Woot! Woot! It’s MONDAY!!!

I’ll tell you why I’m so excited– I’ve already hit my workout for the day. That’s right. BOOM! It’s done. I’ve laid it out for your below. Yes, this is precisely the workout I did this morning and I loved it!!!

Okay, so it also felt good because I may have eaten a DELICIOUS Chocolate Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Milkshake on Saturday. No regrets. And while that was probably my most indulgent moment, you CANNOT allow yourself to remain in the sugar haze. You have to break through and hit it hard on Monday!

Here’s the other reality, I RARELY workout in the early mornings. In fact, I’ve never really been someone who enjoys a super duper early morning workout. I much prefer to knock out my exercise in the evening, and I feel as though I’ve always felt this way. I still haven’t done enough research as to WHY I don’t feel at my best in the mornings.

But I can admit that AFTER working out in the morning, my days almost always roll out more easily. I feel great!!! Plus, when the clock strikes 5 p.m., and I’m still staring down the pipeline at an hour long workout, sometimes it can be a mood killer. As in I have to force myself to switch gears, dress for the gym and get myself and the littles out the door. It can be a challenge.

My point is simply that there are positives to EITHER end of the time spectrum for exercise. I have a lot of respect and admiration for folks who get up super duper early EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. To ensure that their workout is complete!

Whether you are a morning workout star, a 9:00 a.m. fitness fiend, or an evening knock-it-out-of-the-park kind of person, I hope you’re sticking with your fitness goals HARD CORE this fall/winter!

XX, Megan

Workout 5

For this cycling profile all you really need to find is a HEAVY hill-climbing gear that will get you to feel the burn. We are going to do a ladder where each successive hill gets just a little bit longer, and depending on how much you want to challenge yourself, just a little bit steeper!

So if we are using resistance levels 1-10 again, with 1 being almost NO resistance and 10 being so HEAVY you can barely turn those pedals you are looking for resistance in the 7,8,9 range. Remember that you can use this workout for indoor cycling, on a recumbent, with the elliptical machine, out of doors (if you have a favorite hill for your intervals), or even on your cycling trainer at home!

Warm-up

3 minutes, stretch those legs and warm your upper body

3 minutes, pick-ups 30 seconds on (increase cadence) and 30 seconds off (decrease cadence), 3 times

3 minute hill climb add resistance every 30 seconds until you’ve reached your heaviest resistance

1 minute flush, or fully remove all of your resistance, and then you’ll get ready to begin your first hill climb!!!

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2 minute hill climb on HEAVY resistance (a 7,8,9 on a 10 point scale of resistance!)

1 minute flush (remove all resistance from your fly wheel)

2 minute hill climb, HEAVY

1 minute flush (remove all resistance from your fly wheel)

3 minute heavy hill climb, 1 minute flush

4 minute heavy hill climb, 1 minute flush

5 minute heavy hill climb, 1 minute flush

NOW this is the TOP of your ladder, after your 5 minute heavy hill climb you are going to subtract once minute from your hill every set so…

4 minute heavy hill climb, 1 minute flush

3 minute heavy hill climb, 1 minute flush

2 minute heavy hill climb, 1 minute flush

2 minute heavy hill climb, 1 minute flush

Cool down and stretch

YOU’RE HOME!!! Way to ride!!!

Climbing the hill into Week 4 of our September Sweat Sessions challenge! Way to go!!! This workout is all about CONTRAST. You will be climbing hills, and you will be taking to the flats for a couple sprint sets mixed with active recovery. So saddle up, and ride this workout with a smile!

This workout is great for indoor cycling, stationary bike, recumbent, or elliptical machine. You can easily use this as an interval ride outdoors if you already have a perfect hill to hit for 5 minutes!

Here’s to Monday! Energy! Fitness! GO! (Workout below.)

