

Fiona & RunningBun. What is so funny?!

Dori and Andy celebrate Dori's 30th birthday

Andy looks like this in every single picture.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is my former roommate Lim. She will be an extremely pregnant bridesmaid at my wedding this June.

Dori's pregnant bridesmaid and former roommate

While it was really special and made me feel liked to have so many people come out for me when I worried no one would show (and I seriously can’t express my gratitude enough to all of you), this is the last time I do the bar party. I was absurdly hungover all day Sunday despite only having three drinks and not even feeling that drunk! I only slept for about four hours when I got home and felt exhausted and headachy all day Sunday in a way that no amount of Trader Joe’s Frosted Flakes could cure. I know this because I ate three bowls in a row following my egg and cheese sandwich. This is why I can’t go out anymore.

Apparently they can’t either.

Andy and Larry asleep in bed

How were your workouts last week? Anything fun planned this week? Are you old and incapable to consuming alcoholic beverages like me?

 

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