Lifetime In Boca + Finally Tried A Run Class!

I have two important things to discuss before listing my workouts from last week!

Lifetime in Boca

While in Florida last week, I went to Lifetime in Boca Raton. I was last there 10 years ago!

At the time, I was a Lifetime member here in New York. Now, as an Equinox member, it was pretty interesting to go back to a Lifetime. Let me explain…

Don’t get me wrong – Lifetime is a big beautiful facility with all of the amenities you could want from an athletic club.

However, it’s what I would call a fancy sweat factory. It was sweaty, not as clean, didn’t smell pleasant, had a lot going on, and just didn’t feel as pristine as my daily experiences at Equinox.

My son had told me this same opinion once he joined Equinox after having a Lifetime membership more recently than me here in New York. Now that I experienced Lifetime again for myself, I see the difference and exactly what he meant.

Now, that does not mean I didn’t enjoy myself at Lifetime in Boca. In fact, I checked the class schedule for the day I was going and got so lucky to see Warrior Sculpt at the time I could attend!

If you have been reading for a while, you may recall that I used to do Warrior Sculpt through Lifetime on Demand workouts during the pandemic. It was my FAVORITE workout and turned me into a yoga-loving person. I had never taken the class in person until now!

Warrior Sculpt in person was challenging, amazing, and so fun. I’m actually really proud of myself for how far I’ve come with yoga and my ability to keep up with these types of classes.

Lifetime Boca Yoga Studio

I had this PB & B smoothie right after the class from the Lifetime Cafe. I mentioned the smoothie in Friday’s post but just in case you missed it, it was delicious and necessary.

My First Precision Run Class

I’m so excited to report that I FINALLY tried the run class at Equinox! While I usually choose spin on Saturday which conflicts with the run class time, I opted to try Precision Run on Saturday instead of spin because I hadn’t run in a week and was really in the mood.

First, although I was new to the class style, I’m obviously not a new runner. In fact, I was likely the most experienced runner in the class – other runners and the instructor noticed I was going really fast and not having any issues with the intervals. The girl next to me was so nice and said at one point – wow you are really fast!

The class is structured for all levels because you control your pace range but need to know what your PR pace is — well, that was not something I knew right away. PR pace as in fastest ever? Fastest for what type of workout and/or distance? I really wasn’t sure at first so I just played a bit until I figured out halfway through the class that 8.0 and even above was my PR pace to base things around.

The class is run/walk intervals. I don’t normally walk during my runs — if I’m running intervals, I would run fast and then run easy for the slower intervals. This particular workout was one min running/one min walking with a mixed focus on inlines and speed. So honestly, this felt relatively “easy” because every minute I was walking but not really easy if that makes sense. Running is always a workout and the intervals, even though they included walking, were much different from my usual runs which is really A GOOD THING. I like variety right now so it’s nice to add variety to my running.

I mentioned the class structure to Laura who also wrote this good post about the benefits of Run/Walk intervals.

Will I take the class again? YES. Will I try to remember I can also use the Equinox+ App for the running workouts to do on my own? YES.

Last Week’s Workouts

I was away for the first half of the week but jumped right back into my Equinox routine the day after I got home.

• 3 Yoga Classes
• 2 Walk Classes
• 2 Equinox+ App Classes
• 1 Run Class
• 1 Barre Class
• 1 Pilates Class

gym bag essentials

Monday – 20 Min Pilates + 15 Min Yoga (Equinox+ App)

Tuesday – 60 Min Warrior Sculpt (heated / 3 lb weights)

Wednesday – Off (travel day)

Thursday – 45 Min Precision Walk Elevate + 60 Min Vinyasa Yoga

Friday – 30 Treadmill Walk + 45 Min Barre (2 lb weights/ball)

Saturday – 45 Min Precision Run + 60 Min Vinyasa Yoga

My first run class!

Sunday – 45 Min Precision Walk Elevate + 45 Min Pilates

10 Years Ago + Weekly Workout Recap

Just a few random thoughts from my workouts last week:

I asked myself if I was running enough and then quickly said – running enough for what? This is literally my internal battle for five years now since I drastically cut back from high mileage and never returned to it. I like my lower running mileage and definitely love the Equinox class variety I have going on right now BUT the runner in me still tugs at my feelings – but never wins.

