Orangetheory Fitness

Anxiety & Exercise + This Week’s Workouts

March 25, 2019 by Hillary Leave a Comment

Hi, good morning, happy Monday!

A week or so ago, I shared about my struggles with anxiety and exercise, particularly fitness trackers, on Instagram. And while I’ve mentioned that anxiety plays a part in my life many times on the blog, I’ve never gotten too deep into the specifics. But earlier this month I rewarded myself, so to speak, with a new Apple Watch for working my butt off in February – putting in the work and crushing goals with my Beautycounter business. And it inspired me to open up a bit… because purchasing a fancy smartwatch was more symbolic to me than job well done.

I’ve worn fitness trackers in the past, but they became a trigger for my anxiety, allowing numbers (i.e. heart rate) to cause unwanted spikes of cortisol. A 1 hour high-intensity workout could turn into a 3 hour panic attack. So, I took a much needed break from tracking, focusing on how my body felt without a number to make feel unsafe in my own body. After a long hiatus (roughly two years) of wearing a fitness tracker, I signed up for an Orangetheory Fitness membership last July. I was unsure how I would do (mentally) with a heart-rate based workout that is all about numbers.

Each class was equally as much of a mental workout as it was physical. This was definitely a big step forward for me. And, in all honesty, having my heart rate displayed on a large screen in bright orange and red was triggering for me some days. Some workouts, I chose not to wear the heart rate monitor because I knew my body was more than capable of crushing the workout at hand, it was my mind that was the obstacle.

So, from the outside, my new watch may appear like a materialistic new toy, but to me it signifies my continued effort to trust my body — to be comfortable in this healthy, vibrant body that always has my back.

It’s been a few weeks now, and I’m throughly enjoying the watch. I’ll admit, I’m not using it to its full functionality yet, but I’ve enjoyed the extra motivation to move a bit more via daily goals and connecting with a handful of friends who also wear an Apple Watch. I’m happy to say it hasn’t been triggering thus far, and if it ever does, well I know what to do!

Weekly Workouts | Week of March 18

Monday – 2 mi. walk

Tuesday – OTF + 1.5 mi. walk/run

Wednesday – 2.5 mi. walk

Thursday – OTF

Friday – rest

Saturday – OTF + 2 mi. walk

Sunday – rest

I had all the intentions to do some sort of movement on Sunday, but my body told me otherwise. I slept in until 10:45am(!), and if that wasn’t a sign enough, my body was sore and felt wiped out (#pms).

This week is officially my last week at Orangetheory, at least for a bit. While the workouts have been incredibly fun and challenging, I’m taking a break to save up some extra money for summer travel (OTF isn’t cheap!).

Walking (with Koba) has been one of my favorite ways to move lately. Something about the combination of low-impact movement, fresh air, and Vitamin D — it’s been meditative and I crave it!

Do you wear an Apple Watch or fitness tracker?

Have you ever experienced exercise-induced anxiety/panic attacks?

My Thoughts on Orangetheory Fitness

August 28, 2018 by Hillary 2 Comments

I am not ashamed to say that I’m a gym rat. The gym is one of the places I feel my absolute best. Before I moved to Florida, I had been going to the same gym for about two and half years. It had nearly everything a workout junkie could need, but I never had a crush on it (as I did for the WREC during my college days). Then I quite my job, moved across the country, and left my gym membership behind. You always appreciate something more once its gone, isn’t that so?

For the first six months in Florida, Nick and I checked out a variety of gyms in the area, meanwhile getting our sweaty on via at-home workouts, runs in our neighbored, and inconsistent workouts at the base gym. The base gym is incredible (all the functional fitness and olympic lifting equipment one could need!!), and I’d go there regularly in a heartbeat, but it is not practical as we don’t live close enough.

Long story short, an Orangetheory Fitness studio opened up just a few miles from our house (conveniently located to the brand new Sprouts). I knew of Orangetheory, but had never tried it. I was apprehensive of having a studio type membership which wouldn’t allow me the freedom to workout at my leisure. I am all for intuitive exercise, listening to your body, and moving in a way that feels good to you.

That said, I also enjoy a high intensity workout and my body does well with metabolic conditioning. Nick and I tried a complimentary class at the end of June and had a lot of fun. I went back and forth about getting a membership for a few weeks, but ultimately decided to try the unlimited membership when they were having a promotion.

