Soothing Sunday: Favorite Ways to Sweat

Hello, dear readers! It's another great day to be thankful and to get excited for a new week.

As I try to get a bit on track with my fitness, I've been remembering some of my favorite ways to get sweaty! I'm still limited by the pandemic, but even just at home and outside, I've been able to do some of my favorite workouts to get sweaty.

Christmas tree farm on the property where we took our Minimoon in September

Peloton Workouts

My husband and I purchased a Schwinn IC4--a stationary bike with Bluetooth--and use the Peloton app to guide us through workouts on the bike. It's been an awesome way to get the benefit of the Peloton workouts without having to spend all that money on the Peloton Bike.

I've loved some of the theme rides: like Wicked! the musical-themed rides, Year of Yes rides with a motivational component, Sundays With Love rides. I've also really enjoyed groove rides which focus on riding to the beat (a lot like SoulCycle) and incorporate a little choreography. 

Peloton also has plenty of non-cycling workouts! I've enjoyed their strength classes (abs and arms, especially), barre classes, Pilates classes, yoga classes, and guided stretching. There's so much variety, and you can easily tack on a 10 minute arm workout to a cycle workout to get just a little more burn.

Walking

My husband and I took a lot, lot, lot of walks over the summer but hadn't done much of it once it started getting cold. But I've recently realized how much I can enjoy a pretty long walk even in the very cold weather that we've been having, as long as I bundle up well!

Pairing two fun things: Another great thing about the winter walks is pairing it with the opportunity to listen to some of my favorite podcasts or pairing it with an audiobook. It's also a good time to have a short chat with a loved one on the phone!

Steam Room

One of the things I miss so much about having a gym to go to regularly is the steam room. I know plenty of people prefer the sauna to a steam room, but I just love the feeling of being absolutely drenched in sweat and steam and then drinking tons of water afterwards. I can almost see the toxins leaving my body. I love it. 

But I have not had access to a steam room since the pandemic started, so I miss that!

Barre Classes

When I lived in Alexandria, Virginia, I attended daily Pure Barre classes at a studio down the street from my apartment. I took similar classes in Omaha, Nebraska, where I lived next. But--again--since the pandemic, I have not done indoor workout classes. A local Barre3 studio offered outdoor classes while the weather permitted, but those are not available anymore. 

I love a barre workout though. I love working the accessory muscles that don't seem to get activated in more typical exercises. I love working toward a long, lean ballet physique. And barre classes are geared toward that end. 

Dance Cardio

Finally, I love a dance cardio class. I love Zumba, hip hop class, or anything similar. I spent a lot of my life taking dance classes, and I still know some part of my brain lights up with happiness and energy when I get to move my body that way. It's tough to do some video classes in our apartment, because I don't like making too much noise for our downstairs neighbors (lol!). But I even enjoy doing a little dance cardio class without being able to go all out.

Your turn! What are your favorite ways to get sweaty? Do you love to run? Do you love strength training? Spending time in some hot weather? Share in the comments!

Today's Delights:

• Yesterday, we discovered two great things on Netflix! Lupin and The Dig. Lupin is a fun sophisticated thief show set in Paris. We watched the first episode yesterday and we both enjoyed it a lot! It's in French, and the subtitles also drew us in! The Dig is about a true story. An archaeological dig taking place in England just before WWII, and the people surrounding it. It was a great film--we both enjoyed it!
• I know I keep mentioning Noom, but I keep being happy with my results and my commitment. So far, I have continued to meet the challenges. Today, I weighed in at 169.8 lbs. That's some real progress! Also, I've tried very hard to buy into their philosophy--everything in moderation--and it seems to kind of work! Last night, for instance, my husband made margaritas, and we had a frozen pizza. I did not have a lot of the pizza, but I did have pizza! And I had a margarita! I just also had a big side salad, and tried to get a good workout in earlier in the day. I'm really proud of it!
• Today, we're going to watch SNL which aired yesterday. I'm excited--it's hosted by John Krazinski! 

Find something to delight in! Love, A.