My blog is 10 years old this week. 10 YEARS. 10 years ago when I started this blog I was a member of Lifetime, taking spin classes, running a whole lot, and utilizing the Lifetime kids club for my son. My son was 9 at the time and is now 19 (!!) and now we both belong to Equinox – just different locations.

To think that 10 years ago, I hadn’t begun to take barre yet, and rarely did anything but cardio. I may have run a lot of races back then but I would say I’m stronger now and definitely more flexible!

10 years ago was the time period when bloggers were the influencers and social media wasn’t too much of a thing — the below picture is from the Fitness Magazine Meet and Tweet — they wanted you tweeting from the event, because Twitter was the popular platform back then. Instagram had barely become a thing and reels and tik toks weren’t around yet.

Last Week’s Workouts

• 3 days included running
• 2 spin classes
• 2 barre classes
• 2 pilates classes
• 1 walking class
• 1 yoga class

Monday – 15 Min Run + 45 Min Barre (strap, block, ball, 2 lb weights)

I love a quick warm-up run! Also, this barre class incorporated allll the equipment.

Tuesday – 60 Min Pilates Fusion (yoga block)

Wednesday – 30 Min Run + 30 Min Walk (treadmill)

It’s funny how running became my “day off” — I needed a day off from classes, even though I hated to miss the barre class that uses the bala bangle ankle weights.

Thursday – 60 Min Barre (2 lb weights, ball, band)

It was a toss-up between barre or vinyasa yoga today. I made my decision first thing in the morning and based it upon waking up on the early side which put me in the barre time slot vs the later yoga time slot.

Friday – 15 Min Run + 45 MIn Spin (Anthem Ride)

Saturday – 45 Min Spin (Anthem Ride) + 60 Min Vinyasa Yoga

I stuck around after spin for a yoga class and I’m so glad I did. Also, this particular yoga class goes so fast. It’s an hour but feels like 20 minutes.

Sunday – 45 Min Precision Walk Elevate + 45 Min Pilates (pilates ring)

Today’s incline walk class ranged inclines from 3 – 15% but is broken down into 1 minute and 30 second intervals that it goes so fast!

Thanksgiving Week Workouts in Review

The Monday after a long holiday weekend (especially Thanksgiving!) is always a bit strange. Not only is today weird, but last week also seems like a total blur! Good thing I write down my workouts after they happen so I can put together this post.

Did you shop the Black Friday sales? Are we supposed to discuss Cyber Monday?

I ordered a few more things from Alo Yoga — I finally grabbed those keep-it-dry fitness pouches (I’m a sucker for a good pouch), the hot pink solar visor, and the slides in the white.

But seriously, don’t miss the sales going on with GapFit. Those tops I mentioned in this post are so so good.

Last Week’s Workouts

I haven’t been in a real running mood so with the little bit of running I’m doing, I’m mixing things up when on the treadmill. I don’t usually focus on the incline so that’s exactly what I’m doing right now – focusing on the incline. I run my usual mile warm-up on the treadmill and then with the remainder of the time (a little over 10 minutes), I drop my speed (between 6.1 -6.3) and range inclines from 3 – 6%. I ran this style of workout twice last week and really enjoyed it.

Monday – 20 Min Run + 45 Min Barre (2 lb weights + ball)

Tuesday – 45 Min Spin (Cycle Beats)

Wednesday – 20 Min Run + 60 Min Bala Bangle Barre Burn (2 lb weights + ankle weights)

Thursday – 60 MIn Spin (Thanksgiving Special Ride)

The spin classes are normally 45 minutes so today was a special ride for Thanksgiving. I find the classes go SO FAST, even the full hour went fast for me!

Friday – 60 Min Barefoot Sculpt (2 lb weights + ball + resistance band)

Saturday – 3 Mile Run (outside!)

I hadn’t run outdoors in over a month. In fact, it took me a minute to remember what to wear when running outside this time of year!

