I apologize that this post took me so long to finally write.
I wanted the part 2 of this entry to go up a week after the first part, but
unfortunately that didn’t happen. I have finally gotten past the wall I hit in
my progress and my weight is slowly starting to decrease again… but as I have
mentioned before the number on the scale isn’t the most important thing to me
anymore. Even despite that though it still feels good to see it go down again
after weeks at a standstill.
The second half of the “What I am Doing Differently” entry
is going to be about my workout schedule and finishing up my day and what I am
doing differently in that process this time around. Before I was going to the
gym after dinner, usually around 7 pm. As time went on this system slowly began
harder and harder to stick to. When I get home from work, a lot of the time the
first few things I like to do it change my clothes (usually into my pajamas)
and take my makeup off (and remove contacts etc.) I usually eat dinner around
then as well. Now after I eat dinner and get all settled in for the night the
last thing I want to do is pack myself back up and go to the gym. I would think
of a million excuses to blow it off. Here is what I am doing this time around:
My routine starts at work, at the end of the day. I leave
work around 4:30 pm on a normal day, and on Tuesdays and Thursdays (for now) I
head to the gym directly after work. On those days I usually have some sort of
snack before I leave work. I will sometimes have a power bar of some sort, or a
piece of fruit of some kind (usually apple slices or a banana). Just something
in my stomach to raise my blood sugar a bit, but nothing with too many
calories. I am used to eating dinner after work, so by going straight to the
gym I eat my dinner an hour or two later. I want to have something small that
will hold me over and get me through my workout.
Clothes: I
of course have my workout clothes in my bag. I have my workout pants, a shirt,
a sports bra (honestly they really are just so much more comfortable to
exercise in), and of course my sneakers.
Pre-workout Items:
A hairbrush, hair ties, bobby pins, lip balm, gum, and very importantly makeup
removing wipes.
Post-Workout:
Other items for after my workout include body spray, a microfiber towel since
my gym does not have towels available anymore, and deodorant wipes.
My routine starts at work, at the end of the day. I leave
work around 4:30 pm on a normal day, and on Tuesdays and Thursdays (for now) I
head to the gym directly after work. On those days I usually have some sort of
snack before I leave work. I will sometimes have a power bar of some sort, or a
piece of fruit of some kind (usually apple slices or a banana). Just something
in my stomach to raise my blood sugar a bit, but nothing with too many
calories. I am used to eating dinner after work, so by going straight to the
gym I eat my dinner an hour or two later. I want to have something small that
will hold me over and get me through my workout.
Once I leave work I drive right to the gym. I have been
finding that writing down my workouts on my desk calendar at work really helps
me stick to going. It seems a little silly, but I just feel like displaying it
on my calendar makes it seem more set in stone and I feel less likely to blow
it off because of this.
If you are going directly after work or school I highly
suggest a gym bag. Seems like a no brainer right? What I did was shop around
for an affordable but cute bag that I like to carry. Just another little trick
that makes going to the gym more enjoyable if you are like me and (at least
right now) it isn’t your favorite thing to do. I found my bag on Etsy and it
was right in my price range and also included free monogramming. I honestly
love the bag I found and it is just the right size.
Once I get to the gym I head to the locker room and then I
go into a changing room. Here is where the gym bag comes in handy. For before
my workout I have a lot of useful things in my bag. I will list them now to
hopefully pass along some ideas:
Clothes: I
of course have my workout clothes in my bag. I have my workout pants, a shirt,
a sports bra (honestly they really are just so much more comfortable to
exercise in), and of course my sneakers. 
Pre-workout Items:
A hairbrush, hair ties, bobby pins, lip balm, gum, and very importantly makeup
removing wipes.  |
| Figured I would add a pre-workout selfie! In my gym clothes and makeup is off. |
I go into the changing room and change my clothes first.
While I am in there and have a little bit of privacy I usually do around 20
squats and stretch as a little warmup. Stretches are an obvious choice to warm
up, and I decided to do squats as well because I was highly recommend doing
them. Once I finish these up, I usually head back out to the main locker room.
Here I put my hair up in a ponytail, pin back any pieces that may be falling
out, and I use a wipe to remove my makeup. I only remove my face makeup and
lipstick if I am wearing it that day (hence the lip balm haha). I typically
leave my eyebrows and eye makeup on. This really is only because they are a
pain to fully remove without fully washing your face. I would look like a raccoon
if I tried removing that.
 |
| This is honestly a great song to workout to. |
Once I am all ready to workout I lock up the remainder of my
things and I only take out a bottle of water, my phone, and earbuds. I then go
workout! I usually do about 30 minutes of cardio… this is only until I work my
endurance back up a bit and can handle more. My biggest tip would be to listen
to music you love and will make the time fly by. I have been really into Fitz
and the Tantrums lately, so I have been listening to them a lot while I work
out and the times flies by. Find something that will hold your interest and will
make the workout a little easier.
Once my 30 minutes is up I head back to the locker room and
chill out for a little while. I have a few items in my bag that are
specifically for after my workout as well. They are:
Clothes: I
have a little bag in my gym bag that I have extra pairs of socks and panties
in. We all know it doesn’t hurt to have extras of these especially after a
workout.
Post-Workout:
Other items for after my workout include body spray, a microfiber towel since
my gym does not have towels available anymore, and deodorant wipes.
I personally go right home after the gym so I just change
back into my everyday clothes and head home to shower there. I just don’t see
the point in showering there when I am going home. The body spray and deodorant
wipes really help if I have an errand or two to run before heading home. Just a
quick refresh before heading out.
 |
| I love getting the power bowl meals from Wegmans after a workout for dinner. |
Once I get home I have a healthy dinner and then shower and
settle in for the night. That is pretty much it for the rest of my day. I
honestly feel like it is really working out so well for me already. I have
honestly gone to the gym more this year already than all of last year and I can
already feel my tolerance and endurance building up again slowly.
Now that I have shared what I am doing differently this time
around I think at the end of next month or so I will do a follow-up. Share what
is working for me and if I have made any changes.
As always, thank you very much for reading it is very much
appreciated.
