It’s officially the 5th day of December which means only 20 more days till Christmas!!

How exciting! I am 95% done with my Christmas shopping and even though I like getting done early I feel sad when everything is bought and wrapped because I love buying gifts for people. So, this year I’m thinking of making some yummy Chocolate Bark and goodie baskets for friends and co-workers. Thanks Halley for inspiring me!

Anyways, like I said on December 1st – this month is all about reconnecting with myself, my goals and my body. So I’ve laid out my plans for this week for both my meals and my workouts. By writing out my goals for the week it’ll make it easier to stick to them, in fact I put sticky notes up at work and home with my plans.

Weekly Meal Ideas

Remember how I talked about the importance of planning out your meals every week but giving yourself wiggle room, here you’ll see that I don’t associate a meal with a specific night and make sure to vary up the types of meals to keep it interesting.

Veggie Pasta with pesto sauce

Collard Greens and Mushrooms with Saffron Rice and Green beans

Roasted sweet potatoes with mushrooms and beans and broccoli

Veggie burger with french fries

Big salad with bread

For lunch this week I also made, what looks like, an amazing Vegan Sheppard’s Pie. I haven’t tried it yet but I will let you know later today. Oh, and the recipe will be up tomorrow after I download the pics from my camera!

The Spiel on Spinning

Friday I took spinning for the first time in at least 4 years and let me tell you, it was intense, challenging and so much fun!!

The first 15 minutes were pretty rough as I tried to keep up with everyone and get into the rhythm of spinning but after 15 minutes I caught my breath and started having a lot of fun. Loud music, motivation from the instructor, friendly people, all the reasons I really enjoyed the class and can’t wait to go back. I must say though, it left me extremely sore for the entire weekend. Seriously, my entire body was sore – back, arms, abs, sides, legs, butt – literally everywhere.

If you’ve never taken a spinning class you probably think it only works your legs but you couldn’t be more wrong. Spinning classes that include lots of “jumps” workout your entire body.

When you “jump” you go from sitting to standing and there are two different levels of standing: standing straight up with your legs underneath you or you can be standing but leaning forward in a pseudo running position. Either way, going from sitting on the bike to standing really works your arms and your core.

Even though I am still a little sore I can’t wait to go back! In fact, I am planning on going to 2 spinning classes this week. Honestly, running on the treadmill is NOT fun for me and now that it’s getting colder I find it harder to run outside especially since I don’t have any clothing for running outside in the cold and it’s expensive to buy (hint hint, anyone want to get my warm running clothes for Christmas?) so instead I plan on getting into spinning and strength training during the winter. I’ll still throw in a couple runs every week to keep up my endurance, but I’m hoping by cross-training I become an even better runner.

And hey, if you’ve never tried spinning and are a little intimidated here are some great tips on how to Get Over Your Worries and Try a New Class.

Workout Plans

Monday: 55 min Yoga class

Tuesday: 45 min Spinning class

Wednesday: 2 mile easy Run with stretching and yoga

Thursday: 55 min Power Yoga class

Friday: 60 minute Spinning Class

All of my workouts this week will be done during my lunch break and I’ve already got them scheduled in to my Outlook Calendar. This way I commit myself to going and ensure that my lunch break doesn’t get gobbled up with meetings or work.

What are your plans for the week?? Do you schedule in time to workout?