Sunday – 45 Min Precision Walk Elevate + 45 Min PIlates (ball)

Little Bits of Running (weekly workout recap)

A few notes before getting to my workouts from last week!

My Ever-Changing Gym Routine:

Do I not always say that my workout routine will vary from week to week? Well literally, no kidding on that.

While I’m a morning person, I don’t need to get up as early right now so the 7:00 AM class time range is not necessary. Instead, I can explore the Equinox classes that happen at later times.

If I thought my Gemini personality had issues a few weeks ago, look at my issues now:

7:45 AM Spin? 8:00 AM Barre? Spin at 9:15? Barefoot Sculpt at 8:45? Do I get up for the 7:00 AM pilates anyway? Can I wait until the 9:30 spin? Pilates at 9:00 AM, for an hour? Can I hold off until 10:15 for a class or even 11:15 to try Yoga?!

Yikes.

On the positive side, I HAVE SO MANY OPTIONS at Equinox. My workout routine continues to vary, and the time options work for any possible schedule. I love Equinox so much and remain so happy that I joined a few months ago. It’s so worth the investment.

Little Bits of Running:

As far as running goes, I think I’m in the little bits-at-a-time phase.

I did get a fresh pair of Brooks Ghost 14s (on sale!) so it was fun to run a few miles. Other than that, I just don’t feel like running much. I’m finding that squeezing in little bits of running, as in 10 – 20 minutes of running prior to a class is working for me right now.

At the moment, I think I’m enjoying spin as my main form of cardio. This opinion can change at a moment’s notice.

Forgot My Water Bottle:

Clearly, my head is not in its usual place because I FORGOT my water bottle on Saturday, even though I filled it up while getting ready to leave the house.

I felt so LOST without my water bottle! What a weird feeling.

Last Week’s Workouts

Monday – 15 Min Run + 45 Min Barre (2 lb weights + ball)

15 minutes of easy running with inclines mixed in to get me back into running after an unplanned week off.

Tuesday – 45 Min Treadmill Walk + One Hour Pilates Fusion (2 lb weights + sliders)

My treadmill walk was precise enough to include the time for today.

This was my first time taking Pilates Fusion – I would describe it as similar to the other pilates classes I take only it incorporates additional sculpting exercises. It was great!

Also, using sliders makes things extra hard.

Wednesday – 45 Min Spin (Cycle Power)

Thursday – Outdoor Walk (rest day from the gym)

Friday – 3 Mile Run + One Hour Barefoot Sculpt (2 lb weights + ball + small towel)

Saturday – 15 Min Run + 45 Min Spin (Anthem Ride)

Sunday – 45 MIn Precision Walk Elevate + 45 Min Pilates (ring)

Why I Couldn’t Run Last Week (weekly workout recap)

In my post on Friday, I mentioned that I had a tough week at work.

Like really tough.

As the Director of Marketing, I have been with my company (an event tech startup) since the very beginning. If you have been reading my blog since 2013, you may recall a series of wedding-related planning posts that were sponsored by the company before I even got on board full-time.

So for somewhere between 8-9 years, I devoted my time, passion, and energy to helping build that company into what it is today. And I’m really proud of that.

We were a family. And a lot of that family, including myself, are now moving on.

What’s next? I definitely need some time to breathe in order to figure that out.

While another job in event tech is not of interest, I do love the pretty wedding side of things so I’m sure I will stay in the industry in some capacity.

Last Week’s Workouts

Last week was very hard emotionally which affected my workouts.

When I’m dealing with something emotional, I actually can’t run. I can do other things but running is just a no. Not only am I not in the mood, but the energy required to run is a different type of energy and one I don’t have when I’m upset.

If we look at the positive side, I gave myself a really nice break from running.

Also! I took advantage of the class schedule at Equinox at times I can’t normally attend because of my work schedule!

Like Bala Bangle Barre Burn. Quite a tongue twister, but I was excited to try that class!

And the Spin class I took on Tuesday? That class was 80’s music trivia themed and I won a few prizes!

