Whether Asheville ripped the phrase off from Portland (who maybe ripped it off from Austin), I’ve found myself calling some truly bizarre places “home.” In 2000, Rolling Stone called my hometown “America’s new freak capital.” (Read whole article here.)
Needless to say I’ve grown up surrounded by the weird. I’ve always appreciated it, but I think I’ve fully embraced some not-following-the-mainstream in my own life! (Remember that time I ended up not going to law school in favor of being a ski bum?) Especially when it comes to my workouts. After years of working out mostly in field hockey or basketball practices or the gym, living in Breckenridge kicked off having a daily workout routine that was a little unusual. I loved being able to ski, hike, trail run, and explore the wilderness every day.
Now that I don’t live in a mountain town anymore, I’ve tried to maintain getting outside regularly and getting kinda funky with my workouts. I love the gym, don’t get me wrong. But I can get into a rut if I’m doing the same exercise every day.
Let’s get weird, y’all…
GO UPHILL BEFORE GOING DOWNHILL
Y’all already know how much I love skinning. (Review: skinning is to put a sticky, fuzzy layer on the bottom of your skis and clip into a special binding that lets your heel lift up. You ski uphill, unclip and strips the skins off the skis, and ski downhill.) Most people think I’m crazy to love this activity (once I tell them what it is). It’s a crazy amount of effort in potentially insane elements (throwback to that morning I went out and it was -12 degrees and snowing). After getting to the top of the mountain, with only the sound of your breath huffing and puffing to break the solitude and sweat dripping in your eyes to mar the scenic view, you have the fun (and sometimes powder-covered!) downhill ride ahead of you!
BUST A MOVE
One of my all time favorite ways to get sweaty is dancing! I wish I were a dancer, but the closest I ever got was 7 years of tap classes (including a sequined clown onesie and finger-wagging to “Hit the Road Jack). I love Latin ballroom, if we’re going to get all official with it, but I really love going club dancing (the more crowded and sweatier, the better).
Club dancing doesn’t always happen. Late nights, drinks, high heels… What has become a regular part of my workout routine is impromptu dance parties!
RUN COMMUTE
With summer in full swing, I’ve been LOVING running to my jobs downtown. It’s exactly 2.5 miles to the store and 3 miles to Yoga Pearl. It’d take me almost the same amount of time to drive, find parking, and then walk to work as it does to run there. This way I get to get nice and sweaty and enjoy the sunshine rather than roasting in my car. Plus, it’s eco-friendly!
Tuesday nights especially make for interesting run-commuting. I run 3 miles to teach at Yoga Pearl and then run 1 mile back to the waterfront for Flex & Flow bootcamp. Depending on Tuesday night plans, sometimes I run home after the workout too. I definitely earn my glass of wine that night!
MIX YOUR WORKOUTS TOGETHER
I’m a busy girl, so I love getting a lot of bang for my buck when it comes to my workouts. Busting out yoga during workouts is pretty much a given with everything I do. It’s why I also love building my own circuit workouts at the gym with some dumbbells, a balance ball, and a stationary bike, and taking pit stops on runs for PT and bootcamp exercises.
Not to mention the biggest combo workout to enter my life this year: HIIT yoga. At Flex & Flow, we have glider discs that slide on the hardwood floors. I’ve done some of these exercises in yoga for years using blankets. But Jamie has developed a tortuous (I mean I love it!) hour-long class devoted to getting HIIT bursts within yoga poses. For example, an exercise I’ve done for a long time: holding high plank with your feet on the blanket and sliding your feet towards your hands and back out (optional push-up between pikes). Example number two from Jamie: holding high lunge with your back foot on the glider; start to slowly slide your back foot in and out. Gradually get faster and faster so you go from a “jog” to a “run” and end in a “sprint.” I’m sweating like a pig even writing about HIIT yoga.
MAKING FACES
Sometimes making silly faces is the only way to survive doing BOSU burpees, hiking 1450′ in 2.4 miles, HIIT yoga, or bootcamp…
CLIMB ON THINGS
I love feeling like a kid again, exploring textures, boundaries, views, balance…
SHENANIGANS
Funny things happening helps break up the monotony of a workout! Stripping down for a funny / feminist picture and having someone catch you (side note from experience, trying to put on your sweaty sports bra when you’re sweaty and you’re trying not to get caught by the skiers coming downhill above you is a great workout), wearing a tutu skiing, getting puppy photo bombed… I can get so stuck in my head, worried about what others think, fixated on my to-do list for my day after my workout… Anything that can help loosen me up, keep me in the present moment, and get me out of my routine is amazing!
What spurred all the weirdness? Other than needing some motivation for this Monday, I’m super excited about a contest with prAna and Organic Valley that I get to share with you!
The contest runs from August 15 – 31st, 2016. There are six ways to play. Ten winners will walk/crawl/climb/break dance/swim/shuffle/run/paddle/cartwheel away with some awesome Organic Fuel swag, a two-month supply of Organic Fuel and $300 in credit to use on prAna.com!
Have fun with it, get weird, and share with the world! Don’t forget all the tags [#sweatpink #WeirdWorkout #SweatprAna #prAnaFallSyle].
I leave you with these gems of weirdness from recent active adventures.
Disclaimer: This post was sponsored by Organic Valley and prAna. All opinions are my own. I truly appreciate all of the brands that support the Sweat Pink community.