XX, Megan

For this ride you really only have to choose two levels of resistance– the resistance level where you want your 5 minute hill to begin, and the resistance level where you will be sprinting. Ideally you will choose a “gear” somewhere in the middle for your hill so that you will be on a heavy resistance by the time you hit the top of that hill. You will increase the resistance with a right turn on your bike every minute.

After your hill, you will take the majority of your resistance off for a flat. However, make sure you leave some resistance on so that you are not spinning out uncontrollably, especially on the sprint sets! You’ll repeat these two 5 minute intervals 3 times consecutively. Have a great, workout!!!

Workout 4

Warm up– 3 minute stretch on the bike

3 minute cruise easily

4 minutes of pick-ups. 30 seconds on and 30 seconds off.

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5 minute hill adding resistance every minute.

Now release most of your gear to maintain a flat as you recover and sprint.

1 minute active recovery

1 minute sprint

1 minute active recovery

1 minute sprint

1 minute active recovery

Do these two 5 minute sets 3 times!

*If you want to challenge yourself, just add additional sprints to your set on the flat. You could do 1 minute of spiriting on and then a 1 minute recovery alternating for six minutes. That will give you another 1 minute sprint to your flats, before you head up another 5 minute hill!

I didn’t really think you wanted to see another shot of the inside of a cycling classroom, amiright?!? So here’s some inspiration from the ACTUAL road. The climb. The grind. The mind. From a guy that cut off the top of his shoes so that he could finish the race!!!

AWESOME.

Now we aren’t all at that level. That is all well and fine. We can’t all be Olympic athletes. But we can consistently work toward our PERSONAL body best. YOUR best is simply that– YOURS. You don’t have to walk someone else’s walk. You don’t have to eat someone else’s dinner. You don’t have to COMPETE or COMPARE yourself to anyone else.

You simply need to find a way to move your body, engage your body, and consume energy healthily!

I want to make sure that you are clear that the reason I’ve done the September Sweat Sessions, the reason I rolled out Mondays in May Get Moving has very little to do with pant size. It has EVERYTHING to do with health, happiness, longevity, and the enjoyment of the life you’ve created for yourself. (And it definitely had to do with the fact that the ice cream and I had a really great love affair this summer!)

Being fit. Being active is a LIFESTYLE. And it really is a style that everyone should wear.

So coming to the close of WEEK 3 of our September Sweat Sessions give yourself a pat on the back. If you’ve followed along since Monday, August 31st, we’ll be able to eek out 5 weeks of workouts in September. That’s 15 workouts already! That is a GREAT start or a great reset no matter where you are in your exercise spectrum.

I don’t know about you, but I already notice a difference in my physique. These changes are minute, small, maybe unnoticeable to others. But, again, it isn’t others who I am out to work for– this is for ME! This is so that I can play tag, and practice soccer, and climb trees, and jump between rocks, hike, bike, swim, climb, paddle, and be still. I want to breath, and laugh, and live all while feeling healthy, fit, and free to do the things life requires of my BODY.

Now is the time to check in with yourself. What portion of your goals did you accomplish this week? For me, simply maintaining my goal to workout everyday was enough. I have definitely done a better job of choosing healthy eating options over processed, sugar loaded, food-to-go. But I have definitely enjoyed a few sweets here and there (in case you didn’t see the Instagram of my 2 pound bag of Jelly Belly’s, NO I did not eat them all. YES, I could eat them all, but I let moderation reign me in.)

What are some tweaks you will make to your BODY MOVIN’ next week? Will you add in some resistance training? Will you sub a kick-boxing class for one of your cardio days? Will you do a circuit on the treadmill, elliptical, and stationary bike to mix it up? I can’t wait to hear how it’s going!

I hope you move into the weekend with plans to KEEP MOVING! Where will your motion take you this weekend? To the pool, lake, or river? To that mountain meadow you’ve been meaning to visit? To that 5K you’ve been training for? WAY TO GO!

Until Monday, keep that body movin’!!!

XX, Megan