The Monday To Friday Workout Routine

At the time of planning to write this post I was really in the swing of things fitness-wise. At the time of writing this post though? Well, not so much. My PT, Paul, has been on holiday and I’ve learnt that I’m not much of a self-starter when it comes to exercise. I’ve realised that the only way that I actually haul my ass off the sofa to do any kind of sweat-inducing activity is when it’s a group class that I’ve had to book onto or I know that Paul is already standing in the gym reception looking at his watch. Whilst I wish I could be one of those ‘It’s 6am and I’ve already done a badass leg session ON MY OWN‘ kind of people, I just like to have a bit of company. In group sessions it fuels my competitive side where I don’t want others to think that I’m completely crap and one-on-one it’s just nice to have someone to gossip about what they watched on TV last night when I’m huffing and puffing away.

With this in mind I’ve changed up my schedule a bit and added a new genre of exercise into my weekly routine. Here’s what it’s currently looking like Monday to Friday…

The one thing that has stayed the same is that I’m still seeing Paul. I love our sessions together because they’re always different, I never know what to expect and despite the fact that I sometimes sweat so much that it looks like I’ve had a shower, they’re pretty fun (sometimes). I enjoy the mix of resistance, bodyweight and HIIT training that we do and I see real results when I’m able to get in two to three sessions a week. I’m currently aiming for two – usually a Monday and a Friday if it fits in with my schedule.

Now the new thing that I’ve taken up that actually featured on my list of New Year’s Resolutions, is Reformer Pilates. I did a couple of classes back when I lived in London and I loved it. What’s not to like? You lie on your back (most of the time) and you can’t feel your core the next day (secretly prays for a day when my abs decide to make an appearance). It’s the dream! The only thing that’s not the dream is the price of the classes, but thankfully now I’m not doing them in London anymore they’re a little more reasonable. I do classes twice a week and they’re the thing I look forward to the most. One class tends to be a bit more technique based – hello good posture! – whereas the other provides some serious heat. I usually have a dribble of sweat running down my back two minutes in which I always take as a good sign.

The yoga mat that I’m using as my posing prop here signifies my recent love for hot yoga. Now being someone who perspires when it’s around 20℃ I must lose about 99% of my bodies water content during a session, so it’s not something that I could see myself doing multiple times a week, but doing it once a week makes me feel a lot more supple than when I walked in and one step closer to touching my toes comfortably (ONE DAY!). It’s great for days when my body feels a little achy and could do with a rest. This allows me to get my sweat on and stretch it out all at once. Monday to Friday sweat sessions – sorted.

Photos by Mark Newton

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