I started writing up a post just now thinking that I had two weeks of workouts to catch up on again. Turns out it’s a month now because I saved my last post two weeks ago as a draft instead of publishing… oof. So here we go (yes I’m aware I should probably add a “skip to bottom” button here):

Monday, 2/25: SLT (6:30 pm, 50 min) & Core Fusion Sport (8 pm, 60 min) – These were both new-to-me teachers. I didn’t feel the burn as much with this SLT class, maybe because the transition times were faster than the first time I took the class. I took Core Fusion Sport because I wanted a little more after the Megaformer. It definitely got my heart pumping but I found it somewhat repetitive. And burpees, you remain my mortal enemy.
Tuesday, 2/26: Rip Ride (7:30 pm, 60 min)
Wednesday, 2/27: Spin at Newport Swim & Fitness (7:30 pm, 45 min) – Dori was subbing in the gym right next door to my building! Their bikes don’t have RPM monitors but the instruction and cuing was clear and I felt I knew how hard I should be working the whole time. Loved taking Dori’s class – my only gripes would be that there was no instructor mic (ridiculous considering how much this gym charges) and my fellow classmates weren’t that into it so the energy was kind of low. Sadly, gyms in Jersey City don’t attract the kind of vocal screaming crazies that spin studios in the city do – I like being around crazies!
Thursday, 2/28: Rip Ride (7:30 pm, 60 min)
Friday, 3/1: Flybarre (7 am, 60 min) – This was supposed to be my rest day, but I really didn’t feel like taking one for some reason. It was a fun class but I was sort of disappointed with myself that I skipped my rest day.
Saturday, 3/2: Rip Ride (10:30 am, 60 min) & Flybarre Power 45 (4:15 pm, 45 min) – This was only my second or third Power 45 class and it was HARD. Stellar class but I was panting like a dog and had to take more breaks than usual.
Sunday, 3/3: JumpDance (11:30 am, 60 min) & Flybarre (4 pm, 60 min) – I’d planned to take a charity JumpDance class at JumpLife a week or two ago with a friend. As you might have guessed, it’s a trampoline based class. It definitely got my heart rate up but isn’t something I’d go back to. It was really repetitive and I got bored after just a few minutes. Flybarre was great as usual with Todd, who is one of my favorites. I actually hadn’t planned on taking it for the third consecutive day though – I just forgot to cancel my reservation before going into Power 45 the day before.

Monday, 3/4: Rest
Tuesday, 3/5: Rip Ride (7:30 pm, 60 min) – I considered skipping this class since the usual instructor, Kira, was vacationing in Aruba, but decided to go anyway to try out the Rip Ride with another new-to-me instructor, Dyan. I was glad I did because the class was amazing! I love Dyan’s energy and the music was so much fun too. I have yet to find a Revolve instructor that I don’t completely adore.
Wednesday, 3/6: Body Ride (5:30 pm, 45 min) & Flybarre (6:45 pm, 60 min) – Revolve was having an Instructor Reveal ride with Steph Nieman – their newest instructor! I never got around to trying Steph’s class at Flywheel and had heard good things so I was really excited. She did not disappoint! So much energy and a challenging ride.
Thursday, 3/7: Flybarre (5:45 pm, 60 min) & Rip Ride (7:30 pm, 60 min) – I took my first Rip Ride with Christianne, one of Revolve’s master instructors. It was an amazing workout as always, but the standout was the music.
Friday, 3/8: Rest
Saturday, 3/9: The Bar Method Shrewsbury (10 am, 60 min) – I was visiting my parents for the weekend and decided to give this class a try. It was a decent class but probably one of the least challenging barre classes that I’ve taken. I didn’t really find myself shaking much and I also simply couldn’t understand the purpose of certain exercises. The crowd was not what I’m used to in barre classes either – more of a soccer mom crowd than young hip Lulu-wearing workout warriors. I wouldn’t count it out for getting in a workout when I’m visiting my parents, but still. Eh.
Sunday, 3/10: Rest