Monday – Outdoor Walk

I had already decided that I needed a day off and took a walk before knowing what my week was about to look like.

Tuesday – 45 Min Spin

Wednesday – One Hour Bala Bangle Barre Burn (2 lb weights + ankle weights)

I really enjoyed taking this class for the first time. It’s similar to the other barre classes only you wear the Bala bangle ankle weights the entire time (but you can take them off if you want at any point).

Thursday – 45 Min Spin

Friday – 45 Min Pilates (ring)

Saturday – 45 Min Spin

I ran like five minutes on the treadmill to realize that yes I’m ready to run but no, I don’t think I want to run more than this right now and can wait until Monday. I walked a bit before spin class.

Sunday – 45 Min Precision Walk Elevate + 45 Min Pilates

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This week I’m hoping to try a few more classes at Equinox that I can’t normally make due to my work schedule including Pilates Fusion, a few other spin classes at other times, a different barre class, and maybe yoga if I can fit it in!

And to be really honest, with all of these classes, I don’t miss running but I’m sure I will throw in a few miles at some point.

Perfect Workout Routine? (weekly workout recap)

A few things to note from last week!

-Once I fully adjust, I will appreciate the time change because it’s lighter again in the morning, even if it’s only for a few weeks. The earlier sunrises this time of year make it easier to get myself up and out the door.

-I didn’t have my Gemini issues and was able to easily figure out the perfect workout routine for the week — not that it means I will follow the same schedule every week. Things will naturally vary.

-I received an email to renew my subscription to Melissa Wood Health at the end of the month. I actually decided not to renew, not because I don’t love her workouts but because I am not using the platform enough to justify it. I can always join at any time so if I miss the workouts in the winter, I will sign up. I still 110% recommend Melissa Wood Health if you are looking for at-home basic yoga and excellent pilates workouts with options from 5 minutes – 45 minutes.

-If you missed my post on Friday, I shared a ton of new workout apparel that I’m loving — here’s the link.

-Last but not least, congrats to the runners of the New York City Marathon! It was pretty warm and humid yesterday which could not have made things easy. I felt pretty bad when I opened the door in the morning and felt the air — could only imagine what the runners were dealing with in those conditions.

Last Week’s Workouts

I usually walk on the treadmill before or after a class on days I don’t run. I don’t track it because I don’t pay attention to the time. Sometimes I have five minutes before class, 20 minutes before class, or 30 minutes after class. Sometimes it’s a combo of before and after class.

Monday – 20 Min Run + 45 MIn Spin

Tuesday – 45 MIn Barefoot Sculpt (2 lb weights + ball)

In case you were curious, this is the class description for Barefoot Sculpt:

A low-impact barefoot workout that blends pilates, barre, and lightweight sculpting.

Wednesday – 5 Mile Run (treadmill)

I alternated inclines with speed – always a challenge!

Thursday – 45 Min Barre (2 lb weights + band)

Friday – 45 Min Pilates (ball + ring)

Saturday – 20 Min Run + 45 Min Spin

Sunday – Precision Walk Elevate + Pilates

I love this class combo!

What Kind Of Changes? (weekly workout recap)

If you missed my post yesterday about September 11, you can read it here.

Even if I tried at various points in the day yesterday to not think about what the day was, I couldn’t avoid it. While waiting for our order at Town Bagel, I watched the reading of the names.

Weekly Workout Recap

My son asked me if I’ve noticed any changes since joining Equinox.

What kind of changes?

I wasn’t even looking for changes. I’m not one for “goals” and I’m not looking to lose weight – I don’t even use a scale. I joined Equinox for the change of scenery and to enjoy myself.

Although, I might notice one positive change aside from enjoying my workout experiences.

I think the incline walking on the treadmill, especially from the Precision Walk class, has made me more capable and comfortable with inclines overall. The last couple of times that I ran on the treadmill, I notice that I’m setting it to a higher incline as soon as I start to run and keep it higher than I used to as my base incline.

So that’s pretty cool!

Fitness Finds

I noticed that lululemon has the terry headbands now. Alo Yoga headbands come as a two-pack for $20 vs lululemon for $14 for just one headband.