It’s been exactly four weeks since I hopped onboard the OTF train, and I have done 15 classes/workouts in that time. Here are my thoughts so far…

What is Orangetheory Fitness?

“Backed by the science of Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption (or EPOC), Orangetheory’s heart rate monitored training is designed to maintain a target zone that stimulates metabolism and increases energy. We call it the afterburn. Our members burn an estimated 500 to 1,000 calories in 60 minutes. And keep burning calories for up to 36 hours.” – Orangetheory®

What I Like

– The variety: Every class is different! Not only does it keep the workout interesting, but it challenges my body by doing different exercises nearly every workout. There are “power days”, “endurance days”, and “ESP” or “endurance strength power” days, so some workouts are focused more on cardiovascular endurance while others are target at strength and power. Since the classes are group personal training style, I don’t get to choose what exercises I do compared to if I were to design my own workout in the gym, i.e. yesterday’s exercises on the strength floor were 80% core-focused — I would have never programmed that for myself in a hundred years!

– The accountability: You have to sign up for classes in advance to reserve a spot in a class; this is done through a handy app. Since you’re required to plan in advance (and are charged if you miss a scheduled class), you’re held accountable for following through and completing your workout.

– The app: Speaking of the app, it’s not fancy by any means, but not only does it allow you to schedule and cancel classes easily, but it also tracks your workouts. I like being able to look back and see the work I’ve done. Again, while I embrace intuitive exercise and listening to my body versus religiously counting stats from a tracker, I think it’s neat to see a collective of your workout stats. In addition, to the app, you also get an email with your stats after every workout.

– The “afterburn”: I am sore after most every workout, and if I’m not sore, my muscles are fatigued. I will recognize here that this is a sudden increase in interval training for my body, so I’d only expect it to be sore. Because of this, I haven’t really done many other workouts aside from OTF in the past month. Between OTF and taking Koba on walks, my body has been feeling really good. Now all I need is to stretch…

– The mental benefits: As I mentioned, I feel best moving my body, and that’s often in a gym setting (if not out in nature). The endorphin highs are exactly what I’ve been missing. When does a workout not put you in a good mood!?

– The music: This is a small thing, but it really is nice not to have to worry about your own workout music and mess with earbuds or constantly be skipping through a Spotify station. So far I love the music choices – it’s loud and motivational.

My Thoughts on Orangetheory Fitness #orangetheoryfitness #iloveOTF #HIIT

Click To Tweet

What I Don’t Like

– Focus on calories: I don’t focus on calories in regards to my diet, and likewise, don’t feel the need to when it comes to exercise either as they don’t relate to or support my goals. I assume the “calories burned” aren’t entirely accurate, so it could potentially throw someone off who does pay attention to calories. OTF also has weight loss challenges which I definitely don’t support (fast weight loss), but obviously I choose just not to participate in such activities/programs.

– Heavy on running: A lot of the workouts are heavy on the running, but understandably so. Using the treadmills is an efficient way to get your heart rate up and into the desired orange zone where, in theory, you’ll see an increase in calories burned during and after the workout (hence the “afterburn”). I simply love lifting weights, so some days I wish the majority of the class was spent on the weight floor.

– Lack of coaches: The studio I go to is very new and only has three coaches, which doesn’t seem like a lot to me. Luckily, the classes I go to most are taught by my favorite coach, but I guess I was surprised there weren’t more.

– Membership cost: The cost of the membership is not cheap. For this reason alone, it prevented me from signing up for several months. Boutique fitness gyms are “in” right now, and they’re all getting away with silly high class prices.

– Late fees: If the base membership cost wasn’t high enough, you are charged extra for canceling a class late (less than 8 hours ahead of time) or missing a class. #accountability I haven’t done this, but I’ve been charged twice by accident, and it’s super annoying.

Picky Things

– I wish the classes were a full 60 minutes (rather than 50-55 minutes) and I wish my studio offered the 90-minute classes, at least on the weekends. I discovered a nearby studio offers one 90-minute class on Saturday mornings, so I may have to check it out.

– As a brand new OTF member, I don’t feel like I was introduced to the gym very well: how studio-specific things work like check-in, “tread cards”, the OTF lingo, etc. I’ve had to ask a lot of questions.

