When the cabin door of the airplane shuts and the flight attendant makes the usual announcement to turn off all portable electronic devices, I have to admit, I don’t always adhere right away. I know that she’s going to make a few other announcements and do a few other checks before she heads down to aisle to check for seatbelts and electronic compliance. So maybe I keep catching up on email and blogs for just a few more minutes.
But then I shut down, and out comes the notepad and whatever book I’m currently reading (tonight: Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil). Usually, I make a to do list for the flight (finish X spreadsheet, finish Y spreadsheet, clean out inbox, etc) as well as a to do list for my Friday (coffee with neighborhood friend, work for 2 hours, doctor’s appointment, back to work, etc). Today, however, I pretty much had all that under control before I even got on the plane. What I didn’t have planned out just yet, though, was my weekend workouts.
As someone who really enjoys getting sweaty (though I don’t claim to be sweatastic or sweatalicious like Emily) in my free time, a big part of my weekend planning is how I’m going to get my workouts in. While some people look at vacations and weekends as times to take a break from working out, for me, those are the times when I can really focus on workouts and know that they’re not going to get interrupted by other demands. Of course, workouts don’t come first on my weekends – but they definitely play a pretty big role.
This weekend also happens to be when just about every holiday event I’m attending is scheduled. Tomorrow night is my company holiday party and my friend Tom’s holiday party after, Saturday is my friend Susan’s birthday beer bar crawl and also my friend Pam’s ugly sweater party, and Sunday I am going to support Susan (who is an awesome baker and food blogger) in a holiday cookie baking competition. (And yes, by “support” that really just means drink lots of spiked egg nog, eat all 30 creations of the competitors, and then vote for hers no matter what). Point? Tons of holiday food and beverages are going into my tummy, and if I’m going to be able to stomach all of them, I need to build up quite an appetite first. So instead of making my usual to do list, tonight’s “no electronic devices” time became my exercise planning time. Gotta fit it in somehow!
I’m kicking off tomorrow with some heavy weight lifting at a friend’s gym, potentially followed by some cardio if I get done early enough. Then while I’ll be working from home tomorrow, I plan to wear some running tights and a hoodie – so that I can jog to my various errands, allowing me to get them done in a fraction of the time and get a little workout (in fairness, I do mean little, since they’re all less than 1/2 mile apart).
On Saturday morning, there is a bootcamp class going on at a new gym that’s opening right in my neighborhood! I am pretty excited about the upcoming opening of Pedal NYC, but until they officially open, they are offering free bootcamps at 11:30am on Saturday mornings! I’m a little concerned about what this bootcamp may entail, particularly since I’m probably going to be experiencing crazy DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) from my weight lifting on Friday. I’ve never done any kind of bootcamp before, so hopefully it’s not so tough and bootcamp-like that I look like an idiot! However, 11:30am is a bit late on a Saturday for me to get going with my workout – so despite my concerns about the intensity, I’m thinking I’ll kick off the day with some treadmill/elliptical time as I finally watch the Biggest Loser finale. As long as I eat a solid breakfast in between those activities, I should have enough energy for both – but I will also definitely work up a thirst for some beer in the afternoon 🙂
As for Sunday, I learned just before boarding the plane that JackRabbit UWS is offering a group run starting at 8am, and heading out for 8 miles along the Hudson River Greenway. I love doing that route in the morning, and it will be especially fun to do it with a group and get to meet new people. Even better, JackRabbit UWS (the ending destination) is just two blocks from Athleta UWS – which means I should make it over just in time for Sunday morning Zumba! I’ve been going to this free class for a few weeks now, and love how much energy the awesome instructor, Ellie, brings to the class. Plus, there is no better way to put a smile on your face than by jumping and twirling to Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way!” It gets me giddy every time, and I usually jog home from the class with it replaying on my Droid – what a fun and empowering song!
I’m getting excited just thinking about all the fun and different workouts I have coming up… but also wondering if I can convince any friends to tag along. Any NYC-area readers interested in joining my Weekend Warrior extravaganza? Or just coming for the cookie eating is fine too 😉
Wish I was still in NYC (for lots of reasons, but in this case so I could come and eat cookies ;))
This is really bad but I never turn off my phone on the airplane! Oops!