As we enter into the holiday season and the new year, I was in search of a program to help me switch things up fitness-wise. I usually work out 5 days a week, doing a mix of cardio (spin or running) and strength workouts all via Peloton. Don’t get me wrong, I still LOVE my Peloton, but I needed a little change. This past summer after my 5th half marathon, my right knee started to give me trouble. I would go for a run and at the 2 mile mark, I’d have shooting pain down my leg to the point that I’d have to stop (this even happened at a 10k race in August– which really bummed me out.) I tried taking days off, but sure enough whenever I would pick up running again, the pain would come back. My doctor thinks it is my IT band, a common runner’s condition, so I have been trying foam rolling (not that pleasant, by the way!) She also recommended a give my knee a longer break from running.
That said, I started searching for a workout I could do at home and stumbled upon Lauren Gleisberg. She has a variety of workouts available, and I decided to purchase her Fitmas Challenge. And so far? I LOVE IT.
Why?
-She has both gym and home versions, and the home versions need very little equipment, which I appreciate not having to go out and spend a small fortune on.
-The workouts are 30 min, perfect for this busy time of year (and my everyday life with two kiddos!)
-The workouts focus on weight training with some cardio bursts
-She has PDF downloads with easy to understand photos of the exercises, reps, etc. I prefer not having to download an app or constantly turn on my phone to check out the next move.
-Plus, she has fun giveaways on social media, and a great community of participants. I post my workouts each day on IG stories (@Stylefilesvalerie) if you want to follow along or want some motivation or accountability, I’m there!
She has a free preview week, which I did and loved. The challenge officially started this past Sunday, Nov 17th, but it is definitely not too late to join. You can jump in on the current day of the challenge, or start on Day 1 and take it from there. I am really loving the change in routine (though I don’t want to lose my 76 week Peloton streak, so I still plan to do some sort of workout at least once a week there.) I can honestly say that the moves are tough and I am sore (some days VERY sore), which means I am working muscles that I haven’t challenged in my typical workout routine the past several months. I really enjoy just turning on my music and getting in my zone, not listening to an instructor narrate everything and just pushing myself with the beat of the music. I’ll be curious to see if my muscle definition & tone changes at the end of this 30 day challenge. At this rate, I’m sure it will…and maybe I’ll do a recap post! Then come January, I think I might try one of her longer 8 week strength programs to kick off the New Year. Either way, I am hooked on doing more of this weight training…it is such a change and I am feeling challenged in some pretty great ways and seeing my strength increase!
Anyone else want to join me?! What fitness programs have you tried?
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