Tag Archives: Routine

Sep21

Changes and Routines

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Many thanks for all the kind words about my feature as the Blogger on the Run over at Women’s Running!  It was awesome to be featured and I’m so honored to be included among some great runners and bloggers!  I hope you took the time to comment on the post for a chance to win a one year’s subscription to Women’s Running!

If you are a new reader welcome to LiveRunLoveYoga!  I love to talk about all things running and yoga here with some sprinkling of healthy living and eating!  If you have any questions please feel free to comment, tweet or email me! I love to hear from my readers!

It’s Friday and the first week at my new job is coming to a close!  I have to say, I am loving it! For new readers, I just started a new job at The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society as a Campaign Coordinator for Team in Training!  The days are flying by so quickly and the work is really fun.  The staff is amazing.  Everyone is so supportive, creative, talented and friendly!  I’m working on the campaign for the Nike Women’s Half Marathon in Washington, DC this April! I’m so excited to be part of this inaugural event and help to make all of my participants beyond successful with their fundraising and have an amazing race experience! Lots of exclamation points in that paragraph…clearly a sign that I love what I am doing!

Boston Marathon with Team in Training!

As many of you know one of the benefits of this job is that I’d no longer be spending over 2 and half hours of my day in the car.  The extra time is so different and I love it.  I have an extra hour in the mornings compared to my old job.  This week I’ve been enjoying a more relaxed pace in the morning and sleeping in for an extra 45 minutes.  Drinking coffee at home and taking my time with breakfast is so refreshing! 

Coffee at Home!

I want to try to maximize my time by getting in my runs done in the morning.  Also part of my job will require me to work in the evenings.  Hosting events at local stores, speaking at run clubs,  holding informational meetings and meeting participants for fundraising meetings will all be happening at night throughout the year…just another reason to get my runs done in the morning.  I’ve been running at night for over 2 years so this is definitely the biggest change for me.  I plan to start my new routine on Monday and see how the morning workouts go.  Honestly I think I’m going to like it better!  

With a shorter commute at night I’ve been home earlier and am able to make earlier yoga classes.  Wednesday I went to yoga and was home by 7! It was so nice.  Last night I was able to head into Boston after work and take a yoga class with my fellow teacher trainees and get dinner!  Maybe this doesn’t sound so exciting to you but when you have had a very long commute for over 2 years and finally get some extra time it is quite enjoyable.  

Earlier Yoga Classes!

Changing routines can be challenging, especially when you’ve stuck to one for so long!  For me the biggest changes are running in the morning on run days and schedule my evening yoga classes around events and other work commitments as well as taking all new classes because I’ve never been able to attend the 5:45 and 6 o’clock classes.  Here’s how I plan make it an easy transition!

1.  Plan the week out.  It’s easy to get off-track when I don’t have plan.  My work events will be scheduled so I’ll be able to look at the week and plan running days and yoga days.  Runs will be in the morning on run days and I’ll do my best to get to yoga classes around 5:45 or 6pm on yoga days.

2.  Prep for morning runs.  I love the snooze button but Michael hates it. This means that I need to set the alarm and get up when it goes off the first time.  Having my clothes, watch and shoes all laid out makes getting out the door in a sleepy state that much easier plus I won’t wake Michael by opening drawers or the closet.

3. Be Flexible with Yoga.  I’m sure there will be days where I plan to go to yoga after work but can’t make the class because I have to work late.  It’s really not a big deal because I can go home and practice on my own or do a flow one morning before work.  I also need to be flexible as I try new yoga classes and instructors!

4.  Take Advantages of my Lunch Break.  I have an hour lunch break and our office is located near some good running.  My office is pretty relaxed so no one will mind if I take a later lunch, squeeze in a run and just freshen up to finish out the day.  It’s the perfect alternative on a busy night or a morning where I don’t want to get up early for a run!

5.  Remind Myself That It’s Ok To Miss a Workout.   I admitted last week that I always feel guilty when I skip a workout but now more than ever I’m trying to get over that.  A missed workout isn’t that big of a deal and sometimes we just need a break or to cut ourselves some slack when we are busy.  Life is about moderation. I must remember this going forward!

Have you ever gone through a big change in your routine? What are your tips for an easy transition?  Any suggestions to get the most out of my mornings and morning workouts?

Jul13

Working Out and Finding a New Routine!