The Sculpt Tank from lululemon now comes in a bright purple (moonlit magenta) — this is now my favorite tank for running so I will likely get it in this color and maybe white or black too.

Last Week’s Workouts

I’m still working on setting a routine but the truth is, and I think I keep saying this, it will continue to vary/go day by day.

I definitely noticed that I want nothing to do with running outside. It’s amazing how burned out of my usual routine I actually was because I don’t think I fully noticed until I changed things by joining Equinox.

While there are tons of various types of classes to choose from, I’m pretty set on rotating pilates, barefoot sculpt, and spin, and fitting in barre (and the Precision Walk class on Sundays) when I can.

What I do love and try really hard to do is (again, when I can) take two barefoot sculpt and two pilates each week. Each of those classes has a different teacher which gives me a really nice variation on the same type of exercises. It won’t happen each week because I do need to go by how I feel, what time I wake up, and what else I have going on that day, but I will try!

Monday – 5 Miles (treadmill)

I don’t have a specific workout to share but I still run my easy run on the treadmill workout for the first mile and then pick it up from there, finishing five miles under 45 minutes.

Tuesday – Barefoot Sculpt

Wednesday – 3 Miles (treadmill) + Pilates

I squeeze those three miles in prior to pilates which pushes me to get done fast. Today I had a few extra minutes so I didn’t go crazy with speed but still ran three miles in 26 minutes.

Thursday – Outdoor Walk + 20 Min Melissa Wood Health Yoga Flow

Friday – Pilates

Saturday – 15 Min Run + Spin

I slept a little later today which meant I missed the first spin class on the schedule. This worked out well because I’ve wanted to take Anthem Ride for a while now! I really loved it and loved adding a 15-minute warm-up run prior to the spin class.

While the Saturday schedule has a spin class followed by the Precision Run class (still haven’t made it to that class!), I definitely won’t ever do that. I think that would be too high intensity for me. But, I can totally run a bit on the treadmill before spinning. It warmed me up really nicely for spin and I felt great afterward.

Sunday – Barefoot Sculpt + Precision Walk

It worked out with today’s schedule that the Barefoot Sculpt class was moved up by 15 minutes which meant I was able to do that plus the treadmill walk class. They usually conflict so this made me happy.

Last Week’s Workouts + Vacation Week!

On Friday I mentioned being excited about a summer weekend with a run at the beach. Well, the weather was definitely “summer” in that the forecast went from sunny to random downpours both Saturday and Sunday. At the last minute Saturday morning, I decided to run by the house instead of the beach because the forecast was suddenly very different from what I had expected!

Other than that, I did run less overall last week than I have been lately. It wasn’t because of the weather, it was more because I was mentally tired (I think) from things going on at work. I’m happy that I can go with the flow of how I feel and not push myself to do more than I think I’m up for, that’s for sure!

I won’t run much this week either as I’m going away for a few days (!!) and will be leaving my running shoes home. While I will certainly take walks, likely do a yoga or pilates workout, and play tennis, I’m not big on worrying about packing running shoes to run when I travel. There’s plenty of time for running the rest of the year so I don’t need to fit it in on a trip.

narrowed down my Stoney Clover pouches!

Last Week’s Workouts

Monday – 25 Min Pilates Sculpt + 40 Min Walk

This was a new pilates flow from Melissa Wood Health and it was great! Keeping that bottom leg elevated was a new and interesting challenge for me. Looks easy — but it’s not easy.

screenshot from Melissa Wood Health – pilates sculpt

Tuesday – 4 Mile Run

I didn’t feel as energized as usual but once I hit three miles, I continued to four with that last mile being my fastest. That’s usually how it happens, right? We think we aren’t energized to run and then a few miles in, you are ready to go.

Wednesday – 4 Mile Walk

I felt like a long walk this morning.

Thursday – 45 Min Walk + 23 Min Yoga Flow

Friday – 3 Mile Run + 10 Min Power Abs

Saturday – 7 Mile Run

Sunday – 22 min Super Charged Yoga/Pilates Flow + 4 Mile Walk

I may not post again until sometime next week but will likely share a few stories on Instagram. Have a great week!