Overall

I’m rolling into my fifth week of classes, and the most important thing is that these workouts are making me feel good. In just a few short weeks, I feel like I am already noticing changes in how I feel physically and mentally. While the cost of membership surely isn’t cheap, right now the cost is worth it for my overall happiness. I know that OTF will not be my sole mode of fitness forever, but it’s fitting the bill right now, I look forward to the workouts, and am enjoying the change of pace (hah, literally!). Yay for trying something new and pushing myself out of my comfort zone.

“You didn’t come here to be comfortable.” — favorite quote from Coach Lindsay

Let’s chat!

Have you tried Orangetheory Fitness?

Do you enjoy heart rate-based training? What’s your favorite style of interval training?

Florida Life // 6 Months In

July 29, 2018 by Hillary 5 Comments

It’s a stormy, summer Sunday afternoon and we’re doing the epitome of chillaxin’ after a fun weekend with friends. It seems like just the right setting to write about my sixth month living in Florida. On one hand, it’s hard to believe that I’ve lived here half of a year. On the other hand, sometimes it feels like we moved ages ago… but that may be the homesickness of having friends and family miles and miles away.

Since it’s been a lazy day fueled by strong coffee, I figured I’d switch up the format of my monthly recap and do a virtual coffee date of sorts.

If we were having coffee today, I’d tell you that I got a non-wellness related job in Human Resources. In the last recap I said that I was itching to work; well, something finally fell into place (many job applications later). I’m glad that it is only part-time for now in order to adjust to a structured work schedule again. I am hoping to spend the hours that aren’t in my new office working on the blog, getting my health coaching services up and running again, and sharing safer skincare via Beautycounter.

If we were having coffee today, I’d tell you that I joined a gym — yahoo! This was a fairly hefty piece that’s been missing since moving cross-country. I’ve kept my body in motion the past sixth months with a mixture of running/walking, home workouts, and the occasional gym session, but I’m totally pumped to have a “gym” just a couple of miles from home that will push me out of my workout comfort zone. I say “gym” because Orangetheory Fitness is a boutique fitness studio. Essentially you show up and get coached through a 60-minute interval workout in a group setting. While I’m no rookie to HIIT or interval training, I’ve never paid for this type of membership. I’m going to give it a shot for a month or two, and see how I like it. My mind is so much clearer when I have consistent exercise in my routine, and I think the endorphin highs will be a beneficial mood booster.

If we were having coffee today, I’d tell you that I’m working with my naturopath again. I am hoping to get some answers on what’s going on with my gut (do I still have SIBO?) and possible hormonal imbalances. The brain-gut connection is so real, and so I’ve asked for help to continue healing my gut which, in turn, should help ease other various symptoms (i.e. skin and mood).

If we were having coffee today, I’d tell you that last weekend Nick and I ran the Tampa Bay 8K hosted by Lululemon. It was just a “fun run”, but the first organized run I’ve done a while. Running in the humidity is not for sissies. I started out way too fast and lost all steam by the end. We both finished at the top of the pack surprisingly, and enjoyed participating in a free community event with other local runners. All around it was a win-win.

If we were having coffee today, I’d tell you that I wasn’t aware of how wet Florida summers are until living in it. Being a California-native where the weather is often ideal, I’m not used to stormy weather in the middle of summer when I imagine spending my days outdoors in nature. Needless to say, I am eager for fall/winter when we don’t have to worry about lightning, flooding, intense humidity, and the grass won’t grow inches overnight.

If we were having coffee today, I’d tell you that I miss the ease of familiarity. As expected I suppose, almost everything in the past six months has been NEW: new house, new city, new roads, new friends, new job, new gym, new dentist, new grocery store, new coworkers, new climate, new culture. It requires a lot of mental energy that can be exhausting at times. But the best things don’t come from staying in your comfort zone. Isn’t that how the saying goes?

I am hoping that I’ll start to feel a little more like myself again (oh how I thrive off consistency and routine!) with a set work schedule, scheduled workouts, and the consistent support from my naturopath.

I survived the first six months of #floridalife… now I’m ready to thrive!

Thanks for reading,

xx Hill

Florida Life

Month 1: settling in.

Month 2: exploring our surroundings.

Month 3: fun with friends & family.

Months 4 & 5: figuring out my purpose here + California travels.