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Happy Friday! I’m really looking forward to the weekend.  Since we were on vacation last week and are busy during the week getting workouts in and eating dinner I feel like I haven’t really had time to just be home.  We need to spend some time cleaning the house, getting organized and taking care of a few things there.  We still plan to get outside and have some fun though too!  On Saturday we’ll be playing a round of golf in the morning and then on Sunday I’m doing the Color Me Rad 5k in Boston with Erin from Creative Soul in Motion!  I am really excited to run and tie-dye myself!  I love a low-key weekend every now then in the summer!

Yesterday I chatted about calorie counting and using it as a tool to understand my eating habits and to learn more about portion control.  I’m really enjoying the process and am looking forward to losing the 5 pounds I’ve put on since the Boston Marathon.  While portion control and calorie counting is great it is only one piece to the puzzle.  Working out and getting my muscle tone is the other part.  Since I moved in with Michael and then went on vacation we haven’t really had the opportunity to establish a routine of balanced meals, workouts and time with each other at night.  Michael is also trying to lose weight so we both agreed now was the time to create a routine that would benefit us both.  I think when you live with someone you can really motivate and encourage each other to make healthy choices but you can just as easily convince each other to skip your workout or go for that dessert you didn’t really need.  We want to make healthy choices together, just as we always have.

Michael and I at the Chicago Marathon!

Because we moved north of Boston my commute increased.  It went from about 50 minutes at night to anywhere between an hour to an hour and half based on traffic.  Most nights I get home between 6 and 6:30.  You all know I like to keep my workouts focused on running and yoga so the gym membership didn’t seem necessary.  Also with teacher training starting soon I knew I really wouldn’t use the gym much.  I can run from home and there are a LOT of yoga studios along my commute so I’ll be able to find a studio I truly like in addition to South Boston Yoga where I’ll be getting certified.  It’s a little bit tricky finding a class that starts at a time I can get there without me getting there too early and have a ton of time to kill.   My goal is to be home by 8 in order to make dinner and relax.  It will take a little experimenting to find a studio and location that I really like but it’s kind of the fun of it.

I tried a new yoga class this week.  The location is along my commute so it was definitely on my way home and it turned out to be directly in the middle so it broke up the drive a bit.  It’s not the perfect situation though, I get to the studio about 5:30 and the class starts at 6:15 so I end up having to kill about 45 minutes.  I suppose I could bring my computer and hang out at the coffee shop near by but I’d really just prefer to start yoga earlier and get home earlier.  I don’t get home until 8:15 so it makes for a long day.

The yoga class is also a HOT class.  I’ve tried them before and didn’t really care for it then and after taking this class twice I’ve come to the same conclusion.  I really hate sweating so much that it’s dripping in my eyes so I can’t see and just feeling the sweat is getting the way of me staying with my breath and practice.  I like sweating just enough so my body feels warm and I know I’m working but I’m still able to stay relaxed and with my flow.   The class is also a set flow and it doesn’t change from day-to-day.  As someone who loves Vinyasa I struggle with this.  I love classes that vary and challenge me in new ways.  So it’s not the perfect class but I’ll find another one to try.

Yoga!

Experimenting with yoga studios and new classes styles and instructors can be really fun.  While you might not love a class, an instructor might say something or adjust you in a way so that you can improve a pose or your practice.   Even if you move to a different studio or class, you still learned something and improved in some way.  Also, learning what you don’t like is just as helpful as learning what you do like.  Ultimately I hope to be able to find 2 yoga classes along my commute that I can take during the week in addition to my lunchtime yoga classes.

As for running, I’m still trying to get out of the marathon hangover.  I need to start adding in one longer run per week, shorter runs are just not cutting it.  There is also a track nearby that I can run to from our house so I would like to do some speed work.  I really enjoyed doing that when training for marathons and there is no reason why I can’t do them now.  With these additions a typical running week would be 3-4 runs with one track workout, a longer run (6-8 miles) and one or two easier runs (3-5 miles).   I also bought a 12lb. medicine ball with handles and 10lb. hand weights to use post run.  I’ll be able to add in some good core work and some strength work after my runs which complement my yoga nicely.  I’m also planning to try to register for the BAA HAlf- Marathon.  I ran this in 2011 and was thoroughly impressed with race and the course.  It usually sells out within hours of opening so I hope I get a spot! I should be able to manage and balance training in addition to yoga teacher training!

Running the Boston Marathon!

So that’s  the scoop here on LiveRunLoveYoga.  A two-part update on how we are adjusting to moving in and establishing healthy eating habits to lose weight and creating workout routines!

How do you create new routines?  How do you adjust to changes in your location?  Do you have a gym membership or get your workouts in outside of the gym?