My Workout Routine

I have a confession to make about my workout routine.  I’ve had this post drafted for about a year.  The reason I never finished it was because I was afraid everyone would have home-workout-fatigue, or at the very least, articles-about-home-workouts-fatigue.

The truth is, I’ve been doing home workouts for DECADES.  It started in the 6th grade with my Cindy Crawford tapes and never really stopped, except for the period in my life where I claimed I was allergic to working out.

Exercising at home has always been key for me, especially with kids or work travel.  I aim to work out at least 4 times a week.  The majority of my workout routine still consists of home workouts, just as they were pre-pandemic.  I’m flexible depending on what’s going on, but I generally stick to the same schedule as often as possible.  Without further ado, here’s my workout routine.  

Mondays

I refer to Mondays as MWH Mondays…MWH as in Melissa Wood Health.  There’s a good chance you’ve discovered Melissa Wood Health in the past year and a half, but I’ve been a member for years.  What I like about Melissa’s style is she has so many workouts around 20 minutes or less.  She also recognizes the importance of low impact workouts for those of us with high cortisol levels.  There are a ton of flows to choose from, some incorporating props but many not.

Her program is $9.99/month or $99/year with a 7-day free trial option. Click here for more info.

Tuesdays

Tuesdays, or Tutu Tuesdays, are my ballet barre days.  This rotates between Ballet Beautiful, Physique 57 and my own class, and I always incorporate weights.  I used to teach (and occasionally still substitute teach) ballet barre classes.  As far as my workouts go, this one ties with the toughest for me.  Ballet barre relies on isometric exercises and tiny little movements that look like nothing but burn like hellfire.  

The Ballet Beautiful video I do can be found on Amazon Prime Video for $7.99 (click here).  If I’m traveling, I make sure to download it to my device in case I don’t have WiFi where I’m going. I bought my Physique 57 DVDs (yes, DVDs! I told you I’ve been doing these workouts for ages!) a long time ago, but you can still find them on Amazon.  Alternatively, Physique 57 has a streaming service for $24.99/month with a free trial option. Click here for more info.

Wednesdays

I didn’t have a catchy name for Wednesdays until Juanina Kocher came into my life.  Now I call it “Juanina Wednesdays”.  This is my yoga day, which used to be going to (or teaching) a class at either JaiPure or Indigo Yoga, near where I live.  I haven’t been in person in awhile so now I do Flex + Flow Wellness classes, which was founded by Juanina.  The best way to describe it is the Melissa Wood Health of yoga, which is sort of like comparing apples to oranges because the styles are so unique.  Like Melissa, I find Juanina to be a positive and engaging person who keeps it real. Flex + Flow offers options for every body and level, and it has a variety of class options that cater to both your schedule and needs.

Flex + Flow Wellness is $9.99/month or $99/year with a 7-day free trial option. Click here for more info.

Thursdays

Thursdays are my Corefire days.  Remember how I said ballet barre ties with my toughest workout of the week?  This is its match.  Corefire is the one class I don’t do at home because it’s so hard, and as disciplined as I am, I wouldn’t give it the same effort at home.  Also, Corefire relies on a machine called the Megaformer (aka the ab killer).  While it’s possible to mimic some of the movements using props, nothing quite reaches the Megaformer in terms of intensity and results.  Joe is one of my favorite instructors, and he teaches on Thursdays so I make it my business to get there.

Corefire is $33/class with discounted packages available.  Click here to check it out. If you aren’t local to the Montclair area, a comparable class is SLT, or search “Lagree Method” or “Megaformer” classes in your area.

Fridays

Fridays are my catch-up days.  If I’ve already hit four workouts, I may just skip Friday’s workout, unless I’m feeling it.  Otherwise, I do whichever workout I didn’t get in yet for the week.  Every now and then, I’ll rotate in some older Tracy Anderson DVDs, or I’ll try whatever people are buzzing about, unless it involves a bike.  

Saturdays and Sundays

I joke these are my no-rest rest days, but the reason why I’m so disciplined during the week is because I want to be present with my family on the weekends.  Yes, I’ll definitely hit up an in-person class with a friend, but that’s more for the social element.

A Final Note on Cardio

I do cardio every single day.  My daily goal is to get in at least 2 miles of cardio, whether through walking, on the elliptical or (rarely) running.  It’s not the 10K steps touted by all as #goals, but 2 miles for me is very doable while still requiring some effort, especially living in the suburbs.  When I used to live in NYC, getting 10,000 steps was easy.  Less so in the suburbs, which is why I set a more realistic goal for myself.

Have you tried any of these?  What’s your workout routine look like?  Do you have a regular schedule like me, or do you do whatever you feel like doing that day?

PS – If you’re into routines, click here and here.