The plan for this week (I realize it’s already half over):
Monday, 3/11: Flybarre (6:45 pm, 60 min) & Body Ride (8:30 pm, 45 min) – This Body Ride was a blogger ride set up by Dori and Melissa. It was fun to be around so many other fitness enthusiasts and the energy was great!
Tuesday, 3/12: Rip Ride (7:30 pm, 60 min)
Wednesday, 3/13: Uplifting Strength (6:30 am, 55 min) & Rip Ride (8:30 pm, 60 min) – My first time venturing to Uplift! Such a beautiful studio and hard class with Michelle. It was an amazing start to my day! Unfortunately, the rest of the day didn’t go so well and by the end of my long workday, I felt like I really needed to relieve some stress so I went to Dyan’s Rip Ride at Revolve on a whim. Stress relief and a fantastic workout, it was!
Thursday, 3/14: Body Ride (5:30 pm, 45 min) & Flybarre (7 pm, 60 min) – I was having another bad day at work and left early to hit up Revolve again. It was totally worth it – another amazing class with Steph.
Friday, 3/15: Body Ride (7 am, 45 min) – Fun class! I almost didn’t go since I was a little tired and had insomnia the night before, but so glad I did because Dyan rocked it out. She ain’t lying when she says Friday 7 am is a party!
Saturday, 3/16: Rest
Sunday, 3/17: Refine Method (10:45 am, 60 min) & Foxy Pole (3 pm, 60 min) – This was my second Refine class and I loved it. Super challenging and this one hooked me a little more than my first class there for some reason. Not sure why but I was itching to go back! I hesitate to even include Foxy Pole on this post but they describe their classes as pole-dancing fitness classes so I guess I will. I went with a few friends since we’d all gotten a Groupon together. I learned a few steps of a pole dance sequence. It was fun but definitely not challenging or a workout at all. It’s a fun thing to do with some girlfriends though.

Monday, 3/18: Rip Ride (6:30 pm, 60 min) & Flybarre (8 pm, 60 min) – I was super excited for this Rip Ride because I tweeted Christianne before and she said she was playing one of my song requests (Nightcall by Kavinsky)! I loved how she used the song and it fit right in with the rest of her playlist. Only Christianne could play this kind of slower, intense song in her class and pull it off. I’m continually impressed by how well she uses music in her classes – her DJ experience shows!
Tuesday, 3/19: Rip Ride (7:30 pm, 60 min) – This was a fun one with a loud front row! You better believe I was part of that loudness.
Wednesday, 3/20: Body Ride (7 am, 45 min) – I almost couldn’t get myself out of bed for this one. The morning classes have been hard for me lately for some reason! I blame winter. This class was well worth it though – it’ll be one of the ones I try to remember for my next wake-up call.
Thursday, 3/21: Uplifting Strength (6:30 pm, 55 min) – I went to Chelsea’s class with my friend Christine. I love workout dates! And the best part? Uplift served us some post-workout snacks (almonds and craisins) and WINE! Let me tell ya, this studio knows the way to my heart and is winning me over fast. Full review coming after I try their Uplifting Cardio class next weekend!
Friday, 3/22: Rest
Saturday, 3/23: Refine Method (10:45 am, 60 min) & Flybarre (1:15 pm, 60 min) – I was so excited to go back to Refine! This class was really fun and we did a lot of things that I liked. Dori mentioned that she’s not the biggest fan of the sliding discs so I was really intimidated when I walked in and saw them out. I actually really liked what we ended up doing with them though. The post-Refine Flybarre class was hard, but I was excited to see Shay back since she’d been away for about a week. I’m learning that Refine is probably best left on its own for the day for me though.
Sunday, 3/24: Real Ride (9:30 am with Steph) – This one rocked. A smallish class, but Steph’s amazing energy is boundless even on a Sunday morning. I was tempted to stay for the double, but really needed to get some errands done.