Workouts From Last Week

It’s amazing what early sunrises, warm weather, and the beach can do for my running mood. I’m so much more likely to run longer, more often, and even faster in the summer although I’m hoping that come fall, I still want to run as much as I do during the warmer months. While so many runners find fall to be their favorite summer running season, I’m definitely a summer runner.

I’m in a really good place with averaging four runs a week and upping my average distances for each run fairly often. I also don’t feel any level of soreness, fatigue, or additional hunger which is a plus.

I’ll chat on Wednesday about what I’ve been eating to keep up with increasing my mileage. One thing is for sure, I’m staying hydrated. I love this water bottle from Lululemon.

Also! Melissa Wood Health’s yoga and pilates flows are still so amazing to me! I really enjoy her workouts and her style. If you haven’t tried her platform yet, I definitely recommend the free trial.

Last Week’s Workouts

Monday – 7 Mile Run

I listed today’s run in last week’s workout recap since it was a long holiday weekend. I’m popping it into this week’s recap too just to get back on a regular track.

Tuesday – 19 Min Full Body Flow (1 lb weights) + 45 Min Walk

Wednesday – 4.3 Mile Run

I had to start my work day a little earlier so I had slightly less time to run this morning. I made the four miles count by increasing my effort and then added the .3 as a cool down.

Thursday – 23 Min Super Charged Yoga/Pilates Flow + 45 Min Walk

Friday – 5.25 Mile Run

Today’s run was hot and humid yet it flew by so fast that I had to stop myself from going further!

Saturday – 40 Min Pilates (1 lb weights)

Sunday – 7 Mile Run

I started my run on the boardwalk and quickly saw a 2 Mile Time Clock. Oops, here am I part of a race again! It seemed to be a 5K because only a mile or so later was the finish line. I didn’t cross the finish line but running into these races lately is making me think that maybe I will run one this summer.

Summer Running Weekly Workout Recap

Ah, I love the summer.

I hope you had a nice holiday weekend. I spent most of my time at the beach, outside, and enjoying my workouts.

As I say often, summer is my running season. My interest in running is up. My mileage is up, my distance per run is going up, and my pace is down. While I focus more on effort than pace these days, I am definitely noticing that my average pace is faster than it was during the winter.

Give me all the sunny summer days!

Last Week’s Workouts

Monday – 45 Min Walk + 13 Min Swift Standing Series (bodyweight)

The new standing series from Melissa Wood Health reminds me of some of my past Pure Barre workouts.

Tuesday – 5 Mile Run

I thought I would run at least three miles but felt so great that I continued for five. Today was one of those everything clicks and running is fantastic days!

Wednesday – 30 Min Powerhouse Pilates (bodyweight)

Once again I’m the only person taking the stairs out of Penn Station. On days I’m in the city, I don’t walk or run in the morning so the stairs are a good way to get those walks in!

Thursday – 3 Mile Run + 8 Min Power Arms (1 lb weights)

Friday – 7 Mile Run

I’m off today!

It was a gorgeous beach day for a run on the boardwalk. I have a natural tendency to run my boardwalk runs in this pattern:

• Mile 1 – warm-up
• Mile 2,3 – increase speed
• Mile 4- easy
• Mile 5, 6 – pick up the pace again
• Mile 7 – easy

When I feel the heat and fatigue, I play with increasing speed between light poles. Usually, I go fast for two light poles and then run easy for one. This pattern helps me forget that I’m tired!

Saturday – 42 Min Yoga/Pilates Flow (1 lb weights + resistance band)

Sunday – 3 Mile Run + 8 Min Booty Sculpt (1 lb weights)

I’m planning to run at the beach tomorrow so today was a quick and easy three miles before heading to an early afternoon Mets game.

Monday – 7 Mile Run

I knew there was a 4K race on the boardwalk today but I didn’t think it was worth the entry fee to be a part of it. However, since I was running on the boardwalk anyway, I was basically part of the race during the first couple of miles of my run. These situations are always so funny to me!