Ever since I woke up this morning, I feel like I’ve been in a fog. I can’t seem to shake it, but I’m doing my best to power through. I’m looking forward to some quality couch time with Ryan and Sadie tonight, that’s for sure.
Workout + Work
After I published my morning blog post, I drove to the gym to workout and teach. My workout for today was rather low key. I limited myself to incline treadmill walking and stretching. Of course treadmill walking workouts can be quite intense, but the one I did today wasn’t overly challenging. The foam rolling I completed after the workout was the highlight!
Sometimes a light workout is just what the body needs. It felt good to sweat but also take it a little easy, too. My local yoga studio has a detox yoga class that I take sometimes on Sundays because it’s not strenuous at all and focuses on simple stretches. That was the class my body was craving today, but unfortunately it’s only offered on Sunday mornings.
Once I was done with my walking workout, I headed into the locker room to towel off before I had to teach and work.
Lunch
Lunchtime came up fast and I drove home to let out Sadie and grab a bite to eat.
On the menu for today: Leftover sticky rice, steamed broccoli, chicken sausage and roasted and salted chickpeas.
It was kind of an odd combination, but it did the trick of satisfying my hunger.
And now it’s back to work.
See ya in the morning! It’s almost Friiiday!
Question of the Afternoon
- What are some of your favorite slightly less strenuous workouts?
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I LOVE chicken sausage. But for some reason the kind I buy doesn’t slice up nicely like yours. I have to take it out of the casing and just cook it like ground beef.
But I usually mix it with rice, black beans, and sweet potatoes to make this really good “hash.”
Your lunch looks delicious!
My favorite less strenuous exercise is definitely walking. I would take my kids in their stroller and walk for a bit.
i love to do yoga when i’m in need of a less strenuous workout!
I usually love to go for a nice long walk. It’s a great way to quieten the mind!
I need to give chicken sausage a try, yours always looks so good!
I’m in a fog today as well, dealing with crazy allergies, and I’ve got an evening Yoga class planned too! That will be just what I need. That, and an early bed time 🙂
I’m a fan of incline walking, or taking my bike out for a leisurely ride in the sunshine!
I love a nice walk around the neighborhood with my family and the dogs or an easy yoga session. Those workouts are so necessary sometimes. I would love to find a local yoga studio that offers a class like the one you’re describing!
Since breaking my wrist I’ve been doing a lot more walking and have really been enjoying it. Sometimes low impact is just what you need and is better than no workout at all 🙂
It’s the morning here and I think I’m in for a foggy day myself.
That lunch looks so good! 🙂
Everyday I have less strenuous workouts. I power walk and do yoga daily. 🙂
Walking my three crazy dogs is slightly strenuous, but I love it on the days where I know I need to take it easy. Enjoy couch time!!
Isn’t couch time just the best? I look forward to it whenever we have free nights just to lounge.
For a less strenuous workout I like to either do yoga, or jump on the treadmill and blast the incline to really high but continue to walk.
Hope you feel back to normal soon, Julie!
A walk around the neighborhood is always my go-to for an active recovery day. I used to go for easy bike rides too, but that’s not always easy in the city!
I love a meditative, detoxifying yoga class. I’ve been working out really hard lately in preparation for a race, and I think a nice relaxing workout would be fantastic right about now. Thanks for the post and the reminder of the importance of sometimes taking it easy.
~Bre
If I am in a fog or just not feeling a hard workout I like to go and just take a long walk with my pup. It always allows me to relax and enjoy things a little more 🙂
I’m with Kelsie…my chicken sausage never looks that good! Clearly I need to switch brands.
Also, I hope you get over your foggy feeling in time for the weekend!
Hi Julie, I really appreciated your blog posts in the past when you talked about your lunches that you packed up for work. I struggle to think of easy, healthy, and portable lunch ideas! Is there anyway you could do a feature or a post or something about more portable food options? Even portable breakfasts??
Yes definitely!
walking is my favorite less strenuous exercise. I love downloading a new podcast and listening while I walk! I also like youtube yoga vids. I just discovered “yoga with adrienne” and love her videos!
my favorite less strenuous exercise is going on a long walk with my dachshund, ashton. it’s fun for the both of us, plus he gets some exercise, too. 🙂
I’m feeling that fog too – the weather here in Chicago is just blah….
My favorite low-key workouts include yoga, some dance classes (some are definitely NOT low-key!), and walking for sure. I hope you get rest well tonight and wake up tomorrow with bolts of energy! 🙂
I like to walk my dogs or do a Pilates video. If I’m really in need of a strength workout I’ll do something where I never repeat an exercise.
I had one of those days yesterday too! sometimes they come out of no where but tomorrow is a new day : )
A long walk always helps me when I need to decompress.
It’s so great that you still make a point of working out even when you’re having an “foggy” day. Props to you! Actually, you inspired me to get my butt off the couch and go for a jog this afternoon, so thank you! I also stumbled across a Buzzfeed article that you and other readers might enjoy about the trials and tribulations of running. Check it out:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/erinchack/thoughts-every-jogger-has-while-out-for-a-running
I love a long restorative yoga practice or walk to let my body recover. Listening to what your body needs is so important and helps make the hard workouts more effective!
I definitely have been loving chicken sausage. I paired it with sauteed spinach, & cottage cheese for a protein packed dinner the other night & it was amazing. When I’m not feeling into my workouts or a little sluggish, I use my Nike Training app & bust out a 15-minute workout. I can push through anything for 15 minutes & always feel so much better afterward.
Foam rolling is heaven! I usually try to foam roll 1-2 times a day. I just know it makes my muscles happy. I love walking around my neighborhood, preferably with a friend or family member. It’s relaxing, but active!
WAlking is my go to when I’m not in the mood of sweating!! Now I’m incorporating more yoga into my routine to switch things, and I’m loving it!
I love walking on the treadmill, yoga or hiking for a “relaxed” workout. Hiking isnt in the cards yet for Ohio…hopefully soon!!
Oh man, I also LOVE yoga detox classes. There’s one I go to at my gym on Saturday mornings. Always gets my weekend off to a good start!
I love doing at home yoga with YouTube videos – best way to relax and stretch it out!
On days that I plan to workout, but aren’t really feeling it, I tend to do a restorative yoga, especially ones with hip openers since I sit most of the weekday. As you said, it can feel so good to do something, but something that’s not overly strenuous. Enough to get the blood moving, and perhaps a light sweat, but movement that just feels good and healthy for your body.
If I’m looking for a less intense workout, I really like the walking aerobics from Leslie Sansone. Her videos are low-impact but still great to get your heart rate up. The 1 and 2 mile workouts are great, but if you’re still looking for more, her 3, 4 and 5 mile workouts are no joke! I’ve sweat up a storm and lost major weight with her tapes. People laugh at me all the time for using her workouts, but for me, I don’t like anything too intense. I’m not one for Boot Camp, running, kettlebells or anything along that line. Never was. But like you said before, walking can be very effective.