The plan for this week right now:
Monday, 3/25: Flybarre (5:45 pm, 60 min)
Tuesday, 3/26: Rip Ride (7:30 pm, 60 min)
Wednesday, 3/27: Rest or Flybarre
Thursday, 3/28: Flybarre (5:45 pm, 60 min) & Rip Ride (7:30 pm, 60 min)
Friday, 3/29: Flybarre (60 min)
Saturday, 3/30: Uplift Cardio (60 min) & Flybarre (60 min)
Sunday, 3/31: Refine Method (60 min)

It’s pretty obvious that I’ve been upping my workouts a lot lately. I don’t want to get into much detail, but let’s just say that my work life has been frustrating lately. I feel the need to relieve stress almost every single day after work and lately, I feel like the time I spend working out is the only time I can get my mind off work and feel truly happy. Yes, I’m complety aware just how depressing this sounds. I’m just going with it though.

That being said, I recognize that while exercise is a healthy addiction, it can also be damaging in excess like everything else. I’ve been trying to watch myself and make sure I don’t overdo it. I always feel good after a class and have seen my endurance improve a lot. I’m still actively trying to make sure I get in at least one rest day a week.

Anyway, switching gears now. When I first started this blog about a year(!) ago, I intended it to be a lifestyle blog. But lately, it feels like the only thing I want to write about is the NYC fitness scene – probably because I’ve completely switched from working out by myself in a gym to working out at boutique fitness studios in the city. So whatever, I’m not going to stress about the “direction” of Sleep and Repeat anymore and just let myself go with it.

Let’s be honest, it’s not that serious anyway.

One of these things is not like the others…
Sunday: Local Barre
Monday: Local Barre
Tuesday: Local Barre
Wednesday: Rest
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Local Barre
Saturday: Core Fusion Barre

See it?

I mentioned in my last post that I’m kind of obsessed with Local Barre in Hoboken lately. Well, yesterday I had plans to go and even though I woke up early enough to make their morning classes, I was being lazy and it just wasn’t going to happen. Instead I decided to try one of Exhale’s afternoon Core Fusion Barre classes.

It actually worked out perfectly because I’ve been curious about other studios’ interpretations of the Lotte Berk method compared to Local Barre’s anyway. There are about ten or so different studios in the city that offer barre classes and Exhale is one of the more popular ones.

I found Exhale’s class to be pretty similar to Local Barre’s, though not as challenging overall. I did get that signature barre burn a few times, but most of the sprints were shorter than I’m used to and didn’t feel that hard, especially the thigh section. Exhale’s glute section is a lot different from Local Barre’s in that we did most of it while sitting on the floor. The ab section was different too and I just didn’t get it. Maybe I wasn’t doing it right but it felt awkward and didn’t burn at all. I remember having some trouble with the movements at my first few Local Barre classes too, so it could just be that I need more time at Exhale to get the hang of their methods.

That being said, my arms are a little sore today, especially my triceps. Yay! No complaints at all here – in my opinion, there’s nothing like some muscle soreness to let you know you worked hard! I didn’t feel that the arms section was that hard but something the instructor was doing was clearly working. Their Core Fusion series also includes cardio, sports, and yoga classes, which I’d like to try even though it’s a bit of trek for me (especially compared to Local Barre).

Oh and another benefit of going to Exhale? I was in the city and passed about a million chopped salad places on my way back to the PATH. Mmmm. I really love these make-your-own-salad type places… I wish there was one closer to me. I had a magnificent mix of mesclun, avocado, cherry tomatoes, craisins, bleu cheese, and balsamic vinaigrette.

And going back to the theme of switching it up, you’ll notice my blog looks a lot different. It’s had a major facelift! Let me know what you think.

I feel sort of ready to get back to blogging more regularly… or at least slowly ease back into it. I miss being able to look back at old posts and see what I ate or did. I can’t even begin to count the number of food pictures on my phone that never see the bright light of the Internet, though I guess a good amount are still out there since I decided that my Instagram account should exist solely as a dumping ground for food photos.

But anyyyyway. My OCD self doesn’t quite feel right starting up my blog again without giving an update on my life – more for myself than anyone else.  So here we go!

Fitness: I started going to barre classes at Local Barre in Hoboken in October and I’m loving it! I really can’t say enough good things about it. I’m stronger, more toned, and more flexible than when I started. I go four or five times a week with a few rest days spaced out. Barre classes are mostly strength and toning though, so I want to start re-incorporating some cardio into my rest days soon.

Health: My cholesterol has been high for over five years now. In June, I had it tested and was disappointed to find that my total cholesterol was 251 (125-200 is normal) with 165 milligrams of LDL (the bad cholesterol, <130 is normal). I had it tested again in December with much better results! This time my total cholesterol was 224 with 133 milligrams of LDL. I’m not sure what changed, but hey, I’ll take it. I’m planning to keep up the same diet and exercise routine with a few tweaks here and there to hopefully get it to go down even more. Unfortunately, it’s most likely genetic so there’s no telling how much more I’ll be able to get it to go down. I still want to try though.

Food: I no longer count calories but I think I typically eat between 1200 and 1400 calories a day. My meals are mostly plant-based but I still enjoy fish, turkey, chicken, and some occasional lamb and pork. I rarely eat red meat and seafood since those have been shown to cause high cholesterol. I always try to drink red wine at happy hour too since it’s good for heart health. I still eat a lot of fruit and definitely get enough fiber every day; if anything, I would like to get better at learning how to incorporate proteins from plants into my meals. I’m sometimes not sure how to ensure I’m getting enough protein short of drinking protein shakes or eating Luna Bars (which are my favorite thing ever).

Body: I’ve been at a steady 126 pounds since September or so (I can’t be sure of exactly when since I don’t weigh myself regularly). I would like to lose a few more pounds, but it isn’t a priority for me. I like my body the way it is right now, and I feel comfortable most days. I do still have some abdominal bloating and discomfort every once in a while though.

Unfortunately, the hip popping I started experiencing in August hasn’t gone away even though I’ve been using an anti-inflammatory cream. It gets sore if I walk a lot, but other than that, it doesn’t affect my daily life except for the fact that it’s annoying to feel it catch and pop. I’m happy going to Local Barre and am now not as bothered by the fact that I can’t run as I was when it first started. I’m planning on going back to my orthopedist later this month so she can take a look and let me know if there’s anything else I can do.

Work: Work is work. I don’t love it every day and there are definitely days that I don’t like it, but I’m lucky to have a fun group of work friends that always find new and fun ways to make me laugh and the day pass. (That rhymed!) That’s been especially important lately since this year has gotten off to a slow start as I’m completing a transition into a new team and role. I’m hopeful that it’ll be picking up soon with some new projects though. Honestly, I can’t complain too much. I know I’m lucky to be employed at a reputable company and get paid a great salary with great benefits.

Personal Life: Of all these different aspects of my life, my personal life is probably the one that I think needs the most work. Unfortunately, the friends I first made when I first started working in the area like to go out clubbing and drinking a lot, which isn’t really my style. I’d always prefer a yoga date, low-key dinner, movie night, or happy hour with friends rather than crazy late nights out at clubs (though those are fun every once in a while), but I wish I had more friends that are interested in that kind of thing.

Dating-wise, I’ve only been a few dates in the past year or so and none very successful. As my mother loves to remind me, the clock is ticking… Of course, I don’t really believe that. I’m fully happy being single and focusing on me right now, though like everyone else, there are times (like the holidays) when I wish I had someone special in my life. I guess the plan for 2013 would probably be to put myself out there a little more and see what happens – for both platonic and romantic relationships. It can’t hurt.

And random, but I’ll say it here since I don’t know where else it can fit. I want to start reading and writing again. I’m pretty sure I haven’t read a book since my Hawaii vacation over the summer and I haven’t written anything besides this blog for at least double that long. Yikes. It’s time to get back on that proverbial horse.

This is a long enough post for now and it’s been fun writing this down – it makes me feel like I’ve really come a long way from where I was about a year ago! Be back soon with some more variety and food photos.

Well hello there!

I’ve decided that I’ll be returning to Sleep and Repeat soon. It’s not a New Year’s resolution per se, just a goal of mine.

See you soon!